Shiplate Open, Sunday 25th April 2021

 Ever forgotten something - well not even forgotten, just not had it when you've arrived at your peg, well today was that day, no rig roost, thought I'd gone mad a checked the peg at least 4 times.  Travelled down with Tony, so went and got his van keys to check in the van, not there, so two options, it had gone missing at Viaduct or was in my van, I sat stewing on its whereabouts all day.

Both canals in again as last week, this week a draw on Hawthorns for me peg 10 next to another blogger in the shape of Mike Nicholls.  This would give me plenty of space across, as Mike wouldn't be trouble the residents of the far bank.

I fully expected to catch on hard pellets, so s rig for them across, a mugging rig, a rig for meat short and a margin rig,  The mugging did get picked up, but it was never going to wok, the fish I could see were too deep and moving around too fast.  I just couldn't get the fish to settle across, so gave the meat short a try, never had a bite on it.  

I had found a nice shelf down to my right and fed a few maggots and a nugget of GB and some maggots, as the sun came round onto the margin I had a nice run of fish from it, before the bankside foliage cast its shadow and the fish departed.  I think I tried it to make the margin work for too long after it went quiet, as I did go back across and shallowed up, pulling a pellet up the far bank shelf.  That produced a couple more fish, pretty certain that I wouldn't have beaten Matt's 191lb to win, maybe the lack of ripple for the second day running didn't help.

Matt used 6 pints or so of caster, causing a few grumbles, not from me, its an open, if the bait is allowed then its fair game, I can recall the same years ago with bloodworm - cost being the gripes.

I ended up 5th, which isn't the worst result, but the peg was worth a bit more, when I got home the rig roost was in my van, must have fallen off the trolley and I didn't notice in the excitement of picking up an Indian on the way home Saturday.....

Viaduct Open, Saturday 24th April 2021

 Hadn't got a match booked until I heard that a club cancelled their booking at Viaduct and there was an open instead.

Was happy enough with the draw on 116 - at least before the match... fairly standard set up, a lead rod, waggler stayed in the bag as the wind looked a bit iffy. Rigs for the margin, meat short, pellets at 9m and 16m.  Didn't think they want to be down on the deck, so all rigs were spread shotting for a slow fall through the water.

I was a lot tougher than I thought it would be with over an hour gone before I put a fish in the net, that was on the long pellet line, but it was the only one from there. By now the ripple had gone as the wind had come pretty much from behind, so off the box and waggler set up to reach halfway, where there was still some ripple, but nothing.

I did chuck the lead out and had a carp and skimmer in two chucks, but they were the only two bites on it.  Whilst it was out I made up some GB and I did have a coupe, of skimmers and carp on whilst the wind did out some ripple back on my side, but it didn't last long, the ripple or the bites.

Going into the last 40 minutes I thought I was ahead of Lee on 115, he dropped into his margin and had 3 for 42lb, I dropped into mine and had 2 skimmers, roach and a small carp, just about summing the day up, I guess I knew then that it wasn't my day. Lee 'won' our bank and the section, so fair play to him.

Definitely on the wrong bank today, as all the weights came from pegs with the wind blowing into them, oh well, at least it didn't rain.  

Open, Shiplate Farm, Sunday 18th April 2021

 Todays match was an open at Shiplate, on both canal lakes with the payout being top two and silvers on each lake, given the small silvers weights that seem to come from these lakes I do wonder if it wouldn't be better just to pay overall places.

Had the luxury of a ride down with Tony today, he managed a peg on the favoured Hawthorn, whilst I had to settle for peg 6 on Westpool.  3 baits today, pellets, maggots and meat.  Rigs set up for banded pellet across, meat at 5m, margin and a rig to fish maggots or soft pellet through the water.

Started over on the banded pellet and had a liner/fouler that came off straight away and that was it for over 2 hours, the only fish I had was 3oz skimmer of a line at 13m that I fed a nugget of GB and some maggot.

