Viaduct Spring League, Round Two, Sunday 28th April 2019

No fishing since the last round of this league, as I have been away in France at a dog show, it was a successful trip with my Beauceron gaining her Cotation 4, which means she has passed sheep herding, character test, measurement and morphology with excellent and excellent + grades.

I have accepted an offer to join up with Burt Baits, so looking forward to reporting on using their products and working with them.

I was going to fish Acorn on Saturday, but storm Hannah saw all but 3 of us cry off and we decided that a three peg knock up in the extreme conditions would be a little pointless.  It gave me a chance to tie some hooks and get fully prepped for this match...…. I needn't have bothered.

I was second into the draw tub and thought I was fortunate to pull out Campbell again, 126, wouldn't be my peg of choice in the section, but should be worth a few fish.  Lead rod set up, waggler to fish pellet at full depth and onto topkits, which comprised two similar margin rigs, one with a band and one without, as I intended to fish maggots/GB to the RH side and just pellets to the left.  Two meat rigs, one with 4x11 down the line and a 0.4g in case it needed a heavier rig.  Two pellet rigs, again one light and one 0.5g to nail it down.

Starting on meat short was similar to the last round, one skimmer and not another indication, so a switch to the waggler was in order.  The wind was from behind, just slightly over my right shoulder, so feeding and casting was easy, there was a slight tow to the right, it was absolutely perfect for the waggler.  I could get it to sit still by laying 3" of line on the bottom, to go through at half trip speed by just touching bottom and at tow speed by coming off the bottom, ideal, how could I fail to catch.

For half an hour I had a couple of indications, before a proper bite and a 9lb mirror was no match for the 12' Tournament waggler rod, 4lb sensor, 0.18 Stroft hooklength and a 16 PR36, I find this ideal for viaduct once the summer starts.  I fully expected others to follow, but they didn't and I had a frustrating couple of hours when all the indications dried up, I had started feeding tentatively, ping 2/3 pellets, I tried upping the feed, changing lines, casting to an area I hadn't fed, all the things that usually get a fish failed to get even a liner.

By now Steve Denmead on 127, as well as Gay O'Shea on 125 and Tony Gilbert on 124 had gone to 16m with shallow/mugging rigs on, I knew my back, which is really bad at the moment, wouldn't cope with swinging 16m around, so I persevered with trying shorter, after getting of my box and setting up a mugging rig.  I did manage one on it, dropping 3 maggots just in front of it did the trick, but the fish were further out and in a ripple, so I could only make out the odd dark shape and not see which way they were going.

Off my box again and another waggler rod out, 3 maggots 15" deep and 3rd cast I had another carp, but by now I was well behind and apart from crippling myself, could see no way of getting back, unless they rocked up short or down the edge.  Well they didn't come in down the edge, I had some perch, a decent skimmer and a hybrid, but not a sign of a carp.  The short line came to life with some blows, two skimmers, another carp and a lost fouler in the last 15 minutes.

I was fully expecting to be last in section, but did manage to beat two in the section, so that's the dropper, can't afford another day like that, it was disappointing as the waggler presentation was so good, its a shame the quick change from high pressure to low pressure and then back to rising pressure spoiled the fishing, it was tough all over the country, so just have to take it on the chin.  I will have to sort out my back or get stronger pain killers before the next round!!

Weigh sheet below, well done to Sam on a great weight on the day.

1. Sam Powell - 212lb 7oz - peg 129
2. Mark Wynne - 133lb 12oz - peg 121
3. Dan White - 125lb 8oz - peg 88
4. John White - 120lb 6oz - peg 90
5. Jeb Attwood - 119lb - peg 110
6. Gary O'Shea - 113lb 9oz - peg 125
7. Dan Hook - 105lb 15oz - peg 94
8. Tony Gilbert - 105lb 10oz - peg 124

Viaduct Spring League, Round 1, Sunday 14th April 2019

First round of this competitive league, with 54 fishing, sadly, whilst it is the spring league, no one told the weather, the cold nights and SE wind (not sure I can remember the last time I went fishing and it wasn't windy!!) made it feel more like winter.

The main objective is a section win, so I wasn't to bothered where I drew, I dipped into the draw tin and picked up two stuck together, so I dropped them back in and picked up another.... 112, can't complain at that.

I had a pretty simple bait tray, pellets, meat and a couple of pints of dead maggots, so the tackle choice was simple to, a waggler rod, set at depth, with no shot down the line.  A lead rod, not sure why, but it is now just something I set up because other people catch using one.   A topkit to fish down the edge, which means sitting backwards on your box, as 112 is out in the water. A meat rig for fishing at 5m, two pellet rigs a 4x16 because of the wind and a 4x12 in case they wanted a lighter rig.

Given how cold it was, I thought feeling my way in gently would be the best way, so started short just potting a couple of bits of meat in, the water was clearer than I expected, so wasn't 100% confident of getting the usual quick bonus fish and I only gave it 7 minutes.  Switching to the waggler and pinging 2/3 pellets at it saw me put 30lb on the clicker in the first hour.  Hoping the catch rate would stay steady and maybe get better towards the end was on track at the end of the second hour when another 28lb was clicked.

The third hour started better and within 20 minutes I had clicked another 25lb, the bites and indications then virtually dried up for 20 minutes, I then hit into a big fish, which apart from slightly kiting round, came in like an inanimate object - until it got two rod lengths out then it took off towards me and round the platform leg before I could stop it, the reel line between the float and the fish was no match for the platform leg and parted as easily as if the platform leg was a hot knife.

The next hour and 20 minutes were fishless and biteless, I was scratching my head, as others were getting odd fish, Calum on 113 was catching me up and I was drawing a blank on every line/bait.  There had been fish topping and rolling, but most of them were doing so beyond the halfway point, so whilst and extra few yards cast might have paid off, the rules prevented me chasing them across.  I got off my box and set up another waggler rod, to try maggots shallow, I thought it might tempt the fish that were in the upper layers, but not feeding.  It didn't.  I did get one down the edge and a couple of perch, but I was never confident that it was going to come good.

I was hoping the short meat line would come good and with 1 hour 10 minutes to go, I had a carp on the 5m meat line, several more followed and at the all out I had 137lb on my clicker and a couple of decent skimmers on the meat as well.  The scales showed my clicking skills were on reasonable form today, 141lb of carp and 4lb of silvers, the lost fish on the waggler cost me (the only one I lost all day) as my 145lb was 2nd in section and 5th in match, so a very small financial reward and disappointing not to get the section win, being beaten by 5lb, Steve Shaw on 110, who caught on the bomb, he certainly does seem to have that sussed.

Well done to Peanut winning the match from Cary, with 245lb, he had some proper lumps.  Looking forward to the next one now, hopefully the weather will be more in line with the series title.

1. Lee Pesticcio - 245lb 1oz - peg 78
2. Tony Gilbert - 213lb 5oz - peg 102
3. Ricky Mills - 189lb 14oz - peg 100
4. Steve Shaw - 150lb 14oz - peg 110
5. Chris Fox - 145lb 11oz - peg 112
6. Craig Edmunds - 143lb 15oz - peg 125

Frenzee Festival 2019, Whiteacres.

A mini, self imposed close season after a poor finish to the Viaduct Winter League meant I had all my rigs and gear up together, new reel lines, new elastics and whilst not bubbling over with enthusiasm, I was looking forward to the week away.

Paul (Faiers) and Glenn (Calvert) would be my lodge mates for the week, they had gone down on the Friday, but I left early Saturday morning, glad I did as apparently quite a few beers and then Sambuca was consumed on the night.  A nice uneventful drive down and I was there by 09:30, after finding I had been left the tiniest bedroom in the lodge (would have bet my house on it - but I'd have done the same....) we all headed up to Twin Oaks for a days fishing.  It was a decent day, that just got better and better as the evening drew in.  The clocks went forward that night, so we would be finishing the matches an hour earlier in effect, with the miserable cold weather, it was likely to hit the fishing.

No fishing Sunday, Pauls van had a problem on the way down, the RAC guy had told him it was the MAF sensor, I had brought my code reader and it confirmed his diagnosis.  We found a Euro Car Parts in Truro and got a new MAF sensor and fitted, cleared the codes and by then, decided a walk round the lakes would be more beneficial than fishing.  Not sure I learnt too much.

Monday morning dawned and it was off to Bolingey, hopeful of a big weight and a decent days fishing.

Peg 33 - old 45, a decent peg, but I'd rather have 23 the bridge peg, still I was hopeful of a few fish from the peg, it gives plenty of options., the end bank is in pole reach, a LH margin with a reasonable depth and open water.  Started short on meat, as this usually gives up a quick early fish or two, but not today. So a switch to pinging pellets long and this saw a 3lber netted quite quickly, but it was a lone soul. I tried pinging pellets to the end bank, nothing, I did resort to a method feeder further along the bank and had a 6lb fish on that.

With 20 minutes to go, I'd had 5 fish for 25lb and was really scratching my head, when they rocked up on the short meat line, I had 3 and lost one in the last 20 minutes - if only those bloody clocks hadn't changed....  I put 42lb on the scales and that is quite easily my worst weight at Bolingey, a venue that is often good to me.  I beat one in the section, peg 23 opposite, the peg I had fancied!!
Best bit of the day was a pint in the Perranporth Inn and a curry from the Indian.

Tuesday, Pollawyn and a chance to make amends and get back on track, but when peg 9 popped out of the drawbag I wasn't too hopeful, peg 13 is the strong peg in that section, but I had to give it a go. 

Given how cold it was I set up a lead to fish popped up bread, the waggler rods stayed in the b bite ag, the wind was howling down the lake . I was expecting to catch on worms, a meat line and the longest I could realistically fish the pole was 11m. so a pellet line there, an edge rig completed the set up.

I started on the bread, casting just short of the island, after a couple of minutes I had an indication and didn't connect with anything on the strike, back out and within a couple of minutes a very tentative bite saw a fish about 6lb netted, next two chucks saw a 9lb and a 10lb fish netted, then a 2lb F1 and I was wondering if this was going to be a red letter day.  But that was it for the bread, tried other baits across there, but not as much as a liner.  The rest of the match was spent rotating between the 11m pellet line - 3 F1's, the meat line - 2 barbel and a skimmer and the worm line - a few skimmers, for a total of 39lb odd and the much needed section win.

Some renewed enthusiasm for day three, I drew 28 Twin Oaks.

The weights weren't good the day before, but the lake is full of F1's so surely they'd have a feed after having a day off.  Again, it was windy, so the waggler rods had a ride and stayed unused, a lead rod for bread and a method feeder on another lead rod, topkits to fish the margin, down the shelf and at the bottom of the shelf.  I started across on bread and had no indications, I switched to the method, again, nothing, I had been feeding to my right just down the shelf with pellets, a look here was equally barren.  I had been feeding caster to my left and had a drop in with that after nearly an hour biteless, I could get bites here, but it was roach, not the intended F1's.

I had a decision to make, it was fishing rock hard, so I got off my box and set up a roach rig, intending to fish this until anyone near me started catching F1's (or carp), I was catching roach 1-3oz with a couple of 5/6 ouncers.  The guy on my left was sticking it out for carp or F1's and at one stage he had two in two chucks, so I went back out on the method and had an F1 straight away - great, they've arrived I thought, well that was the only bite across there.  Back on the roach and I ending up with 21lb odd, so 20lb of roach and a nice days fishing but not too successful, I bet three pegs to my left, who had 6lb, 8lb and 6lb respectively and I beat one other who had 14lb.  The end pegs beat me, 22 with 60lb, 34 with 25lb 23 beat me with 29lb and the guy on 26 had 59lb on paste - I wouldn't have thought to try it, maybe food for thought.  So if a couple of F1's had shown up in the roach, like I thought they would, I could have had a third, it was a tough day.

On to Thursday, I didn't really want to draw Trewaters, as I have never done any good on there and my back is not up to swinging 16m of pole and 5m of line to the island.  Quite unusually, I got my wish and drew Jennys.

21, I was initially hopeful it was an end peg, but on checking I could see 22 was in.  I drew 20 in the Preston festival a couple of years ago and Andy Bennett gave me a real lesson off 21, fishing the method, afterwards he spent quite a while explaining what he did and why, so hopefully his tips from then would help out today.

Again the wind would make the waggler a waste of time, so yet again they came along for the ride and stayed in the bag.  A lead and bread rod, although I wasn't convinced it would be any good, the water had a bit more colour than Pollawyn.

A method feeder clipped up to the island, 3 topkits, one for pellets long, one for meat and another for worms short.  As predicted, the bread wasn't right and I binned it after 10 minutes, I had a couple of F1's and skimmers on the method, but it wasn't hectic.  Next bite was a carp, a big one, it came in like a heavy wet sack, then went nuts under the rod tip, snapping 0.20 at the hooklength loop - bugger would that be costly.

 I persevered and had a couple of carassios, I cast just to the left, coming about 2m off the island and had a couple more, but it was slow and getting slower. I could see fish coming from the other end of the section, but it was a case of switching between lines and taking odd fish, the last hour I had a few better skimmers on meat, but it was a case of being patient and waiting for a bite.  My 33lb was only enough (by ounces from end peg 22) for third place, the end two pegs winning the section and the carp I lost may have cost me second.

Onto the last day and it was the little lakes, not sure where I wanted to be, so when I pulled out 3 Eery, it meant little to me, Trigger was on peg one, so was going to be hard to beat and peg 13 had won the lake every day so far.

Setting up was a bit of a faff, peg 1 & 3 being disabled pegs, so had to get over the framework, shame they didn't make the front bar removable. I did get the waggler out of the bag, also a method, although its a short chuck.  I suspected it would be a pinging pellet day, I couldn't quite get to the island with 16m, the peg is set back behind peg 1 and the wooden frame pushes you back another half metre.

I had a tree along to the left, which restricted how far I could get down the edge, to set up a rig to fish there, the RH margin was too shallow for the cold weather and the water clarity. The final rig was a meat rig.  Starting on that short was spectacularly ineffective, out with the pellet rig and I soon had a 1lb carassio, which proved to be a false dawn, as apart from a couple of skimmers, that  was it from there for ages, whilst Trigger on peg one was fishing to an aerator and getting one a bung - carp, not carassios and skimmers....

Another tough day, two carp added from the pellet line, two big carp from the meat line in the last hour and a double figure fish smashed me up (0.14) as I was too impatient trying to get it in. The edge line only produced the odd skimmer and a small perch.  Bit of a disheartening day, but I wasn't the only one struggling, the guy to my left never had a carp and the 4 corners beat me and Jon Arthur - if I had got the double figure carp in, then I would have had one more point.

So, a frustrating week, I was well prepped, thought I fished reasonable matches and made the right decisions, the last day particularly disheartening, but I honestly have no idea how I could have got those fish to move.

Thanks to all there, apart from the weather, some draws I would choose and being humiliated on the last day, it was a good week, next up Viaduct Spring League first round.