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...