Charlie Barnes Memorial Match, Friday 30th March 2018

I had taken a couple of weeks off, one enforced by work and one as I just needed a break, far too many matches this winter getting cold, not catching anything was not doing my enthusiasm any good at all.

I had booked into this match as soon as I saw it advertised, some great memories of Charlie over many years and a chance to celebrate his life in a match was nice, as I had to miss his funeral, fittingly it's a silvers only match.

The usual ping pong balls had been replaced in the drawbag today, Cadbury Crème Eggs with numbers on, first time I have ever been able eat my peg number.....

From the information I was given, it seemed likely that munching on the egg would be the highlight of the day, with the top lake being a popular wish for many to draw and the main straight of Paddock lake being the next choice.  I went to my peg determined to give it a go and passed venue regular Mike Chapman on peg 40, who told me we'd both struggle, so not one positive comment about the peg, I was determined to put a few silvers together from it.

 I set up 4 topkits, the depth was pretty even, so they were just different size floats and shotting patterns, as well as one to fish off the bottom looking for roach.  I thought the best to go was positive, so put two balls of 50/50 groundbait and leam with a few pinkies, maggots and casters in at the bottom of the far slope and loose fed caster at the bottom of the near slope.  Starting on the near slope hoping for some indications and small fish to get me going, I fished bronze maggot over the caster.  After 20 minutes I hadn't seen any indication and the rain started, so I put up a bait brolly, put on my coat and was blissfully unaware that I was in for one of the coldest, wettest days of the winter so far.

A switch to the GB line after 25 minutes was equally uneventful with maggot on the hook, I switched to pinkie and over the next 40 minutes I had 4 small skimmers and a tench that was no more than 3" long....  The next 3 hours were painful, both mentally and physically, my hands were seizing up with the cold, the float wouldn't go under, I started a new line up the shelf, wondering if any roach would be in the shallower water.  I was a little apprehensive as there was the odd carp moving along the far bank and the homed straight in on the bait and it quickly became obvious that going up the shelf was a waste of time - although the bites and playing the carp on light gear were a welcome respite from the long blank spell.

I must admit, with 4 hours gone I was very tempted to pack up, the mental image of the gear in the van and me dry and warm, was an appealing one, but there wasn't much being caught that I could see, so a late run of fish could still see a framing place or section win in the bag.  I had some false hope that I'd made the right decision with an hour and a half to go I had a decent skimmer, just over 2lb over the GB on double pinkie, but he was a lonesome soul, next couple of bites were carp.  In fact I think by now I had hooked and landed more carp than in all the matches I have fished since November.... bloody typical, but at least I can still catch them.

Finally the short line produced some fish, a skimmer, a nice roach, then four more carp, the GB line appeared dead, the short line did come back but it was a case of catch a roach, then two carp and another wait, before another roach.  I cannot think how I might have got more from the peg and the scales showed my efforts amounted to 7lb, which given the pegs either side blanked and some decent anglers struggled, I can't complain too much - apart from drawing the wrong lake again.....

After the match, Bev was handing out hotdogs to everyone, there was an Easter egg with your peg number on it and Zoe was dishing out tea and coffee, for those inclined, there was cider or cans of coke, a nice touch and it was very much appreciated.  Confirmation was also made that Charlie's Memorial will be an annual match on Good Friday every year.

There was a shield for the winner and trophies to keep for the top three, they and section winners also had more Easter eggs, again, all nice touches, before they trophies were presented, there was a minutes silence and the Harry Muir said a few words, he did say Charlie would be looking down at us laughing, all sat out in the cold and wet, I must admit, the very same thought had crossed my mind.

Weigh sheets below, it was a clean sweep for the Shipp family, who all drew the top lake, so well done to them.

Viaduct Winter League Final Round, Sunday 11th March 2018

This match was originally scheduled for 4th March, but the Beast from the East arrived and covered most of the country with snow, the decision - and I feel the correct one - was taken to postpone the league and reschedule for this week.  It meant a clash with the Landsend league and that meant I had to pull out, I don't like doing this to organisers and don't do it lightly, but Ken understood the team match had to take precedent.

Thankfully the rest of the team could all make it, so we had to hope for a decent draw and performance to at least hang on to our 4th place and hopefully improve it.  Fred had gentle leverage applied to get him to draw again, as there are a couple of very dodgy drawing arms in the team, he was 2nd in the tub and we ended with a bit of a mixed bag.

Mark - 110 - he wasn't disappointed!
Me - 76 - not running to it, but thought I 'd catch
Paul 103 - thought he'd do OK from here
Glenn - 40 - its not got a huge pedigree, but had chucked up good points in a previous round
Fred - 2 - always a chance of a carp and a few silvers from here, with Fred on it, it should be worth a few points

The last two years I have been on Cary on the last match, it's been a disaster and I haven't caught a carp, which to get reasonable points is a must, hoping not to make it 3 in a row.  So today, I arrived at the peg and the tree that was to the right has been taken out, so no feature and a cold easterly, occasionally swinging to southerly blowing into my bank.  I was pretty certain the waggler would be a waste of time, but set two up anyway, just in case conditions improved.  Two lead rods, both with bombs, one to fish bread, the other meat and 4 topkits, a very optimistic edge rig, a skimmer rig for 11m and another for 14m and a heavier rig in case carp were about.

