Monday 13 November 2017

Viaduct Silvers League, Sunday 12th November 2017

Another day as a stand in, another league I was disappointed not to fish, but couldn't make all the dates.

I was quite optimistic until I drew... 131 wouldn't be my first choice silvers peg, so I had to make the most of it and try and wangle a few fish from it, with the wind coming off my back, I fancied the waggler for a few fish (and I was right.....)

I set up a feeder and a waggler, then 4 topkits, one for down either side, looking for perch, a double bulk after that was all I caught on yesterday, a couple of bulk and two dropper rigs, although the peg was so shallow, that put the bulk at above half depth and it's 18" from the hook.

Fed a line with the same GB mix as yesterday, went out to 13m, in case the wind got up, then tried the waggler, I could catch on the waggler, but it was either micro roach or carp, this was the case everytime I tried it, so it didn't find the hoped for tench and better silvers.

The edges didn't give as much as a knock on the float and a short caster line only gave up a few roach.  I had a busy day catching carp and one took the whole rig, snapping nearly new No6 elastic, so that was frustrating.

I kept on trying, but no matter what I did, was painfully slow going for silvers, although the carp stayed active, I picked off a couple of 1lb skimmers, before giving in and trying the lead, second chuck I had a skimmer about 1lb and eagerly went back out on it, to then hook a carp, they were everywhere in the peg.

I ended up just sitting it out with dead maggot on the pole at 13m, to take a few more carp and a couple of skimmers, I knew I would be somewhere near the bottom of the section and so it proved, 132 had 5lb, I had 6lb, Ziggy on 130 had a few more skimmers, but was the next lowest weight in the section, s o the pegs had fished as many had predicted, by the end it was getting cold and I wasn't too upset at the all-out.

Results on Viaduct FB page.


Avalon Silvers League, Saturday 11th November 2017

I couldn't make all the matches in this league, which is a shame, so I took this chance to stand in for an absentee.  Just as well I left in plenty of time as Tony had assured me the draw was at 09.00, so luckily I was driving into the lane to the fishery when he rang me at 08.25, sheepishly asking where I was, as it was actually a 08.30 draw.

Into the draw bag and I pulled out 36, pretty meaningless to me, as I haven't fished the venue for a while and I had a rough idea of what I was going to do whatever peg I drew.  Walked up from the car park and stepped onto the pallet which couldn't have been slipperier if it had been booby-trapped.  Luckily there was a enough dead rushes around the peg that had been cut down, for me to gather hen up and spread them on the pallet, nice safe walking area now.....

I set too much gear up - its too easy now taking ready made up rods - a waggler, that was cast out to plumb up, it then sat in the roost until it was put away at the end. A feeder rod, as the weather was forecast to be somewhat unpleasant, so I might want to huddle up and watch a tip.  A whip, as Tony had mentioned there were roach of 2-3oz to be caught and three pole rigs, two similar rigs, Drennan floats one 0.6g and the other 1.0g, these with a classic bulk and two droppers set up, 0.10 hooklength and a 18 Guru F1 maggot hook.  The other rig was a double bulk rig, with 5" of line on the bottom, this had a 0.12 hooklength and a 16 Guru F1 maggot hook.

Bait was simply caster, maggot, pinkie and worm, along with a GB mix of Tom Thick's Intelligent, Sensas lake and brown crumb.  Two balls of this went in at the start, I only ventured out 11m as the wind was gusty and threatening to worsen, I then had a look on the whip and caster, this brought a couple of small roach, but that weren't lined up, it was a case of taking a fish or two and then having to change depth constantly to find them, they wouldn't sit at one depth feeding and that makes them unviable as a way to win or frame.

