Thursday 16/02/2023 - Bathampton AA Over 55's - Silvers Pairs - Round 4 - Withy Pool

Last week as we were planned to be on Shipp's Canal I was conscious that the bread punches would have to go in the box. As it happened ended up on Taylor's so no bread required so thought I would feed the birds - o'dear left the bread home - 8 and 6 mm bread punch was with me though. This week turned 3/4 pint of scrumptious home made casters and yes, left them home - bugger. Really needed on some pegs here. Get a grips I say.

Driving passed Bridge Pool which looked like yet another issue - thought to be a bottom Algae? Anyway it looked awful - fish gasping. Why issues with this pool so often?

All week I have been trying to fill pairs places managed to fill a couple. Come this morning a message from my partner that he couldn't make it due to sickness from Oysters on Valentines day - should have use Viagra it's safer. So a last in section before starting.

Into the draw bag and out comes peg 64 - point peg. The water was very clear which was a worry. For company on peg 65 Hayden Withers - one of the affable club Bailiffs. Can't remember fishing this peg before. Popular with the pleasure anglers because of it's proximity to the car park.

Set up a short rig and a 4x14 winter to fish 4 barrels and a 8" small bodied Drake waggler. Fed the long line with micro and some ground expander, and the short line down wind with GB laced with Pinkie. Started short with either a single LR or double Pinkie and had a decent run of small Skimmers and Ronnie's. Having pillaged this line went out long with 4 mm expander and couldn't get a bite - umm. Decided to abandon the pellet and switch around 10 degree's to the right and fed GB and Pinkie. I also opened another short line in front which would have been loose caster feed but instead it had to be LR's. Caught a few better Ronnie's and Skimmers to 8 oz on this line. So tried the long GB line with Pinkie and LR's resulting in some very small fish. I did foul hook three small Skimmers. A very short spell on the waggler at 25 metres produced nothing. It occurred to me that the fish out in the deeper water were sat dormant and the fish that wanted to feed had come into the shallower water. So spent the rest of the match switching between the loose fed short line and the GB line adding fish steady.

What turned out to be the last put-in of the match tried to swing a 3 oz Ronnie because of the eagerness to get back out for another which came off tangling the rig - so more haste less speed. I remember fishing next to Kim Milsom at Durleigh Reservoir, the thing then was to wade out to the knees and fish the 4 metre whip with hand fed GB and maggot for small Skimmers. I was swinging most of my fish of course if a fish falls off it goes straight back in the lake. Kim netted everyone one of his fish irrespective of size, he said he always netted his fish suggesting I should do the same. So a lesson I have never adopted - yet. From memory I weighed 22 lb and Kim 29 lb.

I weighed 11 lb 2 oz which was about was my estimate for second section.

The match was won once again by Tony Rixon with 20 lb 4 oz from point peg 46 (his quality catch pictured above). Tony fished caster short for quality Roach and Perch - see his blog for more details. Dave Wride was next door peg 45 fishing maggot and GB for 18 lb 15 oz. Well done to both (pictured).

Back to the Compton with the usual suspects - Two Gulps Gillard was living up to his name on the Doombar which was scrumptious.

Result:

1. Tony Rixon 20-04-0 peg 46

2. Dave Wride 18-15-0 peg 45

3. Kevin Winstone 16-09-0 peg 40

4. Mick Gale 13-0-0 peg 59

5. Andy Gard 12-04-0 peg 42

6. Mike Nicholls 11-02-0 peg 64

Weigh Sheets:

Pairs Result After Round 4: