Pleasure Fishing, it's well named

Things had been conspiring against Team Kavo over the last few weeks, my winter league commitments,
Robs footballing commitments, my work, life I suppose.
We planned this weekend in that we'd fish Saturday for fun and I'd fish the 4th round of the winter league on Sunday, great stuff until I get asked to work on Saturday, grrrrrrrrrrrrr.
It's a funny time and extra work just can't be turned down so with Team Kavo looking at another
let down weekend, something had to be done.
Much as I love my winter league, Team Kavo got the nod (obviously) and a day out together was
hastily arranged for the Sunday.
Car loaded (ish) on the Saturday evening and off to what is probably, no definitely our favourite
Winter venue. Those that know me well will know where it is, those that don't can ask me.
Just off The Barrow when its in flood and what a spot it is.
We arrived at about 10.00 to find our good friends Jimmy, Patsy & Rushy just unloading their
van, so immeadiatey we knew it was going to be a good day, regardless of the fishing.
The water was pushing through fairly quickly but it was a nice smooth flow of well coloured,
fish filled loveliness.
We picked a couple of swims to the left of the other lads and got the car unloaded.
First things first, get the groundbait mixed, regardless of whether I'm match or pleasure fishing that all ways the first thing to be done. A half kilo of canal mix from last week, had a half kilo of Sensas Gros Gardons and
a half kilo of Dynamite X River added to it. Not sure if the addition of the river mix made any difference
but with the flow has hard as it was I thought it might help to get the ground bait to the bottom, quickly.
Once that was mixed and riddled, I added a half pint of caster and a half pint of hemp.
From past experience of fishing here, rig selection is fairly straightforward, whats the heaviest one I have in the collection, that'll do nicely thank you. Well not quite because I have a few monstrous ones for some unknown reasons. 2 grm Triana floats were first on at 11M but after 10 mins I swopped to a heavier
3 grm Triana and after a couple of busted rigs, Rob was using a 5grm Maver float.
As usual, main line was Preston Reflo Power and hooklengths were pre tied Kamasans, either B510's or
B520's. I started the day using a size 18 B510 but after a few fish the hook went so I changed to
the heavier B520. There was a lot of good sized Roach being swung so the heavier the better I reckoned.
Right at the start it was 3 big balls of groundbait to get it going and then anytime the bites stopped it was
another big ball, very little finnesse going on here, simply ball it in and they will come and boy did they come.
Roach after glorious roach, I've never had a day like it. The only reason I didn't get a roach when I laid
it in was because I got a dace !!! or the odd wee skimmer.
It took a little while to suss things out but ship it out to a position at 2 o clock, hold it back till the shot
settled and then let it run through. A couple of little stops on the way would lift the bait off the bottom
and more often than not produce a bite. Double red mags, double caster, a red and white mag any mix
you like all seemed to produce for me. The other lads were convinced a red and white mag was the way forward but it didn't seem to matter to me.
All five of us were getting bites a plenty, it really was all action and everytime I looked to my right there was
the marvellous sight of top kits in the air with bright elastic surging out of them.
We all had time out at some stage, for a chat, a sangwich, to mix another kg groundbait !!!!
but most importantly to enjoy the day.
Soon enough it's half four in the afternoon and well, all good things do come to an end. Time for a weigh
in and right on que it's Jimmy with a scales.
It's a pleasure day but theres allways a bit of needle and an alledged tenner up for grabs within
Team Kavo so up comes the keep net, tip it into the sling and its, 15lbs and 12ozs.

Me 15lb 12oz

Rob was next and the pressures on up comes the keep net and Jimmy says, ah Shane he's got you, again.
The scales never lies, 15lb and wait for iiiiiiiiiiiiiiit 4ozs. Yep thats really only 1 fish in the difference but it's my one fish,

Rob 15lb 4 ozs

So the Auld fellah does it for a change because if I don't say that the young fellah will winge.

Next it's the Mafias turn to weigh in and like Team Kavo they have their own braggin rights etc to

be battled for and won. Patsy had best weight with 25lb odd, Jimmy with 24lb odd and

Rushy with 18lb odd

Jimmy 24lb odd

Patsy 25lb odd

Cheesy, just plain odd !!

So thats a fish or two under 100lbs between the five of us. Incredible fishing for the time of year.
It's fair to say had any of us been taken it seriously we'd have comfortably gone over the 100lbs.
Another great day for us all, you gotta love it.
Pleasure fishing, my pleasure................

