Viaduct Fishery Open (Cambell Lake).

I decided at the last minute to make a trip for todays match, The end pegs at the car park end of the lake had been dominating the last few match mainly pegs 110 & 132 although on yesterdays results here peg 110 tipped back just two carp & most of the fish had seemed to move slightly further up on the opposite bank, It was much milder than of late with quite a brisk wind to start with blowing up towards peg 119, Not a bad turnout with 16 fishing so I let the usual few take their pick before having ago & was amazed when I saw peg 110 in my mitt!"

Although the guy didn't catch much here yesterday I was certainly in the right area & looking forward to targeting just carp today" Plenty of time to set up but kept it simple, A bomb rod to fish in the open water & down towards the pallet on the end peg which had been doing some damage here of late with the best bait proving to be meat but had some bread just encase, A waggler to fish all depths but its not deep here with the best depth around 4ft again in the open water & end bank & finally just one pole rig to fish in the open water to my left at 16mts being a 0.2 float on 0.15-0.13 & an 16 F1 maggot hook, This rig would double up to fish down the edge into towards the end corner of the lake at the same distance where it was only inches different, Let the onslaught begin"..

I was a bit concerned not to see any signs of fish towards the end bank whilst setting up but there were fish showing in the open water directly infront of me' The only issue was they were further across than I was allowed to chuck! They have fins though & on the all-in went straight out on the bomb with 8mm meat on the hook dropping short to start with to try & get an early fish, Nothing here so went slightly further this time with double 6mm meat on the hair, Bingo' twenty minutes in & 6lb in the net, I had good company with Richard A'Herne next to me on peg 111 who had started with the waggler & meat & lost a couple of foul hooked fish but after my first pull round the next 45mins fishless, I had been pinging the odd cube of meat down the edge & on the 16mt pole line so decided to have a quick look as the chap opposite me had already netted a few where the continued to show'. Nothing to show in the open water but first drop-in down the edge I missed a bite", Back in again & soon after had another fish in the net around 4lb then nothing so left it & tried the bomb again. Nothing in the open water so started to have a go near the end bank, I had a fish within seconds around 7lb but again nothing followed, The lad on the opposite bank was still catching well but just the other odd fish were being caught, Around halfway through Rich had switched to his silvers line after a couple of early carp on the wagg, I was struggling to get indications, I went back down the edge & had another fish but then couldn't get the rig to settle? I soon found out why after latching into a big branch which then shed the hook right where I was getting indications!" Ho Hum.. I switched to fishing the waggler, First in the open water but it was a nightmare to try & see it so began to fish it along the end bank but the casting was a bit awkward, I did snare another quick fish again with meat on a hair but they didn't appear to be here in numbers as again nothing followed, I did manage one more down the edge more by fluke as I spent far to long trying to get the rig to work without hooking up, The last hour or so proved worth while for Richard as after struggling for silvers switched back to the wagg & meat & took around half a dozen better size carp which would win him the section at least, I finished the day with seven carp & was first to weigh finishing with 46lb odd but fair play to Richard who went on to finish with 77lb odd after going slightly over in his net, which won him the section as Charlie Dalton opposite me finished with 122lb odd to easily win the day so well done to him, catching all his fish on the bomb, His side of the lake" Lol. As far as the silvers went regular Paul Greenwood took 16lb odd off of peg 116 mainly skimmers on the caster,

Learnt a bit more today which is always a good sign, maybe I should have stuck to the open water bomb/wagg line a bit more as I may have had some here late but the fish didn't see to like the scent of my plumrose today".

Happy new year to Steve Helen & Matt who do a stern job at the helm & are always happy to help.

Full Results -

1st Charlie Dalton (Gold Valley) peg 131, 122lb 2oz

2nd Richard A'Herne  (Frennze) peg 111 77lb 10oz.

3rd Jebb Attwood (Gold Valley) peg 119, 48lb 10oz.

4th Dom Sullivan (Mosella) peg 110, 46lb 14oz.

5th Clive Barrow (Southampton) peg 132, 44lb 1oz.

6th Steve Denmead (Keyfords) peg 130, 34lb 9oz.

Silvers -

1st Paul Greenwood (Bait-Tech Viaduct) peg 115, 16lb 1oz.

2nd Steve Axles (Frennze) peg 126, 9lb 5oz.          

Summerhayes Fishery (Longs Lake) Silvers Only.

Making the most of my time off over the festive period I decided to make a trip to Summerhayes as they now run silvers only matches on Fridays & if your fortunate enough to win on the day you go through to a Silvers Final  held at the end of March, Its run on the format that every angler pays a extra £1 on each open which goes in the final kitty & along with the pools on finals day makes for good payouts, It was lashing it down with rain whilst heading down this morning but appeared to clearing up when I arrived but their was a strong wind blowing & most were favouring a draw on the road bank with the worst of the wind of their backs, The match was run in a rover format & I had second choice but didn't chose the road bank instead I went for the top corner as you drive in peg 39 to most's suprize' I felt I might have a few fish down the edge to the dead reeds but had the option of fishing the open water towards peg 1 & across to the island infront of me at 13mts, I set up a 4x12 chanti on 0.13-0.10 & an 18 PR412 for down the deep edge around 3-4ft, Set up a 4x12 malman on the same line to an 18 F1 pellet hook to fish the bottom of the far shelf at 12mts to the island & a swim in the open water the same distance as both were the same depth around 4ft.

I started the day feeding three balls of G/bait in the open water with just a pinch of dead reds & casters added, feed one small ball with some dead pinkees added at the bottom of the far shelf & a small amount of micro of the point off the island, I went straight down the edge with cast on the hook feeding just a few of the same but after 15mins without any signs I went across on pinkee to the bottom of the far shelf expecting bites even from tiny roach but nothing' I had Mark Lehay next to me who was hoping for a better day after fishing with his wind in his face at Shiplate on Weds but already we were getting buffered around by the wind & now it had started to rain again' After 30mis of trying across even having a look over the micro fed line with small expander on the hook I still couldn't get a bite, It was time to try the positive fed line starting with dead red maggot on the hook, I was surprized to get a bite straight away which turned out to be a 4oz skimmer so at least I had caught" Terry Taylor came down to watch me for a few hours but I didn't have much to show him really' The wind was playing havoc & I was having real difficulty seeing the float, I switched to fishing the lighter Chanti rig over the top on a longer line which got me two more small skimmers in the next hour along with a small roach but it seemed every time I had a fish I had to re-feed a nugget of G/bait & leave it, I did eventually get a bite at the bottom of the far shelf netting a skimmer around 6oz but nothing followed.

I fed two new lines, One at 12mts back in to the slack water to my left & at the same angle across to the far bank reeds at 14mts with a handful of casters, This did get me two fish after I had left it to settle for 20mis but both were carp!" It was a real gruller to say the least & at the halfway point I estimated around 1lb in the net but Mark & Jeff Sparks around from him on peg 35 were yet to catch so I wasn't doing that bad by the look of it".

With a couple of hours to go Mark had had enough & started to pack up & just to make things worse as he was doing so one almighty gust from nowhere deposited two trays of mate up rigs into the lake which opened in the process & sinking out of sight!" Poor Mark lucks not with him at the moment..'

It was a case of switching lines constantly looking for bites, I couldn't get a sniff back in the calmer water to my left or down the edge even on maggot or pinkee, when I had indications they were on the open water line but they were few & far between, I managed a couple more hand size skimmers mainly on single maggot but did get one on the caster, I managed two more skimmers at the bottom of the far shelf late in the day again on maggot, A couple of roach in the open water & in the dying seconds hooked a better skimmer which I landed after the whistle around 10oz'. It had been a hard day, Mark & Rob Birch had called it a day & Jeff packed in before the end with just a small roach & a Blade skimmer.

I was first to weigh & thought I may have around 2lb which turned out to be 2lb 14oz, I had heard most had struggled for bites but apparently Bruce Hunt had around sixty small roach but how small? I didn't follow the scales choosing to get the kit back in the van before it rained again so met up back at the hut. I was surprised to here Bruce's roach net went 2lb 10oz & Apart from this the next best weight was 1lb odd so the hard days fishing had paid off" £57 in the pocket & a place in the silvers final" Result Lol. oddly even though it was rock hard having faith paid off for the extra few fish I caught & I did quite enjoy it', A free brew with Owner Pete & the guys after was very welcome though!

Full Results -

1st Dom Sullivan (Mosella) Peg 39, 2lb 14oz.

2nd Bruce Hunt (Tiverton) peg 31, 2lb 10oz.

3rd Gary Butler (Summerhayes) peg 17, 1lb 13oz.

4th Pete Curnow (Summerhayes) peg 29, 1lb 8oz.

Full

\             

Shipate Farm (Main Lake) Silvers Only.

Another match I was running over the festive period only this time it was a silvers only affair, We had had a torrent of rain in the last 24hrs & owner Steve informed me that so much water had gone into the lakes some pegs had water pushing up over the top so when I had a look at a few pegs in the lower numbers I decided to give the anglers the option of moving a swim to the A'peg numbers, Their were thirteen of us fishing as we had one pull out with the lurgy last night & Terry Taylor couldn't get his car started this morning so had to give it a miss, I pegged a section of six on the near bank & the remaining section on the far bank which was always going to be more favourable in the conditions as there was quite a stiff breeze from the north west pushing down the lake.

