Viaduct WL Rd 1, 15/01/2012

This match saw 95 pegs spread over all 5 lakes at Viaduct, the section breakdown was:

A – Campbell

B – Cary Pegs 77 to 102

C – Lodge and Cary Pegs 74, 76, 103, 105, 107 – This section is Float only

D – Match and Spring Pegs 1, 2, 3 (flyer), 4, 5,

E – Spring 6 to 28

The first match would be a random draw and then you would rotate through the other sections in turn. It was after reading this that I made my first mistake and started panicking about bait even before I had got to the venue. I booked Caster, worm and maggot well in advance of the event even though I was not sure of where I would be pegged, and then ion the morning the team met up at Mac Donald’s and gave Trev the captain the money for team Tosspot. He went to the draw and we bomb burst to the venue, I picked up my bait, sorted my kit onto my barrow, had a brew and waited. Trev arrived and gave out the pegs; I instantly had mixed feelings about my destination for the day. As I had wanted to get loads of bait to be ready for all eventualities I had saved my super pools money to pay for wrigglies, as a team plan this was sound especially if I ended up in a pants peg scratching. However, Trev passed me peg 3 on Spring and I knew that I had wasted 30 pounds on bait and that I should have paid into the super pools.

Peg 3 on Spring has been a very consistent winter peg at Viaduct for a few years due to the carp congregating in it tight to the island, to that end when I got to my peg I set out my keepnets, made sure that my seat box was comfy on the ample platform and then clipped up 2 identical bomb rods tight to the island.

My tackle for the day was a 10ft Force Commercial Bomb rod with a Backfire 30 reel loaded with 8lb mainline. The business end consisted of a free running snap link swivel on the mainline resting on a small bead protecting the knot on the back of another snap link swivel. I use a snap link swivel as it allows me to change hooklengths quickly and also unlike a quick change bead the swivel reduces spin in the hooklength on the retrieve. My hooklengths were 0.18 or 0.20mm Cenex line with a size 14 QM1 attached to the end and a quickstop set to hold the bait on the hair. Both rods were set up identically and then I walked around the lakes annoying the rest of the team for an hour.

I was sat down and ready to go with my hook baited and ready at the all in, my plan was soo simples, cast out a bread hookbait every 15minutes and hope that a few carp ate them. After an hour I had 3, so not a bad start, I then had a lean spell with only another 4 carp finding their way into the keep net over the next 2 ½ hours but as the light started to fade the fish turned on and I landed another 4 and lost 2 more (both in incidents with the tree to my left) over the last hour and a half. All of the fish had been caught on popped up bread 6 inches to a foot off bottom and I also had a couple of indications that I am sure were fish getting away with it. My 11 fish weighed in at 110lb 15oz and the last fish weighed on its own went 17lb odd (HORSE), the rest of the team had had mixed results, Pez on Campbell had struggled for 4 hours and then found a run of carp on the wag at 13m!!!!! For a 4^th in section. John Dewberry had been sat in a corner on Lodge and caught a few carp in the first half of the match before the wind changed and he was able to watch the guy opposite start to catch. Trev managed 4 fish from a difficult area on Cary and Stu managed to avoid a blank from peg 9 on Spring that seemed devoid of any fish life for most of the day. On the day the team was top and I was second overall, first had come from a peg to my right and he had caught around 6 carp for over a ton in the last hour, IMPRESIVE!!.

All we need to do is keep these results coming and with the team we have got we should do alright, I just hope Trevs drawing arm stays fit.