Thursday, 20 August 2015

Thursday 20/08/2015 - Tony Rixon's Cost Cutter - Avalon Fishery - Match Lake

I love the smell of damp fishing tackle and clothing in the morning. Luckily it was two Pots Baileys car today.

After a stop at Shipham CafĂ© we were on to Avalon Fishery. This fishery has become one of the top fisheries in the south west, primarily due to the efforts and management of Vic Bush, but don’t expect the well stocked fishery to yield the full potential as the fish have been well trained especially the pristine Common Carp, even if you don’t catch its still an excellent place to spend the day among the varied wildlife.

In to the draw bag and out comes peg 33 three quarters down the east bank, where I found myself pegged next to Alan Oram – good company. No emotion as I didn’t know any better. Judging from yesterdays match the Ronnie’s were unlikely to feed. However, I still set up the Ronnie rig. Followed by two paste rigs because Two Pots won the match and the Silvers fishing paste last match and I thought this might be a way of keeping both options open. The first paste rig was to be fished at 10 metres out in front and the other a top-set distance down the RH margin into the tree roots!!

John Bradford came by so passed on the remains of the worms given to me by Chris Davis – recycling is good.

On the all-in I put a full pot of soaked 4’s in on the 10 metre line, but started on the Ronnie rig with single caster, it didn’t take long to confirm my suspicions the Ronnie’s weren’t playing and who can blame them with this terrible weather which is up and down like a yoyo. So it would be a paste day.

Out on the paste and after 30 minutes my head was done in due to six consecutive foul hookers none getting captured. I re-fed and had two Carp on the bounce thinking I had settled them – not. After a few Skimmers, a Hybrid and a Golden Tench I spent the next two hours just feeding the fish either through the pot or hook.

I tried the margin where I had fed some week old casters and had a bite on paste and after one nanosecond I found the hook cast off into the tree roots, lost hook and the rig was rested until next match.

The upshot was that I persevered for three hours with the paste and after a good few walks I managed to increase my Carp catch to seven before the all out.

I lost eight foul hookers and the seven Carp kind enough to have it in the mouth which weighed 40lb and with my 10lb 8oz of Silvers took my weight to 50lb 9oz – not anywhere good enough. I think my struggled was due to the wind tow for two reasons. The first because the distance I fished out (nearer the bank the greater the tow). The other was because the opposite island was closest to my bank thus causing a funnelling of the water hence more tow.

The match was won by Paul Elmes (pictured upper right with some of his catch) with 109lb 10oz from peg 44. Paul caught on paste at 16 metres.

The Silvers was won by Tony Rixon (pictured right with his catch of Skimmers) with 39lb 8oz from peg 40. Tony caught on worm fished …see his blog for the bow by blow account.

Full Result:

  1. Paul Elmes 109-10-0 peg 44
  2. Mike West 99-04-0 peg 29
  3. Glenn Bailey 97-05-0 peg 30
  4. Alan Oram 88-04-0 peg 32
  5. Ray Cooper 84-14-0 peg 24
  6. Vic Bush 84-13-0 peg 37
Top Silvers:

  1. Tony Rixon 39-08-0 peg 40
  2. Vic Bush 32-12-0 peg 37
  3. Ziggy 27-12-0 peg 28
Weigh Sheet:



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