Saturday 15/08/1987 - Division 4 - National Championship - River Severn - Fry's AA

The lads were delighted that having being promoted to the National Championship third division to find it was to be held on the mighty River Severn at Worcester. A river I had yet to fish and as a running running water venue I had always fancied. I don’t know whether it was due to our enthusiasm of being promoted or that the venue wasn’t too far away that we decided to have a practice match. I don’t think any of the other lads fished the river before either. The same team was selected. We understood that our normal feeder rods used on the Bristol Avon might not be man enough. So I had a look around for something suitable and was recommended the Severn - Trent 12 foot feeder rod hand made by Mel Storey. So I rang him and lucky enough Mel was having guitar lessons in Bristol so I met him at Eastville Park. The rod had three different top sections, very impressed.

The practice match was the usual pre-national affair with a big attendance. The draw was at the Worcester Horse racing ground which the Severn ran alongside. As I had a company car at the time Dave Clutterbuck travelled with me.

Dick Derrington was running the match and before the draw he announced that a certain section would have to wait to the side until the draw was complete. As it happened I drew this section. When Dick arrived he explained to the assembled group that we would have to follow him to a new car park which we must use or risk damage to our cars from a local farmer. I have to confess I had no idea where we were going and still don’t know where I had been. We arrived at the car park and once we unloaded Dick locked the car park gate. He gave instructions how to get to our pegs pointing out a pin point of a caravan on the horizon as a landmark to head towards – we were bound to hit the river! Now I was use to long walks but this proved to the furthest one to date. It wasn’t long before the moaning started about the walk. It got worse, once we arrived at the river we couldn’t find the peg numbers until someone ventured into the thick undergrowth to get to the river's edge and found a number. We worked out from this everyone's peg. However, it was necessary for me to walk through about 20 foot of undergrowth to get to the river's edge where I found a man made wall, which was handy for me to sit on to fish. I got set up with just two Rods the Mel Storey with a maggot feeder and a stick on the 14 foot Normark float rod.

I had no idea of the species I was fishing for so started on the maggot feeder three quarters over with double maggot hook bait. It wasn’t long before I was getting tiny twitches on the tip which I was sure was bootlace Eels. I kept striking and on examination found the maggots untouched. The twitches, striking and bait examination went on for a good hour with nothing to show for it. These indications stopped so picked up the float rod and started trotting down the inside where I had been loose feeding maggot. After about an hour I hooked something decent but it come off. On inspection I had a fish scale on the hook so foul hooked. I didn’t have a clue as to the species but decided in favour of a Chub. I persevered with this for another two hours just going through the motions when I realised the noise from the up stream angler had stop, I assumed he had packed in. I sat on the feeder for the last hour and didn’t get a bite. So a blank. The scales man came along whom I followed. There were lots of blanks with Steve Gardener winning the section with 14 lb of Chub on the maggot feeder. I noticed his peg was opposite a high natural cliff with a sheer drop into the river.

So I embarked on the long walk back. Nearing the end of the last field I noticed a group of anglers and was concerned someone might be in trouble, but as I got closer I could hear laughing and joking. When I arrived there were four angler’s playing cards using their tackle boxes and side trays as a card table. Rumours’ had it that some of the card players hadn’t even made it to the river, and some had packed in early. Anyway I followed Dick back to the Headquarters thinking who takes playing cards fishing. Perhaps it’s something you do on the river Severn?

I collected Dave who I think had weighed a couple of pound. We stopped in a local Chippy and had the best part of the day.

I couldn't stop thinking about the twitching I was getting. I asked the other lads but it seemed I was the only one who experienced this. Just before the National I read an article explaining how Barbel can blowing the bait about giving tiny indications. I'm was subsequently convinced I found my culprit. In my defence up to then I had only caught them on the float. So if I experienced this again I would have to ignore such indications until I had a wrap round.

The day of the national. The location and some of details of the practice match was vague, but it got worse. I travelled again with Dave Clutterbuck to the Race course. I can’t remember what peg I was drawn but located the appropriate transfer coach. I remember the coach arriving at the river and parked on road bridge. Luckily I didn’t have far to walk downstream to my peg. I did notice a huge lock gate 25 foot highish so there must have been a weir close by. Again I had to fight through some undergrowth to get to the river and was pleasantly surprised to find a wide shingle beach in front of me which was shallow with a slack in front enabling me to wade out. The main flow was on the far bank. The setup the same as the practice match. Again I started on the maggot feeder but with some extra lead to hold over in the fast water. After a few minutes with no indications or these tiny twitches I really started not to fancy it, but stuck with it for the first hour. With no indications I was glad to switch to the stick float where I had been loose feeding maggot on the crease of the flow and first try with maggot had a Dace followed by more Dace and the occasional Roach. I then hooked a decent fish which was a very welcome 8 oz Eel. What I had learnt from these 1000 peg matches you are generally fishing for ounces rather than pounds for good team points. So I kept on with the stick adding the odd Dace and Roach by casting around the swim. I heard two stewards meet up behind me with one explaining that an angler downstream from me had a 10 lb Carp! I didn’t expect to hear that. From memory I finished with about 6 lb which would have been very good section points. No need for the playing cards!!

It now gets vaguer I don’t know how the team did the last thing I remember is dropping Dave off at home.

The Mel Storey rod remained a virgin. I did get to win a few quid with it on the Bristol Avon when in flood. However, Dad took a liking to the rod and had it on permanent loan. It now resides in my garage holding fond  memories.

Team Browning took the team honours for the second year running.