After drawing peg 125 last week I only went and drew it again!!! After some rain yesterday I really thought there might be a touch of colour but if anything the river was lower and clearer than last time. I made myself comfortable and set up the same rig as last week, a 2BB Drennan peacock waggler with 0.12 mm bottom and a size 18 B611.
After two or three runs down the swim I had my first roach which was followed in by a pike, my second roach I missed the keepnet with! After an hour I knew it was going to be hard, I only had three roach although a couple were good fish. The wind was once again quite difficult to contend with and a pike kept scattering fish at the bottom of the swim. It also started raining off and on, Janders walked up to the car to get his brolley and asked how I was doing, I replied that I’d only had five fish. He said Neil and him were both struggling below the bridge.
I was still getting odd fish but I bumped a couple and had two good fish taken off by pike. After three hours I’d only had around a dozen fish, mainly on caster with a couple on double bronze. Then I had a visit from a mink which probably didn’t help matters. Then just like last week a fish topped above me, so I cast upstream and had another six roach. I ended the match with 19 roach and a minnow.
Janders walked up to weigh me in and asked for my estimate, bearing in mind I had 28 fish last week for 7lb 10oz I said I reckoned I had about 3lb. I actually weighed 6lb 8oz and Janders and Neil gave me loads of abuse. Neil weighed 3lb 4oz and Janders 2lb 2oz, so I had pulled a couple of points on Janders but I knew it wouldn’t be enough. They said that the chub had fed in the other section at South Bradon and that Digger had caught eight and lost eight! and Justin had landed five.
Back at the results and Diggers chub weighed a fantastic 21lb 11oz and Justin’s 13lb 6oz, I sneaked into third place and picked up £25 and another nugget off John, as I thought I finished second in the league, one point behind Janders, and picked up another £20. Well done on your league win Janders.
So that’s the end of the river fishing until October, I would just like to thank Tommy from the Crown for his sponsership and continued support and to Robin Cox for doing an excellent job in running the league. The day was also tinged with sadness as we remembered Barney who had started the river season with us but sadly wasn’t with us at the end. You will be sorely missed mate.
Next week sees me (hopefully) carp bagging at Perry St Pond.
