Viaduct Fishery Teams of Five (Round Four).

Back to Viaduct today for the penultimate round of this popular league with 95 Anglers fishing, It was the normal case of meeting Gabo on route for breakfast at Burham on route praying we wouldn't have to ask to have it warmed up again? Quite comical really as the beans were being stirred as we walked in & came out piping hot so much better', We arrived quite late so had to use the top car-park, alright going down not coming back". My turn to be on Match Lake today with an overspill of 5 pegs on middle & spring, Steve Segar did the draw for us again today as he says he always pulls himself a good un' He didn't fail as he drew corner peg 73 on Lodge which has produced a few so far this series, Sam Johnson was on Cary Lake 79 which is a bit penned in but could be worth a carp or two, Mark Leader who was filling in again would be on 113 Cambell which can be a right banker' Gabo Had ended up on peg 5 of Spring lake which has the end of an island to chuck to & can be worth some carp & I ended up on peg 43 of match lake, More than happy as I had an island chuck around 25mts & so far a few fish have been caught here so expected a few F1's if nothing else? , I set up a waggler to fish different depths over to the island, my 10ft bomb rod to fish the same area, A 4x12 wire wonder on 0.13-0.09 & a size 18 PR412 hook to fish at 14 & 16mts for silvers off to my right & set up A 0.2g float on 0.15-0.11 & an 18 F1 pellet hook to fish meat at 16mts off to my left inline with a shadow of a tree on the island.

 For company I had Stu Barnett next to me on 44 with Gary Webber above him on 45, & on the end to my left I had Shaun Townsend. Just before the match started conditions were perfect but the wind was due to increase as the day went on but with it forecast to be slightly off are backs it should prove perfect for the waggler blowing it into the far bank. I started the match feeding three balls of G/bait at 14mts with casters & a few dead red maggot, Fed a small ball with pinkies in at 16mts to the right & fed a small amount of 6mm meat at 16mts left, By the time I had done this Stu had netted a 2lb plus F1 on the feeder to the island so things looked promising? I decided just to have a couple of chucks a couple of feet off the far bank with a small straight lead with maggot on the hook, I gave it ten minutes before switching baits but after 25mins it looked to inviting for the wagg' I started with single red maggot & was straight in to a 1lb F1, I expected a few more but only topped it up with a couple of tiny roach. Things weren't quite going to plan, the wind was blowing around the corner of the island & I was having difficulty getting it anywhere near the far bank then disaster I got it right next to the bank only to find me snagged to some other line then a branch in the water which was firmly attached to the bank" I got my rig back ok after a couple of tugs' but the branch sprang back along the bank now giving me less room to chuck too"!

I thought it might be safer to chuck a small G/bait feeder to the now limited gap' in the hope of snaring a few?, I hooked one first chuck but unfortunately it was in the fin & just as I saw a 3lb F1 pop up at the net it shed the hook!  Stu had added a couple more F1's on the waggler & so had Shaun before he switched back to the feeder as the wind had now put pay to us trying the waggler' Still nothing so after 90mins or so I decided to have a quick look on my silvers lines, Starting at 14mts I didn't have a bite, Switching to the 16mt line I had a blade skimmer followed by a 1lb skimmer on single pinkie then nothing, I added another ball of pinkies & switched to the other rig at 16mts to my left where I had been pinging a few bits of meat, with 6mm meat on the hook.

I had another 1lb plus skimmer as soon as the rig settled, Back out & I had a 2lb F1 followed by a 4lb carp' That's a bit better then". Stu had soon followed suit & was out on the long pole as was Shaun, I managed a couple more F1's before Stu Started to also catch on the pole, Shaun was struggling on his long pole but took a fish down his long margin on his first try so things still weren't looking good. I cupped in another small amount of meat & decided to start another meat line at the same distance in-front of me, I gave it 15mins but it didn't seem to work, Back to the line I started on I had another F1 which came off at the net again before losing another shipping back as the wind whipped the pole straight round'. By now the wind had picked right up & I was struggling just to hold the pole & found it really hard to feed anything with over the top with the catty, I began to feed a few cubes via a cad-pot attached which was a painful process to ship out, I have be suffering from a trapped nerve in my neck most of the week & this really wasn't helping. Cad-potting did seem to work as I managed a couple more F1's before bite were really hard to come by.

