Snow and ice for the hardcore only!

Weather plays havoc with the angling world

The continued cold snap as really put paid to any recent activity I was hoping for, my last four matches have all been called off and a couple of attempts to film some more of The Obsessed Angler have also fallen by the wayside. Only rivers can offer the chance to wet a line at the moment apart from the odd corner of a lake or pond if you are lucky but unless you can reach the waters by foot or a very short drive it is too risky to attempt a full and proper angling session without putting yourself and others at risk with a long journey.

Safety in numbers!

You don’t need me to tell you that being near water and slippery ice is very dangerous and fishing on your own in these conditions is not advised safety in numbers as they say. There has been very little action at Bury Hill Fishery with some days not an angler in sight despite the Old Lake offering some fishing, thanks to the aeration pump system that manages to keep at least a dozen pegs fishable in the coldest of days. A few pike have been caught to those braving the conditions but very little else is feeding when the water temperatures are registering around 0.5 degrees C. The smaller lakes Bonds and Milton have been out of action for at least three weeks or more and it is hoped that the weather relents over the festive holiday season so anglers can come and visit the fishery to try out some of their new Christmas presents. The fishery can be quite busy at this time of the season so it is of concern that if the ice cold conditions continue then some good business will be lost with anglers preferring to stay at home.  Apart from Christmas Day and Boxing Day the fishery will be open for business weather permitting and looking at the long range forecast is looks like the snow and ice will turn to rain so fingers crossed the temperatures will rise enough for this to happen and free up the lakes.

Pike will always feed in extreme conditions

So with the water temperatures very low and the ice melt keeping temperatures that way for a couple more weeks to come, what are the chances of catching a fish and what can you do to tempt a bite. Well the good news is if you are a predator angler then you will know that pike will feed in very cold temperatures although the zander fishing can be very slow when this cold at the best of times. But what about carp, well when the temperatures fall below 4 degrees C then the action is almost non-existence as their feeding habits shut right down. This table below is a good guideline to how fish react feeding wise to water temperatures.

This simple guide of best times to fish I am sure will make a big difference when planning your next session.

1.      Water temperatures above 6 degrees C with settled weather.

2.      Water has been around 4 degrees C for 4 or 5 days.

3.      Late afternoon when the sun has warmed up shallower parts of a lake.

4.      When water temperatures start to rise after long spells of cold weather.

5.      When the wind direction swings in to a southerly bringing milder weather.

This fish feeding temperature guide is worth noting as well.

6-7 degrees C Fish feed moderately well offering good prospects

4-5 degrees C Fish still aware and feed intermittently expect the odd fish or two

2-3 degrees C Fish become dormant you will struggle

1-2 degrees C Fish virtually inert stay at home

For a more detailed description of the above table, please click on this link http://www.anglingfeatures.com/howtofish.htm from my angling website.

May I take this opportunity to wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

“Tight Lines”

 Russ Evans

19th December 2010

From boy to man!

Snow and Ice bring back some happy memories of a young boy

by Russ Evans

The snow and ice is back much to my annoyance as the remaining plans and fixtures up to Christmas now look in doubt as the cold snap is expected to last much longer than first reported. I was going to run a Christmas open at Bury Hill on the 1st December but I have had to re arrange the match back to 15th December so it is fingers crossed that the weather improves but that is a big if!

East London was my training ground

It looks like the very cold winters with snow and ice are reverting back to when I was a lad living in East London during the mid to late 60’s when I could remember walking to school in my wellington boots kicking knee high fluffy snow. I guess the weather patterns come round full circle in the end so possibly the next 10 years or so could be very cold ones indeed. When you are young fear holds no barriers and when I got in my head that I wanted to go fishing, I did just that no matter what was falling out of the sky at the time. As I have mentioned in past columns, Wanstead Park was a fishing training ground for me and the first big bag of quality roach I caught came on a day when most people were at home sitting in front of the telly sipping soup. As I arrived at the boating lake or perch ponds as it was also known I was greeted with a white surface as the snow had settled on top of the frozen lake. It was hard to determine the lake from the bank side edges but right up at the top of the lake in one of the corners I could see what looked like open water.  I had ridden my bike to the fishery which was some 4 miles from my home and although I was travelling light I still took too much tackle as I remembered having to stop many times on the way as my gear was sliding around my neck and slipping off the main bike frame.

It was cold but worth it

Encouraged by the sight of open water I rode up to the end of the lake hoping and praying my eyes were not deceiving me, that hadn’t as a couple of swims were clear and I as I started to set up my float rod I noticed that someone had left a bag of casters next to the tree I was planning to fish near. I had not really fished with casters before but I knew from my Dad who used them many times that they were a very good roach bait. I set up a porcupine quill with a bright red top and after plumbing the depth which was around 6ft I set the float up a foot over depth so I could pin the bait right on the lake bed. It was very cold with a bitter breeze blowing in my direction but it did not matter as I was doing what I loved to do and although I was the only person on the lake I managed to get myself comfortable using the big old oak tree as a bit of shelter. To be honest I was not really expecting a bite as the conditions were against me but I had a gut feeling that I was meant to by fishing that day and when I put two casters on a size 18 hook things started to happen. I cast my float and bait onto the ice and then dragged it slowly off the frozen lake into the water so my float was sitting next to the ice edges. The feeling I got when I had my first bite and fish was incredible and when I slid my net under a roach of 12 ounces I gazed at how beautiful the fish was with all of its winter’s colours showing through down its flanks. The bites were slow and deliberate during the day and I reckon I had 3 bites an hour after the initial blank first hour and with a dozen cracking roach in the net, the biggest going just under a pound for my troubles.

It was a cracking day as well as a special day that will never be forgotten as the boy angler in me was turning into a young man with many more memorable days ahead.

“Tight Lines”

Russ Evans

3rd December 2010

Look around and enjoy!

Winter fishing might be hard but the views are fantastic

by Russ Evans

I am typing this blog instead of fishing a match at Hartleylands due to the current cold snap freezing over the lakes at the Kent venue and other options on my fixture list have also been iced off. With the cold snap being forecast for the next few days or so I have decided to put back the Bury Hill Christmas Open for two weeks until the 15 December, when hopefully conditions would have improved for the better. Fishing is still going on at Bury Hill with at least 35% of the pegs fishable thanks to the pumps keeping the lake water moving around so that is good news for the predator anglers still wishing to chuck out a dead bait or two.

With next week’s club match in the balance at Monk Lakes where it will be the semi-finals of the pair’s event I will be keeping my options open for a visit down the river should the intended match be called off. Cold weather does not bother me and while there is every chance of my float going under then my enthusiasm is still as passionate as in the summer months. One plus of being out in the countryside on cold winter and frosty days is the fantastic scenery and some of the views take for some superb photographs. I always take my camera with me for a shot of a bonus fish but also for the winter scenes that I regularly witness on my travels in the Surrey, Kent and Sussex countryside’s. Another plus is I get to see on many occasions my favourite bird the Robin Redbreast which I always feed with a few maggots and there is no better site when one of the friendly chaps perch themselves on the end of my rod tip as I sit quietly by the river’s edge waiting for a bite.

Over the Christmas period I am hoping to take advantage of some winter filming for The Obsessed Angler series down my local river and if it is a frosty day then some of the scenery will be fantastic to catch on film, so I am keeping my fingers crossed that the conditions I want will present itself.

Here are some photographs I have taken that capture fishing in the winter time, as you can see there are some stunning scenic shots.

Tight Lines

Russ Evans

Be positive, it's the only way!

