Thursday 24/02/2022 - Ray's Rip Off - Bathampton AA - Withy Pool

Driving in to the complex noticed some scaffold poles and wooden planks - for Bridge Pool platforms? Bridge Pool still looks a bit off colour.

Another good turn out which included matey Geoff Francis making a come back after a two year lay-off from commercial matches. Another returnee was Shane Lovell both very popular anglers.

Once again the weather was predicted to be awful with high winds and heavy showers. So thought I would love a peg out of the wind or off the back, thinking pegs 51 to 59. First into the draw bag and out comes peg 51. Definitely going to be sheltered but hasn't so far produced much even though it's a popular peg for pleasure carp anglers. Plenty of room as the only peg behind the island today. Happy days. For company and the only angler I could see was "three gulps" Gillard on peg 54. Peg 51 platform is half under water and uneven, so took a while to get the seat box settled in. Umbrella erected as rain already started.

Shoulders some what better but hands still an issue. Set up the waggler primarily to try for carp over caster feed towards the channel during the last hour. The 4x13 MR to fish top set plus two barrels in 6 foot of water and the 4 metre whip with a 2BB waggler with 5xno12's shot down the line to fish over the MR rig line.

Fed the whip/pole line with GB laced with Pinkie and caster. Started on the MR with single LR. It didn't take long to catch a 1 oz Ronnie. I then had a good hour catching Ronnie's to 3 oz. Fed again and switched to the whip and surprisingly had a run of small Skimmers to 8 oz - thought it would have been the other way round. Stayed on the whip until the last hour topping up the GB feed four times. Extremely heavy hail stones arrived but lasted just five minutes. On to the waggler towards the gap where I had been feeding caster regularly for look see for a carp. Alas, more small Ronnie's as the light got bad switched to a shorted line with maggot feed putting a few more Ronnie's in the net. Once again would have been very enjoyable day except for the bloody weather conditions.

I weighed 12 lb 12 oz for a match win. No carp caught.

Runner up was Paul Barnfield (pictured with the match winner) with 9 lb 9 oz from peg 68. Paul dripped caster and GB through a kinder pot.

Spare a thought for John Smith who once again drew peg 71 - he was bloody freezing.

Back to the pub with the usual suspects including Geoff Francis who luckily remembered it was his round 😁.

Result:

1. Mike Nicholls 12-12-0 peg 51

2. Paul Barnfield 9-09-0 peg 68

3. Shane Lovell 7-14-0 peg 45

4. Dave Gillard 7-13-0 peg 54

5. Paul Haines 7-08-0 peg 55

6. Paul Clayton 7-03-0 peg 57

Weigh Sheets: