Saturday, Guru Series, Sedges Fishery Tile Lake.

Down to the edges fishery for my seventh day on the trot' This was the first round of this guru backed series with five rounds over tile lake held every other week with the best 4/5 matches to count, With the entry full at 20 anglers their was all to play for & some good prizes as well as decent payouts for the top anglers come the end, I have only ever fished this lake once properly as I cant really count last years top-kit only series to give me a full picture but was looking forward to it, One thing I did notice is the pegs at the near end of the lake seemed consistent backing onto brick lake in the higher numbers. Into the draw & I pulled out peg 38 so happy with this for the first round & was looking forward to the day, The only issue we had in are five peg section was the fact Fishery Owner Jamie Cook had draw the end peg 40 which is good & already had fish crashing with the wind blowing down are end so he looked to be the favourite?

I set up two different bomb rods to fish to the island, one with a bait spike & the other with a pellet band both on hair rigs, A waggler to fish out towards the island but the wind would put pay to how far we could go to start with,

A 4x14 rig to fish at 14mts on the deck in 8ft of water, A shallow rig to fish over the top & finally a 0.1g to fish at 9mts which was just on the edge of the near shelf at around the same depth, I started the day feeding a few hard 6mms at 14mts & cupped in few cubes of meat at 9mts. Starting on the bomb & bread towards the island I dropped around 6ft off to start with not to disturb any fish closer to the island, Paul Holmwood next me started on the feeder I think? but Jamie & James Cooper on the other side of me both started on the method feeder (I Don't Do That Lol")   As expected Jamie went off like a train catching from the start but no early signs for the three of us

, Mike west on the end of are section was first to catch a carp out of us on the pole but finally I had a bite & my first carp pushing 10lb, Two more followed in the first hour but chucking in a few different spots which was good as I had around 24lb at this stage & Paul & James were yet to catch, That was until Paul went on the waggler on the deck towards the middle of the lake & started to put a few fish in the net, James had come off the feeder & was chucking his elasticated bomb set-up shorter of the island & started to get the odd fish, (Well I tell a lie as the first thing he netted was a DUCK"!)

 

OOoooo Ducky"

 

 I had a quick look on the long pole but only took two small skimmers, Back on the bomb I began to feed the odd hard 8mm & pellet switched to fishing 8mm pellet on the hook, Within seconds I had a decent fish on but thought it was a foul-hooker to start with but it turned out to be a big fish & in the gob' Anything over 15lb has to be weighed & returned & oddly enough it weighed 15lb Exactly' Back at it & I had a couple of smaller fish in the next hour but Paul had now over took me & Jamie was still baggin"

I decided to follow suit & try the wagg as Paul was doing well on it, Well lets say I tried' I had a tree right behind me & every time I attempted to cast a rig set 8ft out it was in it..! I did have a couple of chucks by stepping off my peg, casting, then getting back on it but sod that after a couple of attempts as it was all wrong". I tried the shorter meat line & the long pole shallow but nothing on these, All I could really do was chuck the bomb around searching for the odd fish. I was getting the odd one but not as many Paul, Going into the last hour Jamie started to catch well on his bomb set-up but Paul & myself were struggling to add anymore, Swapping between baits didn't get me anymore but I did manage a fish around 8mt on the meat line followed by a skimmer, Before I knew it the match was over, I had Jamie down as the section winner, James second & Paul third, James was first to weigh & took some decent fish later in the match to finish with 132lb odd, I ended the day with 74lb, Paul 94lb & Jamie did win the section & the match with 136lb so it was close but well done to him (What is it with fishery owners winning their own matches" Lol), Fortunate for me they were the top three on the day as other parts of the lake had fished a lot harder so I ended up picking up the section monies of £35' Lack of knowledge on this lake didn't help today, Nor the tree! But looking forward to the next round & Ile be sure to have some extra baits on my try next time as I picked up on a few things after". Well that's the end of my run of 9 days on the trot & picking up in the last eight of them not a bad week by any standards".

Full results -

1st Jamie Cook (The Sedges) peg 40, 136lb 14oz.

2nd James Cooper (Guru) peg 39, 132lb 1oz. 

3rd Paul Holmwood (The Sedges) peg 39, 95lb 2oz.

4th Dave White (Bait-Tech Viaduct) peg 30, 74lb 14oz. 

5th Dom Sullivan (Mosella UK) peg 38, 74lb 4oz.

6th Martin Heard (Tiverton) peg 33, 54lb 13oz.  

Summerhayes Fishery Friday (Silvers Only)

Well i dont know how many of you noticed but I spent 4hrs on the lap-top after work yesterday to update the blogs from last week then going onto Sunday match but like a prat (Probably due to fishing Nine days on the trot") I only when & repeated last Weds & Thurs Blogs!!" My Misses saw the funny side of it but I wasn't impressed as I fell into bed nearing 11pm" So lets try again. On Friday I returned to Summerhayes to fish the Friday open silvers only match, Not much of a turn out again but the chance to qualify for a final match later in the year to any winners & the added bonus of the golden peg in to whoever drew it, The match was run on a rover format the same as weds open & I only when & drew ping pong ball No.4 again but an added bonus, It was todays bonus peg!" Being on a roll from the last three days wins I was well up for it'. I had to make the decision as where to go though & thought sod it so went for peg 10 again, It was lucky for me weds so was hoping for the same slice of luck? One thing I didn't really take into account was the cold north-easterly wind which was running right through the peg when I arrived but we would see as I caught a few silvers here weds when targeting the carp.

Simple today as once you come off the far bank its fairly uniform so made a rig up to fish tight to the bank in 3ft of water as this is an area I could a few skimmers, A rig to fish at the bottom of the far slope in 4ft of water & would use the same rig to fish at 6mts & 10mts to the left.

I started the day feeding a few micros tight to the far bank, Two Balls of G/bait with micro's & dead red maggot added at the bottom of the far shelf, One ball with pinkie's added at 10mts & fed a few maggots by hand at 6mts. I started at 10mts with double pinkee, I had four fish in the first 15mins for around 6oz's! I could already see owner Pete had netted a few fish on the pegs infront the carpark so soon went on the other lines, Nothing over the bottom shelf rig & just one small skimmer across to the bank before carp No.1 was hooked & netted'. For some reason I just couldn't get bites on anything, I new Pete's swim was free from the wind & was already thinking this could be making the difference? After an hour or so their was a commotion behind me & I turned to see polish import Ziggy Slowinski stripping off & taking a dip" I was straight off the box with the camera but the poxy thing was playing up again so didn't quite capture tho moment but it gave me a giggle' I asked John Barker would was around the point from me how he was doing & he admitted to 4lb already" I was struggling to make anything work, Two hours gone & I had around 2lb of bits" so time for a change, I feed a new line at 12mts infront me & fed a ball of chopped worm on it with a few dead reds added & a ball of micro pellets off to my right at 10mts.

