Grueller 21 Jan 12 - enjoyed that soixante-neuf

#1

Young Josh had an even better day too - here's a sneak preview of him waiting patiently for what the scales are going to reveal

#2

Poor fella he looks a bit wet TK.

paul_brown · #3

Yep it p!ssed down as we finished and did the weigh in

Josh1337 · #4

Oh dear haha yeah absolutley poured down towards the end, never the less a great days fishing

#5

I suppose that means we will have to wait most of the week for TKs write up while he tries to dry out the results sheet.

Drynet · #6

Are the envolopes done yet

that looks a right flyer Josh.

me · #7

Dave c i will give you a taster, i caught 6 carp and 3 tench and weighed 86lb, my best ever canal weight.

Well i did in land of nod as my alarm never went off and i never got up in time for the match

My garden fish have got squat for there diners.

#8

i caught 6 carp and 3 tench and weighed 86lb

Typical any decent angler would have done a ton.

Drynet · #9

I see Josh landed the peg collecting job

#10

Well i did in land of nod as my alarm never went off and i never got up in time for the match

Oh ME oh ME oh ME............

Guess what a few guys caught today

Honest

Sign you missed out

#11

Not gudgeon TK.

#12

Sure did Dave C

Bet that's upset ME

#13

Now you will have him whinging at you until you agree to have another grueller on that section.

me · #14

i thought you were only joking when you said you'd but 3 in tk

#15

As I made a brew around 7am I could hear the wind whistling.

We’d a possible 15 turning out today, but I thought ‘Bet the conditions may make a couple reconsider their options’.

We’d one official ‘declared’ casualty - Simps, eager to fish this one, had put his name down before realising he’d dropped a goolly.

It was wedding time, I mean engagement time

and he’d got a double booking as someone had got his name down to rustle the grub up for the party.

As usual Josh was first at the venue, followed by Gudgeon Basher and Digger as we rolled up. Despite suffering from the effects of imbibing a few too many the night previously, Heinzer gallantly joined me to peg out.

And it didn’t look very inviting on first the section between the Grove Marina and the new Road Bridge - that tell tale horrible slatey grey the result of the rain we’d had in the preceding 48 hours.

A look up through the bridge to the boatyard and the prevailing strong wind ruled that section out too,

irrespective of the clarity there.

We were gunna have to seek solace in the middle section where the trees and high far bank would provide some shelter. And it sure did,

as we dropped 15 pegs in, because for the majority of the section it was like a mill pond - today’s excuse was possibly gunna be that I liked a bit of ripple on.

The colour didn’t look too bad either

- it dropped out pretty much as soon as we walked through the ‘broken bridge’. For the ‘non locals’ there aint actually any bridge there these days - just a ‘narrowing’ where it used to go over the cut. There used to be, but the ‘broken bridge’ was removed sometime in the early 90’s I think it was.

As we pegged out I fancied 1-5, nothing to do with being a short walk

- with 5 being the current ‘flyer’.

Sadly that wasn’t to be as the draw was made and Heinzer showed me that I’d got peg 8 left in the cap…… ah well

As I trooped up the cut, a few words of encouragement to first Josh. I fancied that peg 1 with a bit of a tree in the water.

Then onto Digger to convince him we weren’t telling porkies - honest - peg 5 was really Heinzer's and Cotti’s favourite peg on the section and it usually throws up some decent fish. Wasn't trying to heap any pressure on Digger - honest

Onto my peg 8 for the next 5 hours - at least I’d got another peg that I couldn’t recollect fishing before………

10am and the off and a couple of punch lines are fed, including one on Tricast62’s ‘Stalking Heron’ line…….

with a bit of sloppy supercup and squatt cupped in ‘up the shelf’ for an additional ‘option’.

Whilst I had a small silver first put in,

Cotti to my left got off to a flyer and within 5 minutes was owning up to ‘half a dozen’

In fact I think he’d got 10 before I saw no 2.

I plodded on but as the hour progressed I was falling further behind.

50 mins in with 10 extremely small silvers in the net with not a sign of any bonus skimmers I moved to the stalking heron line………….

First put in, after a minute or so, the float sinks away and fish no 11 is gratefully swung in.

Next put in results in fish no 12 - and what’s better, these are marginally larger than those I’ve had on the longer punch line.

Just as I’m repunching I look to my left - ‘S**t’

I think to myself as an organised party of ramblers approach down the towpath - ‘that’ll kill the Stalking heron line stone dead’ just as it’s come to life.

The ramblers trundle past as I must admit I dejectedly have another look on it and surprise surprise

the float dips again.

I start to claw Cotti back

as news comes down the bank that Big Baz has been seen off down on the lower numbers.

Bites come steadily as I try to keep all lines going, but the majority of fish are falling to ‘The heron’ line

Time marches on. I know Simps and Joffie love a picture or two but the camera hasn’t left the confines of my box today. Before the off it was way too gloomy with dark clouds skating across the sky, followed by periods of light showers. Plus I’m still having a few………..despite a second larger ramblers party legging it ‘northwards’………… so the lens stay locked away.

With an hour and a bit to go Cotti has his match winning opportunity, but it’s an opportunity that lasts all of 5 seconds - if that long. I glance round to see his lackie shooting out and then it’s all over with a ‘twang’ - he thought he’d snagged bottom - that was until the unseen beastie decided to bolt off.

As the end of the 4 hours nears, I’m still having fish, but they are small. As Heinzer blows the whistle I lift into that final fish bring my total up to soixante-neuf - comprised of 1 extremely small bottle top, three rudd and 65 roach, all on punch apart from one taken during an intermittent look on double squatt.

I start packing away, and realize Simps and Joffie will be in sulky mode with no pickies, so I take a couple of snaps ‘after the event’

First my peg for the day- after the event

Cotti and co packing up to my left………..

And Kim PhilB and co packing up to my right

Ttoday’s ‘debutant’ - Stevie H - still all smiles after sampling a ‘grueller’

Having packed up I caught up with Blues4eva and Gudgeon Basher who’d drawn the scales today as they first weighed in Yamo on end peg 12. Yamo’s 50 pus fish moved the beams down to a bit more that the 8oz ::) he’d owning up to Zorro on next peg.

Zorro’s turn next and his mass of small fish took an early lead.

However the talk at this stage was that Josh had won it today off the other end peg as he’d had a ‘proper un’.

Stevie H, ‘enjoying’ his first grueller couldn’t trouble those two leading weights and the scales moved down to Cotti who put x lb and 16oz in the basket.

Believing non of us could live with Josh, on a personal front it all came down to that peg to peg battle with Cotti,

so I was relieved to see the beams dip a bit more as my soixante-neuf went x lb, 19oz and some drams

Kim PhilB had had a few but couldn’t trouble the leading weights as Heinzer then tipped his 41 fish into the basket.

Heinzer was of the opinion that Digger would have a say in the proceedings - although he hadn’t found any of the bonus fish that supposedly reside by that overhanging tree, he said Diggers pole had been backwards and forwards all match. And true to form, Digger tipped a writhing mass of small silvers to the basket - certainly 100 fish plus…………..

Big Baz had chucked back, that one that had seen him off had seemingly unsettled his peg for the rest of proceedings. Gudgeon Basher had felt the full wrath of the curse today and had also thrown his few bits and pieces back so it was all down to Blues4eva’s joker stamp fish - which were noticeably bigger than the punch mens as they went into the basket - with just Josh’s ‘winning’ net to go………..

And here are those results………

PEG
12 YAMO 2.0.0
11 ZORRO 2.13.8
10 STEVIE H 0.11.6
9 COTTI 2.0.0
8 TK 2.3.7
7 PHIL B 0.6.3
6 HEINZER 1.6.2
5 DIGGER 3.7.0
4 BIG BAZ DNW
3 GUDGEON BASHER DNW
2 BLUES4EVA 3.9.12
1 JOSH 2.8.5

Well apart from the few showers we’d had during the 4 hours, culminating in the heaviest one whilst the weight in went on, just to ensure we were all pretty damp as we traipsed back to the cars, I’ve gotta say I’d enjoyed myself again.

Caught a few more than usual, managed to keep the punch ‘going’ and had confidence restored from yesteryear in Tricast62s ‘stalking heron’ line - can that be replicated in future on another peg down there????????

The other plus factor, whilst there had been a dearth of stampers caught today, it showed that the stocks must be breeding with the vol of small fish caught today - which can only auger well for the future as they grow on.

#16

Brilliant TK, I appreciate the pics

Sorry couldnt make it, will be watching out for the next one

#17

No probs Simps - did ME and Budgie make themselves useful and pop round and give you a chuck cutting all the sarnies Simps

#18

No but Budgie helped me knock some shapes out on the dancefloor lol

Josh1337 · #19

Great report Tk cant wait for next onee, 2 weeks yes?

#20

All being well Josh - as long as it aint a 5 inch icebreaker