On Tuesday 18th July I travelled up to Thirsk to fish the above event with my good mate, Clive Nixon, having qualified to fish the event via our Wednesfield Police club side and Clive qualifying via the WMP League.
Even though we were not due to fish our semi-finals until the Wednesday, we wanted to get the feel of the venue by watching the Tuesday semi, (and a taste of the Yorkshire Beer...Ed) as neither Clive nor I had seen the place before. When we arrived at about midday the match was approximately an hour old and on our first look the fishing appeared hard.
We met up with a couple of lads we knew, John Swain, Rob Swain, their mate Terry, Ken Russell from the Met Police and a couple of his mates, and over a can of beer we had a chat about what had been going on over the time the lads had been there, which to be fair wasn't that much longer than us.
Pellet, paste, corn, meat, worm and everything else including the kitchen sink had been used to catch over the preceding few days, so it was a good job Clive had thought to bring the sink, because I had forgot mine! Anyway as you can imagine things were somewhat confusing and we agreed to see where we would be fishing before deciding the tactics. This was a good time to adjourn to the pub to see if the local brew could inspire us in our thoughts.
I'm sorry to say that it didn't, even though we gave it the rest of the afternoon and all night and after chucking out time we decided that we would wait and see where we were drawn before. . . . .!
On Wednesday we were up bright and early (courtesy of Clive and John. . . .6am I think!) Even though the match wasn't until 11am we had to be there for 9 to register. Sue, our landlady at Dalton Bridge House, made us a smashing cooked breakfast and off we went.
After the Briefing, rules regulations etc we made the draw. Clive pulled out Partridge 33 he was happy. No corner peg in his section to contend with, yours truly.....Dragonfly 3. End peg 1 to contend with, along with the wind blowing in that direction great draw.....not.
Back at the car unloading the gear, Clive saw me shaking and asked " Are you nervous ", "No" I replied " Bloody D.Ts" and off we went. I forgot to mention that whilst participating in the local atmosphere the night before another fisherman and his young bank runner came and sat by us. This was late on, I mean about 8.30pm when we were putting the fishing and world to rights, anyway they put up with us and had a laugh and attempted to join in the conversation but couldn't speak swarhealey as good as us. Anyway I got to my peg and who should be drawn next to me, yeah the same gentleman and his friend. Small world, 141 anglers fishing that day and he sits next to me, you know, if your not embarrassed enough thinking about the night before I 'd got a permanent reminder sitting next to me, smiling every time I looked in his direction.
I sat down on my Box and looked at what Dragonfly 3 could offer. Island in front at 17.5 metres. Brilliant except we were limited to 14.5. metres of pole, wind blowing from right to left towards peg one, brilliant. Both inside lines barren of features, brilliant. The guy on peg 5 could reach the island at 14.5 metres, brilliant. Out came the feeder rod small cage feeder set up for against the island if things were tough. Pole line set up at 14.5 metres, 5 metres and two inside lines. Looked across at guy in peg 4, still smiling, what had I done the night before?
11am All in they bellowed and across on the 14.5 m line I went fishing and feeding a small amount of meat. The float disappeared and into a goldfish about 10 oz, Guy at peg 5 matches me and the guy on peg 4 still smiling. A small pasty and a carp of about 2lb saw me look towards peg 5, still matching me. I smile at guy on peg 4 he frowns at me! charming. Peg 1 or 2 not catching, confidence now starting to grow. Another couple of fish and neck and neck with the guy at 5, 4 still frowning, then disaster. Into three decent fish on the trot and pulled out each time, must be fowlers I thought, kicking and cursing. Guy peg 4 now smiling.
Wind picks up big style and I cannot control the pole at 14.5 so come onto 5 metre line. Not a dip, pull or any indication. Now I'm frowning, Guy at peg 1 into a lump of about 6lb. Time for the feeder. Out she goes straight on to the island! Set up again, out she goes bang on. I Wait and wait and wait. Guy peg 1 into another lump. I frown, Peg 4 frowns ( who has still to catch) Peg 5 can't see what's going on and peg 2 is moaning to his bank runner about something or other. All of a sudden the tip buries and I have to catch the rod, "bloody Hell" I says and lifts into....NOTHING. Guy peg 4 NOW laughing. Right I think, out the tip goes again. Guy peg 1 into another decent fish. That, I thought, puts him on about 14 or 15 llb, long way in front. The tip buries again just has hard, and I can feel a fish on, must be a good un, in comes a pasty of about 6oz! Time for the pole again.
Out at 14.5 metres and I can just hold on, still on the meat, float buries into a big fish, pull out again. I don't believe this. Guy on peg 5 catches so does peg 1. Never mind I thought an hour to go anything can happen. So it did. Guy on peg 1 catches another 4 lumps and I scratch for a few bites.
Four pm, weighing time. Peg 5. . .9-10-0. Peg 4. . .DNW :-). Peg 3. . .14-12-0. Peg 2. . . . .DNW. Peg 1. . . .44-12-0 !!!
Clive came over, he had qualified on his section with 29llb and some ozs, but was also second in section by default. We had coin for an evening curry.
Ken Russell had qualified along with one of his travelling companions, and the match was won by a lad called J. Askew, with 70-7-0 and £300 pools money, which he did not collect because he hadn't paid into them.
A curry we had (after a few pints and the post mortem. . . .Ed) and an early night, ahem.
Woke early (5.30am. . . Clive!) Another lovely breakfast and off to register for the draw. Sixty anglers competing, no corner pegs, ten in a section, should be an even match. Clive receives his goodies for qualifying and then draws Skylark 33 an END peg, he's chuffed and I'm chuffed Because we are pooling and off we go.
Skylark
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