Into the draw & thankfully I had drawn the far side peg 11, Now Steve had warned me their may be some access water in pegs 10 or 11 but I hadn't bothered to check before the start, I wasn't quite expecting to see my swim totally joining up with Westpool Lake behind me though!" Lol, I had a small area where I could assemble my kit before paddling in on my heels as I only had hiking boots on & was doing my best to avoid a boot full of water".

Plumbing up I had around 5ft of water at 13mts so set up two 4x14 Wire wonder floats on 0.13-0.10 line, One with an 18 F1 Pellet hook to fish on a double bulk set up & the other with an 18PR 412 hook with a small bulk & a few droppers to fish near to dead depth, apart from this all I set up was a 4x12 Chanti on a strung out rig to fish around 6mts over loose fed casters & a small groundbait feeder to fish off the end of the island in the deeper water. For company I had Gordon (Golly) Jones on peg 10 who had some water to contend with but at least he had welly's, & Julian Pinkett on peg 12 but that's the only ones I could see on are bank but I did pity those opposite us as it looked cold in the wind'. I started the day feeding a positive line to the left at 13mts with four balls of G/Bait containing some casters & dead red maggot, Fed One Ball With Pinkees the same distance infront of me & a good helping of damp micros to my right again at 13mts.

I decided to start on the feeder with dead reds on the hook but nothing in the mix to start with, I was a bit surprized to have a bite after five minutes & netted a 5oz skimmer but it was a bit of a false dawn as I gave it another 40mins managing just one small roach, It was time to try the pole lines so I started on the negative line with dead pinkee on the hook & managed a couple of blip roach before switching to caster on the hook, This got me a better 3oz roach & a 5oz skimmer before bumping a fish which seemed to kill it dead, I had a look on the positive line for 20mins but never had an indication despite trying different baits on the hook, I had a look on 4mm expander over the micro fed line but not a sniff here either. Back on the negative fed line & I managed a few more small roach but couldn't temp any skimmers, I fed another ball & had another look on the feeder which resulted in another 5oz skimmer quite quickly the nothing again.

This was hard going but I couldn't see anybody catching much, I decided to ditch feeding micros & Instead fed a ball of G/Bait containing a good amount of dead red maggots on the same line, I let it settle then trying the negative line again which produced a couple of small skimmers but they wouldn't settle in the swim, The positive line was still to produce anything but when I went back over the dead maggot fed line with single maggot on the hook I did begin to catch small roach quite regular, They were only small but at least something was going in the net, After a few minutes it went a bit quite before I bumped a better fish then I couldn't get a bit again' I fed another ball of the same & Tried the other lines but they just didn't produce, I spent the rest of the day mainly on the maggot line adding odd small roach but never had a fish off the positive fed line all match' I did keep trying the feeder which did produce a couple more small skimmers but I really had to wait for indications, The pole lines completely died come the end so I decided to fish the feeder for the last 30mins of the match, I thought I had made the right choice after netting a 12oz fish with 20mins to go but only had one small roach after a few minutes from the end, Golly had been catching quite well in the last few hours on his pole lines mainly small roach but he also netted a couple of skimmers so I thought it would be close, He was admitting to 6b but I didn't think I had that much? Thankfully Owner Steve & his side kick Roy turned up at the end to do the scales for me which would be a big help after having to wade my kit back to the dry bit! When they arrived the top weight was 10lb odd from Mark Jones on peg 14 which was good on the day considering all the extra water in the lake, Julian next to me had 4lb 15oz before my fish went 6lb 3oz, Onto Golly & it was close as he ended up with 5lb odd but I didn't know what had been caught on the opposite bank?.

Back at the hut for a welcome cuppa before the results it turned out Marks weight of 10lb odd was enough to take the win on a hard day so well done to him, Next up was Glyn Wickham from end peg 15 with 8lb odd & I had a result as my weight was enough for third on the day picking up £35 along the way, Even though the lake had fished well below par due to the conditions it turned out the weights were very close come the end & just odd fish made all the difference, It was hard work & surprized I didn't catch late in the day on the positive fed pole line but that's fishing' got a couple more matches planned before we see in the new year when I will also get around to doing the end of year summery.

Full results -

1st Mark Jones (Shiplate Farm) peg 14, 10lb 6oz.

2nd Glyn Wickham (Summerhayes) Peg 14, 8lb 2oz.

3rd Dom Sullivan (Mosella) peg 11, 6lb 3oz.

4th Steve Jackson (Garbolino) peg 4a , 5lb 14oz.

5th Golly Jones (Shiplate Farm) peg 10, 5lb 9oz.

        

Shiplate Farm Open (Westpool)

I had a few people ask if anything was on Xmas eve so ran an open on Wespool lake, It turned out their was only seven of us due to most having commitments for the festive season, I decided to space us all out which meant putting one swim in what I still call the narrows but to be honest I was still hoping to avoid it'

I soon got the draw underway allowing someone to take one off the table for me, Yep it had to happen' Peg 3..!"

Owe well seems I'm back on my normal home on this lake having drawn it countless times, I did ok off it a while back catching a lot of the newer stocked smaller carp but it was a darn sight colder now & Steve peanut Howell struggled of it in last weeks Xmas match so wasn't to optimistic again' I wont bore you with the details but started the day dobbing bread along the far bank but after 20mins all I had were two blip roach & a pasty carp hooked in the top fin" Already I could see some splashing further down on the more fancied area so made an attempt to switch to catching some silvers in the hope of a pick-up, I spent the day fishing casters short & fed two lines at 13mts left & right with G/bait & Pinkee & the other with G/bait & Casters, I didn't have a fish off the 13mt caster line back towards peg 1 but did end up catching a few 8-10oz skimmers on pinkee of the other 13mt line but they were few & far between & I ended up catching more pasty carp here than silvers" I did have a few roach short on the same rig but would of been better of with a lighter rig but to be honest I was always playing catch up with Mark Thorn on peg 6 in the wider water would was also targeting silvers. Come the end I called it a day with 30mins to go ready in plenty of time to do the weigh-in. The day was won by Mark Jones who just so happened to have the last peg on the table which turned out to be peg 15" with 64lb & John Page close by on peg 12 was 2nd with 58lb, Mark Thorn went on to win the silvers with 12lb odd & I did end up weighing for the sake of it but only had 12lb of carp & 8lb odd of silvers but at least I had mustered a few bites for this time of the year, Well that's it as far as matches go this side of Christmas but my next port of call is another open I'm running on the main lake of this fishery this coming Weds which is a silvers only affair which is limited to sixteen of us to hopefully give us all a bit of room & a few bites".

Overall Results -

1st Mark Thorn (Shiplate Farm) peg 15, 64lb 4oz.

2nd John Page (Thyers Tackle) peg 12, 58lb 4oz.

Silvers -

1st Mark Thorn (The Sedges) peg 6, 12lb 2oz.          

Viaduct Fishery (Xmas Match) All Lakes.

Missed out on something to eat this morning as the burger van wasn't in the Bridgwater layby as I expected so not a good start, Arrived in plenty of time & Had a quick look on Cambell Lake 110 in the corner which has won the last few matches & it seemed their were still fish in the area as three topped whilst I was stood there' Wishful thinking I would draw this then'? A cracking turn-out with 97 fishing & I still managed to be close to the front come draw time. Opened it to find myself on peg 47 Match lake which happens to be the top end of it facing back down the lake with the end of the island to chuck to this lake is well stocked with carp & silvers as well as F1's which still seem to show in the colder weather so I did expect a few bites.

Plumbing up the best depth I had was only around 3ft & with the water being clear I had a 0.2g rig on 0.15-0.13 & a 16 f1 pellet hook to fish at 16mts & set up another identical float on o.13-0.11 & an 18 f1 Pellet hook to fish at 13mts to target silvers if need be. I set up a small bomb to fish over to the island as well as a small waggler. On the all-in I feed just a few cubes of meat at 16mts, two loose pots of G/Bait with casters & pinkies added at 13mts & started on the bomb & punched bread as close to the island I could get, I gave it 15mins but switched to the waggler & pinkee after no early signs, 10mins late I had an F1 around 2lb but only two small roach in the next 20mins, I had Paul Greenwood next to me on peg 46 & with no island chuck he had decided too target silvers from the off & was already putting a few skimmers & roach in his net, I had been pinging the odd 6mm cube of meat at 16mts so it was time to give it a try.

