It’s absolutely hammering it down and it’s blowing a mean gale. Oh no…………
Alarm goes off at 7am…….a dip through the curtains, winds subsided and its stopped lashing it down :)
Sod this…….back under the quilt……...
Around 7.35am, JK kicks me out of bed……’Go and make a cup of tea, you are going to be late for fishing’
Flask of soup sorted, slice of bread micro’d and the car is loaded.
Arrive at the cut about 8.30am, quite a few are already knocking about.
With a bit of that manky grey water entering from a coupl of inlets, and a fair old ripple on the boat section, I peg out with Twink ‘up cut’ heading towards grove Bridge. Expecting 19, but with Dave Berrow putting in an appearance, 21 pegs are ‘sorted’
Back to the car for my gear and to do the draw.
Certainly not with it today……..sod it I’ve forgot my boots – bet my tootsies will be froze. >:( Aint got me results book either so I have to find a scrap of paper.
Draw made, peg 14 is mine for the next 4 hours and 45 mins. Approaching the peg, and flanked by team Jefferies for the day I can see fish topping across all our 3 pegs.
One problem……………….
They are being ‘herded in’ by what seems to be a pack of Essox Lucius. As large swirls are to be seen regularly in all 3 pegs whilst we set up.
Double sod it………..I’ve left my caster in the fridge.
Triple sod it. As I was ‘lacking in self confidence’, I had some joker off Dave B……….mind I wasn’t the only one was I
…………..but I aint got my atomizer either. Anyway the off………joker fed and a separate punch line which is messed up as the crumb fails to break the surface tension.
A first look on that infamous bait doesn’t produce a bite in the first 10 mins, whilst Yamo to my right is picking off small roach and Zorro to my left is having bites but missing them.
Out on the punch………dry net avoided with a small roach first put.
There is evidence of stamp fish being caught at either side of us, several pegs away to left and right and nets are used.
Bites for me on the punch are at a premium so another look on the little red men line. Nowt? So another pot is fed whilst I work that punch line for a few more bits.
An hour and half in another look on the little red me. First put in and a bite……..and again, and again, and again……..although I was working the bait too. Only small fish…….nowt over an oz, most ½ oz or less……..but at least the float is going under.
This lasts for 20 mins as a rare boat approaches. Great it aint gunna go over that line as heads down the 4/5 mtr track.
Result? Well at least for Yamo, Zorro and myself, we cant buy a bite after it’s gone.
And there’s still 2 hours to go.Despite refeeding lines, nowt shows agin on the punch for me and 2 daddy ruffe and two micro kinvers are the reward for the rest of the match.
Hard
Yep. A grueller Not reallyHave I enjoyed it? Certainly……….well much more than certainly
Ok – perhaps just my opinion, but as the scales will show, this has been infinitely more of a ‘match’ than the outings on the KP tend to be……..although there were a few DNWs I don’t think there were any dry’s
PEG
1 MILLIE DNW
2 THE SHARK 2.7.2
3 BALL IT IN DNW
4
5 SIMPLE SIMON 1.8.12
6 DRYNET DNW
7 TWINK 1.8.8
8 BRAMBLES 0.1.11
9 BIG COL 2.10.15
10 VESTE 2.13.6
11
12
13 YAMO 2.2.9
14 TK 1.0.8
15 ZORRO 1.1.3
16 GERRY 0.13.8
17 KOD DNW
18 GOUGHY 1.1.5
19 CHESLYNBOY 3.0.1
20 DAVE B 2.10.5
21 TIGERBAY 2.1.13
Lessons learnt? A plenty. In fact I’ve deliberately been vague in detailing how I fished.
This was because I realized immediately after the match, and this was very importantly reinforced in a chat with big Dave B afterwards what I done wrong……….and what I hadn’t done at all………..which is still a bit of mystery to me……….cuss I always do it
.Anyway, I wasn’t the only one to drop a clanger as Dave B confided…….he’d hammered the bits then got distracted when Cheslynboy latched into his bream. So he went after them and was only rewarded with a couple of bits that hung onto his 4 bloodworm on a hook……..and ended up getting dramed out of the frame. I’m sure he’d have probably done 4-5lb if he hadn’t wasted that hour or two.
Anyway hats off to Cheslynboy
………a victory on his first TK Grueller ……….well we’ll soon put that right 
Oh and cheers Simps for helping with the scales, Zorro for scribing, Veste for bag carrying and Ball it in peg peg collecting
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