Barford Winter League - River Avon. 10th November 2007
After 90 minutes sleep (due to work) and an early breakfast I cajjed a lift from El Capitan , and I was duly handed peg A7, above the weir. Off I trundled to be faced with a 35 metre wide, smooth but slow flowing River Avon.
After setting up, the plummet revealed around 14 feet of water at about 5 metres, slowly deepening off to 16 foot at 16 metres, with no major ledges, rises or deeps. Tight against the reeds on the inside revealed around 8 foot.
After sitting with a coffee and a fag I decided on setting up 5 kits (on top 5s! Bloody deep! Thanks for the loan Jeff!)
1. 1.5gr Garbolino DDS13 on Mosella Xedion 0.12 mainline to 0.08 trace, with a size 22 Kamasan B511. Shotted with an Olivette 4 feet from the hook with no 9 droppers. Number 4 vespe Elastic.
For 12 metre line in 16 foot of water. Also for shallowed up by a foot for 5 metre line.
2. 2gr Garbolino DDS13 on Mosella Xedion 0.12 mainline to 0.08 trace, with a size 20 Kamasan B511. Shotted with an olivette 4 feet from the hook with no8 droppers. Number 4 vespe Elastic.
For 12 metre line, if the flow picked up or I needed to lay on and hold back for skimmers.
3. 0.7gr Hardman Seed Special (a slim pencil type float) on 0.12 Mosella Xedion Mainline to 0.10 trace, with a size 18 Kamasan B511. Shotted with strung no8 shot on the bottom third of the rig. Number 4 vespe Elastic.
For over the 12 metre line if the roach switched on to the hemp.
4. 2.5 gr Preston Classic 8 on Mosella Xedion 0.14 mainline to 0.12 trace, with a size 16 Kamasan B611. Shotted with an olivette 2 feet from the hook and 2 no8 droppers. Middy 6-8 Elastic.
For baitdroppered worm at 14.5 metres in the last hour.
5. 1gr Preston Classic 8 on Preston Powerline 0.15 mainline to 0.14 trace, with a size 14 Drennan Carbon Chub. Shotted with an olivette 12 inches from the hook. Middy Shock core 12-16 Elastic.
For the chance of a tench or carp on the inside line.
I decided to ball the 12 metre line and opted for a dark, low feed mix.
30% Sensas Roach Noire
30% Sensas Roach and Silverfish Fine
40% Mosella Terre de Somme
Sensas Tracix Black
The Noire and Silverfish were mixed together dry, then half the mix was put through a flour sieve to remove a lot of the large particles. I then added water, riddled and left to stand for 30 mins. I added more water and riddled it once more. The mix was overwetted slightly to allow for the leam, which was then added and mixed thoroughly and riddled again. Tracix black was then added to bring the colour to match the bottom of the river as it was so clear, and the mix was riddled a final time.
I then sieved and blacked a couple of handfuls of the leam.
On the all in I balled 7 tennis balls of the groundbait on the 12m line, containing around 60 casters and 50ml of hemp. I then cupped 2 balls of died black leam precisely where I expected to catch to take a cloud down through the water column. I began loosefeeding half a dozen grains of hemp regularly over the top from the beginning.
I then balled 2 tennis balls of punch crumb (with a stone in the middle) onto the 5 metre line and baitdroppered 20 casters and a gob of medium chopped worms on the inside away to my left (upstream).
Going straight over the 5 metre line I was immediately into ½ ounce roach, swinging them straight to hand I put around 20 in the onion bag before the guy on the next peg had caught. On the half hour mark I tried the inside line for the length of time it takes to smoke a fag to not a sniff. Trying the 5 metre line again, bites were tailing off and topping up failed to rejuvenate the swim, I moved out to the 12 metre line where I continued catching the same stamp of roach until the 3 hour mark. No matter what I tried I couldn’t increase the stamp of fish or the speed I was catching so there seems little point in going through the changes. I caught best laying the rig upstream and as it settled just before my groundbait holding it back for just a second, and as I let it run again would get a bite with single fluoro pinkie. I tried hemp several times, but they didn't want to know.
I topped up with 2 balls of blacked up leam and tried the inside line again as I needed a bonus fish to no avail, so returned to the 12m line where sport was still steady. After 4 and a half hours I had 93 fish for a guesstimated 3lb. I fed two baitdroppers of choppy and caster a section past the main line and sat with a worm on hoping for a bonus to no avail. I wouldn’t have minded but the guy to my right put a 4lb tinca in the net with 5 minutes to go! Bugger!
I weighed 3lb 2oz for 9th in my 12 man section… oops! Some consolation came in the fact I wasn’t in a great area and the awesome Wayne Swinscoe only ounced me from the next peg but one.
Imagine what a good angler like that Jeff Warmington would have caught.
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Team Mosella Black Country
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