Saturday 10 November 2018

Paddy's Silvers Open, Viaduct Spring Lake, Saturday 10th November

After last weeks silvers match, I had a hunt round for a new rod, I wanted a 10' soft feeder rod, that could cope with 0.08/.010 hooklengths and small skimmers, as well as landing their bigger brothers.  I had put a post on Maggotdrowning asking for recommendations, I had a look at a couple of Drennan's including an Acolyte Ultra, but I felt they were too powerful and the carbon tips not as fine as I wanted.

The post threw up several responses, with the two most likely sounding contenders, rods I wouldn't easily be able to see/hold, before buying, they were the Cadence 10' wand with glass tips in 0.25, 0.5 and 0.75 oz ratings and the Cresta Blackthorne range.  Not much info on the Cresta that I could find, whereas Cadence had a video or two showing the wand being used.

In the end, as much as I try to support the retail tackle trade, I couldn't get one of these locally, so ordered the Cadence wand on Thursday morning at 0930, it was with me by Friday at 1430.  I was a little apprehensive, as I bought a rod once before that had been recommended and even raved about on the forum, but when I got it out the bag and looked at it, I knew I'd never use it and gave it away not having even taken to the bankside. Poor finish, terrible ring spacing and action, so my experience of cheaper rods, wasn't good, this Cadence wand came in at £69.99 including postage, so a cheap rod compared to my usual buys.

Opening it, I was pleasantly surprised by the finish, top quality varnish job, quality eyes, eye spacing good.  The glass tips have small wire rings on and look not quite finished, I can accept that, as heavier eyes, and loads of whippings, varnish would spoil the action of these gossamer like tips.

I had threaded the rod up and had a feel in the garage, it wasn't as soft as I'd imagined from comments I'd received, or from the companies video, but it wasn't so powerful that it put me off, maybe with a feeder and a fish on it would feel differently.  the action and curve of the rod was smooth and progressive, with a very small flat spot at the glass tip/carrier joint, but not enough to affect the rod.




On to today, a couple of drop outs saw the field down to 16 and that was the peg number I plucked out, probably wouldn't have been my first (or second) choice, but thought I would get a few fish from the peg.  It's nice and simple at Viaduct in the winter, a pellet ban, so worms, casters, maggots, pinkies and corn, along with some GB.

First out of the bag was the new wand, also on trial today was the Preston sinking feeder line in 4lb, I had put this fresh on the reel this week, I have previously just used sensor or the blue Preston stuff.  This had a 3 square feeder on it, free running as per Viaduct rules, with a .010 hooklength and 20 Guru F1 maggot hook.

Two wagglers, one with a 18 F1 hook .010 hooklength and a 3AAA waggler to fish corn, this on a Normark Microlite II and a Drennan float whose name eludes me (like a still water blue) with a .008 hooklength and a 20 this was on an original Microlite, still can't find a modern rod that can compare.

4 topkits, one to fish to the tree on my right, hoping for a perch or two, another with a double bulk rig, not too much about these as the double bulk stayed in the roost all day and the perch rig didn't go under once.  The other two, were both on my favourite skimmer elastic - Middy 1-5 hollow, a .3g HB Frostie, with a bulk and two droppers, a 20 F1 hook on .008 and a .2g Frostie with strung 11's, .008 and a 18 Gamma green hook.

On the all in I started on the feeder, clipped up about 20m, first cast I had just settled the rod in the rest, the tip went round and a skimmer christened the wand, a fish about 7/8oz.  I fished this for 40 minutes, having another 3 or 4 skimmers and a couple of roach.  The bites were minute twitches of the 0.5 oz tip, pretty sure I wouldn't have seen them on a 1 oz carbon tip.  The rod performed well, it casts well, short distance I know, but that's why I bought it, the bite indication is exceptional and whilst I'd like a little more softness in it, I didn't lose a fish or feel it was over gunned.

After 40 minutes all indications stopped and that was the end of the feeder fishing, I did have several more looks on the line during the match, but no more bites, so not a comprehensive work out for the new rod, but one that will see me happy to use it again.  If Cadence make a rod soft enough to replace my old Microlite, they may have another sale on their hands!!

