Sunday 27/12/2009 - Viaduct Two Day Silvers Freeze Up Day 1

At last I have found a reliable source for weather forecasting. The site provides text description, plus weather animation throughout the selected day of the week ahead – copy/paste the following address in to your navigation bar - worth a try:

http://www.metcheck.com/V40/UK/FREE/today.asp?zipcode=bristol

A bit of a run around for breakfast this morning, with the Shipham Café still getting bad press it was off to a place call Subway in Glastonbury (I discovered it’s not an underpass but a fast food type place). However, on arrival Bela discovered it was closed until 08:00, even though Tony Rixon had promised it would be open at 07:00 – say no more. Having met up with Tony we decided a driven in to Glastonbury looking for some breakfast type food. This failed miserably, so a two point turn and we were off to MacDonald’s in Street. Thankfully they were open and after some sort of “Muffin” (why are the eggs so perfectly round) and a cup of tea we were soon on are way to part company with £50 for the Viaduct two day Silvers “freezer up”.

With 32 fishing it was decided to have a free draw on both days with 5 sections of sixish! Each section winner each day would pick up £60 with the top four picking up overall. So I reckoned that you needed two section wins to frame overall and the highest weight on both days to win.

On arrival I was amazed to find that there was 1 inch of ice on both Carey and Campbell with a few pegs having some of the ice broken up. However, Middle was completely ice free (not necessarily good).

Again I picked out two pegs connected by a staple – bad omen. However, having put one back I was reasonably delighted to open peg 110 on Campbell – a noted big Silvers peg. However, looking in to the water I could see the bottom and the tin cans etc…that had been discarded by match anglers!!! The ice on the peg had been broken up out to 9 metres but had been reconnected over night by “Cat ice”. This was the same for fellow Coffin Dodger Rich Coles who was on peg 111. It only took a few minutes to clear the ice as once it was freely floating the facing wind blew it into the margins. Some anglers were faced with throwing their breakers (see picture top right).

I set up two rigs, one 4x12 Jolly black top for caster in to white water at 10-0-clock with no 20 hook to 0.1 hook length and similar terminal tackle under a 4 X14 PB14 for over the GB line at 1-0-clock. On the whistle I fed the caster line with a dozen scrumptious casters and then fed the GB line with a Kinder cup full of GB with a dozen Pinkies. After an hour an a half with no bites from either line I decided to take a walk – Phil Cardwell (pictured right - winner of my section) had been catching from the start on peg 112 and had about 7lb and Adam Palmer (pictured lower right with the size of Skimmer that I had targeted) was also catching small Skimmers regularly) on Carey 78. Having decided that my feeding might be a bit frugal I went back and decide to feed GB and Pinkies regularly through the Kinder until I had a bite!! Well to cut a very long un-repetitive strain injury short I didn’t have a bite all match.

The match was won by Mash from peg 102 (I think) with 17lb of small Skimmers. Mash caught on flouro Pinkie over Kinder potted GB.

Tony Rixon said to me at the end that I wouldn’t have much to write about in the blog tonight – well I think mine is bigger than yours, which we ascertained some years ago - albeit the cold weather!!

Anyway back again tomorrow with no chance of a place overall, but hopeful of getting my money back and a breakfast from Subway!!

Section Winners Day 1 (All picking up £60)

Section 1 Mash 17-0-0 Carey

Section 2 Joe Roberts 8-03-0 Carey

Section 3 Dave Roper 13-02-0 Middle

Section 4 Phil Cardwell 13-08-0 Campbell

Section 5 Bob Gullick 7-0-0 Campbell