Today was our 42nd wedding anniversary and the
Special One let me out fishing. However, I think the anniversary Gods were
against me today.
It’s all about making decisions and the first bad one the
Gods lead me in to was changing my usual route to the fishery and going through
Wells instead of Shepton. I was stuck behind a huge farm vehicle for most of
the way.
I was then unusually lead in to the middle of the draw queue
and drew the one of the two pegs I didn’t want peg 130 (the other is 131).
These pegs aren’t especially favourable for pole fishing.
Had the Gods finished with me as before the all-in our
friendly Coach Driver Martin Lenaghan bought a round of teas – thanks drive!
I had decided to go for the Silvers as I felt I wouldn’t win
any overall coin from this peg. So I set up a hard pellet rig consisting of a
4x14 jolly with a hair rigged Mosella band and a similar rig set for the soft
pellet. Finally, my reliable 0.4 gram paste rig. I intended to fish all the
rigs at 9 metres.
Starting on paste through the kinder pot with a few hard 4’s
I think I was first in the match to hook a Carp, which was soon lost as it was
foul hooked breaking the hook length and float. So on with another 0.4 paste
float and another Carp hooked, unfortunately the hook pulled free at the net
and another float broken! Yet another paste rig connected and out again with
paste and a 5 lb Carp was soon in the net. Then in two put in I lost two flying
Bream – a pattern forming – the Gods weren’t finished with me yet. I had one more
small Carp and decided to come in short to 4 metres with the hard pellet rig,
which resulted in a couple of small Skimmers and one more small Carp. I tried
the soft pellet over this line which had no impact. So on with the paste (it’s
the same depth at 4 metres as it is at 9). I had been steadily feeding hard
fours and I had a run of six decent Bream and another small Carp, before the
swim died.
Then the heavens opened up and it was the worse I have seen
in GB. It was very much like the tropical storms we use to get in Barbados
With ¾ hour to go I went back out long where I had earlier
fed a pot of 4’s, out of desperation than anything else. It was Carp o clock with one a bung to the
end plus one flying Bream. My thirteen accidental Carp weighed in at 68lb 10oz
and my seven Skimmers/Bream 16lb 9oz for a total of 85lb 3oz. It was mission
accomplished as amazingly enough this put me first in the Silvers.
The match was won by Mash (pictured right - being straggled
by the Silvers winner) with 165lb 7oz from peg 114. Mash caught all his fish on
paste.
The anniversary Gods hadn’t quite finished with me, as
driving back my usual way I found the roads flooded, but managed to get through
even though some were turning around. It was a slow long drive back.
Full Result:
1. Mash
165-07-0 peg 114
2. Martin
Lenaghan 163-10-0 peg 126
3. Tom
Thick 143-03-0 peg 135
4. Mike
West 120-07-0 peg 125
5. Tony
Rixon 110-0-0 peg 132
6. Adrian
Jeffery 106-6-0 peg 121
7. Joe
McMahon 105-11-0 peg 129
8. Mark
Poppleton 104-11-0 peg 116
9. Martin
Preston 100-14-0 peg 131
Top Silvers:
1. Mike
Nicholls 16-0909 peg 130
2. Dave
Roper 11-14-0 peg 111
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