Simple Match Fishing Forum

This match had originally been scheduled to both coincide with the last weekend of the season on this canal, the Cannock Extension, but more importantly it was anticipated that we would be plundering new stocks of skimmers and roach that were due to be introduced by BWB.

Unfortunately due to unfortunate events the stocks had not arrived yet, but news filtering through was that cut had been fishing reasonably ok – Big Baz Astbury had had an 8lb net in 3 hours a fortnight earlier, his transferred match had been won with 5lb plus with reasonable back ups and Cotti had had ‘one a chuck’ on two trips down their on his beloved Warburtons.

Arriving with Hotlips there was already the signs of a decent turnout. 2 ex club members, Ball it In and Gerry were expected as visitors, along with Simps (Grueller Champion) and the Minx plus not forgetting Big Col plus Baz A’s mate. Surprise of the day was Bezza coming along too

Sadly there were a few casualties with members, 5 were missing and only 2 sick notes had been received in advance. What the heck - a decent turnout for this the start of the 2009 Cashmores CURSE series – with 21 members and 7 guests.

KOD had pegged out, 15 on the boat section and 13 ‘in the woods’.Who wanted what? Bezza reckoned by the basins would be best.

Having done the old MGB ritual and relieved all of their cash, Harry the Hitman’s draw was sorted and pegs soon came and went.

With 2 left in the bag, I dipped and 14 stuck to me. Well at least not to far to walk, but glancing at the sheet, the golden peg 10 was potentially in trouble with Big Baz A sitting on it and also bezza was probably gunna have a shedful as he was on 6.

Setting up on 14, big Baz strolled past with his gear (a bit later than us cuss he had to go and sort a puncture out). He heaped the pressure on me with ‘That’s the peg I had that 8lb on in 3 hours the other week’ I gleamed all I could from him – lines, tactics etc which he readily provided – ta Baz.

The off. Inside punch line fed, joker - gratefully accepted off Sprucey before the off - dumped where Baz had told me and a few caster firtled over.

Now the first time I’d met the Chockie Munster down on the Pelsall cut I’d fished the punch. ‘Put a bigger piece on’ he’d told me as I’d been snatching pairs of eyes that day. With the prospect of a few stamp roach and skimmers on the boatyard I’d started on a larger punch and promptly missed the first three bites.

Scaled down on the punch size and next put in sees a 4 oz roach gratefully received – dry net off and a few Cashmores points on the board.

Next put in and another. Then a skimmer……………..but it’s slower than usual and I can see Cotti a few pegs up to my right and he seems to be having one a chuck.

I carry on for the next hour wheedling a few out. Time for a look on that joker. First put in a 2inch roach. Guddo – they are on it. Next put in, and the next and the next………nowt despite twitching it dragging it, altering depth and shotting.

The MINX is struggling and walks past in the direction of Simps , obviously seeking some inspiration to enable her to overcome the

I slipped a caster onto my punch rig which was about a foot deeper than the joker line and lay that over the top………………instantly a savage bite and a dog roach.

Next look nowt, but an added section produces another instant fish. A look against the front end of the boat and a smaller sample. Back over the joker and another good roach.

And that was that. Despite topping up and constantly revisiting and trying things with that that line only one micro perch put in an appearance.

A few choice Anglo Saxon expletives are heard off the peg to my left. Big Geoffs done a section – a no 8 he confides and also adds that he’s already done a top section that morning. Plus he’s also been seen off by a beastie and Brambles to my right has had a decent skimmer come off at the net.

Things are dire, bites are at a premium and news is that Simps and co are all struggling too in the millpond section whilst we on the boats are confronted with strong gusting conditions.

Elsewhere Hotlips has had a tench that ranges in size between a lb and 4lb dependent on who you believe.

Plodding on a two oz skimmer is gratefully received and then promptly dropped missing the front of the net – bet that will cost me.

The whistle for the end. I have a walk down to big Baz. ‘How you done?’ I ask, secretly worried that the golden peg has gone.’Struggled, got a couple of pound, that’s all. But I’ve lost 4 dogs on the double joker – all tench’.

Bezza is also owning up to about 3lb, but then proceeds to tell about the 6 caster dog roach he’s had to go with his ‘bits’.

