Monday 26 July 2010

Viaduct Match Lake Sunday 25th July 2010

It seemed like a good idea to have a bash at this lake, an opportunity to give the carp bashing a rest, it was either that, the Huntspill or Cider Farm. I drew peg 39, Steve Long told me that pleasure anglers were catching skimmers on paste the day before. I hadn't taken any paste, I knocked up some before the off. I needen't have bothered, I didn't get a bite on it.

My main approach was to be groundbait, with caster and softened pellet fed with it. I started off at 14m with a Malman winter wires 4 x 12, 0.11 mainline and a 0.10 hooklength and a 20 808. Single maggot took me four decent skimmers in the first 40 minutes, with a few smaller cousins as well, then it slowed down, the wind got up and was blowing directly from my left to right, this was making presentation difficult.

I started a new line at 12.5m at 2 0'clock as with the wind, this gave better presentation, but never had a bite on it, I put chopped worm in on this line, which they obviously didn't like...

I had a couple of small carp from the margins on double maggot and lost a decnt fish after the hook came off, leaving a curly pig tail on the end of the hooklength. This has happened a couple of times now, I've got hold of one of the Sensas Perotti hook tyers and I can only blame this. It works the same as the Drennan tyer, which I have always used with no problems.

The lake was fishing hard for everyone I could see, except Tony Rixon and Paul Elmes who were getting odd fish and thankfully I couldn't see Dean fishing the feeder. The last hour was a bit better and I added a few more skimmers to the net to give me 14.12 of silvers and a pick up, getting the silvers money by double default. My 5 carp went 7lb is for a 21.02 total.

Top three all sat next to each other

1) Dean Malin 56.07 peg 45
2) Tony Rixon 36.04 peg 44
3) Paul Elmes 25.02 peg 43
4) Leon Hubbard 24.03 peg 51
5) Jason Radford 22.03 peg 52
6) Adrian Jeffery 22.01 peg 47

Silvers

1) Tony Rixon 21.12
2) Dean Malin 15.10
3) Chris Fox 14.12

Counselling needed after Trinty nightmare..

I was looking for a match on Saturday 24th July and happened to hear that Leighton Palmer was organising one at Trinity, I got booked in and anticipated a few fish.

It seems that Mr Anonymous has put a curse on my fishing, I've struggled to catch since his kind comments. I walked the lake with Leighton and we pegged it out, the draw bag gave me peg 10, I wasn't too disappointed, although 14 or 15 would have been my preferred choice.

I set up two pellet wagglers, two identical shallow rigs on the pole, a paste rig and a margin rig. The main approach was to fish shallow, I lost a fish first put in on the waggler, then had one around 4lb, then that was it, nothing apart from the odd roach. Leighton on peg 11 had a couple of carp on paste, so I tried dropping in over the feed I'd put in at 12m. I had some fish on paste, but could hear constant splasing from the pegs to my right - some one was catching on ..... the method feeder...... Bob Sheppard was catching on pellet at depth on 13, but the noise of the feeder and the subsequent landing of fish would not go away.

I couldn't emulate what was happening, as I don't take a feeder rod to Trinity, I've never fished the method any way, this looked like being the first ever match I've fished at Trinity that was won by someone fishing the feeder.

I tipped back about 40lb, as I knew I wasn't in line for a pick up, so unusual for the fish not to have go up in the water on this venue.

The match was won with 90lb+ from peg 7 on the method, sorry I didn't get the gents name, there was an 80lb+, a couple of 50lb+ weights as well, so it didn't fish too bad, just very different to the norm.

Friday 23 July 2010

Viaduct Costcutter. 22nd July 2010

My Viaduct roll came to an abrupt end in this match, I drew 96, with Alan Oram on 97, so I hoped to pick his brains a bit. The Thursday learning curve and experimentation just ended with me puzzled - not the idea at all.

I started on the pellet waggler, as did Alan, I was pretty quickly convinced it was a non starter, Alan quickly switched to the lead, I dropped in on my pole line and had a 10lb fish straight away on the paste rig.

I'd set up a lead rod, pellet waggler and a couple of pole rigs, one paste rig and a shallow rig, another to try the RH margin.

Theres no point in writing loads of waffle, I never had a bite on the lead, nor the waggler, either shallow or at depth. My peg was fizzing like mad on the 12m line and I did set up another rig to if I could catch on soft pellet, I could and it was skimmers that were fizzing. I wasn't really geared up or in the frame of mind to fish for skimmers, I reckon one the silvers experts would have done a good weight of them from this peg, but I wanted to catch carp.

On 97 Alan took a couple of fish on the lead, then switched to the pole and caught regularly, whilst I couldn't get a bite on paste, a battering looked likely snfd so it turned out. With 20 minutes to go, my paste line came alive and I had a fish every put in, an hour or so too late.....

I knew I couldn't get near the framers, so tipped back my tench and skimmers which went about 8lb and my carp which were close to 50lb - too little, too late.
I haven't yet worked out why Alan caught and I didn't, but the lake was patchy, with a fair few others struggling. Although not Josh Garrett on 81, he weighed 203.02 to win, but was lucky to keep one of his rods - should you leave them in whilst peeing....!!! (Thanks to Alan Oram for pointing the mad scamble from pee positon to rod rescue....)

If you took the top three results away, it would have been a close match, the fish seemed shoaled up and reluctant to move.


1) Josh Garrett 203.02 peg 80
2) Alan Oram 126.13 peg 97
3) Kevin Newman 113.11 peg 88
4) L Ware 77.12 peg 100
5) B Guvers 63.14 peg 74
6) Martin Lenaghan 62.03 peg 105

Silvers

1) Steve Long 49.02 peg 78
2) Andy Power 27.13 peg 94
3) Charlie Barnes 14.09 peg 102

Avalon. Wednesday 21st July 2010

The midday draw was the clincher in me booking into this match at Avalon, although the lure of trying to get this place sussed was a close second. Its a shame that the weather men were so wrong again, light winds forecast - a hoolie blowing down the lake the actual scenario.

Peg 20 presented itself when I opened the card, I had various advice "the fish will go through the gap and you'll lose them" and "its a decent margin peg" are two that spring to mind.

Tackling up I set up two wagglers, one to fish shallow and one at depth, a lead rod and a pole, to fish 12.5m (the most I could hold in the wind) and the margins.

The waggler was a waste of time, as usual it needed to be tight and the wind was pulling awayfrom the island far too quickly, I had a couple of fish on it, but it was never going to produce a winning weight.

The lead produced a couple of fish, but it was slow, the only way I could get a bite was to fish a 4' hooklength. The pole at 12.5m produced nothing on the paste all match. I had fed pellets in the RH margin and meat in the LH, the LH produced nothing onpellet, one fish on paste and that was the sum toatal of bites or indications. The RH margin produced a couple of fish late on, on meat, but it was struggle to get bites.

My 53lb odd was never going to frame, as there were 3 ton plus weights from the earlier pegs and Craig Tucker, who should have been on a flight back to Afghanistan (he's a Marine), had 88lb+ from 24. Craig went back Friday morning to complete his 6 month tour, stay safe and see you back on the bank in a couple of months.

For the results, see Mr Rixon's blog. http://tonyrixon.blogspot.com/

Sunday 11 July 2010

Landsend Sunday 11th July 2010

Last Monday Tony Rixon text me that there was a space in his float only series today, if I wanted it, it took a little thought after my last time and the dross that is peg 54. But it is a 50+ peg match and useful County points if framing, so positive thoughts all week should see me draw on Match or Specimen Lake. The power of thought obviously doesn't work.......

I wasn't too happy with 58 when it came out of the bucket, right opposite 54, I toyed with the idea of not bothering to go to the peg, but decided to go and see what I could catch. No sign of fish moving when I got there, apart from the odd cruiser, with the level down, there was no shelf across to the island - well there was but it was out of the water.

I set up my standard paste rig, a shallow rig and rigs for banded pellet and soft pellet/meat/corn. Shallow rig was a Drake peacock dibber on 0.15 with a 18PR36. The banded pellet and soft pellet rigs were th same, MW slim powers on 0.17 to a 0.15 hooklength, with a 16B960 for the band and a B911 16 for the soft baits.

I started cupping in some softened micros, 4 & 6mm pellets at 14m 2 o'clock for the paste line, catapulting some pellet at the island and potting some meat & pellet in at 12.5m just short of the island tip. After 20 minutes of inactivity on the deck on the island lines, there were some blows over the softend pellet feed and I dropped th paste rig in, I had three fish in the first hour, then a quiet spell when I had a couple of crucians.

After three hours I'd had another couple of fish on the paste and had fed another line at 10 o'clock, this was shallower so I set up another paste rig and had a carp on that immediately, followed by a bream that should have weighed 4½ or 5lb, but looked a bit skinny. By switching between the 10 & 2 o'clock lines I kept the odd bite coming and ended the match with 10 carp, 2 crucians, and F1, a bream and a skimmer. The silvers went 6lb odd, the carp 53lb something, for a total of 61.02, enough to win the section and second on the lake as there was a 62lb weight in the other section.

The lake fished hard again, with many good anglers struggling, absolutely no chance of competing with with the weights from the speci and match lakes. I doubt that I'll be back at Landsend anytime soon when all the lakes are in the hat, unless I'm in a series.


1. Tony Rixon 156-02-0 peg 29
2. Nick Duckett 145-14-0 peg 1
3. Dean Mallin 119-09-0 peg 31
4. John Dursley 108-0-0 peg 11
5. Fred Roberts 106-08-0 peg 19
6. Craig Edmonds 71-0-0 peg 13

Silvers:

1. Craig Edmonds 38-0-0 peg 13
2. Nick Collins 15-12-0 peg 21
3. Mike Baber 15-10-0 peg 3
4. Mike Nicholls 12-04-0 peg 5

Thursday 8 July 2010

Viaduct Thursday Costcutter. 8th July 2010

Back to Viaduct today for the £10 all in cost cutter, again my plan was to have a chop and change, trying out a few things. The moment I opened my peg card, all that went out the window, peg 85 - the same peg as the last cost cutter I fished and felt that had I not been trying rigs baits and lines out, I should have won it. 20 pegs in today and all of them drawn.

After yesterdays match (and reading Tony's blog)I made up a big tub of paste, as I knew we were on Cary and that seemed to be the bait yesterday. I walked round to the peg and set up two waggler rods, both with 6lb sensor to 0.17 hooklengths and PR36 size 16 hooks, on shallow, one with a loaded Drake peacock for full depth. I also set up a straight lead, Shimano Technium 8lb main line and 0.19 with a 14 B960 for hair rigged pellet.

The pole rigs were straight forward, a very simple paste rig, Big H float on 0.19 to a size 12 mustad paste hook, a margin rig (the same one as yesterday), yesterdays up in the water rig and I also set up a MW 2.5 slim power on 0.19 to a 0.17 hooklength with a 16 B960 and a hair rigged band for pellet on the deck.

Plenty of fish moving had me optimistic that I'd catch on the waggler, the fish had other ideas, it took me about half an hour or so to get my first bite, this was on the shallow wag and a fish around 5lb was netted. I persisted and around the hour mark had another fish of similar size, both took the pellet immediately it hit the water, they certainly weren't fooled by a pellet suspended under a float!!

I had a look in the RH margin and that followed the pattern of the previous match, meat being taken of the hook by nuisance silvers and a hard pellet enduring the same treatment, although they couldn't get it out of the band. I abandoned the margin and never went back.

I had fed a line at 14m with some softened pellet and dropped in over it with paste, two fouler hookers that tore off and came off was the net result of that. A look into the open water on the lead produced nothing, John Bradford was on 81 and he'd given me the OK to go to the point of the spit. This produced one fish on the lead, around the 4 or 5lb mark (I took a carpers rig out of it's mouth that looked more appropriate for Chesil beach!! A huge hook, braid hooklength, swivel, rubber covers etc and about 3" of curly monofilament that must have been 15lb - why the need for all that? And how did a 5lb at most, fish snap it??)

With just over half the match gone, I still had 3 fish, I could see some activity on the 14m line which I'd kept feeding with a catapult, I tried shallow over the feed, but apart from a couple of 'takes' (just like trout fishing) that didn't result in a hooked fish, that seemed a no hoper as well. I knew it wasn't fishing brilliantly, I could see Alan Oram getting the odd fish on the lead and Jim Baines nicking one or two on the waggler. Steve Long walked round confirming that only odd fish had been caught , Paul Lock with 5 was the best any one was admitting to.

