After a mild week all the signs looked good for this match although there was a rather keen chilly wind. I drew the second bend above Redbridge, a swim I’d never fished before but Justin had caught three chub and lost one the last time it was fished. Also in the same section was my nemesis Janders who I really needed to beat if I was to keep my league hopes alive.
I got there and the swim looked really nice with a tree opposite and a raft of rubbish had collected against some of the branches to the right. I set up the usual gram and half Drennan Carbo with 0.12 mm bottom and size 18 Kamasan B611. Bearing in mind Justin had only had five bites I was expecting a wait and on the whistle I shipped out to fish by the raft of rubbish. After a couple of minutes the float sank from view and I missed it! Three more bites, all on caster, followed and I missed them all. I was just starting to think it must be minnows when I caught a small roach, then a gudgeon. After half an hour I’d had a few small fish and decided to take a section of a run the float through in the flow, I had a few more fish on caster and a few on maggot.
After a couple of hours I had around 30 fish but was never going to build a big weight, I was having to chase the fish around because it was low and clear. Robin Cox wandered down from the peg above and he’d only had a couple of small fish. I was still getting the odd small fish and was hoping the chub would put in an appearance. I did hear loads of swearing coming from Robins direction and when I shouted up to ask what was wrong, he replied he’d just lost two chub. With two hours to go my peg had really slowed up so I walked up to see Robin and have a cup of coffee, not a lot was happening on his peg either although he did miss a bite while I was there.
Back at my peg the odd small roach and gudgeon stopped me from being bored and I even caught a chub, although at half an ounce it wasn’t much help! Janders then wandered up to report he was struggling and had only caught a minnow, he did say Neil Dring on the peg below the bridge was catching roach steadily despite having a few pike problems. I carried on catching small fish periodically to end with 51 fish plus a couple of minnows. I spent the last 15 minutes on double caster but never had a bite on it.
Just as I was packing up the wind got stronger and it started to rain – great! I had the scales yet again and weighed Robin who had really struggled and had a few tiny fish for 3oz. My fish went 2lb 4oz which was slightly more than I thought but I was sure it wouldn’t be enough to pick up any money. Neil weighed 6lb 15oz which was a cracking weight on the day and Janders weighed an ounce so I had a pound off him and pulled a couple of points on him with a match to go.
The other section was won by Digger who had three chub for 6lb 11oz and was second on the day and Justin had 3lb 8oz for third. Neil had a good day as not only did he win the match but Spurs beat my team Chelsea in the Carling Cup Final – grrr.
Well next week is the last one in the V.E.S. Precision league and I’m currently in third place and although I can’t win it a good result could see me in second. Mind you a bad one could see me miss out on third!!!!!
