Turner 400 - River Thames

• Peg 15 Clainfield
• 5lb 12oz (6oz barbel)
• 2nd in my sub section, as I had Radcot up in my section, I think 5th or 6th out of 29.
• Team won, 91 points

Turner 400 has been a good team match as long as I can remember and is an event that I really want to win again.  I have won the event before with Drennan, Paz, Graham Godwin, Kevin Fowell and myself, so know fishing with Drennan again, I am very keen on doing well again.  My team was Tony Hobbs, Tom Hobbs, Jeff Lewindon and myself. 

I am concerned because I haven’t fished on a river all year!!  So therefore was concerned that my river skills weren’t up to my team mates standard, and was concerned that I may forget something important.  So I spent Saturday night sorting out my gear, ensuring that I was well organised.  Spoke to Micky Ellyatt, and he advised me that the river is up and moving, but it clear and therefore could be difficult and not to draw Clainfield!

So me and Mick both drew Clainfield, I was on peg 15, and Dave Kirk (one of the best upper thames anglers I know) advised me “that he wouldn’t fancy it”.  Sure enough on arrival to my peg, I was concerned, and feared the worse, as I had fished this peg before and really struggled.  Had problems with boats hitting the far near and far bank (had to pull out my keepnet otherwise boat would of destroyed my net, that day Neil Richards lost his net to a boat that day, so be warned).

I spent a good 10 minutes pluming the peg, and the main flow was middle to far bank, and all the depth was across, it basically was on a slope, dragging the plummet on my heavy rig with number 4 elastic, as I was able to find the weed, and to be fair it was fine blanket weed.  Not ideal as I want to lay some line on the deck.  Also the peg shallow up to my left and was deeper on my right, by a few foot! 

I kitted up a mountain of gear, rigs from 8gram to 0.75gram.  Pole was going to be my attack, especially been a team match, and I have been told that very few chub have been caught at Clainfield and 6lb would be a mega weight, so with that in mind, I would be a little move negative in my approach:

Groundbait was:

·         2kgs Sensas Noire

·         2kgs Sensas Gros Gordon

·         1kg of Sensas River

Positive mix to help with the flow.  Mixed up the night before with my left over hemp water, and then wetted up on the morning.  The balls were all cupped in and were rock soild and slightly flatted so they don’t roll too far. 

Bait was:

·         1 pt of bronze

·         3pts of caster ( just in case I drew a flyer)

·         1 pt of pinkies

·         2 pints of hemp

 

 

       Started off well, catching tiny roach and dace at 9 meters on pole on maggots, then pinkies when thinggs slowed down.  A difficult day on a diificult river, as it was pushing hard and very clear.  Rotated rigs a lot to change presenation which postive results and got me some extra important fish and my first river thames barbel which took me all over the river on 4 elastic, and yet it was only 6oz!!

Gutted it came out blurry (maybe I look better) - I had my first River Thames Barbel, which was 6oz!

Richard Chave's 8lb 7oz catch for 6th overall.

 

Our winning team (from left to right) Jeff, Martin, Tony, Tom and Myself.

Teams:

Drennan Banbury Gunsmiths Red 91

Diawa Gordon League Gold 76

Fox Match Isis 73



Individual's:

J Hasler - Fox Match Issis 12.9

Gary Etheridge - Garbolino Blackmore Vale 11.0

S Townsend - Drennan Banbury Gunsmiths Blue 10.11.8

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