Going into the last 90mins Shaun began to catch fish at a better rate down his long margin & although Stu's peg had slowed he was still managing the odd decent F1, I was really struggling to get any indications on the pole so had a couple more chucks across to the island with the feeder, Still nothing from here.

Back on the pole with 20minutes to go & I landed another F1 before pulling out of another at the net' & managed one more before the all-out, Shaun was saying I had over 40lb to which I replied he was in cuckoo land' & my estimate would be he would have the most from those I could see & I thought Stu had around 10lb more than me? Shaun weighed first & finished with 48lb odd, My 4lb of silvers added to my carp gave me 37lb odd before Stu put 47lb on the scales so kippered today" It turned out Shaun's weight was enough to win the section taking the 19pts & Stu finished a close second, Well done to then both as they both fished tidy matches, I'm the first to admit I didn't fish a partially good match especially in the early stages, I was trying to force the waggler to get it where I wanted but more often than not wasn't working & I didn't chuck tight enough to the bank to begin with which got Shaun some early fish, Perhaps I shouldn't of bothered with a silvers line today which would of give me more room try meat in other areas but to be honest the wind pretty much put pay to this. Back at the results & it turned out my weight was enough for 13pts so good on the team front, Steve's day didn't quite go to plan finishing with two carp for 17lb odd & 6pts, Gabo wasn't fortunate enough to catch carp so ended with 3pts, Sam did ok with 11pts but best of us all was Mark who from peg 113 Cambell had a brilliant result, He struggled to catch in the first half of the match but caught late on with the bomb & meat before switching to a short 6mt line he had been feeding in the last 15mins where he landed another four decent fish to finish the day with 101lb to win the lake & the match so a big well done to him'. On the silvers front Bob Giles from peg 18 on Spring caught some decent skimmers to win the day with 28lb odd.

On the team front Mosella Bathampton won the day with 79pts ahead of Natural talent & Viaduct Allstars on 76pts but on the overall standings Natural Talent are leading the way with the final round next week with 254pts one ahead of Thatchers Vets on 253pts & Frenzee  SW on 239pts. Well back next week for the final round with my turn on Spring Lake wondering if its really possible to draw peg 7 for the third year in a row"?

Full results -

1st Mark Leader (Maver) peg 113 Cambell, 101lb 2oz.

2nd Mash (M5 Angling) peg 131 Cambell, 95lb 3oz.

3rd Scott Cousins (Viaduct Allstars) peg 111 Cambell, 88lb 1oz.

4th Matt Parsons (M5 Angling) peg 100 Cary, 87lb 5oz.

5th Bob Giles (Natural Talent) peg 18 Spring, 84lb 14oz.

6th Ben Hagg (Natural Talent) Peg 68 Lodge, 82lb 1oz.

Silvers -

1st Bob Giles (Natural Talent) peg 18, 28lb 12oz.

2nd Paul Greenwood (M5 Angling) peg 20, 27lb 8oz.

3rd Alex Nadlin (Garbolino BVMG) peg 19, 23lb 10oz.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                     

 Mosella Tackle Review.

Having been under the Mosella banner for a few months now its time I did a review on some of the items I have been using, Starting with the initiative idea of the EVA DRY SAFE TROLLEY BAG 60L SYSTEM, Based on the theory of doing away with your normal net bag/carryall. I was a bit apprehensive to be honest as I couldn't see how? Once I came round to transferring all the gear from my own old bag I was surprized how much we keep in old bait boxes, old Chinese takeaway tubs, Not to mention what we find in the side pockets! One thing I did notice is the amount of room I had, I had plenty of room to hold spare reels, compartments for hook length boxes, Floats, Sprays ect ect' It also comes with three sturdy not zip tubs which fit neatly into the compact trays which can hold 4 pints each' The beauty of this idea, When its raining you can leave them in its storage compartment & access the tray through the zip keeping all bait dry in the process. Out on the bank it really came in useful as everything is packed away nicely so no routeing around in the bottom of a net bag' & the same applied when it came to packing away, You have to make the effort to put it back neatly but it makes things so much easier in the long run & with anything your not using will keep completely dry in its main carry bag should it be raining & no more emptying a soaking net carryall when getting home! A definite thumbs up from me on this & it wont be long before other company's try & follow suit, You can even buy extra DS1 TRAYS to fit should you do a variety of fishing i.e. Rivers/Commercials.

