Acorn Fishery (Monday & Tuesday).

Sorry for the late delay on these blogs as after four days fishing & one day on the sauce" I was totally shattered. First up was an open match at the fishery on bank holiday Monday run by Clevedon A.A, I picked up Lewis Jones on route before stopping off at the tasty burger van in Clevedon for a bite to eat before arriving at the fishery, It was quite windy when we arrived but thankfully most of the swims weren't to badly effected as it was blowing across the fishery, Not a bad turn-out as their were 16 fishing but in some areas it fished very hard in the over 50's match on Sunday so hopefully I could avoid them? Into the draw & I found myself on peg 19 which is a few pegs down from the bridge are side of the lake, It turned out Mike Chapman had struggled for just a few fish off of peg 18 the day before & called it a day early as did some others in the area so it wasn't really what I wanted to here'.

It was only around 13mts to the far bank but opted for a swim a couple of feet off in the deeper water around 3ft where I set up a 0.2g AS1 on 0.13-0.11 & an 18 808 hook, A 4x12 Chanti on the same line to fish next to the aerator down the track in nearly 5ft of water

& finally a 4x12 Chanti on 0.14-0.12 to fish in nearly 3ft of water infront the empty pallet a metre out.

for company I had Rich Lovering Above me this side of the bridge & Gabriel Skarba the other side with Mike Owens a couple of pegs up from him all on his todd"

Only a peg away from where I was last Tuesday so fancied he would catch a few as for the noted pegs in the lower numbers.

I started the day feeding a few 4mm hard pellets down the track & down towards the pallet before starting across with a 4mm expander on the hook feeding just a few micros via a toss pot to start with, I had four early fish but unfortunately only totalled about 1lb", After that I couldn't get a bite so it was time to start another line across further along the bank, One more hand size carp was all I could muster so it was time to try my other lines. Nothing! now I had to get my thinking cap on as I just couldn't catch, Rich had netted a couple of carp fishing tight over in a gap with bread so out came my dobbing rig, I Dobbed" up & down for 20mins but still nothing & was going nowhere, Mike Had been catching from the off as were the pegs on the island but apart from one carp of 3lb in the deeper water where I started the day after 2hrs I just couldn't see how I could catch what didn't seem to be there", Rich & Gabo were both struggling & after a couple of early carp on the method from the guy below me apart from Mike Are bank seemed very poor. I went up to see him catching & he wasn't doing anything different from the rest of us so went back for another go.

As soon as I started back across I had 2 more carp in two put-in's but that was short lived as nothing followed, I spent the rest of the match trying my other lines & starting a few more, I managed one good F1 down the track on corn a few bits on maggot over & added 4 more carp before I called it a day about 15mins from the end as even if I did add few more I was never going to catch up with what I had seen. A disappointing day yet again & just for a change I seemed to have drawn an area nobody really wanted, Know wonder they call it cyanide straight", Hey Ho..

Some did enjoy a good days fishing & Mike did manage to come out best with a good 94lb odd catching the bulk of his fish in the deeper water across on expanders then down to the empty pallet in the last hour so well done mate,

 Winner Mike Owens.

Lewis had a much better day off of one of the island swims (peg 5) ending the day with 75lb odd to finish in the frame so at least we could talk about how he caught on the way home'.

Full Results -

1st Mike Owens (Sensas Thyers) peg 24, 94lb 8oz.

2nd Bob Gullick (B.V.M.G) peg 9, 84lb 2oz.

3rd Adie Baker (Clevedon A.A) peg 2, 83lb 14oz.

4th Lewis Jones (Drennan S.W) peg 5, 75lb 10oz.

5th Lance Tucker (Sensas Thyers) peg 6, 65lb 12oz.

6th Mark Broomsgrove (Sensas Thyers) peg 34, 56lb 8oz.

Silvers - Mark Broomsgrove,  8lb 8oz.

Tuesday Costcutter Acorn Fishery.

So back for another go as I always add a days holiday after the bank hol's so was hoping for a change of fortune after having two bad matches in as many days' a good turnout for a Tuesday with 14 fishing but the weather didn't appear to promising as their were some really heavy downpours on the way there. into the draw I my first choice would off been either the island swims or peg 9 as it had plenty of room". No, Peg 40 next to the bridge it was then, I have draw this peg in the past winning a couple of times off it in the warmer months but as my great run off draws continues it seems to be a area to avoid at moment as Paul Nichols had drawn it the day before & didn't weigh-in & nor did the pegs to his right so I wasn't two hopeful..

I used the same rigs for a cross as the day before with similar depths, Used the same rig to try near the pallet to my right & made up a deep & shallow rig to fish next to the bridge, For company I had Brian (Anteater) Slipper the other side of the bridge on peg 6 which produced a few yesterday for Lance Tucker down the edge & with him having two empty swims to his left today I fancied he would have the same result? To my right I had Dave (Dogging) Wride on peg 38, & infront of me on the island I had fellow blogger Tony Rixon & Bob Smith on pegs which had produced the day before so was going to be up against it again.

Starting the match in the deeper water across again I never had a bite after 10mins & after watch Brian hook a couple of fish tight to the bridge shallow on pellet I soon followed suit, This is were I had problems straight away as the rig was towing away from the bridge the minute the rig settled so that was never going to work for me' I tried the deck rig but still know response so back to trying to catch else where.

I had a nice depth across tight to the vegetation around 2ft or so but despite feeding a couple of lines with fragile amounts' after 90mins I still hadn't had a bite". Brian had netted a couple of fish as had the guy on my choice peg 9 & Tony on the island. I wanted to just pack up & go but I couldn't live with myself if I had said I had blanked off it" so it was time to try something different. I got another rig out on a longer line set it around 18inches deep & put all the shot under the float baiting up with a 4mm expander I went slightly further along the bank swinging the rig to land a couple of feet off the vegetation. I couldn't believe it when it went under & I hooked & puled out of a carp straight away as my elastic was to heavy so soon switched to lighter elastic. back out & in the next 10mins I added 3 small carp, a 3lb fish & a decent F1 before it tailed off, I went slightly further along but nothing was added so began to ping the odd hard 4mm pellet over towards the far side of the bridge in the hope of drawing a few fish that maybe under the bridge? I tried my all my other lines but still couldn't get a response so my day was looking bleak again". I did manage to hook one decent carp from the far side of the bridge where I had been pinging" which shed the hook near the net' & that was it. I did manage a two more carp on the swinging" rig & some smaller samples but was going nowhere. Dave had managed just a few smaller carp down his edge & had the same idea as me when I decided to call it a day with an hour to go as their were some black clouds on the horizon & didn't fancy getting a soaking to make the day any worse.  I had Totally had enough as I was packing-up as that's three days in a row I've struggled just to catch anything & this go's with a long run of continually seeming to draw areas where me & others have failed to have a decent days fishing, Ok I have managed to draw a couple of fancied areas in the last month but on average for the amount of matches I've fished it just doesn't seem to be happening for me & I'm seriously considering sticking the lot away & forgetting about it. I've spent nearly a hundred quid in the last few days with bait, pools, food ect & when you don't have chance to get any return its becoming to be pointless. I'm going to give it a few more matches & see how things go. Its not just all about winning or picking up its more about having a days fishing' which more often than not isn't happening at the moment, Perhaps my choice of venues over the last couple of days haven't been the best as both have suffered from silver fish losses over the last year which limits what you can now target & I'm sure it leaves the carp reluctant to feed properly until we have packed up & gone". I have Fisho Mania Matches next week at woodlands view before heading back to viaduct fishery for another go so really hope I can be in an area with some chance of competing. Off to Viaduct Saturday with Lewis for their open match so hoping to draw the right lake for starters".

                                  

Summerhayes Fishery Open (Sellicks Lake).

Back to Summerhayes today as not many matches available without being involved in a league ect, I had a day socialising' yesterday with the wife & after the usual end of day kebab" strangely enough I decided to skip breakfast arriving at the fishery over an hour before the draw as it was later now the clocks had changed' I left the kit in the van as long as possible due to the fact their were some threatening skies around & I had already been caught in some heavy showers on route,

 Their were 14 fishing today so at least we would all have some room but I just fancied a day out of the now increasing wind so the bottom end would suit me' Into the draw & I managed to pick peg 12 right out of the wind so fortunate there then, It has a good inside edge which was going to be well sheltered as well as the end of the island at 13mts so plenty of room to work along, Quite simply as I had a 0.2g AS1 to fish over to the island were I found a flat spot tight-in with around 3ft of water on 0.13-0.11 & an 18 808 hook. A 4x12 Chanti on 0.14-0.12 & an 16 808 hook to fish at 6mts left & right down the track & an inline 0.2g  Maver Series 2, to fish down the edge at 8 & 13mts in nearly 3ft of water

which would double up to use down to my left were I had a nice clump of reeds to search around.

Jonny page had this peg a couple of weeks ago & had 20lb odd so I was hoping with the peg conditions in my favour it hoped to catch a few, All I had with my today bait wise was a mix of expanders & hard pellets, corn & 6mm meat.

I started by feeding a small amount of bait at 13mts down the edge, some corn off the end of the island in the deeper water, Fed a small amount of micro's tight to the island in-front of me & fed a couple of pieces of meat down the track to my right & some 4mm pellets to my left, I started the day hoping for a mug fish on the meat but after 10mins it was time to try tight to the island with a 4mm expander to start with

. I had a small dink on the float as it settled but that's as far as it went as I didn't have a sign after 20mins. Time to try down the track starting on a 6mm expander where I had been feeding some hard 4mms by hand, Still nothing so back to trying the other side with meat again. I gave it 5mins but it seemed the fish didn't want to be down the track? After around 90mins I had to have a look down the edge, I started at 8mts but was soon trying the longer line, I fully expected to have some sort of indication but after 10mins I was beginning to wonder if I was going to catch"? Back across tight over & I managed a 4oz carp followed by a 2oz roach so at least a blank was diverted'. Owner Pete's sidekick Tea boy Aide had come for a wander after a couple of hours & Apart from Martin Addicott on peg 4 having a few most of us were struggling, back down the edge at 13mts I finally managed a carp around 3lb but that was it, Not to drag on to much I managed 2 more carp going into the last hour on across & another down the edge but lost another down to the reeds on my right which was the only indication I had their al day, I the last 25mins I had one 3b plus fish across & two more smaller samples tighter to the bank down the edge both on meat. A poor days fishing really as I found it so hard just to try & induce a bite, When the scales arrived Bill Hopping was leading the way with 20lb odd followed by a 18lb odd, My six carp & 9oz' of bits gave me 15lb odd before further around on fancied peg 4 Martin Addicott won the match with a total of 28lb, I'm sure the heavy overnight showers & weather today didn't help matters but I did expect with us all having room we would have a few more, Thing I will leave this lake alone until it warms up properly as it hasn't fished for a while now in the matches I've fished. Off to Acorn tomorrow so hoping the overnight storm & wind forecast has long gone before we arrive.

Full Results -

 1st Martin Addicott (Summerhayes) peg 4, 28lb 12oz.

2nd Bill Hopping (Summerhayes) peg 19, 20lb 1oz.

3rd Steve Hayman (Summerhayes) peg 23, 18lb 8oz.

4th Brian Slipper (Sensas Thyers) peg 2, 18lb 6oz.

5th Dom Sullivan (Maver) peg 12, 15lb 3oz.

6th Jeff Saunders (Summerhayes) peg 10, 12lb 14oz.

Silvers -

1st  Ray Wickham (Summerhayes) peg 6, 4lb 11oz.

                  

Viaduct Fishery Good Friday Open.

It was an uneasy day for me right from the minute I was loading the van this morning, Still cant get over what's happened with Donald just not getting use to the fact their will be no more Traveling together or even the conversations we had, Sat in Hilltops for breakfast on my own seemed very eerie so I didn't hang about & got to the fishery in plenty of time, Conditions looked perfect & with a day of sunshine forecast at least it looked as if we were in for a pleasant day'

With a lot of people having the day off it was a good turn out with 40 Anglers fishing. The match was to be held over Cambell, Cary & one bank of Lodge lake which ideally I wanted to avoid as apart from the two end pegs having the chance of a few carp I didn't feel the other pegs would produce enough carp to get in the frame but could be good for a few silvers now the pellet has been introduced?.

Jumping in the queue before halfway my pick saw me on peg 68, LODGE LAKE" not in the corners as I fancied to produce but two swims up from the rope pegs 69 & 70 which is a favoured area for the lakes skimmers, Silvers it was for me then as my main plan of attack although with peg 67 being empty I would feed a line here should the peg not produce silvers have planned.

I set up a 0.3g Pencil float on 0.12-0.11 & an 18 808 hook to fish just over 13mts having a line left & right to feed a bit differently although my plan was to fish over Ground-bait or Micro pellet with either soft or hard pellet on the hook. next up was a 4x12 Chanti on 0.15-0.13 & an 18 wide gape hook to fish in the open water at 6mt in 4ft of water & the last pole rig was an in-line float on 0.17-0.15 & an 16 wide gape pellet hook. For company I had Mark Lehay on end peg 66 which I did fancy for a few, Bordon Anglings Neil Gaff on 69 & Steve Tucker on peg 70 both of which were going to target silvers from the off, Just before the all-in I received a phone call from Tim Lewis to tell me another angling friend Paul Chapman had passed away, That's to go with Steve Senior who also went last week, Both of these guys had been ill for some time & were aware of their fate but never the less no easier for the family's involved. God bless guys..    

I began the day feeding two balls at 13mts slightly left & a cup of loose over the top with some hard 4mms added & just one ball & a handful of micro pellets at the same distance to my right, I cupped a small amount of 6mm meat & some 4mms down the edge in-front the pallet & fed a few cubes of meat by hand on the 7mt line, I decided to have a quick few chucks with punched meat on the bomb in the middle of the lake on the off chance I may snare an early carp or big skimmer. After 20mins & not so much as a liner it was time to try the pole lines. I started on a 4mm expander over the heavier fed ground-bait line & had a 6oz skimmer right away but the next put-in I lost a much better one' not the start I was hopping for & with no more signs I topped it up & had ago over the micros fed line. I did catch a few more skimmers over the next 40min but they were all of a small size & both Neil & Steve were already catching silvers regularly with some decent skimmers.

It didn't seem after bumping one off they were to happy to sit in-front me so it was time to try something else. I hadn't seen any carp caught so far in my section so it was time to have a look down by the pallet as by now we were over an hour in. starting with an 8mm cube of meat on the hook no sooner as it settled I was in which turned out to be around 7lb, Over the next 15mins I managed two more smaller fish before it died off, I had a feeling the fish had backed off under the tree further along the bank so re-fed another amount of meat & 4mm's & left it to settle, back on the long lines again all I had were a few more 4-6oz skimmer off each line with no better stamp fish, I gave the short line a try where I had been feeding with meat by hand but even this didn't produce any early signs.

Back down the edge & I managed a 2lb skimmer & another carp in 20mins but it seemed to be a case of getting a couple of indications before I had to rest it, What didn't help me was the female ducky' must of been giving off a nice scent as their were 3 males chasing her around' They all caught up with her at the same time" smack bang in-front the pallet I was fishing too nearly drowning her in the process!" Just to make matters worse I did manage to hook another carp just before hand & shipping back I noticed my top 5 had worked loose" TO Late' Off it shot but lucky for me it headed for the empty pallet so I was up like a bolt managing to grab the line losing the fish again at the next platform". All day I kept switching between the lines I had going but I was well behind Neil & Steve on the silvers front so the best I could hope for was to hope they get in the silvers frame & I could win the section but it wouldn't be easy as Jamie (I Never Draw") Parkhouse on the other fancied end peg 73 had already netted a few carp from under the tree. Going into the last 90mins the breeze had picked up slightly & despite not catching off the short line all day I thought it might produce a few late carp? first put-in I had a 2lb skimmer, then a 3lb fish, Then two more which came off probably due to the elastic I was using as I was geared up for carp'. I decided to try the lighter elastic rig I was using on my long line over the top & yep it had to happen' A carp the first put-in', I did manage to get it in after a bit of time & commotion so this is how my last 60mins were spent, Taking the odd big skimmer off the short line before trying down the edge again which did produce a couple more late carp & a couple more skimmers, owe & a 2lb perch' before reverting back & taking a few more late skimmers off the 6mt line before the all out sounded, I new I couldn't compete with the silvers Steve & Neil had caught all day but didn't know if I had a chance of winning the section?. That was short lived as Jamie had a good day catching under the tree to take 107lb, Steve had 36lb odd of silvers before Neil bettered him with 38lb odd, My turn 7 I finished with 47lb odd of carp & a surprizing 28lb of skimmers so a few more & I would of soon caught up with them shame they didn't turn up earlier but still & enjoyable days fishing come the end. Back at the results & their were some crazy weights for March" Top of the pile was that bagging machine, Craig (Trigger) Edmunds who amassed a massive 303lb" from peg 94 on Cary Lake consisting of 29 carp mainly shallow on the pole with pellet then a few lake fish short on meat, It was close though as Miles Levy had taken 299lb from fancied peg 114 on Cambell so only a fish in it'. On the silvers front Gary O'Shea managed the top weight off of Cambell Lake peg 124 with 46lb odd all taken on the long poe with hard pellet over micros or the short pole with soft pellet. Most people had a few fish today just proving how well the venue has fished, They certainly seem to have waken up to the use of pellets that's for sure' Day off tomoz before a return to Summerhayes Sellicks lake on Sunday for there open match.

Full Results -

1st Craig Edmunds (Premier Angling) peg 94 Cary, 303lb 14oz.

2nd Miles Levy (Guru) peg 114 Cambell, 299lb 11oz.

3rd Dan Squires (Frenzee) peg 112 Cambell. 206lb 12oz.

4th Mark Poppleton (S.W.M.G) peg 128 Cambell, 186lb 1oz.

5th Nick Ewers (P.I.Thatchers) peg 111 Cambell, 180lb.

6th Ben Hagg (Guru) peg 132 Cambell, 143lb 3oz.

Silvers -

1st Gary O'Shea (P.I.Thatchers) peg 124 Cambell, 46lb 6oz.

2nd Neil Gaff (Bordon Angling) peg 69 Lodge, 38lb 14oz.

 

 

                                

Acorn Fishery Tuesday Cost Cutter.

It slowly hit me on Monday the fact that Donald had passed away so unexpectedly, I didn't have a clear enough mind to be driving an artic up the motorway' I cut my day short deciding to take Tuesday off to have a day in the fresh air'. After a conversation with Jonny Page it had expired that Don was in the hospital at the time of his death & had been given the all clear on lung cancer but was suffering still with a bad chest, What happened their after is still un-explained with an investigation on going.

I decided to have a day at acorn to try & come to terms with things but also having Donald at the front of my mind. I wasn't worried where I drew today to be honest & when I arrived it was pleasant to see the fishery was totally free of wind' which is not often the case here.

Gabo had also booked in so met him at the fishery after stopping of for some warm grub at the burger van on route.

15 fishing today which I a good turnout for a Tuesday, I suppose it helps being a cost-cutter with the entry fee being £12 making it affordable for most, I let a few pick before me before I had my turn & pulled out peg 25 at the top end of the lake,

Not an area I would of chose even Gabo said it was Shite but I had a feeling that it wasn't going to be a great weight to win the day & with the conditions being ideal I felt the peg could compete. I was fortunate to have an empty peg either side so again had the room to work both of them, This end of the lake is shallower than the opposite so I found around 3ft around a metre off the empty pallets where I set up a 4x12 Chanti on 0.13-0.11 & an 16 PR434 hook, next up was a rig to fish a couple of feet off the island in the deeper water being a 0.03g AS1 again on 0.13-0.11 & an 18 808 hook. I made up a 4x10 Chanti on the same line/hook to fish tighter to the bank in 2ft or so of water & finally a rig to fish down the track again being a 4x12 chanti in 5ft of water on 0.14-0.12 & an 16 808 hook.

I started the match feeding a bit of hemp, 4mm hard pellets & a few grains of corn  down in-front of one pallet & left the other to begin with. I fed a palm of micro & 4mm's off to my left at 12mts & began the day at around 11mts in-front of me feeding a few micro via a cad-pot fishing a 4mm expander on the hook. After 15mins I had my first carp around 3lb & after an hour I was up to 6 fish averaging 2lb each, I kept switching between the two deeper lines across but couldn't get a bite where I had fed a more positive line so kept pugging away feeding next to nothing & waiting for bites. After 90mins I was up to eight fish but was now struggling for bites, Lee Waller was above me the other side of the bridge & although he appeared to be losing a few I had seen him net a couple of decent fish so it was time to change. I had been pinging a few hard 4mm pellets down to either pallet so decided to give it a try, Starting with a 6mm expander on the hook I had 3 carp in 15mins down to my left but they only totalled 5lb between them. I had one 3lb fish to my right but then couldn't get a bite either side, I began to realise you could only catch a fish off each line before you had to rest it & try another. I wasn't getting big fish but be rotating all my lines I managed to pick off the odd fish & seemed to be putting fish in the net when others were struggling for bites. I did have to start a couple of new lines across though the day just to get an extra fish or two which worked well, I began to feed just corn on my more positive line across & did manage a 4lb fish on it but nothing for the rest of the day. I managed a 3lb plus fish tighter to the island again on expander but that was it so most of my fish came either down the edge or on my negative' deeper lines across either on dead maggot or expanders. I had been feeding down the track all day & did manage two late fish for over 8lb so it proved worth while not to give up on it. From what I could see a few fish had been caught but it seemed most had struggled as the match progressed.

