over the last month or so it was now onto the Grueller Series where I personally was in need of a fish or two………….. question was could I break the lb mark for a change. 
A call from Big Baz at 8.15am whilst Heinzer drove us on our way advised that he’d already pegged the Common – ta Baz -
and he was tucking into his breckie.A few ‘eager’ guys were already on the bridge and talk centred on some fish topping and a pleasure angler who’d had 3 tincas on Thursday on the tip and the corn.
Sod it – I’d got neither a tip rod or a bag of corn with me. 
20 ‘hardy’ anglers showed for this opening match – predominantly faces that had incurred the wrath of previous gruellers plus a few more crack cut anglers – seasoned campaigners that I felt sure had probably experienced many a grueller in their time, so today shouldn’t present any problems for them.
Conditions were not too bad
– ok there had been a cold overnight snap, and the met check was advising it would be dry, with temperatures of 5c, but feeling like 1c.I secretly wanted a draw between pegs 1 – 15 so was pleased to be left with peg 11 in the hat.
I also wanted to avoid any of the cut cracks to stand the remotest chance of winning this one, but it wasn’t to be as I found Wyrley & Essington maestro Mark Oakley to my left and TA’s Blues4eva to my right.
During the week I’d decided on a fishing a permutation of a MarkV formation - 2, 1, 2, 1 lines – not exactly the diamond formation, but all prematch planning went out of the window as I plumbed up.
Armed with w&j, punch and caster, but only really expected to catch on the j – my confidence on the punch is at an all time low, plus I can’t remember my last caster fish. :(
The off and lines fed. Mark O is straight into fish, one a chuck literally, whilst myself and Blues4eva are struggling. We both start picking off odd fish, whilst the steam train to my left was emptying it.
It was a struggle to put more that 3 fish on the trot together. Hotlips came down for a walk and advised that Goldenballs was having one a put in on the punch
and Big Baz has also got 50 odd fish to his name already with Mark O swinging in 3-4oz stampers, 
whilst I’m having wasps and 3 to the oz silvers. 
Halfway through and Blues4eva makes his move………..in with the choppie. First look and he’s straight into a netter kinver tiger. He later picks up another.
With what’s happening either side of me and the news from Hotlips I probably make a tactical mistake………or it could have actually paid off.
It was all provoked by my desire for a cup of leek and potato soup. On with a white caster to see if I can snare a kinver over my joker. Soup poured, ship out.
Sipping the soup and to my amazement float tips – lift and a caster fish – a 2oz stripey is netted.
Out again with the white caster………..minute or so, ditto but a bonus, well bonus for me, 1 oz roach.
I’m flying.
Well that’s when it went wrong. I’m fishing this caster on my joker rig with a 24 on. Next bite, lift, lacky comes out. Start shipping back gently…………
Shipped a couple of sections back……………..
and the sodding thing comes off
– probably one of those half pound plus kinvers pricked in his boney lip.Another look on the joker………..just a couple of 2 inch silvers. Sod it stick the caster back on – going nowhere on the j and I need some bonus stampers.
Well I did snare another…………..temporarily………..as he slipped that 24 hook too.
Managed another 2oz kinver after that, but with half hour to go, no more caster bites so back to the joker and suddenly the peg ‘has switched on’ – well ‘switched on’ to how it had been for the previous 2 plus hours on the w&j.
A procession of a dozen or so of joker fish, albeit non bigger than on ounce. The tale of the scales will probably tell me I should have switched back ‘earlier’ – but there again I believed others to be ‘sacking’ down in the low nos.
Heinzer blows up
In all honesty the 4 hours have fled for me, despite being battered either side……..in fact I hadn’t even had time to pull the camera out of the box.
So packing up I managed to snap these few pictures as the scales approached.
Big Baz complete with his festive hat
Heinzer weighing in with Mick G in frame
Golden Balls was happy with his punch fish
Blues4eva has done me
What’s Mark Oakley got in here?
Well here’s the tale of the scales
PEG ANGLER WEIGHT
1 KEEF 1.7.0
2 GOLDEN BALLS 1.8.8
3 MICK P DNW
4 MILLIE 2.0.0
5 MARKV 1.9.0
6 BIG BAZ 3.7.0
7 SIBECK 2.4.0
8 K WOODWARD DNW
9 MICK G 2.1.0
10 BLUES4EVA 3.11.0
11 TK 2.0.0
12 MARK OAKLEY 7.0.0
13 TWEETY DNW
14 PHIL B DNW
15 CHESLYNBOY DNW
16 HEINZER DNW
17 BIG COL DNW
18 COTTI DNW
19 THE WEDGE DNW
20 THE SHARK DNW
Just noticed Heinzer – you can do drams on those beam scales
;)And finally Mark O with his decent net of fish – well done mate
