Hillview Fishery Saturday Open.

To start my bank holiday plan of four matches in a row my first visit was to Hillview fishery in Tewkesbury, I was traveling with Lewis Jones again for what would be only are second visit to the venue so a bit alien to as both, I picked Lewis up & it worked out it was only around 50mins so arrived in plenty of time for the fishery breakfast, We both had the large which I have to say was very enjoyable' It turned out there was a good turn out with 24 fishing so the match was to be held over The two main lakes along with the back canal lake which meant nothing to me, Nice to see England ace Des Shipp was in attendance but after a good chat before the draw I was praying not to draw next to him really".

Into the draw & Lewis found himself on peg 17 on Moorhen which were told is a good swim on his lake before hand by venue regular Gabriel Skarba & I ended up on peg 84 on the far end of the back canal, For starters I had my work cut out as des just so happened to draw the section on this lake on peg 91'. Arriving at my swim my swim turned out to be one off the end peg which wasn't in today so fancied to catch a few F1's & Carp.

First up I had a rig to fish tight to the far bank at 12mts in just over 3ft of water, A rig to fish at 5mts on the deck & shallow & a rig to fish at 4mts down the edge,  I was just about ready by the all-in & for a change I was going to base my attack around worm & casters as their was an overnight frost but with the sun out I fancied to catch some fish shallow down the track or across on worm. At the start I cupped a good helping of chopped casters & some chopped worm across, fed a smaller amount down the track, Starting across on a segment of worm I did expect some action but after 20mins I was still biteless. It turned out all the other anglers had started on the 5mt lines & the two guys to my right had netted some F1's as had Des but I wasn't to concerned as I had been feeding casters on it by hand from the start. After trying various baits across & even trying the shallow rig on the same line after seeing a few of the lakes Ghost carp cruising around under the surface but you could tell they had seen it all before as the didn't so much as look at it!.

After an hour it was time to try down the track, I started on the deck rig but after 10mins & no bites I expected some signs shallow on the caster or with maggot on the hook. Nope Still failing to catch". I had still been feeding across with a mix of worm & casters & finally I had a carp of 2lb followed by a 2lb F1 but that was it! I had been feeding down the edge with the odd cubes & after two hours it was time to see if it would produce. I missed a bite straight off the had another F1 then nothing, I tried shallow over the top but that didn't work so decided to try & snare some but using my depth rig as a swinging rig along the far bank. Another 20mins passed & apart from one missed bite I still couldn't catch, I was regretting putting my faith in the worm/caster combo & meat but it wasn't just me who was struggling the guys to my left were aswell after there early fish, Apart from Des who was winkling out a few (Nothing new there then"), Lewis Tex me to say he was struggling for a bite & his lake was fishing hard so had to try something else.

I started a new line to my left again at 5mts feeding a few hard 4mm fishery pellets & a few cubes of meat, I had another F1 from down the edge on meat before it was time to try my new line with an 8mm cube of meat on the hook, As soon as it settled I had a carp of 3lb & Followed by a couple more better F1's & it seemed going into the last 90mins I was going to start catching well, The problem was everyone else had started to get some action" Mine wasn't prolific though & I still had to keep trying my other lines, I managed a two late carp on the swinging rig with a cube of meat on the hook, & a few more on the new line bait failed to catch anything on the caster/worm lines so defiantly the wrong choice their. I finished with around 25lb odd which was disappointing but apart from the legend' who snuck out 93lb odd" The rest of us struggled really. I certainly made the wrong choices today but having never fished the lake before I was a bit of an eye opener for my, I had a chat with Des after the final whistle & he told me it wasn't until he switched to fishing 4mm expander over micros he caught properly with fish of all sizes so if I had gone down my normal route things might of been a tad better?. Good news back at the van though as after four hours with nothing Lewis had a few decent fish down the edge on paste & a few on his short meat line in the last hour to end the day with 109lb which was enough to take the win ahead of Des so well done mate & a well deserved quick pint on the way home.  Off to Shiplate Tomorrow for a match on Hawthorns which I haven't fished for a while so looking forward to it.

            

Shiplate Farm V Clevedon A.A (Shiplate Main Lake).

This match is just a friendly head to head based on overall weight between ten Anglers from each side after six hours, With the venue on my doorstep it was a bacon butty at home before making my way to the fishery. I was guessing for the Shiplate team along with the regulars so we were hoping to make it two from two after beating them at Acorn last year, Draw wise I fancied a draw on the far bank as it was more sheltered than the near bank from the chilly northerly wind blowing down the lake.

