Thursday 7 April 2011

Viaduct Open Wednesday 6th April 2011

At last, a day off work and a chance to get back on the bank. I decided that Viaduct would be my best option and it turned out to be a very interesting match. 22 fishing, so 8 on each bank of Campbell and 6 on Cary. I only took 2 baits with me, meat & pellet (6 & 8mm) as I wanted to fish positively where ever I drew. And positive fishing was required, with 15 ton + weights and 3 silvers weights over 50lb.

111 revealed itself upon opening the swimcard, the wrong end? The wind was blowing towards the other end, but had the wind been warm enough for the fish to follow it? I set up two wagglers, one at depth and one at half depth, a straight lead and three pole rigs, one for shallow, one to fish pellet on the deck and another to fish meat at 6-7m.

I started on the waggler at depth adjacent to the areator and within 5 minutes was into a fish, although it took another 6 or 7 minutes to get a second. I was getting no liners, nor could I see any fish activity, Paul Greenwood on 112 was also finding it tough going, as we looked down the lake and saw fish coming rapidly to the pegs halfway along and towards the end bank.

110 was getting a few fish on the lead, so I bit the bullet and chucked it, again no liners at all, but a couple of wrap rounds saw 2 more fish in the net. I swapped between the waggler and lead for 3 hours, keeping the odd fish coming, but a long way behind Paul Blake and Andy Power on 114 & 118 respectively.

I'd been feeding a line about 6-7m with meat and dropped in on it, taking a 3lb fish first put in, that was it, nothing else apart from missed bites, which I suspect were silvers. Back on the waggler and an odd fish again, just couldn't keep them coming, with just over an hour to go, I switched to the 13m pole and feeding 6mm pellets, then 8's I started to catch on 8mm pellet, which was just touching bottom.

I was feeding regularly and expected the fish to come up in the water, but never had as much as a bite on the shallow rig (nor on the shallow waggler when I tried it. I was catching with the pellet on the bottom, I had a decent last hour, just a shame they didn't come that quickly for the other 5.

I am a terrible judge of fish weight and for the first time ever, instead of being ultra cautious, I relied on last years safety margin of 5lb average for the fish - wrong!! - I went over the net limit and had one net capped at 70lb. Fortunately, this didn't cost me, as I was towards the lower end of tons.

I weighed 116.10 (should have been more like 125) for nothing, except a days fishing and some things tucked away in the experience bank. What a great days fishing, Dave Ropers 38.09 of silvers was the lowest total weight weighed and Paul Greenwood chucked back around 110lb.

1) Andy Power 243.05 peg 118
2) Nicky Collier 208.03 peg 78
3) Paul Blake 168.07 peg 114
4) Steve Jackson 155.06 peg 86
5) Jim Baines 153.03 peg 127
6) Dick Bull 152.07 peg 123

Silvers

1) Dick Bull 76.14 peg 123
2) Nicky Collier 61.09 peg 78
3) John Green 58.08 peg 128
4) Dave roper 38.09 peg 116

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