With a single cube on the hook it took me around 10mins to get an indication which turned out to be a decent skimmer around 2lb. Then I couldn't get another bite so after another 20mins I decided to have a look on the 13mt line with double dead red maggot on the hook, I had another skimmer over a 1lb straight away then a few hand size fish before it died so topped it up with another ball & went back on the wagg to the island, Well, Briefly, After a few minutes of casting I hooked a branch I couldn't see hanging off the trees on the island & lost the lot! so soon chucked the bomb back out instead this time with meat on the hook. another 30mins & still no signs of fish close to the island which was odd & didn't fill me with confidence'. back on the 16mts line again on meat & I missed a bite straight away then nothing so decided to feed another line the same distance to my right with a few cubes of meet & a few casters, This did catch me one fish through the day which was a 1lb plus hybrid but that was it, I took another 2lb plus skimmer at 13mts again on maggot but bites were hard to come by, I did manage to catch a decent carp on the original 16mt line with a couple more F1's & did eventually catch a fish on the bomb & meat to the island which again was a better carp but that was it" I had a late F1 at 16mts, Lost a decent carp which was foul hooked & missed a couple of late bites but that was it. Come the end of the match I wished I had targeted silvers for the whole match but had convinced myself I would have caught well off the island but it wasn't to be, Paul Had made the right choice as he managed to put some silvers in the net for most of the day & even had a 2lb plus skimmer down the edge late in the day, When the scales arrived Andy Gard on the other side of me weighed 23lb odd, My nets went 25lb odd before Paul finished with 22lb of silvers & a bonus 6lb carp so well done to him for making the better choice on the day, My lake was won by Nick Chedzoy with 53lb odd mainly on the long pole with meat. Back at the results & it turned out the opposite end peg to peg 110, Peg 132 was best on the day with young Andy Cranston won the match catching on the bomb & meat to the end bank to finish with 95lb so well done to him & to Paul who went on to win the silvers pool with his 22lb. A well run match by Steve, Helen & son Matt who made sure we all had a free beer & Mince pies afterwards as well as a prize for all those who took part so a big thanks their & was happy to walk off with a crate of Carling for the xmas period' I'm running a knock-up tomorrow on westpool lake at Shiplate so one more match before the Christmas onslaught.

Full results -

1st Andy Cranston (Thatchers P.I) peg 132 Cambell,  95lb.

2nd Bob Gullick (Mosella) peg 73 Lodge, 85lb 2oz.

3rd Dan Squires (Sensas) peg7 Spring, 69lb 2oz.

4th Matt Parsons (Parsigns) peg 4 Spring, 57lb 8oz.

5th Nick Chedzoy (Thatchers P.I) peg 44 Match, 53lb 5oz.

6th Richard Adherne (Frenzee) peg 99 Cary, 52lb 11oz.

Silvers -

1st Paul Greenwood (Viaduct) peg 45 Match, 22b 12oz.

2nd Nick Ewers (Thatchers P.I) peg 68 Lodge, 20lb 3oz.

3rd Stu White (Wiltshire Angling) Peg 19 Spring, 20lb 2oz. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Shiplate Farm Xmas Match (Hawthorns, Westpool & Main Lakes.

That time of year again when we all seem to come out the wood work in the chance of going home with a box of chocolates if nothing else' Glad to see the conditions were a bit milder today although it wouldn't improve water temperatures so it could be hard for some? A good turn out with 36 fishing so the match would be spread over the three lakes with payouts for each sections & silvers wise & the top three overall on the day, Obviously we all fancied pegs 1 or 15 on the main lake which are normally the hot spots but we would see' Into the draw & I was quite happy to end up on peg 15 Westpool & being the end peg did fancy to catch something at least? I drew this peg when I first fished this fishery years ago but have been nowhere near ever since so was looking forward to the day.

I looked at the clarity of the water when I arrived at the peg & with it being quite clear it looked ideal for bread fishing so that would be my main approach. I set a rig to fish tight at 14mts over being 0.2g float on 0.15-013 & a 16 808 hook where I found nearly 3ft of water, This rig would double up to also fish down my left hand edge from 10-14mts, set up A 4x12 malman on 0.15-0.11 & an 18F1 Pellet hook to fish in the deeper water at the bottom of the far shelf at 13mts if needed & a 4x12 Chanti to fish corn down the edge on the deck in 4ft of water.

I started the match feeding a small ball of G/bait & a few red maggots at 13mts at the bottom of the shelf, Fed a few Micros & dead reds of to my right at 14mts tight over, A small amount of corn down the edge at 10mts close to the bank & began the day on punched bread tight across at 14mts infront of me with the rig set to fish a few inches off the deck. I had more in the first minute than I had all day yest when I netted a 1lb plus carp, I had one slightly bigger straight after which soon saw good mate Russ Pecker follow suit next to me on peg 13, I had to weight a bit before having another fish but it was worth it as 10mins later I netted a fish near 7lb' Russ was also soon into fish but they appeared to be the smaller stamp to start with, In the first hour I reckoned on having around 21lb so was well on my way. The next hour was quite steady adding a few more to 5lb after playing around with the depth & at the halfway point I thought I had around 45lb? before I started to suffer with foul hookers & began to lose a few in the process,  The wheels began to fall of slightly & it didn't help when I saw Russ still adding fish to his nets, The wife Had got me a bargain loaf of bread which I normally use but it turned out to be stale & getting it to stay on the hook was a nightmare & at times it wouldn't even sink after shipping all the way across!.

 After wasting around 40 mins' I reverted back to fishing with the bait just touching the deck but switched to fishing double punched bread on the hook & pushed the rig tight to the bank, This seemed to work & although I had to wait for bites the fish were of good size & I seemed to be clawing back to Russ, through the day I did try down the edge on corn but didn't get a bite on it, I took three 3lb odd carp down the edge on the shallower bread rig in the space of 15mins all in different areas then nothing so spent the last 90mins switching between the edge & across which seemed best, It did slow down quite a lot in the last hour but I knew come the end it was still going to be close between Russ & Myself but I didn't know how the other lakes had faired? I was first to weigh & was surprized the net I had used in the second half of the day went 42lb odd as I had only estimated my first net would be 45lb? Nope that went 66lb odd" Lol so I finished the day with a total of 107lb odd for a really enjoyable days fishing, Onto Russ & after a few weighs he under estimated & had 5lb docked for going over in his first net but it wouldn't have made a difference as he finished with 98lb odd so a good battle between us & enjoyable (Thanks Mate") Back at the results & The Main Lake had Fished harder today with mark jones winning the lake from peg 1 with 50lb odd & On Hawthorns fancied peg 1 came out on top with 74lb odd which meant I had won the day so even better" A nice pick-up of £75 followed & Fair play to Owners Steve & Carol as after the result Steve put all are names into the bucket then drew them out ensuring everyone went home with a prize, luckily my name was draw quite early so still went home with the Jack Daniels I had my eye on"!, Lucky today to have a nice draw after yesterdays slip-up but you still gota catch um' Not really done much of this bread dobbing' so to speak but ensuring depths kept changing I kept bites coming & a cheap day at that' I'm sure if I hadn't had a mare with the drying bread I would of had even more but that was my fault & lesson learnt, Well done to all those who took part & to Steve & Carol for supplying after match rolls & mince pies all round'.

Full results -

1st Dom Sullivan (Mosella) peg 15 Westpool, 107lb 4oz.

2nd Russ Pecker (Thatchers Tackle) peg 13 Westpool, 98lb 4oz.

3rd Nigel Wickham (Summerhayes) peg 1 Hawthorns, 73lb 12oz.

4th Julian Pinkett (Wormheads) peg 11 Hawthorns, 64lb 4oz.

Silvers -

Hawthorns 1st Ray Wickham (Summerhayes) 3lb 6oz.

Main lake 1st Mark Thorn (The Sedges) 15lb 15oz.

Westpool 1st John Dursley (Enterprise Angling) 9lb 12oz.            

Acorn Saturday Series Rd 3. (Paddock Lake).

I had a feeling today was going to be hard when I woke to a frost this morning & the grass was still white when we arrived at the fishery & after meeting Bobby G & Tom Cassidy at the grub van by Asda in Clevedon for a decent breakfast roll beforehand. Into the draw & I was disappointed to end up on peg 19 which is a few pegs down from the bridge on the longer straight section, Its only around 13mts wide here & with the pegs in my section below me being in the wider water, & the rest on the far bank at the top end of the lake I thought I was going to struggle to compete today? Mark Walsh drew this in the first round & D.N.W after one small fish so I wasn't to optimistic" I'm not going to bother with explaining rigs ect as I didn't catch much! I started the day across dobbing bread to start against the grassed areas but not a sign of fish, switched to fishing maggot in the deeper water around 3-4ft after Matt Roden on peg 17 hooked & landed a carp but still nothing" Had a go down the track with bread, Same result'. For over three hours I tried just about everything I could think of & Baits for that matter but not so much as an indication on the float even to tell me their were fish present? I Had to go for a wander whilst enjoying the rest of my breakfast roll' I went up to bobby on peg 26 who had a few fish along the end bank on maggot but he did have a bit of room as the pegs either side were 22 & 31" Back at my peg & I had an indication as soon as I went back on the deeper shelf again on maggot but it turned out to be a foul hooked carp in the side of the face which shed the hook at the net!" Owe what a day this was turning out to be...

I Never had another indication on this line even starting new swims further along the shelf, I wasn't going to give up though' I had tried the shallower water infront the reeds on the far bank all day but after trying it again with 45mins to go I had a bite' It turned out to be a 1oz roach but at least I hadn't blanked! I just could not catch a carp anywhere, I had a bigger 3oz" roach with 15mins to go & that was it! A really bad day for me & last in the section so hopefully this will be my dropped result come the end"? Matt on peg 17 took 7lb of skimmers on maggot to go with his 6lb carp & Below him Mark Broomsgrove weighed 8lb odd but the other pegs in are section on the far bank faired better as Walshy won it from peg 31 with 51lb odd. Their were a few fish caught on odd pegs but not for me today but that's winter fishing" Glen Calvert did well off peg 40 fishing bread down the track to win the day so well done to him. Bobby G is well on the way to winning this league already after his 3rd section win but close for the rest of us. Off to Shiplate Farm for the Xmas match Tomorrow so hoping for a better day.

Full results -

1st Glen Calvert (Maver Cadbury Angling) peg 40,  57lb.

