Sunday 25/08/2014 - Avon Angling Float Only - Final Round Six - Viaduct Fishery - Campbell and Carey Lakes

It was an all Bela could eat breakfast in Canards Well; I wasn't far behind him today as I was hungry.

The league is based on only 5 peg sections so as expected the league was tight at the top with weight going to decided most of the five coin places. I was in sixth place and needed a section win to have a chance of picking up. I was hoping for a peg on Campbell. In to the draw coffee tin and out comes peg 95. I had to look twice as this peg isn’t normally pegged. Match organiser Tony confirmed it was included in the first match so also in this time for consistency. You can’t argue with that. I then remembered Bela was on it first match. I didn’t fancy my chances of a section win from this peg – but you never know, as always I would give it my best shot.

For company on peg 96 was Cheery Steve Segar who spent 10 minutes untangling his pre-made up waggler (pictured right). Steve had torrid time fishing the wag striking regularly at liners landing only one Carp on it.

The other side on corner peg 94 was Bob Gullick who struggled for the first four hours catching just one Carp. Steve Segar had drawn it a few weeks back and explained to Bob that he had caught 100lb in the last hour. However, this didn’t console Bob. But Steve was proven right with Bob catch 70lb in the last hour. On the all out Bob was playing a Carp that had gone in the Lilly pads and finally succumbed to the banter to jump in (pictured right landing his fish after I passed him the landing net). Should the fish have been weighed?

Arriving at the peg there was saplings growing out through the platform as testimony to its little occupancy. I set up three paste rigs two identical in case one broke to be fished at 10 metres out in front. The other for the LH margin remembering that peg 96 can catch up to this pallet when empty.

I plumbed up the long line and found that the bottom was flat. Due too little use the “Hole had healed over”. Where have I heard this before?

On the whistle I fed the long line with a pot of 4’s and the margin with a pot of soaked micro (I think this is better than GB which appears to be in vogue at present).

I took me 30 minutes to catch my first Carp a beautiful unmarked Common Carp. I had to call on my spare rig after because it mashed up my rig in the landing net. I now was getting some fizz from Carp which soon opened a hole necessitating increasing the depth.

The upshot was that the first half of the match everyone I could see was struggling. However, during this time I had landed five doubles and was just nicking the section. The second half I had a torrid time foul hooking two lost Carp catching just one 2lb Skimmer. The margin produced nothing except one swirl. I was left debating whether I had fed enough on the long line having fed 1 ½ pints. I fed 3 pints of micro in the margin.

My Silver and five Carp weighed 59lb 9oz only beating Steve Segar in the section.

The match was won by Craig “Trigger” Edmonds (pictured right with the Silvers winner) with 245lb 15oz from peg 111. Craig initially caught on 8mm pellet over loose fed 8’s, feeding about 1 ½ pints long and later catching the lion share on meat fishing at 7 metres, again loose feed meat cubes by hand.

The Silvers was won by the Dude Dan Squires with 36lb 13oz from peg 76. Dan caught at both 14.5 metres and at 9 metres using hard 6mm pellet over hard 4's feed.

The league once again was won by league organiser Tony Rixon (pictured right with runner up Shaun Townsend and only 2oz out in third Tom Mangnall).

Bela, Glenn and I planned a stop in the best fish and chip shop in the country on the way hiome in Shepton. As both Bela and Glenn had picked up their sections by default they went for the large Cod. I followed suit and wish I hadn't, feeling bloated all night.