Tuesday 06/08/2024 - Bitterwell Silvers Open

Usually fish Thursday's but unable to this week, so booked in to Bitterwell Silvers. Great group of blokes here plenty of banter. Paul Issac's is in Serbia this week on England duty with his son Charlie who's fishing for the under 15's. So Ricky's Scaffold and Martin Mc stood in. TBone was was promoted to tea boy for the day and suggested one of us should go to the Pharmacy to get some laxative for Des Shipp's tea 😂.

Into the draw bag and peg 1 comes out, happy with this as I've not fished it for 50 years! Groans followed when Des drew peg 23 again. Not from me as he will will be difficult to beat off any peg. Good to have the opportunity to fish with him, he's always happy to give advice. Some anglers moan when he's fishing their match but as the greatest ever Chess player Garry Kasparov said "to be the best you have to beat the best". Anyway the laxative wouldn't have worked, he was too close to the toilet.

So three rigs a 4 x14 Winter to fish top set plus three barrels hoping to get meat to work. The short Ronnie rig and the banker a 0.3 RJ for the tree line (pictured) on the top set to give me one second to tighten to the Tench. Would have used the 25 elastic but only had my silvers kit but had sneaked in a Drennan 2.4.

Started by feeding corn to the tree line, 6 mm long and loose GB and maggots on the Ronnie rig. Started on the Ronnie rig and caught a few small skimmers and Ronnie's but pestered by small Perch. Looking around it was a slow start for all so stayed with it adding ounces regularly. Got fed up with the Perch so went to the tree line with a big worm and yes another Perch so the idea of feeding worm on this line forgotten. On the corn and started to catch some Tench to 5 lb but pulling them out of from under the tree isn't for the faint hearted. Lost a couple of fish but not sure it they were Carp or Tench. Martin McMahon on peg 3 had started to catch decent skimmers regularly on meat. So went long with the meat and surprised to catch a couple of quick decent skimmers and a Tench. That was it as I think my feeding brought them off bottom. So back on the tree line with meat and had a few skimmers and another Tench, however, the corn was edging it so stayed on that to the end adding more skimmers and the odd Tench. However, pulled hard on a couple of skimmers in case they were Tench pulling out. Last hour the Carp arrived and spent some time mending rigs. Got two 7 lb Carp out though! I thought Martin may have just pipped me.

Weighed 41 lb 2 oz for second my Tench making the difference with Martin's 36 lb 14 oz. Top three pictured above.

The match was won by Des Shipp (pictured) with just 63 lb 12 oz! Des started on ground bait and worms for a few small skimmers with worms definitely not feeling right went onto his pellet line with expanders and which was ok but the skimmers were small missing lots of bites, he decided to changed to hard pellets on the hook and this was much better with some slightly better stamp fish. With the wind getting up and blowing straight at him, he gave the reed edge line a go on meat, this was good adding quality skimmers.

Very enjoyable day out. I hooked the bottom on the Ronnie rig and came back with a piece of brick clinker - why was this in here, looked like it had been in there for hundred's of years. Another lucky charm taken home.

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