Despite the rain earlier in the afternoon, the evening of the second round of the 2023 junior knockout series was a pleasant one. Warm sunshine and the lightest of breezes blessed the inhabitants of the Stock Pond who were ready for battle with our four participants.
Water levels were significantly higher than the first round. This was mostly due the fact that the outlet pipe had been replaced after, what I can only describe as ‘A waste of DNA’ had decided that the Catfish Lake below needed topping up and had removed it… Actions like this make my brain itch sometimes.
The bright orange Goldfish were obvious in the slightly clearer water and, it may have been this clarity that keep the weights lower for the match.
These are only two-hour matches, so the report is going to reflect this. It means I don’t have to waffle so much, and you don’t have endure it. No one wants to read a whole paragraph of meaningless drivel that is in no way connected to the actual events of the evening, and I’m sure we all have better things to do with our time…<snigger>
Your action gnomes for the evening were,
Peg 1: (His Lordship) Josiah Wells-Parkes. Peg 2: (Carnage) Harry Cryer.
Peg 3: (The King’o’the North) Kit Freeman.
Peg 4: (T’other Jack) Jack Cryer.
Your water nymphs for this evening were, (Elasticman) Graham Howard – Three top kits in 10 minutes including showing how to do it AND remembering how to do it!
(The Number Cruncher) Gentle Jon Bass – Has now developed a dread fear of clipboards!
(The Pellet Muncher) Andy Hawkins – Yes folks, he ate a pellet to see what they tasted like. Don’t try this at home kids!
Peg One: Josiah Wells Parkes: There is always an offset to drawing the best peg and, in this case, that is access. Peg one is a tricky one to get to and the rise in water level had turned a stable dry tuft to stand on, into an oiled-up yoga ball… But it was going to be worth it. Being a float only event, Jo explored as many of the surrounding bushes as he could before realising that the water would be the best place to catch fish and catch, he did. Well, most of them. The weed was playing havoc with getting fish in the net, and these clever fellows know exactly where to go. This was beginning to frustrate James (Sexy Dad) who, at one point, was prepared to strip off his shirt, reveal the beast (his belly… what were you thinking???), and get in after them! Fortunately for all of us and the field of sheep opposite, James decided that this would not have helped the situation much, and chose to grind his teeth instead. Jo made the most of the draw by winning on the night and joining Ollie by qualifying for the final in September. Jo weighed a creditable 12lbs on the nose. Well done mate!
Peg Two: Harry Cryer: I observed Harry from a distance at first because I didn’t want a repeat of the nauseating sight of his ‘Welly boot slop/sock mix’ again. I posted that image on Instagram, and it got the most hits of any picture I have ever posted. It even got reactions from stars like Des Shipp who probably wondered what the hell I must be teaching our shrimps! Carnage was in full swing and sat most of the match with his (Fortunately dry) socked feet on the seat of his box like a living Gargoyle! I don’t know how kids find that comfortable and, yes, I am jealous because I can’t sit like that anymore without extreme discomfort and knees sounding like bubble wrap being crushed! With no whip, Harry was forced to improvise and use his waggler rod instead. This would be an advantage if he hooked into a bigger fish. But sadly, when he did, the fish knew what to do. Weed is a friend of all fish and the fish of the stock pond have many friends. The lack of a whip proved Harry’s undoing and he weighed just 2lbs 8ozs. Not that he showed any outward disappointment though. Maybe proof if needed that the right gear does make a difference. Well done anyway Harry…
Peg Three: Kit Freeman: Now, I want all readers of this rubbish to pay attention to this lad. He fished with a pole for the first time at Whitemoor and framed. Tonight, he was using a whip and, if the match was a normal one, would have come second. You can argue that a whip is easy to use, but we all start somewhere, and Kit started tonight. Once the casting wrinkles were ironed out, he was away. The only thing that he struggled with was his seating option. Dad Mark had followed advice and brought a camping chair. Sadly, the ground in Kits peg was very uneven and difficult to place comfortably. I’m sure parents have cursed me and fishing in the past and will so again in the future. But there is a reason for dragging seat boxes around, even for just a two-hour match. You will be level and comfortable. Despite the handicap, Kit fished well and weighed in 4lbs 15ozs, the closest that anyone got to the winner. Good job!
Peg Four: Jack Cryer: Jack was at the unfavoured end of the lake, but this peg has shown promise in the past. Like all the other spots, this peg has its snags. But even so, Jack had listened to advice given and was switching between two areas to avoid the pesky micro-Gudgeon (cute as they are, they are a pest!) Even doing this avoidance technique, Jack was plagued with ‘Pairs of eyes’ for a lot of the time. When he wasn’t catching micro-blades, like the rest of us he was watching the clear evidence of larger fish moving over his feed. There isn’t much Gentle Jon hasn’t seen during his 137 years, but this even had him scratching his head. Jack struggled on trying everything could to keep those Goldfish and Roach coming, but it wasn’t to be his night. Finishing with 3lbs 12ozs, Jack has one more chance to get to the final. Good effort Jack…
So, there you have it. Like me, short and sweet… Congratulations to Jo on winning his place in the final.
The next event is on Tuesday for our first Tuesday club, hopefully at Sharnhill. I will confirm that tomorrow. (Monday). Go to Spond to book in for that. Also, as I type, the Spond booking has just gone live for the Junior Points Match#7 at Todber Manor on the 29th July. Which lake is TBC, but for now assume it will be Whitepost Lake. Thank you to Jason Fricker and Revels for hosting us again tonight.
My thanks go to Jon and Andy for their company and help this evening.
Take care and tight lines!
Juniors Sec…
