LINGMERE, 23/12/12 ~ It's Jingle Bells for Jamie in Christmas Howler

A great turnout for the Christmas match saw 18 at the drawbag. First things first was the raffle, and as usual it was money to money as Kenny Pickup won £50, Tony Byers paid himself 2nd and Derek Warren got 3rd prize.

The match itself was a struggle for most as someone had turned the wind machine on full blast. The match was split over two lakes, with Jamie Pickup being crowned the overall winner with a modest 27lb of F1s. Well done J, all them practice sessions paid off. Second on the bottom lake, AGAIN, was Tony the crafty cockney, with 24lb and Sumo Edwards took another bronze medal from Lingmere with 21lb.
On the top lake, a welcome return by Gary Chambers following heart trouble, saw the blackpool bagger come out on top with 21lb, while Paul Cargill had a barbel net for 17lb, with John Heald finishing third, again following a practice session. Well done fellas.
The Sumo Sovereign challenge ended for the year, the same way as it went all through, with Jamie ending up a convincing 10-1 victor. Could be back to the Golden Nugget challenge when Norman rejoins in January!
A Merry Xmas to all our readers, and tight lines during 2013.

PROPOSED RULE AMENDMENTS

The Annual General Meeting will be held on Tuesday 8th January 2013. The following rule amendments have been proposed and will be discussed at the AGM.
1a. Guests will be allowed to participate in Section pools only.
1b. Guests from local clubs be allowed in all pools.
2. Any member abusing another member, either verbally or otherwise, be expelled from the club.
3. Applications by new members to be discussed at monthly meeting. Voting to be done by 'black ball' system.
4. Rule apertaining to fishing a venue 24hours before a match be abolished.
5. a Vice Match Captain be appointed to assist the Match Secretary and run matches in his absence.
6. Members must fish a minimum number of matches per season as membership is in demand and needs support from all members, not just 80%.
7. Members should attend a certain number of meetings per year.
8. Wait till 15mins before the start of matches to put keepnets in, as this shows fishery owners that club members are KHV/disease aware.
9. Tackling up time before matches be 1hr 15 mins
10.  All matches be 6 hours in duration.
11. Rule regarding 50lb net limit be abolished and club fish to Fishery limits.

Please make every effort to attend and have your say.

HAMPTON, ALICE SPRINGS, 2/12/12 ~ Pato's walkin in a winter wonderland

Despite several warnings about frosty nights, every single member turned up at Hampton without ice breaking gear. Needless to say it was frozen solid! Out came landing net handles, old pole sections, and indestructible margin poles, in an attempt to clear swims. Fishing at about 6metres was about the norm. This should have suited the Gnome, but once again he did 'the walk', this time at one o'clock, having earned a blankety blank cheque book and pen. Sumo went too.

Neil Paterson was the first to find a fish, and once in the lead he managed to keep his nose in front all through the match. Pato caught 8/9 skimmers and won his second winter grueller in a row with 2lb 12oz. A great effort.
Just like last week, Tony Byers took the runner-up spot, this time with a net-busting total of 2lb 8oz. Well done CC.
Dave Cargill filled the frame (weight unknown) with a handful of small silvers. The sections went to 'team Kenny', with Pickup on 1lb 04oz, and Stuart on 6oz.
Not my idea of fun, but if you sit long enough you should catch one eventually. Congratulations to all who stayed and weighed.....Crazy Fools!!!

LLOYDS MEADOW,BADGER - 25/11/12 ~ Neil uses his loaf and wins easily

Gone are the days when Neil Paterson tries to fill the lake in with feed. He won't take a truck load to his peg either.

Feeding absolutely nothing, Pato shipped out a piece of punched bread, and from the word go he was into carp. Catching steadily all match, he totalled 58lb for a runaway victory. Nice to see the big man enjoy his fishing for a change, congratulations.
Trying to tell people you're catching 6oz ide doesn't really work when there's 10metres of elastic out of your pole and they take 10 minutes to land. So The Crafty Cockney didn't look too crafty at all, although he did manage to put some decent fish in the net and claimed an excellent second place with 36lb 12oz. Well done Tony.
After some below par efforts on his home water, John Heald proved that he travels well, as his 28lb carp net proved more than enough to get in the frame. More of the same please John.
Just to prove that winter is well and truly here, the weights deteriorated rapidly after the frame. Scratching a few small silvers for much of the match, Dave Cargill found a couple of late carp to win a section with 11lb 12oz, while Derek Warren won the other section with a meagre 6lb 04oz. Well done to both.
It hasn't happened for a while, but the first walks of shame this winter went to Gnome, Sumo and Gary Brislin, who all missed the last hour and a half.

