Silverfox Match Angling: Saturday 10/06/2017 to 15/06/2017

Another year has gone by and time for my annual weeks holiday at Viaduct fishery in one of their superb Lodges with some great friends (us pictured right outside the Lodge – all well known on the SW match circuit). Not sure it can be classed as a holiday because by the end of six consecutive matches, followed every night by heavy drinking and loads of food we were all knackered and fished out. We found our usual breakfast Café had changed hands and is now run by Mandy and Mervin. They were very accommodating in opening up early to suit with the breakfast pre-ordered and on the table as we arrived at 08:00, great service and breakfast. Will be using it from now on contact details below just call and agree time and food requirements.

Saturday 10/06/2017 – Mike Nicholls 13 metre pole only - Campbell Lake.

We managed to get Mark Jefferies (pictured right landing a Carp) out of his ten year retirement to fish the match today. Mark drew peg 135 and had over 100lb. I hear he’s coming back for more – great news.

These pole limited matches are becoming more popular and both of these matches sold out quick with a waiting list. I think these matches make for a fairer match. Into the draw and out comes peg 131. Umm. I didn’t fancy it much for either carp or Silvers. However, I started for Carp at top-set plus four with paste over kindered hard 4’s and as I now come to expect I hooked a Carp first put in and second put-in. Some fizzing started and a couple of decent Skimmers and a Tench followed. In the meantime all the anglers I could see were catching Carp regularly. So after two hours I decided to switch to the silvers using the Ronnie rig with caster over caster and started to enjoy myself and felt as if I was now competing for some coin. I was catching small Ronnie’s at two an minute. My two Carp weighed 16lb and my Silvers 19lb 8oz for that all important second in the Silvers pickup.

The match was won by Alex Murry (pictured right with the Silvers winner) with 223lb 11oz from peg 128. Alex caught on hard pellet around his swim at top-set plus four.

The Silvers was won By Craig Edmonds with 25lb 6oz from peg 126.Trig reckons he fished for them later in the match but I have a feeling most of them were accidentals caught on meat.

Very close match with 15 anglers out of 20 weighing over 100lb.

It was the Unicorn Hotel for our evening meal - steak and chips and a few Doombars.

Full Result:

Alex Murry 223-11-0 peg 128
Jack Billet 167-02-0 peg 118 (Again!)
Ashley Tompkins 166-08-0 peg 115
Chris Fox 147-05-0 peg 110
Martin Rayet 143-07-0 peg 119
Aiden Bordiuk 135-0-0 peg 132

Top Silvers:

Craig Edmonds 25-06-0 peg 126
Mike Nicholls 19-08-0 peg 131

Weigh Sheet:

Sunday 11/06/2017 – Tony Rixon – Float Only League – Round Two - Landsend Fishery – Specimen/Match and John Walters Lakes.

Tim Ford and Gordon Cannings and I drove to Landsend Fishery for Tony’s float only. Had a great breakfast on site I went for the large and regretted it, eyes to big and all that.

I was hoping to miss Specimen Lake and draw John’s Lake. Ended up middle for diddle on peg 19 on Match Lake. Same peg as last year’s league (as was peg 95 on the first match). Use to be plenty of Silvers in this Lake but don’t seem as wide spread as they were. However, I set up a 4x12 F1 Winter to fish top-set plus three a PC paste float for down the RH margin up to the overhanging tree/bush. I started on the 4mm expander over hard 4’s and had a run of Skimmers and a few Roach before the Silt Pigs arrived up in the water which meant a considerable amount of foul hooking only getting three in the mouth and in the keep net. I just couldn’t get them to feed on bottom. I moved out to 13 meters where historically the F1’s lived. This resulted in yet more foulers. To say I was frustrated would be an understatement. John Bradford next to me who was also fishing for Silvers had a few more than me and wasn’t having Pig trouble. I was now well down the section as Dave Romain was catching well over at 16 metres sapping around pellet. Looked like no coin today so with an hour and half on the match left started to fish the margin and first put in kindering 6 hard 4’s with the paste which was snaffled on the drop by an 8lb Carp. I didn’t look back adding 18 more Carp overtaking Dave in the final 30 minutes. I had the last Carp on the whistle.

My Silvers weighed a lowly 10lb and my 21 Carp 104lb 13oz for a section win and forth overall weight of 114lb 13oz and another pick up. Never give up. Dave Romain got the section by default which to be fair he deserved. I think you have to get the timing right to start fishing margins as there is always the thinking “If I had gone in earlier I would have caught more” but is the case?