View of lake from peg 1.

I wasn't disappointed when I found myself on the far bank peg 11 which had the end of the island to fish against as well as an inviting tree in the water at 11mts down my left hand side. First up I assembled a bomb & small loaded waggler to fish over toward the end of the island, Set a 4x12 float to fish on the deck at 12mts which was around 5ft on 0.15-0.13 & an 16 wide gape pellet hook, A tougher 4x12 float to fish in just over 3ft of water down to the tree on 0.17-0.15 & again a 16 wide gape pellet hook & finally a inline rig to fish up in the water over the long pole line.

For company I had Simon Ryall on peg 12 & John Hawkins on peg 10 but couldn't see either of them just the anglers on the opposite bank. I started the day by feeding a large pot of casters & a few grains of corn down towards the tree in the water, fed a good handful of hard 4mms on the long pole line & started with bomb & meat over towards the end of the island, Despite switching between hook baits I gave it an hour of casting around, even trying the waggler before it was time to try my other lines as I was still to catch anything. 

I had been feeding a few hard 4mms onto the long pole line so decided to try the shallow rig first, After 5mins I was soon on the deck rig with a 6mm hard banded pellet, I missed a bite straight away before netting a 1 & 2lb skimmer in the next 5mins before it died, Back on the bomb with an 8mm hair rigged pellet where I had been pinging a few I had a nice 8lb plus fish, Before losing another 5mins later which seemed to spook them so back to the long pole. I gave it a try on the deck & shallow again but nothing followed so time to give the inside a try. I had been topping it up from the off with good amounts of casters every 30mins but started with a whole worm over the top.

 

 

 

 

I had a fish straight away which turned out to be a 1b plus Tench' five minutes later & I had a slightly larger one but then nothing. Back on the bomb & I hooked another which turned out to be about 5lb then soon after lost a foul hooked fish on the wagg' but it was so shallow tight to the island the fish spooked really easily & wouldn't stay in the swim.

Back on the long pole on the deck I hooked a right munter on the drop which spat the bait out then hooked another as the rig settled but again it shed the hook" I was convinced I would catch on the shallow rig but I couldn't manage a bite at any depth.

Even though I had been feeding this line with the catty from the off I decided to feed a ball of wetted micros & another good helping of hard 4mm to try & pin some fish to the deck should a few appear. Back down the edge & I managed two more 1lb plus tench but time was running out, Again I gave it another pot of casters & some corn & switched to corn on the hook, I hooked a right beast which tore off but then swam at me until I was back to my top kit but just as I took it apart it bolted off & that was that' I had the whole rig back but was sure it was foul hooked. I had another look on the bomb but didn't get a sign of fish, they seemed to have moved around with the sun which was out in the early part of the match. Another look on the long pole shallow & Deep didn't produce but I managed two more tench & a 2lb carp down to the tree before the end of the match.

Simon Had failed to catch a carp but had a few pound of silvers & john had finished with Four carp & some bits, When the scales arrived Rich Hawkins had done well to finish with 82lb odd which was easily enough to be the top weight on the day catching most of his fish on the pole & paste. Simon weighed 6lb odd of silvers, I finished with 9lb odd of silvers added to my three carp for 26lb odd & john ended up with 34lb odd. It was very tight on the team front with Shiplate taking the win with 224lb of fish to Clevedon's 212lb so two from two it was then. The lake as a whole didn't fish to well but it made for a close frame overall.

Full results - 

1st Rich Hawkins (Shiplate) peg 14b, 82lb 11oz.

2nd Matt Roden (Clevedon) peg 5a, 46lb 6oz.

3rd Rod Fogg (Clevedon) peg 4a, 37lb 6oz.

4th John Hawkins (Shiplate) peg 10, 34lb 14oz. 

5th Mike Owens (Clevedon) peg 13a, 34lb 6oz.

6th Dom Sullivan (Shiplate) peg 11, 26lb 12oz.

Silvers - 1st  Mike Owens, Peg 13a,  20lb 12oz.

2nd Steve Howell, peg 4, 16lb.

Just a quick report on a pleasure session on the Taunton & Bridgwater Canal at the Boat & Anchor  section with good friends Darren (Bigbird) Greenwood, We decided on a couple of swims on the way towards wide waters, me opting for a swim on the last bit of the bend where as Darren choice a swim with a bit more cover to fish to. It proved worth while as he ended up having a nice day finishing with 5 tench aswell as a few decent perch, We had both fed similarly with casters & chopped worm but the cover of the far bank reeds Ect seemed to make a difference as I only ended up with one tench which was a nice size over 6lb & a few bits but it made a change again. 

 Darren's catch

  

Sedges Fishery (Top 2 League) Round 1, Tile Lake.

After fishing the two day pairs here earlier this year with Gabrial I was looking forward to returning to fish their top kit only league, The event is run in a three match format & the top ten of twenty fishing go forward to the final on August bank holiday, I chose to enter the first lot of Qualifying matches with the others starting theirs next month, I was beginning to wish I had opted for the later matches when I had to scrape the ice off the windscreen of the van this morning & with a bright day forecast I didn't think it was the best recipe to catch on just your top kit?.

I skipped breakfast today again grabbing a costa before having a wander up the King Sedgemoor Drain at Bradley Bridge, Out of season at the moment for fishing but it did look quite inviting with the odd fish topping, Going to have a few hours here once the old fashioned Close Season has finished".

 

Back to the match & their were 19 in are group but owner Jamie Cook let local lad Eric Fouracre fill in, Eric is in the next round of Qualifiers so at least he gets to practice before his turn". Into the draw & first of all I thought I had had ended up on peg 31 in the corner at the top end of the lake but it was to good to be true drawing a corner as it turned out I was on peg 32, Plenty of open water & a lovely island chuck' Shame I couldn't use it!. Plumbing up the first thing I noticed finding a flat spot was proving a nightmare as it kept dropping off into the deepest water, I found two small areas one in-front & one slightly to my left so set up a 4x14 chanti to fish in around 7ft of water, Had a PB1 set up on a line as long as my topkit to fish shallow as far as I could, A rig to fish close to the bank on my left in 18inches of water

& finally a 4x12 inline float to fish towards the bush on my right, I couldn't quite reach under it so had to settle a foot or so off.

I began the day by feeding a small amount of micro's & 4mm hard pellets to my left, Fed a couple of bits of meat & corn towards the bush & started on meat in-front of me just feeding a few bits over the top whilst feeding hard 4mms past it in the hope of drawing some fish shallow, 15mins in & I was trying the shallow rig with banded 4mm pellet to start with but it was a thankless task as the breeze was sending the rig straight back to me" I tried a heavier rig but to no avail so it was time to try the line I had fed with a few micro's with a 4mm expander on the hook. It started promising as I netted a 1lb skimmer straight away but nothing followed, I re-fed a small amount which produced another 8oz fish then I was really struggling" I couldn't get a bite on anything anywhere, The guys below me were struggling & the guy who was now on 31 had netted around four skimmers.

It seemed to be fishing really hard for most on are bank but had seen two carp netted further down the lake in the wind, I kept switching lines but nothing was happening' I never had a bite near the tree all day, managed two more small skimmers on the pellet line but time was running out, At 2.15 I decided to feed another line with a larger amount of micro's with a few chopped worms added slighty closer to the bank in 5ft of water, I had just gone in with worm on the hook when I noticed a proper' Tail break the surface close to the bank on my edge swim I had been feeding lightly with loose fed 4mms & odd bits of meat from the off, I soon switched to it with meat on the hook & within seconds I was playing a munter' I had it on a few minutes, Showing itself twice at around 16lb but just as I picked up the landing net it shed the hook" Blast.... 

I was hoping for some more fish to arrive in the last hour so wasn't to concerned, I tried the new line with worm on the hook & soon hooked something better, That lasted all of a few seconds' But the way it swam off I believed it was one of the lakes large EEL's as the piece of worm was also flattened so I expect it only had hold of the bait? Finally switching back to the line in-front of me where I had been feeding odd bits of meat saw me hook & land a 7lb carp the problem was I only had 30mins left'. I was praying a few more fish had turned up down the edge but it didn't happen, The guy to my left managed to net a near 15lb fish on his silvers line & when the all out sounded I knew the good lost fish would have seen me finish a lot higher on the day. The pegs at the opposite end of the lake faired best with Nigel Garrett on the opposite bank end peg 21 finished up with 70lb odd followed by a 50lb weight from the same bank, My side seemed to be a case of one or two carp for most but my 10lb odd was only going to be enough to beat a few today so a bit disappointing, I was told afterwards even if my end had produced I wouldn't beat the pegs further down? Hopefully with the next match being in June it would have warmed up enough for us all to have a few fish". Not making plans as to next week as yet as I beginning to think its best to have some time away or do something different so see what next week brings.