             

As you can see more than enough room'

 

 

 

 

A very good product which can easily be wiped clean, Best start on mine then".

Next up is the new Mosella rollers, Well I wouldn't want to put them at full height as I would never be able to reach them with the pole! (That's just me") A sturdy product thought with three easy flowing rollers & sturdy clasps on the adjustable legs unlike some I have used. To go with these rollers Is the EVA DRY-SAFE ROLLERBAG 70 can be purchased which easily holds two 70cm rollers with enough room to carry a few items should the need arise, My flask now travels here'

 

 

 

Next up is the New IN-LINE Mosella 2.5mt Carp Keepnets, The meaning In-line referring to the way these nets are assembled, In most cases are keepnets have the widest part infront of us but if you imagine turning it side ways this is how these nets are made, They come with a dipped edge on the far side top ring which when attached to a keepnet bar remains very sturdy, Another factor with these nets as the weighted lower few rings are on the outside making it much easier to weigh-in & the nets never float up', Another good factor is you can easily fit four nets on one bar but normally three is a struggle and their snazzy"

 

 

That's just some of the Mosella UK's range of products I've been using to date all which fit into the modern days match fishing & beyond, The new EVA Range is already proving to be a popular product & I've seen a few anglers on the bank investing in it. Will review some more products very soon, Back to Viaduct this coming Sunday & my turn to be on Match Lake, Or Spring? Or Middle?? We'll See".   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Shiplate Farm Main Lake (Silvers Only).

I was really looking forward to today, Rob Downton was running a silvers only match on the main lake with 14 fishing. With the venue on my doorstep I've recently had chance to spend a day or to up here pleasure fishing for silvers with good results & with the weather warming slightly with overcast skies I expected a few fish to be caught? The lovely wife made as a few sausage sarnies at home before we both arrived in plenty of time before the 8.30 draw. Last time I was on this lake I let her draw for me & was more than happy with peg 1 as it can be good for carp but I didn't really fancy it for silvers today, hoping for a draw on the far side with the wind off are backs. When it was time for the draw I let her do the honours again, she was into the draw early & handed me the lucky ticket' Peg 1"! Owe well it is what it is".

I was really hoping to draw a peg to fish the waggler further out into the lake as I've found this is where the better size skimmers seemed to hang out, the problem was I had to cast some distance to be able to see the float in the shadow of the far bank trees but with the wind in my direction it would be difficult to feed?

(I took these after the match).

  I did feed a silvers line last time I was on this peg at 14mts but only caught a few small roach, I didn't have any casters that day so this time around I planned to fish the same line with casters & groundbait as I had more than a pint from last week, Rig wise I used a 4x14 Wire wonder on 0.13-0.09 & an 18 F1 maggot hook, Pluming around I found the more I went to my right the shallower it got at 13mts I found a line around 6"inches shallower so opted for a lighter 4x12 wire wonder on the same line/hook but would base this line on soft pellets over micros.

At the all-in I fed three balls at 14mts with G/bait with casters & a few red maggots added, Fed a handful of micros on the 13mt line, And fed a ball of G/Bait at  with pinkies at 10mts off to my left in-case things were really  hard'.

