Viaduct Fishery (Thursday Cost cutter).

Managing to take a last minute days holiday from work I was keen to get to Viaduct for a session on the build up to the Maver Match This qualifier on Saturday, With the later draw there was plenty of time for a Hilltops breakfast on route. Arriving at the fishery to find 35 booked in the match was to be spread over Cambell & Lodge Lakes as there was a club match on Cary today, I decided to hang back a bit as far as the draw went today as I haven't had the best of luck diving in early and the result saw me on peg 118 Cambell,

End peg 119 had been in good form of late with a lot of fish being caught off the end bank on the long pole but with the set back peg 117 being empty and the breeze blowing into are bank I did fancy it for a few fish as the day went on, I had draw this peg once before in a two day silvers match back in the winter winning the match after breaking the ice' silvers weren't my plan today but I was hoping the swim could be kind to me again this time around?.

Their were some very good anglers fishing today who also fish here on a regular basis so rather than follow suit I decided to try and fish what I felt confident doing and keep an eye on what others were doing around me as the match progressed. First of a the usual bomb rod to fish 6 & 8mm pellets towards the middle of the lake was out of the bag, Next was a 4x12 chanti on 0.15-0.13 and an 16 PR478  to fish meat at around 5mts, and last of all 2 rigs to fish down my inside towards the next pallet and back behind me on the top 3 of my pole tight to the bank, I've started using the drennan AS4 floats and I've found them to be  really strong so the first one was 0.4g to fish down towards the pallet on 0.21-0.19 and a size 14 wide gape pellet hook (Take no prisoners') in 3ft of water,

 The next was a lighter 0.2g  on 0.19-0.17 and the same hook for the shorter inside line.

At the all in I fed a pot of hemp and some 6mm meat on the 5mt open water swim and fed a few 6mm hard pellets down to the pallet via the catty, Starting on the bomb with 8mm pellet I had a stonking pull around first chuck but lost it' but despite trying around the swim in the first hour all I managed was one carp just over 3lb, I had seen Dan White on the end bank take a couple of nice fish on the short pole as well as a few anglers taking fish on the opposite bank so things weren't quite going to plan at this stage. the match behind us had started 30mins later than us so after the commotion of anglers walking up and down before the start I felt it was time to try towards the pallet. I had Gary Flinders who was next to me on Sunday on the next peg 116 and although I couldn't see him very well I had noticed he had already had a few fish down his inside.

Starting on 6mm banded pellet cad potting a few the same size over the top I had a fish straight away which was a pleasing sign' I had to fish black hydro elastic as it was the strongest I had in my top kits as I don't really fish many venues were its necessary, but it was a case of hit and hold" as I couldn't allow them to take me under the pallet or into the snags back towards me! I was getting regular signs and despite losing a few foul hookers approaching the halfway stage I felt I was catching up with those who had caught well at the start with 18 carp in the nets, It was all going to plan when disaster struck and whist playing the next carp the elastic snapped and I lost the fish and the whole rig!" I did have a duplicate rig but the other top set only had a lighter elastic which proved to light as the next hooked fish bolted through the pallet and snagged me the opposite side! What looked like a good first half of the match was soon all going wrong so I had to tighten the elastic down as much as I could in order to get the fish away from the bank.

The next hour proved to my worse only adding 2 more smaller samples and one more on the bomb whilst attaching a new hook length after being snagged again then by some miracle I had another carp of 6lb down towards the pallet only to find it had the rig I had snapped the elastic on in its gob along with the Dacron connecter still attached at the other end! result". Things did slow up towards the pallet after a few more fish so it was time to try the short meat line at 5mts in-front of me, starting with two 6mm cubes on the hook I had a carp first dob in then 3 un-miscible" bites followed in the next 15mins, A quick look on the bomb didn't produce and by now with an hour left I had to hope for a few fish on the short line back behind me tight to the bank. I was a bit surprized when first put-in I had a fish of 6lb followed by another of 8lb' It looked like they had moved onto this line in numbers as although it took me longer to get them in on the lighter elastic they were getting bigger and bigger! I had estimated I had put 60b or more in the net in 45mins and even had to get up to borrow a net off the guy behind me with 10mins to go! one more fish of 9lb before I hooked and lost another on the whistle had me thinking a had around 150b odd by the end of the match, by the time the scales arrived 140lb odd was winning are lake before Andy Rowbottom on 119 put 157lb on the scales and I new it would be close between us after my late run? So it turned out as I went into the lead with 161lb.

Further down on 115 Gary O'shea went on to put 192lb on the scales catching on worm to start with then switch to paste on the long and down his inside bank which proved to be another to win the day followed by Mark woodington over on lodge lake taking 176lb from corner peg 66 on lodge lake, My weigh was enough to take 2nd on the lake and 3rd overall on the day adding £20 to the wallet, well' for a short while before I used it to purchase some new elastic ready for the weekend", looking forward to Saturday and was pleased how my day went so lets hope it continues.

 winner Gary O'Shea.

 

Full results -

 

1st Gary O'Shea (Preston Innovation's Thatcher's) peg 115 Cambell, 192lb 14oz.

2nd Mark Woodington (Un-known) peg 66 Lodge, 176lb 2oz.

3rd Dom Sullivan (Maver) peg 118 Cambel, 161lb .

4th Andy Rowbottom (Un-known) peg 119 Cambell, 157lb 11oz.

5th Craig Edmound's (Flip-Flop) peg 126 Cambell, 149lb 10oz.

6th Steve Walter's (Un-known) peg 59 Lodge, 132lb 14oz.