                   

Summerhayes Fishery Open (Longs Lake).

I vowed not to come back here until the warmer months as my last two visits were pretty fruitless but with the match being held on Long Lake & not Sellicks I decided to pay another visit, I didn't bother with breakfast today so graded a coffee before taking a stroll up the Bridgwater & Taunton Canal on route to the fishery, Some areas did look a bit fishy" & now the vegetation has been cut back you have chance to see the bikes coming!".

I arrived to find 25 booked-in so a good turn-out, I really don't trust my drawing hands at the moment so asked owner Pete's helping hand take one for me, I ended up on peg 16 below the motorway bridge which happened to be a nice new repaired peg' The only problem was it was nearly 20mts to the far bank & seeing as I hadn't brought any rods I ruled that out' With my arm still suffering I opted to fish a couple of short lines at around 6mts & two lines left & right at 12mts bring what may". All chanti's again today two 4x14 on 0.13-0.11 & an 16 808 hook & another lighter 4x12 on 0.12-0.10 & an 18 808 hook. I had my usual £1 pools fodder" Nick Harvey on peg 18 & Vince (Baywatch) Brown on the corner peg 15.

I started the match with an open mind as what to target today with Nick having an island reach & Vince the corner to fish in it might be better to target some silvers? with this in mind I feed a small ball of micro & some hard 4mms at 12mts right & a handful of corn at 12mts left, fed a few expanders on the short line in-front of me & began on the short left hand line with 6mm meat on the hook just cupping in a couple of cubes over the top, 15mts later & no bite saw me switch to the 12mt line with a 4mm expander on the hook. I hooked a carp straight away but as I went to net it the whole rig slipped the connector to the elastic so I lost the lot! I tried the heavier rig over the top but only had a 1lb skimmer in the next 10mins, I decided to quickly top it up with a small amount & re-assemble a new lighter rig. back out again & I hooked another but don't think it was in the mouth, This time I went to net it, It came off & so did my float!".

Deep Breaths" I managed to slip a new float on & was soon back fishing but the carp seemed to have disappeared, I did manage a couple of 1lb skimmers & some tiny roach but bites to come by. At one stage I did get the pole out to 16mts with a swinging rig but after 10mins slung that up the bank". Silvers it was then so spent most of the day switching between the long & short line feeding micros & fishing expanders over the top, I still kept feeding the short meat & long corn line having the odd look though-out, The meat line failed to produce all day but I did have the bonus of a 2lb tench on the corn line, I had a couple of flying" skimmers shed the hook back on the expander but as the day went on bites seemed harder to come by. I did have a late flourish though netting two late carp & two 10oz skimmers in the last 15mins to add to the odd fish I had taken through the day. I estimated to have around 10lb of silvers so might be fortunate enough to sneak in the frame, When the scales arrived Resident Ray Wickham Had the best silvers weight with 15lb odd, I finished up with 11lb 13oz to finish 2nd in the silvers pool picking up £34 so at least something back today'. The match was won by Somerset Anglings Steve Kedge from peg 36 with 75lb odd catching the bulk of his fish short or down the edge with meat. Thankfully the rain held off until the kit was in the van so I don't have the hassle of stripping it all down, A busy days fishing but at least it kept me entertained.

Full Results -

1st Steve Kedge (Somerset |Angling) peg 35, 75lb 1oz.

2nd Bill Hopping (Summerhayes) peg 6, 56lb 9oz.

3rd Nigel Wickham (Summerhayes) peg 11, 53lb 4oz.

4th John Page (Thyers Tackle) peg 38, 46lb 8oz.

5th Jamie Parkhouse (Exeter) peg 1, 34lb 9oz.

Silvers - 1st  Ray Wickham (Summerhayes) peg 12, 15lb 4oz.

2nd Dom Sullivan (Maver) peg 16, 11lb 3oz.        

Viaduct Fishery Fisho Mania Qualifier (Saturday).

Bit late getting this result in as when Lewis picked me up yesterday I was totally trashed" Id been to Steve Seniors Funeral yesterday & ended up on a right session' I suppose it doesn't hurt now & again to have a blow out but it wasn't the best choice before this match, We did stop for breakfast but to be honest before we even had chance to draw I was feeling worse for wear! Quite late in the draw today ending up on peg 107 Cary being the first peg on the causeway as you approach the lake, Not what I wanted & with Dan Squires on peg 109 facing up the lake with the wind in the opposite direction we didn't fancy are chances as room was a bit tight. Not going on to explain to much about my day as it was never going to happen, the only place I managed to get any indications was at 16mts towards the overhanging tree on the opposite bank by feeding just 3-4 8mm hard pellets with a cadpot, fishing the same on the hook, I stuck the whole match out but only landed two & losing two' It was never going to get me anywhere as my section also included the better pegs on the start of Cambell, Dan had called it a day before the end & the chap to my left on 106 finished with three carp. Word on the bank was local & newly sponsored Dan White who was on the reserve list managed to get in ending up on peg fancied 112 on Cambell was admitting to 170lb, It turned out he had a bit more than he thought as his final weight totalled a massive 210lb odd to easily win the day. Dan spends a lot of time at this fishery with good results so it was no surprize to see him through to the semi final, Well Done Dan You Worked hard today catching shallow when others around you dismissed it so thoroughly deserved, I was exhausted by the end of day as I've been suffering with a pain down my arm all week & holding a pole all day did me right in'. Lewis managed 3 carp for 43lb odd but didn't see him with a pick-up either but that's the way it goes with these big matches, First you have to draw well then you still got to catch um". Nice to see both Andy & Dan making it through this week being Somerset lads, Still got a three more attempts so hoping I'll be the next one! Lol.

       

Fisho Mania Qualifier (Woodlands View Fishery)

Lewis Jones & Myself we both looking forward to as I haven't visited the fishery for nearly 20yrs Lewis had been here a couple of times over the last few years but really it was a bit alien to the both of us. A chat with a few people over the last week gave us a bit of an insight on what to expect. I picked Lewis up but it wasn't the usual hearty breakfast today but a stop off for a services m'donalds was the best we could manage owe & nearly £4 for my costa coffee". We arrived at the fishery in plenty of time which worked out just over 90miles so should of had a breaky at the on-site café so lesson learnt for are next visit.

We had a good walk around and some of the pegs looked fishy but a lot looked pretty much run of the mill but closely pegged so already it looked as if you would need a rare empty peg or a corner to stand the best chance. We got into the draw about the halfway stage with me ending up on peg 8 on Barley? & lewis ended up on Hay the lake directly in-front of me, Neither of us was fortunate to have a corner or any room for that matter as we were both smack bang in the middle of are lakes which were quite similar about 25mts wide canal shaped lakes with about 20 pegs on each, No Features as such & a depth around 5-6ft. These are the newest lakes at the fishery but the problem we had to contend with as they are situated above the others & with a strong wind forecast we were going to take the brunt of it" HEY HO' Nothing new then...

The good thing about these type of matches is you have to take a real positive approach & only being 5hrs you don't want to complicate things, I planned to fish various baits across to the causeway with a small pellet feeder with the fishery's own micro pellets though it, And set up three pole rigs to fish worm & caster at various depths at about 7mts as the wind had already began to show signs of spoiling things'.

Their were some super stars' lining the banks to day, I had Garbolino's Richey Hull two pegs up from me & Andy May on the end peg of are lake to name a few & Lewis was also up against it as he had former fisho winner Andy Geldart next to him". I started the match feeding a handful of casters & some chopped worms on the pole line & began the day on the pellet feeder with a hair rigged 8mm expander, Before I had even cast the guy to my left netted a 3lb fish I gave it 10mins before switching to corn on the hook which he was using, 30mins later & I was still biteless as was the guy to my right & Richey at this stage, The guy to my left had added two smaller carp & oddly enough we were all chucking to the same distance across, After 45mins most had switched to there short pole lines but I gave it a while longer, Trying slightly shorter & with pellet & maggot on the hook but still nothing, I decided to try the pole line starting on the deck with a piece of worm on the hook where I had been feeding casters from the off.

I was pleased to land a near two skimmer first put-in but by now the wind had really picked up & was causing havoc even at this distance, The next 10mins saw me bump two fish before I had to top it up & try the feeder again, I did manage two fish on it in the next 30mins, Two carp of a 1lb each", By now the sun had come out but the wind was relentless with some very forceful gusts causing pole kits to be blown everywhere on the lake in front, & two poles had snapped on the pegs directly infront of me!" now we where suffering as with the wind blowing at us & the sun on the water we could see NOWT...!

