Sweep Match - Sollom

It was a day of change on the canal today.  We were on the Tarleton side, the sun was shining, there were a few fish being caught and Jean-Claude from Croston nearly had a set-to with a dog walker.  That's enough change for me for one day.

It was blinkin' cold when we got there this morning and the swampy path was frozen solid - easier to walk on, but there were some odd rattlin' noises from the various trollies as they trundled along to the pegs.  I was past the stump and only a couple from the bend so I wasn't too chuffed if I'm honest.  There were plenty of silhouettes (it's that damned French influence again - I meant shadows) and with nowt behind us to act as a wind-break, I stuck the old Waterline up, solving the moving shadow issue as well as keeping me from freezing solid.

We had a swimmer at the far end of the match before the all-in, which resulted in Arnie getting the end peg by default.  At the other end, Trevor had been given a pleasure chuck after the real pleasure angler he was next to packed-up while we were all getting ready.  That left him with a big basin to himself.

The sun shone all day and in my peg at least there was very little ripple.  There was a bit of surface skim from time to time and a bit of to & fro as a result of the two boats that came through (very respectfully, it has to be said), but on the whole I was surprised how well my peg fished.  On my left, the cheese-eater was snarling at a big, lumbering Realtree-wearing dog-walker at one point.  Well, I would've been too if a spaniel had been let loose to dive in the water in my peg.  Is it us, or are these folk just a bit stoopid?? I thought we'd seen the back of daft bank walkers, but when two blerks (the yorkie pronounciation) came along astride horses, I knew that had capped it for the day.

My match went OK really (for a change).  I caught on the butty all the way through, but never really had anything of note.  There were plenty of really small roach and I had a couple of netters, but no bonus fish which meant I only managed runner-up on the day.  I managed to keep them going on two lines, one just off the reeds, which were only 10m across and the other down the track at around 7m. 

I had hoped for sight of a billy so I fed a line with some choppy & caster, but nothing stirred; p'raps they've got their minds on other things like on the main canal.

RESULT:

1  Brian Woods  3-2-8

2  Mark Rimmer 2-6-0

3  Glyn 'Have I told you how good Kingsmill Gold is?' Taylor  2-4-0

4  Dave Hodge  1-13-0