The match started and sadly for me, soon adopted a familiar pattern to the previous two years, I searched round the peg with bread, then meat, then corn, finally maggots, all to no avail.  A switch to the waggler - more in hope than anything else, as the wind was unfavourable for it - and that was also equally unproductive.

I had fed some GB at 11 and 14m after about 20 minutes, so had a look over it, I had a roach, a small hybrid and a small skimmer.  I had to move and tart a new line and I would get 1or if I was lucky 2 fish from a line before having to abandon it and start another.

Kept trying for a carp as well, but at no time did I feel the tip would go round, peg 74 on my RH side was Paul Greenwood and he was equally struggling, whilst we watched Gabriel on 107 opposite, casting a waggler right down to 109 and catching - how frustrating is this winter fishing!!!

Persevering until the end, I had several looks down the RH edge and I thought it had paid off with 30 seconds to go when the float buried and I lifted into a fish, as nice a fish as it was - 2lb Perch - I was disappointed it wasn't a 20lb carp.

Once again, on the last day my team contribution from Cary was going to be minimal and I'd be relying on the others to pull the rabbit from the hat and thankfully they did, with Mark winning the match overall and Fred returning good points from Spring.  If only I could have snared a carp or two and we'd have risen to 3rd overall, but given the level competition, the comeback after a poor year last year and the harsh winter we have suffered, we had to be happy with the end result.

Thanks to Steve, Helen and Matt for running the league, Bait Tech for the prizes and to my team mates, hopefully we can improve next year.



Individual Overall On The Day:
1. Mark Broomsgrove - 108lb 12oz - peg 110
2. Phil Hardwick - 105lb 11oz - peg 132
3. Ben Hagg - 83lb - peg 15
4. Matt Parsons - 74lb 10oz - peg 44
5. Dave White - 71lb 14oz - peg 51
6. Nigel Easton - 67lb 6oz - peg 113


Team Points On The Day:
1. Moaning Maggots - 62
2. Guru Viaduct - 60
3. Team Amigos - 59
4. M5 Angling - 58
5. Balti Boys - 56
6. Colmic SW - 52
6. Thatchers Vets - 52
6. 2nd Time Lucky - 52

Final Team Positions Of The League:
1. Colmic SW - 305
2. Mosella Bathampton - 298
3. Thatchers Vets - 279
4. 2nd Time Lucky - 272
5. M5 Angling - 266
6. Guru Viaduct - 264

Clevedon Club Match, Plantation, 25th February 2018

Got the chance to fish this match as a guest of Paul Faiers, so as I was due fish another Coffin Dodgers match on the venue on Thursday, I took the opportunity to get some time on the water and with the added bonus its fairly close to home.

Only a knock-up really with 10 fishing, I drew 38, which is on a point, you have an island chuck and plenty of open water to fish, you used to be able to fish back down the RH side of the spit, but now there are brambles and minor arboreal growths that prevent this - used to catch big perch doing it.

Plenty of time to set up, the wind was pushing fairly hard left to right and I left the waggler rods in the bag, as I felt there was little chance of getting any sort of presentation with them.  Two lead rods, one for bomb and brad, one with a small pellet feeder on.

4 topkits, a double bulk rig for skimmers, a more conventional bulk and two droppers rig, a Chianti with strung out No11's for fishing through the water and another bulk and two droppers, a bit heavier in case any carp were about.

Started on the bomb and bread, without any indication of fish, tried tight to the island and off it, but nothing.  I then fed the pole line, with GB and caster/dead maggot, before trying the small pellet feeder with a plain 6mm pellet and a few variations of wafters, dumbells etc. this was also met with a motionless tip.

By now Kev Perry on 39 had a couple from under the tree down the edge and Mark Broomsgrove was catching well on the bomb on 27.  There is only so long I can sit watching a motionless tip and today I lasted a bit longer than usual before picking up the pole.

I started catching  straight away and had a couple of decent skimmers, but they weren't really on a feeding spree and they came and went, when they went I refed and looked for carp again on the bomb or feeder and that was pretty much the course for the rest of the match, apart from when I went for a walk and stood with Paul behind Mark Broomsgrove, watching him get a bite or an indication virtually every chuck.

No silvers payout today, which was a shame, as it would have given a few of us something to fish for, I kept up my recent record of not hooking, let alone landing a carp and even if I had targeted the silvers the whole match and with a couple of lines, as the roach didn't feed, I think 3rd would have been the best I could have done, as it was trying to catch both left me nowhere.