Viaduct Fishomania 14/04/12

Before going onto White Acres for a festival, I was booked into the fisho at Viaduct, "en route" so to speak. I was travelling down with team mate John Dewberry, and we had both said that if the big fish in spring lake didn't feed that you needed to be on Campbell. So after a bit of banter it was to the draw, John was first, peg 114 on Campbell, a very good peg in the area you wanted to be on the lake. I was next, 119, not to bad it's in a corner, and usually in matches it has a bit of room, but not in the fisho as every peg is used. Arriving at my peg it was obvious that my options were limited, so a two prong attack based around meat was the order of the day. I couldn't go beyond 14.5m without inter fearing with the peg on the end bank ( which is not normally in) so a line was going to be here, as well as the long margin down to my right towards the tree, depending on how brave I was feeling!

An 0.16 rig straight through to a green hollow for the line at 14.5m in front of me, an up in the water rig on similar tackle in case they come up in the water, as i was intending to feed a few pieces of meat regularly with a catapult. Some stronger gear was needed for the margin line as the fish can bolt straight into the tree, so 0.18 straight through to orange "bungee" elastic should do the trick! I was going to start at 13m down the edge, before if needed going brave at 14.5m, which is dangerously close to the tree and just asking for trouble! At least at 13m I had a chance! At the all in I cupped a small amount of meat down the edge at 13m, I didn't want to spook them to early, as I felt the fish needed to settle after the commotion of everyone setting up and getting to there pegs etc.

I started on the depth rig and started trickling a few pieces of meat round the float, after ten minutes or so I had my first bite and was latched onto my biggest fish of the day of about 9lbs, after a hard fight it was in the net and a nice start. It took another 15 minutes or so before the next one this time one of 4lbs. One more followed in the first hour, before a time to switch to the margin line. I had three fish almost instantly, having to throw the pole behind me in a bid to stop the carp from making it to the tree. The bites dried up and it was obvious that the fish had backed off into the tree, so I trickled a bit of bait at 14.5m, hoping that I could get them out before they do a Ray Mears and "go bush"! It took a while for another bite, I would get a couple then I would have to wait for the fish to get their confidence back and venture out from their lair! apart from the first hour I never had another bite out in open water that's despite feeding it regularly. The end of the match was fast approaching and I was still getting a bite or two, but not enough, the fish were very cagey, despite that I was enjoying the match and not once did I loose one in the tree! (I would say skill but plenty would say i was just lucky!) at the all out I had beaten all those around me, but could see fish being caught further down the lake. I weighed in 54lb 12oz, good enough for third in section. Commiseration's must go out to John, who had had a good match on 114, just missing out on qualifying by one fish, finishing second overall picking up some coin, not the big money cheque of the final, but at least a bit of beer money, I fear he might need much beer and whiskey, just to get him through the week! It was nice to pull a peg from the hat that I felt that I had a chance to compete on, other than the total dross that I normally pull at fishos! The way I look at it someone has to pull them, so it might as well be me!