Maggotdrowning.com

Rolf's Pairs Tournament 2010.

DAY 1

Well having stayed over at Rolfs after Dave Collier's match, I awoke around 7·30am to a rather grey and cloudy day, it had obviously rained during the night, but I soon had the kettle on and breakfast sorted . There was going to be a full house today with some more anglers arriving, making 30 members of the Maggotdrowning forum (18 of them members of this years Jinx Squad  ) assembled from all over the country to fish the Maggotdrowning.com Rolfs Pairs Tournament 2010, a 2 legged affair fished over both the Saturday & Sunday and this is the 5th year running that the competition has taken place.

Soon people were sorting out their kit while others were arriving and adding to the tented village for the weekend. Conversations were turning to what pegs were going to be fancied draws and how the pairings would turn out. At 11am I had a phone call from Al Loader to let us know that unfortunately work had conspired to stop him fishing this weekend , this left us one short but luckily John kindly agreed to lend Paul East his gear to fish so we were soon back up to the required number .

Around 11·30am John sounded he fishery bell signalling that Dave and I were going to conduct the Pairs Draw, and it has to be said that there were a few strong pairs drawn including 5 pairs made up of anglers that had all been fishing The Jinx Series this year so they were up to speed with how the lake was fishing. My partner for the weekend was Richard(tricky)East, one of the newer forum members and a newcomer to Rolfs.

With that out of the way it was time to draw for todays pegs, and it was around this time that things started to go wrong for me, Yes you guessed it, I opened my hand to find my Nemesis staring back at me.........Peg 13 . Unfortunately for Clive he committed the schoolboy error of standing right behind me in the draw and got caught up in the vortex of my misfortune and was duly rewarded with peg 32  once more. Well it provided plenty of amusement for the assembled crowd while Clive and I debated what punishment was suitable for our drawing hands.........

Well with the match being fished from 2 - 7pm there was plenty of time to set up, even if I didn't exactly rush to my peg .......

 The rigs were simple, a Malman Adam 4x12 on 0·20 Power Match with a size 14 QM1 hook for the 10mtr line on the deck. A Malman Adam 4x10 on 0·20 Power Match with a size 14 QM1 hook for the 5mtr line. I also set up a MW Trev on 0·20 Power Match with a size 14 Drennan Carp Match for down the margin. Bait for the session would be my usual mix of hard fishery pellets, corn and GOT Baits soft hookers.

Well at 2pm John sounded the fishery bell to signal the All-In. My initial feed was at 5 and 10mtrs and down the right hand margin, and my 1st put in at 10mtrs with a banded 8mm pellet produced almost instant action as a Carp tore off across the lake leaving just a scale on the hook ........

 Dave next door on peg 11 had snared a quick skimmer on the "feederless feeder" and after about 20 minutes I'd managed a small Carp of around 6lbs. It all went a bit quiet after that however with just a couple of small Roach to break the monotony.

The car park bank looked like the place to be from where I was sitting with all the anglers playing fish at one time or another, indeed Steve snared a Common of 21½lbs but weighed and returned it without as much as a smile much to the consternation of 2 anglers that had dropped in to take a look at the lake before their forthcoming match there. However there was soon a sound that all anglers hate, a loud CRACK and I looked up to see Clive's pole being towed toward the little lake. The number 5 section had failed but fortunately John managed to hook it out and with the fish still attached Clive played it out from peg 33.......

 This was followed by another sharp CRACK , this time a top 2 belonging to Mitch on peg 3, amazingly Paul(tommyturtle001)Thompson on peg 10 hooked about 15 minutes later with his pellet wag. Well with nothing happening in my peg I reverted to my usual fall back, I filled it in at 5mtrs and set off with my camera . Mick(The Chippy)Pearson was on peg 9 and had been a bit worried about fishing so close to the bush, but he'd gone for it and been rewarded with a 16lb Common early on which gave him the confidence to stick at it  .......

 Alex was on peg 8 and was steadily picking up a few fish from down the track at 6mtrs and across to the far bank ......

Scott on peg 7 was trying to get to grips with his peg but was slowly falling behind Alex despite his best efforts ......

 I found Geoff on peg 5 and it was a case of steady away for him as he looked to be on the way to building a decent net of fish  .....

 Paul was on peg 4 and just pleased to be fishing the match after all, Tony was tucked away in the corner on peg 3 and was admitting to having a few, which knowing Tony meant he was on a shed full , but he too had smashed a number 5 section earlier on . Gem (The Minx) was on peg 1, fishing to the bush and with 3 weigher's already on the board was looking good to add a few more to The Minxed List  ......

 Working my way round I stopped to commiserate with Clive and try to work out just how many concrete trucks would be needed to fill in pegs 13  and 32  ........

 Malc was on peg 25 and it looked as if the power of The Jinx was having a positive effect as he was catching from both his swims and well on his way to a really good weight  ......

 Terry on peg 23 was looking a lot happier than I've seen him recently at Rolfs, with 3 good Carp in the opening period and the odd fish still putting in an appearance it seemed that there was every chance that he might avoid yet another Minxing today  ........

 Steve(steak) had moved round a couple of pegs today to peg 20 and still catching, but today he was suffering his fair share of foul hookers and also lost a huge Perch at the net that he felt may have gone 5lbs ......

 Tom admitted to having a real struggle on peg 19  and Colin was suffering with foul hookers on peg 18. Simon was having another decent day on 17, while Gaz on peg 16 was having a frustrating time and struggling to work out just how they wanted it ......

 My Pairs partner Richard was on peg 15 and had just switched to fishing worm, while Dave Collier was on peg 14 for a second day running and not really enjoying it anymore than yesterday . Back at my peg a quick chat with Webbo revealed that I hadn't missed much, though he'd had a couple of fish that had snagged him in the bush to his left  .......

 Well time marched on with little happening for me, though the car park bank still seemed to be producing and I'd just glanced at my watch and noticed there was an hour to go when my float slid under, lifting into it I was suddenly aware that the amount of resistance indicated something other than a Roach on the other end........

 It proved to be a decent Common and a weigher to boot at 12½lbs. Happily it wasn't on its own either as in the last hour I added a further 7 carp to the keepnet before John rang the bell for the All-Out. As we packed away a few of the lads were ribbing me that I may as well leave my gear there as I was bound to draw it again tomorrow , but surely fate wouldn't be that unkind to me would it  ? Anyway declining to tempt fate I soon had my gear back to the car park.

So to the Weigh-In and the first weight of any note was Jon Hatch who managed the first 'Ton' with 100¾lbs from peg 39 . Gem had suffered a quiet second half to her match meaning that the cut off for a Minxing was 45¼lbs today. Tony had a cracking day in more ways than one and recorded an excellent 197½lbs, just short of a 'Double Ton' from peg3, yet it would prove to be only good enough for 2nd on the day . Tony's Pairs Partner Geoff backed him up well with 93½lbs from peg5, which would see them going into day 2 in 1st place . My fish registered 64½lbs which at least meant that I'd escaped a Minxing  while my partner Richard managed 1lb more leaving us in mid table. Simon managed the 'Ton' with a fine 155¾lbs from peg 17 for 3rd on the day . Malc had the catch of the day though with a superb 'Double Ton' recording 211lbs for the win on the day  While Steve Wilson recorded the days final 'Ton' with 113¾lbs from peg 19 .

So with all the results collated it was Tony & Geoff in 1st place with Ant & Steve in 2nd and Malc & Gaz in 3rd .

So it was now time for a BBQ and a beer or two  and as the darkness moved in groups settled down to discuss the day events .....

 ..... or to mull over tactics for the match tomorrow, or simply catch up with the latest gossip and have a good laugh  ......

 It was past midnight when I made my way back to my bivvie. Would I have nightmares of peg 13 ? Surely I couldn't draw it again could I  ?
All would be revealed in the morning  ......................

DAY 2

I awoke around 7am and shock horror, I'd had a good nights sleep. Even better, the sun was shining from a blue sky .
On with the kettle for the first cup of coffee, while Webbo's kind offer of Sausage & Bacon rolls took care of breakfast .

Today was going to be an early draw just after 9am as we were fishing from 11am-4pm so that those that had travelled a considerable distance would be able to get home at a sensible sort of time. So having washed breakfast down with a second cup of coffee it was time to think about packing away the bivvie . It's one of those jobs I hate, but for a change it seemed to go reasonably well and I managed to cram it all into the unfeasibly small carrying bag on the first attempt , so with everything packed away into the car I was ready for whatever fate would throw my way today .

Lining up for the draw I must admit to a feeling of dread as I knew 'IT' was still in the draw bag as I inched closer .
However I was soon feeling better as I heard a groan from Scott ahead of me, Yes he'd claimed peg 13  for his very own today. I felt I should commiserate with him, but all I could manage was a silly grin and laughter . Plunging my hand into the bag I found myself looking down on peg 1, yet another peg I'd not fished previously, that The Minx had fished yesterday......

 So round to peg 1 with the gear to set up. Now normally it's just pegs 40 & 2 on this bank that are used, but for a change this weekend pegs 39, 1 & 3 had been used. Geoff had drawn peg 3 and was hoping for a similar result to that achieved by his partner Tony who'd fished it the previous day, while to my right on peg 39 was Gaz hoping for a better result than yesterday.
Poor Jonny Broadbent had just wheeled his Rive to peg 38 and turned round to do something else when there was an almighty SPLASH!!!! The box complete with wheelkit had rolled down the bank depositing itself in his peg, not the ideal start to his day .

Rig wise I just set up a couple of Malman Adam 4x12's on 0·20 with a size 14 Guru QM1's to cover the 5 and 10mtr lines which were of similar depth and a Malman 4x12 Snake IV on 0·20 with a size 14 Guru QM1 to fish the bottom of the marginal shelf under the bush to my left. I also got the feeder rod out of it's ready sleeve just in case things got desperate Bait for the session would be my usual mix of hard fishery pellets, corn and GOT Baits soft hookers.

I have to say that it felt quite strange setting up so early for a match at Rolfs, and I felt that we may all be in for a bit of a grueller , especially with the change in the weather as well. At 11am John signalled the All-In by ringing the bell and I fed all 3 of my lines before starting on a banded 8mm at 5mtrs. While I couldn't see Geoff on peg 3 I could hear him and it was obvious that he'd caught a fish pretty quickly . Dave had joined the action pretty quickly as well, winkling out a couple of Carp from down his right hand margin. Other than that though there didn't seem to be much happening.

 Gaz had gone out long fishing shallow and got of the mark with a Common of around 12lbs......

I couldn't buy as much as a bite however, nothing not even a solitary silver to show for my efforts after 3 hours. The bush that had produced for Gem yesterday offered little in the way of cover from the sun today and the only signs of anything were at 10mtrs where the usual fizzing kept happening over the feed . The feeder with dampened pellet and double sweetcorn on the hook finally produced a bite just after 2pm and a feisty little Mirror of around 6lbs was soon safely in the net to save the dreaded DNW, but with Gem on peg8 and getting a few fish I just knew that I was on for a Minxing today.

Malc had been on a stroll round and reported that most were struggling today and it appeared that Chris on peg 7 and Tony on peg 26 were having the best of it today and with Geoff having a few on a difficult day it would probably be enough for them to secure the title. However Ant had started to have a couple over on peg 38......

 Strangely despite struggling today I hadn't filled it in and gone for a walk, just stuck at it and plugged away though it appeared to be all in vain. With about an hour left I managed a Common of around 7lbs on the pole at 10mtrs.

Could this be the start of a decent last hour for me for the third match in a row? In a word NO . All that followed were a couple of foul hookers which just left me with scales for souvenirs, while a third led me a merry dance forcing me to thread my top kit under the platform.......

....... on two separate occasions before the hook pulled free. In fact it ended up feeling like a blessed relief when John rang the bell for the All-Out at 4pm .

So time to pack everything away which was all going smoothly until I noticed that 3 sections of my margin pole were missing . I knew where I'd left them, and knew in my heart where they would be ................ In the lake .
Oh well it had to be done, down to my underpants and flip flops and in, it wasn't to unpleasant and I located the sections straight away. Geoff gave me a hand out and as I turned round who should I spy with a camera but Malc ,
A fair cop I suppose after all the times I've caught him ........

 Rather than waste time I weighed my 2 carp at the weigh station behind me, recording a whole 13¼lbs on the board and returned to the business of packing away as the Weigh-In passed me by, the rate of it's progress revealing just how hard the fishing had been today. Notable weights were Chris(cybermanc)Ellis who'd fished the feeder all day on peg 7 for 111lbs and his 1st ever match win  . Tony coming 2nd overall for the second day running with 90¼lbs . While Clive managed to draw somewhere other than peg 32  and with a level 60lbs was 3rd on the day  . Meanwhile Gem had 50½lbs which meant that apart from the top 3 and the Malman brothers the rest of us got Minxed .

 So with everything out of the way we assembled outside the hut for the results to be read out, pools to be paid out and the trophies awarded by Mr Maggotdrowning himself , Dave(Webbo)Webster to the winning team of...........

 Geoff Palmer & Tony Roberts  

Congratulations to both of them .
Well earnt over the weekend finishing 22 points clear,
and Tony becoming the 1st angler to win it twice .

Finally a few words of Thanks are due to the following people.........
John & Pauline Bennett for allowing us the use of their superb fishery during the weekend .
Dave Webster, for bringing us all Maggotdrowning.com and organising the whole weekend .
Tubertini who provided enough goodies to make sure that everyone took home a little something .
Finally, all those Maggotdrowners that took part, the weekend wouldn't be the success it is without you .

Pairs Result

Jinx Match 5

Well it's back to Rolfs again today for the 5th match of the Jinx Series . Once more Malc has organised a Friday Jinx 2010 Special Evening Match after the success of the one last year, Although the evening match doesn't count toward the Jinx Series results a lot of the Series regulars were fishing it as well as a few guests. Unfortunately work has conspired to prevent me fishing it once more but hopefully the feed going in overnight should make for a decent match today . By the time I'd loaded the car it was starting to rain and by the time I was sitting down to breakfast at my usual stop in Battersea it was coming down in stair rods. It had stopped however by the time I got to the M40 and as I drove into the car park at Rolfs the sun was shining .

It was quite strange to arrive at Rolfs and find an almost full car park as I'm normally one of the first to arrive, but with so many of todays anglers having fished Friday's night match it was to be expected. I soon caught up with the previous nights goings on, and as usual it comprised the usual mix of success and failure. Malc had won the match from peg 8 and with me being in A section today I remarked that I would be quite happy to draw it today. PINK HAT wearers today are Clive and Ade(having missed the previous match) with what must be a first as they are together in The Pairs.

 Well with virtually everyone there early the draw actually started early !!!!!!!!! (quite scary unheard of even ). Into the draw bag and I opened my hand to reveal........... Peg 8, hopefully a good omen for the day ahead .
So with the gear loaded up it was off round the Little Lake to my peg. For company today I had Mat Edwards on peg 7 to my right, while to my left on peg 9 was Kev along with his partner Jean, so I was guaranteed a mid match cup of coffee (Thanks Jean ).

Now I knew having spoken to Malc that he'd fed and fished tight to the bush during the night so todays plan would revolve around there and a line out front at around 6mtrs. Rigs were just two MW 0·4 Power Diamonds on 0·20 with a size 16 Guru QM1 for on the deck at 6mtrs, while the margin rigs were two 0·2 MW HC margins again on 0·20 with size 16 Guru QM1's. I decided against setting up a feeder as I wanted to concentrate on just the 2 lines. Bait and feed were a combination of 6 and 8mm fishery pellets along with some sweet corn.

So at 1pm John rang the fishery bell for the All-In. I potted out 2 large cups of mixed pellet and sweetcorn to 6 mtrs and fed a handful of pellet tight to the bush, then shipped out a banded 8mm pellet to the 6mtr line. Almost before I'd had a chance to start however Mat was landing his 1st feeder caught carp , only a small fish at around 5lbs but a decent start none the less.
Well despite lifting and dropping the rig and flicking a few pellets out continually it was around 15 minutes before my float slid away for the 1st time. It was immediately obvious that it was A: a large fish and B: It was foul hooked. After around 2 minutes I was beginning to think that I might be in with a chance of landing it, however it was not to be as the rig came flying back with a scale the size of a 50p piece attached to the hook . Another 15 minutes passed before the float slid away again, not such a large fish this time but properly hooked which resulted in a nice plump Mirror of around 8lbs safely in the net to get me off the mark.

The next hour however produced nothing more for me other than another 3 foul hooked fish, none of which yielded anything other than a scale to join the collection on the side tray, a small perch on double sweetcorn and a couple of roach. Matt however was still getting a few on the feeder and appeared to be steadily pulling away from me.......

 As I pondered my next step my mind was made up for me by the site of a tail pattern in the water by the bush were I'd been feeding. The problem is getting the fish out before they bury themselves in the snags underneath it. Fish to far out from it and you wont get a bite, so it's a question of being brave and working your way in toward it till you get a bite. Inch by inch I got a bit braver, then the float buried. Maximum side strain saw the fish come out into open water, then the fun began. This was obviously one of the larger residents and it just plodded around for 5 minutes as I made a little ground on it.......

 Suddenly it popped up at my feet and I gratefully scooped it into my waiting landing net. A glorious Common and obviously a weigher I was more than happy to see it take the scales round to an even 18lbs . With the fish safely returned I edged the rig in carefully once more and the float immediately buried. An almost instant replay of the previous fish followed before I was once again sliding the net under another large Common and making my way up to the Weigh-Station only to find that this fish also weighed an even 18lbs !!!!!
3 in 3 put ins was surely hoping for to much, but once more the float vanished and a spirited tussle ensued before the fish, another Common was safely in the landing net......

  Not quite the size of the previous two, this one was a mere 14lbs, but that was 50lbs on the board in around 20 minutes!
However it couldn't last and the next bite resulted in the rig being dragged through the snags before flying back completely trashed .
Back in with the spare rig but the disturbance had obviously spooked them so I re-fed and took the opportunity to tie another rig. At this point I heard Malc pipe up from the car park bank "Oi Pete, You're facing the wrong way" always the joker   he'd noticed that I was sitting with my back to the water as I made up the rig. By now Jean had supplied a welcome coffee  and it was back to business, but as I looked up it was obvious that things were picking up on the car park bank as looking up I could see Clive (peg32) Nick (peg29) and Malc (peg28) all playing fish at the same time......

 By now Mat was alternating between the feeder and his pole and I was convinced he was still ahead of me especially as he'd had a 19½lb Common on the pole. Peg 8 is one of those that stops you from seeing what's going on around the lake and with very few people having a stroll today I assumed that most were catching. I was still getting bites, but the larger fish seemed to have disappeared, to be replaced by a bunch of psycho Mirrors that seem to fight like fish twice their weight and never know when they are beaten. In the last 1½ hours I did manage to get 8 of them safely into the keepnets but an equal number of them won the battle to stay out of them, but a decent Common weighing 12lbs did grace my landing net in the final 5 minutes before John rang the fishery bell for the All-Out at 6pm .

Packing away my gear and chatting to Mat I was happy that I had caught a 'Ton' but still convinced that he'd beaten me, but he was adamant that most of his fish were small and he doubted that he'd got a 'Ton', though I was sure he had. Anyway with the gear back at the car park it was obvious that while a good few fish had been caught a few of the lads had struggled.

So onto the Weigh-In and the 1st weight of note was Simon (peg 38) with 98lbs who'd finally managed to catch well in the final 1½hrs. However he was immediately overtaken by Ant (peg2) with 112½lbs. Fred (peg5) managed to top that with 115½lbs which would prove to be good enough for 3rd on the day . Mat did indeed have a 'Ton', his 1st in a Jinx Match recording 106½lbs but my fish weighed 128lbs for the A section win and 2nd overall on the day . Dave Collier (peg 11) weighed 100½lbs to take the win in B section, his 1st ever in a Jinx Match . Marcus(Budgie) won C section and took the overall win on the day with a fine 130½lbs, also his 1st 'Ton' in a Jinx Match . Al (peg23) weighed 105lbs which included a magnificent Common of 20½lbs which is the heaviest fish ever weighed in on a Jinx Match . Finally Clive weighed 99¾lbs to just miss the 'Ton' by 4ozs.

So back to the hut where we all chewed over the day and waited patiently for Malc to sort out the day's results.......

 So with that out of the way it just remained for The Minx to sort out who would have the honour of THE PINK HAT for the final match .
Now of course there are 2 PINK HATS in circulation now and having missed out on a Full House by not getting Fred today (he'll miss the final match as he's away on holiday) she decided to put the peg numbers of those that were Minxed today into the draw bag and draw them, so Step forward Jon(Hatchye)Hatch  ..............

and Nick(Monkey)Watkins-Price   .............

 ............. who will be the lucky wearers when the final Jinx Match is fished on Saturday 21st August .

As for me, I've got a busy weekend ahead as I'm back at Rolfs on Friday for Dave the Fish's Invitation Match which is followed on the Saturday and Sunday by the Maggotdrowning.com Rolfs Pairs Tournament. Obviously a report of all 3 days will follow but it may be a couple of days after .

OVERALL RESULT

SECTION RESULTS

Jinx Match 4

Well after a break of 4 weeks I'm getting back on the bank side today with a return to Rolfs Lake for the 4th Jinx Match . Ade (Slim Shady) is in possession of the PINK HAT today, as is Paul D who missed his turn on the third match through illness so there's bound to be plenty of banter flying about. Initial thoughts when I looked out of the window this morning were that it looked like a lovely day to be going fishing. As usual a full English  was the order of the day at my favorite café in Battersea en route to the lake, and a smooth run down saw me pulling into the car park just after 10am.

A few were already in attendance as there had been a Friday night Open match that they'd fished and stopped over. As usual the car park soon filled up as groups discussed the prospects for the day ahead. Hopefully the feed that had gone in overnight would find the fish with their heads down and ready to have a serious munch. With the 3 sections having been rotated on the previous 3 matches, there was going to be a fresh draw today to decide the sections for the final 3 matches. Unfortunately Ade wasn't in attendance for his turn on the PINK HAT so Gem decided to wear it herself, but Paul D was and proudly wearing his . Malc had the kids with him once more, so Crystal was dispatched with Liam to collect the 'Guess the Weight' monies, so that she wouldn't feel to bored , and with that out of the way it was time for the draw.

Plunging my hand into the draw bag I found peg 18 was to be my home for the day. I knew that Gem had fished it on the night match so had a quick chat with her to find out how she'd fished it before loading up my gear for the short stroll round there . For company today I had Steve Wilson on peg 17 while Steve(steak) my pairs partner was out of site on peg 19.

It's a peg that I hadn't fished previously. It's a decent looking peg with the large bush separating it from peg 19 on the left and another bush in the right hand margin, but it hadn't produced a 'Ton+' since May 22nd. My plan of attack for today would be 2 margin swims at around 4mtrs that Gem had fished the night before and a line straight out at around 9mtrs.

  I set up 3 rigs, a Malman Adam on 0·20 with a size 16 Guru QM1 that would cover both margin swims. A MW 0·4 Power Diamond again on 0·20 with a size 16 Guru QM1 for on the deck at 9mtrs where I had around 5 ft of depth and finally a MW Cookie on a similar set up for up in the water over the 9mtr line. Peg 18 is one of the pegs that you can't use a rod on in this series, so they stayed in the holdall.
Bait and feed was taken care of by 6 & 8mm fishery pellets and some sweetcorn, along with various soft hookers.

So at 1·30pm Malc called the All-In. I shipped out 2 large pots of mixed pellets and sweetcorn to 9mtrs, fed 2 good handfuls of pellet into the 2 margin swims and went straight out to 9mtrs with an 8mm banded pellet on the hook. The float settled and 5 seconds later buried!!!! and after a spirited fight a chunky Mirror of around 7lbs was safely in the net to get me off the mark .
Next put in and the float was soon away, this time I could feel straight away that the fish was foul hooked and despite my best efforts to get it in, all I was left to show for it was a large scale on the hook . Now foul hookers can be a bit of a nightmare at Rolfs so I decided to catapult my feed in from that point, hopefully spreading the fish out a bit, rather than group them in too tight an area.

At this point a triumphal scream was heard from Gem who was on Peg 9, it signified that she had her first fish safely in the net and meant that the other 25 anglers were staring down the barrel at a Minxing and a chance of wearing THE PINK HAT, especially as Peg 9 has been consistently been producing big weights, and Eddie TG had arrived with his camera and was bound to give her some coaching during the match .

Next put in for me produced a bit of a surprise in the form of a large skimmer, not quite what I was after, but welcome none the less . Steve was also off the mark but was already starting to suffer with foul hookers that would go on to frustrate him throughout the match . Over on the Car Park bank I'd noticed that Nick on Peg 26 had already been up to the weigh station with a couple of fish.......

.... Now Nick started fishing The Jinx Series back in 2005 and while he would only class himself as a pleasure angler, his one ambition is to catch a 'Ton' and we've all been willing him on to achieve it, but so far in 6 years of Jinx matches he's been thwarted, but he was off to a decent start today on a peg with a bit of form, so fingers crossed for him .

Tony was opposite me on Peg 22 and seemed to be having a bit of a struggle, indeed he'd been unfortunate enough to bust a top kit trying to keep a fish out of the bush to his left earlier on, and things wouldn't improve as he would break another later in the match ........

While Dave Moore next to Tony on Peg 23 had also started quietly and was struggling to make anything happen, though he may have been glad of the slow start having fished last nights match as well  .......

After my quick start it had slowed down a bit and after a couple of hours I had 6 carp, but had lost another 5 that had been foul hooked, so I decided to re-feed with 3 big pot fulls and take a stroll with the camera.

Fred, fresh from joining the Rolfs 200+ club with a win on Wednesday's Open was ticking along on Peg 15 and hopeful of a decent last couple of hours down the margin. Simon was tucked away on Peg 14 and owning up to 8 fish, but you could tell that in the back of his mind lay the spectre of a Minxing ......

 Budgie was the lucky occupier of Peg 13 today and reckoned he only had half a dozen skimmers and a solitary carp to show for his efforts, though he appeared to be playing another carp as I walked away.......

 Jon on Peg 11 had the look on his face that told you just how much he was struggling, while Al had gone walkabout from Peg 10 which said it all as he seldom leaves his peg in the course of the match .......

