This week's blog...... 12-03-17

An update sort of blog today, I would have done 3 separate ones, but really they would not have amounted to much individually.

So firstly, on Wednesday it was the 1st Fisho qualifier of the year, at Viaduct, so along with 96 others, we all had fingers crossed that things would fall into place, a few bits of luck and some half sensible fishing could produce a result.
After the usual natterings I plucked peg 74 from the tin, a decent draw, one I felt had a chance should the fish stay down the near end of Cary Lake, but in reality we all knew Campbell was the likely lake to win the day.

Peg 74, Cary Lake.

I had Calum Craig opposite me and Darren Cox on 76.
The match started ok, a couple carp and some skimmers in the first hour from off the edge of the tree to my right.....but then that was it as the fish moved up the lake with Alex Murray on 102 doing ok for a while before 77 and 78 took the lake's honours. I chose not to weigh. Calum had 3 carp I think, 107 had 4 and 109 only 1.
I did get to see Steve Jackson, Gareth Lennox and Frank Domachie catching well most of the day, sharing 400lb between them, with Jacko wining through to the final. Oh and well done to Emma Drysdale for running Mick Bull close down in the narrows in Middle, just being pipped with both having 90lb+.

Saturday saw me head back to Viaduct for Don Sutherland's memorial match, a silvers only event across Spring/Middle, Lodge and Campbell Lakes. 49 fished and a draw on a good peg on Spring would be a first choice.
I managed another reasonable draw, I was told by Vince Brown, with peg 32 on Middle, but arriving on my peg, there were a few carp moving all over but only the odd plip roach and rudd showing on the silvers' front. Hmmm maybe the skimmers and bream had ventured through the gaps to Spring lake?

Peg 32 Middle...

I set up a waggler for corn at 20m or so, a rig for maggots/caster over groundbait at 14m in front and caster over maggot by a tree at 14m to my left. Oh and lastly a 6m rig for caster over caster.
I managed 1 decent skimmer on the waggler but the majority of my fish came on the 14m groundbait line using caster as bait. I had 20lb 2oz, this was 3 skimmers between 1.5lb and 3lb. The rest was roach and rudd plus the odd 6oz skimmer. Luckily I won the section by default, but it was the top weight off Middle Lake and the winner, Mark Saunders was the overall winner with 49lb 8oz from peg 26. That area of the lake, pegs 24 round to peg 5, fished well, and generally Spring fished very well with loads of 20lb+ weights. Campbell and Lodge also produced 29lb+ nets.

Results (1-32 Spring/Middle, 53-73 Lodge, 110-132 Campbell)
1. Mark Saunders - 49lb 8oz - peg 26
2. Stu White - 42lb 9oz - peg 2
3. Gabe Skarba - 39lb 11oz - peg 124...
4. Shawn Kittridge - 39lb 9oz - peg 1
5. Jess Jordon - 33lb 12oz - peg 17
6. Ryan Shipp - 32lb 3oz - peg 19
7. Nigel Easton - 32lb 1oz - peg 115
7. Robin Guy - 32lb 1oz - peg 15
9. Steve Jackson - 30lb 7oz - peg 116
10. Nick Ewers - 30lb - peg 5
11. Roland Lucas - 29lb 6oz - peg 59
12. John Page - 29lb 2oz - peg 64
13. Alvin Jones - 27lb 7oz - peg 3
14. Chris Fox - 24lb 4oz - peg 24
15. Vince Brown - 24lb 2oz - peg 16

Lastly was today's match on the Kings Sedgemoor Drain at Bradney with the Pawlett bunch.

Running late (for me) and arriving with my breakfast in hand, it was a matter of saying my hellos and stuff, some guys fishing whom I haven't seen for ages were present, like Baz Morgan and Dave Nash to name 2.

A look at the water from the bridge and I knew it wasn't going to be a great day in terms of weights as the water looked too coloured and coupled with the warmer weather we have had, I expected it to be a bit of a scratching day. I also said that whoever draws the end bay peg nearest the bridge should win or be chucked in as it looked full of fish including pike. I didn't want to draw in the pegs downstream of the bridge as it is too deep and hasn't been so good on the whole for the last 2 or 3 years.

The draw was made and I went in mid-rabble and pulled 24 (after a bit of faffing between myself and Keith Clapp, I fished peg 24, he had 23...). Jamie Cook and Neil Venning were in the fancied end pegs of the bay. The pegging was 1-10 perma pegs on the South Bank, 11 to 19 in the bay area opposite the EA building and 20 to 24 below the bridge.

My Bradney peg on the KSD.

A waggler was set up, but only had a couple casts as the wind was a pain.

A couple pole rigs, one for 6m on a 0.7g float on 0.12>0.10>20 b511 hook, here I would feed caster and hemp by hand. The 2nd rig was a 2g Drennan Carbo on the same lines but would be fished at 13m over an initial balling of groundbait laced with hemp and caster, 6 big coconut sized balls to be precise.

With very few small fish topping, it was a struggle for the day, just picking up a few fish, mostly roach between 1 and 2oz, a 4oz fish was a bonus. It was just a matter of patience and luck.

The short line only gave me a couple fish as I had no flow here. Throughout the day I kept checking with Keith what he was getting and pretty much the reply was 'not much' or 'nothing more'. Though the 2 pegs nearest the bridge, I was told, were picking up small silvers.

The all-out came at 4:30pm and as the scales arrived below the bridge the top 2 nets were indeed Jamie and Neil from the 2 last pegs in the bay with circa 16lb each. A 9lb net and a few 5lb nets were recorded, none of us admitted to 5lb below the bridge. My 4lb 11oz was the best weight from that stretch. I had between 60 and 70 fish, so on the small size, my largest was maybe 4oz. But not good enough for a pick-up.

The perma pegged section fished a bit better with plenty of 6 to 9lb nets.

Results, top 3 came from the bay areas, top 2 nearest the bridge.

1st, Jamie Cook. 16lb 15oz.

2nd, Neil Venning. 15lb 8oz

3rd, Kev Lock. 9lb 6oz (inc a tench)

Weights....

So a mixed set of results, but I enjoyed them all and this weekend's fishing for silvers.

Not sure where I am fishing next weekend, no set plans. We shall see.

Until then, have fun.

Lee.