CONWY, 11/11/12 ~ Two lumps help Jones to a sweet victory

First of this winter's visits to Conwy renewed the classic dilemma, Carp or roach? It seems that the debate will go on as Dennis Jones won the match with 42lb 10oz. He had maybe 10lb of silvers and 6 or 7 carp, two of which were above average for Conwy at about 8lb apiece. These definitely tipped the balance in his favour and earned another good win following efforts at Yewtree. Successful bait was pellet.Well done Den.
Fresh from his training camps at Cob house and Whiteacres in recent weeks, Pete Lucas showed the benefit as he grabbed the silver medal. Showing some finesse on the pole, he put a weight of roach in the net for the first hour. However, when Jamie had three quick carp opposite, the maestro lived up to his name. Out came the feeder, and Pete put carp and skimmers into the net on a regular basis to finish with 38lb 08oz.A good performance Pete.
None of the membership was threatened this week, although a female photographer from 'Ugly Fokkers Weekly' was given the opportunity to leave before she got a swimming lesson from the Maestro.
Third place, and showing that it's possible to compete with a roach approach was Yozzer. Maggot shallow at 5metres helped the Gnome put together an all roach net for 37lb 12oz (well I enjoyed it anyway).
Back to the carp, and The Crafty Cockney fished 8mm banded pellet to both catch, ...and lose...., some decent fish. Despite losing a sizeable ghostie (everyone was gutted for you), Tony still weighed in with 25lb 12oz to take a section win. Nice one.
The other section was won in good style by Ian Simpson. On a rare club outing for him, probably practising for Wirral's winter series, Simo was another to go with roach. One stray F1 and an even rarer tench blotted his silver copybook but 34lb 08oz proved a success and a well deserved envelope followed.

LINGMERE, 21 & 28/10/12 ~ Double choc chip Cookie

Only brief results from Lingmere, sorry.
Sunday 21st, Col had c60lb and beat Jamie by 2lb. Sumo managed 3rd with 48lb. Sections to Yozzer and Tony B. Bonus peg was won by Col.

Sunday 28th, Col won again with 60 odd, with Jamie 2nd and Sumo 3rd. Bonus peg went again.

One set of framers, but a double well done to all. Bring on the Xmas match..........

YEWTREE, 14/10/12 ~ Dennis hands out advice....and a lesson

Members appointed Dennis Jones as the venue officionado following his mid-week open success at Yewtree. Freely advising that a softly softly approach with 4mm pellet was the way to go, Dennis then proceeded to hand out a lesson by adopting that strategy and put 60lb odd of assorted carp on the scales to record a comfortable victory. Now that's a venue expert, well done Dennis. He did fish 17metres though, thanks but no thanks. Thinking of other members, he didn't want to win by too much, so employed a catch n release attitude for half the match, hooking carp, shipping back to his topkit, then pinging them off at the net! What a guy.
Jamie Pickup drew the flier (nowt new there), and managed five fish. They did add up to 25lb 10oz though, and gave Staff Bull the silver medal. A good effort to secure the bonus peg, but ultimately no cigar. Unlucky.
Close behind was the mastercatcher that is Ken Stuart. After trying for his trademark skimmers, to no avail, Kenny came down the margins and had 6 carp in 6 chucks. He then lost 4 in a row and that was that. A level 25lb saw him take a worthy third place.
A couple of other 20lb nets, so all in all not a bad day out. Them ide haven't half put the weight on, and there are still big tench to be had.

BRON EIFION WEEKEND, 15th & 16th September 2012

The annual Bron weekend kicked off with the usual knock-up at Eisteddfa, and this year there was a reasonable turnout of 10 members. It was a pretty windy day, and the hoardes of skimmers and F1s failed to feed on pole lines, making it very much a carp match. Col Cook drew the windy end and I think a few of us were relieved not to be there as it looked uncomfortable. A change of heart was in order by the end as Col chucked a method feeder out all day and amassed 86lb for a comprehensive and well-earned victory.
Pete Lucas, pegged next to Col, did catch on the pole. However, it was proper carp, on golfballs of paste in the last hour. He weighed 40lb for an excellent second place.
Steve Coleman completed the frame with 33lb of mainly method caught fish. He did however, have plenty of room, as Jamie did a world record walk of shame, packing up after just half an hour! Still a good effort from Steve though.

Gary makes good use of his draw

Following last year's issues regarding pegging, and in order to create more room, it was decided that the end peg on the fieldside would be used, despite the likelihood that it may produce a runaway winner. Gary Chambers was the beneficiary, and duly used the peg to great effect. Fishing pellet shallow, he put together a mix of Koi, F1s and carp to amass 74lb 07oz and a comfortable victory. One thing drawing a good un, it's another to make use of it, so well done Gary.

When The Maestro drew an average peg on the shallows, Pete Lucas didn't look like featuring, but a superb display, both on the feeder and the pole with paste, saw Pete bring 63lb 10oz to the scales to earn the runner-up spot. In buoyant mood, and singing throughout the contest, he surprised everyone with his pole prowess. When asked by John Heald whether he had a licence to use the pole, he quickly responded that as he only used 5metres, the Gnome said he didn't need one (priceless).

In third place, and winning the section of death, was Neil Paterson. After a gloomy spell of late, the big fella was short on confidence, but it didn't show as he put in a stunning effort on the feeder to record a 59lb weight. Great to see the smile return, and his appetite, as he enjoyed a celebratory, if somewhat gay-looking Knickerbocker glory at the evening meal.

The final section, on the under-performing damwall, was won in good style by Paul Cargill with 33lb 08oz. Not a wind-up, although it might get the wind up, Paul allegedly caught on the feeder with hair rigged baked bean. Whatever, more cash and a next peg beating for dad.

 Cook takes Bron crown with a club record

Those who fished the wall on Saturday had a draw for fieldside pegs on Sunday and vice-versa. Everyone was praying for Saturday's winner, so it looked ominous when, with a cheeky grin, Colin waved it in the air.
Despite a stiff breeze and driving rain in his face, he made no mistake, putting together a superb 100lb 04oz, to secure victory on the day, overall success, and a new club record weight to boot. A truly impressive showing, well done Col.
Considering the two mediocre draws he had, canal legend Neil Paterson did brilliantly. After his day one section win, he again fished well and, with 53lb 12oz of feeder-caught carp and F1s, he posted another section win, second  on the day, and an overall second. Once the Jolly green giant, I've renamed him the Red Pellet Princess.
Third place on the day went to the Gnome, who again stubbornly defied the feeder boys, and had 51lb 04oz of carp, roach and F1s on 4metre pole, to record the best weight off the dam wall.
The other wall section went to a former Bron king, John 'Sumo' Edwards. He again demonstrated his mastery of the pendulum cast as he fished the tip at 70metres, and brought 45lb 08oz to the scales. Class will always show Sumo, so well done, and don't lose the faith.
With a steady performance necessary to cement his first day effort, Gary Chambers did just that, and with a 30lb mix of silvers and carp, he secured third place overall. Congratulations to Gary.
Thanks to Tony for organising the hotel and the finances. Sorry his first day of fishing was a disaster, and his second day never got going due to illness.

 Many thanks to Dave Cargy for running the matches. I thoroughly enjoyed the weekend.

HAMPTON - ROCK, 2/9/12 ~ Yozz gets lucky at unfamiliar venue.