The match was won by Tony Rixon (pictured upper right) with 209lb 13oz from peg 15. Give Tony any half decent peg at this venue and its game over for the rest of us. See his blog for details but most of his fish was caught 16 metres over to island fishing a long line in 6 inches of water with hid favoured banded hard pellet.

The Silvers was won Steve Seager (pictured right) with 21lb 9oz from Specimen Lake peg 39. Steve caught Chub, Skimmers and that all important 5lb F1!! In my opinion the real Silvers winner was John Bradford.

Tim Ford pictured right recovering his snagged section winning keep net of Carp.

Glenn Bailey, Martyn Woodington and Geoff Francis went to Summerhayes Fishery – enough said 20lb was a good weight!

The expensive White Harte was the only pub doing food on Sunday night so it was half a chicken and strange chips costing £16 and a few more pints of Doombar for me!

Full Result:

Tony Rixon 209-13-0 peg 15
Craig Edmonds 138-03-0 peg 9
Nick Chedzoy 125-0-0 peg16
Mike Nicholls 114-13-0 peg 19
Bob Gullick 113-11-0 peg 33
Glen Calvert 110-05-0 peg 65

Top Silvers:

Steve Seager 21-09-0 peg 39
John Bradford 19-12-0 peg 17

Weigh Sheets:

Monday 12/06/2017 – Viaduct - Lavender Lodge Open – Lodge Lake.

It was £10 all in weight match. Steve Long sorted six pegs on Lodge I pulled peg 62. As I was on holiday I set up just two paste rigs one to fish at full depth out in front at top-set plus two and another set to fish both margins.

Once again first put in with a few hard 4’s fed through the kinder pot and I playing a 15lb Common Carp. Fifteen minutes later I’m playing its brother. It then went quiet until s few Skimmers started flying around. I kept trying the LH margin with the paste which was nibbled to death. I had another Large Common out in front and one down the RH margin before I had my last Carp doing the trick of pretending to pack up by unloading the bait tray!

My few accidental Skimmer weighed 17lb 2oz and my five Common Carp 71lb 8oz with average sixe of 14lb 4oz for a total of 88lb 10oz. Apparently these Common Carp originated from Sutton Bingham Reservoir and were 3lb when stocked in Lodge.

It was nearly a really close match for the exception of Two Pots Bailey (pictured right) who won the match with 126lb 5oz from peg 69. Glenn had a slow start catching on …

Chinese take away for tonight’s dinner and more alcohol, luckily for us Geoff Francis knew how to use the dishwasher, but couldn’t unload it without breaking some plates.

Weigh Sheet:

Tuesday 13/06/2017 – Acorn Open.

It was a long drive up to Clevedon to Acorn Fishery from Somerton. First stop the Bridge Inn for another breakfast. A reasonable turn out with 20 booked in. I haven’t been to the fishery since last year and from observation some Bankside adjustments had been made. In to the bag of balls and out comes peg 12, very happy with this one. For company I had Two Pots Bailey to my Left and the venue Silvers expert John Barker to my right. John had brought Charlie Barnes with him (pictured right) a great mate to have who has always made me laugh with his quick wit – nothing changed there then.

Three rigs – a 4x10 F1 for down the margin to the clump of Sedges where I found 12 inches of water with the bottom fairly flat, this rig to fish maggot over maggot and GB to catch – well anything. Next was a 4x14 F1 to fish top-set plus three into open water. A margin 0.3 Barnett paste float for the RH margin on the top-set.

I started out in front with maggot over maggot and GB. The upshot was one tint Ronnie and two foul hooked Carp well up in the water. I quickly changed to down the margin, again with maggot over GB laced maggot. Plenty of bites from small Perch and some Ronnie’s with most of the Ronnie falling off! I did have a 1lb F1 and some tiny 2oz Carp. There was plenty of Carp spawning under the tree between me and John Barker. Finally changed to the margin paste on the top-set, which has many times previously got me in the coin? Shame I messed about with the other rigs. I finally got some better Carp to feed properly and ended up with 10 Carp having foul hooked 12! The fish seemed to be a bit scatty.

I ended the match with a total of 62lb 4oz for 9^th. It was a match I wish I could have fished again but this time differently. We all get these days.

The match was won by Tom Thick (pictured upper right) with 153lb 15oz from bridge peg 21. Tom caught on 4mm expanders (borrowed from me) fished over hard 4’s. Tom started in the LH edge to the bridge catching well then gradually moved out and around the peg to keep the carp coming.