When I caught up with the scales Paul Faiers was the top weight on peg 36 with 50lb odd which I hoped to have but hadn't been adding up' After a couple of close weights it was my turn & finished the day with 66lb odd including a couple of goldfish" Lee ended up with 40lb odd but I didn't know what had been caught in the earlier numbers as they were being weighed with another set off scales.

Back at the results & it turned out to be a very close affair with myself taking top spot just ahead of venue regular Mike Owen's from peg 9 with 64lb odd. A Really enjoyable days fishing, Not hectic by any means but by regular feeding & rotating lines I managed to add fish throughout the day picking up £42 along the way.

 Part of my catch.

 

 Donald must of already been looking down on me as nothing went wrong all day' I only lost three fish & two of them were foul hooked & I never trashed a rig" a good day all round as that's un-heard of". I'm off to Viaduct on Friday for an open & back here next Monday for Clevedon's open match which I'm sure will have a good turnout.

Full Results -

1st Dom Sullivan (Maver) peg 25, 66lb 8oz.

2nd Mike Owens (Sensas Thyers) peg 9, 64lb 4oz.

3rd Kev Jeffries (Bristol) peg 6, 55b 14oz.

4th Paul Fairies (Sensas Thyers) peg 36, 50lb 11oz.

5th Bob Warren (Over 50's) peg 34, 49lb 12oz.

6th Mike Chapman (Over 50's) peg 31, 48lb 12oz.

 

 

                           

Viaduct Fishery Open Match (Cary Lake).

A Bit of a hard blog for me to knuckle down to tonight as I received awful news a couple of hours into the match that my traveling partner & good friend Don Sutherland had passed away all of a sudden. It totally marred my day as can be expected as I was in total shock. I had spoken to Donald at the end of last week & he had informed me he had visited the doctors & had the sad news he was suffering from lung cancer but they wouldn't know until this week coming to what extent it would effect him, He was his normal chirpy self who just wanted to shrug it off & carry on as normal. The news was he had suffered a severe heart attack causing an unexpected death to somebody who will be sadly missed...

I've travelled with Don for a number of years now & we have enjoyed having good results in the silvers pairs over the last two years held at Viaduct after Xmas as well as sharing good results in the popular silvers league held at the fishery. I will miss us not discussing the week over are hilltops breakfast on a Sunday morning, Or accidently leaving the sausage I save for my dog in your van door for you to find sometime through the week!". Visiting this venue wont be the same from now on as everyone mixed are names up being very similar' as well as the fact I now don't have that one person to share are times on the bank with on the way home. Both off us had been hoping to qualify for the all winners final later in the year & after so close calls between us I will do my best to take the chance should it arise. One more good one for him up above but a sad loss for all that new him & my thoughts go out to his Family. Rest in peace mate.

Not going to make this long but I drew peg 78 on the causeway bank between Cary & Cambell Lakes, An Area which has produced a few fish down towards the tree which was resting between me & Colin Dyer on peg 77, This peg had produced In yesterdays Paul Garrett Memorial match winning the lake with over 170lb' & my peg had produced a ton so I was hoping for a few fish?. Their was a chilling easterly breeze blowing at us which I felt would be against us but we would see. This is how my match progressed, Two carp on the bomb in the first hour one on pellet & one on pellet with a pellet cone added, No carp all day on the pole down towards the tree or on another line I had started further away with just one 12oz skimmers on 8mm pellet for my efforts. I was up to 5 carp before I received the bad news & the rest of my day my head just wasn't on it. I did manage another in the last hour before taking a 14lb fish on the whistle which had me convinced it was foul hooked before I netted it 5mins after the all-out'.

I had managed a couple of skimmers on the bomb as well as the carp mostly taken with meat on the hook. I was one of the first to weigh & my total went 78lb odd, Michal Hall over on the opposite bank end peg 102 did well to catch most of his fish down to the next empty pallet in the last couple of hours to finish with 110lb odd to win the day. My weight ended up enough for second picking up £40 along the way but no consolation for my thoughts. A busy weekend planned for next week but just bare in mind today proves you might not get a next time' so remember its only fishing & enjoy it as you never know when your times up...            

Sedges Fishery Pairs (Day 2)

Back to the Sedges for the second round of the two day pairs event held over Brick & Tile Lake with each angler fishing each lake in turn. I met partner Gabriel Skarba at hilltops for breakfast before arriving early at the fishery, What was noticeable was the change in weather from last week being overcast & a brisk wind from the east was making it very cold in areas. It was my turn to fish Brick lake & judging by last weeks results the corner pegs could prove valuable as the won every section last time around' Gabo let me draw again (He must be mad") & I drew peg 15 for myself which was in the middle of the near bank but at least I had the wind off my back & Gabo ended up on end peg 21 on Tile which is the first peg up on the far bank in the corner, It produced a good weight last week winning the section so even with the wind in his kisser it had to be fancied for a weight & good points.

It turned out we had a know show in are section so I ended up with an empty peg either side so had plenty of room.

First up was the bomb to fish various baits over towards the centre of the Lake, Next up was a pellet waggler to also fish across or so I thought as I had left it at home all made up in its case" Skip that for the time being then! I had a 0,6g PB1 to fish at 14mts in 8ft of water on 0.14-012 & an 18 pellet hook, & a 4x14 Chanti to fish at 7mts in same depth 0n 0.15-0.13 & an 16 Silver fish Pellet hook. For company I had Tom Thick in the next section on my left & Lance (Gummy") Tucker to my right. I began by feeding a good handful of micro's on the 14mt line & a small amount of hemp & around 20 cubes of meat at 7mts before starting the day on the bomb & Punched Meat, In the first hour all I had was a 2lb skimmer on punched yellow meat but had been through a range of baits from bread, Pellet ect, I had managed to assemble a pellet waggler on my spare 13ft rod so it was time to give it ago as I had already seen signs of fish breaking the surface. 15mins of swapping depth still didn't produce so it was time to try the long pole.

Starting on a 4mm expander I missed a bite which I expected to be small fish so switched to fishing banded hard 4mm pellets on the hook. Soon after I had another 2llb skimmer on only for it to come off shipping back'. I topped it up straight away but nothing followed so decided to try the bomb again. Feeding some hard 8mm pellets with the catty with the same on the hook finally got me a carp around 6lb but then no so much as a liner, Lance had a couple of early carp on the bomb but had added a couple on the waggler shallow so gave it another go.

15mins later & I still hadn't had a bite on it, What was noticeable was I had quite a ripple where I was casting although lances peg was clear of the breeze so felt they weren't to keen feeding in it? It was time to try the pole starting with a cube of 6mm meat on the hook. After a few minutes I had a 2lb skimmer then soon after hooked a carp which again came off" before the swim totally died so again had to try my other Lines & rest it. It didn't seem to matter what I tried I just couldn't get bites on anything, Back on the 7mt line approaching the halfway stage so me add a decent fish around 12lb before foul hooking & losing another decent fish. It seemed to be a case getting early signs before you had to rest it again. Still nothing elsewhere in the next 30mins so I new then my best chance was the 7mt line which I expected to get better going into the last hour? I had another 8lb fish as soon as I dropped back in & with the last hour approaching but it was not as hectic as I hoped it to be, I managed two more decent skimmers & just one more better carp but did miss at least 6 bites & bumped off two more when trying a couple of inches overdepth? It seemed best just to have an 8mm cube just touching the deck feeding just a few cubes over the top but I felt somehow I could of just added a few more fish off this line, It was towing though a little so maybe trying a heavier rig would of helped but I try & fish as light as possible as I believe it magnifies the bites. It turned out I had been looking the wrong way as far as what I though was my section towards tom as it turned out it was only Lance, Eric Fouracre & myself for the section without the no show, Eric was first to weigh from peg 10 in the corner which produced the winner in the first match, It wasn't as good today & his 6 carp & bits went 45lb odd, Next up was lance who had 7 carp & 9lb of silvers for 48lb odd & my 4 carp & 8lb of silvers gave me a 42lb total so just the one fish between us. disappointed not to have won the section as I had my chances but that's the way it goes, Tom had done well adding a few big fish off his 5mt meat line winning his section with 7 fish for 71lb. Back at the results & Gabo had finished second in his section with 56lb but also lost a fish in the last 5mins costing him the section win. Lost fish & missed bites had cost a place in the final standing & payouts for sure but that's the way it goes.  Newly sponsored by Frenzee, Dan White fished another good match from peg 32 on Tile to win the day with 125lb ahead of Jamie Parkhouse who took 99lb from the same lake. In the final standing for the pairs Jamie & Nigel Garrett came out on top to take the top prize of £500 so well done to the pair of them". It was good fun fishing this & I'le look forward to doing it again after having a few more visits to the venue. I have booked into the Three match top 2" starting later this year which is something new to me so looking forward to that aswell. Off to Viaduct tomorrow for a match on Cary Lake so hoping to snare a few lumps".

Days Results -

1st Dan White (Freenze South West) peg 32 Tile, 125lb 8oz.

2nd Jamie Parkhouse (Exeter) peg 37, 99lb 9oz.

3rd Nigel Garrett (Bait-tech Viaduct) peg 9 Brick, 92lb 13oz.

4th Tom Thick (Thatchers Tackle) peg 17 Tile, 86lb.

5th Nick Chedzoy (P.I.Thatchers) peg 7 Brick. 80lb 7oz.

6th Steve Fouracre (Sedges) peg 40 Tile, 69lb 8oz

Overall Pairs Results -

1st Nigel Garrett & Jamie Parkhouse.

2nd Dan White & Scott Puddy.

3rd Dave White & Dave Romaine. 

      

                    

Summerhayes Fishery Open (Sellicks Lake).

Failing to book in anywhere else Jonny Page, Simon Ryall & Myself decided to take a trip to Summerhayes, Reports were the lake had been fishing ok so I expected a few fish to be caught, We had are normal breakfast stop off before arriving to find 20 booked in, Their are only 23 pegs on this lake & the last visit here drew peg 9 & with an empty peg either side I still struggled for 19lb odd so was hoping to avoid this area with my preference for the far side of the lake or one of the lucky ones to have some room. No such luck today after a nice peg yesterday I thought I was asking to much ending up on peg 10 which is the narrower end of the lake with 13mts getting me over to the island, All sounds good but the far bank has been stripped right back to nothing so no cover as such just bare bank, I didn't fancy it at all to be honest as peg 9 was in with 8 being empty as was peg 11 being the end peg of are bank so I was trapped in the middle. I didn't have many options as the pegs are close here so first up was a dobbing rig for the far bank, A rig to fish down the track being a 4x12 Chanti on 0.15-0.13 & an 18 Silvers fish hook & finally a rig to fish tight to the far bank where I found a flattish area around 4ft so again had a 4x12 Chanti on 0.13-0.11 & an 18 808 hook.

I started the day just dobbing a small cube of meat along the far bank in what room I had, After 15mins without a sign of fish I decided to try on the deck with a 4mm expander to start with feeding a few micros over the top with a cad pot, I finally had a small 10oz carp then 15mins later I had a fish around 4lb on hard 6mm pellet, things were really slow for most but further up the lake on the wider pegs they were catching from the off, I was trying every thing I could to try & induce a bite, The line down the track failed to produce a bite all day as did a new swim off to my left I fed with hard 4mm's & some Micro's so no more about them' the dad n lad team either side of me had taken a fish from down their margins but the decided to fish facing me & theirs only around 12ft between us" I had been feeding small pinches of bait here hoping to try it late in the day but now it had been totally claimed' I had a day trying just about everything I could think of, I managed two more carp from the far bank one deep & one shallow on meat & lost 3, One in a snag, one foul hooked, & one bigger one for no reason'.

Not a good days fishing but with a chilling breeze from the north blowing down the lake put the fish right off.  Mark Lehay on peg 5 in the wider water caught a few carp towards empty peg 4 down the edge before taking the bulk of his fish across to the far bank on mainly bread to finish with 45lb odd to win with ease today so well done to him Silvers went the way of Ray Wickham from peg 17 with 7lb odd so lower weight all around. Shame I couldn't of had another good day but that's the way it goes but I sure will be glad when it warms up enough they start competing for food. Back to The Sedges next Saturday for the second round of the pairs & my turn to fish Brick Lake, Judging by yesterdays results a corner peg will do nicely".

Full results -

 1st Mark Lehay (Summerhayes) peg 5, 45lb 6oz.

2nd Mark Hannon (Summerhayes) peg 14, 26lb 3oz.

3rd Simon Ryall, (Weston s mare) peg 7, 24b 2oz.

4th Ray Wickham (Summerhayes) peg 17, 22lb 8oz.

5th Jonny Page (Weston s mare) peg 12, 20lb 2oz.

Silvers - Ray Wickham, 7lb 7oz.

   

      

Sedges Fishery (Pairs Match) Day One.

Really looking forward to this as I seldom get the chance to visit this fishery, The last time I fished here was a couple of seasons ago & that was in a silvers only match In memory of Jeff Wye who was a regular at the venue, I was paired up with my foreign friend Gabo Skarba who I met in hilltops after finishing his night shift' Arriving at the fishery It was pleasant to have a good day forecast weather wise with no wind"  It ended up their would be 15pairs as their was one lot of know shows on the day so we would be evenly spread over Tile & Brick Lakes.

You could chose which angler fished which lake so Gabo gave me the option & I decided to pick Tile lake, on the way down I fancied peg 40 on Tile, Never fished this lake for carp which you needed but at heard it held a few fish & this peg is well fancied. Gabo let me do are draw (Is He Mad") but I had a good vibe after managing to catch a few in my last few matches. I didn't disappoint myself as I only went & drew peg 40"! Which just so happened to be the peg Gabo drew last week on an open & finished 2nd with 96lb' BANG ON".

The opposite side of my number put Gabo on peg 6 which can be a good area for big skimmers if the carp don't play ball being in the middle of the lake on the causeway bank. My peg is situated in the first corner of the lake with loads of options, A good inside edge at 14mts upwards along the end bank of the Lake, An island chuck at around 30mts & a gap between the end bank & the island around 35mts not forgetting all the open water' It was case of what to do' I had a good look & decided to fish the bomb & various baits across to the island, A swim at 7mts in around 8ft of water where I assembled a 4x14 Chanti on 0.15-0.13 & a 16 pellet hook, Quite a light for the depth but with perfect conditions get away with it, last of all I had a rig to fish at 16mts just off the end bank where I found a flat spot at around 3ft deep so had a 4x12 Chanti on 0.13-0.13' Like I've said before if you happened to get snagged the chances are it will break below the knots when pulled hard enough without trashing the whole rig".

I started the day by feeding a good handful of hemp & around a dozen cubes of 6mm meat onto the 7mt line, Fed a small amount of hard 4mm pellet & Micro's at 16mts down the end bank to try & congregate some fish in an smaller area in a depth I felt was right & began the day fishing the bomb & punched red meat between the Island & the end bank, I had Venue Owner Jamie Cook next to me on peg 39 who began the day on the method feeder tight to his island chuck, 30mins in & Jamie had already netted a couple of carp as had the pegs above him, I switched to casting the bomb & bread infront of the island.

After 2 chucks closer to the bank I dropped it shorter a couples of metres off the island & was soon rewarded of my first fish, It proved a good choice as over the next hour I managed to put 10 carp in the net, Things sowed a little so decided to try my other lines. I started on the 7mt line with a cube of 6mm meat where I had been feeding a few cubes by hand from the off. I had a skimmer around a 1lb followed by two smaller fish then switched to an 8mm cube of meat, it worked as I added two carp around 5-6lb before bites slowed. I hadn't tried the inside swim as yet but with 13 carp after two hours I decided to go & fetch another net.

When I returned I tried the bomb & bread again adding one more early fish before I felt it was time to try my 16mt line, I had been pinging a few hard 4mm pellets down the bank from the start but decided to start on a 6mm cube of meat on the hook. No sooner had the rig settled I was in followed by 6 more in as many put-ins before it was time to rest it, The next couple of hours seemed to go as planned as I managed a few more on the bomb & took the odd fish from down the end bank, I expected the last 90mins to be even more hectic down the edge but after a breeze blew some skum into the bank the peg died, I think the fish had decided to have a venture as the sun had now come out as there were signs of them further out in the lake, At this point I was cussing myself as I hadn't had time to assemble a shallower waggler & it wasn't long before Jamie had noticed & soon was into some better fish including one of 15lb' followed by some fish over 6lb so was soon catching up, I keep switching between the bomb where I had the odd fish & back down edge but I never had another bite here. With 15mins to go I decided to stick to the 7mt line with 8mm meat on the hook, It proved worth while as I added two late 5lb fish before the all-out. I estimated I would have close to 150lb but I lost count halfway through", When the scales arrived on are bank Dave Romaine put 144lb on the scales from peg 37, Tom Thick On 38 Had 80lb odd before Jamie put 108lb on the scales, My turn & after four weighs I finished with 153lb enough to win the section & the lake which was a good result picking up £70 along the way, Back at the results & Tom Magnul had won the match from peg 11 on the Brick Lake with 164lb odd catching fish from his end bank on the Long pole & bread & the short pole with meat so another good performance from him. Easy to say I was on one of the most fancied pegs today but I felt having never fished the lake for carp it didn't take me to long to get to grips catching some fish, I did feel I had cost myself a few more by not having the wager set up but one things for sure it will be next time".

No photo's today sorry as remembered the camera but left the sim card in my laptop' which was a shame as fellow blogger Chris Fox landed a 25lb 8oz mirror carp from peg 4 on Brick lake but he had a photo on his phone so expect you can see on his blog. As things stand Nick Chedzoy & Nicky Ewers are out infront but there's all to play for with day two next Saturday. Gabo didn't have the best of days from the middle of the causeway peg 6 an area which fished harder than elsewhere but overall the points are tight so all to pay for next week when its my turn to fish brick lake. 

Full Results -

1st Tom Magnul (Mosella) peg 11 Brick Lake. 164lb 10oz.

2nd Dom Sullivan (Maver) peg 40 Tile Lake, 153lb 7oz.

3rd Dave Romaine (Viaduct) peg 36 Tile Lake, 140lb 4oz.

4th Dave White (Viaduct) peg 10 Brick Lake, 137lb 12oz.

5th Nick Chedzoy (P.I.Thatchers) peg 21 Tile Lake, 123lb 10oz.   

6th Jamie Cook (The Sedges) peg 39 Tile Lake, 108lb 5oz.                                                                                                                        

*/Fisho" Mania Qualifier (Viaduct Fishery).

My first chance to have a crack at this years Fisho' Qualifiers with my first attempt to hopefully have a peg with a chance of making the now semi' final,  Who I class as my young apprentice back in the day", Lewis Jones had also been fortunate enough to get nearly the same amount of tickets as me so it was already agreed we would travel together. No hilltops today but we did manage to grab a breakfast roll & hot drink on the way down from the burger van' In the A38 layby, We Arrived in plenty of time to be escorted' Lol to are parking space before grabbing a hot cuppa as it was blowing an Absolutely Howler!" & just for good measure it was raining" most of the 130 fishing were cramped in the shelter of the shop or decked area out of the horrid weather' Their certainly were going to be a lot of pegs we wouldn't want made worse by the fact nearly half would have the wind smack in their chops". I caught up with Exeter based Tom Dowling before the draw & with all the talk of peg 113 on Cambell being well fancied I joked I best make sure I get in the draw bag before them to have any chance'.

The match was put back to an 11am start which made sense rather than have a mad trolley dash' I was a bit closer than I would of liked towards the front of the draw queue so let a few slip in-front before taking my turn, I was praying with baited breath as I opened the ticket to find myself on peg 86 Cary & Lewis ended up with peg 100 on the same lake, I was happy with my draw even though fellow blogger Tony Rixon had it on Sunday their was a bit more pressure on it to day & hopefully with a good wind on the lake it could spur a few of the big fish to feed? Owe & I forgot to mention Tom's draw, Only BLOODY 113..!" I ask you" I even took a photo of the grin on his face before the match commenced incase I couldn't get to him after the weigh-in".

I was quite pleased when arriving at my swim the now very harsh wind was slightly off are shoulder so nowhere near as bad as for those on the opposite bank including Lewis,

It was a bit to blowy for the pole & the waggler was out of the question so a simple day again then just two bomb rods, one with 7lb main line to an 0.22, 15" hooklength & the other 6lb main line to an 0.19, 15" Hooklength with a hair stop, Plenty of time to grab a brew for Glynn Reynolds from the Freenze welsh mob who would be good company on peg 85 next to me which also had a chance of throwing up a few.

Completely ready before the start all I had to do was chose which bait to start with' What made it worse is Pellet is allowed for this match unlike Sunday when I was on this lake so had even more options to confuse me?. I decided to start 8mm punched red meat as it had caught me a few on Sunday so I suppose you could say I had a bit of confidence in it casting around 25mts to start with as I didn't want to venture to far across to start with. Well somewhere approaching the 30 second mark the tip flew round & a decent fish was on' It took me all of a minute to net it at around 13lb" STOP FISHO' I'M WINNING.!" If only it was a case of who catch the first & Biggest hey". Well it was a great start but the next cast didn't produce so after another 15min I switched to putting polony on the hook, Again it hadn't been in for more that a few mins before I added a fish of 10lb soon followed the next chuck with a bigger fish approaching 14lb" my next fish came just before midday which was smaller than the norm but in the first hour I guessed I had around 45lb in the net so was more than happy'. This is where the wheels fell off slightly as I fully expected a few more with the way things were going but in the next hour I didn't add a fish, What I did notice was pegs 96, 97 & 99 had all started to catch fish,

 Please go round"

 

Glynn next to me had also had four fish but I couldn't see how big they were as the bush blocked the view but he was also struggling to add anymore, Over the next hour I tried hard pellet on the hook on an area I had been feeding a few from the off at around 20mts without a sign & had now covered most of the open water as far as I could go but only added one more, Into the fourth hour & I managed an F1' on 10mm polony & a skimmer on red meat but couldn't seem to find anymore carp, The pegs on the far bank seemed to be fairing best I though until I spoke to Lewis & He told me pegs 77 & 78 had both been catching carp on the pole in the sheltered area they had with a fallen tree in the water but not an area most would of expected the fish to be'.