 I arrived at Peg 9 to find The Minx doing battle with what was obviously a decent fish.........

 Of course Eddie was there as well offering a few hints and tips so things weren't looking good, a feeling that was reinforced when Gem put the culprit on the scales, a cracking Common of 16½lbs ......

 Geoff and Dave the Fish were next door on pegs 8 & 7, but things obviously weren't going to plan as Geoff was fishing the feeder!!!! something I haven't seen him do for a long while......

 Dave was also on the feeder, and if anything was having a worse time of it than Geoff which was strange as there had been a load of fish feeding there prior to the match. However they did seem to be cheered up by watching Dave(Webbo) working his way through his supply of feeders over on Peg 34 as a number of carp took a tour of the lilies in his peg ......

 Malc was on Peg 5, sitting behind him were Crystal & Liam, Crystal looked a little bored so Liam decided she needed his help to smile for the camera .......

 Clive on Peg 4 was just retrieving a rig from a tree when I arrived. He'd had a decent start then lost the fish so had decided to take a look down the margin toward the corner ......

 Nick Williams was over on Peg 38 and it seemed that the peg was producing a few for him today ......

 Dai on Peg 36 however had that fixed expression that only comes from having a grueller, while watching almost everyone else putting fish in their nets ......

 So back to my peg and with a few bubbles coming up at 9mtrs my first put in resulted in................ another foul hooker .
I decided at this point to fish the 6mm hard pellets that I was feeding and that seemed to make the difference. 3 carp and another couple of decent skimmers followed in short order. The one thing puzzling me however is the lack of weigher's I've had fishing at Rolfs this year, in the three previous matches I've only had two weigher's that weighed 10lbs and 13lbs. You really need a few bonus fish to do the decent weights, but I just haven't been able to find them. Still fortunately for me the fish kept coming regularly a mix of Mirrors and Commons that were all around the 7-8lb mark, though I did manage to find one bonus, a Common of 11½lbs before Malc called the All-Out at 6·30pm. Looking down at my clicker I'd estimated that I had around 125lbs, but with rumours of Gem having 100lbs of weigher's on the board the Weigh-In was going to be a nervous affair for many of us .

So with the gear back in the car, the general consensus was that an awful lot were on for a Minxing as we made our way to peg 34 to start the Weigh-In. Webbo kicked of things with a level 81lbs. Nick soon set the pace with 123lbs , but Malc put 176¼lbs on the scales, a mark that wouldn't be beaten, giving him the win on the day . Next was the weight that we'd all been secretly dreading , and you could hear the sighs of resignation when 126¾lbs was called for Gem. Fred on peg 15 ran Malc really close with an excellent 173lbs, giving him 2nd on the day . My carp came up 8ozs short of Gem's weight but my 3 skimmers saved the day giving me a total of 133¾lbs which was good enough for 3rd overall . The largest cheer of the day was reserved for Nick (Monkey) who recorded 109¾lbs to finally get his 'Ton' after 6 years of trying. Nice one Nick .

So while Malc sorted the results Paul Roberts provided the cabaret as he went on to retrieve a keepnet fitting he needed for his next days match. Well it would be rude not to record the event wouldn't it ........

 So with that over and the results announced it just remained for The Minx to decide on the lucky recipient of THE PINK HAT for the next match, and she was spoiled for choice with the line up of The Minxed today, but after a couple of suspected heart attacks among the assembled candidates ......

............. it came to rest on Clive .

 Well that should be that, but someone reminded Nick that he'd once said that if he ever caught his 'Ton' he'd jump in the Lake 'Fisho' style. Well Top Fella, true to his word he went for it and luckily Simon caught it on Video to save it for posterity ......

OVERALL RESULT

Names in PINK are those that were MINXED

SECTION RESULTS

Jinx Match 3

Well it's Saturday once again and that means it's time for the 3rd Jinx Match. It looked like a lovely summers day in prospect when I pulled back the curtains today and the sun streamed through the window . However I soon revised those thoughts as I loaded the car and a distinctly chill wind lowered the temperature somewhat. Definitely an excuse for a Full English  en route to the lake. Anyway, good time was made and I pulled into the car park at Rolf's around 10·15am.
A good few of the lads were already in attendance, and with a fresh mug of coffee the prospects for the day ahead were soon under discussion as we waited for the draw .....

Now of course Paul D was going to be the owner of THE PINK HAT today. Unfortunately his wife had phoned Malc the previous evening to say that he was ill and wouldn't be there!!!!! Well Gem decided to put the names of those previously Minxed on the first 2 matches into THE PINK HAT to find a substitute owner for the day........................... and the lucky winner was Steve Wilson ..............

On to the draw and I'm in Section B today, the home of my nemisis...... PEG13 .
In to the bag I plunged my hand, and thankfully found peg10 was to be mine for the day, Simon being the lucky occupant of PEG13   for today.........

Now I've never fished peg 10 before so a quick chat with John soon gave me some idea of what to expect as he'd fished it on the Wednesday Open .
So round to the peg with my gear and I find that I've got Clive for company on peg 11, but surprisingly neither peg 8 or 9 have been drawn today, unfortunately though the right hand bush stops you being able to fish into 9, but it meant that Jon opposite on peg 32 would have a rake of water to go at unopposed. All the while it was growing noticeably cloudier and cooler while the wind put a good ripple on the water and I was glad I'd brought a hoodie with me .

John had recommended targeting the skimmers at 6mtrs on corn at the start, so rig 1 was a 4X12 Malman Adam on 0·20 power match straight through to a size 16 QM1. Rig 2 was a MW 0·4g XT for the 10mtr line on the deck on 0·20 Power Match with a size 14 QM1, while rig 3 was a MW Trev on 0·20 Power Match with a size 14 Drennan Carp Match for pellet and paste down the margin. Setting up my cupping kit the thread snapped off , so no cup kit today. Never mind, I could feed the 6 mtr line and margins by hand and a catapult would suffice for the 10 mtr line. Bait for the day would be various pellets, corn and paste, with the feed being the usual mix of fishery pellets.

So 1pm and Malc called the All-In. A good handfull of pellet with a few bits of corn followed by a couple of bits of corn on the hook out to the 6mtr line ......

Within a minute the float buried and lifting into it I felt a decent sized Carp power off towards peg 9 . It was also obvious that it was foul hooked in the tail and I was going to have trouble doing anything with it! Well after around 5 minutes it was obvious that the hook wasn't about to lose it's hold, so I decided to show it who was boss.  WRONG DECISION!!!!!!! as I lifted the top kit there was a loud BANG next to my right ear , leaving me as the proud owner of a 6 piece top 2 ......

