Thursday 08/05/2015 - Viaduct Cost Cutter - Campbell, Carey and Lodge Lakes

I thought it time to visit the Viaduct Fishery again because I haven’t been there since the winter league, plus matey “Two Pots” Bailey was going down so I had a lift. We stopped in Canards Well for breakfast. I noticed that the glass window over the Well is covered over, guessing the glass has broken. I must say the breakfast was superb, best for some time.

When travelling with Bela we don’t talk about good and bad pegs as we always end up on one of the ones we didn’t want – well Bela does! However, Glenn started the discussion and I think I said I like peg 114. I can’t say that about peg 123 which is one Glenn discussed as I have yet to draw it!!

Arriving at the venue I was amazed how many cars were in the car park which resulted in an excellent turn out of 43 anglers so Campbell, Carey and Lodge in the draw. Tony Rixon did his usual pushing in, trampling the pensioners who pulled peg 116 umm. In I went after him and pulled peg 114, must discuss pegs more with Bela.

I had brought bait for both a Silvers and Carp peg. Peg 114 is very much a Carp peg, so three rigs set up all for the paste. Because of the wind blowing in at me I  decided on a heavier than normal 0.6 gram PC paste float to be fished at top-set plus two with a third section behind to hold the float back against the wind. This rig was fished at 11 o clock to try and get direct in to the wind to reduce side movement. The two 0.3 gram PC paste floats one red top the other yellow, one for the top set in to the RH margin and the other to be fished into the LH margin at top-set plus two down to the point before the bank goes back into a bay towards unoccupied peg 113. For this margin I used 0.2 mm GLine straight through.

Because I won’t be fishing for a week I decided to feed the pint of dead maggot and caster into the RH margin to see if the big Silvers Tench and Bream would come over it. I fed the LH margin with a kinder cup of hard 4’s and did the same out at 10 o clock where I started. It didn’t take long before I was landing a 7lb Common Carp. Another quickly followed. I then kindered some more 4’s which seemed to have the opposite effect having to wait and long time for my next fish, another quickly followed. And this is how this line worked out with the fish shying away from the feed. The wind wasn’t helping; the presentation on this longer line having to hold back isn’t the best way to fish paste. So whilst the feed settled I started in the LH margin catching Carp straight away, the issue with this margin is that the bank is undercut causing a torrid time pulling the Carp out even though I had a 22 elastic in. I broke two pole floats doing this that said I didn’t loose any. Out long again and I landed a couple more Commons before I fed it again. This time I tried the RH margin on the top-set and had a Bream first try followed by another. The nibblers arrived so time to go long again and a couple more Commons in the net. Back down the LH again and Carp straight away I then hooked a large Carp which was getting a right tug from me when my number four broke on a poor repaired I had done. So panic stations and off the box down the edge where the top-set was just laying there, so thought the Carp had escaped. I caught hold of the line and surprise surprise the Carp was still on laying under the undercut bank – walked the dog and still hadn’t lost a Carp. I got my match number four out and was reluctant to try long down the margin again so picked off another two Carp long and then went down the RH margin again on the top set and with no nibblers the float tore off and a 14lb Mirror was in the net. That was it for this side for the remainder of the match. The long line was too slow so I switched to the LH margin again but this time on the top-set first put in I had another 14lb Common Carp whilst playing it I noticed one of my keepnets had fallen in, panic stations again so was eager to land the fish enabling me to retrieve it with the landing net. Luckily it didn’t fight as much as others had done and just managed to get the net back – phew.

I reckon in the last 50 minutes I put 100lb + in the keep nets all on my top set and no feed. I was knackered come the end. Why I caught them here ask Alan Oram he knows.

My Silvers comprising two Tench and two Skimmers weighed 7lb 8oz and my Carp 226lb 4oz for a match winning total of 233lb 12oz. Three of my nets were within ounces of the 70lb limit – good judgement – maybe.

The Silvers was won by Fishery Owner Steve Long (pictured above with the match winner) with 58lb of Skimmers from peg 125. Steve fished hard 6 mm pellet over Special G ground bait (pictured lower right) at 6 metres.

Two Pots drew Lodge peg 69 winning the Lake with 83lb 8oz.

Full Result:

1. Mike Nicholls 233-12-0 peg 114
2. Alan Oram 178-09-0 peg 97
3. Mark Hanham 173-05-0 peg 85
4. Kevin Dicks 158-02-0 Peg 118
5. Andy Weston 152-10-0 p2g 112
6. Tony Rixon 151-05-0 peg 116

Top Silvers:

1. Steve Long 58-0-0 peg 125
2. Gabriel Scarba 47-02-0 peg 128
3. John Billington 43-10-0 peg 80

Weigh Sheets:

Finally: I am running the annual Viaduct short pole (Top set plus three) match on Campbell this year on Wednesday 17^th June 2015 I have a just a few places left.

The match will be limited to 20 pegs

Cost £20.

Draw 09:30 Fishing 11:00 to 17:00 – Fishery rules apply.

Book in by calling Mike Nicholls on 07436015587