Going into the last hour I had a couple of liners in the same area I had started before hooking a decent fish just as there' a polp" right near where I hooked mine? It turned out it was the guy on 95 who had obviously gone beyond the boundaries straight over my line" A tug of war ensued which went on for about 10mins before his final tug snapped my hooklength & losing the fish" Wth a new one attached I cast to the same spot, Soon after I was in again & bugger me he struck into me again after casting across & 10mins later another lost fish & hooklength!!! I was not impressed" & believe me I must of mellowed" coz a while back I think you may of found them speared to the tree with a bank stick!

What made it worse is this time it must of cost him some tackle so he proceed to pack up & sod off". I re-attached another & with 20ins to go hooked another & with no obstacles" I got it in around 14lb only to hook & lose another at the net as it bolted & I had tighten the drag earlyier when having my battle" B*****K's.

I had time for a quick chuck with the pellet set up but it was to late to add a new hookength before the all out on the other rod & come the end I was a bit put out to be honest, Glynn had ended the day with 9 fish & thought he had around 90lb & I had finished with 7 fish for around 70lb so my misspent time in tug of war & rushing for some late fish could of certainly cost my for the section at least.

when the scales arrived 24lb was winning the section, I was close with my guess finishing with 69lb odd & Glynn was bang on with 90lb to win the section so well done mate, Dan Squires above the spit on 81 in the next section weighed a level 100lb but either side of the tree on pegs 77, 78 both finished with over a 100lb,

We were late back to the results but it turned out the peg I drew on Saturday & Des Shipp had Sunday peg 115 on Cambell was the place to be as it threw up the winner John Greening from Woody's Tackle taking 160lb 11oz on the bomb & Pellet so it looked like they had ventured up the lake a bit today as Tom on what was the hot peg" struggled for a few. Goes to prove you just don't know & overall both Cary & Cambell produced a few ton' weights. Well done to John & best of luck in the semi's, Five more chances to have a crack at it but at least i a few fish & A good chance to go at it, Its a shame the fish appeared to move, I did pull out of my fifth fish after a few turns which perhaps caused them to vacate but who know's'. After the first hour I was really beginning to think getting to cudmore was on the cards but it wasn't to be but still a good day, Wind lashed Lewis looked ill when he returned to the van but he had done well to catch 60lb after a slow start. Are next trip is to Woodlands View in a few weeks which we will visit before hand followed by another trip here a few days after. Off to the Sedges Fishery on Saturday for a pairs match spread over two weekends on Tile & Brick Lake with Gabriel Skarba so looking forward to the change of scenery.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 -+

Viaduct Fishery (Team Of Five) Winter League (Final Round).

Back to Viaduct today for the final round of this popular Ninety-Five peg league held over all the lakes, With Donald picking me up we were fortunate to have are hilltop stop off for breakfast before the cavalry arrived' Team wise we hadn't had the best of luck as far as the team draw has gone & with me being on Scary Cary' lake today I was hoping that captain Chris Hook would be luckier than the rest of us having his turn"? Thankfully he picked what looked to be a good draw all round, Chris Himself had an ok peg on the far end of match lake peg 42, Last time lake winner |Lewis Walker had draw peg 16 on spring which had won the first match out right so had to fancy it, Steve Segar had draw the monk peg 66 on lodge which is usually worth a few fish, Donald had finally had his best draw being on peg 127 on Cambell, not the best on the lake form wise on their at the moment but still better than some & I found myself on peg 96 Cary which has had form for a few carp though-out the series so I fancied my chances to at least put a couple in the net to earn good points for the team & to give myself a chance of a pick up'. Arriving at my peg I had already decided fishing the pole wasn't going to be an option today as I didn't feel it was warm enough for fish to venture to close to us & with the cold win already blowing are way fishing the waggler was also going to prove difficult. A simple day for me then" Two rods to fish the straight lead at distance!, Both with 6lb main line, One with an 0.22 15'inch hook-length to a size 14 guru hook with a hair stop, The other with a 2ft 0.17 hook-length & a size 16 hook direct. At east when it came to packing up it wouldn't take long' I'm not really a lover of sitting on the tip for 5hrs but if I was to do any good it would my best option, Set up in plenty of time I had a good walk around & my option seemed pretty much the same as most as I didn't see many poles being assembled' Even fellow blogger Tony Rixon only had a tip rod set up' He told me it was only this year he took the wrap off the handle!" Good mate Des Shipp had only happened to end up on the peg I had yesterday on Cambell peg 115 so found time to go & have a chat & give him some tips before the start.....? Ok just told him what I did Lol, He showed me something new & gave me a sample to try so thanks for that & we would see if  works for me"?.

Time to grab a cuppa before the start & arriving back at my peg I had good company with Anton (Smiley) Page on peg 94 on the end of are bank, Garbolino's Steve Tucker Next to me on peg 97, Adrian Jefferies below him on 98, & Chris Davis next to the tree on peg 99, Finished off with Gary O'Shea right behind us on peg 64 of Lodge so good banter'. A simple start to the day then, casting the bomb out towards the point opposite me,

 

Choice of bait to start with was a plain punched 8mm piece of meat having caught on it when last on here a few weeks ago, I at least expected a few liners to show their were some fish present as did Steve next to me but over 45mins all I had was one small knock, I had switched between red meat, corn, & even maggots but it still failed to produce any early fish, It appeared their were a few carp coming out opposite us above the spit judging by conversation between the welsh contingent" mind you I think we could or heard them from the Huntspill".

The first carp are side was caught by Anton above me from the end bank which turned out to be a good double'

 

 

Steve was next to catch after an hour or so & added a double figure fish soon after,

 

 

It was just approaching the 90min mark when Steve was playing his third I had my first bite on red meat which turned out to be a fish around 8lb so at least I was off the mark' I had another about 20mins later which was slightly smaller but Steve was still finding them as he was up to five. Adrian below him was yet to catch & Chris had one carp & some silvers off his pole line, Nearly halfway thought & Steve mentioned that he had take a couple on polony which was quite comical as I had mentioned before the start I was yet to have any success with it, I had some on my side tray so had nothing to lose decided to give it a go. Well B****R me it had only been out their a couple of minute before I added another but it was short lived as again I couldn't get a response.

 

I had been pinging a few cubes of 6mm meat at 20mins to my left but even here I couldn't get a sign, I spent the next hour casting longer & shorter to different parts of the swim with polony or red meat on the hook, Approaching the three hour mark I had two more in as many casts from the same area the nothing again.

Steve was up to seven fish but had caught most of them in an hour period & was also struggling to add anymore, I was hoping they might have a proper munch later in the match but it just didn't happen, I added one more as did Steve, Adrian finished the day with a couple, Chris ended up with five thanks to a couple of late fish & Anton finished up with four two of which came in the last hour off the end bank , When the scales arrived at Anton 51lb was winning the lake but Anton's four fish went 55lb odd, My six fish went just under 54lb but Steve faired best winning the lake with a good 89lb with his eight fish so well done to him, I fancied pegs 85 & 86 to do well today but they didn't produce really so not so sure I would want to be their on Wednesday in the Fisho" Qualifier?

