| This was a match I was personally looking forward to. I Love visiting this venue and have fished a fair few matches on phase 3, but very few elsewhere on the complex. I chose Phase 2 because of this fact as later this year we, as WMP, are hosting the British Police Championships and Makins is the venue. The more we can learn about the different phases between now and then will hopefully hold us in good stead. WMP are the bookies favourites to win the event, but we don't know the venue as much as people think. We do have a good track record there on Phase three within the emergency services circuit, but as I said we very rarely venture beyond this phase.
I advertised the event in the angling press hoping to attract anglers who fish the venue regularly. That way we would have people with 'local knowledge' on the bank, and if nothing else we may be able to start and learn the venue from watching them perform. It was pleasing therefore, when I received a phone call from Geoff Musson, Mansfield Angling, who generally runs the Wednesday opens on phase 2, to book into the event. In doing so some of the regular Wednesday anglers heard about it and also enrolled. Scott Smith, Clive Smiths Tackle, also joined us along with a number of anglers who use the tackle shop. Again the majority of these have knowledge of the venue having fished a number of winter leagues there. Giles Cochrane also travelled from his home in South Wales to support the event, so all in all some very good anglers turned out for this mid week match.
7.30 AM at the Bulls Head in Wolvey, saw us queuing outside to get in. The weather was fine and the sun was shinning after what had been a terrible rain troubled evening the night before. Six hours of torrential rain had left its mark. Inside the pub I met Geoff for the first time and he had kindly offered to peg the match on my behalf having run so many matches on the phase before, he knew which pegs were out and out fliers and of course the no hopers, so this offer was kindly accepted. Thirty-five anglers had turned out so the match was looking to be a knockout.
Thirty-five pegs were sorted on Crater, Paddock, Snake and little Reptile, and three sections emerged. Paddock and Snake were two sections, whilst crater and Little Reptile were another. This meant there were eleven pegs on Paddock, twelve on Snake, eight on Crater and four on Little Reptile. As a general rule I do not like fishing venues were pools have been split into sections, but Geoff stated that this was the better option on the day to make things a little even. The match was to begin at 10.15 am and finish at 3.15pm. Rules etc were explained and the draw was made.
Pete Slade and Simon Bottomley had made the journey from the Met Police area to have a look first hand at the place, but were unfortunate to draw next to each other on pegs 10 and 8 respectively on Paddock. Of the noted pegs, Les Jones WMP, had drawn a previously good peg in Snake 8 which had good form. Likewise Geoff Musson also drew well on peg 11 on Snake. Giles Cochrane had also drawn well in Peg 15 again on Snake. I drew Peg 8 on Crater, which has also had its moments in the previous winter league. Dick Tranter, remember Dick from the Winter Canal story? He drew peg 19 on Little Reptile. It was thought by the local anglers that Little Reptile would throw up a mainframe weight, and they were so nearly right as you will see later.
I called the all in at 10.15 having been reminded by my team mate Clive Nixon, who was on Crater peg 3, by giving a loud cough and pointing at his watch. So full of expectation is that guy!
I had so many options in front of me it was unreal. So much space, so many features. It must have taken me 10 minutes to decide where to fish!
Anyway to say the least, the match was very hard going. At 11.45am I decide to go and walk with my camera to see if there was anyone catching. I had one roach by this time. I walked around all the pools and didn't see a single fish caught. People were saying that they had had the odd bite, except for one man in particular. Geoff Musson he had caught a few carp and was looking cherrie.
Geoff Musson, Mansfield Angling.
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