2nd Mark Walsh (Acorn) peg 31, 51lb 15oz.

3rd Bob Gullit (Mosella) peg 26, 51lb 14oz.

4th Keith Ray (Acorn) Peg 11, 48lb

League To Date,

1st Bob Gullit 18pts.

2nd Mark Broomsgrove , Ray Cooper 14pts.

4th Tom Cassidy 13pts.

5th Dom Sullivan , Glen Calvert  12pts.       

Viaduct Silvers League (Final Round).

I opted to fill in for Sam Powell for this final round of the popular silvers league held over Cambell, Cary & Lodge Lakes but when I arrived I was having second thoughts as it was lashing down & blowing a gale already & the forecast was for worse winds to come" I left the kit in the van until the draw as I had already made up my mind if I was unfortunate enough to draw with it in my kisser then I would turn around & go home? I was around halfway in the draw queue just behind Steve Jackson who was hoping for a section win today in the attempt to catch Craig Trigger Edmunds at the top of the table, Jacko drew peg 131 on the far side of Cambell with the wind off his back then I went & pulled out peg 130 next to him" With the wind in are favour I had to give it a go just to see if I could upset Jacko's Plan's..

When we arrived at are pegs the wind was now gusting to 60mph plus" & I really felt for the guys opposite with it smack in their kisser even when they were attempting to set up their was kit flying everywhere!" Even owner Steve had to come out with a chain saw after a tree toppled over in the car park luckily missing the vehicle's". It was going to be quite a simple set up today, A waggler to fish the open water, A 4x14 & 4x12 wire wonder on 0.13-0.10 & 18 PR412 hooks, The heavier rig to fish slightly over depth with a double bulk & the lighter rig with a strung bulk. On the all-in I fed 4 good balls of G/bait with casters & some dead red maggot at 14mts in-front of me & just one ball with dead pinkie's added at the same distance to my left. I started on the wagg at around 25mts with caster on the hook just feeding minimum amounts of the same via the catty, I had a couple of small roach in the first 30mins or so before taking a 4oz skimmer when I switched to red maggot on the hook, This appeared to be a fluke as after the first hour just a couple more small roach were added, Jacko had also had a slow start with just a couple of small fish & the guy below him was struggling but I couldn't see the others in my section as they were above the spit.

After just over an hour it was time to try the pole lines, I started over the negative line with double pinkee but only had another small roach after ten minutes, Time to try the heavier fed line this time with double caster on the hook, I did have a bite after a few minutes but missed it so switched to single caster with the hook buried inside, This made a difference as I soon netted a few 6-8oz skimmers, I could already tell though after a couple of bites the fish would back off so picked a couple more off fishing off the feed before I felt it was time to top up with another smaller ball. Back on the negative line I took a couple more skimmers again on caster but they appeared to be much smaller so fed another ball here this time just with casters added, I was going to try the waggler again but the bad light had put pay to that & it didn't appear to be working that well as Jacko had only added a few more small roach at this stage.

Back on the positive line & I had to sit & wait for bites but I was putting the odd 6oz plus skimmer in the net at least, I did manage a couple on single red maggot but the bites were really iffy & caster was producing better bites when they happened" I went through a bit of a pattern of catching a couple of fish over the feed, Would knick the odd one off the feed either side then top the swim up again when I didn't have signs of fish in the peg, Just over halfway through Jacko managed to snare a decent 2lb plus perch on the waggler & I think everyone on the lake knew about it! Lol, I was still happy to stick with the pole as I was at least putting odd fish in the net which were slightly better stamp than most of the blip roach Steve was catching, I thought the last couple of hours would see the catch rate improve but it went the opposite way to be honest with bites hard to come by, I did have a better late run of small skimmers off both lines late in the day but was never going to set the world alight, Come the all out I thought I had around 8lb odd, Jacko was admitting to lest than this but had also netted a better skimmer later in the day, Are bank was the first to weigh & the guy below Jacko had 3lb odd, Steve finished the day with just over 6lb & I was a bit surprized to finish with 10lb 4oz so I had shown him the way home today' Lol, Above the spit Ryan Shipp weighed 9lb odd & the guy above him had called it a day before we even finished the day so thankfully it meant I won the section picking up £50 in the process. Back at the results & it was a tie for top spot as Vince Brown from peg 59 on Lodge weighed 24lb 8oz along with Nick Ewers from peg 77 on Cary with the same weight. As far as the overall standings went Craig Edmunds finished 3rd in his section from peg 74 on Cary which was enough to see him wrap the league up with 7pts so another big well done to him" It was very close with the rest of the frame places with a few being decided on weight count back.

Fair play to those who had to contend with the wind & rain in their face for the first few hours but it was like a different world come the end with all the lakes flat calm'. Quite a hard days fishing but still enjoyable for this time of the year & even better to come back with a few quid.

Full Results -

1st Nick Ewers ( P.I Thatchers) peg 77 Cary, & Vince Brown (Mosella) peg 59 Lodge, 24lb 8oz.

3rd Tony Rixon (Mosella) peg 99 Cary, 18lb.

4th Joe McMahon (Veals) peg 78, 15lb 7oz. 

5th Stu White (Wiltshire Angling) peg 70, 14lb 11oz.

6th John Fuidge (The Sedges) peg 55, 14lb 3oz.

Overall Standing -

1st Craig Edmunds (Mosella) 7pts.

2nd John Fuidge (The Sedges) 8pts (weight).

3rd Steve Jackson (Garbolino) 8pts.

4th Gary O'Shea (P.I Thatchers) 9pts (weight).

5th Nigel Easton (Viaduct) 9pts.           

Shiplate Farm Mini Series Final Round (Main Lake).

Another Year has passed & it was my Birthday Yesterday so no fishing as it was defiantly a day for a few Sherbert's" Luckily I was quite sensible going out early & returning for a Chinese with the lovely Wife (Not that I remember much of it?) but at least I was in a fit state this morning. Conditions were in are favour with no wind but with the cold nights we didn't know what to expect, Obviously pegs 1 & 15 would be favoured but with just a point between Rich Hawkins & Myself if I didn't draw them they I had to hope Rich didn't". I was early into the draw & found myself on peg 12 of the far bank & Rich ended up drawing with next to me on end peg 11 of are bank, This was probably the best I could of wished for as I could see if he was catching & the pegs have been pretty even of late, A few methods today, Waggler for banded 6mms or corn to fish around 25mts & lead rod for bomb n bread/corn, A 4x12 Chanti to fish at 14mts to my left if 5ft of water on 0.17-0.13 & an 16 Pellet hook, this rig would double up to fish at 10mts down the edge a couple of meters of the bank at the bottom of the shelf. Finally a 4x12 malman to fish at 13mts for silvers again in 5ft of water on 0.15-0.12 Floro carbon & a 16 F1 pellet hook, All I fed at the start was some micros at 13mts & a few hard 4mms on the waggler line & started the day towards the middle of the lake with the bomb & popped up bread, It was a slow start to say the least & not so much as a liner in the first 30mins, I gave it another 20mins switching to double corn on the hair but still no signs. Nigel next to me had started on the pole & had took a few small silvers & Rich was also yet to catch, After nearly an hour it was time to switch to the waggler where I had been pinging 4mms where I was sure of getting bites with banded 6mm on the hook... Nope, not a sniff & another 15mins gone", Things were looking bleak at this stage, I had seen two carp landed on the opposite bank but apart from Kurt Pinkett on peg 15 catching a few the rest of us were in the same boat' It was time to have a look on the 13mt line whilst I began to drip the odd grain of corn & meat on the 14mt line in the hope of catching a carp of it late in the day? I started with 4mm expander on the hook & caught straight away, A 2oz roach". Five minutes later I had 6oz skimmer & a fish of 1lb soon after then couldn't get an indication, By now we were over two hours in, I had been pinging the odd grain of corn just past the waggler line so decided to chuck the bomb back over it after giving the hookbait a squirt of scopex, The rig had been in about 10mins when I started to attach a cad-pot to the topset of my 14mt line when the rod flew round" He's on then! Soon after I netted a carp not big at around 4lb but at least I had caught one'.

I thought I had it sussed but it wasn't the case as another 20mins or so & not even a liner, I had a look at 14mts with meat & corn but nothing & tried down the edge line but still no signs. back at 13mts I had a skimmer around a 1lb then a better fish pushing 2lb then I couldn't get a bite again, I re-fed again and had another look on the wagg but still couldn't get an indication on here, Nigel was struggling for bites But Rich had managed a few skimmers on the pole by now but no carp.

I gave the bomb another go without a sniff so did the best to catch what I could of the silvers line before switching around looking for bites of the other lines, Well they never happened" I didn't get a bite down the edge line or at 14mts all day' The waggler didn't produce even when I fished it past the feed with corn on the hook & I never had another pull on the bomb, I just managed to add the odd decent size skimmer from the 13mt line but bites got harder to come by as the day went on. It was hard going for all I could see, I finished the day with around 10lb of skimmers & the one carp but Rich had only caught skimmers & Nigel had struggled to add much to his net, When the scales arrived Kurt was going to romp the section with 68lb but next to him Andy Light had 11lb odd & Nigel finished with 2lb odd, I was bang on with my estimate finishing with just over 14lb & Rich managed 7lb of silvers so my second in the section was enough to overhaul Rich for the series, Result". Back at the hut & John Hawkins had emptied it for this time of the year with 154lb odd from fancied peg 1 so fair play to him, Apart from the noted pegs it was hard for the rest of us but it turned into a good battle between Rich & Myself down to the last match, Winning the league saw me pick up £90, I had another £30 on the day for the section second & even had the bonus of another £12 from guessing the closest winning weight on the day' Even though I was around 70lb off I had guessed the highest Lol, Well done to Julian Pinkett for Running the series which was close though out which we all enjoyed, Kurt Pinkett ended up winning the heaviest fish caught through the series with a 14lb 8oz carp in his catch today. Really enjoyed this competitive little series & pleased to come out on top. 