........ but still attached to the fish. Recovering from the shock I had no option other than to hand-line the fish, and thankfully I managed to land it without further drama, a chunky Mirror that weighed 13lbs.

As I returned the fish I could see Jon doing battle, he also had a foul hooker, but thankfully for him he got it in safely with no damage to his kit, a 12lb'er being the culprit in his case .......

Taking a few minutes to compose myself, a look around the lake revealed that things had got off to a generally slow start for most, though Clive had managed a couple of decent skimmers to get himself off the mark, however it wasn't long before both he and Simon decided to take a look down their margins which resulted in them both fishing into peg 12 ......

My swim had been trashed though by the foul hooked charging around it, and for the next hour or so all I could manage were a few small roach and skimmers, regardless of which line I tried. Budgie over on peg 28 appeared to have made the best start to the match having had 2 or 3 carp, though he'd also lost a couple ......

Gem had been heard to let out her customary scream and asked me to witness the fish as she weighed it at 8½lbs, was it an omen of Minxings to come? Hopefully not to many today, as Gem and Malc would be taking a couple of hours out from the match today to visit Malc's mum who is in hospital.
For the majority though, it was proving hard. The Jinx Effect obviously being back with a vengeance for this years series. With around 2 hours gone I decided to re feed and take a stroll with the camera. Clive had that look of studied concentration that only a veteran of countless visits to Rolfs can carry off .......

While Simon's smile was probably trying to hide a fear of a second Minxing in 7 days having been beaten by The Minx along with 21 others on the Wyrley & Essington Canal the previous Sunday ......

Tucked away on peg 14, young Mitch was quietly getting on with it despite wearing some rather dubious headgear of his own ......

Next door on peg 15 was Keith (guesting today) on his first ever visit to Rolfs  . He'd suffered an early demonstration of the power of Rolfs fish when one had given him the run around for 15 minutes on the pellet waggler, and had obviously decided that the pole would be easier on his arms......

Ant was on peg 17 today, Now there's always a bit of friendly rivalry between him and Simps, but he was hoping to at least pull back a result today ........

Fred (milo) was up on peg 18, it's proved to be one of those infuriating pegs this year, a good weight one match and very little the next, but Fred was sticking at it determined to get a few out of it......

Terry on peg 19 was having a mare with just a few small perch to show for his efforts so he had a bit to do to avoid a third straight Minxing this series   .......

Next door on rarely fished peg 20 was Ade (slim shady). Now Ade is probably Gem's number one target for a Minxing this year having avoided having his name added to The Minx List for the best part of 3 years despite a couple of close shaves, but even he was looking worried today, though he did hook into his first carp of the day as we chatted ......

Geoff on peg 22, who'd once more travelled down from Scotland was contenting himself fishing for anything with fins. Meanwhile Nick(monkey) was sitting it out on peg 25 and hoping things would pick up as the match progressed ......

On peg 26 was Paul, who once again had drawn a car park peg on a day that he had his good lady Jayne to accompany him......

Tim was struggling pegged between Budgie and Steve on peg 31, and although Steve was getting a few bites they weren't all from carp but skimmers......

Round on peg 34 Dai was starting to get a few bites, but was having trouble with fish shedding the hook for no apparent reason ......

Dave Moore was on peg 36 and was once more being given a good going over by the Rolfs residents, as they were happily showing themselves in his swim, but refusing to co-operate by taking any of his offerings regardless of how he presented them .....

Malc and Gem had left for the hospital by now, and Al was down on peg 40 with his son (Little Al) for company today, but he only had 3 small carp to show for his efforts. Tony had managed 3 decent carp from peg 2, but shortly after I took this photo.......

...... he was comprehensively seen off by a proper lump leaving him with a busted top kit . As I arrived at peg 4 Kevin was re-elasticating a top kit having been unfortunate enough to tread on a top kit as he went to weigh a decent carp   .........

...... unfortunately that wasn't the end of it for Kev , as later on another carp pulled the freshly elasticated top kit off his pole and consigned it to the depths of the lake as he was playing it . Meanwhile round on peg 7 on his own, Mat was quietly enjoying himself catching a few decent fish, one of which was caught on camera by Simon .......

So back to my peg once more, and I wish I could say that things improved, but alas they didn't, just another few small roach snaffling the bait. Simon had finally got something with a bit of weight, though not what he was expecting in the shape of a cracking Golden Orfe  .....

Jon was still taking the odd fish, as was Budgie, but the man that started to motor towards the finish of the match was Clive who managed to tempt a decent run of fish from under the bushes to his right ......

Most of which I witnessed as he brought them to me to verify their weight ........

Malc and Gem had returned by now, Malc having a couple of quick fish as soon as he returned to his peg, and Gem also managed to add another couple to her tally and crank up the pressure to avoid a Minxing.

With half an hour to go my swim at 10 mtrs suddenly burst into life, giving me 3 carp in 3 put ins and with about 5 minutes to go I had a 4th which dived under my platform as I tried to net it. Fortunately I managed to extract it from there, much to Simon's amazement , but as I shipped out to try for another Malc called the All-Out.

Now you may remember that I mentioned that Al had his son Little Al with him today, well with the match over Little Al had a go with dad's gear for 10 minutes. Well he's obviously a natural as within a matter of moments he'd caught a carp for himself...................................... an absolute cracker of a Common that weighed 14lbs .......

As we packed up our kit I noticed that Gem had taken all her nets out, so 27lbs would be the target to avoid a Minxing and I was pretty confident I'd avoided that thanks to the final half hour. With the kit back at the car there were a few worrying about their fate as the Weigh-In started.

Dai got off to a good start with 78¾lbs on the scales which would prove to be good enough to win the section , indeed it wasn't even challenged with Tony's 59¼lbs and Matt's 60¾ lbs coming closest. My fish made 40½lbs, but was firmly beaten by Clive's 87¾lbs not only taking the section, but the overall match as well . Poor Simon's meagre 7¾lbs ensured consecutive Minxings for him. The next interest focused on peg 20 and Slim's weight, which came in at 24½lbs meaning that The Minx had got him at last .
Nick recorded 58¼lbs to just pinch C section from Keith's 57lbs 2ozs (a decent result on Keith's first ever visit  ) Finally Budgie's level 79lbs prove good enough for 2nd in B section from Jon's 72½lbs.

So finally with the results out of the way, all that remained was the ritual humiliation where those that had been Minxed were lined up for The Minx to chose the recipient of THE PINK HAT to be worn at the next Match ........

Well in all honesty there was only going to be one person that got it...... The proud owner of THE PINK HAT for Match 4...............

Ade (Slim Shady) Williams

NB: Don't worry Paul D hasn't escaped THE PINK HAT and a suitable forfeit will be in place in time for the next match .