Nearby, Zorro has played a ‘bonus’ fish out on the punch. Fully expecting it to be a tench when he finally gets near to netting it turns out to be a pike.

Millie has had a nightmare, 1 early bite and that came off for a dry un and then KOD storms past me with his gear ‘Bloody good job you’ve changed the next Extension match off here to the Staffs Worcs’. ‘Oooops’ I thinks to myself, ‘he must had had a grueller too’ You little tricker.

Other tales filter through – Phil B has lost a section in the cut and despite his and Budgies best endeavors with rope and rake it wasn’t recovered :( and Harry’s also lost a beastie

Anyway onto the tale of the scales………….

PEG
1 GEZ 2.5.10
2 HOTLIPS 4.6.15
3 MILLIE DRY
4 KOD 3.5.15
5 ZORRO 5.13.4
6 BEZZA (G) 6.11.5
7 J WEBBER (G) DNW
8 VESTE 1.12.11
9 THE MINX (G) DRY
10 BIG BAZ A 3.6.8
11 COTTI 3.9.11
12 ROLLY 0.3.4
13 BRAMBLES 0.3.7
14 TK 3.8.14
15 BIG GEOFF 1.8.14
16 MARKV 0.14.5
17 RICH C 1.2.13
18 GERRY (G) 2.9.12
19 HARRY 911 0.3.15
20 SIMPS (G) 0.12.6
21 SPRUCEY 1.8.0
22 BUDGIE 0.2.4
23 PHIL B DRY
24 HAHA 3.2.7
25 YAMO 2.15.9
26 MICK KENN 0.1.9
27 BIG COL (G) 2.6.8
28 BALL IT IN (G) 0.11.13

Over to you all for your take on events and in particular chief scribe MarkV for his resume of the day

Great readin TK
I will add my pictures in a bit.

I thought my peg was good for a couple of lb but I was very wrong lol

Oh dear Simps how the mighty fall. Even your lucky mascot Sprucey at the next peg didnt help overcome

Well done Gem i see part one of your masterplan worked. Get them all to believe you are no threat and they are safe from being minxed. Then minx them and take their pounds when they least expect it in a few weeks.

Pictures can be found here....

http://yaleac.si-lad.com/gallery/v/2009/other/curse1/

Budgie and TK took a few pics as well. Will add them later...


Gem will strike again  

Gem will strike again

No doubt about it..........I'm keeping shtum

Bit quiet on here

Everybody feeling all cursed out








Heard a that team mate Harry the Hitman might have walked it if he'd got the four beasties out that he lost


Any truth in the rumour

tk
if harry had got that tree he hook he may have won . i think it slipped the hook ?

Thanks TK for having me guest on your match Even if by 12:30pm i was wishing i was snuggled up in bed! Was nice to put names to faces.

My aim was to not to blank, and i blummin DNWd
tried all i had with me and scrounged off si i caught a branch, a leafy bit of weed, 2 fish bumped off mid-water! oh and i caught a cold!

Canals arent my thing, but thought id give it a go anyway but it was nice to be by water again, and i cant wait for summer on the the lakes

Thanks for having me chaps

Nice to have you along Gem


I'm sure the Minx will take revenge on us one day

Standing on the B4154, Lime Lane, Pelsall at 8.51am, Saturday 14th March 2009 there was only one clear thought in my mind....

Rarely could a finer body of men have ever been assembled  

With the calibre of angler present you couldn’t help but be very, very impressed.  :o I was beginning to get the jitters.

Among all the upstanding specimens was a delightful young lady, visiting for the day with a fine young man, who’s charms have enchanted her, even sufficiently to rough it on the cut in Pelsall on a Saturday morning. A lovely addition to the day,.

For myself I had a plan. Being a football nut, I ‘d decided to adopt the fancy midfield ‘Diamond Formation’ and run rings around the opposition. Implementing my currently favoured ploy lengthways down the track, it was to be caster left and right, punch at the bottom of  the near and far shelves. Punch for the busy stuff and more of a waiting game for the bigger stuff on caster. Perhaps too, a few casters pushed hard over against the rushes for a bonus or two. Bream, skimmers, dog roach or tincas, I didn’t much care. I was going to take it apart on caster.

