Friday, 29 September 2017

Thursday 28/09/2017 - Bathampton AA - Over 55's - Bridge Pool

Whilst walking around the pool with Hughie I had a phone call from Chris Rolfe who lives in Portishead explaining that he was running late due having to patch up bullets holes in his car.

Whilst walking around there were plenty of signs of feeding silt pigs, but was apprehensive whether the Skimmers would feed because the pool was flat calm and that combined with the predicted bright sunshine would not be conducive for catching Skimmers.

In to the draw bag and out come plastic counter number 18. This is one of my favourite pegs especially when Carp count because I could spend have the match on the Silvers then switch to the Carp because this is an area the munters live. For company I had “Calamity James” Norris on peg 19 who wasn’t feeling that positive about our pegs as he was on 18 last match and didn’t fair that well. I have found if the wind is blowing into this end the Silvers don’t respond, but with no wind I was hoping that wouldn’t be the case.

Steve Dawson had drawn peg 3 again the peg he won from last match however, this week he had two empty pegs each side so game over for the match win.

I set up a 4x10 Speedy for the LH margin a metre from the overhanging tree. A 4x16 to fish top-set plus three out in front in 8 foot of water, finally a 4x14 to fish in 6 foot on the top-set. Simple.

One large ball of GB laced with DR’s and caster was potted on both long and short lines and twenty casters down the margin. Starting on the short line I started to catch small Perch on single DR. Theses small fish weren’t going to get any coin however, everyone else was struggling for a bite, so ounces makes pounds and pounds make…. I did expect to catch some Ronnie’s and a Skimmer or two on this line but it wasn’t happening. So my predictions wrt the conditions was proving right, to check the Skimmers weren’t having it I went on the long line where there was no indications of feeding fish. First try and a 4oz Skimmer on double DR, alas that was it, only catching small perch. Time to try the trusted caster down the LH side and I had a few better Perch to 8oz and some 8oz Hybrids. I then hooked a Tench which broke the surface before going under the tree which I retrieved and was about to net it when the hooked pulled probably due to the earlier bullying from under the tree. Going to cost me today? After pulling myself together it was back in again and straight away the float buried and another Tench which after a tussle in the weeded margin it was netted along with a lot of weed. Phew. I then had a run of big Perch to 1 ½ lb but managed to lose four with one blunting the hook point. It didn’t end there as later I was to lose two more Tench and I don’t know why both times the hook pulling. To add to these woes I hooked and landed a 15lb Mirror Carp which more or less left me struggling for a bites for the remainder.

I finished with 13lb 13oz for sixth overall and a free days fishing. Those lost fish cost me third place I think.

Bridge Pool is definitely lacking of Roach which is probably due to the netting of the smaller fish a couple of years back. Shame, hope this doesn’t happen again.

As predicted the match was won by Steve Dawson (pictured right) with 32lb 4oz from peg 3. Steve initially caught about 18lb of hand size Skimmers at 10 metres using expanders on the hook fished over GB laced with micro. Half way the swim died so he switched to his margins with maggot hook bait where Steve had been loose feeding maggot and caught 8 bream. Well done matey.

Full Result:

  1. Steve Dawson 32-04-0 peg 3
  2. Alan Jones 24-11-0 peg 11
  3. John Fry 16-0-0 peg 10
  4. Paul Barnfield 14-10-0 peg 14
  5. John Smith 13-15-0 peg 26
  6. Mike Nicholls 13-13-0 peg 18
Weigh Sheets:





















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