Flat calm conditions and cruising carp pointed to a bit of a struggle for this one. Previous form suggested that the method would do the damage, but surprisingly it didn't dominate.
Sumo started off with a few early fish on the pole, followed by some unfortunate losses on the feeder. He couldn't sustain the effort, and with no last hour margin fish, he finished with 36lb, but no cash. Unlucky that.
Despite missing the last club visit to Hampton, which denied him some much needed practice, The Gnome caught steadily for most of the match. Bucking the method trend, he had an assortment of small skimmers, crucians and a couple of carp on meat fished at 7metres. Adding some margin carp in the last half hour, he brought 57lb 01oz to the scales and recorded the win.
Following the advice, and starting on the method, Steve Coleman struggled for an hour before coming onto the pole line where he caught steadily and amassed an estimated 30lb of pellet fish. The scales lied and said he had 45lb 12oz, which was good enough for a well deserved second place.
Third place was a close contest, with Paul Cargill making good use of his 'tip' peg by netting 42lb 10oz of corn loving carp. Well done Junior.
Settling for a section prize, with 42lb 06oz, was Lee Pickup. He had some big big fish, again caught mainly in the margins on corn. One particular carp bottomed out his red hydro six times! Probably time to renew if it's stretching that much.
The other section went to The maestro, Pete Lucas, who weighed 28lb 08oz. Pete even caught the majority on the pole too. Mind you, he was up to his old tricks, even going into the lake up to his waist in order to sneak some groundbait in via a hole in his pocket.
For the purists it was poetry to see him fall in. On numerous occasions he leaves his method rod unattended whilst 'titting about' and then wonders why it gets pulled off the rest! Normally he gets rewarded with a decent fish (sooo annoying), but this time no cigar, only a soaking.

Please note: Dave has booked several more matches for later this year. The match diary has been updated, including two Lingmere dates in October, which I am unsure about.

GORSTY HALL, 26/8/12 ~ Col does best in pellet wagfest

Recent match results from the Gorsty website suggested it was an improved venue this year (not that it hasn't been good to us in the past). The weather was pleasant enough, and the fishing proved to be good too.
In a low-key affair, Colin Cook took the honours with a carp net of 50lb 08oz, all caught on pellet waggler to the lilies. Good effort Col.  
In a head to head duel, Lee Pickup also caught carp steadily through the match, and from the adjacent peg, he weighed an excellent 48lb 09oz on similar tactics.
Third place was filled by Jamie Pickup, again using the Pwag for carp to the tune of 36lb.
Section B went to Dennis Jones with 29lb on the waggler and straight bomb. He generously lost enough carp to have won the match, thus ensuring the bonus peg is still alive for the next match. Section A went to Yozzer with an assortment of skimmers and cruies on pole-fished meat, which totalled 35lb 12oz.

LOWER RIDGE, SAUGHALL, 8/7/12 ~ Warren expensive session that was

Under normal circumstances, pole damage at Lower Ridge is frequent, but usually down to the strong winds which blight this fishery. Today however, it was the lake inhabitants which were the cause.
Derek Warren was midway through his attempt to empty the lake when, for no apparent reason, the top 2 kit on his Trilogy exploded into three pieces as he latched into a decent carp. An audition to join the Tourettes society followed, before Degsy settled down and continued to catch margin carp on chopped worm n caster. With an hour to go, the fishery owner asked if there were any big carp in keepnets, and proceeded to weigh Derek's fish before returning them to the water. Unable to catch in the margins, his catch rate plummeted, but at the proper weigh-in he'd done enough, securing victory with a level 39lb. A great win for Degs, well done.
Paul Robb drew the open water, and despite a healthy breeze, decided to fish long pole shallow with caster. An assortment of F1s and ide totalled 32lb 14oz, and gave Paul an excellent second place.
On his first visit to Saughall was Colin Cook. He opted for a light elastic with 0.12 hooklength. After only a few fish, he realised that heavier gear was needed. Col ended up with a foot of tight black hydro in a number one top, and still managed to lose a few angry carp. He got enough out to put 32lb 08oz on the scales and slip into a deserved third place.
Jamie Pickup fished chopped worm at about 11metres with his NEW Sensas 774, and had an ide dominated bag which went 31lb 04oz and earned him a section win.
With winds pushing the fish towards the car park end, the other section proved a little tougher, and was won by John Heald, who used the method feeder at 14metres and after netting a few decent carp, weighed in with 22lb 12oz. Nice one John.
The Sumo Sovereign is becoming a bit predictable, and despite some Saturday night taunting, Jamie came out on top again. When asked for his coin, Sumo muttered something about setting up a direct debit and quickly left the venue. Better luck next time John.