With spring in the air I’d decided it was to be quality all the way. None of the small stuff, caster is the new Worm & Joker, don’t you know ?

Trouble was, at the draw I’d seen a few clutching bundles of somethings inside newspaper and I’d reckoned they weren’t chips. Had I miscalculated and ditched the winter method too early ? A quick enquiry with YAMO confirmed he’d ‘got a few’. Gerry let on he’d had some off Bazza even though he hadn’t ordered any and Big Col passed by with a soggy Express & Star under his arm, way out of date. Hmmm.

I was beginning to wonder. My head was being messed with good an’ proper. The jitters gettin' worse.

Drew 16. What a bummer. Just to the right of the access and immediately before the new road bridge, I’d fished the peg next door earlier in the year and blanked ! Trudging off, I confided to Gerry ‘I was psychologically struggling already’  :'( lol.
Didn’t like the look of that peg, no major features except for the sort of far bank rushes in mottled brown that make seeing your float in the reflection a nightmare at this time of year. Never mind, I had a plan and was going to stick with it.

Setting my box down Bezza passed and just by a mere mention,  flogged me a pack of joker. Plan 'A' out the window. How many lines now ???
Jeeez.

I’m so confused still I cant  begin to describe the revised formation. With no leam (or atomiser) I scrabbled up some mud from behind me and mixed up a potion.
Balled it in and off we went. Left it to ‘cook’  while I diligently fed caster left and right etc. meticulously lined up with vegitation and markers all over the place. Like a target in the crosshairs, like a target in the crosshairs I chuckled.

Three quick punch roach at four metres and it died. Scratched around for a bite here and there. Plenty of bites off “eyes” on the joker and after well over an hour of patient feeding, a look on caster to the left. Didn’t have to wait long before the float slid slowly away.

It was heavy, with the occasional nod reminiscent of a big perch . As I shipped back the no4 laccy came out and I knew this would sort my match as it kited across in front of me. Carefull, carefull I was saying’ to myself… blimey its. Going… I picked up another section but held on steadily. It was feeling a bit strange and I wondered if a pike had grabbed something it was so heavy, but..still moving. Carefull I thought, cos this is going to sort my match, anything after this would just be icing on the cake. Hope it ain’t a pike cos it’s gonna blow Richard C away next door.

Then it surfaced …. Spikey branches first ..it was f *@*% … [ This descriptive portion of text has been deleted by moderators. Posters please note such language will not be tolerated ] HUGE twig.

Several deep breaths later I resumed the match and suffice it to say pulled out a considerably larger portion of tree before abandoning that caster line and struggling for the rest of the match. Plenty of ‘eyes’ and very slightly bigger stuff which hardly weighed, hence my 14 and a half ounces ish  :) . Couldn’t find a decent fish and not a touch on caster elsewhere. All the best laid plans eh  ..so  …

We live to ride another day. Next stop Curborough and a very promising match, requiring the first of many tackle and tactic changes needed to ride the roller coaster that is the Cashmore series 2009. Can I keep up  

Superbly entertaining reading Mark

Least you weren't the only one to break a lb :(

Brilliant read Mark.

Now all you have to do is get the quality of your catch to match the quality of your writing and the title of Cashmores Champion will be yours.

Well worth the wait and even more well worthy of the title of Chief Scribe - a brilliant read MarkV

So many things I can relate too also

Ta for that

good report mark . thanks for putting into words what many in that area went through. pity the fishing was not has good as the write up .

Where's your pictures Budgie    

Where's your pictures Budgie

Heard he's slung his camera and bought a couple of Pringle tops and some metal things

I think that last match has finished him off.
Better get in the car and have a look up the chase for bodies swinging from the tree's

Nah.........he wouldn't have done that............






[move]He got some good Curse points on Sat[/move]

Good write up Mark, and thankyou for your kind comments

My phots are stuck on my phone having trouble gettin them off ::)


been busy at work fellas too so thanks for the Concern Simps &m Tk

Golf Tk never mate  

where is curbourgh never been before ::) ::) ::)cracking venu'e home work all done on the place