Avalon Teams of 3, Round 3. December 6th 2015

The day started ok, a nice drive over, weather due to be dry in the main but we had strong winds which were due to ease off around 2:30 or soon after. Oh it was quite mild too with temps likely to be 14 degrees or more.

A the teams were getting correct and present they'd draw as it is a rolling draw.

Steve Fouracre was to do our team draw and we didn't have the best selections left. But the way it fell was Eric on peg 6, flyer. Steve on peg 19, ok enough.  I was in the duff section on the road bank and would be fishing peg 32. I like it in the summer.....it is less good in the winter.

The Sedges, league leaders and the annual team to beat, had an ok draw with Jamie looking good for my section and maybe overall. He was on the end peg and could cast to the end of the boards.
Keith was on a nice peg and Phil had the least favourable pick on peg 26 or 27.

My next door neighbour to my right was Mosella's Vic Bush on peg 29 and to my left was Jim Jenner on peg 35. Second or 3rd in my section is a target as the two pegs with the boards should do well.

I began to sort my kit out and mixed up some groundbait. I also had some live and dead maggots.  Pinkies. Corn. Caster and a few micros and 8mm pellets.

I sorted my feeder rod and assembled 3 pole rigs.
The 1st for topkit to my right....loose fed maggots and caster.
The 2nd for 8m in front, groundbait and maggots.
Lastly a rig for down to empty peg 31 plus the same rig would do for under the branches to my left. I would feed dead maggots and corn.

Peg 32, Avalon Fisheries.

The all in saw me pot some groundbait in front and some bait down to the peg 31.
I started on the feeder and the first 30 minutes was biteless but I recovered loads of line and lost 3 feeders to snags.
I wasn't keen to try the feeder for the rest of the day......but I did and remained fish less on this tactic.

I would love to say I had a great day bagging a few carp and plenty of skimmers, but it never happened. In fact I could not see anyone catching much all day, though I did see Jamie using his landing net a good few times and my team0mate Steve had a few fish along with a few more snags and lost rigs.

I again ended up fishing down both edges, the long line to peg 31 never gave me a bite, this was surprising as I thought I would get a carp or 2 from there, maybe a decent skimmer. It never happened.

The groundbait line in front gave me a whole roach and a couple of missed bites.

I did catch a few fish from my topkit line to the right, a skimmer of 1lb, a crucian near the end of the match that must have been 1.5lb and a perch of perhaps 2lb, plus the odd ounce roach and perch, oh I did have a chub of 2oz. I bumped what I believe was a skimmer or a decent perch around the midway stage of the match.

Avalon Fisheries, p32, looking right...!!

My left edge gave me a near 4lb carp at 3:20pm, plus a small perch and a couple of missed bites. I did foul hook a carp here too, I was left with a scale.

Left Margin, p32 Avalon Fisheries

Towards the end of the match it looked like I was going to be last in the section as I was sure Vic had plenty more than me and I was certain those further along must have had a few more carp than my solitary sample. I guessed I had perhaps 8lb including my carp.

The whistle blew and I packed up and went about loading my car.

I went and saw Jim, he reckoned on 10lb, Vic had more than that and I was surprised to see the guy on the peg Jamie had last week tip back less than 6oz of fish, I was less surprised to hear Jamie reckoned on having 60lb plus a couple nice skimmers.

I was soon following the weigh-in and the usual banter and stuff carried on right the way around the lake. We saw John Fuidge win the silvers, yet again, with 18lb. Eric won section A with 44lb-ish and eventually this was enough for 2nd on the day. He pipped Tom Mangnall who had 35lb.

We carried on and weighed in Steve and he managed mid-20lbs and looked set for section 3rd.

Around to my bank and Rich Coles on corner peg 24 had high 20lbs to take the section lead, then came Phil Clapp, he topped that with ounces under 30lb. So Steve was 3rd in section.

My section began with Vic Bush having around 12lb, I cant remember if he was just over or under, but he pipped me as I weighed in 10lb and ounces.

Jim had 5 or 6lb which was 1lb+ of silvers and a single carp. Then the DNW before I lifted Jamie's nets up to weigh him in. His 3 weighs gave him 68lb+, including the 2 skimmers that over 5.5lb between them.

So it was a harder day this week, the snags getting the better of a good few of us, but there were no blanks, but the expected pegs produced the goods on the day.

Top team on the day went to Sedges with our team second on weight ahead of Mosella UK.

The result means that Sedges top the league with our Young One's team in second ahead of Mosella, Someset Carpenters and The Foo Fighters. But it could go anyway over the next 3 rounds.

Results:
1st Jamie Cook ,  The Sedges, 68lb 8oz
2nd Eric Fouracres,  The Young Ones, 44lb 7oz
3rd Tom Mangnall, Mosella UK,  35lb 3oz
4th Phil Clapp , The Sedges,  29lb 6oz
5th Mike West, Somerset Carpenters, 26lb 10oz
6th Rich Coles, Fu Fighters, 26lb 5oz
 
Silvers - Silver peg winner
1st John Fuidge,  Fu Fighters, 18lb 9oz

Teams on the Day:
1st, The Sedges 11pts
2nd, The Young Ones, 10pts  (78lb 2oz)
3rd, Mosella UK, 7pts (62lb 1oz)
4th, Somerset Carpenters, 7pts
5th, Fu Fighters, 6pts

League Standings:
1st-  Sedges - 13pts
2nd- The Young Ones - 11pts
3rd- Mosella UK - 10pts
4th- Fu Fighters - 7pts
5th- Somerset Carpenters - 4pts

Next weekend is the Pawlett Legion Angling Club's Christmas Match at Sedges, the following week is Avalon's Xmas match on the 20th in which I believe there is spaces free so give Vic a call to book in.

Until then, take care.
Lee