After 20mins of trying the original lines it was time to try the worm line first, With a small piece on the hook I had a 1lb plus skimmer then bumped one & couldn't get another bite'. I re-fed a small amount which looking back I wish I hadn't as I couldn't catch over it after, I was thinking of calling it a day when I had a 2lb crucian at the bottom off the far shelf on expander pellet but that turned out to be a flash in the pan, We were over half way through by now & I had Pete down as the easy winner today as every time I had looked up early in the match he appeared to be catching, I kept working around the lines & did start to catch the odd skimmer to 6oz tight to the far bank but would also draw the attention of the carp" Come the end of the day I thought I had between 6-8lb but hadn't really counted as I was concentrating on trying to catch something". Went the scales arrived the top weight was Jeff Sparks with 10lb 5oz, Ziggy weighed 4lb odd & John finished with 6lb odd, I was surprized when my fish went 10lb 11oz but with just Pete left weighing in today I thought the writing was on the wall, When he got his net out it would be closer than we though but it was a bit more as he won the day with 11lb 14oz, Now the ironic thing was tea boy aide was behind him with two minutes to go & told Pete to hurry up & get what he thought was a carp in as he had two minutes left, Was it a carp? Was it F**k" he had only tried to rip the head off a small Tench & netted it! We weighed it after & only small at 1lb 9oz but it was enough for him to knick the win & stop me off the bonus peg which was worth another £59 on the day" We did have a good giggle about it after & I still had the bonus of picking up another £34. A hard day for all of us & even Pete said after he stopped catching once the wind came around the point but it was all close come the end.

Full Results -

 1st Boss Pete" (Summerhayes) peg 38, 11lb 14oz.

2nd Dom Sullivan (Mosella UK) peg 10, 10lb 11oz.

3rd Jeff Sparks (Summerhayes) peg 20, 10lb 5oz.       

Landend Fishery (Winter Series) Final Round.

 I do have a couple more trips to write about but thought it best to skip to yesterday,This match wasn't really about me as I was filling in for Team Mate Craig (Trigger Edmunds)  who was taking a trip down to Whiteacres Fishery for the week, The only problem was he was winning this league & although it looked like he had it won on paper already there was a possibility it could be lost, No pressure then!" Lol, I picked Lewis Jones up today before arriving in plenty of time for the fishery breakfast which was more than enough & very nice too' We had a quick wander around as I knew already I would be on Match Lake today, It seemed best to be down the far end of the far side of late so was hoping for a decent draw' I managed to somehow fit in the middle of the queue after purchasing some pellets, Into the tin I took the first one I touched opening it in anticipation' Peg 24... Gutted" Its at the top end of the lake right in the corner which can be hard & to make things worse I had no island to fish too like most others in my section, Just a long inside to 14mts which is then cut off by a tree in the water,

An inside swim towards the next pallet & plenty of open water. Owner Mike Duckett had drew this peg yesterday in the open match & had struggled most of the day but did catch a few late fish down to the next pallet,

The problem was he caught in the last hour but the clocks had gone forward overnight so we wouldn't be fishing at that time & when he told me he went three hours without a bite it didn't really inspire me".

I had a good thing & chatted to a few others before the start to get a picture of how things might go, I opted for a rig to fish shallow along the bank, A rig to fish on the deck right next to the tree in the water at 14mts & a rig to fish in 4ft of water in-front the pallet to my left & this rig would double up to fish in the open water at 8mts, I started the day cupping some meat down in-front the pallet to my left & started by dobbing meat just over a 1ft deep along the inside bank, I had a bite when I got to 13mts but it turned out to be a 4oz roach" I was getting worried until when I went to 14mts hooked my 1st carp after 30mins, All was well until Emma Drysdale on peg 22 said I was bagging" A the fish came off at the net!" Thanks...

Fortunately I had another in the same spot 5minutes later which I got in around 4lb so this had started the ball rolling hopefully'

(I had my bites to the left side of the stump poking out")

 

I did get another of similar size but had to wait a fair while for a bite, At this point I hadn't fed anything along the bank but after an hour & no more bites it was time for a change. I went out on the deep rig next to the tree cad-potting just a couple of cubes of meat over the top with meat on the hook, I was just about to change things when I hooked which I thought was a decent fish until I got it to netting range & saw it hook in the side of the face' Yep, I lost it"...

I came off the deck a few inches but couldn't get a bite, I had another go on the shallow rig tighter to the bank but this had dried up completely, Back to fishing on the deck I upped the feed to half a dozen cubes over the top & sat & waited for bites.

This did work for a couple more of the smaller fish but again it dried up, I then spent the next couple of hours just trying to get a bite, I had a go by the pallet but no early signs & I tried at 14mts where I had been pinging a few 6mm pellets with the catty off the end of the tree in the open in the hope some fish shallow but still nothing, I kept rotating swims but found it hard to get any indications, I managed one more on the deeper rig to the tree but again only around 4lb on meat But couldn't get a bite on hard pellet where I had been pinging a few into the small bay area & it seemed best to feed a couple of cubes on the deep line & wait & wait & wait" I managed one more before 3'oclock & pricked two off under the tree but had put my faith in catching a few late fish.

At this point it was time to try down by the pallet again, I had been in the water about 5mts when it shot under & I had a decent fish on, It turned out to be a mirror around 8lb which was very welcome" I had another go but nothing so fed it again & went back to the shallow rig along the bank for another go. Still no more on this but I did have another on the deck by the tree nearly 6lb, with time running out I put my faith in fishing to the pallet & managed two more better fish in the last 30mins one coming minutes from the end. I finished with 8carp for which I thought would go 38lb odd but didn't know how the rest of the section had fished, The chap on peg 1 had the scales but had tipped back & gone so I did the board with mike on the weigh-in, The lower end of the lake proved the place to be as Gary O'Shea who was Trigger's nearest challenger on peg 18 won the lake & the match with 162lb odd catching most of his fish at 6mts on meat or down his edges so well done to him, Thankfully he wasn't in my section & finally when I was last to weigh my total of 46lb odd was enough to win my section so trig would be happy to win the league & a bonus for me as I meant I picked up £50 in the process" & even better it was a free match today as it had been paid for in the first round'. It was really a case of having faith today & spend the time fish hunting rather than waiting for something to happen, A style of fishing I enjoy so it turned out in a hard section it proved best for me. I will probably have a crack at this league next year as it was well run by Ken Raynor who just so happened to win the silvers pool overall for his efforts. A good day for Trig & Myself & long may it continue". I have two more blogs to write on the two days prior to this which I will add asap.

Full Results -

 1st Gary O'Shea (P.I.Thatchers) peg 18 Match, 162lb 15oz.

 2nd Tony Rixon (Mosella UK) peg 13 Match, 119lb 2oz.

3rd Lewis Jones (Drennan Thyers) peg 27 Speci, 79lb 15oz.

4th Russ Peck (Thatchers Tackle) peg 29 Speci, 77lb 15oz.

5th Steve Hutter (Landsend) peg 34 Speci, 65lb 7oz.

6th Andy Hembrow (Clevedon.A.A) peg 55 Johns, 60lb 12oz.

Overall League -

1st Craig Edmunds (Mosella UK)

2nd Gary O'Shea (Thatchers P.I)

3rd Andy Hembrow (Clevedon A.A)

Silvers -

1st Ken Raynor (Colmic)         

Shiplate Farm Fishery, Thursday Costcutter, (Main Lake).

We were greeted with a very chilly wind from the north east this morning which gave me a feeling things would be a bit harder today? Things didn't quite go to plan as when un-packing the van I realised I had forgot my bib'n'brace' I did ask owner Steve if I could borrow the one he had hanging on the shed wall but soon changed my mind when John Hawkins went to hand it me covered I cob webs & some bloody big spiders! So good job I live near-by as soon went to fetch mine". back within plenty of time for the draw I wasn't keen to draw the far side today as it would be cold" even though rated as a good area. A good turn-out for a full house of 15 as Steve had limited the numbers, I decided to let Steve's better half Carol draw again for me today as last time she handed me peg 1' Flyer" & on my next trip My lovely Wife drew it for me in the silvers only match'. She was soon in to draw for me & how iconic' Peg 1' Result" out the wind & on a good peg! Thanks Sweety"

Their are a lot of options on this peg to say the least" Two insides, & island Chuck & plenty of open water', I tried not to complicate things so opted for a bomb to fish down the edge & across to the island,

A waggler to fish over the same areas & in the open water & finally a pole rig to fish over the edge of the bank in 3ft of water down my inside which cuts back into the channel fish like to haunt but cant get too'

I did set up a shallow pole rig  to try at 14mts As Last weeks match was won like this but even though I wasn't in the wind I didn't really expect it to work? I started the day feeding some hard 6mms & corn down the edge off the point, I would chose meat but haven't been able to make it work to well on here, Yet" Lol. I thought corn would be the best option to pin some fish to the deck in the depth of water so thought dump potting bait in would work best? I started the day on banded 6mm pellet on the waggler in the open water towards the pegs opposite feeding a few of the same over the top, I missed a bite after 20mins so kept at it & took a 9lb fish just after 30mins, I had seen a the odd carp caught on the far bank but not much was happening, I gave it another 30mins but only had a couple of small skimmers, I had been pinging just the odd pellet down the edge further into the lake of decided to give it a try, I used the wagg & bomb with 8mm pellet but nothing.

We were over an hour into the match, I had been feeding a few 8mm's off the point of the island & gave that a try, Still nothing. It was time to try down the edge, Starting with corn on the hook I was just about to give up when the float shot under but somehow I missed it" I thought it might be a liner so decided to attach a cad-pot & try again feeding a few hard 6mm & a couple of grains of corn over the top, This worked as I soon added another fish pushing 10lb" With no more signs I fed a larger amount & tried the wagg again. I had a couple more skimmers to 1lb but no more carp, I had a look on the shallow pole rig but not a touch on this, The bomb to the island gave me a 2lb chub on 8mm pellet" & finally a carp but only around 3lb, I finally managed a fish on the bomb down the edge further across into the bowl but it was a one off as I wasn't even getting liners, Going into the last hour it didn't appear that much had been caught, Ash over on end peg 15 had caught early on the method but with the sun in my direction I couldn't really see much going on, I put my faith in catching down the edge in the last 60mins, I managed three more decent fish one over 13lb, one more on corn & two on 6mm expander pellet but it was hard going really but I had expected it to be. I was last to weigh today & when the scales arrived 39lb was leading the way, I new my late fish would make the difference & it proved that way with my carp going 52lb added to 5lb of silvers for 57lb odd, A good draw but a real thinking days fishing really giving myself a few options but putting my faith in a couple come the end of the day, I had positioned my box in the centre of the peg today to keep any disturbance to a minimum down off the point but in the end I had to stand-up & fish over the top of the point to catch. Another result for me to pick up my 3rd win in three days' Not much of a pick-up with only a few quid going into the pools but thankful of the £20 back.

Full Results -

1st Dom Sullivan (Mosella UK) peg 1, 57lb 12oz.

2nd Ash Saunders (Shiplate Farm) peg 15, 39lb 6oz.

3rd Ray Cooper (Frys) peg 11, 38lb 14oz.

4th Titch Williams (Drennan Thyers) peg 13a, 32lb 5oz.

Silvers -

1st John Page (Drennan Thyers) peg 5, 16lb 4oz.

Summerhayes Fishery Weds Open Longs Lake.

Had a few problems getting a signal on laptop for the last few days so have a bit of catching up to do as far blogs go as its been a very hectic few day fishing" I took the trip to Summerhayes nr Bridgwater for their normal Weds Open but a bit disappointing as their were only seven of us booked-in, The match was run in a rover format due to number of us fishing, I picked out ping pong ball No.4 so fourth in-line to chose my swim with the only rule being you had to have an empty peg between each angler. A couple of the locals were before me & chose their normal haunts & I surprized a few when I opted for peg 10, Around 14mts to the far bank mud line as I avoided the swims with the far bank cover as I seen to have a thing about fishing pegs to the mud"!?

 This would be my obvious target area for the day so set a three rigs, One to fish tight to the bank on the deck which was still around 3ft deep, A rig to fish half depth & shallower over the same line & finally a rig to fish a couple of feet off the bank in the slightly deeper water which would double up to fish down to the pallet to my right,

Not going to go into details of rigs ect as plenty to try & catch up on'.

I began the day tight to the mud bank whilst feeding a few 4mm's with a cad pot with 4mm expander on the hook whilst feeding a few hard 4mm via a cad pot & started to feed a few hard 4mms with the catty slightly further along the bank. I had a good start with three carp for around 8lb in twenty minutes before it started to rain a bit harder & it seemed to push the fish out from the bank, I switched to fishing off the island which saw me catch a couple more but bites were hard to come by,

 30minutes later & the sun came out, I had continued to ping pellets at around 16mts along the bank so went over with my shallow rig at half depth, This soon got me a few more fish going into the second hour with a couple to 4lb before it came over black & we had a proper down poor". That put pay to the shallow fishing & for the next hour could only catch odd fish on the deck on the long lines, I had fed a small amount of micro on the 14mt line but this drew the attention of the lakes smaller skimmer but I did end up with a few over 1lb, After the rain I had a good run of fish at 16mts this time on the deck, I gave the inside line a few try's threw the day but waited to long for indications & the last couple of hours seemed to produce more across. I soon worked out after the downpour the fish seemed happier to sit nearer the deck, I got into a routine of catching a few by cad-potting a few 4mms over the top each put-in & when bites got iffy I fed a few over top with the catty & switched lines.

By the end of the match I estimated around 60lb of carp & close too 10lb of silvers? When the scales arrived I wasn't far off when I finished with 61lb odd of carp & 9lb 11oz of silvers for a total of 71lb 8oz for an enjoyable days cheap' fishing, Back at the results & I had enough to win this knock-up so to speak but never the less their was always something to fish for & I walked away with £48. Steve Kedge finished 2nd with 48lb ahead of Paul West? with 41lb.

Full results -

1st Dom Sullivan (Mosella UK) peg 10, 71lb 8oz.

2nd Steve Kedge (Somerset Angling) peg 35, 48lb 3oz.

3rd Paul West (Summerhayes) peg 2, 41lb 6oz.

4th Bill Hopping (Summerhayes) peg 24, 37lb 9oz.          

Acorn Fishery (Tuesday Costcutter) Paddock Lake.

With more problems with my truck I had the chance to take the day off work & didn't want to waste it so after stopping off for a bacon sarnie on route & stopping over the river Kenn in Clevedon reminiscing of the days it all started as a junior & no such thing as commercials back then, I arrived in plenty of time & soon after their seemed to be a steady influx of anglers arriving from far & wide as even a few of the welsh lads had made the trip over', Only £12 pools today including peg fee so not massive amounts to win but It turned out their were 20 of us fishing so a good turnout for a week match, I haven't been here since Christmas so didn't really know how it had been fishing, I was having a chat with team mate & Fellow blogger Tony Rixon before the start & we both thought around 40-50lb would be a good weight?  It was a bit chilly this morning & their was a fair wind blowing & the forecast was for the chance of showers but hopefully they would be wrong' Into the draw & I pulled out peg 9, Quite happy with this as I've draw this before some time ago now but had a good day although it was a lot milder, I would be in the force of the wind to start with but with it only being 12mts to the island it shouldn't be to much of a problem.

 

Nothing complicated today, A 0.1g rig to fish tight to the bare bank in around 18inches of water on 0.15-0.13 & an 18 F1 Pellet hook,

A 0.2g rig on the same line & hook to fish a couple of feet off the island in the deeper water around 3ft or so & finally a 4x12 Chanti to fish down towards the empty pallet on my left about a metre back towards me & the same distance off the bank in the deeper water which levelled out around 4ft deep,

I would use this rig to fish at 8mts to my left as well in the same depth of water. I started the day potting a few hard 4mm pellet down towards the pallet & some corn at 8mt to my right, Fed a small amount of 4mms tight to the mud line across at 12mts & began the day fishing down the peg tight to the bank at 14mts with banded 6mm pellet feeding some 4mms with the catty, I did expect some early signs of fish or even liners but after 20mins of trying this appeared not the way to go' I went in on the 12mt line with expander on the hook but after another 15mins I was still biteless, I had already seen the odd carp caught which was encouraging but just want some to show for me" With the first hour soon underway it appeared the fish didn't seen to keen to be in the shallower water across, I did try fishing the deeper rig off the shelf but still nothing, Andy Gard next to me on peg 11 did have one carp in the first 30mins but that was in the tail" & had switched to try catching some silvers.

Earlier than I planned it was time to try the inside lines, I didn't get an indication on the 8mt corn line but thankfully managed a fish off the line inside line to the pallet on expander which turned out to be a 1lb cruican' but at least I had caught something"

Nothing followed so back on the lines to the island after topping up this line, Still no signs of fish where I had been pinging' pellets but finally I managed a fish of the mud line infront of me which was a decent fish over 4lb, Nothing followed so topped it up with a few micros as well as some 4mms this time to try & get some fish to stop & route around for a bit, Back down the edge I had a decent 5lb fish again on expander but as soon as the breeze stopped the fish just didn't appear to be their? It was a real struggle for most of the match, I started a new line at 14mts back along the bank towards point peg 5 where I found a flat spot just over 3ft deep in the edge of the shadow you can see in the pic,

 

 

I feed just a small amount of 4mms & a pinch of micros & missed a bite as soon as I went over it but that was it", I managed a rare F1 down towards the pallet along with another carp & took one more off the mud line but was really struggling like a few others with just over an hour remaining.

I just had a feeling a few fish were going to show as the breeze had picked up & was blowing through the peg, Back down to the pallet & I had another carp which caused a bit of disturbance so fed another handful of 4mms & went back to the mud line across again with expander on the hook, I glad I did as I had two carp in two puts-ins for nearly 12lb' with the water being shallow I re-fed another small cup of micros & 4mms.

 I had a quick look with the shallower rig over the line I had been pinging but still no signs here, Back to the mud line & another two quick fish" This swim was now telling me when best to feed, If I didn't get an indication of fish in the peg after a couple of minutes I soon fed another small amount & went straight back over it, The bites were positive fly under's with every fish in the top lip, Perfect' Its a shame time was running out as it was a really enjoyable last 45mins or so, I did prick one off right on the whistle but all the fish I had across were 4lb upwards so a good late run, A few other had appeared to catch a few late fish but I didn't really have much idea what had been caught although the chap on peg 5 opposite me on the point had netted a few later in the day, The heaven's managed to give us a soaking about 20mins from the end but at least it had cleared by time it came to the weigh-in, I went round to give Tony a hand stating with him on peg 1, He had a cracking start to the day with the silvers & finished the match with 23lb of roach which we new already would easily be enough to win that pool so fair play to him, Check his photo out on his blog with his net of them along with a few carp for 34lb odd, Glen Bailey next to him on peg 3 had 44lb before peg 5 had 38lb, Around to are bank & Eddy Wynne on peg 7 had 51lb before my late run of fish pushed my weight up to 69lb, We had to wait for the other set of scales to arrive back to finally see the full results, Back at the hut it turned out I had enough to win the day ahead of Mike Owens 54lb so a good result in the end picking up £44 along the way, Not bad for a cost-cutter.' Turned out to be a good days fishing, I didn't give up hope of one line showing some late fish & so it proved, I think I may of had few more down the edge towards the pallet but don't think it was worth trying again when I was catching across in the late stages, It proved the carp did like a bit of micros added to the 4mms today, I kept the amount down though as they can become pre-occupied with it which causes a lot of foul hookers. Tony did indeed win the silvers so at least he had a few penny back.

 

Part of my catch.

 

    
 

 

Full results -

 

1st Dom Sullivan (Mosella) Peg 9, 69lb 12oz.

2nd Mike Owens (Sensas 88) peg 15, 54lb 9oz.

3rd Eddy Wynne (Over 50's) peg 7, 51lb 14oz.

4th Mike Wilson (Wales) peg 13, 47lb 15oz.

5th Glen Bailey (Bathampton) peg 3, 44lb 1oz.

6th Mike Chapman (Acorn) peg 21, 40lb 14oz.

Silvers -

1st Tony Rixon (Mosella) peg 1, 23lb 9oz.

 

 

 

Shiplate Farm (Rob Downton Open) Hawthorns & Westpool.

Another chance to fish on my doorstep today with & invite to fish Rob Downton's latest open match on both the canal lakes & good turnout with twenty odd fishing so  we would be spread over both lakes with a pay-out for the top two & top silvers on each lake. I didn't mind which lake I was on today as I felt their would be a few fish caught off each, Into the draw & I didn't have a far walk as ended up on peg 4 of Hawthorns for company I had Manchester's finest cross dresser' Old bod George on peg 2 & Yet again Venue Resident Steve (Peanut) Howell on peg 5 who also had an empty peg to his right, He was on this lake last week, & the week before that & the week before that so should have things sorted!? but we still had the normal nugget". It was a nice distance of just over 13mts where I had so bull-rushes for cover off the far bank so first up was a 0.1g rig on 0.15-0.13 to fish as tight to the bank I could get in 18 inches of water, A couple of feet of the bank I had just over 3ft of water so set up a 0.2g rig on 0.13-0.11 & an 18 F1 pellet hook, The margins on this lake are deep at just over 4ft so set up a rig to fish on the deck one side over potted bait & I would loose feed by hand down the other side using my rigs from across to try & catch In the upper layers of water, I did make a silvers rig to fish down the track for skimmers over chopped worm & casters but wouldn't feed here to start with.

On the all in I fed a few cubes of meat down to my right & some corn down my left, I planned to start the day in the shallower water across but somehow it ended up in a birds nest around the pole tip' Great start then" I soon had another assembled so went tight across with dead maggot on the hook & began to ping hard 4mm pellet over the top with the catty, It took me all of five minutes to get my first bite from a 4lb carp followed by another 3lb fish soon after, It got a bit awkward for a while when the wind picked up blowing any lose bits floating around to blow into the bank, I missed a couple more bites but had also been pinging a few 4mm's further along the bank in more open water so decided to give it a try here, First dob-in I dropped it on the back of a fish which put pay to this line for a while' I kept switching between the two far lines tighter to the bank & managed two more fish to 5lb from the swim with more cover which seemed to be doing ok as I hadn't heard much splashing & Peanut was yet to catch.

A couple more missed bites on maggot saw me switch to banded pellet of the hook but for some reason couldn't get any indications on it even when fishing it off the deck, I had chose to do away with targeting silvers so started to feed the odd cubes of meat down the track, I had a quick look down the edge to my left on the deck but with no early signs decided to try my shallow rig to the far bank down the right margin with a cube of meat on the hook, I was just about to give up when after lifting & dropping the rig it shot under & I had a decent fish on' which turned out to be around 6lb. I gave it another quick try but with nothing else went back to the far shallower water this time with meat on the hook. I thought I had sussed it when it shot straight under & I had a carp pushing 8lb' but nothing followed & I couldn't get a bite off the other long line to the barer bank, I had a look down the track which resulted in one small skimmer & down the edge with the shallow rig I hooked & lost another fish for some unknown reason' We were halfway through the day when it decided after trying the deck rig down the edge again without a sign to cup a larger amount of meat & corn here to try & pin some fish to the deck later in the day, The time I was on my other lines the ducks had trashed the far shallow line pulling all the foliage from the bank', I had a couple more missed bites but it was awkward to get the rig closer in, I tried again shallower with pellet on the hook & although when I fed their appeared to be fish present they were proving hard to hook & started to spook, It was time to try off the island with the deeper rig this time with a 4mm expander on the hook.

It only just had time to settle before I was in & took my time to land another 7lb fish, back out & I had another 3lb fish before a couple more small silvers, I spent the last 90mins switching down my edge shallow which produced one more, My deep edge produced two more decent fish on the deck with meat on the hook, And I just started to catch a few late in the deeper water across before I lost one at the net then next put-in had a right beast surface twice before its last gasp get away saw it snag me in the tree roots loosing the fish & totally smashing the rig"!

I had a quick try again down both edges but time was up, I hadn't heard much caught below me but had heard peanut catch a few from his margins later in the day but we had no idea what had been caught at the other end of the lake but rumour had it Andy France was admitting to 50lb, Peanut & myself had offered to do the weigh-in before the start so started at the far end with Andy, His estimate was a little off as after a few weighs totalled just over 80lb catching on hard pellet to the far bank hay bale which was in his peg, The weights below this were a little lower with a few not choosing to weigh, Back at Peanuts peg & his 7lb off silvers added to his later carp totalled 41lb odd I had joked on only having four carp but new I had a bit more than Steve ending up with 56lb odd. This proved to be enough for second on the lake behind Andy so well done to him, I picked up £40 so more than paid for the day, Glynn Wickham won the silvers on are lake with 7lb 11oz which was his first visit to the venue & over on Westpool Russ Pecker lead the way with 66lb odd ahead of Jonny Page with 58lb & Nigel Wickham winning the silvers with 11lb odd, Quite an enjoyable day really, Odd fish caught by rotating lines which is an enjoyable way of fishing for me. Off to the Sedges Fishery next Saturday for the first round of the Guru Backed series of six matches all held on Tile Lake, I haven't fished here since last summer so should be interesting' but one things for sure, No method feeder for me"!

Full results -

1st Andy France (Cadbury Angling) peg 15 Hawthorns, 80lb 3oz.

2nd Russ Pecker (Thatchers Tackle) peg 6 Westpool, 66lb 8oz.

3rd Jonny Page (Drennan Thyers) peg 12 Westpool, 58lb 8oz.

4th Dom Sullivan (Mosella UK) peg 4 Hawthorns, 56lb 4oz.

Silvers -  1st Nigel Wickham (Summerhayes) peg 4 westpool, 11lb.

 

 

     

          

Viaduct Fishery (Paul Garrett Memorial Match) Cambell, Lodge & Cary Lakes.

Two bogs to get through this evening so try not to go into detail I don't need to tell you, I stopped off for a sandwich at the Albion Truckstop on route which was kindly given me for free after arranging breakfast at the venue for a few last week for Don's Memorial match, This time the day was in memory of Paul who sadly passed away a few years back now, A good turn out with 45 fishing & I wasn't to worried where I'd draw as now the pellet is allowed again the fish really seemed to have woke up, I was nearer the back of the draw today & found myself on peg 102 of Cary Lake, A few fish were caught in this area on Thursdays cost-cutter match so was confident we could hook a few, Arriving at my peg we found the wind was blowing into us but wouldn't be to much of a problem as long as it didn't pick up, I had more things to worry about when team mate Craig (Trigger) Edmunds turned up next to me on peg 100" This man is catching hoards of fish everywhere he goes & with his knowledge fully expected him to produce the goods yet again! I planned a simple match, Two bomb rods for the open water, I ruled out the waggler with the wind in are chops so just set up two 0.1g hand made floats, One to fish 14mts on 0.17-0.13 & a 16 PR434 Hook the other on 0.17 - 0.15 to fish at 7mts & would use this rig double up fishing down the edge in-front of the empty pallet 103.

I started the day on the bomb & Punched meat at around 20mts whilst pinging a few cubes of meat on the 14mt line, We had only been fishing ten minutes when Trig netted his first carp from his short pole line!" I spent the first45mins chucking around the swim but couldn't find any fish it seemed, After an hour I switched to the long pole line with meat on the hook, I had a bite after 5mins but nothing followed, Trig had managed another carp & a couple of skimmers off his long line but things weren't happening for me at this stage. Back on the bomb with 8mm pellet I began to feed a few hard 6mms as far as I could over the top, Finally I had a proper pull round netting an 8lb fish, Next cast & five minutes later I had another fish around 10lb, Back out again & I had a right beast on" I took my time Finally getting it close to the net, I got it to the surface at one stage & could see it was one of the lakes right munters' A fish pushing 20lb" but with one last kick it lunged & snapped my main line..! F**K IT".

I quickly picked up my other rod which had hair rigged 8mm meat on (Two Bits) chucking it over the same line, I hadn't even started to thread the line back through the other rod when this one nearly took off" Another fish of 10lb plus. Still on the same line I had just finished setting the other rod back up when I was in again, This time as I got it to netting range Trig just happened to comment I was now bagging which caused me to lose concentration & yep' The Fish! That's two I should of had in the net!!

That was the end of my action' I tried a few more area of the peg but couldn't find any on the bomb & to make matters worse Trig Had also switched to the bomb & safely netted a few more decent carp" I would like to say things improved but it just went down hill from here, I Managed a carp on the meat over the long pole line later in the day, Had a decent fish short on the meat followed by a few skimmers & hooked & bumped a fish on the meat off the long pole line, The only indication I had down to the pallet again was from some small skimmers but come the end of the match I really felt I had made some mistakes today as I'm sure the swim was worth a few more fish & I just didn't do it right, Trig put in another master class to finish with 16 carp & 10lb of silvers for 175lb , He caught around 8 fish on the bomb & meat, 4 short on meat & the rest on the long pole with pellet & Talented performance. Back at the results & their were some great weights on the day, Three weights over 200lb to start with but nobody matched Phil Cardwell over on peg 114 of Cambell, Catching on the bomb to start with before catching short on meat & down the edge later in the day so well done mate, Below is Phil Receiving the trophy for Pauls son Josh Garrett.

Well one things for sure I know how to get the better of Trig Next time I'm Next to him? Just take a gun"! Funnily Enough I'm filling in for him on Landsend Fishery Next Sunday for the final round of the league he just so happens to be winning' so best get my kit up to scratch as I wouldn't want to bow it for him!??. Lol. It wasn't just the carp willing to play ball today as Rocky' Had a great net of silvers from peg 70 on lodge lake to finish with 64lb' Another well run match & well done to everyone who participated in his memory.

Full Results -

1st Phil Cardwell (Bait-Tech Viaduct) peg 114 Cambell, 240lb 10oz.

2nd Dave Haywood (Un-attached) peg 59 Lodge, 206lb.

3rd Ryan Shipp (Bristol) peg 78 Cary, 199lb 11oz.

4th Craig Edmunds (Mosella UK) peg 100 Cary, 175lb 11oz.

5th Nick Ewers (Thatchers P.I) peg 112 Cambell, 175lb 10oz.

Silvers -

1st Rocky' (Wiltshire) peg 70 Lodge, 64lb 6oz.

2nd Nick Chedzoy (Thatchers P.I) peg 69 Lodge, 48lb 12oz.

 

 

 

 

                 

Shiplate Farm Open (Squircle Pool).

Staying Local again today for the little knock-up on Squircle pool, Its just one of those little canal lakes you can get plenty of bites from with a bit of hard work from an array of goldfish, small carp with the odd bonus fish to 4lb lurking around & a good head of roach, bacon sarnies at home today even having time to walk the dog before leaving now the morning are panning out. Only eight of us including Gabo who was having his first visit but we would be challenging the Wormheads Mob' by the look of things". I let owner Steve for me today & wasn't disappointed when he handed me peg 14 which would be the end peg on the opposite bank to most a peg I had on my first visit back in the summer of last year when I caught over 60lb so did expect a few although I though around 30lb would be good today?

Plumbing up I had around 4ft in the open water at 12mts & the same at 6mts so set up a 4x10 new F1 float by Des Shipp on 0.13-0.11 which look ideal for pellet fishing which I planned my day around, A slightly heavier 4x12 float with the same line to an 18 F1 Pellet hook to fish just over a metre off the island where it levelled out at 12mts & Finally another 4x10 rig to fish in around 2ft of water closer to the island at 9mts off the point.

I had Kurt Pinkett next to me on peg 13 in the corner & Gabo opposite me on peg 9 so would keep an eye on things easy enough.

I started the day feeding a few hard 4mm pellet with a nugget of micros at 6mts a few 4mms off the point at 9mts & started in the deeper water off the island at 12mts with a 4mm expander feeding a few hard 4mms with a cad-pot. As I expected it wasn't long before I started to get a few indications & was soon putting the odd 4-6oz goldfish in the net, I tried not to add bait until I couldn't get bite as I wanted to try & work out how best to feed, It seemed a few were catching the odd fish from the off although things seemed slower for Gabo & Kurt after the first hour, I had looked on the other lines briefly but couldn't get bites so stuck at 12mts putting the odd fish in the net when others weren't at this stage.

After catching well for a couple of hours on & off things began to slow so decided to feed a more positive line at 11mts in the open water so cupped in a half pot of micros & again some hard 4mms & left it to settle, Out of the blue Kurt landed a decent fish pushing 4lb so had caught up with all my small fish in one go' Luckily I did manage a 2lb carp out of the blue which was a bonus between the average stamp 4-6oz fish, I did try maggot on the hook but after a tiny carp & small roach I stuck to the pellet.

In the first three hours I reckoned on having around 20lbs so with the same time remaining decided to start putting the fish in my second net, This seemed to be the kiss of death as things slowed right up but it did for Gabo who after a slow start had started to catch & Kurt next to me who had netted a couple more better fish, I decided to try the new positive fed line at 11mts as I had left some time, I did manage a run of fish but only when switching to fishing around an inch off the deck, The last few hours were a lot harder for us three but they seemed to continue catching in the channel swims. The last couple of hours were hard work but it was a case of feeding a small amount, Catch a few then change lines. This worked for a few more fish but the last hour I couldn't get a bite at 11mts, I managed a couple of smaller carp nearer the island on the shallower rig but after one fish you wouldn't get another bite, The 12mt line at the bottom off the shelf proved to be the most consistent catching me the odd fish right up until the end, The last few hours were a lot slower, I new they had been catching a few in the arm but I had Kurt down as coming out on top as he had a couple of bonus carp', I was last to weigh when the scales arrived & Rich Hawkins was leading with 32lb 4oz Then Kurt put 32lb 2oz on the scales, My turn & I weighed the net I had used in the last few hours first which went 13lb odd so I needed over 19lb in my first net which ended up going 25lb giving me a total of 39lb for first on the day, My third win on the trot on this little lake, Lots of bites to be had if you work at it which means a busy days fishing, I picked up £45 so paid for the weekend again pool wise & its been nice to fish in some decent warmer weather than of late, A lovley little lake with fish of all colours" If you want plenty of bites its another pace to try. Paul Garretts Memorial Match next Saturday at Viaduct which will be another good turnout & with pellet allowed as from today we will see what this brings?.

Part of my catch.

Full results -

1st Dom Sullivan (Mosella UK) peg 14, 39lb 1oz.

2nd Rich Hawkins (Wormheads) peg 7, 32lb 4oz.

3rd Kurt Pinkett (Wormheads) peg 13, 32lb 2oz.

4th Gabriel Skarba (Mosella Uk) 26lb 6oz.

          

Donald Sutherlands Memorial Match (Viaduct Fishery).

I had been looking forward to fishing this event for my old traveling Partner Don. A Silvers only event as this would of been his preference to be held over Spring, Lodge & Cambell Lakes. I had arranged in the week for the Albion Truckstop on route to accommodate for breakfast & jolly nice it was' It looked like being perfect weather wise when we arrived with overcast skies & little wind to go with a mild day ahead, The talk was Spring lake was expected to produce the winner as it had been producing some good silvers weights of late but I also fancied a few pegs on Lodge & Cambell.  A few words were said before hand by old team Captain Chris Hook on behalf of Don coupled with a minutes silence which was a nice touch in his memory. I was quite close to the front & gave the tin a good shake when it came to my turn, I managed to pick up two tickets again so had to put one back again, I was praying for a good un but was really disappointed when I ended up on peg 129 on Cambell the first peg below the spit, This is the shallower end of the lake & I just didn't fancy it to compete with the pegs further up the lake or a few on the opposite bank but so be it. It just so happened to be the peg Steve Jackson won the Fisho Mania Qualifier off of on Wednesday & when I arrived at my peg I could see why' It was black with carp & they were boshing everywhere in front of me!" Owe dear...

I still wanted to give it my best so set up & 4x12 Wire wonder on 0.13-0.10 & an 18 PR412 hook to fish two lines at 14mts left & right in around 3ft or so of water, A 4x10 chanti on the same line to an 18 PR434 hook to fish at 7mts & a loaded waggler to fish off towards the aerator towards the middle of the lake.

I started the day feeding 4 balls of G/Bait with a few caster & dead red maggot to the left & just one ball with dead reds & pinkies to the right, I began the day on the wagg with caster on the hook loose feeding a few caster with the catty, Second chuck & I was playing a carp! I did come off but it wasn't a good sign, I managed a couple of small roach in the first 45mins but was going nowhere & had managed to hook a couple more carp in the process" I had been feeding casters by hand at 7mts so decided to give that a try, I did manage to put a run of roach together & was getting a bite a chuck but they were very small, I had seen a couple of better fish being netted & Chris Hook over on 110 had landed a decent tench so time to try the long lines, I started over the negative line with dead red maggot on the hook but no signs here so was soon on the positive swim, I had a skimmer around 10oz before bumping another better fish off which seemed to kill the swim' I would like to say things got better but they didn't, Not much point in me going on about the day to much because I found it a real struggle to catch anything of any size, I did try the waggler again a couple of times & at one stage hooked three carp in as many casts when I switched to corn on the hook". The swim seemed solid with them all day & I'm sure had they of counted I would of had a few & didn't even need to feed anything".

I managed a couple more 1lb skimmers late in the day over the negative line on double dead red maggot but could hardly get a bite on the caster, I was a bit disappointed come the end but not forgetting what the day was about I was thankful just to be on the bank. Back at the results & their were some good weights of fish caught by some people, Top weight on are lake went to team mate Gabo with 39lb odd of decent size fish on the long pole from peg 124, I finished with 10lb odd & the pegs either side weighed 12 & 13lb so not much between us, Over on lodge lake the top weight was 29lb odd but Spring lake proved the place to be today as it produced the top two overall on the day, Mark Saunders faired best to finish up with 49lb of skimmers taken on maggot over G/bait to see him win the day from peg 26 on the spit, A very good weight of silvers so a big well done to him.

After the results were announced their was a presentation by Donald's Widow Julie & His Brother John of a plaque to Mark for his win in Dons memory which will become a regular event at the fishery. A big thank you to all of the 49 who attended & for taking time to think of him in are minds, Rest in Peace Mate.

Winner Mark Saunders With Julie & John.

 

Full results -

1st Mark Saunders (Tiverton) peg 26 Spring, 49lb 8oz.

2nd Stu White (Wiltshire) peg 2 Spring, 42lb 9oz.

3rd Gabriel Skarba (Mosella UK) peg 124 Cambell, 39lb 11oz.

4th Shaun Kitteridge (Drennan Thyers) peg 1 Spring, 39lb 9oz.

5th Jess Jordan (Summerhayes) peg 17 Spring, 33lb 12oz.

6th Steve Jackson (Garbolino) peg 116 Cambell, 32lb 1oz.

 

 

 

 

 

 

                   

Viaduct Fishery Teams Of 5 (Final Rd).

I think when we all woke this morning we were all fearing the worst as it was lashing down with rain & the wind wasn't best pleasant, I was half soaked just loading the gear up' It was the normal case of meeting Gabo before breakfast in Burnham which was better, Arriving after most again I just managed to get the kit loaded on the trolley before the heavens opened, My turn to be on Spring lake for this final round which can be a bit of do or die depending on the draw, goods weights of silvers have been coming from peg 3 or at the back of the island pegs 18/19 but pegs 7 & 8 are usually good for a few carp?.

Steve Segar offered to do the draw again as he's been pulling himself some good un's' It turned out captain Chris hook missed out on drawing Lodge lake ending up on peg 103 Cary which is the overspill from Lodge which is a hard area unless u can pinch a carp, Mark Leader Was also on Cary peg 76 which can produce a few, Steve ended up on peg 40 on match lake which is the end of the island, Gabo drew end peg 110 in the corner of Cambell Lake & finally I was on peg 2 on Spring, It could of been a lot worse & I was thankful the wind would be off are backs unlike those at the top end & far side of the lake, I was hopeful of catching some decent skimmers either on the waggler of long pole & also had the bonus of an island chuck I the hope of some carp' Thankfully the rain held off long enough to get everything assembled, First up was a bomb rod to fish a straight lead to the island with various baits, It was a fair chuck but with the wind helping it wouldn't be an issue as long as it stayed in are favour, Between myself & peg 1 which is in with match lake their is a rope holding the aerator at about 30mts which connects to the point of the island so I planned to feed corn in-line with this & fish the waggler over the top using 3lb main line to an 0.11 bottom & an 16 PR434 hook. The only other kit I set up was a pole to fish a couple of lines at 14mts using a 4x14 Wire wonder on 0.13-0.10 & an 18 PR412 hook in 4ft of water.

