2012
So when I last posted in here it was 2012 and I was fishing with Horwich Old Anglers. I finished the year with Horwich but at the end of the club fixtures I decided to call it a day with that club. There were a number of factors that led to that decision that I'll not go into but I will say that it was a good year with the club, I got to know some good blokes and had some good laughs.
2013
After leaving Horwich, and with my Saturdays still not being great for a return to Pem Central, I decided to try my hand on the open match scene in my local area. Me and Martin decided we would fish as a partnership, sharing tactics and winnings. Initially we planned on sticking to a couple of venues. We initially chose Sycamore Fishery in Golborne and Rosemary Wood Fishery. We have these a few months, alternating between the 2 but as we were only getting out every other weekend we were only getting one match on each ensue a month. This wasn't too bad on sycamore as it was a typical F1 dominated canal style water but on Rosemary Wood, the matches were rovers and venue regulars knowledge of the water was making it very difficult to compete. Ultimately we dropped rosemary wood and moved to Partridge lakes near Warrington and hall lane fishery near rufford. Without going into too much detail, as the year progressed I was finding more and more than whilst the fishing was great and the competition was great, I was missing the banter of club fishing and decided that at the end of the year I would be looking to go back to club angling. Before that though, me and Martin had joined forces with Matt and Dave to enter a teams of 4 winter league on partridge lakes, run by St. Helens tackle and bait. As the team worked out our plans for the league it was decided that me and Martin would fish covey 5 and 6 respectively, mainly down to our previous experience on the partridge opens, Matt went on to Marsh/Spey while Dave found himself on Willow/Piper. I started the league really well with a good section winning performance in the first match but that was followed by a couple of poor results while the rest of the matches I found myself around mid section. Safe to say that as a team we weren't challenging the league leaders but we finished mid table which is a respectable performance given a lot of the other teams were made up of venue regulars.
2014
As we moved into 2014 I was finishing off my winter league whilst planing my next move. My wife's working pattern had changed to alternative Saturdays whih allowed me an option to fish Saturdays again. A check with Pem Central and nearly all of their matches lied on days were Gail was off so I finally got the chance to go back where I wanted to be.
So what's happened so far..........
Well Pems matches started off in March with a return visit to Rosemary wood on the cards for me. The match was on Moss lake and I found myself pegged in the corner where the boards meet the far bank. This proved to be a good draw and I fished a steady match on the banjo feeder with a few bream and a couple of bonus carp giving me 3rd place in the match. Surprisingly for the time of year and the conditions on the day, the match winner an runner up both fished on the pellet waggler.
Next was a new venue for me. Old Hough Fishery near middlewich. Another typical canal style water. I had what seemed like another decent draw in a corner that I fancied for a possible win but as fortune had it, most members struggled on the day and the best I could manage was 4th overall with a mixed net of chub and small carp.
Model canal was next and is a venue I have really enjoyed and had some success with previously. A good match was had overall with a decent winning weight and close back up weights for all members . My nets were enough for 5th in the match.
Highfield fishery followed with a match on oak pool. Whilst I have fished at Highfield before, this is the first time I've been on oak. Safe to say I won't be rushing back as a difficult day found us scratching for bites and my 2 carp could only must enough weight for 9th place.
A long drive awaited for the next match as the club made it's way down the M6 to Heronbrook fisheries and a day on te meadow pool. I love this venue but had not fished it for a couple of years. The draw saw me on peg 8(I think) on the first arm and I fished a simple match of pellets on the deck at 11metres to put a weight of around 80lb on the scales. My best result of the year so far and my best on the venue ever. I finished 4th overall but as we had 2 guests and they both finished in 1st and 2nd place, league points equivalent to 2nd place came my way.
Hall lane was next and similar to Highfield, I had fished on hall lane before but not on this particular pool. The draw saw me roughly in the middle of the length and I fished hard all day at 16m to catch. My weight was good enough for 4th place.
A visit to Highfield again was next but this time on Beech. I had fished this venue before but not in the area I drew. I decided on a simple attack based on meat and pellets and rotated between an 11m swim and a far bank swim to catch steadily through the day. Disaster struck though as in the process of landing a fish, I dropped my pole and in the act of trying to grab it, I fell off my box and into the lake, thigh deep in the margins. Recovering the pole that had dropped in, I realised that on the act of falling in, I had let go of my top kit which was now making it's way towards the far bank still attached to the fish. As I wa already wet through, I went for a swim to recover the top kit. I got it and landed the fish still attached but that was the end of the match, luckily there was only 5 mins left so I hadn't done much to jeopardise my result. The scales came my way and my weight was good enough for 4th again. From chatting to the lads it seems I had the numbers to win but my fish were too small and some bigger fish being caught elsewhere made it difficult for me to compete.
That's us up to date on club matches. After that match, I found myself at the top of the club league with 31 points, 10 points clear of second place on 41. A good start, considering I haven't won a math this year it shows that I can be consistently up there with the front runners.
Last weekend, I found myself back on the bank of partridge lakes in the fishomania qualifier. 180 pegs wasn't going to be easy. In the draw queue I couldn't decide where I felt I wanted to be but had a slight leaning towards covey 5 where I had spent the winter or Holbar. At the draw I pulled out peg 65 on covey 3. Not an area I had fished before but with fish topping and an inviting aerator in my peg, I felt it was a peg I could catch a few from but I could t have been more wrong. After a reasonable start the fish just seemed to disappear and I was left scratching for bites for the rest of the day. My 18lb wasn't enough to trouble for the section never mind the match but looking at the results, it seemed the coveys fished hard on the day.
And that was last weekend. So it's now Friday night and tomorrow I find myself back at partridge to fish a club match on marsh canal - which is where the fishomania qualifier was won - but the weather is not looking promising. A good result is need though to cement my place at the top of he league - especially considering I will be missing a match In July.
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