Set out at 7.00am for the 8.00 am draw, knowing that auto route had given a suggested travel time of 58 minutes and I could shave some off that. 8-)
Just toot ling down the last junction of the motorway and the phone rings at 7.45am. It’s Vestie and Ball it Baker – both lost – despite being on the road since 5.30am
5 mins later just as I’m about a mile away from the venue, phone rings again – alls ok they are there. Arrive at the pool, HaHa is on the blower to Heinzer, Heinzer is lost too, although he’s less than ½ mile away. BDM sorts him with directions and tries to catch up with the latest news re pegging etc.
The reservoir looked to have plenty of weed growth and cover 3 quarters round the pool, the dam wall being the only place really absent of those enticing lily pads.
Word goes round that the resident bailiff had advised that the far bank and north side were the places to be……..you didn’t want the dam wall.
Well plenty of pegs to go at – 37 on the pool and KODs put 25 in, only 4 on the dam wall. Pegs start coming and going and Yamo clocks that the low numbers are starting to ‘disappear’. Bum Draw Master follows……….. peg 21 smack in the middle of the dam. >:(
Ah well, at least a short walk to a crap peg for a change……usually it’s the longest walk to the crap peg. But the added injustice of being on the scales. :(
BDM knew to expect around 10-12ft on the long pole line so had bought a pole along that had only seen the light of day twice previously- the reason for choice was that it came with 2 extra top 5’s that would be suited to such depths.
3 rigs were set up, 2 ‘deeps’ in differing line strengths and a relatively ‘shallow rig’ – 6 ft for at the bottom of the concrete ledge.
By the time the whistle had blown the wind had picked up – not quite Blackpool front at the dam end but a fair old chop, whilst the rest of the favoured pegs were like a mill pond by comparison.
4 babies heads in on the long line for those resident bream and a start on the inside. First put in a silver, then another, then another then a trashed rig after hooking on some unseen snag.
After an hour or so the inside was dying – the little perch were fading quick. Right, time to see if owt had moved onto that initial offering. First put in, a silver followed by sporadic fish, roach and the odd 3oz skimmer.
3 hours in though and that line had died. A further bombardment to try to kick start the peg. The wind was getting stronger and gustier and it was a wrestle with the pole at times. And no fish!!!!!
An hour to go and MGB to BDM’s left calls it a day – a splitting headache from the wind and ripple and he’s had a grueller to boot.
BDM soldiers on, a 14th alteration to shotting and depth pattern snares a sudden burst of 3 silvers in the last 10 mins.
Vestie comes round and owns up to 5lb. BDM thinks he might just do that if he’s lucky, but errs on the side of caution – don’t want to look a fool do you by over guestimating – and suggests he’s got 3lb odd.
Ah well – here’s what you’ve all been waiting for - the results
1. The Wedge 17 – 0 – 0 off peg 11
2. Bum Draw Master 11 – 6 – 0 peg 21
3. Yamo 9 – 6- 0 peg 10
4. The Worminator 6 – 14 – 0 peg 13
5. Geoff C 5 – 8 – 0 peg 4
6. Heinzer 4 – 9 – 0 peg 14
Others that I can recall
Zorro a low 3lb
KOD a big 2lb
HaHa 1lb odd
MGB 8oz
Was there a bridge at your end of the pool