Sunday 22/05/2011 - Avon Angling Float Only Open - Chiltern Trinity - Wildmarsh

After a decent breakfast at Hill Tops it was off to the draw at Chiltern Trinity – Wild Marsh Lake and it certainly lived up to it’s name with the Wild gusting winds that welcomed us.

I was one of the last to draw – again, so I let Tony Rixon pull the peg for me (for the last time), I wish I hadn’t because out comes peg 59 on the road bank. In my experience it’s not been the best places to draw. Arriving at the peg I found that I had the high gusting wind off my back with the peg looking pretty manageable with any method. I also had a bank of Water Lily to my right pads (pictured right). For some unknown reason I have never caught anything near this plant, nor do I know anyone that has. However they still remain tantalising to us anglers if not the fish.

I had Charlie Barns two pegs to my right and Joe Thompson next peg to my left so lady luck had concocted pensioner’s corner. I think we are put there to be out of the main action.

As it was a practice match for the float only series I set up everything except a feeder, which may have been the right method on this peg. Two Ronnie rigs one for 2 metres and the other for 7 metres, two paste rigs, one for 9 metres and yes one for the Lily’s. The Waggler rod was untangled and it was soon apparent after a few setting up casts that the tow was far too great for it to work properly, it was like fishing the Bristol Avon in summer flow. I then set up a 4x14 rig for the CW&C which I decided from my limited previous experience would be my main method.

I started by cupping in the messy business at 11.5 metres, starting on the caster at 7 metres expecting to catch Ronnie’s from the off, but after fifteen minutes I had one small Rudd and one missed bite. So out on the Worm and I had the usual initial run of Ronnie’s until I hooked and landed a 2 ½ lb Skimmer. I then bumped two decent fish I then had an Eel. The swim died so I re-fed the messy business and hooked an enormous fish (which explained why the swim had gone dead) which went to the middle of the lake bottoming out the elastic and finally breaking the elastic so I lost the lot. All this in the first hour which marked the time my match was over. After setting up a new rig I struggled for another bite adding three more Eel’s. I tried everything and couldn’t get bite. I weighed 5lb 12oz for no where.

I don’t know anyone that got in the coin using CW&C on its own. The GB appeared to be the better feed on the day, fishing various baits over it. I had planned to fish the waggler over the GB but conditions would not permit this which might have been the method for the swim on the day – who knows.

Charlie Barns caught five Barbel on the CW&C for 14lb and Joe Thompson also had a Barbel weighing 3lb which really pleased him (pictured right). Apparently these fish were stocked when 3 inches long, so they have grown on really well.

Dave Roper (pictured right with the Silvers winner) won the match by a narrow margin from Island peg end peg 2 with 46lb 15oz. Dave had mainly Carp to 6lb fishing down to his left using meat.

The Silvers was won by Steve Kedge with 20lb of Roach from Island peg 3. Steve caught short using caster over caster.

To be fair the venue fished much better than my previous visits, needing near 20lb to win a section.

Full Result:

1. Dave Roper 46-15-0 peg 2 Island
2. Paul Elmes 45-13-0 peg 7
3. Glenn (Jinx) Bailey 43-09-0 peg 13
4. Steve Priest 30-11-0 peg 44
5. Bela Bakos 26-01-0 peg 21
6. Dean Mallin 25-05-0 peg 65

Top Silvers:

1. Steve Kedge 20-0-0 peg 3 Island
2. Nigel Bartlett 19-07-0 peg 12
3. Bela Bakos 18-05-0 peg 21