It was really frustrating as I tried the pole again & netted a 3lb carp but didn't even see the bite as seeing any colour float was impossible, This caused me to bump a another carp but even if I could get the fish shallow I couldn't see how I would present a rig? Back on the tip & a skimmer of 10oz was all I added, The guy to my left had had a few more carp on the feeder but Richey was only on one skimmer as was the guy to my right, I felt I had made the right choice in my bait approach as nobody was catching on the short pole lines & at least I was having indications, I tried the bomb over the short pole line but that didn't work" It was really disappointing as I'm sure I would have caught well on it had I been able to fish the pole at all" Richy Managed One carp on his long pole line before calling it a day in fear of snapping his new pole' That mans got arms of steel & if me cant hold it nobody can!" the guy to my right also called it a day with just the one skimmer & I was very temped but with an 90mins to go I was hoping the wind would drop to give the pole line another try, With 45mins to go it began to cloud over so at least I had chance of seeing the float even if I would struggle to hold it. The result? I finished the day with 4 carp & Around 12lb of skimmers for 20lb odd, which wasn't going to get me any coin today, My section was won further back with 31lb & the best weight on the lake turned out to be 64lb which was a good result in the conditions at the end of the lake area, Back at the results it turned out that one guy had decided on the off chance he could get in the match should someone fail to show even though they were well down on the waiting list when published, He did manage to get in, Ended up corner peg 34 on Back Deans, & Won the match with 134lb!" . That man? None other than Somerset expert & Preston Innovations sponsored Andy Power" Fair play to you Andy you defiantly are a lad for the big occasion , Andy has already won the Match This Final on Larford Lakes & made the fisho final before in his short career so will defiantly  be one to watch, I'm Sure he will cruise through the now semi final & I'll be having a flutter on him in the final". Disappointing For Lewis as well as he had a similar story also finishing with 20lb odd again having the conditions ruin things. We new what to expect & are draws just weren't favourable for us, We don't think we were far wrong in are approach & have another crack here later in the year so hopefully it will be more favourable" Second & Third also broke the ton with weights of 118lb & 114lb, Sorry forgot the camera today but at least we know who won Well Done Andy.

Both have another crack at Viaduct This Saturday & with the fish spreading out a bit & feeding positively it should be a good match. As always both of us will be hoping for a good area so roll on'.             

               

Viaduct Fishery Sunday Open, (Cambell & Cary Lakes).

Travelling on my own today which is going to take some time to adjust to after the sad death of travelling partner Donald Sutherland, Breakfast in Hilltops felt rather chilling this morning but a good chat with old friend Leon Hubbard over breky made it worth while. With Donald in mind for all those interested his funeral will be held at Weston crematorium on the 15th April at 1.30pm then onto the pier for the wake, The Funeral will be very well attended so it may be best to park away & take a short walk.

Their was a good turnout again today with 38 fishing, I did fancy another crack at the same peg as I had yesterday as I felt I hadn't made the most of it but not setting up the waggler to fish past the monk as I'm sure it would of give me a few more fish but after nipping in the draw halfway through I found myself on peg 111 of Cambell, It wouldn't of been my first choice but the peg did produce 90lb yesterday so I had the chance of a few now their starting to spread out a bit & I could use the day to get to grips with a few things encase I draw this lake next Saturday? I had venue expert & last years fisho finalist Roland Lucas on the end peg 110 who would be hard to beat if the fish have ventured his way, With the wind off are backs I fancied the waggler to fish dead depth to start with & go from there so set up a loaded waggler to an 0.15 bottom & an 16 power hook.

I got the bomb rod out just to have a look, but my other lines would be a short pole for meat at 7mts & a swim at 14mts to fish hard pellet over loose fed 4mm as a catch anything line. I started the day feeding some hemp & 6mm meat at 7mts off to my left & handfed a couple of cubes the same distance in-front of me. I decided to have a look on the bomb to start the match near the aerator with punched meat or pellet but after 20mins & just one liner it was time to try the waggler with banded 6mm pellet on the hook where I had been pinging a few, Roland & Chris Davis opposite him in the other corner had both started the match well & were soon in to fish, After 40mins I had my first carp around 8lb at depth then had two more in the next 30mins caught just off the deck but I was going nowhere compared to Roland & Chris & the pegs above the spit appeared to be catching.

Roland was really motoring on the waggler in the flat water but with the ripple were I was they didn't appear to be keen to feed in it properly? It was time to try the long pole starting with a 8mm pellet where I had been feeding some hard 4mms with the catty, First put-in I had a 2lb skimmer followed by a carp then nothing, I fed some more around the float & foul hooked another straight away so decided to try the shallow rig over the top. I swung an 8mm pellet in & was soon playing a fish which I puled out of close in but that was it. we were over halfway though & I was getting nowhere & seeing the amount of carp which had already been caught I thought my best option would be a switch to silvers? I could already see fellow blogger Tim Ford had targeted them from the off & was catching well so I switched to feeding a few more hard 4mms on the long pole but not as regular to try & catch skimmers with 6mm pellet on the hook, I did manage two more before carp came back for another look netting a couple more so decided with a couple of hours remaining to have a look on the short meat lines, Starting infront of me where I had been feeding the odd 6mm & 8mm cubes by hand from the off I had a good skimmers & a 2lb tench in 5mins but then that drew the attention of a near 9lb carp followed by another smaller fish, I had a look where I had fed slightly heavier but that didn't produce so reverted back to the 14mt line with hard 6mm on the hook again, 2 more skimmers & another carp before disaster struck as I went to net a decent fish & the elastic snapped taking the whole rig". Well to many carp their now for my liking now I was trying to target them so I would spend the last 90mins on the meat at 7mts between the two lines, I added another tench & a few more skimmers before the end of the match but also managed to and a few more carp but was never going to catch up with Roland or Chris as they had caught all day as had the pegs at the top of the lake which produced yesterday, I estimated around 20lb of silvers & hadn't added up my carp, When the scales arrived Tim had made the right choice to target them from the off as he had a cracking day finishing with the days best silvers weight of 65lb odd followed by a 40lb, My silvers went 21lb so considering I wasted half the day it proved worth while pinching 3rd overall in the silvers picking up £25 so at least I had a envelope, I was beginning to forget what they looked like'. It proved to be another great weight day with over 20 ton plus weights recorded" Top of the pile was Phil Cardwell from peg 97 Cary with a massive 271lb catching on the bomb & the waggler , Roland had come to borrow my spare net in the last hour as his four were nearly full' & ended the day with a great 194lb but was pushed into third overall by Chris Davis opposite on peg 132 with 201lb. A good days fishing for most & I cant think of anywhere else you can come away from such a variety of fishing, Didn't have a profitable weekend but at least I had some fish, In fact' A lot compared to the last couple of weeks" Looking forward to next weeks Fisho's, Weds see's Lewis Jones & Myself Travelling to Woodlands View, Haven't fished here for over 20yrs, Got a bit of info but think a corner peg or a bit of room will help so worry about it when I've drawn & back here next Saturday, Owe I went to see how Ian Williets had got on where I was yesterday & he had done really well finishing with 177b odd, Yep' On the waggler down past the MONK".. Good job I pre-baited it yesterday! Lol.

Full Results -

1st Phil Cardwell (Bait-tech Viaduct) peg 97 Cary, 271lb 11oz.

2nd Chris Davis (Frampton Cotterall) peg 132 Cambell, 201lb 6oz.

3rd Roland Lucas (Wiltshire Angling) peg 110 Cambell, 194lb 5oz.

4th Ian Williets (Wiltshire Angling) peg 81 Cary, 177lb 8oz.

5th John Hannan (Wales) peg 80 Cary, 173lb 14oz.

6th Lee Piscasho (Peanut") (Mosella) peg 118 Cambell, 171lb.

Silvers - 1st Tim Ford (P.I.Thatchers) peg 130 Cambell, 65lb 4oz.

 

 

                 

Viaduct Fishery Saturday Open.

With next weekend hosting another Fisho Mania Qualifier which we both have tickets for Lewis Jones & Myself decided to have a go on this latest open, After he picked me up we had a breakfast stop off before arriving, A good turn out today with 38 booked in so the match would be held over Cambell, Cary & a five peg section on Lodge Lake. I was really hoping to avoid Lodge hoping for a more noted peg on either Cary Or Cambell, I let quite a few draw before me today so hopefully it would change my luck but when it was my turn two tickets were stuck together so I let Lewis chose one leaving me with the other, Peg 81 on Cary for me above the spit which I felt was worth a few fish, Lewis? Peg 94 Cary which just so happened to be the peg Craig Edmunds had 303lb off of on my last visit" to be fair the wind was blowing the opposite way today though so it would be interesting to see what it would produce.

Arriving at my swim I had plenty of options to be honest & the only thing I ruled out was the waggler as the wind was in my face, I set up two bomb rods to fish off the end of the spit but couldn't get close to it with the branches over hanging down  so would fish around 12ft off as well as chucking it around the rest off my swim.

I set a 0.3g pole rig to fish at 8mts in the open water on 0.19-0.17, A inline float to fish next to the monk in 3ft of water on 0.19

& Finally the same type of rig to fish at 16mts along the spit.

I started the day feeding some meet & hemp on the 8mts line & fed a few 6mm hard pellets with the catty down to the monk & along the spit at 16mts. I started the day on the bomb & red meat but after 20mins & no signs I switched to hair rigged 8mm pellet, The first hour was very slow & I hadn't had a fish, I just cast around the peg looking for signs but had been feeding a few 8mm towards the end of the spit, A switch back to it finally gave me a 10lb followed by another of similar size shortly after this time taken by fishing the bomb past the monk in the open water, I hooked another here 20mins later which was a good fish but just as I reached for the net it shed the hook on an underwater branch which didn't count". I managed one more back to the spit before it was time to try the pole, Starting down to the monk with 8mm banded pellet I had a 5lb fish then hooked & bumped another, I decided to try the 16mt line along the spit again putting my faith in pellet cad potting a few over the top. It didn't take long to hook my first here & by god was it big" it bolted along the brambles on the spit heading for the end of it before it came off & it turned out it straighten my power hook!" Do I really want to hook um on the pole?? I had another small carp for this lake of 4lb by the monk again on the pole before it was time to try the bomb again.

I had another munter straight away but the next cast I hooked a fish as soon as the bomb hit the water which came off shortly after' Back past the monk on the bomb saw me hook another 5mins later which swam straight at me shedding the hook again" followed by another lost fish halfway back! Things were going well weren't they!" I had another fish next to the monk on the pole around 6lb But I couldn't get a bite on the 16mts line along the spit, The 8mt meat line produced just a 2lb skimmer so began to feed some meat at 4mts to my left to see if it would produce later in the day?. Back on the bomb I had another beast around 14lb before losing another halfway back shortly after then nothing, oddly enough despite trying the bomb in different areas I could only seem to get indications level with the end of the spit where I had been pinging a few pellets or down past the monk in the open water, I bumped another good fish on the pole to the monk, The 8mt meat line produced just one more skimmer & the 4mt meat line produced just a 1lb plus roach" I landed a 13lb fish from past the monk in the tail in the last 25mins which was a right battle but I did land it with 5mins to go before taking another lump off the spit a couple of minutes from the all-out, I finished the day with 9 big carp, 2 smaller ones & my bits, When I caught up with the scales Alex Murray was winning the section with 108lb before Glies (Pettie poir) Cochrane on peg 86 had 15 fish for 136lb, Norman did well to finish with 186lb odd from peg 85 catching the bulk of his fish down the edge on the bomb & pellet, Losing two pole sections which got blown in the lake in the process" which Steve would kindly look for in his chest waders after. My carp went 130lb & my bits 2lb odd just to lose out to Giles for the section, I did find a 2lb skimmer in my net once the scales had disappeared but it wouldn't of made the difference thank god" I did enjoy my day for a change but a total of eight lost fish was a bit frustrating considering the size of the fish I was averaging' Top weight on the day went to Jamie Parkhouse (I said last week this guy can draw!") as he just so happened to draw current hot peg 114 on Cambell to finish the day with 191lb odd mainly taken on the waggler at depth with pellet. Norman ended up 2nd with some good close-up backing weights. Thiers another open here tomorrow I've decided to book in after all it made a change to hook a few fish today. Cant go without saying the man of the day must go to Scott Russell who certainly has the silvers sorted at the moment taking his 3rd win in a row on then from peg 127 Cambell with 88lb of skimmers!" Well fished I say so well done mate, Owe & he managed 71lb of carp to boot".

 Cary lake winner Norman.

looking forward to another day here tomorrow but hopefully I can just see a bit more sunshine than I did today & not lose any"?

Full Results -

1st Jamie Parkhouse (Exeter) peg 114 Cambell, 191lb 2oz.

2nd Norman Stacey (Wales) peg 85 Cary, 186b 12oz.

3rd Mike Vigar (Bait-Tech Viaduct) peg 119 Cambell, 172lb 2oz.

4th Scott Russell (Tackle UK) peg 127 Cambell, 159lb 9oz.

5th Neil Gaffe (Bordon Angling) peg 118 Cambell, 158lb 10oz.

6th Rod Eagle (Bait Tech Viaduct) peg 128 Cambell 157lb 9oz.

Silvers - Scott Russell (Tackle UK) peg 127 Cambell, 88lb 5oz.