OVERALL RESULT

Names in PINK are those that were MINXED

SECTION RESULTS

Jinx Match 2

Well, another Saturday and another Jinx Match. I awoke to the sun streaming through the curtains and the forcast was for a warm one, so after a quick shower it was time to feed the cats and make a coffee, and get the car loaded before setting off via Battersea for my usual stop at The Jimmy Griddle where Sausages, Bacon, Eggs and a Fried Slice  washed down with a mug of tea took care of breakfast. An uneventful run down saw me pulling into the car park at Rolf's around 10·30am to find the place rapidly filling up. With Pauline providing a mug of coffee the banter commenced as we waited for the others to arrive. The car park soon filled up and just prior to the draw Gem handed over that PINK HAT!!!!!!!!!! ......

So on to the draw, I'm in A section which is the Little Lake today, and hoping that a half decent draw would allow me to have a better day today. So into the draw bag and I find that peg 36 is to be my home for the match......

If I'm honest it's the last peg in the section that I wanted to be on, however someone had a decent result the previous Sunday fishing the feeder from there so that was going to be plan A for me today.
The rod was a Mach 3 11ft feeder paired with a Daiwa 3012 Whisker spooled with 6lb Maxima. Just a simple running ledger rig with a Drennan cage feeder attached via a link swivel, finished off with a size 14 QM1 with a hair to take 3 pieces of sweetcorn. Groundbait was simply a bag of 4mm fishery pellets wetted down with a generous dusting of GOT Green Grub groundbait to bind them together. I also set up a Shakespeare Mach3 XT 11ft Pellet Waggler coupled with the new 035 MACH 3 XT Front Drag Reel spooled up with 4lb Maxima along with a 3AAA waggler to fish a banded pellet as I was planning to catapult pellets over where I was fishing the feeder and if it brought the fish up I may be able to nick a few. I also set up a couple of shallow pole rigs, but wasn't really planning on using them.

So at 1pm Malc called the All-In. Out with the feeder rod and within a couple of minutes a firm wrap on the tip signalled fish on. A spirited fight ensued but the first fish of the day was soon residing in the landing net, a weigher that went 10lbs and a most satisfactory way to kick of the day . Unfortunately a second fish was in no hurry to take the bait leaving me looking at a stationary tip for quite a while.

Dave and Clive over on pegs 7 & 8 appeared to be going along quite steadily though. Indeed Dave had managed a proper lump on his feeder rod, weighing in at 18½lbs, comfortably the largest fish that Dave had caught on a rod and reel ......

Steve to my right on peg 34 was fishing up to the buoys and had got off to a decent start and already looked like he would take all the catching......

In general though things appeared to be slow for most, With the temperature around 27°C the sky had clouded over leaving it feeling oppressively sticky and both the anglers and the fish lethargic.

Over on peg 4 I could see Simon, at first it appeared that he was having a good day with quite a few fish, but the reality was that he was being plagued with foul hookers, which having stretch his elastic to improbable lengths were shedding the hook before he could net them  .......

"Budgie" on peg 40 appeared to be suffering another grueller, and hoping for a better outcome than he'd suffered on the 1st Jinx Match when he'd finished last  ......

Paul on peg 2 had managed a couple, but it looked as if the fish in his peg were on steroids, as they were giving him a right old run around before he could finally get them in the net......

Around half way through the match Malc's dulcet tones were heard, which is always a worry as disaster for others seems to follow him as a constant companion. This time it was Steve's turn to suffer the force of The Jinx with his No 4 section breaking as Malc raised his camera......

Meanwhile Jon to my left on peg 38 was working through plans A-Z but all he could tempt were a few small roach and perch from down by his keepnets.......

Things had picked up for me however with a couple of quick fish falling to the feeder, but when I looked round while playing the second and found The Jinx himself pointing his camera in my direction I have to admit to a few anxious moments before it was safely in the net......

Time marched on and I managed another couple of fish, 1 to the feeder and 1 to the waggler, but reports from round the lake indicated that the fishing was proving to be very hard for most. Dave and Clive appeared to be still ticking along nicely, especially Clive who appeared to be making hay on the feeder......

...... however it transpired that he was losing the majority of them. Steve was still catching on peg 34, even getting a decent Perch on a white boilie!!!!!!

Dave over on peg 6 had managed a couple from his 6mtr line and was no doubt hoping for a strong finish to the match ......

I'd had another quiet spell when Dave strolled round for a chat. He must have brought me a bit of luck, because I managed another couple of carp as we chatted . He soon departed no doubt inspired to redouble his efforts and Kev's partner Jean appeared with a welcome cup of coffee for me .

I managed a final couple of fish as the match drew to an end, one of which was foul hooked in the dorsal fin and gave me a right run around before I managed to bundle it into the net. Malc finally called the All-Out at 6pm, which in typical Jinx fashion was the cue for a short sharp rain shower just to cool us down prior to packing away.

So with the kit packed up and back to the car it was time for the Weigh-In. Steve was first to weigh and his 92½lbs set a mark that wasn't going to be beaten . I thought I had about 50lbs so was pleasantly surprised to find 61½lbs as my final weight . Jon had over 40 fish to record 4lbs 10ozs, Mostly small stuff. Budgie had finally snared a carp to record 15½lbs. Paul's 41¼lbs was edged out by Simon's 45½lbs.
Dave put a level 35lbs on the scales. I was a bit surprised at Dave and Clive's weights as I'd expected them both to be pushing Steve, but Clive's 55¾lbs edged out Dave's weight of 52lbs 2ozs. Rolf's Lake regular Pete Archer had been guesting on peg 13 but had suffered with untold foul hookers  and recorded 48¾lbs. Another team had weighed in the other half of the lake, the highlight of which were 44½lbs from peg 19 for Al, Malc with 47¾lbs from peg 25, while peg 30 produced a fine 76lbs for Ade. Gem had only managed 1¾lbs, but had still handed Minxings to 3 of the lads so at least I would be waving goodbye to THE PINK HAT .

Back for the results and Pete Archer kindly provided some prizes from his sponsor Vespe. So with the results all done and dusted, all that remained was to find out who Gem would choose to be the lucky recipient that gets to wear that PINK HAT for the next match? Well readers, allow me to present Mr Paul Dolby  ................

OVERALL RESULT

Names in PINK are those that were MINXED

SECTION RESULTS

Jinx Match 1

Well here we go again . Today sees that happy band of idiots fools maniacs nutters that comprise The Jinx Squad back on the banks to do it all again for yet another year with all 6 of this years matches at Rolfs Lake .