I began the day feeding a few casters towards the island which shallows right up into inches of water & began the day on single red maggot casting toward the pegs opposite & feeding hard 4mm pellet as far as I could, In the first 30mins minutes I managed a few small roach to 3oz until I hooked & landed a near 8lb common carp on 0.10 - an 18 hook' I carried on for another 15mins but with the wind swirling around I was having a job to see the float & was really struggling to feed it. I shallowed the rig up to around 2ft of so & decided to try near the island where I had been feeding a few casters when the wind allowed, Straight away I had a chub over a 1lb & in the next 30mins I added 4 more from 10oz - 1lb before I began to struggle for a bite, We were nearly two hours into the match & with just the odd roach added I reckoned on having around 5lb which seemed to be doing ok from what I could see. It was time to try the pole so starting at 14mts in the clear shadow of water towards the point of the island with single red maggot I was quite surprized when I had a 8oz skimmers as soon as it settled soon followed with a fish over 1lb'

I had another couple of smaller size skimmers before catching a small roach which told me it was time for a re-feed, Another ball was added with a few red maggots & some casters before I tried the 13mt line with soft pellet on the hook.

I had a skimmers around 3oz in ten minutes so this wasn't to productive but I fed it again with another handful of micros but this time added a few hard 4mms. I had another go across to the island & did bump off another chub but then nothing. Back over the G/bait with caster on the hook I couldn't get a touch but maggot on the hook did produce a couple more 1lb skimmers & a run of fish between 6-10oz, As soon as I felt the peg was dying I fed another ball & continued to catch the odd fish until I felt it was time to re-feed then rest it.

I did try the shorter 10mt line & caught a 12oz hybrid before latching into small roach, Back at 14mts & another decent run of skimmers with single red maggot seeming to be the best bait, out of the blue I had a roach pushing 1lb closely followed by a perch pushing 2lb" A real nice bonus". We were fishing for six hours today but with a couple of hours remaining bites over the G/bait became hard to come by, As I looked around the lake those who were catching a few fish earlier had seemed to slow up? It was time to put my faith in the Micro line with expander on the hook but I had decided to feed further out at 14mts off to my right on the same 13mt line as the fish didn't seem happy to come closer, The swim had transformed as I had two fish over 1lb & a few more skimmers to 12oz in the space of 15mins" Again the minute I thought the peg was dying I re-fed a small amount of Micro's & 4mm's & let it settle again pinching the odd fish at 14mts on maggot before switching back to the pellet line. I ended up having a cracking days fishing finishing the day with around seven skimmers over a 1lb as well as plenty of smaller samples, The one bonus perch & the early chub to add to some chunky roach. I would be last to weigh today & estimated to have around 20lb but I concentrate more on putting fish in the net than getting my weight anywhere near right' When the scales arrived 17lb was the top weight & Jonny Page on peg 3 had 8lb odd so another quid from him' I was surprized to finish the day with 33lb odd for a comfortable win picking up £60 in the process, A really enjoyable days fishing, You really had to work out as to how much to feed & when, The lighter rig made all the difference in the end as the fish seemed to follow the bait down, If the rig had settled I wouldn't get bites'. I love days like this when you don't expect to much but can really make things count by changing things around, Come the end of the match I couldn't get a bite over the G/bait line with all my indications ending up on the soft pellet. A Real pleasing days fishing, All credit to owner Steve Oliver as this is one of the finest fishery's you can go to in perfect surroundings He's always on the go maintaining the place & anybody who fancy's a change from carp fishing should pay this place a visit for sure if you fancy some quality silver fishing. 

 

Full results -

1st Dom Sullivan (Mosella UK) peg 1, 33lb 12oz.

2nd Rob Downton peg 12, 17lb 9oz.

3rd Phil Deakin, peg 14, 16lb 10oz.

4th John Dursley (Enterprize Angling), peg 14b. 14lb.

5th Keith, Peg 4, 13lb 13oz.

6th Martin, peg 11, 11lb 10oz.

 

           

Viaduct Teams Of 5 (Round Three) All Lakes.

After spending the day working yesterday I was looking forward to a days fishing, As normal I met Gabo before heading to Burnham for breakfast hoping today it would be warm" As soon as the plates were put infront of us I had my finger in the beans to check, Freezing! I don't like to complain but it was a case of having too as this seems to happen every time I visit so soon sent back for a re-heat". Arriving at the fishery it was already buzy & already we had some entertainment as Mr Shipp couldn't get into the back of his van as the lock had stuck with his kit & two others inside, I had to keep it low key though as he had brought me a bag of Ground-bait which he might just keep if I took the P**S" He did eventually get it open which was a bit of a shame as we all might get a chance of picking up if he couldn't fish! Lol.

