Sunday 08/07/2012 - Avon Angling Float Only - Landsend Fishery - Specimen,Match and Sidney's Lake

Our first time in the newly open Shipham Café. Good value, very nice chef, but as I write this blog I still have heart burn!

With Specimen, Match and Sidney’s Lakes in the draw box I was desperately hoping for a peg on Sidney’s. It wasn’t to be I was to spend the day on peg 18 Match Lake – Carp Slayers alley. My section ran from peg 24 to my peg 18 and I had two of the top South West Carp slayers in my section, Anton Page peg 19 and Tom Mangnall peg 21. So the best I could hope for was a section by default, Silvers or a low framing position. So I decided to try the Silvers even though there were plenty of Carp mooching around. I set up two Paste rigs – one for 10 metres where some fish were blowing and one for the RH margin where I found the optimum depth and shelf on my long Sensas top set (purchased for AA), a 4x14 Jolly for caster or soft pellet and my favourite Ronnie rig for the caster. 

Starting on the soft pellet over a few micros resulted to a number of missed bites (if they were bites) and a couple of foul hooked Carp, no Silvers, so out on the Ronnie rig and I had a few 2oz specimen, hoping the bigger Silvers would come up in the water for the loose fed casters – but not. By now Anton had 10 Carp! I decide to feed a big pot of micro at 10 metres and go over it with paste. This resulted in two Carp, the same amount of lost carp and one Bream. The line was fizzing with bream, but I don’t think they could or wanted to pick out my hook bait. By now Anton had 20 Carp! 

I had been feeding hard 4’s down the RH margin and decided to fish this for the rest of the match especially as I had four Bream in the first four put ins, adding only one Crucian for the remainder of the match. 

I started to Catch Carp to 5lb steady, so it was a switch to section by double default for coin because as expected both Anton and Tom were Carp Slaying and most certainly would frame. 

I was doing reasonably well until Anton decided to lift all his nets out to see what he had. This didn’t help my margin swim as I was fishing his way – why did he do this, because if you are over a net weight you can’t transferred them!! I did give him my views on the subject - respect other anglers. 

The upshot was that I caught steady until the end landing twenty Carp which weighed in at 101lb 1oz and my Silvers 15lb 8oz for a total 116lb 9oz. This put me fourth overall and if I hadn’t framed I would have won the section by double default. However, this was given to matey Martin Rayett on peg 24 by triple default!

The match was won by An-Ton (pictured right with some of his five net catch) with 279lb from next peg 19. I have to give credit where credit is due; An-Ton amazed me with the finest display of Carp Slaying that I have ever witnessed. An- Ton fish 16 metres with a slayers rig comprising four foot of line with a float with all the shot pushed underneath with the banded pellet 8 inches under the float. Anton fed bugger all – that’s my boy. Unfortunately for me I had to fish in bow waves all day! Well done matey nice to spectate. 

The Silvers was won by Clayton Hudson (pictured lower right with the match winner) with 36lb 12oz from Specimen peg 34. Clayton caught on CW&C feeding nine pints of a combination of both. It must be nice to be sponsored to this amount. 

I must mention matey Nick Collins who drew next peg to me 16 and because his platform was under water had to borrow some Gum Boots. Unfortunately for him they didn’t fit too well and left him with some swelling on his legs – pictured right. I don’t think the boots will be the same again though! Horrible!

And finally Bela was on peg 10 and caught and landed two Rats in is 60lb net, neither of them had his phone in them!! 

Full Result:

1.      An-Ton page 279-0-0 peg 19

2.      Tom Mangnall 152-0-0 peg 21

3.      Bob Gullick 120-11-0 peg 5

4.      Mike Nicholls 116-09-0 peg 18

5.      Clayton Hudson 107-08-0 peg 34

6.      Tom Thick 107-05-0 peg 1

Top Silvers:

1.      Clayton Hudson 36-12-0 peg 34

2.      Tony Rixon 31-05-0 peg 3

3.      Nick Collins 29-12-0 peg 16

Thursday 05/07/2012 - Batchampton AA - Over 55's and Disabled - Bridge lake

I was good to be joined for breakfast again at ASDA by Bob Warren after his recent illness – nearly back to his good old self.

Believe it or not Mike Jones has changed the draw again! We are now using what looks like roulette chips, much better though than Ray Bazeley balls. The picture right shows the remainder of the draw queue – it’s where its the place where the match can be won or lost – John Wilde doesn’t look too happy with his peg, but he still managed a couple of double figure Carp from peg28!! I had already drawn and pulled peg 31. Hang on that’s the same peg number as yesterday’s match – luckily I am not superstitious!

Two years ago before the Carp demise I would have ran to the peg, but since then the pegs in the 30’s have been inconsistent with most of the fish preferring the deeper end in the teen pegs. For company I had Leicester likely lad Ray Bazeley on peg 30 and Dave Gillard on peg 32. You are always well entertained when in this sandwich.

I decided to have a steady day on the Silvers so set up the Ronnie rig for the caster, same rig as yesterday, including the hook length which later I would regret not changing. The usual 4x16 jolly was set up for the Skimmers to fish at 6 metres with either soft pellet or CW&C. Just in case set up a margin paste rig. On the whistle I fed a pot of a mixture of wet micro, CW and caster on the 6 metre line. However, I started on the top set with the Ronnie rig and from the off had a few small samples before the football team arrived, in fact I think it was the entire Premiership – catching 1oz Perch a chuck. I soon tired of this one and went out on the worm and lost a good Skimmer first put in, the evidence pointed to it being foul hooked. Next put in the same again – what’s going on? I then got pestered once again by tiny Perch, which I am sure Darren Gillman would have loved to have fished for – not me, although I kept topping up the swim, the Perch got to the bait first, in between I did have the odd Skimmer. So I picked up the Ronnie rig again but this time fished it two foot deep to avoid the “Ballers”. It wasn’t long before I was in to my first Common Carp on single caster. I stayed on this catching the odd big Skimmer, hybrid and Ronnie’s plus another Common Carp. That was until the last twenty minutes when I hooked a lump which after a long tussle broke my well worn hook length – should have changed it. I couldn’t be bothered to retie the hook so was resigned to see the match out on paste in the margin where I had been feeding small amounts of hard four. I was soon in to another Carp which seemed to take an age to land. I couldn’t help noticing that when I hooked it, I spooked another five Carp in my swim!! With now five minutes to go and another Carp on the hook, again spooking a margin shed full. It took me ten minutes after the match to net.

My four Carp weighed 33lb 6oz and my Silvers 17lb 12oz for a total of 51lb 2oz. That lost Carp cost me a high framing place but hey I picked up the same coin. This surprisingly put me second in the Silvers and fifth overall.

Today was the second consecutive dry day.

The match was won by Dave Bacon (pictured right with the Silvers winner) with 83lb 6oz from peg 21. Dave caught most of his fish from both his left and right hand margins fishing pellet over pellet.

The Silver was won by Terry Bruton with 27lb of Skimmers from peg 10. Terry caught at 5metres using meat hook bait over meat.

Full Result:

1.      Dave Bacon 83-06-0 peg 21

2.      Bob Price 55-08-0 peg 24

3.      Martin Alexander 54-04-0 peg 18

4.      Paul Haines 53-02-0 peg 13

5.      Mike Nicholls 51-02-0 peg 31

6.      Chris Rolfe 37-04-0 peg 6 

Top Silvers: 

1.      Terry Bruton 27-0-0 peg 10

2.      Mike Nicholls 17-12-0 peg 31

3.      Andy Smith 14-12-0 peg 7

Wednesday 04/07/2012 - Avon Angling Open - Acorn Fishery - Paddocks

Arrived early for breakfast, but wasn’t first, that was Dave Blakemore. I was hoping that the rain would stop today and give us all a chance to dry out and relatively speaking it was reasonably dry. However, the resident Peacock still looked a bit bedraggled (pictured right with her three chicks).

In to the draw container and out comes peg 31. I wasn’t sure about the peg as Bela had it last time we were down together and he DNW’d. So I rang Glenn Bailey who appears to be the resident professional and he wasn’t much use as he said it isn’t normally in – how many does he fish against?

Not expecting to catch many Carp I set my sights on the Silvers although this was a little dangerous as Tony only pays two. The plan was to fish for Silvers down the margin with my Ronnie rig with caster over caster and later put paste over the top. I also set up a paste rig to be fish with the top set plus one. The rest of the pole stayed in the rod tube. On the whistle I fed a pot of micro over the out paste line at 10 o clock and kept and feeding six hard 4’s intermittently. I started on the caster in the LH margin. For the next three hours I had a great run of small Carp and Silvers, in fact I caught – Dace, Perch, Rudd, Roach  (to 1lb), Skimmers, Tench, F1’s, Crucian and hybrids - nine species. The swim died so I rested it and tried the paste out in front and caught four small Carp, losing two foul hookers, but it was slow, so back on the caster and a few more Silvers graced the net – until it slowed to a stand still, so I switched to paste in the margin just as Spectator Bakos arrived. I had a few more Silvers including a 2lb Tench then the Carp moved in and started to catch a better stamp of Carp to 8lb. I think Bela is a Jinx because every time he went for a walk I bagged up on Carp!!

My Silvers went 36lb 2oz for a Silvers win and my Carp 65lb 8oz for a grand total of 101lb 10oz for third overall.

For Tim Palanta information I fed just over half a pint of casters, with enough left to re-bag up for tomorrows match, half pint of micro and a handfull of 4's.

It proved to be a very satisfactory and enjoyable days fishing, another one to remember. I can see why it is becomes a very popular fishery.

The match was won by Mike West (pictured right collecting his Wonga from the organiser also below with the Silvers winner - Mike dosn't get on my blog very often) with 112lb 5oz from peg 5. Mike caught primarily in his LH margin using Paste over pellet.

Full Result:

1.      Mike West 112-05-0 peg 5

2.      Chris Davis 105-12-0 peg 7

3.      Mike Nicholls 101-10-0 peg 31

4.      Nicky Collier 86-02-0 peg 38

5.      Tom Mangnall 85-10-0 peg 26

6.      matt Tomes 82-13-0 peg 13

Top Silvers: 

1.      Mike Nicholls 36-02-0 peg 31

2.      John Bradford 29-12-0 peg 10

3.      Andy Gard 25-14-0 peg 40

Sunday 01/07/2012 - Avon Angling Top Five Open - Viaduct Fishery - Campbell Lake

The fixing of the Libor rate (London Interbank Offered Rate) affects us all, and is one of the underlying influences that have put the Country in to recession. There is no doubt in my mind that we are just scratching the surface on such issues and hopefully we haven’t heard the last of taking these greedy bastards to task through the courts. Bob Diamond and his likes should already be banged up – whether he did or didn’t know – but I think he did. I know they have cost me a lot of my retirement income as well as many hard working fellow countrymen directly or indirectly – bastards!! 

Back down to Woody’s café for breakfast and a good one it was too, especially the sausages. 

Bela was ahead of me for the draw and had picked peg 119, he was over the moon. I wasn’t that sure and thought how unlucky he was as peg 120 was in so it was a question of who had the most wind cover between the two pegs, it wasn’t Bela!! 

By the time I got to the coffee tin there were three pegs left (I will have reduce the amount of pre-draw chatting I am doing) 111, 131 and 125. I would have been well pleased with 135 for the Carp and 125 for the Silvers. I pulled peg 111, OK, but is opposite peg 130 (my doom peg). Peg 125 would have been my choice today as the Silvers have been around this peg – luckily for me not today as the Silvers had an off day, probably eating the eggs from the third Carp spawn of the year. I found my self between two Carp crunchers – Andy Bryant peg 112 and Martin McMahon peg 110. 

Two rigs, a 1 o clock paste rig at 6ish metres and a RH margin paste rig – job done. On the whistle I fed a pot on Micro on both lines and started on paste at 6 metres. Amazing in seven put in I had seven decent Carp – was I going to empty it – not as it all slowed up, well not exactly the fish moved up off the bottom and I had a frustrating hour losing foul hooked Carp, trying all sorts of feeding patterns to get them down again. 

Bugger it, in to the margin and after catching one small Carp, a tiny Skimmer and two Tench I hooked a 10 pound Common Carp, which, when during lifting it out in the landing net tipped me and my box off our legs and I nearly ended up having a swim!! That would have caused a right laugh. I then hooked one of those mental Tench which left me going for a walk along the margin to retrieve the remnants of my rig. That was it for the day. 

Back out on the 6 metre line which I had left alone and I had a run of Carp all blowing at the paste. I then hooked a Common Carp which found a Willow branch, but skilfully I yanked it free and got it in the net. Unfortunately, the next carp found it and unskilfully lost it but did land the branch. I couldn’t believe when on next put-in I hooked another good Carp only to play it and a branch to the landing net before I pulled put – bugger, as this cost me coin today.  My few Silvers weighed 4lb and my 18 Carp 103lb 11oz for a total of 107lb 11oz for seventh overall. 

The match was won by Bathampton Finest – Shawn Townsend (pictured right with the Silvers winner) with 192lb 12oz from upper spit peg 128. Shaun caught on hard pellet over pellet. 

The Silver was scraped home by John Bradford from my favourite peg 116 with a mere 19lb 12oz. John caught on CW&C. 

Bela chucked 50lb back and probably runner up in the Silvers weight – Dad always told me to always weigh in.

The overall winner today was Avon Angling with seven pole and landing net breakages around the Lake. I gave Martin McMahon a red card for pole abuse breaking his twice on peg 110 giving him an early bath.

Full Result:

1.      Shaun Townsend 191-12-0 peg 128

2.      Dean Malin 165-15-0 peg 135

3.      Craig Edmonds 139-08-0 peg 120

4.      Paul Elmes 136-12-0 peg 127

5.      Tony Rixon 115-04-0 peg 123

6.      Phil Harding 110-04-0 peg 129

7.      Mike Nicholls 107-11-0 peg 111

Top Silvers:

1.      John Bradford 19-12-0 peg 116

2.      Craig Edmonds 15-04-0 peg 120

3.      Edie Wynne 13-12-0 peg 126

Thusrday 28/06/2012 - Viaduct Cost Cutter - Lodge and Middle Lakes

Down for another Skivers Thursday Match at Viaduct. I admit I was in two minds whether to go as the match was on Lodge and Middle Lakes. So I was surprised to find 24 booked in making the fishing even more difficult. I don’t mind these matches as someone has to win – and lose!!

In to the draw bucket and with three tickets left I pull Lodge peg 56. With peg 75 and 55 also in the match it was going to be difficult. The Advise was for me to fish long – Umm.

After setting up just two paste rigs one for under the hanging Willow to my right and the other for long at 11.5 metres, it was a walk round to the Gimp who was on Middle Lake peg 35. I was amazed to find John completely surrounded by double figure Carp. With many up in the water, it would have been a Carp Slayers dream, Muggers paradise!

Back to my peg and I decided to try and draw the Skimmers in to the 11.5 metre line, even if it took all match. The plan was to fill it in at the start with twelve balls of GB laced with one pint of Micro and one pint of caster. It took me an age to feed all this bait and by time I had finished Paul Blake had landed three Carp down his LH margin. I fed a big cup of micro down by the willow, but no more of this line as my tester paste just got gnawed to death by small fish, spearing one Ronnie.

Out on the GB line with paste and first put in I was into a Common Carp which took me an age to land as I just couldn’t get his head up – not surprising as Steve Long weighed it in and returned the 17lb 15oz monster. Next put in and I foul hook its twin and parted with my hook attached to 0.22 line!! Thankfully that was it for Carp. I struggled for the next hour adding one small Skimmer. So I had a walk round to Middle and it looked as if everyone was struggling for the Silvers. Back to the peg and a change to a 4x14 Jolly and by kindering some chopped worm over the GB line with worm on the hook I caught five to the pound Skimmers regularly, but it was hard work. I did lose a flying Bream landing one. I must admit I packed up with ten minutes to go exhausted as it was very hot and humid.