Peter, Malc, Gem, Tony R, Terry, Steve, Ade.
Simon, Paul D, Paul R, Nick W-P, Nick W, Mitch.
Fred, Matt, Kevin, Jon, Geoff, Dave C, Dave M.
Dai, Clive, Marcus, Ant, Al, Steve, Dave W.

There's loads of questions to be answered over the course of the coming weeks........... 

Can I avoid PEG 13 ?
How many will suffer a Minxing and who'll end up wearing the THE PINK HAT ? 
Will Paul ever draw a sunny peg when he brings Jayne with him?
Will Simps and Gem get hitched?
Will Clive finish somewhere other than 2nd overall?
Will Jon actually land a fish if someone points a camera at him?

 The answers to these questions and many more will all be revealed in the reports that will appear here in the weeks ahead.

So on to the day, the luxury of fishing these matches is the start time, meaning that I don't have to get up at silly O'clock . I could have a lay in till 7·30am, feed the cats and make a coffee, a quick scan of the forums before loading the car and setting off via Battersea for my usual stop at The Jimmy Griddle where one of their 'Full English Breakfasts' made for a good start to the day . A smooth run down saw me pulling into the car park at Rolf's around 10·30am along with Clive and Tony. Geoff along with Paul D and his guest Mick were already in situ, and once Pauline had provided a mug of coffee the banter commenced as we waited for the others to arrive. The car park soon filled up, Gem arrived, you couldn't miss her in her new shirt, along with that PINK HAT!!!!!!!!!!......

...... which was soon passed on to Steve (Steak) for the day as he'd 'won' it at the MD's Lindholme match .

Well it was supposed to be an 11·30 draw, but of course it was late, a nesting Moorhen on peg 34 being blamed this time  ......

 Anyway with the draw underway I found myself with peg 21 (so no peg 13 for me today.) It's one of those pegs that doesn't get fished as often as some, so doesn't get as much bait going in, but can throw up a good weight on its day.

For company I had Marcus(Budgie)Burgess, Gem's Pairs partner on peg 19, while Paul Roberts was to my left on peg 23. There was a bit of scum on the water, but with the wind blowing into the peg I was hopeful of a few. Fish could be seen topping out towards the middle, ideal for the pellet waggler, but for this match I was on one of the pegs where rods aren't allowed.
So I set up a 4 pole rigs. One for straight out at around 8mtrs was a MW 0·6g Diamond for the 8mtr line on the deck on 0·20 Power Match with a size 14 Drennan Carp Match and a MW Trev with similar line and hook for up in the water. and a further couple of MW 0·4g Power Diamonds on 0·20 Power Match with size 16 series 2 hooks to fish to the end of the bush on my right and down the side of the bush on my left. Bait for the day was to be a mix of soft and hard pellets in various sizes with some corn as a back up, while feed was 4 & 6mm fishery pellets.

One worrying aspect of the day however was the fact that John and Pauline were having a day out and were leaving Eddie TG in charge. Now Eddie knows the lake like the back of his hand and has a habit of giving Gem a bit of coaching when he's in attendance, which is a bit of a worry when you're looking to avoid a Minxing .

So at 1·30pm Malc called the All-In, a good handfull of pellet into all 3 swims and out to the 8mtr line with an 8mm banded pellet on the deck rig.. A couple of lift and drops and the float buried . A gentle lift met with a solid resistance, but the fish didn't bolt off just following the pole back, however just as I got back to the top 2 something spooked it and it dived at the keepnet, neatly transferring the hook in the process. Simon appeared to be suffering similarly as his first fish dived under his platform before snapping him off.

Not the best of starts, and in all honesty it went downhill from there . I had to wait nearly an hour for the next bite, which turned out to be one of the smaller Commons weighing around 5lb, but at least it was a fish in the net. The next bite came around 3pm. Malc was having a stroll, camera in hand, so of course I missed it only to foul hook a fish as I lifted the rig, well that led me a bit of a dance before the rig shot back with a scale on the end, much to Malc's amusement  ......

Most of us in that corner seemed to be struggling, though none of us more than Budgie, who halfway through the match had just a solitary Roach to show for his efforts  ......

Needing a break I re fed heavily, then grabbed the camera for a stroll. Clive was fishing long for once and as I looked over it appeared to be paying dividends as he was in the process of landing one .......

Simps was one of the few who appeared to be catching steadily, so Jon had reverted to the pellet waggler in an attempt to get in on the act......

Most however were feeling the full force of The Jinx Effect, but Dave Moore has a bit of a grin on his face  denoting that he was obviously getting a bit of action despite being on peg13 ......

Al was on peg 12, but was feeling a little rough, so much so that he and Dave would pack up early to get him home......

Malc was on peg 9 with Liam in tow, but apart from the one weigher was in the same boat as a lot of us just waiting for things to happen .......

Round on peg 8 was Nick(monkey) no doubt hoping that this would be the peg to finally provide him with that magic first 'Ton', alas it was not to be, in fact it was proving to be a real grueller for him  ......

...... and it didn't make him feel any better to see that Ant on peg 7 was catching regularly without appearing to even have to feed .......

Ade(Slim) was tucked away on peg 2, but as I made my way round he was into a fish having been fishing long down into empty peg 3 to his left......

Over on peg 38 I could see Paul D who was returning to the Jinx Series after a few years break carefully playing what transpired to be his first carp of the day  ......

Geoff was having a decent day on 36 and putting a few together, as was his old sparring partner Dai who was on peg 32 ......

Steak was having an absolute mare, was it down to that PINK HAT, or the fact that he had The Minx for company on the next peg?......

Jon by now was playing a carp on the waggler, and appeared to have broken the hoodoo of the camera as despite a number of shutters clicking he landed it safely  ........

Back to my peg, and I wish I could say it got better, but the truth is it didn't , the final 2 hours yielding just another 2 carp of around 6lbs and a solitary skimmer, and I have to say that it was a bit of a relief when Malc called the All-Out at 6·30pm.

Once I got my kit put away I caught up with the Weigh-In. Geoff had started things off with with 87lbs, but was soon overtaken by Slim's 100¾lbs, however Ant ended up winning A section with a fine 126½lbs from peg 7 . Dave Moore managed the best weight from the motorway bank with 65¼lbs , my 3carp and a skimmer rolling the scales round to just 20lbs. Clive took the win in C section with just 55lbs, while Simps was the man to beat in B section with a level 156lbs to take the win on the day . Gem put 33¼lbs on the scales meaning a dozen of us had been Minxed , while Dai managed 99¼lbs from peg 32 .

So to the results and after that all that remained was for Gem to chose the recipient of  THE PINK HAT for the next match .
Well it was no surprise to find it coming my way, much to everyones obvious delight , so it will be a PINK HAT day for me in 3 weeks time  ......

OVERALL RESULT

Names in PINK are those that were MINXED

SECTION RESULTS