It was another freezing cold morning with a bitter wind from the north, It was my turn to be on Lodge lake today with a split section of 5 pegs on the lower end of Cary Lake, The corner pegs 53 & 66 on Lodge have been the hot pegs of late but apart from dreaming of drawing these the best I could hope for was a peg without the wind in my face & the lawn peg of Lodge 56 was taking the full force of the wind so hopefully that would be avoided"? Steve Segar was doing the team draw today as Captain Chris Hook wasn't fishing so Sam Johnson was taking his place, Steve Said he didn't mind as he usually draws himself a good un' He wasn't wrong as he drew 85 on Cary which usually produces a few, Sam would be on peg 118 on Cambell which can be a bit hit & miss depending if the carp are at that end of the lake, Gado ended up on peg 24 Spring Lake which is the over spill from match lake, Mark Leader who was also filling in for Lewis Walker ended up on peg 9 which also happened to be on Spring Lake but he would probably end up with neck ache as legend Des Shipp had drawn the corner peg 8", So only my peg to go then, Yep you guessed it' 56 Lodge...!! with the wind smack in my chops.... Marvellous & to make things worse I was in the float only section".

In the last round this peg produced a few carp towards the rope running threw the centre of the lake but with the wind not in my favour it was going to be hard to fish, Gado was pointing out where the guy fished from the peg before the start before I started to assemble my kit, Although I would attempt to fish the waggler from the start the wind was due to get up which would only make thing worse so I planned on a silvers line at 14mts slightly to my left & at 13mts further to the left to try & avoid the rig pushing back under the pole. Thankfully Gabo had some proper' Wagglers & lent me a loaded 8 & 12g float which would fly out & by fishing over depth if need be I could prevent the rig towing through?. For the pole I set a  4x14 Wire Wonder on 0.11 to a 0.9 flouro carbon hook-length & an 20 F1 maggot hook to fish the 14mt line opting for a double bulk rig to fish a few inches overdepth & a lighter 4x12 rig to fish on & off the deck at 13mts on the same line/hook.

I had plenty of time to have a cuppa before the start as by now I couldn't even feel my finger tips & we hadn't even started' I happened to mention why the peg on my left hadn't been drawn, Well it had' By ME" I had only assembled my kit on peg 55 which Gabo & Steve told me I was on!

 (What would off been")

 

Owe what a day this was turning out to be & we hadn't even started! Thankfully Sam Came along to give me a hand to move it all before the all-in & I had time to re-plum my pole lines which turned out to be no different.

On the whistle I fed three balls of G/bait with a few casters & Dead red maggot on the 14mt line & Just one ball with squats & a few casters on the 13mt line. I started on the wagg towards the rope with single hair rigged corn just tripping the deck as conditions weren't to bad to start with, It was a bit awkward to see but after 10mins I had a slow bite after twitching the float & soon found myself attached to a carp, The problem was I could tell it was foul hooked so took my time trying my best to get it in' I managed to get it close to netting range when I could see it was foul hooked in the top fin" I tried to coax it closer but it wasn't having it & we soon parted company which was annoying as it was a decent fish around 10lb' about 20mins later the wind dropped slightly, I switched to double corn on the hook & after twitching the float slightly It shot under & I had another carp on, For about 10 seconds that was! Two Nil.."!.

