pics from Conwy

Sumo, did you really fish for carp????

Pato, your Xmas wish is granted

Here, John can catch carp......in June

Pato arriving at Conwy...who said it was icy?

Pato and Sumo stop for a snack on the way home

XMAS MATCH @ CONWY ON 19th Dec

It was decided at the meeting on Tuesday that for the Xmas match members would be expected to bring a bottle (of alcohol),with the winner getting first choice, runner-up second choice etc, so everyone will go home with a bottle too. The club will also be donating a prize, which will be the subject of a raffle for those attending.

CONWY, 5/12/10 ~ What a quackin' days fishing

Following the recent spell of arctic weather, you could be forgiven for questioning the sanity of those who chose to fish this match. An apparent slight thaw hadn't really happened, and a frozen lake greeted us. Good job Wirral had fished the previous day, and broke the ice on enough swims for us. Most needed to be broken again, but with a lot less effort. A big thanks to Gary Chambers for clearing the pegs again. Two swims had remained ice free, due to every duck on the lake being in one place. The lucky anglers to draw these were Yozzer and Jamie. I say lucky only because there was little or no ice to clear. Them bloody ducks were a noisy bunch, and spent most of the day splashing around in the water.
It certainly didn't affect the fishing as Yozzer ran out the winner with 25lb 08oz of maggot caught roach from a 5m line. (I would have fished long but the ice wouldn't let me).
Runner-up, and thoroughly enjoying himself, was big Neil Paterson. Not only did he catch skimmers, F1s and some nice looking goldfish, which tipped the scales at 18lb 12oz, he was like a kid in a sweet shop watching a robin sit in his bait box eating maggots. Nice job Neil, or should I say David Attenboro', good to see you enjoy the day out.
Just for once John Heald used his vast venue knowledge, and decided not to fish for carp. A rare sight at the weigh in was John bringing 18lb 04oz of roach to the scales, which was enough to get him on the podium. Well done JH, a sight to behold, especially seeing you impail a maggot on a size 12 paste hook!
With further weights of 16, 2x 14, and a couple of 12s, everyone admitted that it was worth the journey, and had an enjoyable day's fishing.

HAMPTON SPRINGS, LONG ISLAND, 14/11/10 ~ Mr. Crabtree would be impressed

Sod's Law again! Hampton had been producing good weights for months then along came Eggy Ferry. Talk about tough....flat calm and frosty, the fishing never got going.
Dave Cargill turned back the clock and, with little colour in the water, decided to use the good old fashioned waggler with maggot. Mr. Crabtree would have been so proud as Cargy put half  a dozen quality carp in his net and won the match comfortably with 26lb 08oz. A very impressive display Dave.
Also fishing a good match with rod and line was Lee Pickup, who cast a maggot feeder into Zimbo's peg and caught an assortment of species to record 21lb 04oz and ease into second place. Well done Lee.
Mr.Consistency, Dave Norman caught 4 fish, 2 carp, a tench and a skimmer to complete the podium with a weight of 12lb 14oz.
Just behind with 12lb 08oz was Pete 'zimbo' Delamaine, who is fast becoming "the thief II" as he won a section again. Zimbo caught a decent carp on pole with maggot, and added a few skimmers on the tip from Lee's peg. Good stuff Pete.
Venue regular Yozzer managed 11lb 04oz (1 carp, 2 perch and 5 gudgeon) to salvage some respectability as the other section winner.
With Norman Smith taking a break from his quest for a specimen dace, the Golden Nugget was back on and Norm reduced the deficit in a low weight affair. With 4 more scheduled outings this year, he could just about scrape a draw....we'll see.

CONWY, 7/11/10 ~ Sumo passes the test

Arriving at the venue, all the car park talk was of the Saturday match and a winning weight of 119lb (By the way, brilliant Simo). I believe it's really scary in this situation. Obviously everyone wants to have a good day's fishing, but drawing the peg piles on the pressure, and you're in a no win situation - win and it's a flier, don't win and you're a muppet!
Well, John Edwards drew the peg and passed the test with flying colours, winning the match comfortably after bringing 50lb 08oz of mainly carp to the scales. After a few early fish on the 'thod, the sun moved round sufficiently for Sumo to see a float, and fishing 4mm pellet shallow, he caught steadily throughout the match. On a day when most of the other known carp pegs did not produce, Sumo delivered, so well done.
The Gnome was relieved to draw a peg with little carp form, and after a brief spell early looking for quality, he concentrated on silvers by fishing maggot shallow, and weighed a pleasing 35lb 08oz of roach (1 carp, 2lb), to finish in second place. Wow, that was enjoyable.
Ken Stuart maintained his form revival, and also demonstrated the diversity of Conwy by catching 27lb of mainly skimmers to complete the frame. Good stuff from the master.
Gary Chambers also caught a skimmer dominated net, on corn, to win a section with 24lb 12oz. Consistent as ever, Gary.
The other section went to Jamie Pickup, who christened yet another new pole ( well it's back to the Sensas actually), with a few quality carp and F1s which went 26lb 04oz. Nice one Jambo, or should that be Wagbo, the son of Wagner?
Finally an apology from me to Sumo. After a short quiet spell for John, which coincided with me catching small roach at a rate of knots, he shouted over that he was worried that I was catching up with him, and I responded with, "f^%* off you sarcastic twit", but it seems he was genuinely concerned by my catch rate, so Sorry John.

LINGMERE, 24/10/10 ~ Kenny comes in from the cold

Following an overnight frost and a new moon, the usually prolific Lingmere fell to the Eggy curse. Generally, members struggled to put two bites together, and returns were disappointing.
Kenny Stuart has had a quiet time of it lately but came in from the cold to display red hot form and won the match with 25lb 04oz, He fished red maggot for a mix of carp, F1s, barbel and skimmers, to prove he really is the Master catcher.
In second place, and again using maggot, was Peggy Lee, whose 22lb 08oz consisted of quality barbel, carp and F1s. Must be some Stuart blood in there somewhere. Well done Mike.
After his recent success at Yewtree, Dave Norman proved as consistent as ever, and having fed caster, presented a pellet over the top and caught F1s to the tune of 17lb 02oz to take third place. Another solid effort Dave.
Venue regular, Pete Delamaine, crept into the money with a section win, his level 12lb consisting of mainly maggot-caught Crucians. He did however, finish with a financial deficit as he broke a pole section. Unlucky Pete, but a good performance.
Dave Cargill was in the money again, with a section winning 14lb 08oz, on maggot and worm. Keep up the form Dave , you'll be able to retire soon.
Congratulations to Lee Pickup, who crowned a steady year by winning the 2010 Knockout competition. Nice one Lee.
John Edwards had a rollercoaster ride. Having drawn a decidedly average peg, he then found a few fish, but as fast as they were hooked they were lost in a classic display of angling incompetence. Seems one or two may have been 'Choppered', that's foul-hooked in English. Just as Sumo was thinking the win was slipping away, news of Ken's weight came filtering through, and as John had guessed at 29lb, he scraped in with ounces to spare and took the lottery money. I think I speak for everyone when I say we're delighted for you John, especially as he also added another Norman nugget to his collection.

BORDER MATCH LAKE, 3/10/10 ~ Wet and miserable...The Gnome, not the fishin'

For the smokers amongst you, this was definitely a 30 fag match, trouble was lighting them. With torrential rain and bites at a premium, even for maggot drowners, this match was still fished in good spirits. Personally I would rather have walked round the lake, in the rain, with a nail in my boot, but hey.
John Edwards continued his recent form and managed to find 5 carp and a few bits on corn, to win with an honourable 22lb 12oz. Well done Sumo, but you're boring us now, and the Caernarvon beer sales are down.
Following a great win at Hampton last week, which unfortunately went unreported, Steve Coleman also maintained recent good form. After struggling to catch during the first half of the match, Steve made an inspired tactical change, and started to fish maggot shallow for carp. He hooked and landed 3 good specimens, and took second place with 16lb 12oz.  Hang on,......no he never, he decided to scratch a few roach out on maggot and got lucky with carp! Whichever is true, the money's in your pocket Steve, good fishing.
Proving that you should always wait for the fat lady was Ian Simpson, whose 5lb+ carp hooked in the last two minutes, propelled him into third with 15lb 14oz. Nice one Simo.
Making a rare appearance was Paul Cargill, and it proved worthwhile too, as he found some quality fish on treble maggot to bring 13lb 04oz to the scales , and pick up the section money. Just shows you Paul, there's more to life than beer and boobs.
The other section was won by Ken daddy Pickup, whose two carp weighed 10lb 08oz, wow what an enjoyable day's fishing you had!
Just to prove that the Eggy is cursed, a club on the opposite side showed the true potential of this marvellous fishery by weighing in 40-60lb bags all along there stretch.
.

BRON EIFION WEEKEND, 18 & 19 Sep 2010 ~ Jedward at the double!

Just when we thought we'd seen the last of those annoying little s***s called John and Edward, along comes Sumo, AKA John Edwards, with his very own double act at Bron Eifion. According to John it was actually a treble, as he wants to include his victory in Friday's 3-peg warm up at Eisteddfa as well.
OK, here goes....John, Pato and Yozz arrived mid-morning on Friday and decided on a little knockup. A very good start to the weekend, as Sumo won with 31lb of carp and fantail F1s caught on pole fished paste at 7metres.Yozz was second with 28lb, and Pato won his section, Brilliant.

DON'T MESS WITH LILY

On Saturday morning, with no opportunities of a walk of shame, Sumo headed off to his peg, committed to a full 6 hours. In the meantime, at the other end of the dam wall, Lee Godwin had a date with Lily. Despite warnings of her being a tough cookie if you got too close, Lee sidled up to her, and first chuck she had him in her grasp. Lee wriggled free, but went in for the kill again, and this time she grabbed hold of his top kit and pulled it off. After 3 or 4 further goes, and a couple of lost rigs later, the top kit lying next to Lily served it's purpose and he kept his distance.
Big John meanwhile, had alternated between pole n paste and the method feeder, to amass 57lb of carp and F1s to win the match. An impressive debut at Bron, well done John.
Right at the other end of the lake, on the dreaded shallows, Lee Pickup fished an absolute blinder, and using the 'thod, brought 55lb 12oz to the scales. A great effort Lee, unlucky.
Jamie Pickup is fast becoming the kiddie on Bron, as, following last year's victory with Chopper in the pairs, he again made the frame with a 47lb 10oz net of carp. Good stuff, Jay.
He also took an early lead in this year's pairs, as partner Kenny Pickup shared a section with another Bron debutant, Tony Wilson. Both weighed in with a solid 39lb 08oz. Well done boys.
Sneaking a win in the other, tougher section, with 19lb 04oz was Mike Wilde, who proved that he can fish a bit, even after a bellyful of ale. Nice one Chop.

IT'S A DOUBLE PICKUP

Sunday morning, and most were on their pre-drawn pegs bright n breezy. However, that soon changed to wet n breezy as the weather took a turn for the worse.
With Lee scared to look Lily in the eye, and Brian due to face her, along with Chopper they just made their pegs in time for the all-in. Away from Lily, Lee had a far better second day, and finished with a very creditable 40lb.
Sumo fished a similar match to day 1 but "struggled" to catch on pole n paste. Before anyone sheds a tear for John, the method feeder worked for him, and he duly completed the double with another superb catch of 52lb 08oz.
From a peg on the shallows which didn't produce on day one, Dave Cargill caught from first cast to last using method feeder with Halibut pellet, and weighed 47lb 04oz to claim second spot. Well done Dave.
Jamie enhanced his Bron reputation with another fine effort and another third place. Jay caught consistently on pellet fished shallow, and brought 43lb 04oz to the scales. A great 2-day performance.
Strangely, as on day one, the dam wall section was split. With the help of the fish of the weekend, a carp, circa 14lb, Pete Lucas weighed 31lb 08oz. There's no place in our club for sponsored anglers! Joking, well done Pete.
Dave Norman had the same weight, carp caught on the 'thod. Consistent as ever Dave, well in.
The shallows section was won with 43lb by Gary Chambers. This included 20lb of roach to go with an assortment of F1s, skimmers, and small carp. Another brilliant performance, but I'll say it again, maggots should be banned till winter.
Ken and Jamie Pickup finished as pairs winners with a collective 158lb, a big round of applause to them.
A great weekend for Jedward, but I think we're all winners because once again it was a very enjoyable weekend for all. A thank you from me for your great company, and a massive thanks to Arthur and Dave, without whom there would be no weekend. 

GORSTY HALL 12/9/10 ~ Sumo wins the clash of the titans....just

Gorsty Hall provided its usual mix of consistent sport for all, a fair drawbag, and the chance for each angler to do their own thing. When you see the result, you could be forgiven for thinking that this was a pie-eating contest, but no, it was a bona fide Eggy Ferry fishing match.
John Edwards is fast becoming the guru of Gorsty after yet another great performance at his favourite venue. Sumo chopped and changed his approach to catch a combination of carp and crucians, and a few pasties, on margin pole, paste at 9metres and a few on the method feeder. His total was 26lb 12oz, which just about secured victory, well done John.
In second place, not even beaten by a quarter-pounder with cheese and fries, was the Jolly Green Giant, Neil Paterson. Agony for Pato when the scales wouldn't go past 26lb 08oz. He caught a few early margin fish on paste before switching to the pellet waggler, and added small carp throughout the match. A great effort, I think he likes Gorsty now.
The Gnome went against his usual principles and fished long pole at 9metres with pellet, and sneaked into the frame with a mix of cruies, skimmers and small carp, to weigh 22lb.
Picking up some coin for the first time since joining the club was Tony Wilson. Despite being on his stagnight the night before, he didn't overdo the celebrations, and was rewarded with a section win after weighing 17lb odd of pellet waggler caught carp. Nice one Tony, now you've won some money, can we start abusing you?
A bonus carp of about 5lb, the best of the match, boosted Jammie Pickup from also-ran to section winner, as his final total added up to 21lb. Jay had winkled a few skimmers, pasties and crucians out on pole and method. Money goes to money as the say, well in Jay.
A little drama at the payout, with Sumo unable to believe he had won, after a wind-up over Pato's weight, and then Arthur mischieviously gave Tony the third place money, much to the concern of Yozzer. I'm a pensioner you know!

LOWER RIDGE, SAUGHALL, 5/9/10 ~ Windy at Saughall? Don't believe it

On the rare occasion that it's not windy at Lower Ridge, it proves to be a cracking venue. However, all too often it's a howling gale which makes presentation difficult, and the fishing suffers. Today the match was fished in a stiff breeze, and turned into a struggle for most.
Quite how some even tried to fish at 16metres is hard to fathom but personally I think psychiatric help should be sought before this illness spreads through the whole membership.
Gary Chambers only needed three sections of pole, even though he drew a sheltered, but average peg. He got the trusty maggots out AGAIN, and they worked for him too, as he managed a runaway victory, weighing 23lb 07oz of silvers with 4 or 5 small barbel thrown in. Good fishing Gary.
Mike 'peggy' Lee was again in the Saughall money, even managing to stay within the confines of his own peg! With the help of a donkey weighing 11lb, he added a few bits n bobs to total 17lb 12oz and claim the runner-up berth. Well done Peg, dont forget to share with Chopper.
Sumo Edwards stayed to the end of another match and was suitably rewarded. King of the pineapple T-bag, John used the conker this time round to catch 17lb 05oz of small carp. Although I did the walk of shame, it was worth it to see a legend in action and he showed me how to do it. What a Guy.
With family commitments limiting his fishing this year, Steve Coleman made an all too rare appearance, but proved he's still got what it takes by catching 12lb 08oz of mainly small carp, to win his section. Mustard!
After drawing the best peg on the lake, Dave Norman fished the lead rather than risk his Maver pole in the wind. It proved a good decision as he caught a few and finished with 13lb 10oz to win the other section. Nice one Dave, stick at it, you could be a good un when you grow up mate.

BIRKENHEAD TOP PARK, 22/8/10 ~ Who invited them???

With a host of different venues fishing hard of late, the 'toppy' followed suit and only fished half as good as last time. An assortment of faces had appeared during the preceding week, having a little practice, and they had found the lake in stubborn mood. All the main weights were down 50%. 
With half a dozen guests booked on, it was a competitive affair, with all the money winners thinking they hadn't done too well.
Our winner was a venue regular in the shape of John Robbo, who made no mistake from peg 24 (successful last time), with a mix of skimmers, crucians ,and the odd tench which fell to 6mm expanders. Robbo weighed in with 14lb 04oz. Congrats to John.
Second spot went to our very own Gary Chambers, who managed to winkle out 10lb of skimmers on pellet, which was a good effort on the day. Might spend his winnings on a new tosspot instead of borrowing mine.
The bronze medal went to another guest in the shape of Dave 'spadger' Lynch. Dave said he was struggling until he added secret squirrel to his pellets, and the transformation enabled him to bring 9lb 06oz of mainly skimmers to the scales. Well in Spadge.
The section prizes were amazing..... John Heald and Gary Brislin shared one section with 6lb 08oz apiece, while Neil 'green giant' Paterson and The Gnome split the other section with.....6lb 08oz. Unbelievable, I think we need new scales. It did, however, mean that the money was well spread.
As predicted by Sumo, Norman took yet another nugget to narrow the gap, but credit where it's due, John stayed on his peg until the end, unlike some!!!
No names mentioned regarding the walk of shame, I've been there myself :-)

LOWER RIDGE, SAUGHALL 15/8/10 ~ Fisho Star nets a Hat-trick

For someone with the talent to reach a Fishomania Final (albeit 1999), Gary Brislin has kept a remarkably low profile in Eggy matches. Over the past month or so he's found a rich vein of form, and completed a hat-trick of wins when he brought 32lb 08oz to the scales. He used his sloppy paste again and caught a succession of small carp and F1s. If you win next week you are getting a letter from the committee. Top fishin Gary, but you have been warned!
The penny has finally dropped for our runner-up. Jamie Pickup has been adamant that doubled-up 6 elastic would handle anything. Well not today, if only Jamie had landed everything he hooked... but then if me auntie had balls she'd be me uncle. Jay actually managed to put 31lb 06oz into his keepnet, including a munter of 10lb 06oz. Smashin, super, luvly.
Following a dismal start looking for carp, Gary Chambers abandoned the idea after a couple of hours and started fishing shallow with maggot. He caught quality silvers for the rest of the match to secure third place with a cracking net weighing 28lb 08oz. Personally I don't think maggots should be allowed between May and November.
Lee Pickup was next to his Bruvver Jay, and fished the method feeder for the most part. It brought him a satisfying 20lb 12oz, and a section win. Oops, whose the daddy?
Yozzer Hughes had a level 24lb of small carp and F1 hybrids to collect the other section. He was, however, punished for running a squirrel over on the way to the match. Having hung onto a rather large and angry carp for over thirty minutes, his elastic snapped and away went the carp, the laccy, and his favourite rig! Remember, God is watching you.
Another hat-trick man was Norman, as he clawed his way back into the Golden Nugget with a third victory from the last 4. Think it's game on, what about you, Sumo?