Days Results -

1st John Hawkins (Wormheads) Peg 1, 154lb 2oz.

2nd Kurt Pinkett (Wormheads) peg 15, 68lb 2oz.

3rd Mark Jones (Shiplate) peg 3, 43lb 6oz.

4th Golly Jones (Shiplate) peg 6, 20lb 2oz.

Final League -

1st Dom Sullivan (Mosella) 21pts £90.00

2nd Rich Hawkins (Wormheads) 20pts £80.00

3rd John Hawkins (Wormheads) 17pts (weight) £70.

4th Kurt Pinkett (Wormheads) 17pts £60.00

Biggest Fish - Kurt Pinkett 14lb 8oz. £45.00

3rd                  

Shiplate Farm Mini Series Round 4, (Hawthorns).

firstly I was expecting to work yesterday but it all changed at the last minute, I made a call to old timer Terry Taylor who was keen to improve his silvers catches on the Main Lake & arranged for him to come with me whilst I had a pleasure session on their, I fed three lines at 13mts, One positive with G/bait, One with Micros & the other with a small ball of bait, I was going to fish the waggler but the light was awkward so started over the small fed line with maggot on the hook, I caught around 4lb of small fish in the first hour before feeding another small amount, & catching a few more smaller skimmers. It took a couple of hours for the other lines to get going but in the end I started catching some bigger skimmers & had a decent Crucian & tench in the mix, I fished for around five hours & was pleased to end up with around 40lb of silvers for a nice days fishing & I'm sure Terry learnt a lot in the process so hopefully it shows when he's next on the lake.

Back to today & after last weeks match on here I fancied drawing either in the middle of the lake or fancied peg 1 which always seems to throw up fish, It wasn't to be though as this went to Rich Hawkins who I was tying at the top of the league with & when I picked out peg 13 I had a gut feeling we were going to have a hard day again up this far end, I had Mark Jones on peg 12 & Julian Pinkett on end peg 15, We all had an empty peg beside us but unfortunately couldn't go much towards peg 14 as the aerator rope went from bank to bank" I had a rig to fish tight across in just over 3ft of water, A rig to fish in 6ft of water at 13mts against the rope which would double up to fish infront the aerator at 10mts, A 0.2g rig to dob bread along the far bank & finally a 4x12 chanti to fish down both edges to my left on my topkit plus two sections & the same off the bank to my right at 5mts just short of the rope. They started by dobbing either side of me but I started on the deck tight over at 14mts with 4mm expander just hoping to put something in the net. Not a sniff' I switched to maggot but still nothing, it was my turn to try & locate so fish dobbing bread along the far bank, I stuck with this for the first hour changing depths & areas but still couldn't by a bite, Mark had a small roach & skimmer But I couldn't see how Julian was getting on? This was grim" I tried the 13mt corn line & infront the aerator but still nothing, After two hours I was still bite less" The lovely wife turned up with a coffee bless her which was very welcome at this stage, I had been feeding small amounts of corn down each edge & decided I had to give it a go, I was just about to give up after 20mins when it shot under' At last after 2hrs & 25mins I had a fish on which turned out to be around 4lb. Nothing followed so it was back to searching around the peg to try & induce a bite, I would like to say it got better as the day went on but it didn't happen, I had one bite across on maggot which I missed & I put that down to a small fish, Pulled out of a decent fish down the edge but did manage two more carp down the edge to my right on corn one around 2lb & a better 6lb fish with ten minutes to go'.

Julian was first to weigh & finished with 11lb odd, My three fish went 13lb odd & Mark finished the day with 10lb so yep it was hard up here, Further down Kurt Pinkett won the section with 32lb but thankfully I picked up second & £30 along the way, It was to close to call in the other section & Rich Hawkins drew with Steve (Peanut) Howell off the next peg both finishing the day with 38lb 14oz, With one round to go next week on the main lake its still close between Rich & myself with just one point between us so much will depend on the draw?, A real gruller today but it happens but at least I came away with a result points wise & all to play for.

Full results -

1st Steve Howell (Shiplate) peg 3, 38lb 14oz.

1st Rich Hawkins (Wormheads) peg 1, 38lb 14oz.

3rd Kurt Pinkett (Wormheads) peg 10, 32lb 4oz.

4th John Hawkins (Wormheads) peg 4, 24lb 12oz.

League -

1st Rich Hawkins 18pts,

2nd Dom Sullivan 17pts,

3rd Julian Pinkett 15pts.               

Shiplate Farm Open (Hawthorns Lake). Sunday.

Back on my doorstep again just for a small open on Hawthorns as were on this lake next week & being its got much colder with the colour dropping out since my last visit I could use the day as a bit of practice, I fancied peg 1 as it always seems to produce a few at this time of the year down to the inside cover but I couldn't of been further away if I tried after drawing early & ending up at the other end peg 15' Again! I had this peg a few weeks ago & struggled for 20lb odd of what I would call smaller resident fish which was a good weight that day at this end & I didn't expect to be much better? Still you never know & conditions seemed ideal as their was no wind & it was relatively mild whilst setting up.

I set up a rig to fish a couple of lines tight across in around 3ft of water being an Drennan AS3 float on 0.15-0.12 floro Carbon & an 16 f1 pellet hook, This is the first time I've really tried these floats & with the tip being plastic they didn't take on water which can happen on some floats & I do like to dot um down". Set up a 4x12 Chanti on 0.15-0.13 to fish away from me down the track at 13mts with corn or 6mm expanders in nearly 6ft of water & the rig would double up to fish down the left hand edge at 5mts which was around the same depth, & finally a rig to fish up to the reeds on the end bank which was around 4ft deep at 10mts, Owe I did set another rig to dob bread across but more of that later.

I started the day feeding some corn down the track & a small amount of pellets & corn to the end bank reeds, I went straight across with 4mm expander feeding a tiny amount of the same with a few micros, I had a bite straight away being a 1lb carp & another 2lb fish soon after, I was a bit reluctant to feed again but after 10mins with no more signs fed another tiny amount, I had a couple of small roach then had an 8oz skimmer so decided to start the other far line with a small amount of corn & hard 4mm's as I had caught well on corn last time I was on this lake, I let it settle & went back on the other line still on expanders & had a couple more skimmers to 12oz but that was it after the first hour, I did contemplate trying the dobbing bread rig but Tom Light next to me had been working his far bank & was yet to catch which told me there didn't appear to be many carp in the area' I had a look down the end bank & across on the corn' line but not a sniff.

I hadn't a cue what was happening further down but owner Steve was paying out the top two & top silvers today so decided my better option seemed to be the silvers, I decided to start another line with a few hard 4mms & a ball of micros down the track at 11mts & started to feed slightly more across to try & draw a few more skimmers . This seemed to work as I would get a couple then the would back off, It was quite enjoyable really & I always had the chance of catching the carp at some point? It wasn't hectic but I was still putting the odd skimmer in the net mostly between 6-12oz I kept trying the other lines & down the edge but nothing on these, I did manage two small carp down the track on corn on the 13mt line later in the day & did manage a few skimmers at 12mts on 6mm expander" but mostly caught across to my left with 4mm expander over 4mm's & Micros, Only a 5 hour match today with the nights drawing in & with only one more small carp across for the rest of the match I hoped I had chose the right target of fish in the end.

I was first to weight & my carp went 13lb 2oz (had 13lb on the clicker" Lol) but more importantly my net of skimmers went 18lb odd for an enjoyable day, Tom had a hard day targeting the carp but only ending with 8lb odd so they weren't at are end then". Back at the hut it turned out the middle of the lake faired best as John Hawkins on peg 7 had 75lb of carp dobbing bread to the far bank so fair play to him ahead of Julian Pinkett next to him who finished with 52lb on the same method, I Made the right choice then as I won the silvers pool getting £32 back so at least a pick-up', pleased with the catch of silvers as not really noted area for skimmers but goes to prove sometimes bites are their to be had.

Full Results -

1st John Hawkins (Wormheads) Peg 7, 75lb 4oz.

2nd Julian Pinkett (Wormheads) peg 9, 52lb 10oz.

3rd Mark Jones (Shiplate Farm) peg 5, 42lb 4oz.

Silvers -

 1st Dom Sullivan (Mosella) peg 15, 18lb 5oz. 

2nd Glyn Wickham (Summerhayes) peg 12, 12lb 4oz.             

Acorn Saturday Series Round 2.

It Seems Ages Ago since we did the first round & it was a darn sight warmer conditions & I certainly didn't expect it to fish as well as the last match, News was 70lb odd won the recent Tuesday open but yesterday most of this area woke to a heavy frost so hoped for a good area' I was first in the bag today but was a bit disappointed to end up on peg 36, Its in the corner facing back towards the entrance, This area had been producing a few fish of late but I've drawn this area before at this time of the year & struggled for a bite but you never know'?