From this point on the wind got even worse & I had to remove one of the discs below the float just to be able to see it, The problem I had now is the rig was really towing back towards me, I began to add more line on the deck in the hope of slowing the bait down but it just wasn't happening, I switched to meat & maggots on the hook to try & get a response but after 75mins I was still fishless as was Dan Squires Next to me on peg 57, It was time to have a quick look on the pole, I started at 14mts with single caster & had a roach straight away around 3oz but after another ten minutes all I could muster was another 1oz roach, I had a look on the 13mt line with maggot on the hook but nothing on this line. I new the best chance of a carp would be on the wagg so felt I could be a bit more positive on the pole lines so decided to feed a good ball laced with casters & a few dead reds on the 14mt line & a ball laced with squatt at 13mts, Back on the wagg with corn again I began to loose feed casters over the top of the 14mt line with casters hoping it would draw a few fish in the swim, No matter what I tried I just couldn't get the waggler to stay still long enough to induce a bite as by now the water was towing right at me, I did miss another bite after another 20minutes of trying on single corn but think it might of been a skimmer as I didn't connect with anything, Approaching the two hour mark I decided to try the pole at 14mts again, Starting with single caster with the hook buried I had a skimmers around 8oz straight off, Back out & I gave it a minute or so before loose feeding casters over the top, Within seconds the float shot under & I found myself playing a decent fish which turned out to be a skimmer over 2lb' I didn't really expect that' In the next 15mins I had another two 8-12oz skimmers before bites dropped off, Nothing to loose so in went another small ball laced with casters whilst I continued to loose feed over the top with the catty, Another look on the 13mt line still failed to produce so I attempted to try the waggler again, I had a slow bite after about 5mins but as I struck I had the main line caught round the rod rest which duly snapped!" The float popped back up & I managed the catch the access line with the tip of the rod which I then had to thread back though the rod & re-tie at the reel" Ho Hum Deep Breath's!.

I gave it another twenty minute switching baits but no matter what amount of line I put on the deck it just wouldn't stay still", Back on the pole at 14mts again with caster on the hook, I had another fish pushing 2lb followed by a few smaller samples, With just a couple of hours to go I contemplated just to target the silvers but after all its a team event so every time I felt the pole line was dying I topped it up with another ball & Keep trying the waggler again, I just couldn't get it to work, I was convinced there were carp there but they wanted a static bait, It was frustrating more than anything else, I event added a bulk of shot above the hooklength to slow it up but even that didn't work'.

Back on the 14mt line I had a couple more skimmers to 12oz & did manage to eventually catch a couple of fish on the 13mt line on maggot but of a much smaller size, With 30mins remaining I went all-out & fed another two balls laced with caster on the 14mt line why I had one last try on the wagg, No more signs so back on the pole for the last 15mins, One more 1lb plus skimmer & a few smaller samples were added before the all-out which had me thinking what perhaps I could of had silvers wise if I hadn't spent half the day trying to get the waggler to work? I new a few carp had been caught on are lake but it also appeared some really struggled, When the scales arrived the corner pegs again were the places to be as pegs 66, 73 & 53 were sharing the top three places, I was last to weight & finished up with 10lb 7oz of silvers which put me just over halfway in the 19peg section so not to bad but the two lost early fish would of been worth some more points. Back at the results to add insult to injury it turned out my net of silvers was 9oz out from picking up 6th in the super pool ending up in 7th position! As far as the team went Steve was top man again from his draw on Cary, Winning the lake to pick up 19pts, I finished with 10pts, Gabo ended with 13pts, Mark had 13pts But unfortunately Sam was last on his lake picking up just 1pt giving us a total of 56pts finishing 5th overall on the day. Thatchers vets won on the day with a good 79pts to see them take the lead overall after three rounds with two rounds remaining with 208pts ahead of three teams tying for 2nd place on 178pts.

Individual wise you can always rely on somebody bagging a few & this time around it was Steve Nadin of the Blackmoor Vale Group tempting 106lb of carp from peg 114 Cambell on the long pole with meat ahead of Nick Chedzoy who was on the opposite bank peg 127 with 104lb, Top silvers went to Gary O'Shea who finished up with 19lb 8oz from peg 47 on the match lake, back again in two weeks for round four & my turn to be on match lake but could be on middle or spring as again its a split section. Back to Shiplate Farm next Sunday as Thiers a Silvers Only match on the main lake which I'm looking forward to just as long as the conditions are more in my favour" I'm sure my peg was worth a few more silvers today which would of seen another brown envelope but it is team fishing for points so not to worry just a shame the wind ruined it for the waggler to work.

Full Results -

1st Steve Nadin (BVMG) peg 114 Cambell, 106lb 2oz.

2nd Nick Chedzoy (Thatchers Vets) Peg 127 Cambell, 104lb 7oz.

3rd Tom Dowling (Keyford) peg 66 Lodge, 85lb 12oz.

