Simple Match Fishing Forum

7.00 am and the alarm goes off. Don’t fancy getting up. Know I’ve got to, cuss I’ve got some other guys bait for ‘em today.

Sod it, I’m going back to kip.

7.10am…….better get up

Well I was expecting this to be another right grueller. After a week or more of ‘reasonable’ temperatures we’d had a stinker of a frost last night. Not just a slight frost, but walking back home from Harrisons the night before I’d noticed how it had penetrated the ground……it was rock hard.

A little later than usual I arrived at Yates. Most of the guys were already tucking into a breckie. A general consensus of opinion was that a few fancied it on the boats today…….I daint……you’ve got a hundred yard walk to peg 1…….me and walks don’t get on these days……perhaps its those advancing years…... ::)

I shot off with MrV to peg out. Couldn’t believe what greeted us………..the cut was froze over again.

We wandered down to the bridge and MrV duly pegged out………only a dozen of us had turned out. To be honest if I’d have realized that I’d have suggested we drop on the Fingerpost common section – we could all have fitted in between the pub and the walk over bridge.

Anyway, MrV reported that that 1-7 were frozen, 8 – 13 were free of ice. I’d got heinzers icebreaker in tow, so didn’t really bother me, although the form book suggested a higher number was a better area to draw.

Pegs came and went as I scribbled the names down. With just two left in the bag Goldenballs picked me peg 11 out. ‘Fine’ I thought ………apart from the walk.

Approaching my peg Cotti ‘shout’s up, ‘You walked past it’.

‘What?’

‘Your peg’

‘I aint, I’m on 11, that’s 10.’

‘No, I’m on 11, your on 10’ he tries to convince me.

‘Sure I’m on 11, Goldenballs drew it for me’

‘No, I’m 11, you’re on 10’

I looked at 10………..great I thought……..ice running from left to right diagonally across the peg. Trust me to have the only ice between 7 and 13.

Blues4eva to my left when he should have been two away, with that ice running left to right



And Cotti to my right instead of left……



A couple of rigs were set up, the punch at 6 mtrs to the edge of the ice down the track and a joker/worm rig to fish at 10 mtrs at half past one to my right.

Time was ticking on so I wandered back to check how the guys breaking the ice were getting on. As they were still in the throws of breaking and setting up I put back the match half an hour.

I also looked at the book with the scales up by OBI…………Cotti couldn’t believe it…….yep I should have been on 11, with Cotti on 10. With only 10 mins left to go, sod it I wasn’t gunna change pegs now. If we got ‘disqualified, so be it…….

Walking back I noticed that OBI had only broken the ice 4 metres out, whilst most had broke all the way over…………hum, be interesting to see what he has just down that inside edge I thought to myself.

Cheslynboy blew up and away we went. Lines fed and Cotti is straight in, first put in on the punch. In fact he proceed to knock out 8 roach one after the other whilst I’m searching that first bite to avoid the dreaded once again.

Then Blues4eva is in……he knocks out a couple before I avoid the dreaded DNW after about 40 mins with a transparent roach followed by a smaller kinver.

Strange match for me again this one…….well strange for Blues4eva as well. We couldn’t get our heads around it. You’d have two fish one after the other, then nowt for 20 mins Why Aint got a clue Any ideas guys

Time rolls on and both Cotti and Blues4eva cop a couple of netters, and I’m getting wasted.

OBI has a trot down the bank to work the circulation in his dickie foot……..he owns up to a decent roach and about 1.5lb in the net, also reports that Sibeck is starting to have a few.

Off he trots and later on Snowie drops by to see us, obviously gleaming some form of perverse satisfaction in watching us all struggle and in particular me and Blues4eva who are being cut in half by that icy raw northerly wind.

After struggling most of the match with that pattern of two bites, two fish then nowt for 20 mins, with 10 minutes to go I get a bite…….and a fish. Put in again, a bite a fish, and again, and again…………only small oz fish, but 5 bites and 5 fish in the last 6 put ins. Now what’s that all about Why not an hour earlier

The all out, pack away and off to get the scales that are up by OBI. Goldenballs and MarkV have had enough and finished early.

Hear talk that Yamo has lost a decent fish under the ice.

OBI reports that he’d never had another bite for the last couple of hours after he walked down to me. Hum……..he was owning upto a pound and half, will that be enough or will he regret his walk about.

With MrV tipping his few bits and pieces away, Cotti is first to weigh in with 14oz on the board. I’m next.

Well I thought Cotti was always ‘tight’ on those scales when it came to weighing me in, knocking me back a few drams, but Tweety is even tighter than Scrooge ……..as my 12oz odd finally ended up as 0.11.15. Cheers Tweety

Blues4eva is leading it with 1.8lb as Tweety regrets throwing his similar weight away …….that’ll serve you right Scrooge.

Sibeck just nips ahead nudging the winning weight another 2oz on with just OBI to go.

Gunna be tight this one. He aint had a bite since walking down to me when he owned up to 1.8lb

1.8lb my derriere …………..as he tips a decent net of skimmers in the basket.