I did see some carp start to move about and did manage to mug 3, but it was a case of waiting until I saw one and then trying the mugging, I think the ratio was something like 30 or more to one and after 3 they seemed to disappear again.   I did manage a brief run of fish by fishing maggots shallow against the far bank and catapulting maggots, that was one a chuck for 5 fish and then they went as soon as they came, I reverted to fishing maggot on the deck across and had a couple more in the last hour.  I was expecting to be beaten by end peg 15 and peg 10 which had the advantage of the angler on 11 going home and not going to his peg.

I was pleasantly surprised to get 2nd on the lake and maybe, I could have found a way to get the extra 3 fish needed to win the lake, there was no chance of competing with the other lake.  Tony was 2nd on his lake, so a fairly content van on the way home.

Maesknoll Open, Acorn, Saturday 17th April 2021

 I am running an open a month at Acorn and have also made it an optional series, 18 fishing the first one of which 12 entered the series.  I tried pegging it with only one peg either side of the bridges, as they haven't been the fliers they once were.

Having done that, I waited until the last ticket was left in the bucket and ended up on 34 next to one of the bridges.  Having caught on hard pellet the week before, I fully expected to catch on it again, so set out my stall to fish banded pellet over and down the shelf.   A rig for maggot down to the pallet of 32 and one for pellet against the bridge.

After an hours without a fish I was regretting the decision to fish pellet and cursing myself, as on Friday I had meant to pick up some bread and forgot, Paul Faiers on peg 31 was catching dobbing bread.  I tried white maggots dobbed over, but not so much as a liner.

I fed some micros and fished soft pellet to the middle of the bridge, this was also a waste of time, I had been feeding maggots to the bridge by hand, so set up a rig to fish maggot at the bottom of the near shelf, a strung out rig with a 20 LWG on 0.11.  This brought bites for the rest of the match and seeing as I couldn't catch anywhere else in the peg, I stuck with it, to weigh 35.02 of silvers, just getting pipped by Des Shipp who had 37.15.

Didn't get a picture of the overall winner, Martin Rayet, so will have to make do of one of me and one of Des.

Thanks to those who fished and the next one is on 22nd May.

Ivy House Open, Sunday 11th April 2021

 First trip back to Ivy House since the lockdown ended, only 10 fishing to day on the match lake, so more of a knock up.

The weather that greeted me as I set up on peg 4 was pretty horrendous, hail/freezing rain and a chill wind, so I set out to fish maggots and expanders on the pole to catch anything and everything, I did set up a waggler to fish banded pellet into the gap in the islands.

To cut out any boring waffle, I never had a bite on the waggler and had to rotate two pole lines at 14.5m and a shorter line at 7 joints, I tried soft pellet on one of these lines, with GB and maggots on the other long line and the short line.  I had one bite and one skimmer on expander and had to switch to pinkies to get bites, this gave me skimmers and a couple of roach for 8.10, which won the silvers, I did have one carp of 4.0 on the skimmer rig.  Tough day, but I do enjoy days like this when you have to work for every fish.

Acorn Winter League, Saturday 10th April 2021

 The delayed winter league started again today, the second round, it was still pretty winter like, so I was going to do my best to keep my paws out of the bait tub and off the catapult.  Only managed a section 3rd last round, so needed to improve on that.  On this league, it really is only the section that matters, as no overall money is paid out, just first and second in each section, which is a fair to do this, as the sections can be wildly different in the depths of winter.

Peg 38 was drawn for me, with three bridge pegs in the section I was wondering if I had my work cut out here to improve on the last round.  It was cold, but I still expected the fish to be in the shallower water, so a rig to fish across to the island shelf, one for the bottom of the shelf, one for down the track and one for the margins.  Bait tray was simple 4 and 6mm hard pellets, 4mm expanders and maggots.

I made sure I couldn't pick up the catapult by not getting one out, so it was a pot on the pole to start, went straight across with banded 6mm pellet and had indications and lost a fouler straight away.  Then had a fish fair and square,  I also tried a lie across with maggots and never had a bite on them... I had to feed to get the fish to come to the bait, but I wasn't convinced they were feeding properly, I swapped between the shelf and the bottom of the shelf to keep off fish coming and then I had a bit more activity on the shelf and was just going to get the catapult out, when the wind turned and the peg went flat calm.

I struggled to get a bite anywhere in the peg, so fed some maggots down to the pallet of 37, this brought 4 fish, nothing too big, but it kept something going in the net, had one more across just as the ripple started again, shortly before the all out.

Managed to put 62.15 on the scales for the much needed section win and that was third overall, with the top two weights coming from A section.

Open, Shiplate Farm, Easter Monday, 5th April 2021

 Nice to see a venue not afraid to have a sensible pool, making this match £30, all three lakes in paying top 3, one in the silvers and £70 every 6 pegs, pools definitely haven't kept up with the cost of living.

Rolling draw from 07:30, with fishing from 10:30 - wow, that's a lot of time to sit at your peg, so we didn't get there and draw until 09:00, shortish walk for me, peg 6 on the main lake, with a cold wind blowing across and at me - great.  I suspected I'd be be pushed to beat the pegs at the 'house' end of the lake and to try would mean sitting on a method or bomb and pellet most of the match.  

I did set up a method, but it went away again at the end, unused.  I decided to fish for silvers, bit of a gamble with just the one payout, I plumbed up at 13m and 6 joints, rigs with a 18 F1 hook on 0.10 fluorocarbon, one with a bulk and two droppers, one with a spread bulk.  Also a feeder rod, cage feeder and a 0.10 hooklength / 18 F1 hook.

Bait was to be GB, pinkie and maggot, with a few micros to put in if it felt right.  Started on the feeder and it was slow, 5 skimmers in the first hour, I'd fed the 6 joints pole line (wind was too strong to fish 13m) and had a look - nothing, back on the feeder and one more skimmer, but it had died right off, I took the clip off and went out seven more turns, but still nothing.

Another look on the 6 joins pole line and the skimmers started to show, I switched to feeding nuggets of GB through a toss pot, this seemed the best way, rather than larger cups,  it wasn't hectic and finding the trip against the wind was essential, as most bites came as the float was just held and the bait lifting in the tow,

Pinkies were by far the best bait, I had fed a some meat at the bottom of the shelf and did have a quick spell trying it, when the bites tailed off, cupping in a bigger ball on that 6 joints line before I  I did.  No indications on the meat, so back over the GB, odd indications and I did bump a couple, I suspect were liners, then with 15 minutes to go, the peg started fizzing, I thought it was a carp, but I had three decent skimmers in tat last 15 minutes, they had got there heads down right at the end.... typical!!

Scales came round and I put 27.04 on the scales, which proved enough to win the silvers, so the right decision, as the payout was more than a section win. it stopped a poor run over the Easter weekend and was far more enjoyable than sat on a method praying fo0r a pull from a carp.  Roll on next week!!

Open, Landsend, Easter Sunday 4th April 2021

 Landsend, polarizes my thoughts, love the tranquility of the place, hate my dismal record fishing it.  So with the new owner stamping his mark on it, I headed back, huge amount of work has been carried out, new paths, new platforms, restocking and much of the rampant foliage and arboreal incursions removed.

Was not thinking of any particular draw, so was fairly ambivalent when I saw 22 looking back at me on the swimcard, with my mate Paul on peg 24.  The venue is pole dominated, so that's all I took, a rig for across on the far shelf, two spots plumbed up at the same depth.  A rig for bottom of the shelf across, one for meat short, an edge rig and a silvers rig.

This is going to be another blog that is difficult to write anything meaningful, I started short on meat, the water was a bit clear, so it was without much conviction and I never had so much a liner there.  Had a look down the track on pellet and that was again, biteless.  Over onto the shelf, biteless and no indications, I got off my box and made up some GB and started a maggot GB/maggot line down the track, this saw a few small tench and crucians netted, but I was going nowhere fast.

The wind was horrendous, but it did drop for a short spell just before 14:00 and I had one carp across then, by now Paul on 24 was fishing for silvers, catching on pinkies, I didn't have any, so spent the last 90 minutes fishing 5 maggots down the edge for 4 more carp, 2 small F1's and 2 perch.  Didn't even bother the scales, not a great start back to match fishing.

Viaduct Open, Saturday 3rd April 2021

 Back to Viaduct today, drew 112, with 11 empty, so absolutely no complaints on that.

Same cold easterly wind as yesterday, similar set ups and had a 6lber second drop in short on meat, so was hopeful it would be a good day.  I then hooked a big fish on the short line, suspect it was in the 'wing' as it took off, jumped out like a skimmer and ran until the elastic bottomed out, I thought the 0.15 hooklength had parted when the elastic came back at a rate of knots, but the whole rig was gone - the elastic had cut through, I have been using the knot and bead method of attaching the line direct to the elastic for ages and never had a problem, I hate losing floats/rigs.

Out on the 11m line with pellets and the light rig, had a couple of skimmers and 3 carp on this in an hour or so, slow but not miles behind, then a foul hooker and to compound the earlier misery, this one took the rig as well the elastic parting, this time at the dacron..... I would have been upset, but by now I was chilled out by the amount of weed smoke I had inhaled from the carpers behind me on Cary....

I struggled for bites, trying the lead, waggler and long pole, but the aromatic herb smell was obviously keeping me mellow, I did have a a desire to get to the shop and buy half a dozen pasties to satisfy the munchies that were coming on.

With an hour and twenty to go I had 3 carp on the short meat line, along with a couple of skimmers and a roach that was at least 1lb.  I then had 40 minutes without a bite and wrapped up with 10 minutes to go, with about 12 or 13lb in the silvers net and 89lb on my clicker, so around 80lb tipped back, as I would be nearly last to weigh and I was sure I hadn't enough to pick up.

The carpers were packing up, so the free high was over, hoping I was OK to drive home, I disappeared before the results were in - wondering if I could drive past the chippy in Shepton as the weed fume induced munchies were still raging.....

Results from the Viaduct Match Fishing FB page and I'm wondering how I might get through a match tomorrow with no weed fog to chill me out....

Campbell / 21 anglers Overall 1. Mark Hayman - 153lb 4oz - peg 114 2. Dave White - 151lb 8oz - peg 135 3. Malcolm Bond - 148lb 11oz - peg 131 4. Phil Hardwick - 119lb 12oz - peg 116 5. Clive Barrow - 110lb 1oz - peg 132 Silvers 1. John Fuidge - 32lb 2oz - peg 123 2. Nigel Bartlett - 27lb 3oz - peg 126 3. Steve Denmead - 17lb 1oz - peg 128

Viaduct Open, Good Friday, 2nd April 2021

 Its a shame, but it going to be difficult to get onto Viaduct matches going forwards, as matches are being restricted to Campbell lake, so 21 peggers,  I got onto a couple over Easter, this one being the first, paid up and Matt drew me 125, I wasn't going to complain, as it can throw up some big carp on the short line and does have a decent history for silvers.

A cold easterly wind was putting a ripple on the water and was likely to make waggler fishing a non starter, so pole and bomb would be the most likely ways to catch.  I set up a rig with a light float, spread 11's (it was given to me by Dave Brittain and I have caught plenty of silvers on it) and 0.11 hooklength and a 18 LWG with a band.  A MW Steady with strung 11's to fish meat short, a Malman Roob for pellets long.

It was a match where I started well, toss potting 4mm pellets , with a 6mm in the band, at 11m, 2.5 hours in I had 5 carp and 20lb of skimmers, then the sub came out and the ripple stopped, Ben on 126 had been pinging pellets at 16m and I think he stole my fish (the carp), I should have changed from the tosspot to the catapult.  I struggled to get a bite in the sunshine and flat calm, whilst Ben had a run of fish chucking his bomb over the pole line.

I decided to sit it out on meat short, had another carp and a another 10lb of skimmers on this, but all to no avail as I ended up halfway in the match and one out of the money in the silvers, obviously a bit ring rusty, as I suspect the difference was the feeding.

 

Todber Manor Open

 First match back after lockdown, was good to be back, well it was until I drew, peg 36,  anywhere the 30's is best drawn in a couple of months time, the fish don't seem to over winter there... if it hadn't bee the first match back, my disappointment at drawing there may well have seen me not bother, but I did manage a grain of optimism.

Not going to waste my time writing about the match in detail, I had 4 fish on the pole, two on meat short and two on pellet at 13m and that was the only bites on the pole.  I did chuck a method over to the island and had a few carp on the method, but they was very little activity, I switched to a maggot feeder and had a couple more, but was never going to trouble the 200lb+ needed to pick up.

Well done to those that did put the weights on the scales.

Results from Todber FB page below.

28 anglers fished today's 5 hour open on Hill View and Homeground. Results:

1st: Dave Willmot 275lb 4oz (Peg 89 HG)

2nd: Ben Hagg 267lb 2oz (Peg 77 HG)

3rd: Simon Stacey 266lb 10oz (Peg 90)(would have won match if had another keepnet)

4th: Andrew Cranston 250lb 4oz (Peg 80 HG)

Section A: Trigger 226lb 8oz (Peg 47 HV)

Section B: Martin Rayet 205lb 12oz (Peg 54 HV)

Section C: Martin Rogers 239lb 10oz (Peg 88 HG) 

Silvers 1st: Birthday Boy Matt Rowe 27lb 8oz (Peg 35 HV)

Silvers 2nd: Chris Albiston 25lb 2oz (Peg 60 HV)

Silvers 3rd: Dwayne Seed 18lb 10oz (Peg 58 HV)

Shiplate Open, Sunday 3rd January 2020

 17 of us on the main lake today, drawn in order of booking on, with me coming out of the hat last or last but one, once all the fancied pegs had gone, peg 9 for me, not a peg I have seen produce much in my previous visits, apparently yesterday it had 1" thick ice on it and today had a lovely NW wind blowing straight into it - I wasn't confident.....

I set up a straight lead and a cage feeder, left the waggler rod in the bag as getting ant feed out would be nigh on impossible with the head on wind.  I did set a rig for down the LG and RH edges (same depth) but I never got used, I set up 2 rigs for 14m, a .4 and a .5 bodied float with a wire stem, one with a 20 and 0.10 fluorocarbon, the other with 0.12FC and a 18, in case it got good.....

I had a chuck round with the lead, no signs, I had the feeling there weren't going to many, if any carp in the coldest peg on the lake, so concentrated on silvers, feeding GB with squatt and pinkies in on one line, micros and maggots on the other, but very negatively.

It was a slow and steady match, I was catching small roach over the squatt and pinkie, but at least it was bites in the cold wind (and rain!) at 12 0'clock I had two skimmers in two put in's, then back to roach, bit odd.  I had one more decent skimmer about 12.30 and that was it, back to the tiny roach again.  The micro line was pretty much dead until the last 40 minutes when I had a small hybrid and then a tench, that gave me 9.06, I was sure walking back past peg 8 weighing in that I heard 11lb something and Dom weighed 15lb odd, so into the van and off home, then it transpires I was second in the silvers, so a second pick up of the weekend, but well away from the carp today.....

1st p13a John Page 115lb 02oz

2nd p4 Shawn Kittridge 109lb 06oz

3rd p11 Paul Lasson 63lb 14oz

1st silvers- p6 Dom Sullivan 15lb 14oz

2nd silvers- p9 Chris Fox 9lb 06oz

Acorn Open, Saturday 2nd January 2021

Decided to run an open on Acorn, as we are still able to match fish - for how long, who knows.

17 fishing, so I tried to spread it out an give the pegs that can be hard in winter some room, but no matter how you peg a match in winter, someone will be sat on a few fish and others will struggle.  I wouldn't usually pay silvers on this venue, but given it was frozen and we'd be ice breaking, I added two silvers payouts, just to give something else to fish for.

