July 2020 - Rod and Pole

One day in the month of July in the year 1518 one Frau Troffea had the sudden impulse just to start dancing in the streets of Strasbuorg France. Bystanders who witness this played along by clapping, laughing and cheering, but it soon became clear that something was not quite right, this wasn’t simply a case of high spirits oh no. For Frau Troffea continued to dance, and dance and dance for six days without rest. Within a week another 34 people had joined her and by the end of the month another 400. At it’s peak of so called dancing mania 15 people a day were dying from heart attacks strokes and sheer exhaustion.

The authorities had the theory that more dancing was the answer so they in their ultimate wisdom built a huge stage and hired musicians but unfortunately this just encouraged more people to join in. By early September however the mania started to abate and things eventually went back to normal. But this was an event that simply could not be explained and has defied science ever since.

Now there is something else that is just as mysterious and can’t be explained and that is why I always do crap in matches at Trinity waters. Here is a table of my last 8 match results at Trinity. One word describes “laughable”

Position	Date
3^rd last	06/06/2020
3^rd last	11/01/2020
6^th last	01/06/2019
3^rd last	06/04/2019
2^nd last	02/06/2018
2^nd last	07/04/2018
Bottom	03/06/2017
4^th bottom	08/04/2017

A certain pattern is evident.

The results for Trinity Woodlands 18/07/2020.

1^st Rob Dodd after a poor showing in the last match made up for it today with a superb haul of 128lb 7oz The maestro used the pole at 11meters with corn and worm and also fished the margins for carp. Rob had the so called double bubble top weight and top silvers.

2^nd was the paste guru Alan Bland who managed a healthy weight of 93lb. Alan had 2^nd top silvers weight as well.

3^rd was the one and only Eric Searle. Eric had a very slow start but made up for it later in the match. He alternated between pole and feeder main bait was worm.

4^th was yours truly, yes it was me. I fished pole at 7 meters and late on in the margins. Most of the fish preferred worm. To boot I had a bream of 4lb 1oz. Yea

5^th was Ian Townsend with 5 carp and a few bits. This gentleman fished peg 11 got snapped up a few times but persevered to top the scales with 41lb 08 oz. Corn and pole was the preferred method.

6^th was, I just made it Dave Colley. Dave arrived a tad late so I had to draw for him. Mr Colley had 4 Carp and just under 16lb of Silver this was achieved with pole and worm.

7^th Was my next door neighbour in terms of the pegging. Dave Gartenfeld like Eric, Dave had a very slow start but once he started catching that was it he couldn’t stop singing, yes singing. Oh well. Dave had 4 Carp and just over 12lb of Silvers for a total of 38lb 15 oz His tactics was mainly pole and worm.

8^th place was last time out winner Paul Smith, Paul who was fishing peg 11 managed to weigh in 35lb 08oz. Paul had a few problems with beastly Carp who kept snapping him up. At one stage he even lost his elastic as well which drifted right across the lake and ended in peg 28 the home of Dave Gartenfeld.

9^th position was none other than the one and only Alan Jenkins who accumulated a mass of fish for 34lb 03oz. Alan had a nice size Perch for his efforts. He tempted his fish on pole and meat mostly from the margins.

10^th went to silvers angler Dave Nash whose main line of attack was pole and red maggot. His effort tipped the scale for 33lb 11oz.

11^th was a certain Pete king. Pete employed the pole and mainly meat and pellet for 3 Carp for 23lb and a bag of silvers for 7lb 12oz. In total his catch came to 31lb 04 oz from peg 9.

12^th came from peg 6 which was occupied by Phil Dodd, this geezer had no Carp but managed 16lb 04 oz of silvers. He managed to bank a bream of about 4lb but missed his keep net. The morale here is either get a bigger keep net or go to Spec Savers. LOL.

13^th place went to Ashley Johnstone. Poor Ash spent most of the match being snapped up. Better luck next time bud. Ashleys total came to 12lb 12oz.

14^th was out of sorts Bob Pascoe, Bob tempted his fish of 10lb 12oz (all silvers) on pole and meat.

15^th was Dave Searle and to be fair to the bloke didn’t have the best of swims on peg 31. Dave managed to eek out a weight of 8lb.

Well yours truly actually managed 4^th place, looks like my jinx has been quashed. I was going to celebrate with a merry little dance but I might become the next Frau Troffea.

