Telling's Times: April 2019

Sunday 28 April 2019

Spring League. Round 2. Kennet and Avon Canal

C13
1lb 1oz.
3 points out of 8.
No good.

Second round of K&A Canal, which was at Farmers, Brimslade, Wolfhall, Competition, Trout Reach and Beaches.
From selfish reasons, you wanna draw an end peg, as they seem to dominate on this part of the canal. So I drew the middle of Brimslade, which was going to be tough, but fair?! Well.... turn out to be so grim, I had two bonus fish a 6oz skimmer and 2oz perch all on squats.. Then 19 fish for 9oz, "mainly small fish".

Brimslade.... lovely looking section of the Kennet and Avon canal.

Jon Walker canal float

IM1 hook are awesome squatt hook.

Stunning part of the canal.

Team results on the day and after two rounds

Monday 22 April 2019

Alvechurch Fishery

Peg 3 Canal
128lb
Section win
Second overall
Second in pairs
17 pairs
34 fishing

Alvechurch Fisheries today, I drew peg 3 on the Canal, which is the first time I've ever drawn this peg (only been going for 3 years). However with pegs 1, 3, 4, 25 and peg 26 in, it is going to be a little tight on our far bank. Which came evident as the fish would back off quite quickly. Keith would catch a few, my peg go quiet, then his go quiet and then mine would come alive and the Phil. So rotation of long and margins was important to keep fish coming, as the weights are normally very tight on this lake. So every little helps....

With the high pressure, bright sun, not much ripple, pressure of the lake, it fished maybe slightly harder than normal. So i decided to fish a worms head over fishery mircos on the far bank and worm mix done the edge and as always run out of casters (3 pint limit). So you cant feed the edge from the off, I normally start once my far bank line begins to fade, so a reserve my bait.

Caught a few paste at 4 meters, feeding corn and fishing paste over the top in the last 30 minutes.

I had lovely days fishing, bites all day, and caught about 50lb of silvers and 75lb Carp. I kept rotation of margin and long all day, fishing a positive rig, 0.4 gram and a bulk 4 inches from hook. 0.18 mainline and 0.15 hooklength and 16 hook. The barbel are crazy, i had quite a few just over 1lb 8oz, beautiful fish. Barbel are the Margot Robbie of fish..... dont think Keith Harding knew what I was on about. The 🤣.

Gary Donachie drew peg 3 Horseshoe for 83lb and second in section.

We were second overall with 3 points, as we tied but were short on weight. Our 210lb wasn't enough, as Gary Smith and Steve Bellion won it with 230lb. Well done fellers.

50lb of Silvers (Ide and stunning Barbel)

Sunday 21 April 2019

Todber Manor - King Manor

Peg 53
112lb
No good
47 fshed

Beautiful lakes

Early start for me to get to Todber Manot. Gary Watts took me Todber Manor today for the King Manor final. Drew peg 53 on Hillview, corner peg. And really struggled for 4 hours and finally caught a few down the edge at 16 meters. All I heard all day Gary saying

"Chris, I do coaching days you know".

I weighed 112lb for nowhere. Ryan Shipp done well to weigh 155lb next to me (peg 52)

1st Gary Oshea 227lb 2oz (Peg 85 HG)
2nd: Allan Oram 225lb 2oz (Peg 90 HG)
3rd: Darryl Mayers 214lb 14oz (Peg 79 HG)
4th: Trigger 200lb 10oz (Peg 84 HG)
5th: Pete Neate 185lb 8oz (Peg 74 ASH)
6th: Steve Trevett 181lb 8oz (Peg 70 ASH)
7th: Des Shipp 173lb 4oz (Peg 61 HV)

Section A: Ben Dukes 168lb 8oz (Peg 48 HV)
Section B: Dave Bruton 162lb 8oz (Peg 54 HV)
Section C: Chris Albiston 138lb 10oz (Peg 62 ASH)
Section D: Bob Gullick 164lb 4oz (Peg 87 HG)

Two and half journey home now. Alvechurch tomorrow with my "bestie"

Sunday 14 April 2019

Spring League - Teams of 4. Devizes.

D18
4lb 9oz 8 drams
OMG last. (3 points out of 8).
23 anglers in section. (Points are divided into 3).
92 fished.

I drew the famous Pile section, draw the top section which is the best part of the canal. BUT was a bit too far down and was up against it. However, hoped I could catch some skimmers and get decent points?! Errrr wrong.

