Shame the weather forecast appeared to point towards 40mph+ winds, which given that the Glebe can be a windy place at the best of times, would limit the majority to a couple of sections of pole and a feeder rod. Still, it would be better than work and a chance to fish a venue I enjoy, although I really didn't shine on my last visit after some reasonable matches previously. The drive up was uneventful, 2 hours 10 minutes so not too bad at all,
I eventually discovered my team mates at the draw, handed over my pools and waited for the draw, which was some time after the advertised 08.00. I was handed 24, the windy bit of the main lake, I would have liked a sheltered peg on one of the smaller lakes, but maybe the BBC would be wrong on the wind......... A rather forlorn hope!!
Off to my peg and I spy John Arthur on 23, so some competition then..... then low and behold, who rocks up on 22, but Trigger, drive 130 miles and draw a peg away from someone from the same local match circuit. Nice to see Glen Butler again, he was a bit further up the section and other names from the pages of the magazines graced the section.
I did have my morning brightened by Trigger, he came down and told me that "some bloke, he must be local, told me I'm on the best feeder peg in Europe". I had to gently break the news that 'some bloke' was Roy Marlow...... These young 'uns what do they know!!
Two lead rods out the bag, both 10/11' Tournaments, one set up at 10' to fish bomb and pellet down the middle, the other at 11' to hit the far bank with a cage feeder. Both set up fixed as is allowed and with the 20" which is required at the Glebe. Plenty of chucks to get the feeder clipped up, after venturing round to trim the far bank rushes.
I hadn't brought casters, so bait tray had pellet, corn and maggot on it and a bit of GB for the feeder, I had a reasonable RH edge given that both pegs either side were in, so set up a rig for there, intending to fish G/maggot. I had a couple of rigs (similar, one with a banded hook, one without) to fish at 9m, where I fed 6mm pellet, corn fed at topkit + 2 and the feeder. I had an early fish on the feeder and then another, but it didn't take off and neither was it for those anglers I could see,
I chopped and changed hookbait and went from micros to GB in the feeder, I hooked and lost a couple, not sure why, maybe foul hooked? The wind dropped a little and I tried the pole line, a decent skimmer on the soft pellet, before the wind made presentation impossible. A swap back to the feeder and a change to GB and maggot in the feeder and maggot on the hook, tow decent fish in two chucks had me thinking I'd sussed it, but then it was back to being biteless. A look round the lines again as the wind allowed, corn line was barren, the pellet line gave up another skimmer and two carp before the wind once again put paid to it.
Back on the feeder and a good fish took me into a snag, I had to pull for a break and lost the lot, new feeder on and back onto a 6mm pellet on the hook with micros in the feeder, I had another odd fish or two, but the wind was making it difficult to get tight, even hitting the clip, it was bowing the line. I did hook another good fish which fought like mad all the way across and under the rod tip, managing to slip the hook at the net.... why do the bloody do that!!
The edge line looked like it might save the day for me as I had 3 fish in 3 put ins with 3/4 of an hour to go, but he last half hour resulted in 3 missed bites and no more fish. With hindsight I should have had another feeder chuck or two and that might have given me a couple more points. Bit of confusion over the weigh in, but it was sorted and I weighed 71.06, those lost fish would have pushed John Arthur for 3rd in the section, that a a bit more perseverance on the feeder.
At the end I had to shoot off as the dogs were at home cross legged, apparently we were 10th as a team and I will hope to fish this match again next year, with better weather conditions.
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