Viaduct Spring League Final Round

First of all I must make mention of something I forgot on my last post (I was very tired), on the last day at Viaduct when I pleasure fished on Match Lake I had Glenn watching for me for a while. I didn't take a lot of notice of where he sat, and when I landed a fish I shipped the landing net pole behind me and whack, hit him right on the bridge of his nose. It drew blood as it cut him. I had to mention this so he can prove to his good wife Jayne that he didn't get it fighting, lol!

Back to today, sigh...

After drawing on Lodge lake for my last 4 matches (drawing, 69, 57, 71 and 53) I just had to be in luck and get on Campbell surely (wanted to avoid Carey as that is a struggle at the mo) after all some lucky so and so's have been on there all the time. Some (Bob Gullick 115) even managed to draw the same peg three times lol! Anyway, I was chatting to a few lads and Des Shipp was giving some tips on how to fish Tunnel Barn Farm and I forgot where I was and Glenn was left to unload the car. Into the coffee tin and out comes.... FIFTY (EFFING) FIVE! 55, I don't believe it what have I done to deserve this (sobs tears tantrums etc) and I was unusually for me a bit peed off, well we all have our limits. I know Trigger has won the section off this peg but he is a far better carp angler than I, and since I was already out of the running there was only the section to fish for.

I took an age to drag my kit to my peg and nobody was feeling the love on my bank, Dave Roper was on 53 and that's the second time he's drawn that peg. Trig was on 71 (my home last round) and felt he couldn't win the title from that peg. I set up a straight lead for banded pellet, a rig for banded pellet at 14.5m, a meat rig for 6m, and a rig for the margin at 11.5m next to the reeds. I started on the long pole and fed 6mm pellet by catty to try and catch anything that swims, starting get tiny plucks from small roach and skimmers on 6mm pellet, so put a 8mm in the band. I soon hooked a carp but it was fouled and I pulled out of it. Never saw another carp on this line, just little skimbobs.

Out on the straight lead then as Welshy next door had taken 2 skimmers and a carp on it, my tip didn't move for 30 mins so I rang my Dad to wish him happy Fathers Day, and as we were talking the rod went round. I played the carp steadily, but as it was just coming into netting range the hook pulled, sigh. Next chuck and another pull round and this time an 8lb carp was landed. Next chuck and what looked like a big liner, I left it but the rod banged off again and I was attached to a fouler on the lead that soon came off, sigh. The commotion was enough for the carp to move off.

Ninety minutes in I think I got my 2nd carp on the tip but it was a one off. As usual the middle of the match was very poor with no bites to be had anywhere other than another small skimmer on the meat line. With two hours to go I put groundbait / pellet mush in the margin, gave it 15 mins and then dropped in over it with meat and I didn't have to wait long to see the elastic ripped out. Carp number 3 was landed and was another decent size fish. Sadly I only had 1 more carp in the margin and another on the straight lead, and so my day had ended with failure once again. As the weigh in was started at 57 I would have a long wait to weigh in, and I decided to dry the nets and chucked back 35lb which would have been last in the section. Trev Senior won my section on peg 60 with some last hour margin fish, two of which weighed together went over 30lb. Welshy next to me had 49lb and was last but 1 in section, and Dave on 53 had 53lb I think.

I've now spent 30 hours on Lodge, and each time I have had to sit and watch others (especially 64, 66 and 68) empty it, as I said I'm sure better anglers would have done better than me on my draws, but they've done for me. Glenn was in with a shout of doing well in the league, but he missed out on the top berth by 1 point.

Well done league winner Craig Edmunds who managed to beat 3 people in his section (he beat the same pegs as I did last time) and that was good enough to win him the league over Giles Cochrane who only beat 2 people in his section today. Andy Neal won the knockout with 200lb+ from Lodge peg 66. Winner of today's match by a clear (or not so clear) margin was Chris Davis with 338lb, err no 254lb as he lost 84lb due to losing a whole net being over the limit! Chris was on 135, well done mate.

Enough typing, it's hard enough fishing a load of toilet and then having to recall it all lol!