Up The Junction
I got off the motorway and travelled along the dark, narrow country lanes with full beams on, as usual I had the early morning fishing show on the radio and regular listener Mavis from Surrey, was explaining to the presenter how she loves the way anglers talk about ‘wagglers’ & ‘poles’ and often records the programme and listens to it again in the bath later!
The presenter wished her all the best and seemed relieved she had only been on for 27 minutes this week. I often wonder how many of the audience are actually anglers and how many are insomniacs or live in institutions.
Although it was pitch black, I was puzzled how so many oncoming drivers recognised and flashed their lights at me, then I suddenly realised that, transfixed by Mavis’s radio revelations, I was forgetting to dip my headlights as the oncoming traffic approached!
The Junction Inn was in complete darkness as I pulled onto the car park, which was not surprising as it was 6.30am on a late November morning. There were a few lights on the moored boats and stagings and I could make out the canal and the silhouette of the tree line in the distance.
Fish Fingers
It’s been a few years since I’d been here at Norbury Junction on the Shropshire Union Canal, I remember it vividly, as I travelled all the way up here to do an interview with a local angler who reckoned he had caught a 4lb perch from the basin and now had a printed photograph to prove it, so I met him here and he showed me the print of this ‘record’ canal perch.
I nearly threw him in as the picture was of a 1lb to 2lb perch held so far forward to the camera that his fingers looked like Cumberland sausages and the photo looked like a poster for a 70’s 3D monster movie!
The staff of the pub had started to arrive to prepare the breakfasts, one lady in particular seemed to think I was quite strange sitting at one of the pub’s garden tables at 6.45am in the dark and it was only when I looked at the half full glass of beer in front me left over from the night before, that I think she may have had a point!
Hard or Nuts?
Now every discipline of the match fishing world has its own very unique culture and canal match anglers have a reputation for being sort of sadistical and, seemingly, liking their fishing tough; they fish venues that are only 16 metres or less wide, both sides of the peg are sometimes only a foot deep and the only reasonable fishable bit is down the middle, which the majority of the fish avoid due to the fact that its often full of rubbish and twenty ton boats travel along it!
Added to the fact that a lot of canal matches are held in the extreme coldest months of the winter and the anglers often have to cut through ice up to four inches thick just to get their weekly fix – I think that’s why the guys at the top are called crack matchmen.
Despite all this canal match anglers are a very jovial bunch the kind of guys you would want in the trenches with you in a war, as adversity is somewhere they went to get an education.
As usual match organiser Paul Murrin is the first to arrive, carrying loads of folders and containers inside. I followed him in and instantly we were both asked what we wanted to drink by the barmaid, I quickly remembered it was 7am and I was here to work, so I ordered a coffee.
Paul has the matches running like a Swiss clock and the anglers help out with pegging, weighing in and checking the result sheets afterwards.
Brief Encounter
The rest of the competitors were arriving and the friendly banter was interesting to say the least, Lee Woodhouse arrived with a pair of leopard skin patterned, ladies knickers on his head and after a fellow competitor told him his wife has got a pair just like that, quick as a flash Lee said they were hers and gave them to him!
All match anglers have incredible memories for previous match details remembering peg numbers, methods, bait choice and weather conditions from years gone by. Canal match anglers remember all that plus how many fish they caught and how many squatts or casters they fed!
I’ve covered loads of canal matches over the years, in fact not as many as I would have liked, as the rise and rise of the commercial match venue scene has not allowed too many visits to these often very interestesting venues.
Finesse and attention to the tiniest detail, is often the only difference between a good day and a bad one on these unique natural waterways.
Walk On
Part one of my plan was to walk the entire match length before the start taking a picture of every angler, so I walked the two miles up to peg A1 where Steff Johansen of the Eclipse Match Team was on what is a highly favoured peg.
Now I reckon I’ve taken thousands of anglers’ pictures over the years but I can always remember where I took the very first picture of them and I reminded Steff of that day about seven years ago on the Anglesey Arm of the Brownhills Canal and he reminded me he blanked!
On the next peg to Steff was Simon Mottram, Browning Lifestyle Blue and I reminded Simon that the first picture I took of him was about five years ago on The Shrewsbury Festival on The River Severn, where I also had to pull him up a very steep bank. (I must have had three shredded wheat that day, as he’s a big lad!)
Looking along A section there were a number of well known names and before the match I had been told the early numbers in A section were a good draw, so I felt it was possible an individual winner could well come from here.
Be Leaf in Yourself
The weather during the night had consisted of a number of elements including: rain, high winds and a drop in temperature, all factors that would affect weights on the day.
Some huge banks of fallen leaves had been blown into the canal and to their credit the anglers with these in their pegs just got on with it, as canal match anglers usually do.
Generally speaking Norbury is not that scenic looking as canal venues go, the far bank is mostly brambles and shrubs lined with just the odd feature tree or bush, so I thought on a hard day most would struggle and that’s exactly how the match turned out.
I’ve often wondered how I walk around for the full five hours of a match but the time really does go quickly, lots of anglers will take the time to talk and tell you as they fish about bait, methods and tactics and I log them all away for future use. So why am I not World Champion I ask myself? I must just be a crap angler is the truthful reply.
One thing I have noticed over all these years of being an on the bank reporter, is that top match anglers always have that same unhurried, slow methodical style, like chess players taking all the pawns from the peg/board at various spots before finishing off with a bonus queen and king to finally end the match.
I also wonder what the public must think as they walk along the towpath during a canal match looking at all those slices of bread with tiny holes in, the pretty looking pink pinkies and the very tiny two metre long ‘rods’ in racks beside all the canal anglers.
“Maybe the big rod he’s using is for big fish and those little rods are for small fish,” Joe Bloggs tells his wife, as they are walking along with Bertie the Jack Russell…
The Results
Going along B section, Rugeley MG grouped, Mick Reynolds had a decent day putting together a net of small roach and perch, for a section winning 2-6-9 the rest of the section were lucky to break a pound, others just had ounces.
C section and the peg everyone wanted was C10 and it didn’t disappoint as again a Rugeley MG angler (who before today were bottom of the league table), Mark Oakley had some net perch and squatt fish for a very creditable 4-11-9. Worth a mention was the second in section 4-9-0 from Maver Wolves, Ben Garbett, a superb effort considering the wall to wall carpet of leaves in his peg.
D section also had some pegs with a carpet of leaves but Dave Horton of Browning Lifestyle Blue, took the honours with 3-5-4 from D5, with Steve Fogall, LesO, two pegs away on D3, pushing him all the way with 3-3-5.
E section fished hard but there were some 3lb and 2lb plus weights topped by one of angling’s much respected veterans Joe Brennan whose skilfully timed late in the match chub gave him the section win with a superb 4-0-2, making him the day’s most popular section winner.
F section was also much fancied before the match, especially the ‘stick ups’ peg F11.
Section honours however went to Eric Gardener, Eclipse, on F10 with roach, perch and a net skimmer or two. Big Colin Talbot Rugeley MG, on the stick ups came in second in section with 3-1-8 after losing two lumps, early on in the match.
Walking all the way back again to A section (I walked the match length four times for a measured eight mile day!) On A1 Steff Johanson had not been able to add any of those bonus sized fish and he finished on 3-14-0 on A2 Simon Mottram, Browning Lifestyle Blue, had added some nice perch to 8oz to finish second individual with 5-6-0 and completing the trio of frame places was individual winner, Dave Lloyd, Maver Tipton, on 5-10-10, a great catch on what had turned out to be a hard day.
Sunset
Despite the venue fishing below expectations, round five of the Izaak Walton Winter League turned out to be a turning point for a number of teams and individuals, following this result the league goes on to the final round very open, with a number of teams in with a chance of what has become one of the most popular canal winter leagues in the UK.
Special mentions go to:
Young Rob Lloyd for his 2-12-9 in A section surrounded by top experienced canal anglers and Fred Cheetham whose bread formula is still catching fish on even the hardest of days.
Also to: Paul Murrin who showed how a match with 72 competitors should be run.
Speeding boaters who, despite polite requests to slow down, continue to give their pastime a bad name.
The staff and management at The Junction Inn, Norbury, I can see why it’s been a popular match HQ for years.
And all 72 competitors who, despite everything that was thrown at them during the day including an idiot with a load of camera gear walking along the bank, did themselves and their section of the sport proud.
The Top Six
1ST Dave Lloyd Maver Tipton 5lb 10oz 10dr peg A5
2ND Simon Mottram Browning Lifestyle Blue 5lb 6oz 0dr A2
3RD Mark Oakly Rugeley M.G 4lb 11oz 9dr C10
4TH Ben Garbett Maver Wolves 4lb 9oz 0dr C7
5TH Kevin Ohanalan Team LesO 4lb 6oz 0dr A6
6TH Chris Harvey Browning Lifestyle Red 4lb 5oz 12dr A3
Teams on the Day
1ST Rugeley MG 49 Points
2ND Team LesO 48 Points
3RD Team Eclipse 46 Points
4TH Browning Lifestyle Red 42 Points
5TH= Exciles 41 Points
5TH= Four Ashes 41 Points
7TH Maver Wolves 40 Points
8TH= Hodnet AC 39 Points
8TH= Maver Tipton 39 Points
10TH Browning Lifestyle Blue 33 Points
11TH Browning Team Spa 27 Points
12TH Dudley Bait & Tackle 23Points
League To Date
1ST Maver Wolves 243 Points
2ND Browning Lifestyle Red 230 Points
3RD= Team Eclipse 227 Points
3RD= Maver Tipton 227 Points
5TH Four Ashes 215 Points
6TH Team LesO 207 Points
7TH Browning Lifestyle Blue 204 Points
8TH Team Exciles 168 Points
9TH Hodnet AC 158 Points
10TH Browning Team Spa 156 Points
11TH Dudley Bait & Tackle 155Points
12TH Rugeley MG 151Points