VENUE ADDITION AND CHANGE

An additional match has been arranged for Sunday 15th August, at Lower Ridge Farm, Saughall....draw 8.30
The match on Sunday 22nd August has been re-arranged for Birkenhead Top Park....draw 9am

BADEN HALL, DONUT 8/8/10 ~ Gary likes donuts too, just like Pato

Considering all the rain we've had in the last three weeks, the big mystery on Sunday was where's the water gone? Levels were down about a foot, leaving bare banks on the island, and inches of water for the carp to patrol in. This made for a difficult day, and a change to original plans.
Following Pato's success last time, jolly green giant was brought by the wheelbarrow this time. On the all-in, yellow peril was piled in with gay abandon, the carp appeared, and just as swiftly vanished as poles were waved over their heads in the shallow water.
Quite how Gary Brislin managed to resist the lure of the corn is hard to fathom, considering he is Pato's travelling partner. But he shunned the yellow stuff in favour of paste. It proved to be a wise decision as he ended up a narrow winner with 41lb 08oz of carp. Good use of venue experience Gary, well done.
Daddy Pickup was bridesmaid again, and brought 39lb 12oz of mainly carp to the scales, caught at 16m on meat and corn. Keep at it Ken, that win wont be long in coming.
Third place was a triumph for improvisation. After seeing carp shy away from the pole, Dave Norman attached a method feeder to his rig and swung it to the island. Suddenly the ultra cautious carp fed with confidence and he weighed 34lb 12oz. Clever thinking Dave.
Dave Cargill managed 4 carp and a skimmer to record 16lb 04oz and win a section.Venue knowledge again, he was on the same peg as last time.
Ian Hughes sat back and watched the corn bombardment around him, and decided to fish at 5metres for skimmers. He caught about 10lb worth before switching to paste at 14metres to snare 4 late carp and finish with 25lb 06oz which secured the other section.
Jamie was the first to take the walk of shame, but Sumo was the main source of amusement. 6 hour match...2 hours in, Sumo cries "only 4 an half hours of misery left". Maths isn't his strong point, he only attended 70% of his lessons, and played truant from the other half. With an hour to go he emptied his keepnets (3 skimmers) and hung them to dry. He then proceeded to catch a couple of lumps from where his nets had been, DOH!

BIRKENHEAD TOP PARK, 25/7/10 ~ 'Team Kenny' and a trip down memory lane

Everyone reckoned that the Gnome should win because he's fished it 27 times in the last month, but half the club have been fishing this lake for the last 30 years. Okay, so 'team Kenny', (Pickup n Stuart) haven't been for 15 years but they still used their experience to give us the old one two. For those who'd been before it was a real trip down memory lane, and for those who hadn't it was a pleasant surprise that a park lake should be such a nice environment. The surroundings of the lake haven't changed much, but the water itself has. Its now 4/5 feet deep with comfortable, well spaced pegs, and its been stocked full of fish.
Ken Stuart had a fish pretty much every put in for three hours before a dramatic slowdown dented his catch rate, He caught at three metres on soft 4mm pellet, and put skimmers, crucians, and the odd tench and roach in the net. When weighed, his bag totalled a level 29lb, and gave him a comfortable win. Well Done Ken, paid again to have a good days fishing, can't be bad.
On the other side of the lake, Kenny Pickup was also re-living the good old days, and his 22lb 8oz was made up predominately of skimmers, again caught on soft pellet. A couple of wobbles in the last few weeks, Ken, but you and I know, although your lads are good, you are Daddy Pickup and they shouldn't forget it! 
In third spot, and proving that practice makes perfect, (well nearly) was The Gnome. Despite the local alcoholic advising that he'd caught a bucket full of tench off the peg in the middle of the night, after feeding a whole loaf, and being woken up as we pegged the lake, Yozzer still managed a respectable 22lb 4oz. This was made up of mainly crucians, with a handful of tench, skimmers and roach.
Gary Chambers fished maggot and had 18lb of quality rudd, roach and perch - looks good for the winter - to win a section.
The other section was won by...wait for it....Norman 'no nugget' Smith with 13lb 8oz. He has been learning from Sumo, and declared that he had a 2lb golden tench in his net, but it lost weight in the net and was actually about 12oz. Some pools money and £1 off John, Get in.
It was my wish that we had a match on here, and I hope everyone had a good day out, and was not disappointed. I know the fish are small, but there are plenty of bites for all, and no carp...for a change. OK Lee, you got snapped off three times, could have been big gudgeon or maybe the terrapin has returned.
A big thank you to Mrs Roche for supplying first class bacon butties....and F.O.C. too.

Birkenhead Park Upper lake

Dave has arranged a match at the venue for Sunday 25th July.
 Briefly, the lake has been drained, desilted, and restocked. Average depths are round 4 feet. You will be fishing for tench, mainly around 6 oz, but up to a pound, crucians, roach and skimmers in 4/8oz bracket, and occasional small barbel. There are NO carp (maybe a stray one stocked illegally). 
Best bait will probably be pellet, 4 or 6mm, over micro feed, and possibly maggot. I have also caught on meat, but caster did not catch, and neither did corn. Things may be different for you.
I would envisage a winning weight of 25-30lb (fingers crossed). See you there, and best of luck.

GORSTY HALL, 18/7/10 ~ Sumo finally comes good

Despite a lot of hot air this season, John Edwards has had an up and down year. Three weeks ago he finished third at Whiteacres in a field of 58, weighing in with a brilliant 67lb. ( see my blog on http://www.news-reel.com/_pages/_feedback_blog.asp ) Last week at Yewtree, he did his usual walk of shame, even losing out to Norman in the Golden Nugget. Now, finally, he won his first match of the year at Gorsty. 
John caught some decent sized carp on method feeder cast to the lillies, along with a couple on pole, to secure victory with 30lb 04oz. Cream...top, more like yoghurt, its taken so long. Anyway, well done John.
A very close second, and beating the old man again, was Lee Pickup, who also had a net of carp on the feeder, this time weighing 29lb 08oz. A great performance Lee, unlucky.
Making the frame, and a clean sweep for tip-rods, was Dave Norman with 27lb 04oz. He caught a mixed bag of smallish carp and a few skimmers using pellet feeder and then straight lead. Nice one Dave.
Jamie Pickup made sure Dad finished as family pools fodder by bringing 25lb 12oz to the scales to take the section money. Dave Cargill spent the latter stages of the match bit bashing for small silvers down the edge and it proved decisive. The extra ounces saw him creep into the section money with 20lb 12oz.
A strange match, with the usual moans of crap fishing, but only a couple failed to reach double figures. Sometimes I think we just moan for the sake of it!
Following a brief rally at Yewtree last week, Norman was back to normal this week and enhanced Sumo's winnings by a further nugget...must try harder.
Although I thought about making light of it, Tony Byers had a serious near miss on Sunday. He caught a few fish and nearly got slime on his bib n braces....Sorry! About an hour into the match, everyone heard a large 'thud'. It turned out that a stray golf ball had gone right through Tony's preston box. Inches either way and who knows.........Glad you're ok, Cockney Boy.

Additional Matches

Fellas, please see venue list as Dave has booked additional matches since the first list was published. Knockout second round draw is also posted.
See you at Cheshire Cheese for the meeting on Tuesday 6th July, or at the next match, which is now Sunday 11th July at Yew Tree

BORDER CANAL, 13/6/10 ~ Kenny hit by Yellow Peril, again!

I hope all you canal fanatics are happy now. This one proved harder than the Shroppy at Backford in the middle of January. The only good thing was it made for a very close and competitive match, with ounces separating the places, and a full attendance till the all-out, as one fish could have changed everything. For some, one fish was enough, imagine blanking on a 'commercial'?
With striking similarities to Baden Hall, the Jolly Green Giant, and Canal legend that is Neil Paterson, started off on corn, and with 5 bream and a couple of 2lb carp, soon raced into what became an unassailable lead. He then fished the real match with the rest of us for three hours, catching diddlysquat, before finding a 6lb lump down the edge. At the scales Neil weighed 24lb 4oz, to take the spoils, and confirm that he will not be looking for golf clubs on Ebay after all. Well done big fella.
Trying to play catch-up again was Ken Stuart, but he couldn't quite recover from the early dose of yellow peril. Fishing 6mm pellet tight over, he caught small carp steadily throughout the match, and despite trying to drag the island closer on several occasions, he finished with a more than respectable 18lb 8oz. Another good performance by the master.
In third spot, but not in the pools, was that up and coming starlet called Eddie Quigley. He caught 4lb of silvers on maggot, and then fooled two carp on bread fished shallow, to record 10lb 2oz. Get a paper round Eddie, then you can go in the pools, Nice one son.
Third place coin went to Gary Brislin, who followed the fishery manager's advice and went for silvers on caster. He weighed in 7lb. I wonder if the Patomobile made it home with all that pools money in it?
After going through nearly 3kg of moans, and members on adjacent pegs checking for suicide notes every half hour, Yozzer Hughes actually won his section with 5lb 8oz. Two bites, two carp, what's all the cryin about?
With a weight of 4lb 12oz, the other section was shared between Dave Norman and Rod Coleman. Dave spent some time standing up to fish. I know the rushes were about 2ft 6in tall, but we could still see you sitting on your box........only just though.

LOWER RIDGE,Saughall 6/6/10 ~ Now that's what you call a bonus fish

I don't know about you, but I've thought time and again before a match, guarantee me 20lb and I don't mind coming last. Well, this was a proper match, with 12 weights over 20lb, and a lowest of 15lb. Rod and pole, maggot, pellet, paste and meat all helped to catch fish.
Ken Stuart was plodding along with the rest of the field, when, midmatch, his tip went round and he hooked and landed the bonus fish to end all bonuses. The carp weighed 13.5lb, but more significantly, boosted Ken's total to a match-winning 37lb 8oz. It also took him to within 8oz of his guess for the lottery peg, and added another £80 to the 'Kenny fund'. All that for two red maggots! :-)
The icing on the cake came when Kenny Pickup added to the fund by winning his section with 24lb, and all without a proper pole. Your share of the winnings will pay for new elastics KP.
The main victim of the bonus fish was Gary Chambers, who finished runner-up with 36lb. From the calmest peg on the lake, Gary caught an array of small carp on paste and assorted silvers on maggot. Unlucky.
Ian 'gnome' Hughes stepped up on recent dismal efforts to finish 3rd with a mixed bag of F1s, ide, and skimmers on maggot and soft pellet, which went 29lb 12oz.
Mike Peggy Lee was the other section winner, with 27lb of mainly F1s, caught on tip-fished meat cast into several other pegs. Mind you, the wind was quite strong so it wasn't deliberate, honest. Well done Pegleg.
The Golden Nugget was back on today with a familiar theme. Sumo took the pound, and extended his lead to 8-1.
Apart from the usual Saughall 'breeze' threatening to spoil things, the fishing was so engrossing that nobody had time to moan ...remarkable! As the cockney says, it fishes better with a ripple on it.

BADEN HALL, DONUT LAKE 23/5/10 ~ Pato devours the donut

How many times have Eggy Ferry gone to venues with the promise of big weights, only to be disappointed? Well, despite blistering hot sunshine all day, and loads of fish seemingly more interested in spawning, Baden's Donut certainly produced the goods.
Neil Paterson was singing the venue's praises for weeks, and justified his confidence by catching a near double figure carp first chuck! Thinking that the lake's carp population must be sitting in front of him cos he looked like a large white loaf, with no shirt on, it was soon apparent that the extra large pot of corn he fed at the all-in appeared to be the real attraction. Pato worked his way through 6 tins of jolly green giant, and ended up a happy pink giant (sunburn must hurt tonight) with a winning net of carp weighing 51lb. Well in Pato, presume you wont be jacking it in after all?
After a slow start on the next peg, the Master Catcher Kenny Stuart soon twigged on to the heavy feeding and started to get a few carp on bread (or a piece of Pato's left breast), and a late switch to paste meant his peg got stronger, and he threatened to win it. However, he fell just short with a weight of 47lb. Nice catch Ken, but that hat......?!?
Following last year's success at Baden, the Coleman clan were again in the money, but this time it was Rod who upheld the family honour, with a well earned 37lb net getting him into third place. Guest are always welcome, but not if they're gonna win money. Only joking, well done Rod.
Even though he was getting a bit cheeky, congratulations to Dave Norman on a hard fought section win with 36lb from a slightly dodgy area of the lake. Along with the other section winner, Jamie Wupass, who had a carp net for 29lb, they fished corn, again fed heavily, at 16metres.
Incidentally, I may have nearly blanked, and did the walk of shame, but I did win the most burnt knees contest, COME ON.

HOLMSTON HALL 9/5/10 ~ The less said the better

Apologies from me, but I can't dress this match up into something special. Given advanced details regarding the conditions at the fishery, I'm pretty certain that everyone would have voted to give it a miss.
Under difficult circumstances, Jamie Pickup was a worthy winner with 13lb caught on pellet and maggot. Well done wupass!
Gary Chambers maintained his excellent form with 12lb 8oz of paste caught carp, to claim the runner-up spot.
Dave Norman improved his section win last time out to claim third this time. He brought 9lb 8oz to the scales.
Ken Pickup won a section with 8lb 8oz, while his mate Ken Stuart had to share the other section with John Edwards. Both had 7lb and remarkably tied in their knockout.
Hopefully the next match will see better fishing and a return of the good humour that normally accompanies our outings. 

Any idea what this is?

Is this the Golden Nugget?
Does the boy weigh 12 stone, or are the scales lying?

LLOYDS MEADOW, Badger 2/5/10 ~ That's better.....but not a lot

Following some optimistic reports, and a couple of good pleasure fishing sessions (ask Pato), this match promised to be a vast improvement on our last visit. However, as is usually the way, it proved to be anything but. Too many anglers struggled for bites, and it became a ramblers convention, there were that many walking the bank looking for inspiration, or was it relief from the boredom?
It was not doom and gloom for everyone, and a few members caught impressively, including our winner, Gary Chambers. Mind you he always seems to fish impressively! He went over to the far bank with 16metre pole and corn to put mainly carp in his net, which weighed 42lb 8oz.
Despite catching a personal best tench of 7lb, the scales only registered it at three, so John Edwards ended up with a level 35lb of paste caught specimens to take second place. We really must let Sumo have a flier every week....saves him auditioning for 'grumpy old men'.
Third place went to Kenny Stuart, who again demonstrated his prowess by winkling out 9 or 10 carp from cyanide straight for a level 20lb, while those around him struggled for a bite.
Dave Norman reckons he 'fished it wrong' but still managed 18lb by using pellet fished shallow, and this was enough for a section win.
Following his ton-up catch in the Good Friday open at Lloyds, Yozzer demonstrated what a fluke it was by only bringing 17lb 8oz to the scales this time. However, it was good enough to secure the other section prize.
This Golden Nugget business is looking a bigger mismatch than David and Goliath. Once again Norman couldn't draw breath, let alone a half decent peg. Well that's what he says anyway. With 12 matches left, Norm would do well to write Sumo a cheque for £12 and forget the whole idea!
Dont forget the meeting on Tuesday is at The Cheshire Cheese

GORSTY HALL 18/4/10 ~ Ben Pickup Memorial ~ Ken proves too strong for the T bag

The inaugural running of this match proved to be a lovely celebration in memory of young Ben. This day out was as pleasant as it gets, with warm sunshine, a gentle breeze, a few bites for everyone, and the usual banter in abundance.
No little hiccup seemingly went unnoticed. Chopper lost his one and only plummet, and then fished the whole match at the wrong depth (that's his excuse for DNW anyway). Yozzer lost his hat in the water, to cries of  "no floating hats allowed" and "bit early to throw in the towel". It must have disturbed the fish too, as he also DNW.
Norman lost his pound (as usual), and Steve C lost a crucian trying to swing it to hand..... OK who hasn't ? The biggest shock however, was that Arthur Roche lost the lottery (for all concerned members, we will be having a whip round at the next meeting).
Enough of the frivolity, there was also a serious match going on, which was won by the Master Catcher, Ken Stuart, who had a typical Gorsty net of cruies, skimmers and pasties, to weigh in 34lb 10oz. Ken caught mostly at 13metres on 6 ml pellet.
Having caught a whole lot of nothing in the first couple of hours fishing paste, John Edwards transformed his seemingly empty peg when he played his trump card, the now legendary pineapple T bags. He caught carp steadily until the end of the match and agonisingly (for him anyway) finished with 34lb.
Dave Cargill sneaked onto the podium after a couple of section wins, having caught some quality carp to record 22lb 8oz. Following a comment of "so this is where the big carp are", Dave responded by saying that all the BIG carp were swimming round the lake with his hooklengths attached, he was only weighing the small ones!
Gary Chambers 'scratched around' on a variety of baits to catch 21lb, which included a couple of quality bream, and won a section, while Jamie Pickup also coined again with an assortment of skimmers, cruies and small carp on pellet, which weighed 19lb 10oz.
P.S. A note for Pegleg, if you want rid of your Satnav, I know a bloke with a Sensas pole who might just do you a swap.

Winner Ken Stuart receives the trophy from proud grandad, and Club Chairman, Kenny Pickup

We're in the money!!!

From left to right, Ken Stuart, Dave Cargill, Gary Chambers, John Edwards and Jamie Pickup

HOLMSTON HALL 11/4/10 ~ Welsh Wizard makes the competition disappear

This match was something of a novelty for all those members who have endured the long cold winter. It was fished without coats n hats, in glorious spring sunshine and very little breeze.
However, some things were more familiar, including the first two in the queue for the brown envelopes.
Gary Chambers was our winner, with 23lb 12oz of mainly F1s, caught on paste. Gary has settled into the club nicely, and has a bag full of moans to match the rest of us. He wasn't sure if he'd done enough to win, as his fish were 'only small', and while others struggled for a bite, Gary was bemoaning the fact that he was missing loads of bites! A fine performance though, well done.
Bridesmaid again was Kenny Pickup with another F1 based catch weighing 17lb, to add to his midweek success. With Ken showing such good form this term, there have been calls for a 'dope' test...think we already know the answer to that one.
Right behind was 'my lad' Jamie Pickup, who amazingly, was using the same set of tackle as last week! He secured mainly F1s, with a bonus 2lb bream, and registered 16lb 12oz.
Both section winners enhanced their payout. Arthur Roche demonstrated that it's better to be lucky than good. His skill brought him 16lb, and his luck added £72 to the section money, as he won the lottery....again. Bravo, everyone is delighted for you Art.
Sumo Edwards won the other section with 14lb, and added the now customary nugget to his back pocket. As predicted, now the warmer weather is here we may see a different John...............big and sweaty, not just big! 

Wild Goose Chase

In the quest to find new venues, both for club matches, and to wile away our pensioner years, John Heald and I ventured out on a thoroughly wet and miserable morning. The rumour was that Harthill had dug and opened a new match pool, so we met at Broxton roundabout for 9am, and following a bacon toastie and welcome mug of tea, we made our way to the fishery.
Fortunately for us, the owner arrived just as we pulled into the car park. A brief chat ensued and it  transpired that there were no fish in the new lake yet! Apparently it will be up and running around the end of May. He's moving all the fish from the bottom lake(s) as nobody fishes down there, and specimens will go in the main lake, while the remainder are going into the new match lake.
Anyway, we decided to give the big lake a miss as the wind was howling, and we didn't fancy the walk. Where now? Milton Green, Cheshire, Hampton?
"How about Whitchurch?", asked John, "There's a place called Pool Lodge on the outskirts". I readily agreed, and we set off. Twenty minutes later we were on the other side of Whitchurch, and John pulls into a layby ( no comments about doggin thank you!). He said the directions he has mention the A425, but we could only find the A525. Even if this is the right road, which way do we turn, left or right? We carry straight on for another few miles!
Once again we pulled over, and at that moment, my senility took a break, and my brain started working. I recalled being given directions to a 'big carp' lake about a year ago, and the directions were in my glove box.
I suggested to John that we had two options, Villa farm, which I vaguely knew was in the area, or this carp lake. The directions had a post code, so out of HIS glove box came the SatNav. Off we went again, up hill, down dale, along all sorts of small country lanes, and eventually we passed a sign for 'fishing'. We came to an abrupt halt, and following a brief discussion, decided F88k it, right place or wrong, we'd give it a go.
There was a burger van outside the gates, and they informed us that we should pick a peg and start fishing, the owner would come round and collect his £4 some time later. It was ten to Eleven! Information was that the big lake had carp to thirty, some nice tench, and crucians over 3lbs. Another smaller pool had, amongst other things, some reasonable sized cats. A third pool looked like a match-type water, with an island in the middle, so we picked two pegs and settled in.
I started to catch small skimmers, cruies and gudgeon from the off, while John sat it out on banded pellet. He was eventually rewarded with a few nice tench and a barbel, then he caught several small carp. I caught a bonus bream of 2.5 lbs, and a few tench. When the owner came round he said we could use keepnets (bit late, but good to know for next time?). He said the carp went to 10lb, tench 4lb and some nice barbel.
All in all it was a very pleasant day's fishing, although probably not one you'd go to every week due to the distance (about 40 miles). The added bonus of keepnets is good.
For anybody interested, it's called Marchamley Pools. Just the other side of Whitchurch, on the A41 to Wolverhampton, there's a right turn to Marchamley and Hodnet. Along that road for about 5 miles, and fishery is on the right. Watch out for the burger van.

Pssst! Wanna buy some second hand Wupass? never been used.
Okay then, what about a Garbolino G10? Swap ya for a Tourney Pro....

Help!Where does me spray bar go on this new seatbox, I'm fishin top 4 today so I'll need it

Bloody Hell! Got no pineapple Tbags left....wonder if they'll take PGtips? If only I could win one more nugget, I'd buy some more.

CONWY WATER GARDENS 21/3/10 ~ Dave's not blanking this time

Following some bad days and unlucky draws, including a couple of blanks, Dave Norman stopped the wise-cracks with a great display of pole fishing. He caught so many carp, all at 16metres, that he was glad to hear the 'all-out' so he could have a rest. His carp net weighed 50 odd pound and with another 8lb in his silvers net, he put 66lb 10oz on the scales to record a comfortable, well-deserved victory. Who said Maver poles couldn't handle it? 
Kenny Pickup made sure Mr. Stuart didn't leave empty handed, by producing another solid performance, to follow up his 2nd on Lloyds. Kenny fished hair-rigged chicken lip, to catch mainly quality carp and weighed 46lb 08oz.
As if to prove that Conwy isn't just a carp water, Gary Chambers only had four small F1s in his 3rd placed catch of 43lb 12oz. The rest was made up of good sized skimmers, all caught on paste at nine metres. Great stuff!
Incredibly, another fantastic weight, this time 41lb 08oz of mainly carp, by Lee Pickup, was only good enough for a section win. Well done Lee, don't make a habit of it. John Heald won the other section, this time with a mere 39lb 04oz. Was this really an Eggy Ferry match?
Even the Golden nugget was a class affair for once! Following a few dreadful contests, Norman must have been thinking 2-2 after catching 29lb, but Big John had hurled the tea-bag about 80 yards, into several other swims, and remarkably, he battered Norm again, finishing with 34lb, to win just £1.
Spare a thought for Steve Coleman. He drew poorly, caught 5 roach while carp were getting caught all around the lake, took the walk of shame to the early bath, and then Liverpool got beat by Man U. Take his shoe laces off him quick!!!

LOWER RIDGE, Saughall 14/3/10 ~ Think I'll fish the tip

As the venue seems to have no shelter whatsoever, and the wind was allegedly 25mph (felt more like 50), although everyone set up a pole, most were quickly discarded as it was hard to hold more than about 7metres. Even one gram floats sat horizontally in the water, so the majority were on the tip within half an hour.
Jamie's "new" Garbolino went straight back in the bag in favour of his margin pole, while Sumo wished he'd done likewise, as he broke a no7 section...oops!
Anyway, on to the fishing, and the winner, from an absolute flier of a peg, was Yozzer Hughes, with 15lb 1oz. His catch consisted of small F1s and carp, and a few quality ide, all taken on red maggot, with micros in the feeder.
The next best weight was that of Eddie 'the bread' Quigley with 13lb 2oz, and a similar mix to the winner. Unfortunately for Eddie, he didn't enter the pools, so second prize went to Arthur Roche. The bluenose caught 12lb 2oz of small carp and ide on legered maggot. See what happens when you fish the full match, instead of going early for the football.
Third, and bucking the feeder trend, was Dave Norman, with a pole caught bag of  roach, skimmers and ide weighing 8lb 13oz. Well done Dave.
For the second week running, Dave Cargill sneaked a section win, with 6lb 12oz, nice one partner. Kenny Stuart won the other section with 5lb 14oz.
After showing some good form lately, Chopper decided to handicap himself this week and fished with two blackeyes, and this worked a treat as he was beaten "out of sight".
The golden nugget was a very fair contest this time as both participants drew the worst peg? The warmer weather played into Sumo's hands and he won comfortably.

Weekend at Bron Eifion

Just in case it's gone unnoticed, Arthur has posted details for the weekend at Bron Eifion, which will be on 18 & 19th September.
He has booked 10 twin rooms at the George IV Hotel, at a cost of £68 per room ( that's £34 each ). If you wish to stay on Friday night, please let Arthur know and he will make arrangements for you.
Arthur has also negotiated a deal to get evening meals at a cost of £10 as oppose to the normal £15, nice one. The hotel has been paid for so please get your monies to Arthur A.S.A.P.
With the club membership thriving, demand for places will be keen, so pay up, and guarantee your place on what is bound to be a fantastic weekend.
Thanks for your efforts Art, much appreciated.....BLUE ARMY!!!

Lloyds Meadow 7/3/10 ~ BAD g e r, that's an understatement!!