Enfield Winter League, Round 3

I'm back on track now and up to date having fished the 3rd round yesterday 07/11/2010.




Fail to prepare prepare to fail, or so they say. Who are they ?

Having been rightly thumped last time out I was determined that things just had to change. I had spoken to Pat after the last match and to his credit he explained what he was doing to out catch me, well out catch everyone actually. I had a further discussion with Enda Hickey and he explained to me more about what Pat was doing. Armed with all this info from top top anglers I approached Sunday the 7th with a confident outlook.
Waking up an hour late and having to race from Ratoath to Enfield like a Schumacher would wasn't the best start but I got to thte infamous car park on time.
The usual banter thus ensued and I had time to get my bait from Brian and have a chat with Pat who
was quick to remind me how soundly he had thumped me in the previous round. We were wondering which stretch we'd be on and I said it'll be Kilmore again, good said Pat. It threw up plenty of fish last time,
well it did for some !!! Yeah very funny..........
A couple of minutes later he came over to me and handed me two rigs he had just tied and said, here you go these will catch you fish, roach just love the smell of me. Figure that one !!!!
The usual messing happens at the draw, we line up by the wall and myself and Pat are 1st and 2nd to draw.
Then for some unexplainable reason they draw it from the other side, so we're last. The venue is confirmed
as Kilmore and I draw peg 6, pretty much slap bang in the middle of the 14 taking part on what was a
gloriously Sunny morning.
A quick few minutes in the car, wake up a drunk who is parked across the gate blocking the way on to the stretch and it's set up time. An even more bleak looking peg to the previous week greeted me and it's get the finger out time.

Bleak and open, peg 6 Kilmore

A couple of rare things happened in this round, heres the first of them chugging along in all it's glory.
I wondered if this would make or break the day, on the one hand it would dirty up the water which is never a bad thing. On the other it might put the fish in freak out mode and they may not feed.
Time would tell.

Jayz it's a boat !!!!

On the canal !!!

We'll get to the other rare thing later.

Anyway it's set up time and everyone is busy for an hour or so. With about 15 mins to spare I'm all set to go so time for a coffee and a quick chat with the lads pegged on either side of me. Both of them had framed in the previous round, no pressure then.

11.30 comes round and it's All In, fed two lines with choppies and caster, one on the far bank at the top of the slope and one on the near, to my left at the bottom of the slope. These were to be fed every 30 mins with small amounts of chop and caster and left alone till the last hour.
A line to my right was set up to fish on the bottom or over depth and this was kick started with a small
golf ball size of VDE Black "Canal" with a few caster in it and some loose hemp. I'd feed this according
to bites and use, red mags or pinkies on the hook.
The final line was based on what I had discussed with Pat and Enda and was going to empty the canal !!!
A 4x12 pencil float, 6 shot spread evenly out to a number 20 hook and off we go. This is going against everything I've ever thought about winter fishing. I'm not fishing on the bottom where I allways assume fish will be in the colder weather. I'm going to fish over the weed for blips and hope to get enough to count.
But they allways go to deepest water don't they ?
About 30 mins in and having shortened, lengthened, tried a coupleof different shotting patterns,
nothing and I'm gutted. So it's over to the bottom line and after 20 odd mins, I've two fish in the keepnet.
Happy days, the lads either side of me have nothing and the fish do go to the deepest water.
Oh no they don't !!!! 15 mins goes by and no further indications of life on the bottom rig and it's time to give
the other line a go again. I had clipped on a sprinkle pot and at the start had been dripping in pinkies but this time I had the idea to add a small amount of dust. Out I shipped and started to drip feed a mix of pinkies
and dust over the float and after 5 mins under it went and fish on.
Two white pinkies on the number 20 hook and a pot full of pinkies and dust was suddenly the way forward.
Next thing I know one of my friends from Fishingtalkireland.com (Padzer) is behind me with his two nippers.
Down goes the float again, on cue to show the kids a fish. They didnt stay too long as by this stage the weather had completely changed and it was blummin freezing. Over the coming hour a further 12 bites on this line with 10 landed meant I had 14 fish in the keepnet and I knew I was doing well as the lads around me had nothing like that many, if any. With about 30 mins remaining that line dried up and I systematically tried the other three lines but nothing else came my way. So there it was, suddenly it was 15.30 hrs and it's All Out.
I quick word with my nearest neighbours and I was thinking I might get a section win here.I had no idea what had happened at the other end of the stretch so I started packing away, feeling confident and nervous.
The scales soon appeared and I had ammassed the incredible total of 1lb 8ozs, a few pegs later and I've definitely won my section, a few more pegs later and I've only got to beat Leo Aungier in the end peg !!
The lads had told me he was catching OK and had one good fish so as we get to his peg and he lifts out his keepnet I'm bricking it. Soon as I saw it I was well pleased, he only had a pound I reckoned and sure enough
he had a few ozs over the pound but not nine of them.
So there I am, I've finally done it actually won a match. I've had a few section wins since I started this
madness but never an actual match win. Happy days, just my luck it was on the day of the lowest turn out but in all honestly, I was so happy to have actually won I couldn't have cared less.
You might remember I said earlier that a couple of rare things happened and I'd get back to the second one.
Well theres the second one, me actually winning, lol.