The next match is at the Sedges on Tile lake on August 1st. But until then

Tights lines Pete C

Owing to the fact that I need some new fishing gear and bites being at a premium in this match, whilst fishing my thoughts were on what new items to buy, prices and places of purchase etc. It was during this time of reverie I thought of a young angler a friend of mine from school who definitely needed new gear. Here is his story.

The Communist and the Screeching Reel.

EEK SCREECH EEK SCREECH EEK SCREECH. He told us he couldn’t make it today” said Steve surprisingly Steve, Dave and me looked at each other, we were standing on the bank of Dunwear North pit, it was early morning. EEK SCREECH EEK SCREECH EEK SCREECH. “He’s over there said Dave pointing a finger.

The loud Screeching noise came from the reel of our friend Mark Murment. Owing to the size of the lake it took us about 3 minutes to get to Marks swim.

When we arrived at the spot where Mark was supposed to be fishing we were surprised to find his gear but not him. “Hi guys” it came from our right. The three of us turned to see Mark inching his way along a tree which grew out over the water from the bank. The branch that Mark was on was about a foot above the water and his aim was to get a float that was dangling from the end. He inched his way along to within a foot or so of the float, he reached out with his left foot as to catch the line attached to it. Now at this point I should tell you that Marks clothing was shall we say in a state of dilapidation and the same thing could be said of his shoes. For a start they had no laces in them. Well as Marks foot reached out towards the float his shoe succumbed to the power of gravity, Plop in it went. “Sod it I get the bloody thing now” (or words to that effect). He then maneuvered himself as so to use the other foot. In doing so a twig managed to somehow to attach itself to Marks remaining shoe, he tried to retrieve his foot Plop. Both shoes were now resting on the lake bed. Within two minutes Mark after some careful movements was back on the bank minus his shoes and of course the float.

Marks fishing tackle had the same characteristics as his attire, it was definitely lacking quality. To put it in plain terms you could say it wouldn’t look out of place on a city dump located in a third world country. His reel was a combination of a few reels put together and it appeared that the gearing in side was slightly mismatched hence the loud screeching noise. His rod was again a combination. Bottom half was a pier rod and the top half was from a spinning rod, and owing the incompatibility there was no easy fitting together of sections so as a make do solution both parts were just jammed together. His floats and shot were obtained from scavenging from the banks but he did buy line and hooks.

Any how in a short matter of time all of us four where fishing side by side. As I was watching my float my mind started to wander and thinking about the calamity of Marks recent escapade. Mark was certainly a character. My mind drifted still further to the week previous. We were all in class waiting for the lesson to start. Thud a jiffy bag landed on the table in front of me. “Got it, came in the post this morning” Mark said in an excited voice. I looked down at the jiffy bag and to my amazement the writing on the bag stated that it was from, of all places the embassy of the Soviet Union in London. A small group had now gathered around the table intrigued. Mark went on to explain that he had written a letter to the embassy explaining that he wanted to be a communist and could they send him any tips. Hence the jiffy bag, which contained an assortment of pamphlets and a hand book of Karl Marx.

My mind jumped back to the present caused by the excitement of Dave thinking that he had a bite. I turned around to see the others reaction when I noticed that Mark had been reading his newly gotten hand book of Karl Marx. “typical” I thought. The time came to pack up and head home.

Poor Mark had to make the journey in his socks. We got three quarters of the way home when it started to rain. It was then we decided that I should give Mark a piggy back to save his socks from getting wet. My gear was shared between Steve and Dave. Marks gear proved no problem as he only had the one rod and the rest of his gear was in a carrier bag.

As I carried Mark I felt some thing on the back of my neck. The bloody cheek Mark was actually reading his Karl Marx books and to rub it in was quoting from it.

“Men make their own history but do not make it as they please”

“ Reason has always existed but not always in a reasonable form” etc etc etc.

We thankfully reached Marks house, at this staged it should be said that Marks dad had all the personality of nitro glycerine. He could be rather explosive in nature. Steve and Dave stood at the garden gate for safety reasons. While yours truly with Mark still on my back went up to the front door. Mark rapped the knocker on the door and with in 15 seconds the door was opened and we were faced with a some what startled Mr Murment.

“What the F***”

“lost me shoes dad”

“And how the bloody hell did that happen”

“well I didn’t have any laces dad”

“What, no you just wait there, you just hang on there”

Mr Murments was pointing his finger at us and his voice was beginning to raise up a notch or two.

