float only rnd 1 viaduct

another cold and windy day with a moderate north easterly blowing ,just what you need for a float only. we ended up with 56 fishing , the same number as last year which is good.
trigger aka craig edmunds was at the front of the queue today so he drew for me , the magic fairey dust off his head must have been on his hands as he drew 66 for me which is in the top left corner of lodge lake (another flier) a good section peg , and mike nicholls won the first round off it last year with 140 lb on paste .
3 rigs today , a 4x14 impact 6 with a 16 6313 to .12 for skimmers(hopefully)at 8 mtrs on meat, and 2 4x12 j range 3,s with .16 to a 16 b960 for banded pellet up to my left by the empty pallet and under the trees.
at the start i cupped in some cubed meat at 8 mtrs and started firing in 6,s to my left by the empty pallet.
starting on the meat line it took 15 mins to get my first bite and duly played the carp to the net , where it fell off, usual first fish lost then. i did stick with the meat for the first hour and a quarter just to let the inside line settle, i did land a 7lb carp during this time but bites were nearly non excistent on this so i put in a big pot of meat in and went down the edge, but apart from a good hybrid and a couple of iffy bites that was rubbish aswell(this wasnt going to plan). back out on the meat line and a skimmer was all i had in the next 20 mins, while i had been chasing my tail around a bit shaun townsend had been fishing further out than me on 67 and had had a carp and several skimmers on soft pellet, so i cupped in 1/2 a big pot of 4mm,s at 14.5 mtrs and went back down to my left, i had a bite within a couple of minutes and a 5 lb carp was in the bag, now there was some fizzing out in front where i had put the 4,s so i changed the hook on the skimmer rig to a size 18 b960 for hair rigged banded pellet, slipped a 6 into the band and shipped out , first bite and a 8lb carp in the net , back out and another one within minutes , after that i cupped in some more 4,s and went back down the edge all this time i had been firing 6,s down the edge . now the fish had arrived as i was getting indications and bites all the time and i started putting a few fish in the net, every time it went a bit quiet down by the pallet i went out in front , sometimes i would get a carp and sometimes i wouldnt get a bite ,either way it seemed to help the inside line as i would go back in and get a couple off fish. by the end i had taken 16 carp which would go over 100 lb, as i had my back to carey and cambell lakes i didnt really know how they had fished but as far as i could see i had done enough to win my lake .
due i think mainly to the shit weather my 16 carp which went 126.14 was enough for first on the day, even though i fell foul off the 80 lb net limit again as i had 3 oz to much in one net(lol)
2nd was fred roberts on 121(cambell)with 108.2 again on hard pellet
3rd martin pettifer 97.9 peg 86 on the wag
4th gary etheridge 87.5 peg 126
5th clayton hudson 84.15 peg 128
6th dave evans 83.3
top silvers niel mercer 35.9 on 125 skimmers and tench on hard pellet at 14.5 mtrs
even with the water only at 13c there is always one fool who is going to drop something in, and today it was the last of the southmead gnomes , leon hubbard who dropped in the 16 mtr bit off his tourney pro hence the reason he was seen strutting his stuff up and down the bank in a very fetching pair of boxers (not a pretty site), caroline must be a very understanding person.
also steve (the beast)preece is now offering his services as an angling guide at bullocks farm the only payment he is looking for is a tin of lidl,s economy baked beans , good value me thinks thats the beans ,not steve