Thursday 25/11/2010 - Bathampton Over 55's - Bridge Pool

I think the Coffin Dodgers were all wondering which charity to give their heating allowance to that was until today. It was perishing cold with a hard over night frost to contend with. I was hoping to draw in the sun; however, it wasn’t to be I pulled out peg 32. These pegs along this bank don’t see the sun all day this time of year, because of this the pegs can hold Silvers if it is bright. Today I had John Smith as company – he doesn’t look old enough to have retired, more of him later. I set up the usual 4x16 Jolly to be fished down the inside shelf at 7.5 metres scaled down to an 808 18 hook for single maggot. I also set up a CW&C rig for the LH margin for the Perch if it got hard. On the all in I fed one ball of GB laced with dead red maggot on the silvers line and a tiny amount of the messy business in to the margin. Starting on the 7.5 metres line it took about five minutes before I had my first Skimmer, followed by a few small Ronnie’s. I then foul hook a Carp which slipped free. Next cast I hook and land a 6lb Carp, lets hope that the last of them - not. I then started to top up with dead red maggot through the kinder pot and had a good run on the Silvers landing Skimmers to 1 ½ lb, Perch and Ronnie’s.

I then hook another Carp and all the signs were it was foul hooked near the anal fin as it took off with the usual rattle when hooked in this area. It swam directly to John Smiths swim and float and sure enough John thought he had a bite and struck. I shouted out that it was my fish he had struck at and John said “do what you need to”, so with both elastics now heading to the corner of the island it was obvious John was over my line (so I thought). After about ten seconds my hook pulled free as it straightened. However, John was still attached to it. John played it for about fifteen minutes landing a personal best Carp of 16lb 4oz (pictured right with a proper smile). The Carp was foul hooked under the chin. John and I agreed on a 90% - 10% split in his favour however the scales man didn’t agree! Well done John it couldn’t have happened to a nicer person.

After a few more small Skimmers I hooked a whopping Common Carp and it wasn’t going to come in easy, the first attempt to land it failed because the line had gone round its pectoral fin and it was easy for it to swim out of the landing net. I played it for another five minutes and suddenly it was gone including my complete rig – a catastrophic failure of one of my rig – surely not. On inspection there was no sign of breakage it appeared that the line had slipped over the Dacron knot. I got up to find another rig and found my original rig behind me. On inspection everything was intact. What had happened the hook had pulled with the energy stored in the elastic had some how managed to release the connection to the Dacron. – Blimey that’s a first for me.

I tried the margin with worm and maggot which resulted in two 2oz Perch. At least with this species you get a bite straight off, so you know when they are about.

For the next hour I shivered and really struggled for any indication at all, it wasn’t until the last twenty minutes that the Ronnie’s showed up most probably because the light was starting to go. I had a Ronnie every put in until I hooked and landed another 6lb Carp. My Silvers weighed in at 11lb 8oz and my two Carp went 13lb 10oz. This put me first in the Silvers and second overall with 25lb 2oz.

The match was won by Andy Shield (pictured right with the Silvers winner - someone smaller than me for once) with 33lb from peg 6. Andy caught three Carp fishing triple red maggot. Andy fished this over potted red maggot and hemp seed. Well done matey for your first win in the CD’s.

Full Result:

1. Andy Shields 33-0-0 peg 6
2. Mike Nicholls 25-02-0 peg 32
3. John Smith 23-02-0 peg 31
4. Bryan Sheppard 15-07-0 peg 11
5. Chris Rolfe 10-12-0 peg 14
6. Bob Price 9-09-0 peg 18

Top Silvers:

1. Mike Nicholls 11-08-0 peg 32
2. Terry Bruton 8-06-0 peg 24
3. John Smith 6-12-0 peg 31