“Just stay there, don’t bloody move” He turned and disappeared in to the house moments later he returned. He was holding out his hand and in it was a ball of white string. With his voice raised up another notch.

“ What s this eh it’s been in the cupboard for bloody ages, oh no didn’t think about using this, I now got to go and buy you some more bloody shoes”

There was now a silence as he grimaced at Mark.

I was stunned by this outburst and some what embarrassed I slowly turned around and got Mark of my back and on to the front door mat. I stepped outside on to the door step, I turned around just in time to have the door slammed in my face. It should be noted that Mark was tough and took things on the chin, little episodes like didn’t bother him in the slightest.

I walked back up to the gate where Dave and Steve were. “ we still got his fishing gear” Steve said in a muted voice “ we can’t leave here at the gate it’s dustbin day tomorrow”

I grabbed the gear and walked up to door with it and quietly place it next to the step.

Both were at it now hammer and tongs.

“come the revolution people like you will go to the bloody death camps”

“Don’t you bloody quote that communist crap to me”

I walked back to the gate it was time to go.

Peg	Position	Name	Silver	Carp	Total
5	1st	Paul Smith	14oz	23lb 07oz	24lb 05oz
4	2nd	Dave Nash	6lb 09oz	14lb 08oz	21lb 01oz
13	3rd	Ian Townsend	xxxx	19lb 12 oz	19lb 12 oz
1	4^th	Pete Curnow	05 oz	19lb 01oz	19lb 06oz
3	5^th	Phil Dodd	xxxx	18lb 08oz	18lb 08oz
7	6^th	Eric Searle	3lb 03oz	14lb 12oz	17lb 15oz
15	7^th	Robb Dodd	15oz	12lb 12oz	13lb 11oz
9	8^th	Alan Bland	5lb 08oz	7lb 09oz	13lb 01oz
2	9^th	Bob Pascoe	2lb 06oz	9lb 05oz	11lb 11oz
8	10^th	Alan Jenkins	2lb 02oz	3lb 13oz	5lb 15oz
12	11^th	Dave Searle	xxxx	5lb 07oz	5lb 07oz
14	12^th	Dave Gartenfeld	xxxx	4lb 10oz	4lb 10oz

1st on the day was Mr Paul Smith, when Mr Smith was approached for the weigh in he commented that this was the worst match he had fished in 2 years. Well never or less this angling veteran put 24lb 05oz on the scales for top spot.

2^nd place was silvers basher Dave Nash who fished maggot for most of the match but some how managed 14lb 08oz of Carp.

3^rd was the angling might of one Ian Townsend who fished pellet to amass a carp only weight of 19 12oz

Let it be said that these three anglers drew out unfancied pegs and to achieve the positions in the match that they did deserve credit indeed. Well done guys.

4^th was yours truly yes you read that right I was 4^th Must admit I had the favoured peg. On the day I lost 4 rigs to carp so this could be the story about the one who got away. I had 5 Carp all on sweet corn also had a small skimmer also on the same bait.

5^th was feeder ace Phil Dodd. Phil had all his fish late on to gather a weight of 18lb 08 oz Phil tempted his fish with pellet.

6^th was Carp maestro Eric Searle whose catch tipped the scales at 17lb 15 oz.

7^th was end pegger Rob Dodd. Rob was out of form on this match apparently and could only muster 13lb 11oz. But be careful this guy is a force to be reckon with.

8^th was match secretary Alan Bland. This gentleman fished meat for most of the time to claim a weight of 13lb 01oz.

9^th was none other than the one and only Bob Pascoe. Bob struggled for bites and tried various baits for a weight of 11lb 11oz

10^th was Mr Matrix man Alan Jenkins. Alan for the most part used corn as bait to get one Carp of 3lb 03oz and 2lb 02oz of silvers.

11^th was Dave Searle who could only manage one Carp which was tempted on maggot.

12^th was and by the skin of his teeth Dave Gartenfeld who managed to get his only fish a 4lb 10oz Carp in the dying minutes of the match.

Okay folks just to let you know that the next match is at Trinity Waters Saturday 18th July.

Tight lines

Pete C

Month: July 2020

Trinity Waters 18/07/2020

Shiplate Hawthorns Lake Match 04/07/2020