4th Des Shipp (Thatchers P.I) peg 8 Spring, 74lb 9oz.

5th Paul Faiers (2nd Time Lucky) peg 110 Cambell,  72lb 13oz.

6th Mark Poppleton (Colmic) peg 132 Cambell, 71lb 8oz.

Silvers -

1st Gary O'Shea (Thatchers Vets) peg 47 Match, 19lb 8oz.

2nd Ricky Mills (Moaning Maggots) peg 15 Spring, 17lb 3oz.

3rd Chris Davis (Moaning Maggots) peg 94 Cary, 16lb 12oz.

4th Craig Edmunds (Mosella Bathampton) peg 100 Cary 13lb.

Teams Overall -

1st Thatchers Vets 208pts

2nd Natural Talent , Frenzee & Somerset Angling 178pts.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

          

  

                

Shiplate Farm Fishery (Squire Pool).

I just fancied a few bites this weekend so booked in for the knock-up on squire pool with the fishery being so close to my home, Only nine off us fishing & although owner Steve has recently extended this lake we would all be on the previous pegs with a bit more cover starting from peg 5, This lake holds a cracking head of small fish & a lot of roach but mainly small stocky carp & various coloured gold fish' so should ensure we all get a few bites after what was another cold start with a breezy northerly wind, The wife was kind enough to rustle up some bacon sarnies before I left so at least I wouldn't go hungry, The fishery was really busy this morning with matches being held on the main lakes as well as the side lakes so I was escorted to their only private parking outside their houses, very VIP".

A nice free' cuppa before the draw before I found myself on peg 8 which was in the middle of the straight section before it goes into the bowl area, it wasn't far to the far bank at around 12mts which was plenty far enough with the wind howling down the lake as we set up.

 I decided just to set up two rigs today, one to fish at 11mts at the bottom off the far shelf in around 4ft of water, with a 0.3g AS1 on 0.13-0.10 & an 18 F1 maggot hook, & a 4x14 chanti to fish down the track at 7mts in 6ft of water, I was going to fish tighter to the far bank but plumbing up it was very uneven & a lot shallower tight over, He's never far away from me & today he was next door on peg 9, Venue resident Steve (peanut) Howell,

Thinking about it I should of asked him to borrow a rig already set up for my swim as he must have about five assembled to suit it". We had the normal quid side bet so at least I could keep my eye on him, I started the day by feeding a small nugget of damp micros & a few hard 4mms at 7mts & began the day on the 11mt line with a 4mm expander on the hook feeding tiny amounts of micros via a small cad-pot. It didn't take to long to start getting indications & I started to catch the odd gold fish' to 8oz, Fishing at dead depth I found by slightly lifting & dropping the bait it would induce the odd fish which was a good start as not to many were catching at this point, That was until Peanut' threw a spanner in the works by landing a carp over 3lb which caught up with my smaller fish in one go" the first 90mins weren't hectic but at least I was putting the odd fish in the net by continuing to feed micros & a few 4mms via the cad pot, I did have a run of fish on 4mm red expanders which stood out as a change of bait but after two hours bites were starting to get hard to come by.

I had been feeding a few 4mms down the track so decided to give it a go in the hope of catching faster, Nothing', I gave it ten minutes but couldn't get a sniff even when I switched to fishing dead red maggot on the hook, Back at 11mts I managed a couple more gold fish before landing a carp pushing 2lb on dead maggots but I was now really having to wait for bites, At the halfway point I had peanut down as the winner but Kurt Pinkett who had draw end peg 5 seemed to be catching quite well, I plumed up another line across at 11mts slightly to my left where I fed a decent helping of micros so I had two lines to now switch between, The last couple of hours were really hard & it seemed most were struggling to put much together, I just kept plugging away nicking the odd chucky fair ground fish' off the now two far lines, peanut was now putting a net of roach together on maggot over maggot down the track but unfortunately I had left my maggots in the bags to long & none of them had any life in them to wriggle!, I kept trying down the track but just couldn't get it to work, I did bump a better fish & also foul hooked another better fish coming back with a scale but that was it. I just kept at it on the long lines & although Peanut was catching the odd roach & small carp I was still picking off the odd fish, the last 90mins were really hard with not much being caught anywhere although John Hawkins on the other end peg had seemed to catch better later in the day, Peanut managed to stick the knife in again when he had another better fish right at the end of the match which he landed after the whistle" & I had him down to be around 10lb ahead of me? Kurt was first to weigh & put 23lb 2oz on the scales, Andy France had 18lb odd & Nigel on my left had 10lb odd before it was my turn, I was surprized to end up with 23lb 14oz which put me in the lead but I though peanut & John would be the pegs to beat, I was really surprized when Peanut finished with 21lb odd as I never thought I had more than him so at least I had his quid again" Lol, I followed the scales around until we ended up with John who was last to weigh & we all had him down as the winner as he put another net in with an hour to go, It obviously jinxed him as he didn't add to it & finished the day with 23lb 1oz' A close little match but really surprized I came out on top picking up £50 for my efforts,

