Welcome back BDM
Suppose I had better do a report for this one then
Firstly, let me say what a nice venue. There aren't many places on the Severn where you can park behind every peg. Although the weights were down, the potential was there for some great weights. I think the torrential rain for the preceeding 24 hrs didn't help matters with fresh water running through.
After picking up Heinzer, and meeting MBK and KOD en route, we arrived at 8am. Heinzer was left on gate duty, while me and KOD went and pegged out. Optimistically, we put 20 in, but aftre everyone arrived, there were only a dozen. Left out some pegs on Big Cols advice and dipped in, pulling peg 1, upstream end peg. I fancied it when pegging out, and Col told me it should be good for some silvers on stick/wag, so i was a happy bunny
Set up a 5 x 4 stick to cope with the fast shallow swim, about 3 feet deep. Also set up the obligatory feeder with a hair rig for chasing the odd "whisker". 30 minutes before the off, my phone rings and it's Gudgeon basher, saying him and his Dad had got lost but were "somewhere near". I talked them to the gate, and gave them the code for the lock. I told them they would have to fish 2 of the left out pegs, as everyone else was in their pegs and ready to go, which they duly agreed to do. ::) On the off, I fed hemp and caster on the stick line, and continually flirted a few 6mm pellets down the middle. After an hour aithout a bite, i chucked th groundbait feeder out with pellet in the mix and a 20mm "donkey choker" halibut pellet on the hair rig. While sitting their bored Sh***ess, for an hour, I was flicking out a few maggots and hemp on the stick line, wondering if maggot rather than caster may work.
. Not a rap on the feeder for an hour, so with 3 hours left, and fishless, went back on the stick. After 5 minutes, hooked what felt like a decent fish, only for it to shed the hook just out of netting range
. Next run down, another fish on, and this time a 4 oz dace graced my empty net
. Kept picking off the odd fish for the rest of the match, but had to constantly change things around to keep em coming. A few inches depth on or off, bulk the shot, string it out, etc.etc. Half an hour to go, decided to ladle the feed in hoping for a bonus rub a dub or something
. Sure enough, 15 minutes from the end, float buries and the strike is met with solid resistance that started to move slowly upstream
Got to be a barbel ::). After 10 minutes of coaxing back downstream, and from the other side of the river, it finally rolled in front of me, and yes it was a barbel....a bloody big one
It didn't run too far after the first sighting, just hugged bottom and lumbered around in front of me. Is my 2lb hooklength really gonna hold and get him out?? Some hope, it rolled again on top, and the hooklength parted company
. never mind, I had enjoyed the day, had a few fish doing what I love most, and spent a cracking day on a lovely venue
. Note to Mr match secretary....can we go there again please