I just couldn't catch any bonus fish and the last hour and 30 minutes, I had to catch skimmers, so more minced worms, casters and dead maggots are at the top of my list. Unfortunately it didn't happen until ten minutes to go, where I caught 3 small skimmers for 12oz and pricked one. But knew I was going to be bottom of my section.

Jon Walker canal range. Brilliant floats, highly visible, sensitive and strong.

1st Liam Bradell ( PI Thacthers) 23-12
2nd Steve Pawson (Sensas A4) 14-9-8
3rd: Dave Docherty (Wyvern Anglers)- 13-15
4th: Matt Herbert (Drennan Bordon Blue)- 13-10
5th: James Carty (PI Thatchers Sonubaits)- 12-9
6th: Brett Cooper (Drennan Bordon Blue)- 12-3.

Teams

1st Devizes Black 28 points

2nd Garbolino Blackmore Vale Marine on 27 and Sonubaits Thatchers with 27

4th: Drennan Bordon Blue- 26

5th: Garbolino BV Gold- 24

Ivy House Lakes - canals

Peg 45
17lb
Last
21 fished

Hoped to draw Moorhen again, no such luck. I can't keep drawing flyers?

I drew on Kingfisher, peg 45. The plan was to fish for stockies for hour and then slivers. Well after 30 minutes, even my second best mate got bored watching me....

Caught a long story short, it was tough, as expected (due to weather) and I managed 10 fish. 7 Carp, 2 Skimmers and a single Tench.

All weights are below.

Saturday 6 April 2019

Ivy House Lakes - Canals

Ivy House Lakes
Peg 35 - Moorhen Lake.
64lb 10oz
12 pegger
Won lake and second overall.

Back to Ivy House Lakes again today and drew in the car park, peg 35, "end peg bung hole". I really did fancy this, but to be honest fancied anywhere on Moorhen. Got a bit of stick, again, from the locals saying this won the last three matches 🤔🤔🤔. Looking at results you can see that weren't true, especially when I won the last match on peg 24 on Tuesday's affordable match.

I did fancy the other end, as the wind was blowing up there again, but as already said "fancied anywhere on Moorhen" as it really has loads of fish in it. So in my opinion makes it a fair lake. Obviously the ends with room are going to have advantage.

After Tuesday's match, I wanted to put a few of mistakes right. I felt I didn't rotate lines quick enough, also for whatever reason I felt that maggots were better than pellets, despite it been stock fish. Also this is a numbers game, but catching the right stamp fish. No point saying I've caught 200 carp, but only weighing in say 28lb (this is only a rough guess) and doing no good, as you do need to catch the odd 8oz to 1lb to boost your weight. I'll give you the perfect, and honest example of fishing on the Kennet and Avon canal back in the day.... where it was a "numbers game" a lad, who I have unfortunately forgotten his name, but used to fish for Blackmoor Vale (hopefully he may read it) said

"Hey Chris, how many fish you caught"?

"Dunno mate"

"I've got 248 fish on my clicker"

"I haven't got no where near that"

Come to the weigh in, he weighed 5lb to my 10lb..

"You f@cking liar"

"No response from myself"

The canal matches were a numbers game, but you had to stay in touch with the correct stamp, tiny fish meant change. The change could be rig, feeding, rotation of lines, different hook bait. So for me, this Moorhen lake is fundamentally the same as squatting fishing on the Kennet and Avon canal back in the day, which 20 years ago, I felt I was quite good at it.

Hope you enjoyed me telling tales. Maybe Telling Times should be about telling tales?

But when telling tales ensure they are true!!!

Tackle used

Garbolino UK2
0.2 Jon Walker Floats
0.165mm mainline
0.115mn hooklength
18 B911
1.5mm Vespe elastic

Well done to Steve Heath for winning the Wroughton match on Moorhen peg 21 (7/04/14). Just shows paper (results) speak a lot a louder than words!! How many times you heard "well drawn' or "bung hole".

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Tuesday 2 April 2019

Ivy House Lakes - Canals

Peg 24
54lb
1st place
12 fished

A rare Tuesday off from work. So a cheeky costcutter match at Ivy House Lakes. Drew peg 42 to begin with, but unfortunately there was too many pegs in the bucket, so a redraw. Shame as that is skimmer heaven. Hand in bucket again, and drew peg 24. Another bung hole.

Nice day at Ivy House Lakes. Drew peg 24, end peg. So another "bung hole".

Definitely felt the peg was worth more, didn't catch for long periods and also there was loads of bigger fish that I expected, so lost a 6lber at the beginning. Ouch. Should of feed more!!!