Use it or lose it - It’s your column
I noticed
in last week’s Guardian a chap complaining about the limited coverage
of our 2004 National Schools champions Portland.
In his efforts to get the complaint across, he incurred the wrath of my
fellow columnist AA Grundi. Was this the right approach? I don't think
so!
Mr Grundi sympathetic? What a joke. I hope you found his response amusing
- I certainly did. Expect nothing less mate!
Angling is one of the largest participation sports, only just pipped by
golf, but whatever we locals achieve either as team members or individuals
aint necessarily everyone’s cup of tea or at the top of the tree
in news to the majority of Guardian readers.
As much as I would love to have seen a huge front-page picture alas it
did not happen.
In the same vein, I do need everyone’s support in getting all the
action of match reports and pleasure catches in this Angling column (the
proper place).
I’m often bewildered by some club secretaries who ask me to print
match dates but yet do not follow it up and send me a report post the
event.
My time is limited and should not be required to ‘chase-up’
reports. I require your input to keep this column going.
I understand the match calendars are almost over now and people are out
pleasure fishing.
But that does not mean you cannot share your experiences with fellow readers.
I had a call from a local angler asking if anyone reported the successes
of our W&DAA junior teams? Answer, nope!
I have said it before and shall do so again, send your reports and I shall
do my utmost to get them printed.
Some photos may not go in immediately because sometimes space is limited.
But they will usually go in eventually if they sender is patient.
One thing is for sure, I won’t fill space with politics unless it
involves locals.
In a nutshell, use your angling column... or risk losing it!
Back to the Wharfe
After a week or so
of pestering, I returned to the river Wharfe at Pool on Monday (as reported
the other week) with Jim (Harley) Heath.
This time we were armed with bait - maggots to be precise.
But we didn’t have a coarse rod set up between us. No, instead, I
had a brainwave of setting a fly rod up (each) and a floating line with
a 9ft leader and three droppers, attached to this were three size 20 eyed
hooks.
And as this was a coarse fishery, it was perfectly legal.
On each hook we put a maggot and fished this just as you would flyfishing
- as a coarse fishing ‘stick float’ set-up.
Feeding, little and often and trotting the line down, I was soon catching
grayling… sometimes one-a-chuck!
The biggest went over 2lb, quite an exceptional fish here.
At one point I was in contact with a pike of around 15lb to 20lb that
took a liking to a smallish grayling I hooked.
After a brief battle, the biggie and I parted company.
Jim was doing rather well amassing a huge number of minnows. “I can’t
get through these things to catch owt decent,” he said to me.
After a couple of hours, I decided to take pity on him. You see, I remembered
taking him to Lodge Farm a while back where I set him up with a pole,
plumbed the depth, baited, etc for him and he resulted in catching a few
more carp than me. He never let me forget that!
But I got my own back here on the Wharfe! Here he was being plagued by
minnows and me with grayling.
Eventually, though, I couldn’t let him suffer any more so I gave
him one of my ‘special’ grayling bugs (which I decided to tie
on as point fly instead of a maggot) and, accounted for more fish than
the bait.
The fly had a considerable amount of lead in the tying which helped get
through the bits. Good thinking eh?
Jim did manage a couple of decent (ish) grayling but by this time it was
time to go home!
Match results contributors are reminded to send details as soon as possible after the completion of a fixture to Mgintrona@aol.com or by telephoning 01909 472305.