Thursday 19 December 2013

Avon Angling Open, Landsend, Wednesday 18th December 2013

The weather forecast was pretty bad for today, but as I have somehow managed a couple of decent section and silvers results in the first two rounds of the Landsend league, I need the practice, today's match was on Match Lake and that's where I am for the next round.

It seems that the pegs in the teens (including eleventeen) have been the place to draw lately, I managed to avoid that area and drew 21.  Plenty of room as there were only 9 hardy souls braving the inclement weather, with Martin Lengahan on peg 18 and John 'Turkey' Thompson on peg 24.  I set up 3 rigs, one to fish the edges down to the pallets of 20 and 22, neither side produced a bite, so no more elaboration on that. A MW slim on 0.16 to a banded hooklength on 0.14 for the second shelf right across (that was about 2'6" deep), it was pretty mild, about 10-12°C, so why wouldn't the carp fancy a 6mm pellet.  A pencil float on 0.14 with a 0.12 hooklength completed the set up, this would do to fish caster, maggot or devil spawn, close in and down the track.

I fed the far shelf with half a dozen 4mm pellets, before cupping in a few casters and 4 maggots in at 8m, the deepest part of the peg, immediately the float buried and I was connected to a carp, I think it was fouled, but I wasn't to find out, as I manged to get the pole back and break down to the top kit, before the fish took off again and snapped the hooklength.  Lesson learned, I think the hooklength was 0.10, I had changed it at Viaduct and not remarked the winder. On with a 0.12 hooklength and that lasted the rest of the match.

I was also feeding a few casters just over my nets, as the water had some colour in it, with a reasonable depth. The 8m line proved to be pretty non productive after the initial lost fish, so after ¾ of an hour, I did have a look over the far shelf with a 6mm pellet, not so much as a liner was forthcoming.  Dropping in on the short line saw the float bury after less than 1 minute, double maggot accounting for a carp which was at least 9lb. A couple of micro perch followed, the a solid feel to the next strike and a bream of 3lb or so was netted.

To rest this line I retried the 8m line and swapped the banded hook for a plain spade end on the far shelf rig, the far shelf then produced a couple of decent perch and carp to maggot, before that too went quiet. Back in close and another big skimmer, a couple of roach and then a perch, before it died off again.

The 8m line produced a carp and a small f1, but it was a long wait for bites, the far shelf had responded to loose fed maggot, but in the shape of small roach and rudd, not much point catching them,especially at 16m.  One more carp from the close line and I thought I had 27lb of carp and 8 or 9lb of silvers, the 4 carp went 30lb exactly and the silvers 11.06 for what is now becoming a habit, one out of the money!!

1. Tony Rixon  95.10 Peg 16
2. Aaron Britnell 68.06 Peg 11
3. Chris Fox  41.06 Peg 21
4. Alan Oram 36.08 Peg 7
5. John Thompson 31.00 Peg 24
6. John Bradford 25.08 Peg 3

Silvers
Tony Rixon 19.06

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