As the fish were moving and fizzing over the 14m line I went back in with the paste and had 11 fish in the last 2 and a bit hours, some proper lumps, one which was 18lb and a couple around the 15lb mark. I am pretty crap a judging the size of these fish, so decided on 6 to a net, when I got to 12, I tipped back my silvers (two foul hooked skimmers for about 10oz - I'd have felt guilty weighing them in any way......)

I could hear a fair bit of splashing to my left in the last couple of hours and it turned out George Perkins had them going up in the water, but his 10 were not enough to trouble my 14. The scales said my 14 fish went 132.12 which was enough on the day to take top spot.

1) Chris Fox 132.12 peg 85
2) Paul Lock 96.10 peg 78
3) George Perkins 94.12 peg 86
4) Miles Levy 91.06 peg 80
5) Gary Wall 84.13 peg 77
6) Jim Baines 81.13 peg 97

Silvers

1) John Green 36.06 peg 88
2) John Bradford 35.03 peg 81
3) Paul Lock 22.09 peg 78

Wednesday 7 July 2010

Viaduct Open Wednesday 7th July 2010

I had planned to get a few of the Thursday cost cutter matches at Viaduct under my belt, before taking on the big boys in the mid week and weekend opens. But as there was nothing else I fancied, I decided to bite the bullet and be fleeced of my £25 by the venue experts in this pole only match.

No cafe for me this morning, a healthy breakfast at home to start the day and then the 50 minute trip to Viaduct, although it was nearly made an hour and 50 minutes by a dodery old pensioner driving at 28MPH in a 60 limit, luckily I managed to get past before my blood pressure got to an unhealthy level.

Tony Rixon drew the golden peg out before the draw, 119, I was about quarter of the way back in the draw queue and plucked out 119, the first time I've ever drawn a golden peg!! Apparently the peg had won a match held the day before, not a good thing in my opinion, how often do the fish move or back off if they've been hammered the day before.

I set up more rigs than I would use, just because I had the time, a paste rig, a rig for pellet on the deck which consisted a MW slim power on 0.17 and a PR36 18, a rig for pellet or meat down to the right, a MW power margin on 0.19 and a 14 B960 on 0.17 for meat or pellet. Two shallow rigs, both 0.17 with PR36 18 on one and a B960 16 on the other, for hair rigged pellet. As it happened, these were the only rigs I needed to set up.

I started at 14.5m shallow and after 20 minutes without a bite, I switched to 16m to my right, I had two small carp on this line, one on meat, one on 8mm hard pellet, meat was a waste of time, being taken from the hook with unhitable bites.

After an hour I was still on two fish, I could see Andy Power on 115 catching well, shallow, so I had a look back on the shallow rig at 14.5m, I started catching on this and caught until the whistle, I had to go to 16M to keep the fish coming, towards the end of the match the size of the fish got bigger, shame they didn't show up earlier. I could see that Andy Power on 115 had caught steadily all match and in all honesty, I doubt even if I had got it right from the off that I could have matched his 66 fish for 294.03. My 39 fish went 192.10 a new personal best match weight and enough to take 2nd place. Andy had ripple in front of him most of the day, I only had it for a couple of short periods and this was when I caught best, so I'll have to start packing a wind machine in my bag.

An enjoyable day, I'll be back at Viaduct tomorrow for the Thursday costcutter.

1) Andy Power 294.03 peg 115
2) Chris Fox 192.10 peg 119
3) Mash Massheder 179.14 peg 97
4) Alan Oram 161.01 peg 132
5) Ray Hayward 140.02 peg 129
6) Glen Bailey 133.03 peg 78

Silvers
1) Bendan Currie 48.14 peg 111
2) Paul Blake 38.03 peg 118
3) Rich Coles 36.09 peg 96

* I had a bollocking from Rich Coles today, apparently I put Dave Roper down as Joint silvers winner on the Sunday in my blog for the Trinity festival, when in fact it was Rich. At least some one reads it!! (I've changed it now Rich)