It Turned out that well talked about hot peg 113 on Cambell produced the goods again to day As Fred Roberts on the 2nd time lucky mob took the spoils with a good 130lb odd & this certainly will be a peg would set my trolley wheels on fire getting to it!" Back at the car park Don had finished over halfway on his lake & I finished 3rd on mine but it turned out we had all managed a few fish & back at the results we ended up finishing in 2nd spot on the day pushing us up to twelve place in the league overall, not great but considering some of the draws we had in the earlier rounds but a pleasing finish nether the less. It just goes to prove fishing at this time of the year does require a bit of luck with the draw as the fish certainly wont be holed up in every swim.

In the overall standings 2nd Time lucky took the title so well done to them with 305pts six points ahead of P.I Thatchers Gold on 297 with Frenzee Orange taking 3rd spot with 293pts.

In the individual stakes Fred Roberts Also fishing under the 2nd Time Lucky banner came out on top with 80pts (Well Fished Mate) ahead of Phil (Fabio) Harding on 79pt & that man England Star Des Shipp finishing with 76pts. A big mention to Steve, Helen, & Matt for running another popular league which takes a lot of work, Clayton Hudson For doing the pools ect each match & not forgetting those who helped with the scales. Well roll on Wednesday for the big one, We all know where we would like to be so lets all keep are fingers crossed..!".               

 

 

   
 

                    

 

Viaduct Fishery Saturday Open (Cambell Lake).

Lewis Jones & myself decided to book in for this latest Saturday open being as we both have a ticket for Fisho' mania this coming Wednesday on the off chance of drawing this lake on the big day". We stopped off for are hilltops breakfast before arriving at the fishery, I thought their might be a few booked in today but we were surprized to find out their were only 11 of us today, Nether the less their was a space up for grabs in the all winners final/silvers at the end of the year for both the match & silvers winners so I was planning on just fishing for the carp.

The pegs to draw of late have regularly been 112-114 so was hoping to have the lucky hand today' I did joke to Lewis he was bound to be on one of them having not fished here for a few years' Into the draw & he ended up on peg 110 (His 5th Corner peg in a row!) Although I have to say hasn't been the best peg for carp of late so he was planning a more silvers route, As for myself well I wasn't far off as I drew peg 115 so felt I had half a chance should the carp get lost for an hour or two sometime in the day!?

 When we arrived at are pegs the wind had done a total reverse to last week meaning it was blowing into are bank so with the forecast for it to increase I ruled out fishing the waggler for the time being. First of all I set up 2 tip rods, One with a hair stop hook length & the next with a 2ft tail of 0.15 to a 16 PR36 hook. Apart from that all I set up was a 4x12 Chanti on 0.15-0.13 & an 16 808 hook. for company I had Bordan Anglings Neil Gaff on fancied peg 114 & a bit of female company in the way of Emma Drysdale on peg 116, looking around I noticed I was the only angler on the lake not to have an empty peg on either side ruling out an inside swim' With Neil & Roland Lucas on 112 having hot peg 113 empty between them I thought I would be up against it today as the fish don't seem to move much from here at the moment but you never know as they have fins".

I started the day by feeding around 20 cubes of  6mm meat at 14mts, Fed a handful of casters & a few cubes of meat at 9mts & picked up me bomb rod to begin the day on punched meat, At this point Neil was playing his first carp taken on the bomb' No sooner had I cast out shaking my head as I expected it to be the start of things to come Emma had now latched into one"

 Neil with his first'

 Closely followed by Emma'.

 

  Thankfully after a few minutes I had my first pushing 7lb followed be a slightly smaller fish the next cast so a good start' I was just beginning to think perhaps we would have a few today then the inevitable happened as the fish seemed to push down the lake towards Roland who was now latching into a few, Another 30mins past before I found another but after this all signs of fish seemed to have disappeared' I had been topping up my pole lines at regular intervals & after 90mins it was time to give them a try.

Starting at 14mts with a cube of 6mm meat on the hook didn't produce & switching to the shorter line failed to produce so it was back to the tip. Emma was also struggling after having an early carp as was Neil, That was until he decided to give his inside line a try down to empty peg 113, Landing three more carp is as many put-ins" At this point I felt the writing was already on the wall as Neither Emma or myself could get a bite or any liners to tell us their were a few fish in the area. After three hours I had had enough & decided to stretch my legs & go & grab something warm to eat as already I was feeling the cold, Helen kindly warmed me a chicken & mushroom slice & just as I was tucking in I noticed somebody bobbing up & down in Cary Lake" It turned out the guy had lost his mobile phone sometime last week & for insurance purposes decided to try & retrieve it.." Well after 15mins of him being in the lake in his shorts I soon felt warmer to go back & give it another go'.

On the way back Roland was admitting to 12 carp but said he was now struggling to get a bite but Neil was playing one taken on the bomb so perhaps I could snare a few more if they were heading my way? Starting back on the bomb & punched meat I had a skimmer of 10oz so at least it was a response to keep me interested, Nothing followed in the same area so I cast slightly more infront of me, I was just pouring a cuppa when the tip flew round, I grabbed the rod but caught my finger on the bale arm, the fish bolted & with the drag locked up it snapped my hooklenght! Balls". I soon had another attached so cast to the same area & within a minute I had another on which I got in, The next cast I was just sinking the line when the rod when around in my hand! It must be solid out their" four more carp & a 3lb tench in the next five chucks got me really excited, I got up to put another net I & only just managed to get back to my box before I was into another to which extent by now I was getting flack from either side" Its always a curse when you seem to add a new net because as soon as was sacking it died on me" I had been pinging the odd cubes of meat over the pole line & had a liner as it was falling threw the water so I was hoping they had turned up on the long pole line? Starting again on a cube of meat it wasn't long before I was attached to a carp which turned out to be slightly smaller than the other, Oddly though that was it as I couldn't get another bite their so with 30mins to go I re-fed a larger amount before going back on the bomb again, ten minutes later I had a fish pushing 10lb out of the blue but Neil had added a couple more, I switched between both the pole line up to the end of the match but that was it for me, Neil had managed another on the bomb which lead me to believe they had ventured further back to where they live" before he took a bigger fish down the edge just before the whistle so still had him & Roland down as the top weights today. When the scales arrived the best weight so far was 39lb from peg 128, My silvers went 7lb odd before I had just over 80lb of carp, Most of which were caught in the space of 40mins" Neil's two late fish helped him to take the win with 96lb odd before Roland finished with 75lb odd so at least I managed a pick-up today which is long over due taking the £30 section money,

 Winner Neil Gaff.

 

Very frustrating fishing really as there's nothing you can do when the fish decided to venture between pegs like they did again today, I can honestly say I spent nearly 4hrs without so much as a liner before they turned up, Just a shame they didn't stay a bit longer!" Back tomorrow for the last round of the winter league so at least I get chance to fish Cary lake ahead of Wednesday.

Full Results -

1st Neil Gaff ( Drennan Bordon Angling) peg 114 Cambell, 96lb 2oz.

2nd Dom Sullivan (Maver) peg 115 Cambell, 87lb 1oz.

3rd Roland Lucas (Wiltshire Angling) peg 112, 75lb 10oz.

Silvers -

1st Michael Hall (Viaduct) peg 128, 18lb 10oz.