The Silvers was won by venue ace John Barker (pictured right) with 10lb 14oz from peg 11. John caught all over the swim catching most from each of his margins fishing maggot over loose fed maggot. I couldn’t see Charlie Barnes taking any notes.

We stopped in Brent house for our evening meal and a couple of pints of Amstel larger and a big fat Lamb Carvery.

Full Result:

Weigh Sheets:

Wednesday 14/06/2017 – Mike Nicholls Short Pole Match – Campbell Lake.

The match is based on top-set plus three sections of pole with the rest of the pole to be left in the holdall so no shipping on and line no longer than the top-set. We were all looking forward to this one and again a very popular match with 21 fishing and a waiting list. Into the coffee tin and out comes peg 110. I was very happy with this one as I do like margin fishing and a tug-o-war. Tackle grave yard.

The Carp pole was left in the holdall and out came the Drennan margin pole. I set up two paste rigs one for top-set plus three at 45 degrees to my left out of harms way. And the other to fish the same length ½ metre off the tree stump with 0.22 line and the Drennan number 25 bungee. I started at 45 degrees and started catching decent Carp. It was soon obvious that the carp really wanted to stay in the corner close enough to the brambles as they were moving in and out making the catching sporadic. So made the decision to take them on at there own game and went down to the stump. First try I had a 6lb Carp which pulled the elastic our at least 10 inches. I caught well but again the Carp kept backing away down to the brambles. The Carp here tend to be small but bloody hard to get away from the brambles however; the Bungee did its job only getting brambled twice. The downside of using a 25 elastic is I did pull out of some because of the pressure I was applying. But I do enjoy this type of fishing challenge.

I finished with 23 Carp for 128lb 9oz for 7^th overall. On reflection I wish I had started and finished down by the stump.

The match was won by Joe McMahon (upper pictured right) with 169lb 8oz from peg 135. Joe caught most of his fish slapping hard pellet at maximum permitted pole length.

The Silvers was intentionally won by Mark Wynne (pictured right) with 23lb 12oz from peg 131. Mark caught most of his fish on hard pellet fish at full permitted length catching most of his Silvers during the first two hours.

Congratulations to Geoff Francis on his first Ton.

Mark Tanner arrived today for one night and a Curry in Somerton. It was a really good curry. By the end of the night Geoff Francis had become unsteady on his feet after drinking too many rough ciders.

Full Result:

Joe McMahon 169-08-0 peg 135
Gordon Cannings 158-11-0 peg 116
Dave Cockayne 143-01-0 peg 129
Ashley Tompkins 141-15-0 peg 130
Martyn Woodington 139-14-0 peg 126
Dan White 136-12-0 peg 127

Top Silvers:

Mark Wynne 23-12-0 peg 131
Emma Drysdale 19-03-0 peg 125

Weigh Sheet:

Thursday 15/06/2016 – Viaduct Cost Cutter – Campbell and Carey Lakes.

What a scene to wake up to the mist rising over Spring Lake (pictured right).

I didn’t mind where I drew as I was mostly going to fish for Silvers. Well out came peg 123. Now all the years I have been fishing Viaduct I have never drawn this peg which has in years past been the best Silvers peg in the SW. Alas not so much nowadays. Two Pots bailey fished it on the short pole and struggled for most of he match on paste. However, I thought I would start at top set plus three with Paste on a 0.3 PC float and see what turned up. I also set up a margin 0.2 paste rig but have found on this side of the Lake that the margins don’t always produce and are full of small Ronnie’s.

I started on the long paste rig and as per usual had a Carp first put in, second put in another, third put in another which I lost in a bunch of floating debris which I managed to get out and found a host of trashed float rigs. The Carp played no further part as I started to catch some Skimmers on the paste some fed accordingly and reduced the size of the paste. I decided to have a Banana walk around the Lake and reckoning I had 10lb of Silvers which was as good as anyone had. So I went back and set up the Ronnie rig and caught small Skimmers, Ronnie’s, small Hybrids and three small Tench, all caught on caster over caster. I did hook two maundering Carp which snapped the hook length.

My two Carp weighed 15lb 3oz and my Silvers 25lb 8oz for a narrow overall Silvers win.

The match was won by Mark Wynne (pictured right with the Silvers winner) with 143lb 11oz from peg 116. Mark caught mostly on the lead with hard 8mm pellet casting short. Mark did have some short. Campbell Lake fished hard as the weigh sheet shows.

Two well dones Tim Ford for a PB Carp of just over 20lb from peg 77 and Geoff Francis for beating the mixed grill challenge. Plus four pick ups for the Lavender Lodge Boys.

Full Result: