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