Wow, what a shocker! 11 dry nets out of 17 anglers tells it's own story. Even the winner, Gary Chambers, would hardly describe the action as prolific, as he weighed in 6 carp for 14lb 13oz. Gary fished at 16metres and rang the bait changes to pick off the odd fish.
Pegged next door, and second, was Ken Pickup, with 10lb 12oz. He had 3 carp in the first 20 minutes, and a further 3 carp in the last hour, all on maggot, again at 16metres.
That man Chopper Wilde crept into the money again, catching a handful of small ide and two carp, all hooked in the top lip!!! His weight was 6lb 04oz.
Dave Cargill won a section with 2 maggot-caught carp for 4lb.
Oops! the other section prize slipped quietly into the lottery peg fund, as no-one managed so much as a bite!
Congratulations to the other money winner on the day, John alias Sumo managed to take a nugget off Norman...hehe, his solitary carp, caught on the first chuck, gave him the incentive to stay for the full five hours.
Finally, I must mention Mr Heald. Hero to zero in 24 hours! Saturday saw him deliver a stunning performance in Wirral's match at Conway, winning with an incredible 126lb, but today his float tip remained dry, as he was a blanker, doh!

Looks like maggots

As you know, we have a match at a new venue on Sunday 14th March.... Lower Ridge farm, Saughall.
It's a bit of an unknown, so six of us decided upon a fact finding knock-up on Wednesday. Here are the results of the mission, so you can start to formulate a plan for the club match.
Everyone caught a few fish.....a few being very true in my case! I fished like a gnome-mark, stubbornly using pellet for the whole match. I ended up with a tench and 10 small ide for about 2lb (DNW).
All the others chopped and changed, and one by one they ended up fishing on maggots. John Heald, after an unsuccessful start on the tip, caught steadily on pole-fished maggot for a mix of quality ide, small carp & F1s, and finished a worthy winner with 16lb 8oz. He's got a future in fishing has that lad!
Gary Chambers was 2nd with a similar mix weighing 10lb 4oz, and Dave Gentile was 3rd with a net of ide, skimmers, F1s and a goldfish for 10lb.
Norman 'the nugget' Smith, had 9lb 12oz of mostly small roach, unlucky for him that it's weight that counts, not numbers.
Hope this will be of use and/or interest to you, see you at the match,and fingers crossed we have a good day out.
P.S. we're having another knock-up next Weds (10th), on Milton Green 3, everyone is welcome.

Wirral Borough Angling Club

As we have members and friends who are also members of Wirral Borough A.C., and Ian Simpson has recently created a blog for that club, I have put a direct link to their site for your convenience.
I have also put a link to venues we are fishing this year, which have their own website.

COMMENTS

Thanks for giving your version of the Yewtree match, Norm. If you can give everyone a step-by-step guide to 'adding comments', I'm sure others will follow suit. This is not the gnome's blog, it's for everyone, so please feel free to post comments, ask questions, or just hurl some friendly abuse.
One question for 'the town crier', wind in your kipper? thought carp followed the wind on these fisheries! Finally, well done Pegleg, sacrificing your own match so as not to humiliate a fellow member. You realised that Norman usually gets horse-shoed, and decided to spare his blushes this time.

YEWTREE 21/2/10 ~ Chopper hands out a pasting

A hastily arranged knock-up turned into a full scale match for the 15 lunatics that travelled through blizzard-like conditions, to the Thornton Hough venue. Within minutes of our arrival, the snow stopped, and we fished in spring sunshine for a couple of hours.
Mike Wilde quickly made sure we were all fishing for second when he landed a carp weighing 10lb+ inside the first hour. To prove it wasn't a stroke of luck, he added a second double figure carp, and a handful of quality skimmers, all on paste, to end up a runaway winner with 26lb 8oz. Well done Chopper.
Neil Paterson gave those around him a masterclass in 'tip' fishing, catching consistently on the bomb with maggot to finish 2nd with 6lb 14oz of ide. And he wanted to fish the canal at Market Drayton, doh!
In 3rd place, having caught just one fish, was potential new member Gary Chambers. His one fish was a terrific tench weighing 5lb 4oz., and to ensure his application for membership is accepted, he did 'lose' another equally big tench!
Section winners were Kenny Stuart (now he can hear the 'all-in' he'll fish the full 5 hours) and Ian Hughes.

FISHOMANIA TICKETS

One of our members, John Edwards (SUMO), has managed to secure tickets to 2 fishomania qualifying matches. He will be fishing at Heronbrook and Octoplus Boldings. Please pass on any personal experiences about these venues as John is clueless as to tactics needed on either water! Anyway we wish him the best of luck. John would also like suggestions as to what he could spend the £25k prize on. For what it's worth I think 25,000 matches against Norman Smith would relieve him of most of it - they have a side bet of £1 at each eggy match!

CONWAY 14/2/10 ~ John makes himself at home on Conway

After a SLOW but safe drive to Conway,we were greeted by a lake partially covered in cat ice. With the ice melting in the first hour of the match, the fishing proved slightly more difficult than normal.
However, John 'homester' Heald showed his class, taking 25lb 8oz of skimmers, F1s and small carp on 6mm pellet fished at 13m, all from an average peg! Ian 'yozzer' Hughes finished 2nd with an all roach net weighing 17lb 12oz. fishing maggot at 5m. John Edwards used the 'tea-bag' with pineapple pellets ( DON'T ASK) and snared 4 or 5 carp to take 3rd place with 15lb 4oz. He also added £80 to his take-home pay by winning the bonus peg. Nice One. Section winners were Arthur Roche and Mike 'chopper' Wilde.
 All in all I think everybody had an enjoyable day on a new (to most) venue.
Finally, due to a double booking with his wife, Dave Norman was unable to fish. Despite a gallant solo effort by John Heald, this undoubtedly handed the winter pairs title to Dave Cargill and Ian Hughes. Congratulations, and commiserations,to the winners and losers.
****Please see added comment****

MORETON BRICKWORKS 7/2/10 ~ Arthur does a ton

13 Brave souls for this one, which turned out to be a toughie. Little in the way of quality, mainly a 'scratch' for a few small roach and perch. However, Ian Hughes managed to fluke a couple of skimmers on the tip with pinkie, ending up with 9lb odd. Ken Stuart found a few better roach to pull the scales beyond 4lb, and Dave Norman stumbled into 3rd with 2lb 8oz of small roach. The big winner though, was Arthur Roche, who had 100lb...... sorry £100, as he won the bonus peg! Well done sir.

welcome to eggy ferry fishing

Hi guys, welcome to the Eggy Ferry fishing blog. I'm hoping to keep you all up to date with the latest info about your favourite fishing club. Not sure how these blogs actually work but i'm hoping to put the fixture list on here, and a small match report after each outing. Feel free to post your own stories, reports or questions on here.