I did the draw for everyone, but got Kev Perry to draw mine out, I wasn't upset when he revealed ping pong ball 5 a peg I had never drawn before (at least, I can never remember drawing it).

I broke out a channel across to the far bank and there was some colour in the water on the nearside edge, so I broke out a channel to my left.  Simplicity itself for rigs, a rig for the channel down the left, a dobbing rig for bread across, set 5" off the bottom to start with, a rig for maggot across on the deck and a rig for down the channel at 2+2.

Started off on the bread rig and had a carp and an F1 in the first 15 minutes, another after about 25 minutes.  I did have quick look down the LH channel but since the ice breaking the colour had rapidly dropped out and despite looking down there at intervals during the match, I never had a bite there.

I had a couple more across and the ice started to move to the left, taking my nice clear channel with it, I tried to bring a fish round and through my channel but it had moved to far and the elastic was catching in the ice and the fish came off - frustrating.  Time to recut the channel, this could be done with the pole and pole cup, as the ice was thinning.  That seemed to quieten things down, so I had a look on the 2+2 line with double pinkie and had a small carp almost instantly, but it seemed to be a lone fellow.  Back over to the bread line and another fish, so slow and steady, the a big skimmer on bread.

With a couple of hours to go I picked up the deck rig and toss potted a few maggots over, had an instant response, 3 foul hookers, 3 lost, they were coming to the feed going in, but still swimming off the bottom, bread rig back over the feed and 4th bite over it was a proper bite and fish netted.

Another quiet spell, back to the 2+2 line and had one more from there, again on pinkie, but again, it appeared to be a solo visitor.  Had a couple more persevering with the bread and thought I had about 40lb and it could be close.  Thankfully I put 45lb on the scales to win the match (and the silvers with my one skimmer - but the silvers was paid by default).

Plantation Open, Wednesday 30th December 2020

Another chance at an open on this lake that isn't match fished too often, all prepped to fish for carp, but then was drawn peg 3, an open water peg with no margin to speak of.  I was pretty sure it would be an island or one of the corners with a long margin that would be taking the overall coin.  Silvers it would have to be.

Set up 3 rigs, one for caster short, hoping for some of the lakes big roach, two rigs for 16m (as the peg is set back from peg 4 and even 16m falls short), GB, caster and pinkie fed on one line, some micros on the other.

Slow start, took 30 minutes or so to get a fish, a small roach, kept plugging away, but I feared the still conditions and open water of my peg would prove tricky and the skimmers were very conspicuous by their absence, only small roach and hybrids showing and then in not enough numbers to do damage.

Not much to say about this one, I was going nowhere fast and no matter what I did - changed the initially micros fed line to caster fed, still keeping it negative, compared to the more positive GB line.  Still no sign of the skimmers, I did have an unusual sight, a big perch followed in a 3oz roach and flashed at it just as I brought it to the surface.

I switched back the the previously unproductive short line and had two decent perch and they helped me scrape over the double figure mark, but to no avail, as that was nowhere near enough. Match was absolutely smashed by Des, best peg and a very good angler, unbeatable.....

Viaduct Two Day Silvers, Day Two, Monday 28th December 2020

 Couldn't believe the draw, 111, next to Trigger again, who was on 112, both decent draws on paper.

Not going to say too much about this one, Trigger had a 90 minute sell catching decent skimmers short, I had one and a reasonable perch, that was it, then the cold wind got up and it really knocked our bank on the head, not that that matters when you have nigh on 30lb in 90 minutes to absolutely paralyse the section, as it didn't matter I tipped back 3-4lb and just had absolutely no idea what I could have done differently, never felt there were feeding fish in my peg.  I did spend the last 45 minutes fishing the waggler and corn, as I needed a run of the big skimmers, all I had was several carp.

Well done the winners and framers.

Viaduct Two Say Silvers, Day One, Sunday 27th December 2020

 Two days, two lakes, but an open draw each day so could be on the same lake both days.  Today saw me on Lodge 70, not a bad draw, Trigger on 69, so no easy pickings on the next peg, not that the standard of entrants gave any easy pickings.

