Viaduct Holiday day 2

 I must confess to feeling a tad muzzy Sunday morning,  but it was a feeling shared by all of us in the lodges, think we all got a bit over indulgent on our first night. We were on another Campbell open, again a sell out. I drew peg 110 which had produced 50lb of silvers the day before and I was told had not much carp form, and with Adrian Jeffrey on peg 135 this usually affects peg 110, so silvers attack again to start I thought. 

Adrian sat on 135 as the scum blew in.

My rigs set up today were the same silvers rigs, pellet rig for 13m down the LH margin, and the paste rig was readied from the start.

I started for the silvers again, but once again I failed miserably to muster more than a handful of small skimmers in the first hour. Meanwhile opposite me 4 anglers in a row we’re catching silvers steady and next door on 111 Gary Bowden was getting big skimmers on paste. I followed suit and got on the paste, but couldn’t believe it when I couldn’t get any indications. Gary was still catching and his peg was fizzing, mine was devoid of fish it appeared. A look down the margin produced one foul hooked carp which I landed and nothing more.

Back out on the paste and I saw my first fizz, told Gary this and 20 seconds later my first bite and landed a carp. 10 minutes later I repeated the process, but it was a flash in the pan. With less than 2 hours left I had just 20lb and had been mainly kept amused by watching the guys opposite getting plagued by carp, Nige Bartlett in particular was having a torrid time. However, much like yesterday my peg sprang into life on the paste line and I started getting carp, it coincided with Gary’s paste line dying, so guess the carp moved. I made a good charge to the end of the match, but with Gary getting a few late carp I thought I was still way behind him.

My fish weighed 125lb 4oz, nearly the same as yesterday, so I was consistent lol. Gary just pipped me by one fish to weigh 132lb 15oz, and he got the section money to leave me without a pick up today. Winner was in no doubt in my mind when Dan Squires drew 116 which won the day before, he didn’t disappoint and won with 190lb.

Another Viaduct regular Phil Hardwick was second with 142lb of peg 118. Silvers was won today by Chris Albiston with a fantastic 83lb 12oz of skimmers on peg 115. 

Back to the Globe for a roast dinner which we had preordered and it was to my liking. The lads joked that on the last two days I had been the comeback kid with my late bagging, with Gary suggesting I was like red rum galloping to the finish line 😂. Of course I’d like to be able to catch some fish in the first 4 hours if possible! 

Viaduct Fishery Holiday Day 1

 I really look forward to this holiday and cannot wait for it to come round. Takes a bit of thinking about and preparation for 6 matches, and certainly fills the van up! Bit of a challenge getting to the fishery on time, but just made it, paid my pools and quickly greeted the rest of the lads. Martyn Woodington, Glenn Bailey, Gary Bowden, Lee Masey, Martin Rayet, Gordon Cannings and Chris Ollis were all on the holiday.

First match was the Saturday open on Campbell and it was a 21 peg sell out, I was looking forward to fishing for skimmers if I drew a decent peg. I pulled out peg 121, it’s on the top bank on its own with corner pegs 119 and 123 either side. I’ve drawn it before and done ok on carp but never won off it or bagged a lot of silvers, but Nick Ewers told me 40lb of skimmers had come off the peg in the week.

You get a good view of the lake from this peg.

I had messaged Stu White in the week to get an insight into how to approach catching the skimmers, and I was armed with worms, casters, maggots and groundbait. I set up 4x14 and 4x16 rigs with 0.12 to 16 SFLB. A 4x12 with same for fishing in the margins. I also set up a shallow rig for carp, and a mugging rig too.

Matches here are fished 10:30 to 4:30, and at the start I fed for silvers at 5m and 10m, and decided to start fishing at 5m. I put double red maggot on the hook and hoped for a quick bite, and it didn’t take long for the float to go under but a carp was hooked. I was about to net it and the hook came out. Went back out but it was quiet so tried the other lines, but all I could get was the odd roach.

After 40 minutes and just 1 skimmer I changed to look for carp fishing shallow. There were carp here coming to the 6mm pellets but in 45 minutes I never had a bite! Back on silvers then, but just one skimmer and out of the blue a tench in the margin, but I was going nowhere. Three hours in and I had a carp, at this stage peg 119 had 2 carp, pegs 123 and 124 had 1 carp each. I noticed a few carp started swirling down to my right by a tree, so a change of plan required, I got out a hard pellet rig and started feeding 6mms there. I also found out that Glenn Bailey and Gary Bowden were getting a few carp on paste, so I got a paste rig out and turned some of my gbait into a paste.

Fishing first down to the tree and there was instant signs on the float and I picked a good few carp here, at the same time Martyn Woodington on 123 caught in his margin. We both caught for about an hour here then we both stopped catching. I reckon I had about 40lb with 1 hour and 45 minutes left, but then the carp rocked up on the paste line and I caught them steady till the end of the match and knew I had over 100lb.

The Match was won by Lee Masey on peg 116 with 150lb 6oz, he caught mostly carp in his left hand margin. I was second with 126lb. Silvers was won by Nick Hargreaves with a great 63lb of skimmers.

A great start for me and some beer money, which was soon spent in the globe that evening lol.

Windmill Fishery Open

After an enforced break for a few weeks due to family engagements (including my wedding anniversary) I was back to fishing this Sunday. Friday though I was lucky to enjoy hospitality at Gloucester cricket club for my eldest daughter’s birthday. Glos won which made the evening even more special. Saturday afternoon was spent tying rigs, hooks and elasticating top sets, not just for Sunday but for my up coming week away at Viaduct Fishery.

I was awake before my alarm Sunday and that meant I got to Wetherspoons in good time for my breakfast. Arrived at the fishery in good time and plenty of anglers there as there were 21 fishing meaning tight pegging. I was near the front of the queue to draw and was soon looking at peg 24 disc. I thought that might be OK, but I was soon told by Kev Winstone that the peg had been one of the worst in recent times with 4 carp the most off it recently. Oh dear, but with wind blowing towards me I thought it might be okay.

Got to the peg and oh dear.. carp were spawning like mad around the lake, though not really in my peg. But on 25 the reeds were full of carp spawning and Shaun Townsend was on that one, on my right on 23 was good mate Geoff Francis.

My peg had the end of an island and carp were spawning under the bush, I set up a straight lead for here.

The RH margin looked ok and depth was not as deep as expected, but the foliage was well overgrown and I couldn’t get near it to trim. I set up a rig to fish maggots or worms or corn here with a 12 XSH to 0.17. Also set up a slapping rig with a 4x13 carp shallow, and a 4x10 chianti for catching silvers on the drop if I needed to go for them.

We started at 10:30 and I started slapping a pellet at 14m, no luck here. Slapping a pellet by the reeds also didn’t work so onto the lead where I had been feeding 8mm pellets. Gave this about 40 minutes and lost 3 foulers due to spawning I guess. Shaun had lost 5 carp at this stage and I’d only seen a couple of carp landed, so I tried for some silvers. It was very slow in front, but then going left over some caster I had a 4oz skimmer and a 2 1/2lb skimmer. Sadly that was the end of that line and all I could catch was the very odd tiny roach or Rudd. I sacked this off eventually as I couldn’t see me getting 5lb and Gerry Welsh had that already.

Shaun had now got 6 carp and was getting more by slapping, other than peg 3 I couldn’t see many carp being caught, even venue expert Leighton Palmer was walking. I tried the lead, nothing, went in the margin with a bunch of maggots and was about to give up when the float went under! I half expected it to be fouled but it wasn’t, and a 7lb carp was netted. Couldn’t repeat the trick though. 

The spawning activity had relented with 2 hours to go, and this coincided with me catching 3 carp on the lead in about 30 minutes. Of course this died lol. Back in the margin, nowt, back on the lead and hooked another but must have been fouled as pulled like mad for 20 seconds on the clip and then pulled out. Margin produced 3 liners and a Rudd, so pretty pants as was predicted.

It was obvious Shaun had won, and despite him losing loads his catch of 99lb 11oz was nearly double the second place, that went to Matt Challenger on peg 17 with 50lb 11oz. Silvers was won by Gerry Welsh with 14lb 4oz on peg 19 and Nick Saunders on 20 came second with 9lb 5oz. Well done lads.

I ended up 6th with just 24lb which shows how tough it was today. Still the sun shone, the birds sang and we had a laugh, that’s still a good day out in my book.

 

Still here

 Just a short post, after a couple of busy weekends I was booked in to fish at Windmill Lakes Sunday just gone. Unfortunately after working for a few days in Durham I came down with the lurgy and was floored, causing me to cancel my fishing. Typical nice weather and I was sick lol.

Not fishing this weekend as will be celebrating my Wedding anniversary, but hopefully get some fishing in June, and got my annual fishing holiday at Viaduct to look forward to. Just hope the weather holds.

Here’s a picture of the river Wear in Durham, apparently a few hundred yards below this is great barbel fishing.

Windmill Fishery Open

 We finally seem to be experiencing something like spring weather, with a bit of warmth in between the rain. Saw my first swift today and that’s hopefully a sign of improvement in temperatures I hope. This was my fourth recent match at the venue and I was going prepared the same as last week with a full array of rigs and baits to cover silvers and carp. The day didn’t start great as I have been struggling with toilet troubles (side effects of operations some years ago, I’ve been waiting 14?months now for another operation) and I wasn’t going to have time to get to Spoons for breakfast. Luckily my wife told me that McDonalds was back open in Longwell Green and that saved the day.

I got to fishery to find only 11 booked in today, on the plus side that would make some room for the poor areas. I paid my pools and loaded the trolley. Shaun Townsend turned up and then drove off again, I thought he was going back to bed, but turned out he had lost his phone, but it was found later. I was praying for a peg with carp in as I haven’t had any carp action the last three matches. Well my drawing arm returned today as I pulled peg 12 that has won the last couple of matches. No pressure then.

The last two matches this peg produced 150lb+ all caught short in left hand margin. 

John Fuidge last week caught about 5 or 6m along. The sedge reeds were 11m away and I looked for signs of carp in the reeds, there was nothing. Slightly concerned as John said the reeds were knocking like mad. I set up a 4x10 edge float with 16 KKMB to 0.15 powerline for the margin. I had a good plumb up in various places and tried to remove floating vegetation. I set up a 4x12 carp shallow for slapping long, and a 4x14 for the deck. All rigs were with same hook and line for banded hard pellet.

When we started at 10:30 I fed 6mm pellets at 6m down the margin, 4mm and 6mm at 11m for the deck and started here. It wasn’t a great start for me with just one carp and a skimmer on this line. Paul Haines on 14 started in his edge but had nothing, Jon Osbourne on 11 had a couple of carp out long and then I spied Bill Knight on 10 take 3 carp quickly in his margin. It was an hour in and i followed Bill looking in my margin, took about 5 minutes to nail my first carp. However, I couldn’t get another bite and so worked my way along the margin and by feeding 6mm pellets loose I managed to get another 3 carp but then all signs and bite’s stopped.

I went back out on the deck where I caught 2 more carp but again this died, back in the margin and nothing. Three hours in and I certainly didn’t feel like I was going to win anything today. But suddenly a few carp started showing themselves a long way out, so I shipped out to 14.5m and started slapping. Took 10 minutes to hook one, wasn’t on long as the line had gone over the pole and it snapped. The wind had picked up blowing right in my face and it meant I needed to slap a bit harder and into the wind. I took 4 carp and lost a fouler before it died. There were two hours left and it was now margin fishing till the end I decided. No signs short, but found if I fished at 11m right next to the reeds I could now catch. Had a couple of 10 to 12lb carp and I was getting a good smattering of mirrors not just common carp. 

Leighton Palmer came for a walk around (not fishing as he overslept today lol) and I started to catch really well with him there. He said that it was close between myself, Nick Sanders on 1 and Mat Tainton on 9. I could see Mat bagging short on meat. The margin then died and no reeds were moving, I went to 13m down to the green reeds and found the carp again. I had a couple of carp all day go into the reeds, but got them all out. Match over and I thought I had 120 to 130lb but wasn’t sure if that would beat Mat.

Towner was on the scales and he started with me, the final tally was 132lb 4oz.

Either side of me Jon on 11 had 61lb and snapped his number 7 section! Paul on 11 had 56lb. Last week these pegs all had tons, and I think the carp have moved about a bit since then. I watched Mat weigh in and it was looking close, but I got the verdict as he weighed 122lb 10oz. He fished really well and is a very consistent money winner here. Nice for me to finally get a win 😄.

Nick Sanders took 3rd with 109lb, mostly caught shallow. 

The silvers winner was fishery manager Kev Winstone with 30lb 5oz of skimmers mostly on corn. Winners of both prizes pictured below, Kev is just back from his honeymoon in the sun, and was given a new nickname by Leighton of “Peter Andre” lol.

That’s it now for a couple of weeks as I am busy the next two weekends, nice to finally get a decent carp peg and a win. Tight lines.