Well the pressure was off for this one as Blues4eva coordinated things on the morning. No fretting about where to peg, what if it fished crap.........but I knew his back was broad and strong as the inevitable moan about summat or other would come his way at some stage
I quite fancied it on the QT
– not having fished the venue for probably getting on for 30 years..........the question was would I have a rig deep enough if my memory served me right..........summat in the box would have to do though as although I fancied it, I still couldn’t be CBA to tie a rig or two up, or fetch me bait as I relied on Mr Warburton to get me a bit...........just wished he wouldn’t smother it in that essence of cormorant that he has a habit of doing.
With all the pre match planning put into practice, it was time for the draw and I dipped in half way through proceedings and no 6 stuck to my hand leaving Blues4eva with what was left in the bag
No 6 meant nowt to me – hopefully it wasn’t a mega walk........
On plumbing up on peg 6 – on the wides – I just managed to ‘get away’ with a couple of rigs with the cut being 5ft odd deep..........in fact from 4 to 10 mtrs there was only about 2 ins difference all the way across..........so the same rig would do aok for short and long punch lines........plus a throw away caster line (cuss I just cor catch on em at the mo). A second choppy rig was set up to snare a beastie or two
With half hour to go I thought I’d better take a pickie or two to satisfy Joffie when he has his coffee and bickies in the morning
My peg – with a nice bit of ripple. Just wished it had stayed like this for the 4.5 hours we were scheduled to fish
The view left – about to do battle with the Warburton King
The culvert to my immediate right – sounded like I was on the Severn – certainly drowned out any possible sound of the M6 toll road............and Big Col T the other side of it come to think of it
The off and all 4 lines fed.............by which time Cotti was already catching on his ‘long’ punch line.
A look on my short punch line and the float went straight away
– doubled no2 lackie came out and the dreaded dry un was off.
Aok only at 20 to 25 to the lb stamp – but fish anyway. Only one slight concern Cotti fish were of a better stamp........not to worry – I’d plunder the longer line later ::)
With fish no 30 in the net I was still behind Cotti who’d lost count earlier when he was on no 20........or was that 21............might have been 22
So a quick look on the chop to see whether any beastie was sitting on it or had already devoured it and moved off. Virtually straight away the float dipped into the depths.......lift and its on........a better stamp this fish no 31 was
...........as it turned out it wasn’t a kinver as expected, but a rutilus of about 4oz.
Back on the chop...........and nowt happened
..........so a look on the long punch line. The odd fish, but not as big as Cotti’s so 6 mtrs of pole came off again as I decided to target the short line again
The wind was picking up, gusting this way and that, worsening as the morning got on. I’d moved onto fish 54 when Cotti had a netter on his caster.
Then another.
When I got to punch fish no 60, being a lb or 2 behind Cotti I thought I’d have a quick look on the caster – just really to say I’d tried it.
Nobody was more surprised than me when after a minute the float vanished fish on.
Aok only about 2oz...........but a fish on the caster, the first for months.
And so it was – fish no 61 to 83 came on the caster..........from 2 lines as I started another on that long punch line
Time was marching on – only 15 mins to go..........a gale was blowing, the pole was being blown from one side to another, I was having difficulties seeing the float in the waves and it was turning into night as threatening clouds moved in.
A quick last look at inside punchline produced fish 84, 85 and 86 before the second flash of lightening that was a bit too close for my likening
............sod this as I shipped back and broke the pole down.
And then the heavens opened – hail stones battered us - coming in at an angle of 30*. I just huddled up on the box – it would have been futile trying to get a brolly out as carnage reigned all around – the sound of sections bostin as fellow anglers trampled over their gear in the chaos
As quick as it came it had gone – leaving us all like drowned rats. It was a struggle to get the gear away – my hands were frozen. Sadly at that stage I wasn’t in the mood to take any ‘catch’ shots which was a bit of an injustice to the likes of Big Col........
But all in all I'd give it another go
just in case josh managed to re-elasticate is. pole in time 