Bit of wind forecast, so I did set up a 3 square cage feeder, as well as a waggler to fish corn. 3 pole rigs, one to fish short(ish) strung out 11's to get a slow fall through the water, a heavier rig with some strung out 8's and a rig with a bulk and single dropper.

The sun was out and the visibility was dreadful, shimmering light, flickering between silver and black, no matter what float colour it was all but impossible to see at times.  Before the start Trigger walked down and saw what I had seen, some bubbles and  rolling skimmer off to the right, I started here, just dripping a few casters in, but to no avail.

I had odd roach and small hybrids on the long line, but that visibility was proving a tad frustrating.  I switched to the feeder and had a couple of skimmers on it, the light improved and I switched back to the pole and had another decent skimmer.  The light improved a bit more and I picked up the waggler, had one on corn and then had a bit of a disaster, lost two decent skimmers in two casts, both in the same way, I strike across my body and hit a tree both times with the line getting caught in a branch, allowing the skimmers to make good their escape.

Maybe sticking with the feeder would have been a better idea, but I wasn't convinced ( or was it confident).  Anyway, those two skimmers cost me as I ended up second in section to Trig.

Viaduct Silvers League, Round 6, Sunday December 20th 2020

 Last round and surely I'd get a peg on Cary, but no, it was not to be 129 on Campbell, oh well, that it for this years league, never going to win the match or frame from there, so it was section pride to go for.  This league is like a temptress, she lures you in, makes you believe she is all for you and then wham, next match, there she is, in flagrante with another.....

Anyway, so much for that, it was a nice day, it wasn't raining and I was going to keep things simple, three top kits and a waggler, the waggler would do for corn, a rig for skimmers at 14m, this is a slim pattern float, spread bulk, 0.10 fluorocarbon hooklength and a 20 F1 pellet hook.  A similar rig but 4x10 rather that 4x12 for roach at 6 joints and a rig to fish up the spit that is a feature of this peg - hoping for tench or perch - so a 0.12 FC hooklength and a 16 F1 pellet hook.

Usual GB and caster/maggot on the 14m line on the all in and then drop back on the short line for roach, as seems typical on Campbell lately, a near instant response, a couple of roach, then nothing, they just won't settle at the moment.  I persevered until 30 mins in and then had a look over the GB line, a 2 oz skimmer and a couple of tiny roach was my reward, I left it and refed it.  Back to the short line, a roach and then nothing.

Time to have a look up the spit, where I'd been pinging casters, a small hybrid first put in, then a roach, then a welcome tench, another roach and that was it, how do you get 4 bites in 4 put ins and then nothing.... I guess that's winter for you.  

I had a go on the waggler - nothing, so back out on the long pole lines (fed two) 11 o'clock and 1 o'clock, nothing from the 1 o'clock line but I did have a small hybrid off the 11 o'clock line.  I have struggled to make the two lines work this year, maybe I haven't drawn on many fish for 5 of the rounds and it' splitting them.  I refed the 11 o'clock line, but not the other, then went straight over it, a 3lb skimmer was my reward, but little else, I did have a couple more roach and another hand sized hybrid from the spit, but I wasn't able to compete with Paddy on the end peg 131 who had a few better skimmers and opposite where Trigger and John Fuidge on 11 and 110 respectively caught skimmers whilst many of us went without.

My 8.14 was enough for a consolation second in section envelope, so not the worst finish to the league, but could do better.

We done to the winners, hope we can do it all again next year, as predicted all the framers camr from Cary.

Viaduct Silvers League Round 5, Sunday 13th December 2020

 Back to Viaduct for the re-arranged 5th round and with not too much to fish for league wise unless I could sneak two more section wins, a positive approach was needed to try and get in the frame, Cary has been the place to do that, but with Matt drawing me on Lodge, albeit 68, which can a be a decent draw, I was going there more in hope than expectation.

The weather was shit, rain in my face, I don't like the pegs layout, you are sat down on a platform that a good 2'6" below another platform, meaning when you are a short arse like me, you are shipping awkwardly and with the peg directly behind on Cary being in just making it worse.