I planned to keep it simple, A 0.2g rig on 0.15-0.11 & an 18 F1 Pellet hook to fish just off the point of the island at 14mts against the shelf in slightly deeper water around 3ft, I did set a rig up to fish in the slightly shallower water across but didn't really expect the fish to be here? A rig to fish down the edge at 9mts to my left in front the dying reeds in 4ft of water & finally a 4x12 Chanti to fish infront the broken pallet of peg 37 at 13mts which was around the same depth with the rig on the same line/hook as across,  I started the day feeding a small amount of 4mms at 9mts with a pinch of corn, A few bits of corn at 13mts to the pallet & started the day across in the shallower water but after 10mts switched to fishing the slightly deeper water across with 4mm expander over tiny amounts of 4mms & G/bait, I did have two carp in the next 30mins just a shame they totalled 1lb", I did foul hook a better fish briefly but then couldn't get a sign here, I spent the first hour on this line even trying maggot on the hook but still couldn't get indications so went down the edge sooner than I would have liked but from what I could see most people were struggling.

Starting at 9mts with corn I was pleased to net a carp within minutes around 2lb & was pleased to get another 3lb fish Five minutes later but that was it from here for now, It was onto the 13mt line again with corn & funnily enough I expected it to go under straight away? I was right' & another 3-4lb fish in the net, For some reason I missed the next couple of bites even though I was fishing just dead depth but after foul hooking & losing a decent fish I put it down to liners rather than bites. This seemed to kill it completely as the next 20mis produced nothing off either edge line. I tried again across but just couldn't get bites, The guy on the bridge peg 40 hadn't caught in the first couple of hours & Brian (Anteater) slipper behind me on peg 33 also next to the bridge had only one small carp so things were hard! I did expect to catch later in the day down the edge even though the wind was straight in my kisser when I fished it'. It didn't happen & the second half of the day was even harder than the first' I managed another Carp off either inside line & lost another fouler & that was it" A real gruller today, But I wasn't the only one' Walshy over on peg 17 never even had a carp" Brian finished with 15lb odd & peg 40 Had 16lb but they weren't in my section, I did the weigh board today as I was last but one to weigh-in, The match was won by Mark Poppleton Guesting today from peg 9 with 59lb & my section was won from behind the shed peg 30 by Andy Gard with 23lb 1oz but I wasn't far off  finishing with 22lb 1oz!. Summing things up I should of took some bread as I may of had a couple dobbing? but I didn't feel like I fished a good match really, My phone died before the start of the day so didn't have a clue all day what the time was which put me off my stride a bit but was happy enough to finish 2nd in the section picking up £40, The next round isn't until mid December so we'll see what that brings.

Full results -

1st Mark Poppleton (Colmic) peg 9, 59lb 8oz.

2nd Mike Owens (Sensas 88) peg 5, 46lb 15oz.

3rd Rich Heatley (Acorn) peg 26, 46lb 14oz.

4th Ray Cooper (Bristol) peg 1, 36lb 7oz.

League to date -

1st Bob Gullit, 2pts.

2nd Mark Broomsgrove, 3pts.

3rd Dom Sullivan, 4pts.           

Shiplate Farm Main Lake Series.

It was certainly a bit chillier in the air when I got up this morning' I arrived in plenty of time to give owner Steve Oliver his breakfast roll enjoying a free brew before the draw, Odiously we all fancied peg 1 or 15 but with peanut present I was sure I could discount one of them!? I dived into the draw quite early with the theory they were their to be drawn' I gingerly open my ticket to find myself on peg 1' Hallelujah" This meant the rest of my section would be on the same bank & although I expected the day to be hard I was confident enough to catch some carp from here. First up I set a bomb rod up to fish different baits across past the point of the island, a 0.2g float on 0.17-0.15 to fish down the edge at 9mts in 3ft of water, a 4x14 float on 0.17-0.13 to fish in the open water at 13mts slightly to my left & would use the same rig to fish back towards the bay on my left but it would mean fishing stood up' A rig to fish back on my inside to the left at 13mts in a couple of feet of water & finally a silvers rig again for the open water  at 12mts infront of me.

I started the day cupping a decent amount of corn on the 13mt open water line, Some micros & 4mms on the silvers line, a same amount of corn & 6mms at 13mts down the left edge & on the shorter right hand margin & began the day on the bomb with 8mm pellet across to the island. I gave it around 20mins after an early liner but no fish followed despite trying other bites, I decided to have a quick look on the 13mts positive corn line, I was surprized when it went straight under & I netted a 3lb carp so at least I was on my way, No more bites here so I decided to switch to fishing 13mts over the bush back in towards the bay on my left just cad potting a few grains of corn with the same on the hook. I added two more decent fish to 10lb in the next 20mins so just after an hour I estimated around 21lb in the net so a good start. I did have a look down the left hand margin but with no signs of fish I would just top it up at times & try it later in the day, No more over the positive fed line at 13mts & I didn't want to try the shorter line for a few hours so stuck to fishing stood up into the bay I did manage another three fish in the next hour again of decent size to 7lb, I couldn't see much being caught & Peanut Howell was struggling on peg 3 for a change & I hadn't seen much caught on are bank or the opposite side for that matter, We did have the wind blowing are direction which was cold' but thankfully it was mostly over my shoulder, it was hard work standing up to fish but it appeared to be where the fish were happy to feed for the time being.

I did try the edge to my left again but still nothing, I gave the bomb another 15mins where I had been pinging a few hard 8mms but no more signs on this either. After around 3 hours I thought I had around 36lb but had only managed a couple of skimmers fishing back towards the bay but after regular small amounts of feed down the shorter edge it was time to give it a try. I started with corn on the hook again as this had already been working & although I had to wait a while I did have a fish over 5lb then nothing. Back to the heavy fed line I had another skimmer, & back into the bay area I managed another 6lb fish before hooking a right munter" I did it best to take me right around the corner with the pole bent double" before I managed to steer it out but it changed direction & made a bee line for peg 15 before snapping the hook-length so I stepped up to 0.15 after this.

The rest of the match was spent rotating swims just to try & induce a bite, I never tried the silvers fed line as I didn't see the point as the sections are paid on weight with no separate payout. With just under an hour to go I managed two fish on the short edge line in two dob-ins which pushed 20b between them' I managed a smaller fish from the stood up' line & lost one from the short edge a few min's from the end but made up for it with a decent fish just before the whistle. From what I could see the lake had fished hard for most, I reckoned on having around 70lb but didn't use the clicker today, When the scales arrived as I was last to weigh the top weight was 26lb odd so I new it was safe for a win & section then' I was surprized to total 86lb including the biggest fish so far of the series being 10lb 10oz which could be worth a few quid if it stays that way with two rounds to go, I had the bonus of another £40 back for winning the section which see's Rich Hawkins & Myself at the top after three rounds both on 13pts but I have the weight advantage of 170lb - 130lb so far. Back on Hawthorns for the next round in two weeks so all to play for. Another enjoyable days fishing, It wasn't easy standing to catch the bulk of my fish but with small amounts of feed it worked in my favour & a good weekend all round.

Full results -

1st Dom Sullivan (Mosella) peg 1, 86lb 1oz.

2nd Russ Pecker (Thatchers Tackle) peg 12, 26lb.

3rd Rich Hawkins (Wormheads) peg 13, 23lb 10oz.

4th John Hawkins (Wormheads) peg 14, 19lb 6oz.                   

Johno's Knock-up Shiplate (Squirl Pool).

These little knock-ups have rolled on a bit this year, Just a fun day out with lots of banter between a few mates but still serious enough to try & get a few quid back' As normal Johno Jones left it down to me to sort the pegging ect so with the forecast of rain I pegged us all on the straight with the wind off are backs, Obviously either end peg would be a bonus' Good mate & teen age drinking buddy Darren Big Bird did turn up after dropping out yesterday & I bet he was glad he did as he drew end peg 2 with peg 3 being empty with one no show, Surprize Surprize Resident Peanut Howell drew the other end peg 10 (He's Always On an end peg!) This lad should seriously enter some big matches with the way he draws" Owe I forgot, You don't drive so perhaps not..

Just two rigs assembled today, One for fishing across to the far side at 11mts a couple of feet off the far side which is quite uneven but I found a couple of flattish areas around 3ft deep being an 4x10 F1 pellet float on 0.15-0.11 & an 16 F1 pellet hook, The other being a slightly bigger 4x12 rig on the same line/hook to fish at 8mts down the track in 4ft or so of water.

I began the day feeding some groundbait & hard 4mms down the track feed and area to the right across with a few hard 4mms & a small nugget of groundbait & started infront of me with 4mm expander over cad potted micros & a few 4mms, Most of the fish in this lake are small carp to a 1lb or so & a mix of small goldfish & Fantails although their are so bonus fish over 5lb if your lucky enough to get them!. I soon started to get a few indications But only from tiny carp & a few fairground fish' Johno next me had started short but hadn't caught but peanut on the other hand had started ok with a few carp to 2lb. I was catching odd fish but nothing of any size, from those I could see below me most were struggling after the first hour, After around 90mins Peanut made it worse, Not only was he catching something most put-ins across after losing a decent fish in some snag down his edge he went straight back out & landed a 5lb fish followed by a 3lb fish the next dob-in" It was a case of plugging away hoping things would get better.