Quality over quantity every time

by Russ Evans

I like to think of myself as a positive person, I have to, I support West Ham United but I have to admit that as we go into winter with last year’s snow still etched in the back of my mind, a repeat would prove fatal to the angling fisheries and tackle shops around the country. Referring back to my last blog where hard core anglers make up a small percentage of the total anglers that fish all year round, a bad winter would be curtains for the industry. The year itself has not been great as it took four months at least before anglers picked up their fishing rods again after a winter that virtually stopped the whole nation in its tracks. It was not until mid-summer that the fisheries and shops were trading normally but it was still not good enough to make up for lost sales the months before.  I still believe there are as many anglers on the banks as before but there is one big difference, the anglers are more split in the clubs they join, the places they fish and the amount of times they spend on the bank side. I was pleased to see that there were more new anglers looking to get involved in fishing but the downside was the passion from what I saw in 80% of them was missing. I can spot a true angler or someone that is keen to learn the sport as they walk towards me, it’s like I have an in built radar system.

The open match angling scene is nothing like it used to be years ago and I am afraid it never will be as team fishing and club fishing has taken over. Some club matches can boast turnouts of over 30 anglers where most open matches are lucky if they hit 20 unless there is a big pay-out carrot dangled in front of them.  It seems the social side of angling is more important than fishing in open events where you could be in a section of 10 and not know one of the anglers whereas fishing matches within the club would mean you would know virtually all of the rods sitting around the lake. A meet up in the morning for a fried breakfast and cup of tea would kick off the friendly banter and that would then continue onto the lake for most of the duration of a match. The weighing in of the fish would again kick off the banter again as side bets were won and lost depending on weight and to be honest enjoying the sport is far more important than winning at all costs.

There are seemingly new fisheries springing up all over the place and that in itself spreads the anglers around even further as quite rightly they want to try out somewhere new in the search for a good days sport. Although from an angler’s point of view it is great to have more options to choose from, it is the fisheries themselves that suffer as less day tickets are sold due to the fact anglers are going around trying out venue after venue each week instead of fishing a regular fishery as that once used to. Being a keen follower of racehorses especially the National Hunt scene which I have a great passion for since a small lad, I can also see similar patterns in angling and horse racing. For me there are too many horses in training from a quality side of the sport and many races that they are competing in are for peanuts, angling has to many holes in the ground with a sign up saying “Fishing” day tickets available. In my opinion neither is good for the sport from a professional slant where quality should be first over watered down quantity that provides too much mediocre racing and below par fishing.

I am running a Bury Hill Christmas open on the Old Lake on Wednesday 1^st December with limited pegs available, cost is £25 all in with a draw time of 8.30am fishing 10-3pm. You can book in by calling me at the onsite tackle shop on 01306 883621

“Tight Lines”

Russ Evans

18^th November 2010

Winter for me is big fish time!

Learn to catch fish in the winter

No matter what angle you class yourself in the angling stakes, match angler, club angler, specimen angler or a pleasure angler. There are basically only two types of angler, the all year round fisherman or the fair weather angler who disappears out of sight at the first hint of a rain cloud or drop in temperature.  For the all year round angler winter fishing can be pure bliss as the banks of lakes and rivers are such that they can be the only fishermen on the venue as the “I only come out when the sun is shining” angler is tucked up on the sofa at home sitting in front of the TV. Three of my PB fish have come in the winter months in the shape of a 28lbs 2oz mirror carp, 26lbs 6oz pike and a cracking 3lbs 3oz perch.  Learning how to catch fish in extreme conditions definitely make you a better angler as you learn how to feed correctly to tempt the fish into feeding and it certainly helps you appreciate the difference in fine tuning what mainlines and hook lengths to use plus the correct size of hook and other important factors like float choice, the correct type of feeder and leads to use. To be honest when anglers say to me “oh all my tackle goes up in the loft at the end of September and it does not come back out again until the spring” I cannot take them seriously as an angler and don’t really have much time for them at all. It reminded me back in my football days when come the winter period of the season arrived and when all the mud and rain was about some of my team mates would suffer long term injuries and unavailability until of course when the spring arrived, strange that!

Winter fishing can be very rewarding

I know quite a few anglers who only fish in the main during the colder months because it meant fewer anglers on the banks to get in their way and there is nothing more rewarding than to catch a nice bag of roach or a big chub plus a big perch when all of the elements seem to be battling against you.  I guess at the end of the day it is passion, drive, a need to be on the bank side no matter what that makes the hardened angler want to pursue the need to catch fish and that is why I have called my angling series “The Obsessed Angler” because I openly admit that I am obsessed with fishing and for me the world would be a much duller place if I could not practice my sport anymore.