I was surprised to find my net of small Skimmers weighed in at 13lb 5oz for the biggest Silvers weight on Lodge Lake. However, the Gimp had 14lb on Middle, another angler keeping me out of qualifying once again. However, small consulation was that I picked up more coin the the Gimp. My total weight was 31lb 4oz with the beautiful Common for eighth overall.

The match was won by Ian Dunlop (pictured right with a net of beautiful Common Carp) with 175lb 9oz from Monk peg 64. Ian caught shallow using banded hard pellet shallow over lose fed pellet. Ian fished 16 metres into the gap between the trees.

Full Result:

1.      Ian Dunlop 175-09-0 peg 64 (Monk)

2.      Paul Blake 106-15-0 peg 68
3.      Callum Preston 83-03-0 peg 71
4.      Charlie Dalton 81-0-0 peg 62
5.      Chris Rolfe 66-04-0 peg 73
6.      Steve Crawford 43-12-0 peg 53

Top Silvers:

1.      John Bradford 14-07-0 peg 35

2.      Mike Nicholls 13-05-0 peg 56
3.      Roy 12-05-0 peg 61

Sunday 24/06/2012 - Gimps Top Five Open Match - Viaduct Fishery - Campbell

It only seems like yesterday that I was sitting down to a Woody Breakfast, but unfortunately I couldn't walk to the draw and had to be picked up by matey Bela and driven home after the match.

Nearly last draw queue but after a bit of nudging with Bob Gullick I got the last ticket. As it happened we both had a good draw. I drew peg 114 and Bob peg119.

Bela drew peg 131, thankfully it wasn't me.

I was happy with the peg as I drew it on the last top 5 match and learnt a bit to the extent that on the Sunday night after the match made up some rigs in case I drew it again! So it was two paste rigs – one for top five and the other for the LH margin, plus a meat rig again for the top five. On the whistle in to the margin went a big pot of micro on the top four. However, I started on the meat on the top six at 10 0 clock aiming towards peg 130 (so that I didn't play the fish over my line), luckily before I fed I realised that I was fishing my normal distance, so took off one section and stowed it in my holdall – put it down to age and familiarity. Kindering 6mm meat with the same on the hook produced a few Ronnie bites, so this rig was immediately abandoned.  Before I left the line I fed a big pot of wetted micro and went in to the margin with paste. This resulted in five Bream and one Tench before the Carp had searched me out. I then had a run of smallish Carp which are a nightmare to get out of the margin losing quite a few 2 – 3 pounders. The swim slowed so I re-fed and went out on the top 5 line and caught a better stamp of Carp steadily, kindering hard 4’sover the top. I switched between the two lines until the end landing 26 Carp in addition to the few Silvers caught at the start – all caught on the paste.

My Carp weighed in at 144lb 12oz and my Silvers 20lb 12oz for a grand total of 165lb 8oz for a match win and fifth in the Silvers.

As anticipated it was another great days fishing.

The Silvers was won by Phil Cardwell (pictured right with the overall winner) with 40lb 7oz from peg 126. Phil caught on hard banded 6mm pellet fished over micro in GB kinder potted in after every fish.

Full Result:

1.      Mike Nicholls 165-08-0 peg 114

2.      Tom Thick 155-15-0 peg 118

3.      Matt Tomes 136 -09-0 peg 121

4.      Alan Oram 111-11-0 peg 115

5.      Steve Evans 99-13-0 peg 132

6.      Dave Romain 96-06-0 peg 124

Top Silvers:

1.      Phil Cardwell 40-07-0 peg 126

2.      Dave Romain 39-07-0 peg 124

3.      Bob Gullick 38-0-0 peg 119

Thursday 21/06/2012 - Viaduct Cost Cutter - Campbell Lake

I do believe the breakfasts in Woody’s café are as good as anywhere that is open early enough for us anglers.

Tim Ford came down yesterday and stayed overnight having a few beers and a meal in the Unicorn Hotel; unfortunately he can’t fish at present as he is still getting himself fit. Tim is pictured left with the lads preparing tackle and rigs for the day.