It had rained hard in the night, it rained during the match and whether that affected the fish who knows, but they wouldn't settle, I had intended to feed two long pole lines, but felt a bit hemmed in by Paddy on 15 and Tucks on 17, so made the decision to fish one line at 14m, the feeder line at 18/20m, a caster line at 6 joints and the corn waggler at 25m.  This may have been a mistake, as the 14m line was the most productive, but kept dying, I did have a little spell when I had a couple of better skimmers and instead of sitting patiently and waiting for bites (which I think would have been the right tactic today) I tried to force it, probably overfed and overfished the one line and gave myself a real barren spell.  Double caster picked out the better fish, with  few smaller ones tempted by dead red tipped with a flouro pinkie.  Worm on the hook saw the float remain motionless, so whilst I had chopped some, it remained in the tub.

The waggler and corn was no good, I had two bites on it, one a carp just over the 'Barney Rubble' mark and a bite (or liner, who knows) that I missed.  I'm not convinced there was loads of fish in front of me, as Tucks was struggling on 17, but Paddy on 15 was putting together a steady net of fish, albeit, no quality.  I think the space to his right helped, as he could rotate lines, but that said, he fished a tidy match and gave me a lesson.

Enjoyable day, fishing the last few weeks for silvers has restored my angling mojo, which had been waning a little after a poor run.  I think a framing place was on the cards from my peg today, not sure it could have done a winning weight, but my over enthusiasm with the cupping kit and catapult  pushed me into an also ran place coming exactly half way..

Sam Powell was outright winner today, well done Sam, great result on the back of your sponsorship announcement.



Sunday 4 November 2018

Viaduct Silvers League Round Three, Sunday 4th November 2018

Managed to get a place in this popular league for the third match running, this time standing in for Ricky Mills.  Travelled down with Tony Rixon again and for both of us a new breakfast venue was tried, The Cross Keys at Lydford on the Fosse.  Nice clean pub, quality food, will definitely stop there again.

Onto the match, having stood in in the last two rounds for firstly good mate Glenn Galvert and secondly for long time mate and ex travelling partner (when we could stay out until 3am and still go and fish...) Paul Faiers, sadly I had fairly dismal results for them, drawing 53 and 73 on Lodge,

Still onto today and I was hoping for a draw right in the middle of a hungry shoal of skimmers and bream, I tried hanging back until the end last time, so in right near the start today and 129 was my reward, or penance, depending on your opinion.

I was hopeful that some Perch or Tench would put in an appearance to boost my weight, as the bramble bushes to my left, that run up to the spit certainly provide the cover that these fish like.  The wind was pushing towards me, so I set up a 3 square GB feeder and clipped that up at 25 turns.

A waggler completed the rod and reel set up and 3 topkits were enough for the pole, a 0.2 Hillbilly Frostie with spread 11 stotz for a line at 7 sections, a 0.3 Hillbilly Frostie with a standard bulk and two droppers for 14m.  Last topkit had a Hillbilly float whose name I forget, with a spread bulk, this was to fish to the brambles, so had a 0.14 hooklength with a 16 LWG to start, whereas the open water rigs had 18 Gamma Green hooks to 0.08 line.

I stared on the GB feeder and had enough indications to keep me interested and 5 skimmers in the first 40 minutes seemed to be at least as good, if not better than those I could see on the lake.  The next 10 minutes or so were spent playing carp for varying lengths of time, before saying goodbye to the hook!!

Time to switch, I had been feeding casters at 7 joints and this saw 4 roach in 4 drop-ins, great, a good spell of roach 'bashing' would be useful, but the initial burst of bites died a death and no matter what attempts at 'swim CPR' I made, it was a fruitless exercise and I was then left with cupping in some GB on my 14m line to try and make that work.  After feeding the 14m line, I dropped into the edge, against the brambles, a 2oz roach took the double caster before it hit the bottom.  Next put in I had a decent Perch, back in and his slightly larger brother was in the net with him

That was the end of the bites from there, so back onto the feeder and another carp hooked and lost, I looked back on the line at 7 joints and managed one small skimmer, I tried the waggler, presentation on it seemed to be good, but couldn't get bites on it.  I switched back to the brambles and the float buried, a very welcome Tench joined the two Perch taken from the same spot, in the net.

From there on it was a struggle, the last 2 hours saw the lake switch off for most and I added a small skimmer or two, along with two roach, I really wasn't sure what weight I had when I was asked at the all-out, I was thinking, maybe just scraping double figures, when Steve arrived with the scales, the hard won net pulled the scales round to 15lb, which was enough for the section win by 2oz...… Bobby G don't go bank walking!!!  Hopefully this signals a change in fortune....









Viaduct Silvers League Round Two, Sunday 28th October 2018

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Todber Pairs Round Two, Saturday October 27th

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