Catching Predators

Mentioning my angling series, I am pleased to announce that the latest part is now out on DVD for sale. “Catching Predators” is the name of the next part in the series and runs for approx. 40 mins, if you wish to purchase the film or the first part “Spring Bream” you can contact me at obsessedangler@aol.com for more details. On the lines of my YOU TUBE filming (see recent blog) Catching Predators reflects on how I approach my Pike and Zander fishing using single hook barbless rigs which are much more fish friendly and very effective for the unhooking of the predators.  Although the series offers “How To” I am very keen on showing how fishing is on the lake side with some of my thoughts on angling accompanied with music and action shots. Part 3 is well under way and should be out early in the New Year.

Recently I visited a new fishery near Paddock Wood in Kent to fish a club match and next time I will report on how my match panned out on what was a bitterly cold day.

“Tight Lines”

Russ Evans

13^th November 2010 (13.55)

PB Rudd makes my match a winning one

Big Rudd makes my day as I pick up the shield

A couple of weeks ago I took part in the first John Hollands Memorial match at a place called Buckland Reserve and Fishery near Cliff in Kent. The event was being co-hosted by Reels on Wheels and The Kent Disabled Anglers Association of which I am their patron. I had been told that the venue is very deep and clear plus it holds some very big carp and stacks of rudd, some very big. The big Rudd will be a target for me next year when I take my The Obsessed Angler DVD series there to search for a big un but in the meantime I thought this event would be great to support and also give me the opportunity to take a good close look of the lakes. The turnout was a little disappointing as some anglers had dropped out late for various reasons but I was pleased to be there and looking forward to a good day’s action.

Halfway down the lake was good news

At the draw I pulled out peg 25 which put me halfway down the lake on the far bank and that was good in my books as when I fish venues for the first time I feel fishing midway along the bank offers a 50/50 chance of being near some fish rather being drawn down one end where it could be a case of feast of famine on some fisheries. The gin clear water put me off using the pole as I was convinced despite it being deep that I would simply spook them by waving my pole over the top of a feeding shoal. So I set up a tip rod, my second line of attack and a waggler rod set 10ft with my two red maggots bait set so it would fall slowly in the water making it as natural as possible.

The plan was two fish four rods lengths out and catapult out red maggots and a few 6mm skretting pellets in case I needed to attract some carp into my peg for the tip line later in the match. I had a bite on my first cast and that basically set the tone for the rest of the match as I caught Rudd after Rudd from 2 ounces up to 12 ounces virtually every cast. Two hours into the match I struck into a much better fish which thumped about abit in the deep water and after a minute or so I was netting a bonus 2lbs Rudd which was a fantastic looking fish.

A new PB makes me smile

I could see around the lake that those on the pole were struggling really bad and despite carp bubbling away in my peg I decided to ignore them and carry on catching the rudd on the float as I was thoroughly enjoying myself and building up a nice weight on some plump rudd and the odd perch. An hour after catching the big rudd I found myself playing another good fish which this time turned out to be an even bigger Rudd of 2lbs 6oz which set a new personal best for and as the photos show I was well pleased. Apart from two nice carp from the angler on my left who weighed just over 15lbs I won the match comfortably with 27lbs of fantastic sporting action. I am really looking forward to returning back to Buckland as the fishery manager informed that the Rudd go over 4lbs plus and that is much too tempting to let go.

A piece of history to keep

After the match I was presented with the John Hollands Memorial Shield by John’s father George Holland who also presented the top four anglers with some handmade floats that he had made which looked superb. George used to make floats for the late Dick Walker who was famed for catching the first really big carp in this country at 44lbs which was named Clarissa who spent the rest of her days at London Zoo before she passed away quite a few years ago. I look forward to next year where of course I need to try and retain my crown and if Buckland Fishery is going to be used again to host the event, watch out those rudd.

