Upper Thames Winter League Final Round. ESKIMO FISHING! 05/12/10

The final round of the Upper Thames Winter League on The Kennet & Avon Canal at Devizes had come around, after some heavy snow the previous week and some severe frosts prospects looked hard for the match. Whist the snow had gone, several days of brutal frosts were going to make conditions and fishing very tricky. At the draw the team was on peg 2, and I was on b2 on a section up at Allington. I had not fished this bit before so new territory for me. After a long walk to the canal, I was greeted with a frozen canal and the prospect of an ice braking session, whilst I knew it would be frozen, I just didn't realize quite how thick it would be. My section was split either side of a swing bridge, with B1,2,3 one side and 4,5,6,7 the other. I got to my peg and dug the ice breaker out of the carryall. The first three chucks with the ice breaker did not go well, bouncing across the surface of the ice! After a few expletives about how thick the ice must be, I started attacking it from the edge first.

After 10 minutes of furiously swinging the ice breaker over my head I finally managed to break through, the ice was 3-4 inches thick! This was going to turn into a mammoth ice breaking session, one way of working off your breakfast and keeping warm! It was extremely hard and exhausting work chipping away at it, after 2 hours and the match due to start and a couple of huge blisters on my hands, I had managed to break to a distance of 6 meters, that would have to do! Talking to Simon from Blackmore vale next door he arrived at the same conclusion! A few minutes with the net to clear all the broken ice and I was ready to set up! I had just put my box in position when someone shouted the all in, hmm I was going to be a bit late in starting fishing! I set up 2 rigs, both 0.9 to 0.7 on 1-2 elastics, one had a 511-22 and one a 511-24, plus some finer hook lengths should they be needed. Whilst I was setting up the ice was forming in the hole I had just created, and had to swirl the pole cupping kit to keep it ice free. I was going to fish at 5m, and at 6m, as far as I had broken. I did touch the ice with one of my rigs whilst setting up, and there it stayed glued to the ice! ( note to self don't touch the ice with your rigs! )

Just before 11 o'clock and I was ready to fish, I cupped in some punch crumb on the two lines, hopefully I would get a few on the punch. I kept alternating between the two lines but nothing, not even an indication, no one had caught to my right either, but the guy to my left had 2 small perch. After 45 minutes the float moved sideways slightly, I lifted and felt resistance, I carefully played it and slipped the net under a 2oz skimmer, phew! I hadn't blanked! Back out on the punch but no more bites, so I decided to turn the 6m swim into a worm line, as the chap to my left had another small perch. I chopped up a lobby and a few dendrabena and included a pinch of squatt and minced it up. I fed this, and had another cat ice clearing session, which was forming every few minutes. Out with a squatt on the hook, after a few minutes the float buried but I missed it! I wasn't quite expecting such a positive bite! Back out again with squatt and the float dipped, this time I hooked it, it turned out to be a netter roach, as far as I could tell I was doing well! No more bites for twenty minutes or so, time for a re-feed. Again a lobby, a few dendra and a pinch of squatt minced up.

After a phone call from Dave Tucker using Kieth's phone, ( cheapskate! ) I went back out on the squatt, the float dipped again and another nice netter roach, I was beating the guys around me as Simon was still blanking and the guy to my left was only catching the odd tiny perch. The ice was forming quicker now and keeping my hole clear was becoming a problem. I had a few small roach and a tiny perch, then the bites slowed. Another re-feed again not to much, buy now it was 2.30pm. It was getting colder buy the minute, and so was I. After 10 minutes or so after the feed the fish had switched on, catching tiny roach with the odd bigger one thrown in, even missing a few bites. I was catching well when the all out came even catching a few on flouro pinkie. Simon blanked next door and I knew I had beaten the guy to my left, just had to wait for the scales to see how the other side of the bridge had done. Following the scales the ice the other side of the bridge was a lot thinner, at the weigh in I put 2lb 1oz on the scales, this was made up of 23 fish, for 3rd in section, not to bad a day after all.

Back at the pub for the results, the team had done it! Second on the day with 50 points, and winning the league! A superb result for the whole squad. A nice trophy and medals for the squad, and an individual champion in the guise of Stu Dabbs. A hard day for everyone but a thoroughly enjoyable one for every body, and a semi final to look forward to at Gold Valley in March, lets hope it's warmer!