A look over the GB saw a few bites, but it was from small roach, I switched to the double bulk rig and had a near pound hybrid.  The roach weren't such a nuisance on the double bulk, unless it was laid in, rather than lowered fast,  I hadn't put any worm in the first feed, so topped up after an hour or so and put a little bit of worm in, this seemed to kill off the roach bites and shortly after I had appositive bite and lifted into what I initially thought was a carp, but as I got down to the topkit and the fish jagged and tried to get under the net and pallet, I was hopeful it would be a tench, a lovely sight when a nigh on 3lb golden tench was netted.  Shortly after I was struggling for bites again and came back on the whip, I had a few roach from tiny  to 4oz, again by varying from 18" to touching the bottom.  I did try chucking the feeder out, but in all honesty, never gave it long enough, so up the bank with that and out on the double bulk rig.

This brought a couple more decent skimmers, but it was slow going and I was starting to curse my reticence to fish expander pellets, as those catching were catching on them, I did start up a new line with 30 minutes to go and had one decent skimmer and 2 carp from that.  I knew I hadn't beat the end peg 38, Mark Leader, who won with 28.14.  I was pleasantly surprised to be  with my 16.08 and a section pick-up by default.  I caught all the skimmers and the tench on the double bulk rig, it was much more effective than the others,


Friday 3 November 2017

Viaduct Costcutter, Thursday 2nd November 2017

The downside of weekday matches is the traffic and today was pretty bad, taking slightly over 90 minutes to complete the 33 miles to Viaduct, getting there bang on draw time, it appeared I wasn't the only one held up and the draw was a few minutes late.

Into the tub and out comes 123, the opposite end to where I was last week, its a little deeper that 132, so with the weather having turned a bit colder I wasn't disappointed.  That was a bit of false optimism, so it won't a long and descriptive blog, as there is very little of substance to write about.

Opposite on 119 I had  Adrian Jeffery, who is a bit of a hustler on these Thursday matches, he isn't usually far off a framing place, if not picking up, so worth keeping an eye on his tactics.

For myself, I had the usual Roob set up to fish meat short (and as the depth was the same, it would do for long), a HB chump for 14m, maggot/caster and a lighter rig with a Drennan float whose name eludes me, in case there were silvers in the area.  A waggler to fish corn, a lead - just to get it out the bag and give it an airing - and a couple of edge rigs, one was the same as last week, one heavier line, bigger hook for when they showed up in numbers...... (uncharacteristically optimistic, I know).

The usual start on meat short was biteless, a switch to caster long over a few caster and GB was biteless, dead maggot finally brought a small skimmer, the stamp of which wouldn't be enough to frame in silvers, I was sure, but hopefully the bigger ones would show.

An earlier look down the edge than I would like (short, I was determined no to go long down the edge until nearer the end) resulted in on 7oz perch.  I carried on rotating lines and started new ones, trying both negative and positive feeding, all to no avail.  I could see Adrian struggling, also 118, but further up the lake there were a few carp being caught.  The guy next door on 124 had stuck to feeding caster short and long and was rewarded with a tench, some perch and I saw him net a 2lb+ foul hooked skimmer, whilst the 7oz perch remained my biggest fish.

My day was summed up when I hooked a 2oz perch at 14m and it came straight to the top, splashing on the surface, a seagull dived down and grabbed it, so for a while I was playing seagull and perch, the seagull finally let go, but then dived in for another grab, whilst I tried to fend it off with my pole.  The perch looked unharmed and survived his ordeal, hope I can catch him when he's 2lb, rather than 2oz.

With 30 minutes to go, I knew it was never going to happen, the peg was not going to spring to life and even a couple of fish wouldn't put me anywhere, so I tipped back 3-4lb of small skimmers, roach and perch, by now the fog was rolling in and visibility was getting bad, so I was off home before the weigh sheets came back. A day to forget!!

1. Jim Butcher - 106lb 1oz - peg 128
2. Dave White - 64lb 13oz - peg 115
3. Paul Dare - 59lb 5oz - peg 114
4. Matt Rowe - 57lb 5oz - peg 129
5. Roy Worth - 54lb 10oz - peg 110
6. Terry Lenny - 43lb - peg 97
Silvers
1. Vince Brown - 32lb - peg 62
2. Stu White - 25lb 2oz - peg 127