Finally I had a fish around 3lb but most fish were only small, By the halfway point I had caught fish on & off but new I was around 15-20lb behind peanut & I had heard Birdy was doing ok on the other end, I felt fish were coming into the peg when I fed a few pellets but didn't really want much feed, I decided to switch to feeding just small nuggets of wetted down G/bait, This seemed to work as going into the last couple of hours I began to get a lot more indications, I started to get a run of carp with a few over the 1lb mark & even the odd fish to 2lb but was having a good run of the small samples in between, Thankfully peanuts peg had slowed right down until out of the blue he catches another fish around 3lb".

Going into the last hour I was really motoring feeding every put-in with nuggets & topping up with a few pellets when things slowed up, The last 15mins things slowed up but I did add a couple of fish to 2lb late in the day before the all-out.

It was going to be a closer call than it looked between us come the end of the day but I still though peanut had done enough. He was first to weigh & had 19lb of bits in his first net before adding 27lb of better stamp fish for 47lb odd, I thought they would swing it in his favour, I weighted in what I had caught in the last two hours first which went 24lb odd which I was surprised with before my second net went 26lb odd finishing the day with 51lb so that was a good battle between us'. Johno struggled for 7lb odd but still bet his buddy mick so loads of banter their, The next best weight was Birdy on the end with 33lb so in the end it turned out in my favour picking up £50 along the way' Back tomorrow for the mini series on the main lake but looking at the forecast I expect things to be harder?

Results -

1st Dom Sullivan (Mosella) peg 9, 51lb 1oz.

2nd Steve Peanut Howell, (Shiplate) peg 10, 47lb 4oz.

3rd Darren Bigbird Greenwood (Spandex) peg 2, 33lb 12oz.

4th Andy Light (Shipate) peg 5, 22lb 5oz.            

Shipate Farm (Westpool Lake).

After working overtime yesterday I was looking forward to a days fishing' It was a bit chilly when we arrived but at least it was dry & after walking the kit around before the draw the whole lake seemed sheltered from the wind, I was desperate to have a change of scenery as the last four times I've fished this lake I've drawn peg 4" in which is the narrower bit, Even the Wife refused to draw for me today encase she picked it' So left to me owner Steve informed me it wasn't in today just pegs 1, 3 & 5' so what do I draw' peg bloody 3! Owe well, Not to see the wider part again then".

It was 13mts to the far side so a comfy days fishing at least as I felt with it now being a bit cooler this is where most fish would be? I plummed up a couple of lines just short of the far side in around 3ft of water, Had a 4x12 chanti to fish in the open water left & right at 11mts again where I found the same depth around 4ft which I would feed differently & that was it really as I didn't have an inside as such just open water but a bit shallow I thought, I did set up a 0.2g rig to fish bread (Dobbing) if I couldn't get bites but it still seemed to have a fair bit of colour to the water so hopefully I could catch on the deck across.

I started the day feeding the 11mts lines, Left with corn & right with some micros & damp 4mm's fed a small amount of corn & 4mms across to my right & started the day across infront of me with 4mm expander over tiny amounts of micro's & the odd 4mm hard pellet, I was quite surprized to get indications after a couple of minutes & started to put small carp from 1-2lb in the net, In the first hour I thought I had around 20lb of carp & a few skimmers, Things slowed a bit so I tried the other lines quickly but no early signs so stayed back on the far line where I was still getting the odd fish, I had to start working the rig up the shelf to get bites, if  I left it on the deck I struggled for bites, I caught a couple of fish a couple of inches of the deck but most bite were just as the rig settled on the shelf.

After three hours things had slowed up but I thought I had close to 48lb, After this I really had to work hard for bites, I started a couple more lines across searching for bites but this only produced a fish off each line through the rest of the match, I never had a bite on the small fed corn/pellet line across, but did catch two skimmers in two dob-ins on the 11mt corn line then never had another bite on it!, & the other 11mt line failed to produce a bite all day", I spent the remainder of the day mostly across still with expander & feeding with the cad-pot small amounts, It seemed best in the end to get the rig just touching the deck the feeding & waiting for bites, It turned out to be a lot slower & I really had to wait for bites but still recon on adding another 34lb of carp & some more skimmers before the all out so had a nice days fishing.

When the scales arrived Mark Jones was leading the way with 116lb from peg 10, I knew I had nowhere near that but was pleased to finish with 78lb odd of carp & 8lb of skimmers for 86lb. Back at the results & Mark won the day mostly catching across on corn & a few fish down the edge on maggot over micros later in the day, My weight turned out to be enough for 2nd picking up £35 as Steve paid two out in the silvers again today but at least its something back & the peg produced much more than I anticipated so another enjoyable match.

Results -

1st Mark Jones (Shiplate) peg 10, 116lb 13oz.

2nd Dom Sullivan (Mosella) peg 3, 86lb 7oz.

3rd Julian Pinkett (Wormheads) peg 12, 81lb 8oz.

4th Kurt Pinkett (Wormheads) peg 7, 33lb 12oz.

Silvers -

1st Ray Wickham (Summerhayes) peg 1, 18lb 2oz.

2nd Glyn Wickham (Summerhayes) peg 13, 16lb 4oz.           

Paul Chapman Memorial Match (Shiplate Main Lake).

I was looking forward to this match as it was in good memory of Paul who sadly died a couple of years ago of the dreaded cancer' He fished here a lot as was known by all so a good turn out today with twenty three of us fishing, Obviously we all wanted to draw pegs 1 or 15 but would decided what to fish for if I failed to draw one of these, After old timer Andy Bailey had done a speech on Paul's behalf it was time for the draw. I didn't get the hot pegs' but ended up on peg 10 the first peg over the bridge on the far bank with an island approx. 17mts away? Steve had been doing a lot of maintenance & my inside was fishable some way down back towards peg 9a on my right so straight away my thoughts were to target carp, The island turned out to be a bit further than I anticipated, I had my footplate over the edge with the legs at full depth touching the bottom, Just".. the full length of my 16mt pole, plus another 1.5mt extension, plus another mini butt section and by holding the last piece I could just get to the island", Shit...

I managed to assemble a rig being 0.3g on 0.15-0.13 & an size 16 hook to fish in just over 2ft of water, down the edge was the same set up with a lighter 0.2g rig which again was around the same depth to fish around 11mts along the bank, It looked really inviting to my left on my topkit plus two sections but unfortunately on a 1ft deep over 3ft from the bank so ruled this out so my last rig was for open water at 11mts which was around 4ft deep where I set a 4x14 malman on 0.15-0.11 & a 16 808 hook.

I had Kurt pinkett again on my left peg 11, & Gary Finders down on peg 9 but apart from Mark Wynne on 8 the only other I could see were a few in the low number on the far bank. I started the day cupping a small amount down the edge fed some micros/G.bait & 4mms at 11mts to the right & some corn at 11mts to the left, I wanted to have a quick look over & know way was I cad potting at this distance" so cupped in a few grains of corn & 6mms with a big pot & went straight over it with corn on the hook, Bingo' A carp of 2lb which felt like 20 at this distance! but soon in the net, back across I had a 2lb chub after feeding some micros again with the big pot further up the bank but it was such an effort. Well after 15mins surprize surprize the wind picked up turning me right round on my box at one point so sod this for a lark, I would switch to pinging a few hard 6mms across whilst trying my other lines. I started at 11mts with expander on the hook & had a bite as soon as it settled which result In a 1lb plus skimmer soon followed by two smaller size fish, I fed another small amount after a few more biteless minutes & it was instant again with bites, I had a good run of fish from 6oz to a 1lb & by the end of the first 90mins had around 11-12lb of silvers, I had already taken a look down the edge & on the other 11mt corn line but no early signs of carp & I had no chance at this stage to wrap myself around 18mts of pole in the wind so my mind was pretty much set on catching as many silvers as possible with the hope of some carp later in the match down the edge or across if conditions allowed.

I switched to had 4mm when I had to weight for bites and caught a few just as the rig settled but this drew the attention of a carp which came of but killed the peg dead! the skimmers were gone' I tried off and over the feed & even tried maggot on the hook but couldn't buy a bite. Back down the edge and still nothing so had to resort back to 18mts but this only produce another 1lb chub in 15mts of fighting with it'. I spend the rest of the day rotating the lines catching the odd skimmer on pellet over the pellet/G.bait line but couldn't get a bite in the same place twice, It was hard work just to add anything in the later stages of the match , I managed a 1lb skimmer across as the wind dropped at the end of the day & missed a bite & spooked a beast down the edge on corn with a massive bow wave descending across the lake in the after math but that was my only indication. I had a late run of three more skimmers on the pellet line but just one roach over the corn line all day". I had seen a few carp caught on the far bank but didn't have any idea what silvers had been caught, When the scales arrived 52lb was winning from peg 15 & top silvers was 6lb odd, I was really surprized to finish with 25lb odd of silvers, some of the skimmers must have weighed more than I thought". Back at the results & Mike Owens did go on to win the match from peg 15 & Tom downing was second with 2lb less from peg 1" It turned out my silvers was easily enough on what turned out to be a hard day for most with the resent weather changes & had the bonus of £25 from the super pool as well as £45 from the main pool which pays for the weekend again and another enjoyable day, Well done to those who turned up in his memory as their are other matches on in the area, And well done to Andy for presenting the top three with a silver dish each with Pauls name on & to Mike for winning from the hot peg" but you still gota catch um".

