Silverfox Match Angling: Sunday 30/01/2017 - Viaduct Winter League

Monday, 30 January 2017

Sunday 30/01/2017 - Viaduct Winter League - All Lakes

I agreed to be reserve for the Silverfoxes in Viaduct Winter league, only because I would be on Match Lake, thinking F1’s on the waggler. So back with travelling partner Bela and first stop Canards Well, where I realised I had left my glasses at home. I’m OK at long but short distances are difficult. Bugger, Bela has only one job to do in the mornings and it to make sure I’m properly dressed and have my glasses! We both commented on how much cleaner the pub was and the breakfast was good and quick too. However, Bela sat us on table 13. Bela thought thus a good omen as he was on Campbell and would be placed on peg 113, dumb ass he ended up on 130!! Forecast was for light rain all day until pack up time then torrents, not sure if that’s Bela’s fault or not.

Adrian Jeffery’s drew for us and made a better job of it than the usual picker. I found myself on peg 50. No complaints from me – yet – plus l could fish the waggler. For company I had Trev Senior on peg 51 and Ian Pawley the “pole wacker” on peg 49 and behind me on peg 5 on was the affable Roy Wirth. I noticed that the far island bank trees had recently been lumber jacked and when Steve Long came by he said he couldn’t promise that all the debris had been removed umm.

Two hours to set up so made bad use of it setting up far too much gear. The only kit to catch was my trusted waggler. There is tree just to the right behind peg 50 which really needs taking out especially for us right-handers. Steve Long must be a lefty. I do like trying to make the waggler work, today it would need a bit of a Salmon fly cast, more of a subtle swipe really. So at 10:30 my nightmare began. Catching the tree behind, most of the trees on the far bank and when I finally got the float wet I hooked debris on the bottom. I had great difficulty in retying hook lengths because of the old glasses I was wearing. I had been loose feeding casters which fell between 1 and 2 metres from the bank with red and white maggot hook bait the red seemed best for the larger branches. Dropping short of the far bank I thought I might catch some Ronnie’s, but couldn’t believe I couldn’t. I got a bit frustrated with mostly myself and tried all the other kit I had set up with little enthusiasm. But it was fishing hard. So I had a call of nature and collected my thoughts. I put all the kit except the waggler out of reach and settled down with caster and maggot. I finally got the waggler working well and had a 3lb Carp. Then I thought I had foul hooked a Carp then realised I had an 11lb Common Carp that knew all the tricks including the platform drive. I really thought it would beat me but after some serious patience and bum squeaking I landed it. Nice feeling. Into the last hour the wind conditions allowed me to feed a bit further so upped the feed and got some feeding fish in the swim including a few Ronnie’s. I then hooked another smallish Carp which was trying to climb up the island but the line was solid only managing to land another branch. Now I did one of angling’s cardinal sins, the branch opened the hook a bit but instead of feeling around for a replacement I closed it a bit. Next cast I was playing a double figure Common Carp. Bum now squeaking, but got it easily under the rod top and saw that the line had wrapped around its fin rolling the fish on its side grabbing the landing net which stuck against the seat box for those few important seconds and by the time I got the net near the fish the line came back straight to the hook where I could see the hook bait in his mouth which gave me confidence it was hooked properly, so time would be on my side. It then tore off towards Trev’s peg leaving me with a straighten hook. Bad angling I’m thinking. I landed another 3lb Mirror losing another in the debris. The last 15 minutes due to the heavy rain I couldn’t tell the deference from rain drops and my float top so took off a shot which really didn’t help. My three Carp and few Ronnie’s weighed 17lb 1oz for 13 Lake(s) points. The peg was worth double that, which still wouldn’t have beaten Des Shipp for the section as he had 40lb.

So beware, think double figure Carp in this peg and not F1’s – today anyway.

The team had a good draw and managed to muster 61 points for 6^th elevating us to 11^th overall. Adrian Jeffreys played the captain's role well landing an 18lb carp last cast.

The match was won by Rich Ahearn (pictured right) with 143lb 2oz from Lodge corner peg 53. Rich initially started on the pole with bread catching a couple of small Carp. Switching to the waggler along the corner end bank with corn up and down subsequently caught well. Rich caught most of his fish between the two posts losing a couple of Carp that had the sense to do the maypole on him. Seems to me Rich fished a great match.