Avalon Silver League R3, Saturday 22nd October 2016

A chilly, foggy morning greeted us for this one, Vic did the usual and asked for  someone to draw him a peg, he wasn't disappointed when he was handed 34 for the second match running, whereas I wasn't overjoyed with my peg, 39,  as I feel an end peg or a gap in the islands is an advantage.

No need to change what usually works - or so I thought - two lines at 14m on which I decided to feed GB and caster and the other line I put worm in.  I didn't bother with the shorter line I had last time with micros and soft pellet - I really haven't got much confidence in it.  I set up two whips, expecting the whip lines to be slower, but to produce fish at some stage during the match.

With no wind and no tow to contend with, I set up two rigs to fish at 14m, both on 0.14, a 0.6g rig with 0.10 and a 16, and a 0.4g rig with 0.08 and a 18 (6313 which is a small 18).  I also had time to set up a margin rig and a double bulk rig which never got picked up.  I didn't bother with a waggler or a cage feeder, given the lack of a gap in the island.

The worm/GB went in on the LH line, the caster /GB on the RH line and casters on the whip line, I spent 20 minutes searching from 12" to full depth on the whip, for one roach and decided that it was going to be a day to sit out on the longer lines for better fish.  It took 20 minutes before the float disappeared and a 3lb bream was safely netted  this was on worm from the LH line. Another 20 minutes, before his mate joined him in the net, this time from the RH line, again on a piece of worm. With an hour gone I topped up the lines and has a decent skimmer and a roach on caster over the RH line.

That was to be it, not another bite from 13.15 until 15.30, I started a new line just toss potting maggot, went to a 22 gamma green and single maggot, still nothing, the peg was seemingly devoid of fish - it obviously wasn't - but I could not work out how to get even the tiniest roach and rudd to feed.

At 15.30 on double caster another bream gave me relief from the concern that I was going to be losing a lot of ground in the league, the another bite next put in and a strange fight,  thought it was a foul hooked big skimmer, the a piece of tail surfaced and and it was black edged - definitely a skimmer - until I carefully eased into netting range and it turned into a 2lb carp, one of the dark ones with a black tail , no orange at all.  I did curse it and call it a name or two......  One more decent skimmer at 16.25 rounded off the match and I knew that spell of 3 hours 20 minutes without a bite had cost me, so it proved, as I think I have slipped to second in the league now, with the 5 bream and a fistful of roach going 10.08.