However with the prospect of a dry week, suggested reports on other forums were expecting ‘sock on’ conditions for this match.
Well what a palaver beforehand.
Tel calls on the Tuesday confirmed the key to the gate was ‘in the post’, first class.
Should be with me by at least Thurs at the latest I thought. No show in Thurs post. Will deffo be with me in the morning.
Gave JK a call at Friday lunchtime………..no key
S**t. Rang my couple of contacts only to be greeted by answer machines. Rang a few more times and left messages.
No responses back.
At 7pm was looking for an alternative venue in the vicinity. A tel call and I was 95% sorted, just needed to confirm an hour later.
At 7.30pm contact 1 got back to me………..contact 1 would also try to chase down contact 2 to let me in through the gate next morning………’keep the mobile switched on’ A contingency was that Bayleys was still free so we could drop on there instead. Now the Cashmores clan had had a grueller on there in July, so I expected that to go down like a lead balloon………..despite the report that the section had fished the most consistent in the recent Trent championships.
Call back to the other possible venue........'sorry there is a match on in the morning after all'
Well its time for bed……..1.45am and still no call.
Sat am and I’m up having a brew. Surprise surprise the letter box goes and the key is with me. I say surprise, cuss the postie doesn’t usually show till after 9.30am.
Hotlips picks me up and off we go with Heinzer in tow.
On the way the mobbie rings, contact 1 hasn’t managed to liaise with contact 2, but is relieved to hear that the missing key is safely in my clutches……….
Arrive a tad later than intended………..but that’s aok cuss what people probably don’t appreciate or don’t give a chuff about is that I have to hang around gates waiting for the ‘usual’ latecomers to materialise……….before I relock the gates to ‘protect’ the venues from all and sundry
I loose the early birds through, noticing a few aint turned up and wait……... A call to Ha Ha confirms he’s nearly here. Get him through………there’s still a couple missing and I don’t know if they are ‘casualties’ or not……………….
Well I could have waited at that gate till the cows came home………..cuss they daint show, although it transpired that some members were aware of their other commitments and intended no shows.
Ta for letting me know.
Just yet another example justifying my decision earlier in the year never to book another venue with a key involved……. particularly after the match on the same venue earlier in the year when I wanted to sod off with an hour to go. It’s a nuisance as well where I (or KOD who stands in for me) has to chase down/pick up keys and then hang around before and after matches until all have arrived/ready to depart………….
Now although this was a river fixture I wasn’t looking too much forward to it……….the dicky right knee was giving me some gip. I really needed an armchair peg so that I could rest it rather than stand for 5 hours.
A gander at the river and I thought there was about 6-8 ins on (confirmed as 4/5 ins by contact 2 who popped along half way through the match) ………a nice touch of colour…………when there’s a bit of water on high and low seem to be the places to be.
So where did I draw……….smack in the middle, golden peg 10. Plus it was a 5 hour standing jobbie
Stick, wag and a couple of pole rigs were set up………..followed by a tel call from contact 2 who had finally picked up the messages for him. He’s pleased to hear the crisis is over.
The off………for the first 1.5 hours I couldn’t buy a bit…….I’ve picked up a couple of bits for 2oz whilst I’m getting battered by Hotlips and Yamo either side of me.
Aint had a bite on the stick despite depth and shotting pattern changes and even the favoured pole aint producing whilst Hotlips is picking redfins on his.
Things pick up with a flurry half way through, but it’s generally hard work to stimulate any response. In the meantime Hotlips hits and loses 4 lackie stretchers, whilst Yamo is regularly netting fish.
Contact 2 wanders down to see how we are getting on. ‘How come you aint fishing a ‘proper’ peg? We’ve permanently pegged it with a minimum of 30 yards between pegs………we’ve had advice from Swinno and when its clear we put one in and miss one to give 60 yards between pegs to maximise the anglers chances’
Looking upstream Yamos a decent 25/30 yards away, but downstream there’s me, Hotlips and KOD within 30 yards………... In fact packing away I spot that Hotlips is actually just to the side of perm peg 24, KOD and me have been on ‘inbetweenies’ …….. nuff said.
Can’t really report a lot more…………news filtered down that HaHa on end upstream peg had a bream 3.5lb and loads of ‘bit’s and that Cotti on end downstream peg could do some damage also………..
After the match I was like a raspberry ripple, couldn’t walk and the knee bone bl**dy killed me.
So looks like I’ve another reality check to make………don’t think I can physically do ‘certain’ types of river in future………..I think its the end of a (match fishing) era for me…………unless I use that BUPA lark I’m in and get a new knee joint.
Mind……….if I remember right, the Avons got a few stretches with platforms on it
Anyway, stop sobbing and put your hankies away, here’s the results………
Peg
1 Cotti 6.14.8
2
3 Rolly 1.9.7
4
5 Millie DNW
6 Brambles Dry
7 MGB 3.7.12
8 KOD 4.0.12
9 Hotlips 2.3.7
10 TK 4.8.6
11 Yamo 8.6.0
12 Zorro 6.0.0
13 Heinzer 5.15.13
14 Mick K 0.8.14
15 Phil B 1.6.12
16 Rob D 4.6.2
17 GrandmasterFrancis 3.8.2
18 HaHa 9.15.0
That’s narked me a bit typing them up……….seeing 2 & 4 not coming out the bag
Ah well…….good bye to Sharratts for a season or two……….