On the all I fed 4balls of G/bait with a few casters & dead red maggot at 14mts to the left & one ball with pinkie's added the same distance towards the rope, I started the day on the bomb towards the island starting with punched meat on the hook, I found their was a lot of debris tighter to the island & was still hooking bits when I switched to bread on the hook so dropped back a couple of feet. I gave it 30mins but not so much as a liner so early signs weren't promising? I had been feeding corn with the catty best I could in the wind inline with the aerator so decided to switch to fishing the wagg over the top with corn on the hook. I fully expected to get some bites as John Moody on hot peg 3 had already switched to the wagg & took a couple of smaller skimmers, It wasn't happening' I gave it over another 30mins but still couldn't get a sniff', John however seemed to be striking a lot but thankfully wasn't connecting with many'. By now we were over an hour in & I was still to catch so it was time to try the pole.

I started with single caster over the heavier fed line & had a bite straight away which turned out to be a small roach" I managed a couple more to 8oz & had a blade skimmer before it went quite, I decided to feed another ball with nothing in it & have another try on the waggler as John had managed a few more net skimmers, I had been feeding it with corn & casters whilst on the pole so hoping a few had turned up' Nope I still couldn't get a bite on the corn even though I could see John fishing & feeding it'  Craig (Trigger) Edmonds who was on the spit peg 25 chucking to the aerator from the opposite bank had taken a decent skimmer & a carp but wasn't in my section but from those I could see in my section not much was being caught except for Shaun Townsend on corner peg 8 was playing some lumps out already" I had been feeding the 14mt positive swim with caster whilst on the wagg so decided to give it another try, It didn't take long to get a bite this time a better result, A near 3lb skimmer" Back in & I had a 1lb fish then a few minutes later a smaller sample so decision time' I fed another ball with casters added this time. I switched to the line I had fed 1 ball at the start with dead red maggot on the hook, I took a while to get a bite but when I did it was decent fish, until that was the wind whipped up & I ripped out of it...

I went in again but nothing so decided to have another quick try on the bomb to the island, Nothing here so baited up with corn & chucked the bomb over the waggler line but no joy. Back on the pole with caster over the G/bait I had another 2lb fish before foul hooking another & losing it after dragging the rig a bit which put pay to bites here again, I tried back over the single ball line again but couldn't get a bit so fed another small ball & dead reds. Over halfway threw the match I decided to feed a new line at 10mts as a bit of a gamble this time with chopped worm & just a few dead reds in the chance some decent fish which seemed to be in the area might settle over it late in the day, I had a couple more smaller skimmers before hooking another decent size fish I managed to pull out of again! It just wasn't going to plan' I couldn't get another bite on the negative long line but did miss a bite on the 10mt line after leaving it for an hour but nothing followed, Only being a 5hr match time soon went by & I seemed to be chasing shadows', I expected the fish to switch on in the last couple of hours but it wasn't until the last 45minutes things got interesting, I managed another near 3lb fish on the long line, I hooked a nice bronze' near 4lb fish only to lose it at the net! |I had already changed the hook after earlier mishaps' so this wasn't the issue' then bumped another off on the longer line which was foul hooked". with around Twenty minutes remaining I noticed Trigg catch a carp by chucking closer to the aerator from his side so decided to follow suit & baited up with double hair rigged corn. Five minutes later & round it went' I had a bit of a scrap as it went under the rope into some floating braches caught on it but thankfully I got it in' Not big at just over 5lb but a welcome bonus' Back out with five minutes to go the tip went round just as Steve gave it the all out but I got it in a bit easier as it was another 3lb bream". A bit of a horrid time weather wise for all of us but fair play to those who took the brunt of it today the wind was bad enough let alone the rain" It took a while for the scales to arrive as I was last to weigh & Shaun was winning the lake from peg 8 with 80lb odd & Tom Downing next to him had 40lb plus from peg 7 both catching carp down the edge, John Next to me on peg 3 ended the day with 13lb odd of silvers which would of been close between us without the carp as I totalled 19lb odd to finish with 12 out of 19pts for the team, Back at the results & Chris managed 4pts from his poor draw, Gabo finished with 9pts, Steve finished with 13pts but best again was Mark finishing 2nd on his lake to get 18pts, this gave us a total of 56pts to finish 7th on the day & 9th place out of the 19 teams come the end with 254pts, We had a dire start with a 36pt match in the first round but did ok their after. on todays individual front it was a tight finish but Welsh Talent Lee Werrett took the spoils from peg 127 on Cambell Lake catch in hair rigged double meat on the bomb, I asked him after did it happen to be that smelly polony stuff to which he agreed, They love the stuff" some of um even have it in their sarnies"! I like chatting to Lee, Simply because he's the same height! Well done Mate'. On the silvers front Andy Power showed his true colours, he's suffered some dire draws in this series & believe me he didn't have a flyer" today but managed 32lb of skimmers on caster at 9mts with the wind smack in his face - Shallow! from peg 61 on Lodge Lake". On the team front Natural Talent Won the day with 70pts to see then win the league outright with 324pts Ahead of Thatchers Vets who were a close second with 320pts with Frenzee SW finishing in 3rd place with 294pts so all quite close in the end so well done to all of you, Made a few mistakes on the silvers front today by feeding again to early, I should of just rested the positive long line & not fed until it total dried but lessons learnt. The overall Individual winner went to the most consistant Angler around at the moment team-mate Craig (Trigger) Edmonds finishing the league with 86pts ahead of previous Winner Ben Hagg. He has had an unbelievable last couple of years winning at Stafford Moor festival, Two Individual Spring league titles here, Tony Rixon's League And, And And" The list go's on, Well done Mate, Surely this guy's going somewhere!

 Winner Craig Edmunds Centre, Runner up Ben Hagg & Third Place Shaun Townsend.

 Another very well organised league & always popular, Thanks to all those involved & Especially to the Long' Family for always being hospitable" 

Next Saturday is Donald Sutherland's Memorial Match At The fishery which is already looking to be popular, The match is a Silvers Only event to be held over Cambell & Spring Lake with Lodge Lake Being added dependant on numbers, Their are still names being taken so contact the fishery to book in or order some bait as NO PELLET will be allowed on the day, P.S, They do lovely casters & you might be able to book a Chicken & Mushroom pie for afters if your early enough'.

Full Results -

1st Lee Werrett (Natural Talent) Peg 127 Cambell, 116lb.

2nd Clayton Hudson (Future Networks) peg 113 Cambell, 110lb 14oz.

3rd Paul Greenwood (M5 Angling) peg 129 Cambell, 106lb 15oz.

4th James Knight (Somerset Angling) peg 38 Middle, 103lb.

5th Ricky Mills ( Moaning Maggots) peg 102 Cary, 101lb 11oz.

6th Glyn Reynolds (Viaduct All-stars) peg 128 Cambell, 99lb 4oz.

Silvers -

1st Andy Power (Thatchers P.I) peg 61 Lodge, 32lb 11oz.

2nd Sam Powell (Thatchers P.I) peg 37 Middle, 31lb 10oz.