Viaduct Spring League Round 1, Sunday 26th April 2015

I'd been looking forward to this one, the first time I have fished this league, just wish I had not been working so much, as I haven't had a chance to get to Viaduct since the last round of the winter league at the beginning of March.

I drew 128 and wasn't at all upset by that, surely I could get some decent points from that peg, how wrong could I be, a frustrating day ensued.......

I slipped back into the bad habit of covering (or trying to) all the options, setting up a waggler to fish at depth and a lead rod. 4 topkits, one for fishing along the spit, a meat rig for 5/6m, a rig to fish banded pellet at 14m and a paste rig.  bait table should have been simply meat and pellet, but I did add paste for a line at about 8m towards the willow tree, dead maggot and worm for one area of the spit.  With hindsight, meat and pellet should have been the only things on the bait tray.

The wind was blowing up the lake, but I started on the waggler and had a fish about 8lb after 5 minutes, the wind then got stronger and the presentation was poor, so I switched to the pole, I struggled for bites, having one on the pole at 14m, one on paste and a couple of small carp from the spit, but I had to wait a long time for bites and caught more skimmers than carp from the spit.

There was no sign of fish over the meat line, whilst I could see (and hear) the new dream team of Trigger and Bobby G on 114 and 115 emptying it.  Tony Rixon on 129 had a few but it slowed up for him, with 4 hours gone I was extremely frustrated, over tired I think and every niggling little issue was making me more and more annoyed - a while back I would have packed up and gone in home in a huff, but I was determined to try and rescue something.

127 started catching a fish a bung on his short meat line with about 90 minutes to go, whilst I managed one bite, a skimmer that leapt out of the water and off the hook, at 16.10 with 50 minutes to go, I reckon I had about 35-40lb in the net, when I saw the first indication of fish on the meat line, I managed to catch steadily for the last 50 minutes, this made up nearly 2/3's of my total weight.
I am well out of touch with the fish on Campbell now, misjudging the weights of them, that and the fact that catching so well in the last 50 minutes compared with the rest of the match, saw met over in a net I though had about 60lb in, so with my net knocked back to 70lb, a lone fish in the other and some silvers, I weighed 90lb and a few ounces for last in section, a day to forget, but some lessons learnt (re-learnt in the case of too many options and baits.....) and I really need to get out on the bank more.

I have just seen that I scraped into last place in the knock-out, so a minor consolation, as I should and could have caught more from the peg, back to Viaduct Thursday, hopefully to put that bad experience behind me.

Short Pole Series Round 1, Trinity Waters, Sunday 19th April 2015

First match of the year for me on this venue and one I was looking forward to until the weathermen started forecasting the easterly winds. Speaking to match organiser, Tony Rixon, he told me there were 29 fishing, I did wonder if that might be too many on this lake, as some of the pegs need a space for the margins to produce.

Looking at the lake lake before the draw, the easterly wind was coming into the car park bank (pegs 22-34) and that looked to be an unpleasant place to draw.  I definitely fancied a peg on the far bank (6-15). I followed Rod Wotten into the draw bucket, he drew 29, I drew 28 and Paul Faiers behind me drew 27, not sure of the odds on that sequence happening!!  We were all a bit disappointed to draw with that cold wind in our faces and I said to Paul that catching some skimmers could be important come the end.

Tackling up was cold, bloody cold, whilst the assembled line-up on the opposite bank sat in T shirts taking the piss - fair enough, if I ever draw a peg that allows me to be in that position, I'll do the same. 4 Rigs, a long stable float because of the wind to fish banded pellet, the same model set up without a band that would cover soft pellet and meat, a paste rig and an margin rig, although I wasn't too confident that the carp would venture into the margin, due to the close pegging and the cold wind into the bank.

Plumbing up showed that topkit +3 sections was a section too short on my peg, Paul found the same, we just couldn't get to the bottom of the slope, by a short distance, with the wind blowing at us, flicking it out with a longer line was pointless as it was blowing back.

I started feeding slightly short of full distance and fishing past it to allow for the slope, starting on 6mm banded pellet, I had a couple of indications and then a skimmer was netted, but that was it for the banded pellet, I just couldn't get it to work, so switched to a soft pellet fished overdepth and that brought a run of skimmers and a solitary tench, before the peg went quiet and I landed a 4lb carp.  A little wait for a bite after that and another skimmer netted, but the liners, dinks and knocks on the float had stopped, it was if the skimmers had vacated the peg, I guess they had moved out, but unable to follow them I was a bit stumped.

I tried worm, in various sizes, to no avail and then picked up the paste rig hoping a bigger target bait might attract some of the bigger carp than hang around these pegs. A 8lb fish straight away and i thought that was it sussed, but no, a long, long wait between bites for two more fish in the last couple of hours, I tried a 5m meat line, margins fed left and right, one with meat, one with maggot, not a sign of a carp or a bite on any of the three lines, so back to sitting it out on the paste, which did, as mentioned, produce another 8lb fish and a 10lber. I wasn't sure what my silvers went and at the end whilst waiting for the scales, Paul and I had a look at his net and mine, both concluding he'd beaten me.

The scales proved us both wrong, Paul's silvers going 15.13 and mine 16.05, which gave me second in the silvers and a pickup and my 4 carp for 30lb gave me second in section with 46.11, I wasn't too disappointed with that result from there, as I really didn't fancy the draw.  At least the series isn't blown on the first match, thankfully....

1: Mike Nicholls  117.09 peg 15
2: Tim Ford 96.05  peg 32
3: Paul Elmes 94.13 peg 10
4: Bela Bakos 88.00 peg 12
5: Trigger 84.03 peg 20
6: Tony Rixon 77.00 peg 30

Silvers

1: Dave Evans 18.04 peg 19
2: Chris Fox 16.05 peg 28
3: Paul Faiers 15.13 peg 27

Landsend Open, Saturday 11th April 2015

Only one day off this weekend and with my failure to secure a Fishomania ticket for Viaduct, it was a toss up between a first visit to Hillview or Landsend.  Landsend won, partly due to a late finish Friday night and an early start Sunday and partly due to me needing to get the better of the venue, rather than the other way round.

16 or 17 booked in, so Mike spread the match over two lakes, with six on lake 3 and 11 on Match lake, paying the lakes as separate matches.  I fancied a draw in the high teens on Match lake or lake 3, I wasn’t sure how the overnight rain and the water Mike has been pumping into Match lake to raise the level, would affect the fish.

I managed to draw myself peg 7, which was the opposite side to where I fancied, but it should be worth a few fish, especially as the next peg in was 11, with first time visitor to Landsend, Mike Walker sat on it.  There were a few carp showing themselves, but not showing any signs of feeding.

 My silvers fishing is over until next winter, so it was pellet and meat on the bait tray, with plenty of time to set up I, assembled 4 topkits, a AK47 margin float to fish up to the pallet of peg 8, I did mix up a bit of groundbait and had some dead maggot to try in the margin. A rig to fish banded pellet up the far shelf, which is now 18” – 2’ deep with the extra water, a rig to fish banded pellet at about 7 sections and a rig for meat short.

Starting on the banded pellet across, I had a small carp first put in, next drop in saw and F1 netted, that was it before the bites stopped, I upped the feed a bit and had one more fish, but they wouldn’t settle.  A switch to the 7 section pellet line was equally unproductive, a long wait for a bite, before a big skimmer was the first to fall to the 6mm pellet.  After a couple of hours I got off my box and pumped a few expanders, as the action was so slow, first drop in with an expander saw another big skimmer netted, my one and only roach and a carp, before the bites dried up.

I had already had a biteless look over the meat line, before dropping on it with about 2 ½ hours to go, it produced a couple of big skimmers and a tench, but no sign of a carp.  It was a long wait for a bite, then the tell tale sign of a bubble or two approaching the float before a bite.  By now there was a few fish in the margin over the GB and I spent (with hindsight) too long trying to catch them.  I had several, also losing a couple which took the line against the scaffold tube pallet leg and this caused it to part both times.

The fish weren’t really getting their heads down in the margin, no tails on show, so liners were an issue, they seemed attracted to the feed, but weren’t in the feeding frenzy normally associated with margins.  I spent too much time into trying to make them feed, whereas had I just fished the pellet and meat lines, I am sure I would have picked up the silvers money, as I was just two fish away from beating serial whitebait thrasher, Nigel Bartlett.  Then again, another couple of lumps from the margin, would have seen me sneak into the overall lake money, which I was one out of as well….  My fish went 22.04 of silvers and 49.03 of carp.  So an enjoyable day, with a bit of frustration at the poor decision making,  that went far too quickly, roll on next week,  the start of Tony Rixon’s short pole series at Trinity.

Match lake:

1: Rob Watts 91.13 peg 17

2: Martin Pettifer 88.13 peg 19

3: Darren Vowles 83.07 peg 1

4: Chris Fox 71.07 peg 7

5: Mike West 65.09 peg 21

6: Mike Walker 54.08 peg 11

Silvers

1: Nigel Bartlett 26.01 peg 1

2: Chris Fox 22.03 peg 7

Lake 3

1: Rich Lovering 95.13 peg 68

2: Rod Wootten 88.14 peg 61

3: Mark Walsh 65.06 peg 70

Silvers

1: Mark Walsh 18.12 peg 70

Charity Pairs, Larford, Friday 3rd April 2015

Larford for Good Friday, the annual Charity Pairs match, my first time fishing this and with getting on for 80 fishing, I was looking forward to it.  A good drive up, after picking up Mike Walker, so all seemed to be on track for a good day.

The format was that the pairs were drawn, first one out of the bag going on Speci lake, second out on Match Lake.  I would have preferred Speci lake, but had to be content with match lake, the draw wasn’t kind and all the locals advised me that I was in a poor area and a poor peg, 64.

I had come to try and win, I wasn’t going to mess about scratching round for small fish, so set up a straight lead to fish 8mm pellet, a method to chuck towards the aerator - surely that would yield a few fish – a rig to fish 6mm banded pellet at 14m, another for meat at 5m and an edge rig.

Starting on the method, the tip remained stationary, even though I was clipped up and virtually touching the aerator as the method went into the water, I’m not renowned for my patience on the feeder/bomb, so it wasn’t too long before that went up the bank.

I had been pinging a few 4 and 6mm’s on the 14m line and first put in a near 3lb carp graced the net, then two skimmers about 8-10oz, cracked it…… but unfortunately the fish thought other wise and the match turned into a real slog to keep bites coming, I had one fish from the margin, a hybrid about 1lb, nothing on the meat or bomb, all my fish (which weren’t many) falling to 6mm banded pellet at 14m.  I tried reducing the feed, upping it and double pouching, I tried cupping in some micros on the 14m line and it seemed best to just keep a few going in with the catapult, lifting and dropping and wait for a bite, a sign I think, that there just weren’t too many fish wanting to feed.

 A few small carp and F1’s and skimmers gave me 17lb, which was more than double the weight off the next peg (62) but unable to beat those further down the section, or end peg 65 who had a big rush bed and tree feature to fish to.  I had been advised that meat wasn’t working, but gambled on it, as it will surely switch on up there soon, I don’t think meat on the 5m line was the reason I struggled, genuinely think it was the draw.

Pleased to hear that Matt raised £1000 for the charity, but the fishing was grim for many, Mike had two fish, he was on Speci and that fished really hard.  Shame the fish weren’t as charitable as the anglers, that’s several matches on Larford that I have struggled to catch (each time I wasn’t alone in that) and with it being 81 miles away I can’t see me rushing back, as it’s 33 miles to Viaduct and even less to Landsend.   It’s easy to moan, but I think we should be thankful for the quality of the fishing in our area, we’re just missing a really consistent winter venue, but the rest of the year we’re spoilt for choice.  

Major projects going on at work for a couple of weeks, so not much chance to get out, looks like Landsend on Sat 11^th and the first of Tony Rixons’ short pole series at Trinity on Sunday 19^th, looking forward to that, as its one of my favourite venues.