“Tight Lines”

Russ Evans

27^th October 2010

Beware of the teeth!

Predator action aplenty on new hooks policy

Bury Hill Fishery is now a few days into its Predator season and as usual the Old Lakes Zander and Pike stocks have been providing customers with some fantastic sport with quite a few big doubles having already been caught. Although Winter is the best time to fish for the Zander, unlike Pike they don’t like the conditions to be too cold with fairly mild, wet and windy conditions best for prolonged sporting action. This year the fishery went over to a single barbless hook policy banning the use of treble hooks for dead bait fishing, which has caused a bit of a storm to some in the Predator world. However with that said, the fishery’s decision to ban treble hooks and bring in the single barbless hook patterns has been done with fish safety in mind and at the end of the day that is the number one priority of any fishery.

There are three hook patterns that are available to use with single hooks and all of them can be purchased in the onsite tackle shop that I manage for the fishery. All of the hook patterns are made up with strong swivels and 30lbs traces so they are of good quality and plenty strong enough to withhold the power of a big Zander or Pike. In fact the new hook patterns of single hook, single hook with a hair rig and double single hook pattern, do offer much better bait presentation and those that have had success with the hooks have been very complimentary on the hook rule change. In my opinion the single hook pattern with a hair rig set up is the way to go for the sometimes shy biting Zander.

Filming for the Zander

Over the past few weeks I have been busy filming some fishing tasters for the fishery website with a view to helping and promoting the fishing at the lakes. One of the tasters that, (can be seen on my YOU TUBE channel) I have completed is a fishing taster for the PREDATORS which I have done in two parts. Part one is the intro plus tips on the best dead baits to use and how and of course what tackle and instruments are needed before you line up on the bank side to fish for Pike and Zander. I also demonstrate how to bait up the hair rig method and show on camera the new hook patterns in sizes 4 6 and 8 which are the only sizes that can be used. Part two is the main catching action shots where I land some nice fish and show the ease of unhooking and placing back into the water stress free. I also run through my rod, reel, and terminal tackle set up which I know is a top way of catching and getting good runs.

By clicking on these links you can take a look at both of the fishing tasters, I hope you enjoy them.

 

Next time I will blog how my match panned out for the John Hollands Memorial match at Buckland Reserve and Fishery near Cliff in Kent where I was visiting the lake for the first time and representing the KDAA for whom I am patron to.

“Tight Lines”

Russ Evans

Bonus fish are all good!

Bonus fish make all the difference

In my last blog I mentioned how I got on during my trip up North on the Calder and Hebble canal competing in the Barclays National with my London Central teammates. After a good individual result on day One it was down to the team match on the following day with teams of 6 competing on various sections along the canal. Last year we were just beaten by 1 point at Monk Lakes in Kent and although we knew very little about the C&H canal we were going to give it our best shot. It was a tough match as expected and we did ourselves proud finishing 3^rd, 2pts from the Midlands team and 1pt from the local canal experts. On that performance we can take away some credit and looking back the odd bonus fish in our favour from just one section would have seen us win. Personally I was a little frustrated with how my section panned out as I put together a nice little bag of silvers for 3lbs 3oz but was beaten by the end peg which won the match on the day. That was no surprise as we all knew the end peg was a good peg to draw but it was the two pegs to my left which cost me two crucial section points. I was fishing against two of the local lads who knew the canal like the back of their hands and halfway through the match I was beating them both until the next peg landed a 3lbs perch in his final total of 3lbs 4oz and just one peg further up a 2lbs 9oz bream in a total of 3lbs 12oz cost me two places. I beat all the others in my section to collect some decent points but those two bonus fish made a big difference in the final outcome especially as one of our teammates came last in his section scoring 1pt.

Next season the National moves to Peterborough at Decoy Lakes in September so the plan will be to collate as much information as possible and get that team win that I think we thoroughly deserve judging on our last two events.

Bury Hill Silvers Two Day Event

The week after I was organising and fishing the two day Bury Hill silvers festival and below is a report on how the two days of competition panned out.

