Sunday 28 August 2011

Tony Rixon's Float Only Series. Viaduct, Sunday 28th August 2011

Three lakes in todays match, in which I am took a 'guest' spot. I was pretty convinced that Campbell was the place to draw, so wasn't at all surprised when unfancied 100 (Cary) stuck to my incompetent drawing hand.

I got to the peg, totally determind to be positive and fish for a win, this meant lots of feed, so no difficulty for me, its the days that measured, meagre feeding do my head in. I set up two waggler rods, both on 6lb sensor, with 0.18 hooklengths and 18 B960 hooks.

I set up several topkits, the main ones being 0.17 line, with a MW slim power for banded pellet, a MW paste float on 0.19 with a 14 Mustad paste hook. As I had time I also set up a shallow rig, a margin rig and another that would do for worm or meat.

The shout of all-in, saw me start on the waggler, as there were plenty of blows and swirls out near the middle of the lake, I hooked a fish in the first cople of casts and despite being fairly hooked, it wouldn't get it head up, before shedding the hook and seeing the float, hook etc end up 30' up a tree.

I'd love to be able to write a tale of how I sussed out how to keep fish coming at short intervals, it would be lies!! The pegs around me weren't setting any fires, so it was a case of getting down to business and trying to keep bites and fish coming. I persevered with the waggler, with a couple of looks over my pole lines - to no avail in the first 3 hours.

I ended up alternating between paste and waggler, taking 7 fish on waggler and 6 on the paste rig at 13m. I lost plenty of fish, most of which were foul hookers and as the all out sounded, I had 13 carp - shame they weren't of the 'normal stamp'.

At the weigh in, my 2 skimmers (accidental) weighed 2lb odd, the 13 carp went 107 odds for a total of 109.11. I was reasonably happy with that weight from the peg, although it was a long way short of framing - although it was enough for a section win and I think, 3rd on the lake.

No results today,please see Tony's blog














Monday 22 August 2011

Avon Angling Open, Sunday 21st August 2011. Shiplate Farm.

After the last match on this venue, I was hoping to draw on Westpool again, as this lake has a bigger head of silvers. I wasn’t disappointed as peg 9 on Westpool stuck to my hand when I delved through the tangle of arms in the draw tin.

I had an idea that maggot would be the best method of attack, so had brought 4 pints, this was to be my main plan for silvers or carp. I also had caster and worm, as well as plenty of groundbait. As a back up, I had a couple of tins of corn and some 6 & 8mm pellet.

I set up 4 topkits, a 4x12 Carpa Chimp on 0.14/0.12 to a Drennan Carp Match 18 hook. This was on middy purple elastic and the line set at full length of topkit to fish, topkit to hand. A 4x14 Carpa Chimp on 0.16/0.14 with a 16 63.13, to fish at the bottom of the far shelf. A MW F1 float to fish down the middle with worm, that was on 0.16/0.14 and a 16 Drennan Carp Match hook. Lastly was a MW mini diamond, again on 0.16/0.14 to a 18B911, to fish up the shelf.

I also took along a trusty Normark Titan set up with a 2½AAA waggler, mainly because I enjoy waggler fishing, rather than me thinking it would be a successful method. I did catch one skimmer on this, but the overhanging willows and drooping far bank grasses made casting difficult and after catching them twice, gave it up as a bad job.

On the all-in, I cupped in 4 jaffa’s down the middle, this contained chopped worm, caster & a couple of red maggots. Maggots were loose fed by hand at 2m and by catty to the far shelf. I also fed a couple of small balls of groundbait at 2m. Starting on the far shelf rig, just to give the groundbaited swims a rest, didn’t result in any bites, so I soon switched to the short line, topkit to hand and started to catch decent skimmers.

This died off and I had a look down the middle and had just one lightening quick bite – that I missed – on the worm, no more to say about the middle line, I didn’t catch a single fish from it. The far shelf was as unproductive, I tried it several times during the day and had a solitary 1oz roach from it.

Back on the near line and the bites had slowed, the bright sun and total lack of ripple didn’t help, that doesn’t make for ideal skimmer/bream fishing conditions. I started to up the amount of groundbait and stopped feeding everything, except maggot, this and the sun going behind a cloud for a spell seemed to spark the skimmers and a couple of proper 6lb’ers into feeding, all caught on the topkit. I did have a look back over the far side, at the bottom of the shelf, to rest the near line, this produced a couple of fish, but wasn’t as productive in numbers or size, as the near line.

Peg 10 had been catching carp on paste and I thought that he’d beaten me, but it seems that my decent spell and the couple of big black boys gave me enough to win the silvers, the lake and take 3rd overall. 52lb 04 oz (all silvers) was the result of a nice days fishing, not a carp in sight, I even caught 3 gudgeon, which was nice, it seems a long time since I’ve caught one.

Obviously I drew on a few fish, I think the groundbait and maggot approach was the right one, but perhaps the real reason for a bit of good luck was my new Avon Angling baseball cap, a free gift from Tony, first time I'd worn it - I reckon I’ll wear it again. I really enjoyed today, it was nice to catch skimmers without carp coming in and wrecking the peg.

I had to shoot off before the results were announced, so hopefully Tony has my ebay tokens stashed safely and I've plaigerised the results from Mike Nicholl's blog, so I hope he wrote them down properly.

1. Tony Rixon 99-12-0 peg 15 Hawthorn
2. Bela Bakos 53-08-0 peg 4 Hawthorn
3. Chris Fox 52-04-0 peg 9 Westpool
4. Dean Malin 44-04-0 peg 14 Hawthorn
5. Richard Heatley 42-10-0 peg 10 Westpool
6. Andy Bryant 41-04-0 peg 13 Hawthorn

Top Silvers:
(All Westpool)
1. Chris Fox 52-04-0 peg 9
2. Chris Davis 27-0-0 peg 2
3. Adrian Jefferies 25-04-0 peg 5

Wednesday 17 August 2011

Viaduct Open, Wednesday 17th August 2011

Last Wednesday I fished the Avon Angling Open at Landsend, I was pretty pissed off afterwards and couldn't find the motivation to write about it and it wouldn't have been an interesting read if I had. I drew peg 10 and struggled to catch, even on caster or maggot.

A weekend away from fishing last weekend, spent at Cropredy (Fairport Convention's Festival), it was great, good beer, good food and decent music.

So back to the fishing and I couldn't believe what presented itself when I opened the swimcard, peg 81 for the 3rd time this summer. With what wind there was blowing the wrong way and the water being pretty flat calm at the river end of the lake, I wasn't too chuffed. I hadn't really brought anything to fish for silvers, so it was to be an all out carp day.

I set up two wagglers, one shallow and one at depth (although with the lakes being at a low level, the depth rig is only around 3'). A lead rod and four topkits, one with a paste rig on 0.19, one with a MW mini diamond on 0.17 for down the margin, a MW diamond on 0.18 with a 0.16 hooklength for soft pellet, meat or worm and a MW slim power on 0.17 straight through to a 16B960 and a hair rigged band.

Charlie Barnes was impatient on 85 and shouted the all-in a minute before the official hooter, I started on the lead towards the point of the spit and after 10 minutes without an indication, my brain had turned to mush, so up the bank it went. I had fed a line at 14m straight in front and a waggler line about 35m out pointing to peg 88.

It took an hour to get my first fish on the waggler, I did have one more chuck of the lead and had a fish on that, but that was the last use of it. I had one at 14m on paste and then a couple more on the waggler. It was difficult to get more than one bite from any line, I then had a run of bites on the waggler and put 3 more fish in the net before it dried up. I tried the pole line again, and had two skimmers, one on double worm and one on banded 8mm pellet, no sign of a carp.

The last hour and a half saw me persevere with the waggler rods, although I only took one fish on the shallow waggler, even though the fish were up in the water.I added several more, I dropped down to a 18 hook and seemed to get a few more bites, one of which was a unseen, but big fish, that I played for nearly 20 minutes before the hook straightend. I ended the match with 10 carp and 2 skimmers for 88.13, I think that was top weight on my bank, but nowhere near enough for a pick up.

I think the match should have been won from 118, but the guy on there had two nets in and both were over the 70lb limit, one was ounces from being over the 90lb disqualification weight. You'll have to look at Tony's blog for the results (he suffered being on the same bank as me and had a high 70lb) as I got away sharpish, I'm up early in the morning and off to the Oval, to see the first day of the fourth test - although the weather forecast points to a day in the bar......

Thursday 4 August 2011

Avon Angling Open, Wednesday 3rd August 2011. Viaduct.

Off topic to start with, The Dundry Inn has got some new owners and we went up there the other night, the menu looks good and the food that we ordered was excellent, with good service. I had venison with dauphinoise potates, 'er indoors had a bouillabaisse, served with a rouille and crusty bread. To start we had a Charcuterie of wild boar and desert was cheese board for me and chocolate tort for Caroline. (I've nothing to do with the business, just a satisfied customer and I know most anglers like their grub....).

Now onto the fishing, this was to be a topset + 2 match, which as I often fish short, I fancied a go at. Into the tin and out comes 127, not a peg I would have chosen, but 125 surprised me a couple of weeks ago, so anthings possible. I set up four topkits, all on orange bazookarp, a paste rig on 0.18, a MW diamond to fish devils spawn, or worm,on 0.16 with a 16 63-13, a MW slim power to fish hard pellet, 0.16 and a B960 and a sensas float whose name eludes me, to fish meat, 0.17 straight through to a 16 Xedion TXR7.

At the all in I had a go at mugging a couple of the cruisers, to no avail, I fed two lines, 10 & 2 o'clock, 10 with meat & 2 with pellet. The meat line I didn't expect to produce until the end. Introducing the pellet initiated the dreaded fizz, obviously fish there, probably skimmers, but impossible to catch. By swapping between soft pellet, paste and worm, I kept an odd fish coming to the net, but had a lesson in posiive feed fron Dean Malin on 126, as he kept cupping in bucket sized cups of pellet.

With an hour or so to go, I had the first indication that there were fish on the meat line, I managed a couple from here, and lost a fish that most likely cost me money, it wouldn't get its head up and in the end managed to break me by diving through the keepnets. I had a couple of foulers over the meat, so they weren't really getting their heads down on it.

My 72.12 was only good enough for seventh place and it also saw me join the chip shop sausage club........ (If only I hadn't lost that big double....)

1) Mike Nicholls 140.11 peg 132
2) Dean (Abacus) Malin 133.05 peg 126 (If only he hadn't gone 8lb over the net limit......)
3) Tom Thick 128.14 peg 112
4) Bela (Net 'em from anywhere) Bakos 100.01 peg 111
5) Alan Oram 83.06 peg 128
6) Tony Rixon 80.01 peg 130
7) Chris Fox 72.12 peg 127

Silvers

1) Tom Thick 25.08
2) Mike Nicholls 21.00