Sunday 25/10/2009 - Carps AC - Sedges - Brick Lake

I watched the BBC Panorama programme on Monday night “Hate on the Doorstep” - topic being Racial Abuse in Bristol. The producer sent two young Asian Journalists acting as husband a wife to live on the Southmead estate to test for racial abuse. Well I thought the programme was once again one sided and typical of the BBC – journalism at it’s worse (they have the same one sided view on angling – the BBC is very anti). What I saw was nothing to do with colour or race. I am absolutely sure if a white couple dressed differently (than the casual manner of the local Tykes) – say in a suit and tie and searched out the hot areas (with obvious help from local Police) in any council estate for anti social behaviour and started to act vulnerable and ignorant then they would have had the similar treatment (just the name calling being different). Who on earth would hang about outside one of the toughest pubs in Bristol day after day dressed as they were, acting vulnerable and ignorant without expecting trouble of some sort? What I really detested was the reporters stating that being called a Paki was racial abuse – well is not – it’s how we shorten the name Pakistanis in the UK, we call the Australians’ Ozzy’s, the Irish Paddy’s, the Scots Jock’s, the Welsh Taffy’s and I am a Brit and take no offence to being called one. I also don’t take offence at being called Mike instead of Michael. So I think the issue is with the Asian reporters rather than us Brits. It is very important that we do not confuse Racial Abuse with Anti social behaviour the resolution for both are very different!!! I would be very upset if I was Paul Dicks as the area around his tackle shop was described as one of the worse places for racial abuse (someone got beaten up there once). When in Rome do as the Romans do! It doesn’t seem many years ago when the BBC referred to the Pakistani cricket team as the Paki’s and still today refer to the Afghanistan’s as Afghan’s! – Not an issue then!

I also watched BBC’s Question Time with Nick Griffin (BNP). The BBC really stitched him up, but the viewers would have known this immediately the programme started – all staged managed. That said I didn’t think Nick came out of it the worse that was left to Jack Straw, who couldn’t tell the truth (very few Politian’s do) about Labours failed immigration policies which has opened the door to the BNP. The truth is: (the following extract from the Daily Mail 24/10/09 and confirmed by others in Whitehall

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“Huge increases in immigration over the past decade were a deliberate attempt to engineer a more multicultural Britain, a former Government adviser said yesterday. Andrew Neather, a speechwriter who worked in Downing Street for Tony Blair and in the Home Office for Jack Straw and David Blunkett, said Labour's relaxation of controls was a plan to 'open up the UK to mass migration'. As well as bringing in hundreds of thousands to plug labour market gaps, there was also a 'driving political purpose' behind immigration policy, he claimed”.

One thing I did agree with Nick on was Homosexuals. Nick stated that “seeing two men kissing in public “Freaked” him out”. When I have witnessed men kissing in public the first emotion is shock – then disgust. We also had Holly Johnson on this week’s BBC One Show stating that Homosexuality “is the most “Natural” thing in the world”. It shocks and disgusts me for the opposite reason – It is the most UNNATURAL” act. As soon as they are all back in the closet with Cliff Richard's (who I think manages his sexuality very well) the better!!

Yes I am bored and watching too much TV!!

Back to the fishing. I have not completely got rid of the gout, but could’nt face another day watching TV and was desperate for some fresh air. So I chose to fish the Carps AC match at The Sedges – Brick Lake. I know the fishing can go off a bit at this venue during the winter, but as it was so mild (16 degrees) I thought we might get another good days fishing. I usually try and draw as early as possible – because the winning peg is more likely to still be in the hat. However, today I decided to wait to last in the hope that pegs 1 and 2 would be drawn and they were. I am not doing this again as I drew peg 3!! I didn’t expect to do very well from this peg as the wind was blowing in to the far end with a bias in to peg 11. I set up the maggot feeder (which can work very well when it’s hard), a 4x16 Jolly for the maggot/4mm expander. I started by cupping in one ball of GB laced with maggot and a few casters at 9 metres at 2 clock and one 250ml pot on wetted micro at 10 metres straight out in front. I started with double red maggot over the GB – after half an hour with no bites I went out on the maggot feeder with again double red on the hook, after half an hour, nothing. Back on the pole with 4mm expander over the micro, after half an hour, nothing!! I decide to drizzle a bit of chop worm over the GB line and fish worm on the hook – nothing. Back on the maggot and my first bite an Eel. Next put in I missed a bite – what a turn round – NOT! Although I kept swapping around the three lines I didn’t have another bite. With an hour or so to go I decide to called it a day. As the scales were close by I weighed my one Eel which went 8oz. This was 8oz more than The Gimp who had drawn peg 2 and blanked! I was half expecting to pack up early because of my gout but never once considered it would be because of the poor fishing.

Both the match and the Silvers was won by Rich Coles (pictured right with one of his Carp) with 35lb 11oz which included 18lb 9oz of Silvers from peg 6. Rich caught his fish on red maggot fished at 11.5 metres.

Full Result:

1. Rich Coles 35-11-0 peg 6

2. Barry Fitchew 35-01-0 peg 10

3. John Dursley 25-08-0 peg 4

4. Colin Golding 16-13-0 peg 7

5. John Green 14-11-0 peg 9

6. Steve Evans 14-10-0 peg 13

Top Silvers:

1. Rich Coles 18-09-0 peg 6

2. Steve Evans 14-10-0 peg 13

3. Matt Tomes 10-10-0 peg 8

Finally; Mike Jones and Chris Rolfe are running a Silvers Championship on the Bathampton Huntstrete complex. Dates and contact details shown right – Further details to follow.