Bury Hill Silvers Two Day Festival

21^st and 22^nd September 2010

39 anglers fished on Front Bank and Long Bank, Old Lake

Day One A good turnout as usual for this annual event on the Old Lake had the competitors all looking for a good start with the event being decided on overall weight over the two days. As the hands went in the draw bag everyone was hoping for one the dozen noted pegs that seem to produce no matter what are the condition all year round. The first day is always a learning curve as the big shoals of bream and skimmers tend to live in certain pegs making it hard to knock up a good weight on the lesser pegs but it is the anglers who can produce the off bites from these pegs that make up the frame and get themselves in the money. Lee Perry did not need to worry drawing peg 1 on the first day and simply fished his way well into contention bagging 89-8-0 of bream up to 5lbs plus the odd tench and skimmer. Alternating between pole and feeder Lee kept a steady flow of slabs coming, hair rigging pellets and corn over a pellet feed attack. On the far side of the Long Bank on another end peg 51 Robbie Taylor pole fished his way into second place with 23 bream and 1 tench for 65-12-0. Using pellet over pellet and a ground bait line Robbie fished a very tidy match to put himself into the running for the £300 first prize pot. Mark Glyn was pegged near the winner on peg 2 and took third spot mainly on the feeder with 60-6-0 of decent sized bream, alternating his bait from hair rigged corn and pellet through a ground bait feeder. Mark Goddard on peg 11 put himself into contention with some big bream on the feeder for 43-8-0 with Dave Walker on peg 3 landing more feeder caught bream for 38-1-0

Result Day One  1^st Lee Perry (Carshalton DAS) 89-8-0 £150 2^nd Robbie Taylor (Preston) 65-12-0 £110

3^rd Mark Glyn (Surrey) 60-6-0 £90 4^th Mark Goddard (Dorking) 43-8-0 £70

5^th Dave Walker (Carshalton DAS) 38-1-0 £50 6^th Mark Hathway (Leatherhead DAS) 37-10-0

Section payout’s each receiving £40 each  1-14 Andy Ryan (KC Angling) 21-4-0, 15-30 Geoff Vallence (Preston) 35-15-0, 31-40 Mark Hathway (Leatherhead DAS) 37-10-0,  41-52 Andy Cummings (F1 Monks) 27-3-0

Day Two The draw was going to play a big part and those who had a good day one were looking for the draw bag to be kind again, so when day one leader Lee Perry drew out noted peg 38 it was going to take a superb effort to stop him as he had already built up a 24lbs advantage. Lee being a quality angler plus with superb knowledge of the Old Lake made no mistake winning day two with 57-6-0 of feeder caught bream up to 5lbs again on the pellet and corn hair rigged baits. With also the highest individual weight over the two days plus the heaviest combined total Lee scooped the top pool on offer of £650, a superb effort, well done. 2^nd on the day was Andy Ryan on peg 49 who fished the long pole and pellet to scale an excellent 55-15-0 which pushed him to 5^th place overall. Third place went to last year’s spring festival winner Geoff Vallence on peg 45 who caught on both the feeder and pole for 45-13-0 of bream landing him 4^th place in the event. Steve Turner who had a dismal first day made amends from peg 50 catching bream on the pole and pellet over pellet and corn for 45-0-0. Mark Glyn fresh from his previous third on day one took fifth spot from peg 4 on the front bank with 43-10-0 of feeder and pole caught bream and skimmers which helped Mark to clinch the runners up spot of the festival. Mark Picked up a cool £365 in total for his fine consistent efforts with the help of two good draws as well.

