Thursday 30/04/2015 - Rixon & Jones Cost Cutter - Avalon - Match Lake

The “Inbetweener” Glenn Bailey (neither fully retired nor fully working) couldn’t make the Wednesday matches at Hillview or Ivy House so Thursdays it was leaving either Viaduct or Avalon a fishery I haven’t been to for some time. I left it up to Glenn, with me finally choosing Avalon!! So a small breakfast in Shipham it was.

Arriving at the fishery I must say that Vic Bush has done plenty of work above water with the grass cut and trees trimmed.

Tony sorted the pegging with most of us with the wind off our backs, especially suiting the Waggler thrashers and lead chucker’s. Into the oversized draw bag which lead to taking some time to find a disc which was peg 5.  A short walk then, Glenn had further to go to peg 19, but still an easy walk. I was wondering why I had so much room to my Left – was it a bad area - then Clayton Hudson arrived late having drop his Children off at school – peg 7 for him.

“I had a plan” which was either paste for the Carp or my favoured method Semi- hard pellet for Silvers, plus the Ronnie rig if things got tough. So a 4x16 Jolly was set up at 10 metres with the 11.5 metres section behind as ballast. Interesting enough I had the same depth of 6 foot on the top-set!! A 0.5 gram PC paste float was set up over the same line. The usual Ronnie rig for the caster over caster, which didn’t get a look in today. A margin paste float was next, which was fished at 4 foot – too deep for margin work I was thinking.

The plan was to start on the pellet over micro and see which flag was run up the mast. After feeding a kinder pot of wetted micro and with 4 mm pellet on the hook shipping out a 2oz Ronnie took the bait. Out again and same happened – a Rudd! Finally I got the hook bait where I wanted and I foul hooked a Carp which was soon bow waving away with my hook length. Looks like a Carp day then. So picked up the paste rig and found some nibbling so switched back to the pellet and was soon in to hand sized Skimmers and Hybrids. It was one a bung for four hours, interrupted three more times by foul hooked Carp (and more

hook lengths changes) and five decent Skimmers. I had been feeding the RH margin with caster and later hard 4’s so gave paste a try and first put in had a Tench (pictured right with my catch). Next put in I hooked another Tench which Platformed me – bugger. I then had a near 5lb Bream followed by two small dark looking Carp. I wasted too much time after this in the margin, spending the last 45 minutes on the 10 metre line with semi hard's, adding one last big Skimmer and four Carp.

I finished the match with 36lb 12oz of Slivers for first in the Silvers and my six Carp weighed 19lb 5oz for a total catch of 56lb 4oz for 5^th overall.

I must say that this fishery has not only been drastically improved above water but also very much under water – well done Vic. Thoroughly enjoyed the day.

Travelling companion Glenn Bailey (pictured right with some of his catch) won the match with 109lb 8oz from peg 19. Glenn started on the waggler then switch to the lead together accounted for 9 small Carp. Glenn kept feeding his 13 metre line with soaked 4’s and switching over this line once there was some fizzing. Glenn then added 13 more big paste Carp to 18lb.

Full Result:

1. Glenn Bailey 109-08-0 peg 19
2. Tony Rixon 72-13-0 peg 23
3. Ray White 59-04-0 peg 3
4. Adrian Jeffery 57-04-0 peg 30
5. Mike Nicholls 56-04- 0 peg 5
6. Clayton Hudson 55-09-0 peg 7

Top Silvers:

1. Mike Nicholls 36-12-0 peg 5
2. Mike Jones 31-08-0 peg 16
3. Tony Rixon 30-08-0 peg 23

Weigh Sheet: