After a week off I was raring to go for this one although the weather was set to be wet and windy. Amazingly I drew peg one for the third match running (and the scales). The pond looked good with fish topping and the wind was blowing into the willow to my right. I had Big Frank on peg two and could see Justin Charles and Robin Cox opposite.
I set up a 0.5 gram Drennan Roach float to fish at 11 metres over my groundbait and a Colmic Jolly to fish up towards the willow where I caught the chub last time. This rig had a 0.12 mm bottom and size 18 B611. I also set up a waggler, a two and a half AA Kamasan peacock insert, with the bulk around the float and three no 9 Stotz down the line, again this set up was finished with a 0.12 mm hooklength and size 18 Kamasan B611. I mixed up some Sensas Roach and Lake and was ready for the off.
On the whistle I cupped in three balls at 11 metres out in front of me and some chopped worm and casters at 11 metres towards the willow. I started on the waggler with caster on the hook and started to catch perch and the odd rudd. It seemed quite slow though and after an hour I had around 10 fish. Frank was fishing the pole and catching more fish than me but he was only catching small perch. I was getting the odd better perch and rudd of around 4oz. I struggled on and was getting the odd fish while all the time feeding caster and hemp towards the willow.
A brief try on my 11 metre line resulted in not a single bite and a go at two sections to hand saw me catch a few small perch to take my tally to 30 fish. It was still raining and the fishing was getting steadily harder. Frank said he was struggling and from what I could see opposite, not a lot was being caught over there either. Back on the waggler it was a struggle too, I did add a couple more perch and had one of around 6oz come off at the net ( remember that fish!). I had a quick go up towards the willow but only had one small perch. I was now out of ideas. Just then a father and son combo turned up to pleasure fish and stomped back and forth past my carefully primed swim towards the willow and set up between me and Robin – great.
With two and a half hours to go and very little in the net I decided to concentrate on the willow swim. I waited ages before having a bite but a perch of around a pound and a half was very welcome. Quarter of an hour later I had an eel of around 8oz before it went quiet again. With the rain getting worse I noticed Robin had disappeared and was sat in his car and then father and son buggered off as well, thank God.
Another bite and after a short tussle the white hydro did it’s job and I netted a chub of around 12oz. The next bite resulted in a better chub of a pound and a half. With half an hour to go I was praying for just one more but it wasn’t to be and I finished with 37 fish. I packed up and went up to weigh in, Neil Dring had 4lb 7oz followed by Malcolm (the fossil) Levy with 3lb 6oz and I was beginning to realise how hard it had fished. Jake Woodard weighed 3lb 13oz and Big Frank 3lb odd and I knew I had them beat but had I done enough to beat the anglers opposite? My fish went 7lb 2oz which was more than I thought.
Back at the results it became clear that the pond hadn’t fished well, Barney Crockett had landed a 2lb 8oz perch on the whistle and weighed 6lb 8oz, so had I won? No was the answer as Justin Charles had 7lb 3oz of small fish, one poxy ounce!!!! Also remember that perch I lost at the net? Bugger, that had cost me. Still I picked up £40 for second place plus a pound off Janders who had struggled.
I don’t think there is a match next week so you will have to tune in the week after for your fishing fix…..
