Last Day of Holiday - Viaduct Costcutter

Last breakfast in M&M and said goodbye to one of the "M".  Lots of water on board early to re hydrate, and more in the bag for the match. Steve Long advise the pegging and both Campbell and Carey were in, so I was really hoping to be back on Campbell to put right the wrongs of yesterday. Into the tin of dreams and bum, peg 77 on Carey, I was deflated, but then most people said that 78 had been really good and so I should get a few. I got told both carp and silvers were targets. I was happy and pushed my trolley for the last time up the bank and to my home for the day.

Right from the start it was clear that there were carp spawning in Carey and a lot between me and Geoff on peg 74. This made me think that fishing for silvers would be a good idea, plus it would make a nice change and nice way to end the week, but I would set up rigs for carp for late on /just in case. First up was a light 4x12 with 20 to 0.12 for fishing 4 or 6mm pellet at 13m, this was my main focus for silvers, but I would also feed lightly to the tree in the water to my left as I was told you catch silvers here. Also a heavy carp rig for here, for 8mm pellet, and a 4x10 for just in front of the pallet of peg 76. It was a lovely flat bottom about a foot out from the pallet, and I could just about chuck 8mm pellets here for later on.

The lad on 78 was going all out for silvers, he had worms, casters gbait etc, so I hoped that was not the bait today for silvers. To start the match I went out to 13m and fed very carefully with 4mm pellets by catty. Well the first hour was very slow and I reckoned on only having about 3lb, which is basically pants. The lad next door seemed to have a few but not a lot was being caught from what I could see. Leon Hubbard was on 105 I think, and he started to get the odd carp and skimmer in the second hour. Me, well I was trying hard to get silvers with very little reward either at 13m or by the tree at 5m, it was looking like I was on for another bad day.

Glenn spoke to me and he had a few carp on 85 as did Steve Jackson on 88. With Leon having another carp or two I decided sod it, back to carp and just try and enjoy myself. I put a stronger banded pellet rig on 13m, and fed 8mm pellet. Within 15 minutes I had a 6lb carp, and 10 minutes later another of similar size, small for Carey. It went quiet by 25 minutes later I had a third and had taken 2 decent skimmers on the 8mm pellet.

Trying by the tree was fruitless, two hours to go and try the pallet, whoosh, hybrid, whoosh, tench, whoosh skimmer.... I caught more silvers fishing for carp than I did fishing for silvers PMSL!  A carp did oblige in the pallet and then a lost fouler killed it. Back out to 13m and another carp, then nothing. Back on the pallet and signs of life, the float was being moved around considerably, so I assumed a decent fish was there. About 5 minutes of this was finally rewarded with a bite and fish on. This one headed of for the tree past the pallet, I pulled hard on my ONEXS Preston pole and turned it. The fish just plodded for a while and came in close, but it wouldn't shift off the bottom. Out it went and a tail came up, ummm feck me that tail looked huge. Back under my feet on a top set, when it decided it would prefer to go under the bush to my left, shite, shipped on out to 11m and I pulled as hard as I dared. got the fish out, back to the topset and repeated the process again!!! OK you know where I am going with this, but I recall all of this because I just knew it was a decent fish. When I first saw it proper I thought "that ain't going to fit in my landing net". Well eventually, this very long common carp popped up, my landing net looked stupidly small, I got the head in and half the body. Grabbed the net at either end and pulled the leviathan out! But, oh no, the screw pulls out of the landing net, I lose my grip, the carp flies out bounces on the keepnet and back into the lake...... Before I swore, or cried, I picked up the top set, and she was still on! "GEOFFFFF COME AND HELP!!!"  Geoff passes me one of my spare nets and eventually the carp is back in netting range, Geoff swears as he sees it. Here we go again, scoop, lift, grab, hug, struggle, etc. I finally got it in the keepnet. I was just so happy that I could not care if I did not catch another thing, I knew I had my first 20lb carp.

I did manage another carp from the pallet, and hooked one by the bush to my left, but it snagged me in the bush and I chickened out from there. Match over.

I heard from Glenn how many fish he had and others so I couldn't see me getting any money, but no worries on that. When Steve arrived with the scales all I was focused on was what this common weighed. I think I had 10lb of silvers, and my total weight was 90lb, which turned out to be just 4lb less than Steve Jackson who took second on the lake and last money, so I was third after a better last few hours, but there you go another mistake should have fished for carp lol.

Oh and the common, well Steve said it was a spawned out female, and it weighed 21lb exactly, my pb and certainly satisfying to land on a pole. Here she is.

A great end to the holiday. All of the lads picked up a couple of times during the trip. Gordon had another good day coming second of peg 110. Mark Wynne won off peg 116!  On 115 was Steve Seagar, I told him before the match how I caught late on, he never had a bite on that, he was doing just as bad as me the day before and then caught 8 decent carp late on,

Last night of the holiday, chucked all the gear straight back in and up the Unicorn for another nice meal. The Cider flowed well that night, with me not finding my bed until sometime past 1am. A great holiday, and cannot wait to be back next year. On the first day of the hol, one young angler "questioned" why come to Viaduct for a holiday when I only live up the road. I didn't feel the need to reply to that, but I knew the answer/s.  1) If distance from home is how we measure a "great" holiday then let's all go to New Zealand, 2) Many people say Viaduct is one of the best fisheries in the UK, and the fishing is great. 3) The lodge is superb, 3) The environment is peaceful, tranquil and to my liking, 4) Somerton has pubs (and an Indian) that sell Thatchers Gold. 5) Steve Long is a gentlemen and takes time out to chat, and engage with you. 6) It's not far from home lol!

I feel a bit like Worzle Gumnidge (who remembers him) now, I have to change my head. This and the next weekend I will be fishing the Avon at Keynsham. Lots of work to do and little time to do it. A simple match would be nice, I fancy a waggler peg, or bream peg, please let it be so.