Again a short walk to the draw for the Skivers and now Holiday makers match. Didn’t bother with standing in the queue and settled for the last ticket and luckily it was a peg beginning with 11 peg 115. Glenn was on peg 130, mark peg 125 and Martyn peg 119 and thought it was his birthday – can’t this boy draw!

I had been on the peg for half hour thinking peg 116 was empty and along comes matey Charlie Barnes. I don’t normally get involved with £1 side bets but that crafty Charlie talked me in to a Silvers only bet knowing well that my peg is a known Carp Slayers peg and his has some form for Silvers.

I discovered that Charlie and me were born the same year, 1949 and married in the same year, 1970. Like me he obviously got a good “Special One” too.

As everyone knows I hate parting with my cash so the focus was on the Silvers, to be honest I would have fished exactly the same either way. I set up three rigs – 4x14 Jolly for the Meat, paste float for over the same line both to be fished at 7 metres (peg 115 stands out further than any other peg on the Lake and it’s as close to fishing 16 metres I will every get). The final rig was a margin paste rig to be fished to the Left in 3 foot of water.

I had brought two pints of red putrid and planned to experiment with. So with plastic gloves on I started to feed them into the RH margin only to find that they float, which the Ducks appreciated, so I just emptied the remainder off the side of the platform.

Out on the meat kindering 6 pieces and it was obvious that the small fish were active intercepting the bait on the drop. I did have a couple of small Skimmers, one Bream and a Carp before I was frustrated by the sneaky Ronnie’s nicking the meat even though I started feeding the meat through Mr. Big Cup. By now crafty Charlie had twenty pounds of Silvers on CW&C. I switched to the paste and the bigger bait over the meat line, converting to feeding hard 4’s. This produced just the one Bream, a Tench and five Carp over the next hour. At least Charlie had slowed down. I had been feeding the LH margin with hard 4’s so I went in over it and had a good two hours catching Bream and Tench. It was about now in the last hour that the legs of my platform started to rattle and on investigation there was a shoal of Carp munching up the putrid maggots - Umm! This also signalled the end of the Silvers and in the last hour I landed six more Carp. Charlie’s swim died quite early and he was cursing the vermin too.

My twelve Carp weighed in at 60lb 10oz and my Silvers 42lb 3oz. This put me fifth overall and second in the Silvers, more importantly Charlie weighed 27lb 2oz – I am waiting for a big audience before I claim my spoils - £1 coin.

The Match was won by Matey Martyn Woodington from peg 119 with 172lb 12oz. Martyn caught in his own words:

“I fished at 16m towards the rushes and feed 8mm pellet. First hour 6 carp then none for the second hour so switched to fishing on the deck and landed 3 carp followed by a foul hooker so came off the bottom by 6 inches and caught steady until the end feeding only when shipping back or out to reduce liners and foul hookers”.

The Silvers was won by Fishery manager Paul Greenwood with 57lb 2oz from peg 127. Paul caught out in front and down each margin catching Tench and Bream on hard pellet.

Full Result:

1.      Martyn Woodington 172-12-0 peg 119

2.      Glenn Bailey 139-0-0 peg 130

3.      Craig Micallef 115-12-0 peg 132

4.      Terry Lenney 113-13-0 peg 129

5.      Mike Nicholls 102-13-0 peg 115

6.      Colin Dyer 102-05-0 peg 128

…

10. Mark Tanner 82-13-0 peg 125

Top Silvers:

1.      Paul Greenwood 57-02-0 peg 127

2.      Mike Nicholls 42-03-0 peg 115

3.      Ryan Musgrave 36-09-0 peg 126

This was our last match of this years fishing holiday and I must say that the accommodation is superb five stars. I have been trying to think of the negatives for a critique but can only come up with “the complimentary bottle of red wine wasn’t quite placed in the centre of the dining table”. Once the secret is out I am sure that these Lodges will become very popular, so if you are looking for a great fishing holiday and catch a typical Carp similar to that caught by Glenn Bailey on Carey Lake book early with Steve Long at the Viaduct Fishery. More details can be found on the fishery website. We have already booked for next year.