04/09/2011 - Avon Angling Teams of Four - Round One - Chiltern Trinity - Wildmarsh

Today was Round One of the Avon Angling Teams of Four with eleven Teams fishing. My team “Charlie’s Angels” had a Judas leave for pastures new – well that what Tom Thick thinks. However, we found a good replacement in Steve Segar. Today’s match was on Chiltern Trinity’s Wildmarsh Lake, with the feeder allowed, which I thought would be a big help for some of the more difficult pegs – I was wrong.

Captain Charlie came back with a good team draw, with me on Island peg 3. This peg is good for both Silvers and Carp so pleased with it until I got there. To my dismay I found a fence across the peg with nowhere to place my seat box unless I got into the water. I tried to remove it but couldn’t. Fortunately I found Tony Rixon and he kindly came and helped me take it out - thanks long time acquaintance (see picture right of the offensive worlds biggest peg).

During the drive down Bela and I were discussing how we never seem to draw near each other, so it was scary when Bela arrived on peg Island 2.

I untangled the Normark feeder rod and set it to fish at 25 metres with a small Drennan feeder. I set up three rigs, the first a 4 x16 Jolly for the expander pellet for Silvers, next a 0.5 gram paste float both to be fished at 10 metres straight out in front where I had five foot of water. Lastly I set up a 0.3 gram paste float for the RH margin to be fished in three foot of water, although a bit of an undulating bottom. I started on the soft pellet over a full pot of micro and had my usual run of there small Skimmers and four Ronnie’s before the swim died. So after feeding the margin with a mixed pot of micros and 4’s I went back out at 10 metres with the paste and after half hour I had a 3lb Carp quickly followed by a 4lb Skimmer. The swim died after this. So I tied the margin only to find the paste being tampered with by small fish. Most of the anglers in my section had started on the feeder with little to nothing coming to it. So I decided to have a chuck myself whilst I drank a cup of coffee. It was no different for me – not one bite! After trying the pellet again to no avail it was back out on the long paste line, but this time feeding 4’s with the paste through the kinder pot. Subsequently I had a 7lb Common Carp. I went straight back out and had an immediate bite – but bugger it was foul hooked and bumped its self off. I didn’t have another bite over this line after this. So I spent the remaining hour in the margin and had a 8 lb Common which had the adrenaline pumping as you can’t afford to lose fish of this size on this venue, plus they fight really hard. I went straight back out and foul hooked another Carp, which also bumped its self off (a pattern forming here). This was the last bite I had. My three Carp weighed 20lb 1oz and my few Skimmers 4lb 15oz for a total of 25lb. This gave me an eleven peg section win and a sixth overall, beating Bela by 9lb!!

Team wise we made the most of our draw amassing 32 points which put us joint first overall on the day with two other teams.

The match was won by Tom “Judas” Thick with 48lb 10oz from peg 12. Tom fished the pole at 11.5 metres up to he edge of the line of Sedges using paste and pellet.

Runner up was Paul Elmes with 42lb 13oz from peg 21. Paul weight was boosted by double figure Common Carp (picture right with Paul).

The Silvers was won by Steve Kedge (pictured lower right with Judas) with 18lb 6oz from peg 47. Steve caught Chub and Roach using caster hook bait over caster, backed up with a couple of proper Skimmers on the worm fished long.

Full Result:



1. Tom Thick 48-10-0 peg 12
2. Paul Elmes 42-13-0 peg 21
3. Rich Coles 41-07-0 peg 7
4. Tony Rixon 27-02-0 peg 67
5. Kev Perry 25-14-0 peg 61
6. Mike Nicholls 25-0-0 peg Isle 3

Top Silvers:

1. Steve Kedge 18-06-0 peg 47
2. Gary Etheridge 13-05-0 peg 22