Back Fishing! Viaduct Float only

As you will now guess by the title I did manage to sweet talk the nurses, and I dressed my wound myself Sunday morning (not to bad a job I think) and was off fishing again, yay! Today was a float only match at Viaduct to be fished on Carey and Lodge lakes, and I was going to fish for silvers and did not want a carp peg. Glenn Bailey did me proud by picking me up and loading all the gear into his car and before I knew it I was sampling Woody'd breakfast, and it was lush!

Getting into the draw queue fairly early I pulled out peg 98 on Carey and immeadiately was told about big weights of carp, well that wasn't happening as I haven't the strength to bag up! However, Anton Page advised I could catch a lot of skimmers on that peg and that Paul Greenwood had taking 60lb of them on Thursday off peg 100, so that was encouraging. I got to my peg with help from Glenn, Bela Bakos and Jason Radford carrying my gear, and found I was sat next to the one and only Des Shipp who was on 97, I hoped Des would fish for carp! Then Paul Greenwood plonked himself down on 99 and Nicky Collins was on 100, just about two of the best silver anglers around! Oh well I was only out to have a day's fishing and enjoy the banter,as I told everyone!

I decided to set up very little gear, my main rig for skimmers was a 0.3gm wire stem PB Inter with 0.12 to 16 hook. I also set up a 4x12 bristle jobby with 0.16 to 16 PR36 for banded pellet, this could be used I hoped if the skimmers were hungry or for the odd look for a carp. I also set up a deep waggler with 0.18 to 16 PR38, and that was that. To start the match I fed some 4mm pellets at 6 mtrs 10 o'clock, some meat at 7mtrs 2 o'clock and started on the wag to let them settle. After 20 mins my side began to ache and so I put the wag down for good, Des was already on his 3rd carp anyway! I came in on the pellet line and took 4 2lb+ skimmers in fairly quick time before it went quiet, the meat line was dead, as it was all match, so no more of meat! I took a couple more skimmers on pellet but bites were very few and I decided to feed some 4mms out at 12 mtrs as I needed another line. Paul and Nicky were not catching silvers but had lost a couple of carp each, and I soon followed losing a lump. Both my lines were quiet but then like earlier I suddenly had a little run of skimmers but I should also say that I had suffered from loosing a number of them, and some were fouled.

The middle two hours of the match were shocking, I could not get a bite from a skimmer but I did manage to lose a rig to a carp and so with 2 hours to go I upped the feed out at 12mtrs and went with the banded pellet to try to catch a carp, I got 1 and that was it. Paul Greenwood came back from a walk and said very few silvers were coming out and I should stay on them, I only went for the carp out of boredom, although I was not bored watching Des empty it on the wag! I did manage a couple more big skimmers from the short line and a carp about 12lb, but pulled out of a few too, they just weren't feeding properly.

It was obvious that Carey had fished really well especially from pegs 85 to 97 for carp, and Des weighed 275lb to win, thanks to a keepnet from me and two other anglers! Tom Magnol next to Des was 3rd with 170lb, and Chris Davis on 85 was 2nd with 178lb, he lost one top set and snapped another and generally kept us laughing! As for me, well my big skimmers went 28lb 7oz and my 2 carp went 21lb, that got me 2nd in the silvers and a pickk up. John Bradford won the silvers with 29lb of tench from peg 90. Full list of results will be on Tony's blog and Clayton Hudson's blog.

Well that was a better start back than I could have dreamed of, my shoulders and back are aching as I expected, and I did comment to the lads that if I had fished for the Carey carp I would probably be back in hospital! It was great to back and get involved and listen to the banter, that's such a great part of fishing for me, the laughter. Sorry to say Glenn struggled off peg 71 but Lodge was not to good unless you were in a corner. Right I'm off for a lie down and get ready for Wednesday at Acorn, the carp are smaller there I hear!