First match to report on this week was the Drennan Superleague fixture at Earlswood

First match to report on this week was the Drennan Superleague fixture at Earlswood. My Starlets team were doing well going into this match and with four of our anglers nominated to fish the carp lake and four to fish the bream lake, we fancied our chances of pulling further ahead if we got the breaks. I didn’t really fancy my draw section-wise as I was in the middle of the section at peg 38. I was, therefore, happy with my 13.1.0 return, which put me fourth in the twelve-peg section. The team did really well finishing top on the day and now was 31 points clear at the top. Next day I went back to Earlswood again and drew peg 70 on the natural bank. With conditions flat calm it looked like it would be a struggle but it fished quite well really. Paul Downes won with twenty-nine pounds from peg 44 and other good weights followed. I came in fifth with 23.13.0, which was made up of fourteen bream all on the worm.My build up for the Smiths weekend started with a practice match on the Wednesday. I drew peg 92 on the ferry and struggled all match despite having two swims. By the end, I tipped back around one and a half pounds of small hemp roach. The match fished terribly and things didn’t look good for the big weekend. Imagine how I felt when I drew peg 91 on the ferry stretch on the Saturday match… Gutted! Another real struggle for 1.3.8 of bits and pieces. Steve Ashmore took the title mainly due to a barbel of 9.6.0 in his 10.6.0 total. Next day was the team champs and when our draw was made I couldn’t believe I was pegged back on the same bit, this time on peg 90 on the ferry. 1.2.0 of gudgeon put me eighth in the seventeen-peg section. The team came in sixth and the winners from fancied peg one were Shakespeare. I was dreading the draw on the Monday match as you can imagine. I did get a change of scenery however as I drew peg 11 on the Town stretch, another no-hoper! One eel for 1.4.8 was the sum total of my day. So, I’d spent twenty hours on the Avon, a river I used to really love fishing, for around five pounds total weight. I am so saddened at the way the Avon has gone downhill yet nothing appears to be happening to put things right. A lot of very good anglers struggled for a bite for most of the weekend and went home disappointed. In my opinion it will take a long time to get the Avon back to anything like its former self. Something needs sorting but I don’t know how it will be achieved. Simon Roffe won the Monday match with three barbel and Sundays individual winner, Robin Morley, also had a barbel so my prediction of barbel dominating the event proved correct at least.

Thankfully the Severn is still producing fish and this week I fished Lax Lane ford below Bewdley on an Angling Times feature. We had a great day, which you can read about and see pictures of in the Times soon. It was good to get back amongst some fish again after so many strugglers!