The weather was forecast to start cloudy and then clear and the wind to get cooler as the day progressed. It swung around to northerly during the match and gave the guys on the easterly bank a good chilling.
Pegs 4 and 12 were drawn as the golden pegs, of which George got 12 but I didn't hear any moaning. Shane got peg 4. I hoped for a high teen/early 20's peg, so of course I drew 30.
I tend to come to Avalon set for silvers as you can usually get plenty of bites from the good stock of skimmers and bream. When I got to the peg, I decided on three pole lines; 8m out front, 5m at 10 o'clock and the left margin. I also set up a tip rod with a small cage feeder and a 12" hooklength with size 18 hook. Two of the pole lines could be fished with the same rig. I chose my favourite Nick Gilbert 1g pencil float with a size 20 hook. I tend to choose a float with a black tip to see it easier against the water. With the margins having a good depth in them, I also had an identical rig in the box but shorter depth.
Bait was a selection of 4mm expanders, corn, casters, dead reds and worm. For groundbait, I was trying Tom Thick's black, 'intelligent groundbait'. I mixed it 50/50 with some Baitech silvers crumb as I was advised by Mike Bendell. That's my failure excuse sorted!!!
Peg 30
At the all in I fed the pole lines and cast out the feeder baited with double dead reds. I immediately got bits pulling at the maggots but no takes. I continued this for 30 mins before going to the 8m line. With an expander on the hook I got bites, all be it from small roach. Changes to other baits got the same fish or nothing. After an hour it appeared to me that a single dead red was getting more bites than the rest of my baits. My first put into the margin got a carp who tore off down the margin and snapped my elastic at the dacron connector. This is not the first time this has happened and I'm wonder what's the best way to connect to the light elastics I use for silvers. Answers on a postcard please? I didn't get any change in bites from the 5m line so tended to concentrate on the 8m line. I tried a small worm and dead red cocktail. this gave me a bite from a large common. I played it carefully but the small hook gave way at the net. Another time I hooked into a common and the hook came out. My perseverance got me a nice bream of 4lbs and some better quality skimmers.
My only fish on the tip was a 4lb common, taking a piece of corn.
As for the guys around me, there was Paul Bowyer on 29 who seemed to being slightly better than me. Dave Tunstill next to him who was doing better again. On 27 was Martin Western who did not have a good day and went home at 2:30. Next to him was Tony Fry who had found the carp and steadily caught for the first 5 hours.
There was no one on my immediate left but Horny Beards was the last man on 32. He made a declaration that if he didn't catch a carp from that peg then he'd give his rod and reel to Kev Hayes. I must admit I went on before the this presentation happened. I'll ask Kev how he's getting on with the rod/reel!!!!
Other guys I could see was Danny on 16 who was catching steadily and entertained me when he hooked a carp, only for his elastic to break at the bung at come out the pole. The carp didn't swim off and so Danny was able to get hold of the elastic and retrieve his rig. The carp was lost. Danny, your get some luck!! I didn't trouble the scorer but reckon my total would have gone around 10lb.
At the end of the match, the two winning weights came from the two northern pegs. Tony got overall with 83lb 4oz and Bobby Pascoe put together a very respectable silvers weight of 20lb 14oz.
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