An interesting day, Bites became very hard to come by in the later stages but by adding the odd chunkier fish it just kept me ahead, In hindsight I wish I had took some live maggots as I think this would of caught a few more fish but at least I got a good result in the end. Back in the classroom at work next Saturday before returning to Viaduct on Sunday for the third round of the teams of five league, Me being on Lodge lake this time around unless I'm unfortunate enough to draw the section split on Cary lake'.

Full Results -

1st Dom Sullivan (Mosella UK) peg 8, 23lb 14oz.

2nd Kurt Pinkett (Wormheads) peg 14, 23lb 2oz.

3rd John Hawkins (Wormheads) peg 5, 23lb 1oz.

4th Steve Howell (Shiplate Farm) peg 9, 21lb 10oz. 

 

Just to add I managed a few hours on the main lake here yesterday (peg 13) targeting the silvers, It turned out to be a great day, I started on the waggler & caster & was soon into small roach with the odd small skimmer, I had fed a long pole line in the open water at 13mts with G/Bait n casters & after a few attempts without any signs it didn't seem to work but after a couple of hours I saw signs of fish blowing, I had a good few hours catching plenty of decent skimmers between 1-2lb mainly on the maggot to finish with over 30lb of silvers.  

   

Just to let everybody know I have a range of Maver kit for sale.

Been meaning to list a load of kit I have for sale for some time now I'm under the Mosella banner so if any of the kit may be of interest contact me Via my Mobile 07967243456.

 A Maver 16mt SX6 Pole, Including 7 top kits (Some Elasticated), Including Dolly butt to take the pole to 16.5mts but also fits the 13 & 14mt sections, There has been a pro repair on the number 6 section & it comes complete with a couple of spare no.4 sections which I managed to break myself" but are still usable, This pole was the top of the range from 1-6 around 3yrs ago & spare sections for the pole are still available, This pole cost me over £2000 at the time & is light & very stiff, I'm asking for £500 as the top-kits alone are worth over £350 so a bit of a bargain to get the complete pole aswell.

 

A Maver Double hard rod case (MX Range) in mint condition. (Sold)

A new Maver 10 tube rod holdall (MX Range). (Sold)

A New Maver Carryall/Netbag (MX Range). (Sold)

2 x Maver Match This 3mt (Carp) Keepnets. (One Sold)

1 x Maver Match This 3mt (Silvers) Keepnet.

A Maver Zip-up Stink-Bag (Holds 2+ Nets).

A Maver Zip-up Stink-Bag (Holds 4+ Nets).

A Full Set of Maver Gortex Clothing I purchased last year which Includes The Gortex Bib & Brace & Gortex Coat, The only problem is I had them made to measure so they might not fit most people as their a bit short in the leg" Although if anybody knows of a dwarf who go's fishing or just wants to stay warm then let me know! Lol.

 

I Also have a preston (two wheel) wheelbarrow for sale,

A platform/barrow (Single wheel) I've only ever used once as I could hardly steer it" It might off been where I loaded it wrongly or just being short might not of helped' Never the less after nearly putting myself in an early grave pushing it along the banks of the Huntspill it returned to the garage never to be used again!.

 

 

I'm open to offers on the kit listed so contact me for more details.