Results -

1st Mike Owens (Sensas 88) peg 15, 52lb 4oz.

2nd Tom Downing (Baitech) peg 1, 50lb 4oz.

3rd Russ Peck (Thatchers Tackle) peg 12, 46lb 6oz.

4th Steve Howell (Shiplate) peg 5, 46lb 4oz.

Silvers

 1st Dom Sullivan (Mosella) peg 10, 25lb 4oz.

2nd Ron Stark (Weston) peg 7, 10lb 1oz.

             

Viaduct Fishery (Saturday).

I decided to book in for this latest open now that you have chance to qualify for next years all-winners & Silvers finals again, To be honest I did fancy a days fishing for silvers but with the match spread between Cambell & Cary lakes it would really depend where I drew, Twenty four of us fishing so I let a few have their go in the draw first before I ended up on peg 111 Cambell. I had Paul Greenwood on peg 110 who was going to fish for carp from the off & with conditions seemingly ideal I decided to still try for the silvers as I didn't feel the peg would produce enough carp? I had John (The Gimp) Bradford on peg 112 who was going to go down the same route, I set up a 4xl4 wire wonder float to fish at 13mts with a double bulk, A 4x12 with the same float to fish with a strung bulk both on 013-0.10 both with 18 F1 Maggot hooks to fish the same line & a line left & right at 11mts & final a 4x12 Chanti to fish on my topkit plus two sections.

I started the day feeding 4 balls of G/bait with a few casters & dead reds added at 13mts, Fed two balls of worm & caster laced mix at 11mts to the right & some micros & a few hard 4mm's 11mts to the left. I started the day on the short line with caster feeding just a few of the same, The first 30mins saw my put just over a 1lb in the net but John hadn't caught at this stage, I stayed on it adding around another 1lb of fish but bumped of what felt like a decent perch, With bites drying up it was time to try the longer lines as john had gone from not catching anything to landing a near 3lb Tench from his short line' I had a quick look on the 11mts lines with soft pellet & dead maggot but no early signs so went out to 13mts on the heavier rig  as by now it was blowing a gale straight in are chops" you couldn't write it but the minute the all-in sounded it went from flat calm to this!..

I expected indications here straight away but it didn't happen' I couldn't see many silvers being caught, John was struggling despite his early Tench, I went back on the short line & added another 1lb or so of roach & an 8oz hybrid before bites dried again, Back at 13mts this time with caster on the hook, This worked as I had a 1lb plus skimmer & a smaller fish in the first two dob-ins, Nothing followed so went beyond my feed & managed another 12oz fish before I felt it was time to re-feed another ball & rest it. I tried both the other 11mt lines I had been topping up with small amounts but nothing, I did eventually catch two skimmers over the micros with expander on the hook but that was it, & I never had a sniff over the worm/caster line all day'.

I spent the rest of the match picking the odd skimmer off the 13mt line & adding what I could off the short line in between, John had struggled most of the day but with around 30mins to go took two big perch off his short line to stage a late comeback, I followed suit & a minute later landed a bonus 2lb plus tench off the short line' I tried long again just before the all-out & added another 10oz skimmer before the all-out, It seemed the far bank had fished best for the carp in the calmer water with plenty being hooked, When the scales arrived the top silvers weight was a great 36lb of small skimmers from Cary Lake, John ended the day with 11lb odd before I finished with 17lb 14oz, It nearly got me 2nd but I was pipped by a 19lb weight from peg 128 on the opposite bank, I should of had a few more fish today but the wind in are faces hampered the presentation I had to stick to the heavier double bulk rig to stop it towing at me but sometimes you miss out on bites laying a bit of line on the deck but was still happy with what I had, The overall stakes were close today with Mark Hayman just taking the spoils with 165lb 5oz from peg 130 Cambell ahead of Ben Broxson with 165lb 1oz from peg 78 Cary. Off to Shipate Farm tomorrow for Paul Chapmans Memorial Match on the Main lake, A full house booked in so peg 1 or 15 will do me please".

Overall

1st Mark Hayman, peg 130, 165lb 5oz.

2nd Ben Broxson , peg 78, 165lb 1oz.

3rd Steve Hutter , peg 128, 127lb 5oz.

4th Nick Jones , Peg 127, 121lb 9oz.

Silvers

1st Rocky , peg 88 , 36lb 15oz.

2nd Steve Hutter , peg 128, 19lb 3oz.                    

Shiplate Farm (Hawthorns Lake).

After venturing to the venue yesterday to have a few hours fishing on the main lake where I fished the waggler & banded pellet to take 20lb odd of skimmers & some carp I was back for the latest open on the hawthorns lake, It was still blowing a gale as I expect it was on most venues today but the worst of it seemed to be off are backs slightly which would help, I took a wander up the lake before the draw & the level was right up with all the rain we had through the week, I expected it to fish a bit harder with the added water & estimated 50lb - 60lb would be a good weight, Into the draw & I fancied somewhere in the middle of the lake which seem to be the most consistent of late but it wasn't to be as I ended up on peg 14 at the top end, I drew peg 15 a couple of weeks ago & struggled for 27lb but this peg only produced 19lb & peg 13 which Mark Jones was on produced 16lb so wasn't to hopeful but you never know, Thankfully it seemed we had draw the calmer end of the lake as the wind was whipping through the lower pegs.

I planned to fish a couple of lines over towards the far side close to the bank, I had a rig to fish just off the bank in the slightly deeper water, a rig to fish of the deck either side of me in the margins where it was still over 5ft deep, I would of liked to fish further along the bank down the edge towards peg 15 but had a tree in the way so decided to have a line at 13mts in the deeper water at the bottom of the far shelf off to my right in 6ft of water. I started the day cupping in a good helping of corn on this line, Fed a few hard 6mms & a few pieces of corn on one far line against the far bank & started the day on the other far line with double maggot on the hook just cad potting a few maggots & micros over the top. After 15mis I had a feeling this was wrong as I had dropped off some blip fish & managed to lose one foul hooked carp coming back with a big scale" so I switched to the other far line starting with corn on the hook. at dead depth.

I had a bite quite quickly which I missed' More surprized than anything' then nothing so decided to start cad potting a few hard 4mms & the odd grain of corn, This seemed to work as is soon took a couple of 4lb carp before it dried up. I was going to start cad potting  a bit more but risked fish coming up in the water, I was fishing around a 1ft off the far bank in around 3ft of water so cupped in a palm full of 6mm's & half a dozen grains of corn & let it settle again, I had kept topping up the open water 13mt with corn & had been feeding the odd grain of corn down the edge on my top three to my left & a few hard 6mms to the right at the same distance, I gave these lines a quick look after 90mins or so but didn't have any early signs, I had topped the first far line with more micros & a few dead red maggot but couldn't get any carp over it' back on the other far line with corn I had a bite & another 3lb fish straight away followed by a 5lb fish soon after as I inched the rig up the shelf before it went dead again. After a couple of hours I was on 4 carp for around 17lb but mark was yet to catch.

It was time to try feeding a pinch of corn & some hard 4mm's with the cad pot as soon as I had the rig settled, After about 20mins I started to get regular indications & netted a few more fish but I to wait for the bites, As soon as I felt there wasn't fish present I topped up with a larger amount of 6mm's & half a dozen grains again, Mid match I decided to the open water 13mt line with corn on the hook, As soon as it settled I had a bite which turned out to be a 1lb skimmer then had another bite straight away being a 2lb carp then nothing' I didn't really expect this to work until later in the day but at least I had caught over it already.

I had switched to feeding just hard 4mms on the first far line but still couldn't get indications here. It seemed best to stick to the other far line just off the bank feeding tiny amounts & waiting for bites, I began to miss a few for some reason which were real fly unders! so decided to try a softer 6mm expander on the hook which got me three more fish in the next 20min before I had to top it up with a slightly bigger amount & rest it, The inside lines failed to produce bite so spent the rest of the match picking off the odd fish across & did manage a few on corn over the 13mt open water swim, Mark had a much better second half of the match where mine seemed to slow up, He took six in six bob-ins at one stage but I had noticed he had only started getting fish when he began cad potting over the top' I knew come the end of the day I still had a few more fish but didn't know how the rest of it had fished, I was first to weigh & had guessed 62lb on my clicker but was a bit out finishing with 72lb odd, Mark had 52lb but I decided to get the kit away after he weighed as the skies looked a bit iffy" Back at the results & Kurt Pinkett (wormheads) won the day from peg 1 catching shallow down the edge reed bank on maggot over maggot to finish with 82lb odd, Seems to be a hot peg since the reeds have been trimmed back but I was more than happy to finish 2nd picking up £45 & enjoyed working for the odd fish without suffering from foul hookers, The bites on the 13mt line were un-missible but it seemed to be a case of two bite then nothing before you had to re-feed a decent amount. The rain held out & the wind wasn't to bad for us so better off than a lot of venues in todays conditions know doubt".

1st Kurt Pinkett (Wormheads) peg 1, 82lb 15oz.

2nd Dom Sullivan (Mosella) peg 14, 72lb 10oz.

3rd Julian Pinkett (Wormheads) peg 9, 56lb 6oz.

4th Mark Jones (Shiplate) peg 13, 52lb 2oz.

Silvers

1st Glynn Wickham (Summerhayes) peg 5, 8lb 9oz.