The result

PEG
2 OBI 4.0.6
3 SIBECK 1.10.1
4 YAMO DNW
5 GOLDENBALLS DNW
6 MARKV DNW
7 TWEETY DNW
8 CHESLYNBOY DNW
9 BLUES4EVA 1.8.0
10 TK 0.11.15
11 COTTI 0.14.7
12 MRV DNW
13 PHILB DNW




OBI with his bag – well done mate



And believe it or not, here’s his ‘hole’




And finally – getting on for an hour after the match, Yamo fishes on……….having one a chuck

obie owning up to 1.8lb he was telling me less than that with a grin on his face, and i was on the next peg to him and could see what he caught, top bloke obie but u couldn't lie straight in bed ..... good report m8......... was it me or did it seem colder that match than the one previous with 6 inch of ice on the cut? i couldnt get the joker on the hook thats my excuse anyway

and i wonder where obie got his advice from to break that ice their???? snowie by any chance.......... saying that it couldn't have been it wasn't 16 meres wide

We couldn’t get our heads around it. You’d have two fish one after the other, then nowt for 20 minsSmiley Why Smiley Aint got a clueSmiley Any ideas guysSmiley

thats simple to answer, They are on the bus, You get 2 buses turn up at once then none for 20 mins

was it me or did it seem colder that match than the one previous with 6 inch of ice on the cut? i couldnt get the joker on the hook

Not half Sibeck - I wasn't cold the last icebreaker either - but yesterday that wind cut me in half.

Seriously though if you thought it was cold, it was 5 degrees warmer up your end than where me and and Bluesforever were pegged.

I was scratching my head at the end........did you guys catch better cuss you'd bost the ice and we hadnt - the  sheet of ice in front of me eventually floated off down your end - or was it because you were iced up with less wind?????????

to be honest tk i think it was a slight advantage if you did break the ice, but i dont think it was any easier up our end. i went for well over an hour for my first bite, yamo and goldenballs struggled and they both seemed to know what they were doing. then when the bites finaly started it was 5 fish then nothing for 10-20 mins.... if you think about it the most fish came from tweety onwards.... hard day all round i think

couldnt hold that lump at the start, on its 4 th run under the ice it snapped me. Vaught about 25 fish in the match including 8oz skimmer but didnt bother weighing in.Decided to stay on instead.

After the match i caught lots of 2oz roach and several nice skimmers before it went dark. Enjoyed the day, few lessons learnt too

Bloody Hell , CheslynBoys trumpet will be seized up at this rate

Top write up TK. Love the piccies too.

well i,m notvery good at telling stories (as sibeck already spotted ) but gonna give it a go..

arrived on the carpark at same time as Mr V. and went straight for the full brekkie ,and finding out that he literally only lives 2 mins from me had a bit of chat about our local waters .

on to the draw,got put on the spot a bit by T.K.he elected me as tresurer for the day,good one though as it broke the ice a bit for me (sorry about that) being the new kid on the block,not fished this stretch for 30odd years so wasnt clued up at all just hopin for an ice free stretch,first one into the bag peg 2 out nice short walk but full of ice !!

got to peg and chipped a bit off ice just to see how thick it was not to bad and all the time watchin sibeck break his peg,stuff that for a game of soldiers it looks like hard work even though sibeck very kindly offered to help,just broke out about 3 to metres that will do me,
potted in 2 chopped lobbies and 4 casters to the left and half a small pot of lickey right up against the ice straight out,1st pit in on punch little twitch thank you very much skimmer bout 1LB second put in same again and next 1 and the next 1 ,half hour gone 3 fish and about 2 n bit pounds in net not bad me thinks,bit quiet for next 10 mins then another about a pound ,decided to try on the wprm line so bit more liccy in small pinch of worm on in it went ,straight under nice roach bout 6-8 oz but nothing else so went back on the punch 5 more mins another twitch and up pops another skimmer bout 10 oz or so.

got bit of gammy foot so had to go for a waklk to get some life into it back to peg 15 mins later and guess what not another bite foe 21/2 hours,

thats about it really nowt special crackin bunch off lads all made me welcome

sorry if its a bit lng n borin but ther you go nce again had a brill day thanks TK and the lads

TK VIRGIN BOST HIS CHERRY

well done obie.... its one thing hooking them, its another getting them in especialy as ur landing net was bigger than ur hole in the ice

especialy as ur landing net was bigger than ur hole in the ice

specially measured just to fit m8

just a thought my fish dried up when snowie pput in an appearance ??????? is that the reason i catch nowt when fishin with him !!!!

u want to be careful just cus uve learnt to write obi you cant ave tks job just yet , by the way dont 4get i taught u

by the way dont 4get i taught uSmiley Smiley

yeah m8 and as per usual didnt do a very good job did ya

did i do a good job or did you get lucky

well done lads great write up TK

sorry if its a bit lng n borin but ther you go

Welcome the post(s) OBI - I'm always happy to see more people post in these topics with their take on the day, the associated banter we have and of course the 'obligatory' pop at each other

I'm always happy to see more people post in these topics with their take on the day

Still waiting for our Chief Scribes version of events........

think its a bit of a saw subject for people to talk about tk....... people are very disopointed that you tried to cheat and pinch cotti's peg for personal gain in such a friendly enviroment you really lowered the tone

No comment on Pelsal canal 8 hrs = no bites
I'm going to see last years champion for some info
PS its to flaming cold to play the trumpet i'll use the guitar in future

Just thinking about it Cheslynboy, OBI's gunna cop it now.

Do I remember you having the distinction of fishing one, winning one

Then the struck home with a vengance

Same with Goughy



Woe betide OBI next time out - can he beat the