Here We Go Again".

Well I am beginning to believe I may well be one of the most unluckiest people on the planet on and off the bank' After Saturdays memorial match on summerhayes Fishery I was going to return to fish the open on Sunday but when I woke it was chucking it down so decided against it, Feeling fresh and ready for my day ahead I headed off to work Monday morning at 6am, 20minutes later and I found myself sat in A&E" awaiting an X-ray after catching my foot in a hydraulic pipe between my truck & trailer causing me to go head first off the side! The result? Well' I tried to put my hands out to break my fall and I've only gone and fractured my right hand again..!"

No fishing for me for a few weeks by the look of it & I'm seriously beginning to feel like I'm jinxed, I could right a book on the amount of things that have gone wrong over the years" lol. Talking of things to happen over the years one thing that you see more often than anything in nearly every tackle shop in the country is the vast range of ground-baits & additive's', I've always said theirs more out there to catch the angler out rather than the fish although I have used a few on occasions with various results!.

Going back around 20years ago I remember joining a new team who had just secured a sponsorship with "Whizzo Ground-baits and are first team match would be on the River Huntspill, No trip needed to go and purchase any ground-bait before the day of the match as we would all be supplied before the draw. After picking up a few bags of the brand new 'Purple Haze' I trotted off to my swim which just so happened to be the first peg below the famous motorway bridge which at the time was bag on for a few bream and with my new mix what could possibly go wrong? Everything" After 5 hours of trying to convince myself I was using the new magic" ground-bait that would draw fish from miles but sweet F.A in the net I mixed up some brown crumb I found in my bag, In the last 45mins I caught around 10 good skimmers which put me know were but a part from having purple hands for the next few weeks I new wouldn't be putting my faith in it again in a hurry!

Back in the late 90's there was the popular Kev Perry series held yearly at Bullocks Farm fishery, At the time it was 6 matches held over the match & carp lakes each fishing 3 on each, I had been doing well in the open matches and decided to take things a little further by being a bookie' for the series. I had myself & Jeff Reasons down as 10/1 favourites with odds for other anglers going as much as 33/1. After two rounds Jerry Sailsbury who owned Veal's of Bristol was winning the league with two section wins and after staking £50 on himself at 16/1 I was getting worried' things did work in my favour though as I had a lot of faith in the curried flavoured meat that sensas supplied at the time, It was very oily but seemed to pull fish as I remember winning 3 rounds and the series outright which was a healthy pick-up along with the bookies money I had taken.

Not to many years ago matches were held on Cider Farm Fishery just outside Weston super mare and when the lakes first opened it was new venue to try and come to terms with? I new the fish had been reared on pellets so put most of my faith in fishing soft pellets over micro's. I kept a tab on my results and after framing in the first few matches I went on to win 6 on the trot' this was all well and good but when I tried to get into a midweek match one day being ran by somebody else I was told with my resent form I wasn't welcome & if the guy let me fish others would go home, I ask you". Not once did somebody ask me what I was doing different to everybody else but truth be told I wasn't, the only thing I could put it down to was using monster crab pellets which were purchased in my local tackle shop to which I would of told anyone who had took time to ask! Its funny how sometimes these little things can make a difference or do they? A lot of it is about having confidence in what you are using, I'm sure we've all had days were one bait outshines another but then we tend to stick to it without experimenting when we could be missing out, My verdict is that certain baits and additives have their day and my best advice is not to be afraid to give some ago but don't be afraid to try them at different times of the year even if they didn't produce in the first instance.

I will be out with my camera over the next few weeks at different venues & covering different matches but cant see myself fishing for a while, The missis isn't best pleased as we have a week off together after the bank holiday but she's cheered up after I suggested it may be time for her to enter her first comp"