Ask and you shall receive, or so they say, who are they ?

Never be afraid to ask questions of other anglers, way more often than not you'll get an answer
and it will help you out no end.
Roll on round 4 at the end of the month, can't wait. The sheet below shows all the final weights.

'Av iiiiiiiiiiiiit

 

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Enfield Winter League, Round 2

Very late doing this update, thankfully after what turned out to be a great Summer I'm back working again.
Bit all over the place as a result and way behind on some things so here goes.
Sunday 17th of October saw us all meeting in the usual car park at 09.30 for the draw for round 2 of the 2010
Enfield Winter league.
13 hardy souls or more commonly known as big eejits handed over their entry money and dipped into the lucky box for a peg on a section I'd never fished before, Kilmore. The usual josstling for position ensued but with no sign of Pat Bartley nobody was actually trying to skip !! As Karl Woodhouse is drawing just in front of me a mobile rings and it's Pat, he's late, is on the way and will someone draw for him. I'm next and draw peg 4, then I draw for Pat and yep peg 3. This time I'm taking advantage of it and keeping an eye on him and what he does.

A very bleak and featureless peg 4 on the Kilmore stretch was ready to go with 15 mins before the all in
so time for a few snaps and a quick coffee. Nipped in to Pats swim with a riddle for him and sure enough
as we're having a quick chat someone yells all in.
I'd put three set ups together to fish four lines, fairly standard stuff really. A 4x10 Garbo DC17 was used for my far bank and inside line swims. These were fed with choppies and caster and both left alone till the last hour.
The two other lines were fished at 10 and 2 o clock in visible clear spots between what is still a very weedy stretch. Both were set up using Trabucco 4x12 pencil floats which I've become very fond of. The only change from the last time was the use of a tiny shot between float tip and pole end. This was done to sink the line and so aid presentation, it definitely helps to keep things still. It was my good mate from the Carlow Mafia that reminded me to do that when we met during round 1. One thing I have learned is that when a good angler gives you a tip, use it.
The line at 10 o clock was halfway across and was started with a golf ball size of Sensas Black Lake with a few dead red mags in it. I went for an 18 hook with a single red mag or a couple of pinkies. Just kept chopping and changing to try and tempt something but not a thing came off this line in 4 hours.
The line at 2 o clock was further across and was started off with a nothing but hemp a half full 50ml pole cup
was dropped in to it. A smaller hook on this rig i.e. a size 20 and fished it with pinkies only. Changes were brought about by using different coloured ones,nothing in particular stood out other than that all 8 yes all 8
fish that I did have came off this line. The two choppy  lines were tried on and off over the last hour having been fed with small amounts of chopped worm and caster every 30 mins but they never looked like throwing up a fish at any stage and didn't.

Featurelss Peg 4, on Kilmore Stretch.

 One thing I do try to do is keep a close eye on anglers pegged next to me and when one of them is an
Irish International and an absolute master on these venues, I'd be mad not to. Again this time he had swung
two fish to hand before I had really started fishing and being honest it was soul destroying. What the hell is
he doing so differently, or what the hell am I doing so wrong. Over the course of the day I noticed him cupping in what looked like powder. It was just groundbait either very loosley squeezed or not squeezed at all. Noticing that gave me a clue or two as to his tactics and a chat afterwards confirmed them to me.
Roll on the next day and we'll see if I can use the same tactics to my advantage.
I finished the day having been rightly thumped by the man to my left who had a decent winter canal weight on what turned out to be a half decent venue, with lots of fish caught. The scrore sheet below shows the weights on the day.

Weights for round 2 Enfield Winter League 2010/11