Silverfox Match Angling: Thursday 18/06/2015 - Viaduct Cost Cutter

Friday 19 June 2015

Thursday 18/06/2015 - Viaduct Cost Cutter - Campbell and Lodge Lakes

Geoff Francis left after yesterdays match with Gordon Cannings joining us. We also had an unplanned visit from Mark “Podge” Jefferies who came down from Bristol just for the curry. The India in Somerton must be the smallest in GB if not the world. With 17 booked in the five of us sat in the corner on their office chairs. That said it is definitely excellent food – will be back.

Carey wasn’t available today so the match was spread over Campbell and Lodge Lakes. To make things fairer Steve Long was paying out the top overall and top Silvers on each Lake. It was another chance to qualify for the Silvers. I was hoping for a good Silvers peg whilst Two Pots was hoping for another good draw to make it a three in a row hat trick.

After a long speech from on the day organiser Woody I was first into the draw tin and out comes peg 69 on Lodge. Wasn’t that disappointed as the Skimmers have been feeding on this Lake however, with so many fishing combined with the bright sunny conditions didn’t expect it to fish as good as the 27 Skimmers I had on Saturday fishing for four hours for Carp on peg 66.

Glenn had his wish drawing peg 110 and a great chance of his hat trick – alas not.

Interestingly both Glenn and I had fished peg 66 this week and it was Two Pots Jnr. that drew it today. However, Martyn looked a bit nervous as he was concerned he might break his ancient Preston pole chasing Carp under the tree. He need not have worried as he caught mostly out in front in open water winning the Lake and coming 2^nd overall.

For company I had the oldest angler fishing today John “Gimp” Bradford on peg 70 and Andy “The Maggot” Gard next to John on peg 72. So amongst good Silvers company.

I set up two paste rigs – one to fish out in front at 9 metres and the other for the margins. Peg 69 doesn’t have a RH margin because of the willow tree. I decided to plumb up under it and found a fairly deep flat area so I went to the Shop and borrowed Steve Longs saw and cut some of the branches off so it could be fished. The peg now has a RH margin however; as it transpired I didn’t get to fish it.

Initially I fed a pot of mixed wetted 4’s and micro on the 9 metre line and with paste hook bait started to catch Skimmers to 2lb. After an hour and about 12 lb in the net I hooked a 10lb Common Carp which some what stirred up the swim and made the next hour fishing difficult. I spent far too long messing around with feeding and the paste. So after two hours I set up a 4x12 Jolly to fish semi-hard pellet hook bait. I also decided to add a section going out to 10 metres – a brand new swim and a re-start. By carefully feeding the swim with soaked 4’s I caught small Skimmers to 1lb regularly until 10 minutes before the end when another 10lb Common arrived and trashed my rig in the landing net so an early finish.

My two Carp weighed 20lb 14oz and my Silvers 26lb 2oz for a total of 47lb, which was enough to win the Lake Silvers (me pictured upper right with the overall Lake winner). I missed out qualifying by 4lb which had I started on the pellet early and fished shorter I might have beaten. But it all about making decisions particularly the right ones.

The match was won by Gary O’Shea (pictured right) with 192lb 14oz from peg 115. Gary initially caught Skimmers at 14.5 metres fishing worm (not hair rigged!!). When it dried up Gary converted the line for paste by feeding hard 4’s and started to catch Carp regularly. In the meantime he had been loose feeding his 5 metre line with pellet and during the final hour or so caught well on paste over this line.

The Silvers was won by Dick Bull (pictured right with the match winner - is Dick smiling?) 30lb 10oz from peg 127. Dick caught short on hair rigged pellet fished over pellet.

Well that's it for our weeks holiday at Viaduct. we have already booked for next year hopefully missing the Carp spawning late due to this years strange Spring.

Full Result: