Viaduct Thursday Cost Cutter 13th June 2013

Down to Viaduct today, hoping that it bucked the recent trend that seems to be affecting all fisheries, of the fish seemingly not interested in feeding.

31 fishing, Campbell and Cary both in, so I wanted a draw on Campbell, perhaps I should be careful what I wish for, as I picked out 131, after Matt Tomes handed Paul Greenwood 132. I tried to cover all bases, with a straight lead set up, full depth and shallow waggler, a margin rig, a 5m meat rig and two pellet rigs, one full depth, one shallow.

I started on the waggler, with meat, but Paul had landed three fish before I had my first bite and fish (and the ratio didn't change much during the match). A switch to the lead brought a couple of fish, but in what was to become a pattern for the day, that was that for the bites on the lead. A switch to the pole saw the pellets being whittled down and eventually eaten by 3oz skimmers, the 5m meat line, although being primed for later, gave up nothing on an early look in.  By now Paul was catching tight to the rushes between 133/134 on the shallow waggler. The margin gave me a small tench and a bream, repeating the now familiar 2 fish then nothing of all the other lines/methods, except the 5m line which remained biteless.

Coming into the last couple of hours another look on the 5m line produced the one and only fish caught from it (unless a 3oz roach on 10mm meat counts!!). The margin gave up a bream and small carp, but then bucked the trend, a 3rd bite and a carp was foul hooked, this took 10 mins to get to the net and finally snapped the 0.18 hooklength when I had the elastic fully stretched via the pulla bung. What I hoped would be a decent last hour, was dire, Paul's peg was getting stronger and stronger, whilst mine gave up one tench in the whole of the last hour.

I even managed to drop the last carp I caught into the wrong net, so I had an empty net and one over by 7lb or so, giving me 70lb carp and 15.11 silvers for 10th on the day, only 6 weights over a ton, including Pauls double ton, which gave him the win by a wide margin.  With hindsight, the meat was a waste of time in open water, it might have paid off to fish a pellet line and stick to it, hoping that the carp moved in over it.

1) Paul Greenwood 229.14 peg 132
2) Glenn Bailey 111.14 peg 115
3) Phil Harding 109.01 peg 112
4) S Russell 104.05 peg 129
5) Matt Tomes 101.03 peg 114
6) Peter Thompson 100.00 peg 88

Silvers

1) Roland Lucas 34.00 peg 123
2) Howard Webb 26.11 peg 105