Avon Angling Open, Viaduct Match Lake,Sunday 17th July 2011

When Tony said he had another match booked on the Match Lake at Viaduct, I got my name down pronto. I enjoy this lake, its a real change from the big carp dominated venues that seem to make up most of the match calendar. Its possible to catch on 'proper' waggler gear and 'proper' baits like maggot, caster and worm.

I was a bit concerned that I'd miss the match, as I had to miss out on Saturdays open, I've had a re-occurrence of the stomach ulcer problem I had last year,but i felt OK when I got up this morning. Nice and early to the venue, mainly to get a decent parking place, as Carps AC had a match on Campbell & Carey.

Peg 47 was my home for the 6 hours, one to the left of 46, where I drew on the last match, on 46 today was Tim Ford and on 48, Tony Rixon, so no pressure, with quality either side and both with a reedy margin to plunder. I came with silvers and silvers only in mind, I had a Kilo of worms (not bought for this match, but unused from Trinity Festival), 2 pints of casters, a pint of dead maggots and half a pint of wriggly ones. I also made up a small bowlful of groundbait and reluctantly moistend some micros.

Tackle was an original Normark Microlight (has there ever been a better skimmer rod made? - I doubt it), this had a Daiwa TDR reel and 0.16 reel line, a 2½AAA waggler, with a 18 808 on 0.12 hooklength. One other rod set up, another great skimmer rod, Drennan MatchPro Quiver, paired with a Shimano reel, 4lb Direct Mono and a 16 808 on 0.12, this with a very small cage feeder. No more about this as I only chucked it in twice, once whilst I re-made a trashed rig, another whilst I tied up a hooklength.

Three topkits, two with double 5 preston slip elastic and one with double 8 for a big worm in the margin. The margin rig was a slim power on 0.13 straight through to a 16 808. The open water rigs were both on 0.14, one with a 4x14 carpa chimp and the other with a 0.2 MW diamond. The chimp with 0.10 hooklength and a 18 Drennan carp maggot and the diamond had a 18 808 to 0.12.

I cupped in some caster and dead maggot in groundbait at 14.5m and went over this with live maggot, it produced a couple of skimmers but the action all round the lake was slow. I did get frustrated, after Tim went down his margin and proceeded to get a run of F1's and carp, whilst I struggled for bites - Déjà vu or groundhog day from Sunday last week - of course he didn't enjoy that did he.

At the half way point, I got up to get a drink and stuck my head round the tree and spoke to Tony who was struggling, I'd kept the odd skimmer coming but not quickly enough, so back to the peg and a pot of chopped worm prepared and fed. An almost immediate reaction and 3 big skimmers in as many put ins, then nothing again, a change to 0.10 on the diamond, with a 18 Gamma black hook brought a couple more fish.

I finished the match on the waggler, the skimmers had moved up onto the shelf, I'd had a few looks earlier, to no avail, but the last hour or so saw a few more skimmers netted, 3 carp hooked, that all went off with the hook and a big fish, that may have been a decent bream, that snagged itself and left me to reel in a submerged branch.

With hindsight (I reckon I've got a 1:1 BSC Hons in hindsight)it may have paid to go on the waggler earlier and feed heavier to get the fish feeding more confidently close to the island. Disappontingly, I was pegged next to the winner for the second week running, but I had come to target skimmers and was succcessful in that, my 25.00 being enough to win the silvers by a 10lb margin. If I draw next to Tim in the next match, he might find his platform is a bit slippery......

Tims plundering of the margin for F1's and carp gave him top spot in waht was a fairly evenly contested match, I'm looking forward to the next one on here.

1) Tim Ford 35.07 peg 46
2) Dave Evans 32.00 peg 49
3) Dean Malin 27.09 peg 43
4) Clayton Hudson 26.10 peg 45
5) Chris Fox 25.00 peg 47
6) Tony (chip shop sausage)Rixon 16.06 peg 48

Silvers

1) Chris Fox 25.00 peg 47
2) Eddie Wynne 15.00 peg 542

Yep, its true, Tony battered either side......