I gambled on fishing the waggler and caster virtually all match, not much to say about it, had a couple of carp, some roach and a couple of skimmers, weighed 9.14, beat the pegs to my left in the section, Clint on 69 had 11lb, and the next two pegs had 12.00  and 12.04, not sure if the pole would have got me anymore fish, not really convinced it would as the weights improved at the car park end of the lake and were pretty low at the narrow end.

No weigh sheet, didn't get on with the social distancing and I just wanted to get my wet, sorry self home!

Acorn Winter League, Round 1, Saturday 12th December 2020

 Writing this after the event, I can't start without mentioning the shock and sadness I had when told on the Monday of the death of Lance Tucker, who I have know and fished under as a team Captain and against over many years.  Lance was a character, told it like it was, with a sense of humour, he fished this match and won the Clevedon FWAC Christmas match the next day, before suddenly passing away on the Monday.  RIP Lance and deepest condolences to Craig (his son) and family.

Onto the match, I drew (or should I say, had drawn for me) peg 15, usually a decent peg in the section, but given the results lately, I wasn't unconvinced that the peg the other end of the section wouldn't be better.

Quite a simple approach, rig to dob across - plumbed up at dead depth, so I could decide on the depth to fish the bread at the start, a rig to fish down to the pallet of peg 14 (same float) and two rigs for just up the far slope, one with 0.10 and a Guru F1 hook, one with 0.13 and a Kaizen hook, just in case it got good....

On the all in, I picked up the dobbing rig and took 4" off it, fish first put in and lost it - fouler, then one in the mouth, then a torrid run of foul hookers, 6 or 7 of them and only one more landed, I shallowed up a bit more during this time, before finally realising I'd picked up the edge rig, the edge was deeper than across, so I was probably in the deck with the bread all the time...... what a numpty - I blame not being able to go to the pub, staying home and rocking up to matches sober isn't all some crack it up to be!!!

That probably cost me the section, I struggled thereon in and finally had a tench a couple of silvers and a carp just up the far slope on maggot, but I wasn't confident I'd done enough and so it proved, with Paul taking the section from the peg I fancied and Kev on bridge peg 21 second.  So third place and it was down to my stupidity, lesson learnt, differentiate between rigs........

Silver Open, Plantation Lakes, Thursday 10th December 2020

 A rare chance to fish a silvers match on Plantation main lake, so I booked in and booked a days holiday.

It has some great silvers fishing, roach, perch and skimmers making up the target fish, it is possible to frame with roach or skimmers, if the roach feed short enough.

Peg 4 was drawn for me, the venue had been 'manually' pegged, so the peg numbers don't relate to the permanent pegs, I think my peg was peg 5 permanent.  Really simple approach, two rigs, one for roach short and one for skimmers long, I have been using the Preston Duraslip elastic, in No5 it's perfect for skimmer fishing with small hooks.

I wanted to feed two lines long for skimmers, but going long to my left put me too close to peg 5 (perm 7) so I had to feed this shorter.

I won't say too much about the short line, I had a carp 3rd put in and later I had a roach and a hybrid, it was hardly prolific.

The best line was the 14m off to the right, the position I fed was determined by the light and shadows on the water, it wasn't the best visibility.  I had roach on caster for an hour or so, but then switched to maggot tipped with pinkie and this brought a couple of decent skimmers, I was topping up with a toss pot of GB and pinkies, I had a short lull, hooked a carp that took the hooklength, I then had a decent run of roach and skimmers, alternating between caster, pinkie and double dead red maggot on the hook to keep bites coming.

The last 90 minutes saw things slow right down and I was ruing the lack of the second line, I was also wishing I'd set up a waggler, the conditions were perfect for it and I would have tried fishing a line at 20m or so and am sure that the would have seen some fish come to the catapulted feed - it would also attract carp, so may or may not have been successful.

So probably cost myself the win by not setting up the waggler as my 24.10 was enough for third, but I feel I should have won this one.