Viaduct Open, Saturday 22nd April 2017

First chance to get down to Viaduct for a while, bit of a practise for the Spring League the next day and hopefully, as this match was on Lodge, to get it out the way and draw another lake in the league.  Only 14 booked in, so it didn't take long to get the draw done and I was on my way to peg 71, not too disappointed, as I have framed from this peg before.  Getting to the peg, I could immediately see that since I last drew it the bramble bushes between 71 and 72, which was vacant, had spread out into the lake and you can no longer get along to the pallet of 72 and they stop you getting into the shallow water, so the peg no longer has a fishable margin.

I did have a tentative plumb round the edge of the brambles, but their tackle stealing fronds stick out under the surface and I was very, no totally reluctant to go in there, as I know exactly what would happen if a fish was hooked that close to such a tangle of sinewy nastiness.  As I had time I set up a lead rod, that stayed in sweet repose on the bank all match, so no more about it, no idea why I wasted my time setting it up..... Two wagglers, although that was because they ready made and I wasn't convinced a pellet waggler would work, but I set it and a depth waggler up anyway.

4 topkits completed the array of tackle on display, a rig to go near, but not in the brambles, a home made slim wire stemmed float to fish meat at 6m and a NG float to fish pellet at 7m and 14m.   As the sun was threatening to come out I also set up mugging rig.

I started short on the meat hoping to get an early mug fish, but after 20 minutes without any indication I switched to pellet at 14m, this brought a skimmer, but it was painfully slow going.  A couple more skimmers swapping between 7 and 14 metre lines and a couple on the waggler, but it was impossible to put a run of fish together.  I walked up to the shop and bought a bag of Thatchers, to try and get a few more skimmers.  I mixed this up and put it in at 7m with a few chopped worms and went out on the waggler again, I managed a carp about 8lb, but it was a one off.

Dropping in with a worm section, over the GB saw a couple of skimmers come to the net and then a 6lb carp, but it was not much better than the pellet line, I persevered with it as carp seemed unlikely to show up.  Even the expected carp bonanza in the last 1/2 hour didn't materialise, so it was sit and wait for a skimmer, maybe I should have fished for skimmers the whole match as I chucked back the 2 carp and weighed 25.13 for 3rd in the silvers and nowhere in the match.

1. Mark Cullerton - 174lb 8oz - peg 66
2. Roland Lucas - 143lb 3oz - peg 57...
3. Craig Edmunds - 140lb 1oz - peg 68
4. Charlie Dalton - 100lb 7oz - peg 55
5. Jeb Attwood - 75lb 14oz - peg 73
6. Phil Hardwick - 73lb 4oz - peg 64

Silvers
1. Nigel Bartlett - 32lb 15oz - peg 59
2. Matt Tomes - 31lb 4oz - peg 60
3. Chris Fox - 25lb 13oz - peg 71