Result 1^st Lee Perry (Carshalton DAS) 57-6-0 £150 2^nd Andy Ryan (KC Angling) 55-15-0 £110

3^rd Geoff Vallence (Preston) 45-13-0 £90 4^th Steve Turner (Carshalton DAS) 45-0-0 £70

5^th Mark Glyn (Surrey) £50

Sections payouts each receiving £40 each

1-14 Andy Turner (Carshalton DAS) 32-2-0 15-30 Russ Evans (Yorkshire Baits/NDP10) 34-6-0

31-40 Dave Johnson (Surrey) 27-2-0 41-52 Martin Tobias (Bury Hill) 39-1-0

Overall Results TOP 10 1^st Lee Perry 146-14-0   £300 2^nd Mark Glyn 104-0-0  £225 3^rd Robbie Taylor 88-13-0  £125 4^th Geoff Vallence 81-12-0  £90 5^th Andy Ryan 77-3-0  £60 6^th Mark Goddard 73-12-0  £50 7^th Mark Hathway 68-6-0 8^th Martin Tobias 57-1-0 9^th Steve Turner 55-8-0 10^th Russ Evans 50-6-0

“Tight Lines”

Russ Evans

10^th October 2010

Gin clear canals make it tough going up North

Gin clear canals make it tough up North (8^th Sept to 11^th Sept)

Last Wednesday I made the 245 mile trip up North to join my London Central Spreadeagle teammates for the annual individual and team nationals’ event on the Calder and Hebble canal in Brighouse, West Yorkshire. Each year the event is held on a different venue as the plan is to cater for all of the teams spread around the country and of course to make sure travelling fair for each of the competing regions. None of us had any previous experience of the Calder and Hebble navigation so we were heading into the event a bit blind to say the least, but with individual on the Friday and the team event on the Saturday our visit on to Brighouse on Wednesday morning meant we were able to put in a bit of practice to try and sort out the tactics and feeding before the event kicked off.

Like Kossets was good, Pop Shop was one to avoid

Wednesday saw us on a section of the canal called Kossets which as it turned out was the best section on the whole match length of the canal. During my four hour plus practice I put two tench in the net plus a good bag of roach and perch using big red maggot over chopped worm. I had an estimated 6lbs which we all knew was going to score big points and money in the event itself so I was keeping my fingers crossed that I would draw this section on the Friday. The following day we all lined up on another section called Pop Shop which we were told was fishing the hardest of the match sections and yes the information was correct as it fished rock hard. The canal was like tap water and as I flicked out my bait I could watch my maggots sink down at least three feet, we all knew it was going to be hard going. It was a day to forget as I managed just 5 perch for just 7 ½ ounces with chopped worm again producing my only bites of the session. As I was hoping to draw Kossets on the day before I was again hoping for a different reason that I would not draw Pop Shop on the team event match on the Saturday, but sadly one of the team had to.

Lack of cover but it all happened for me late

Friday came round quick and before I knew it I was at the HQ along the canal for the individual draw and when my hand went in I pulled out F17 which put me on the last section at the Flour Mills on peg 17. I had not seen this stretch of the canal before and I walked along the towpath in the direction of my peg I could see that plenty of the pegs had some good inside weed cover but when I got to my peg just a few strands of reed was on offer, not that encouraging especially as the canal was also clear. With it raining on and off all match and mountain bikers zooming up and down the towpath behind me the first three hours was a non-event as I did not have a bite to cheer me up. I stuck to my guns feeding my three lines and when my first bite did come I missed it but after quickly presenting my worm bait back where I had the bite, my float buried and I was swinging in a small perch into my hands. At last a fish and some twenty minutes later I was repeating the process with another perch. My middle left line finally produced a bite in the shape of a bonus 10 ounce perch which was gratefully received but a few minutes after that fish the key point to my whole match turned upside down when I noticed 6-7 bream swim into my peg on the far side of my peg. I added another section onto my pole and swung my rig into the middle of the shoal. I saw one of the fish flash and my first thought was that I had spooked them but when my float lifted out of the water and I struck I was into one of the bream. After a tense minute or so the fish of just over 2lbs was in my net. It was a great feeling as I knew in a space of 40 minutes I had gone from blanking to probably winning the section. At the weigh in my 3lbs 4ozs was good enough to win the section plus the third best weight of the day with only 4lbs 1oz and 3lbs 12ozs topping me, it was a job well done.

Next time I will report on how the team match panned out the following day.

“Tight Lines”

Russ Evans