21st April - Moira Furnace canal

I decided to get back to the Furnace and get back to doing better than my first trip there a few weeks earlier . The match run by those Starlets , last years 2018 AT Pairs champions , Paul Middleton and David Gough.
At the draw it was great to meet up with Lee Bennet and Carl Lynch plus Tim Kinson and the draw gave me Peg 9 which i was happy about as it was almost car to the peg .
The peg was approx. 9 metres across and it appeared to be a steady 3.5 feet deep the water had some clarity to it but overall a nice tinge of green in the water .


The days office

To my right into the basin

To my left

All set up in the shade at the moment but the sun is expected to beat down later so suntan cream was administered .

Decided to fish all different floats on 4 tops and two whips

All set up with a small mix of Green Swimstim and 3 pints of pinkies/maggots and caster

1.5 metre whip with Maurizio Schiepatti Mercury 0.3gr

Floats for halfway to three quarter were a SENSAS Jeff 2 0.2 gr and a Maurizio Schiepatti Venus 0.2 gr

Bagging rig (hopefully) is a Maurizio Schiepatti (Carbon) 0.4gr with tight string of no 10/12 STOTS

Far side was an EXNER 0.2gr Anette

4.5m whip with a 0.3gr EXNER Nelli 

David Gough - 2nd on the day

Paul Middleton - 1st on the day

Charlie Gooch - 3rd on day

8-7 for me and 4 oz short of the section - should have fished close the whole match really

Also discovered the snagging ?? 

Most photos of the framers courtesy of Middleton/Gough photo media productions

 Next match on 12th May - This time i will be all systems go with tactics.

BIG ONE show Stoneleigh April 13/14th

I had been planning for this show for a few months stealing time in between my main stream work over in Denmark. Much of the work was checking my stock and making sure of the pricing as i control 3,200 parts in my Montage of products . Finally the 12th April appeared and Carola and i drove to the exhibition halls to set up the tables and carousels with both of us suffering with bad colds and Carola's cold now supported with antibiotics . After an afternoon of setting up 5 carousels we departed for home and rest ready for the next days opening action.

On the Saturday we entered the hall and exchanged opening encouraging words with Sean Ashby and Lee Harries later to see Aiden Stokes, all of us were full of great expectations , will it be so ? . We had one carousel to get ready and just when we thought it would be done the organisers let everyone in 30 minutes earlier , great !The start was quite encouraging and first 3 hours were good but by lunch there was little going on and that remained the same into the afternoon. The same pattern was for Sunday also .

 Poor Carola she had been with cold for 2 weeks and still working at school

Good friends John and Katey Kilby

David Mellors also was there collecting his Halkon Hunt we recently purchased.

Trevor Newey

Paul Taylor and Joe Oakes

Phil Mattock

Colin Talbot in the centre

Well well , a blast from the past , last seen in 2011 in the Swedish Scandanavian Masters , Klaus Fix .

Did not recognise him with his shirt on !!!

Sam Merry and son no1 turned up

A right pair of bouncers

Mark Pollard floats compliment on display

Rogues gallery

For me as a small outlet i would say the show was an average success as i have more recognition through my online customers . The show has time to grow for next year as its been years since last shown in the Midlands .