GORSTY HALL (Ben Pickup Memorial), 10/6/12 ~ Awesome success for Uncle Jamie

The now customary Ben Pickup Memorial was held at this Gorsty fixture.With 3 golden pegs running, it seemed bizarre that Lee (Ben's dad) and Jamie (his uncle) should both draw one. Pegged on numbers 11 and 13, they then settled down to a pellet waggler duel, with both men catching steadily throughout the match. Lee certainly had more fish, but they were of a smaller stamp, and combined with the loss of some better carp, it was Jamie who came out on top.
 JBay caught better carp on a regular basis and finished with an honourable 37lb 12oz to record a fitting and deserved victory. "Awesome! and a nice bloke, too"
Although it appeared that this was a private show for the Pickups, the scales indicated that several other members had put in decent performances too. Colin Cook had quietly slipped a few early method fish into the net, and, adding some better carp from a pellet waggler attack, he earned a silver medal with his 32lb 08oz net. Another good Gorsty effort from Col, well done.
Despite apparently struggling for the entire match, The Gnome had managed a few skimmers, roach, crucians, tench and small carp to the tune of 27lb 14oz, and sneaked onto the podium. Pole-fished meat proving fruitful.
Leaving Lee to rue those lost fish was John Edwards. Sumo tried the method, the wag, and the pole, and amassed a mixed net which went 21lb 10oz at the scales. and pipped Lee for the section.
Kenny Stuart also plodded steadily through on 6mm pellet. A skimmer dominated net , with some late cruies, went 21lb to give the master the other section. Two more respectable performances, well done to John and Kenny.
Not only did Jamie win the match and the golden peg, he also took another sovereign off  Sumo. A particularly fine achievement as rumour is that John is now sponsored by Drennan North West. Why else would his name regularly be followed by DNW ?

WESTON POOLS,CANAL, 27/5/12 ~ Win for Yozz.......by a whisker

The heatwave continued for the latest visit to Weston, and the fishing was red hot, too. 14 members all weighed more than 25lb, on a variety of methods and with a real mix of species.
Taking the weather into account, the Gnome went for maggot, fished shallow, to target everything that swims, particularly the visible shoals of ide. The ide fed for an hour before getting bullied out by an assortment of chub, carp, tench and even barbel. The result was so close that one of those set of whiskers gave Yozz a narrow victory. He weighed 55lb 14oz.
Just behind, with another excellent net, going 55lb 04oz, was John Edwards. For such a big weight, ( the fish, not the angler!)  Sumo used an amazingly small amount of bait. 3 tosspots full of micros, a handful of expanders for the hook, and half a scoop of maggot was all that was needed to put the usual species mix into the bag. In fact, trashed rigs and lost hook-lengths probably cost John more than his bait bill. Only down side for Sumo (apart from being ounced) was that Jamie wasn't there, otherwise it was probably one back for John in the Sumo sovereign challenge.
An even smaller gap back to third, as Lee Pickup gave another fine display of meat fishing the margins. He managed to extract 54lb 12oz of better fish from the boards next door, and, but for some costly losses, would possibly have won the match. Unlucky Lee, but a great effort nonetheless.
With 3 golden pegs (each worth £50) on the go, and under the new format, the closest challenger, with a level 47lb, was Steve Coleman. He caught a good species mix on a variety of baits, and got paid the section prize instead. Seems scant consolation, but as Steve remarked, with a great day's fishing like that you wouldn't care if you came last.
After some coaching from his grandad (aahhhh!), Paul Cargill also demonstrated that you dont need a bucketful of bait. Half a loaf was enough, as Paul fished bread six inches deep and caught mainly quality carp to record his best match weight of 42lb 02oz, and take the other section money. A big 'well done' to Paul.

**********SPECIAL REPORT********** LAKEVIEW FISHERY, Melton Mowbray, 26/4/12 ~ Living the Fisho Dream

As some of you already know, several of our members like to enter the Fishomania qualifiers and, more recently, the Maver Match This. Following allocation of tickets, news was that Pete Lucas had been offered 6 opportunities to fish while John Edwards and Neil Paterson only got one each. As fate would have it they all received tickets for the qualifier at Lakeview Fishery in Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire.
About 6 weeks ago Pato mentioned to me that he had a day off on the Friday prior to his match on the Saturday, and he was considering a practice session. With tongue very much in cheek, I replied that if he took a lieu day on the Thursday prior he would be able to have 2 days practice. Surprisingly he gave me the nod so I went surfing for accomodation and booked the Premier Inn at Loughboro, with a twin room costing £29 per night and 'all you can eat' breakfast an optional extra at £8. So for £23.50 each per night, we had B&B.
I immediately texted Sumo and The Maestro with details of our plan. A positive response was returned, so we now had a mini practice festival because the fishery allows keepnets for pleasure anglers too!
Thursday morning came and we decided to call at the angling superstore that is 'Nathans of Derby' on route. It was like being kids in a sweet shop, such was the array of tackle on offer. I splashed out and bought a packet of hooks, while the others bought all sorts of must-have equipment including some branded clothing so they would fit in with the sponsored megastars that attend fishomania. Pato is now Senseless, while Sumo is Garbagelino.
We arrived at Lakeview about 11am, and met up with Lucas, who had already tackled up on one of the noted fliers. The rest of us drew for nearby pegs and agreed to fish from around noon until 6pm.
Pato fished mainly to the island at 13metres with banded pellet. He had a bit of a 'mare, losing as many F1s as he landed, but ended up with 30lb. Lucas messed about with bread and paste to catch mostly gudgeon for a couple of hours, before finding the carp with pellet, fished shallow at around 10metres. He weighed in a credible 32lb. Sumo fished a few lines, ranging from 3metres to 13 tight to the island. He found F1s and proper carp to about 3lb and totalled 53lb odd. I thought about fishing to the island and had to have a lie down. Recovering quickly, I decided on the opposite, and just got out a top2 kit. With quite a steep slope in front, it came to over five feet at 4metres, so i fished half way down in about 3 and a half feet. Micro pellet and a few grains of corn went in at the 'ten oclock' angle while a ball of groundbait and a handful of maggots went in at two oclock. After a few initial gudgeon and a change to 3 maggots on the hook, I caught a few F1s and a decent skimmer. I tried the corn line and added about 8 good sized F1s before switching back to maggot. For some reason I thought I'd give it a go about a foot deep, so moved the float down the line rather than set up another rig. Amazingly, after two roach shallow I started getting F1s to nearly 3lb, all on my top kit a foot deep! I ended up winning the first practice session with 66lb.
The evening saw us discussing the day's events, and plans for Friday in an Indian restaurant over a few beers (and lemonade for me). Amongst many topics, Sumo mentioned he felt it was important to have duplicates of each rig ready in case of tangles, etc. We agreed it was a fantastic meal, and a great end to a great first day.
With ten lakes being used in Fisho, we had to try another. The vote was that we fish 4 hours on one lake, then literally turn our gear round and fish another lake, immediately behind, for four more hours in the afternoon.
The morning was a miserable affair, with persistent rain and a cold wind making life very uncomfortable. Pato had learned from the day before, and adjusted his feeding. Instead of foul-hookers and lost fish, he put a healthy number of mirrors and commons in the net from his 13metre line, and totalled 36lb for an easy win. I fished short again, and managed a mix of cruies and F1s for 19lb and a distant 2nd.
As we turned round, the wind was now at our backs, and the rain finally eased off. Getting a bit cocky after some success, I again decided to fish ultra-short. After half an hour, and no fish, I was in danger of a battering as the others were catching readily at 12metres to the far bank. The Maestro was catching one a bung on maggot, all small F1s. Sumo was also bagging small F1s on banded pellet, as was Pato. I eventually succumbed and unhappily went out to 12metres with corn. The chase was on.
Final weights, which were all F1 nets, showed the following result:- Lucas 24lb, Pato 26lb, Sumo 31lb odd, and I managed to claw back the early deficit to weigh 34lb. Amid much banter, the main highlight was when Sumo announced that he'd wrecked 8 rigs during the session, due to tangles. The amusing response was that the trouble with duplicates is.... if you make one crap rig, they all end up being crap!
We found a cheap 'carvery' pub for our evening meal and had some more beers and a superb roast, with the two big fellas going kingsize, while Sumo (surprise) and I went regulation. Pato even had room for an ice cream. Whilst outside for a fag, Pato was invited, by a delightful lady, to join her in town for a few drinks and a dance. However, being the consumate professional, he declined the offer, telling her he had a big fishing match the following morning. What dedication, the man is a true legend.
And so on to match day. Lucas gave breakfast a miss due to nerves, and must have left in time to be at the fishery by 7am. The rest had the 'all you can eat' meal in the hotel and we arrived at the fishery around 8.15.
Wow! the car park can be so intimidating. Everyone is decked in branded clothing from top to bottom, and then you spot the stars. The Ringer family, Jon Arthur, and a host of other top anglers. There, in the corner, is the Sky cameras trying to capture the atmosphere. The queue forms for the draw, and it's your turn at the bag of dreams. Lucas picks out an end peg on the lake we had fished on Friday afternoon. He's grinning from ear to ear, while we try to give him a sense of reality. Section win at best, the fish are too small. He toddles off happily. Pato draws on a smaller lake which has just one section (of 10). Arriving at the lake, the pegging looks cramped, and another section win seems the best hope.
Finally Sumo, and he looks delighted as he arrived at his chosen peg, on a lake reported to throw up a likely winner. With most of his tackle at the peg, a voice is heard, "is that peg 21, Serpent?". Sumo froze....he checked his ticket......21 OASIS......oh no! In best little britain voice, "dont want that peg, want THAT one"
Shifting all his gear to his actual alloted peg, John thought the 'new' peg looked even better.
I tried to decide who to sit behind, as bank walking during the match just wouldnt be right. From Sumo's peg I could visit Lucas without upsetting anyone, and from there I could get to Pato and stand about 10yards behind him, on the wrong side of a fence.
I started at Sumo's peg.
The hooter went at 11am and with all around him shipping big pots out all over the lake, John ships over to the island with a pinch of micros and a 6mm pellet on a band. He tipped the micros in and gently lowered his rig in. The float carried on going and it was fish on. What a start, as a pound and a half carp graced the net. Next two put-ins produced the same, and even I started dreaming of the Cudmore final. An hour later and John added fish number four to his collection. Talk about an anti-climax. He added another soon after and at 12.30, I went to see Pato.
Grueller was the description offered. He'd had 3 carp but lost four more, and the lake was not fishing well. I watched for twenty minutes, saw Neil's float twitch only twice, and went to find Lucas.
A familiar tale, with 3 small F1s in the first 3 chucks, and nothing since, Pete was going nowhere fast too. I gave it half an hour, and couldn't bring him any luck so it was back to Pato.
During my absence, Neil had now moved on to 7 fish and was in buoyant mood. I left him to concentrate and started talking to a fishery regular who was stewarding. His summary was as follows:- Pato's lake had not been fishing well, and a recent open match had been won with 15lb. Lucas was on a decent peg for that particular lake, but as we suspected, the fish were too small to compete. Finally, Sumo was, by the fishery owner's admission, on the worst lake on the complex, which really did need some new stock.
Back at John's peg, he'd had just 1 more fish in the 2 hours I'd been gone, and was talking about the walk of shame. "No disgrace in that" was my reply, as on my earlier travels, I'd spotted the legendary Steve Ringer putting all his gear into the van for an early dart.
With half an hour to go, Sumo became the fourth angler on his lake to pack up early, and tip back his 6 fish. Lucas had ended with 8 fish and his section was won with 18lb. Meanwhile, Pato weighed in with 14lb odd and had finished second on the lake, behind the winner with 25lb. No money, but Neil had fished a tidy match and was happy with his effort.
I was disappointed for the lads, but had lived the Fisho dream without the personal disappointment of bombing out, and I still had £25 in my wallet. In all honesty, the £25 is not a waste of money, as it gives you a chance to take part and it's a fantastic thing to be part of. The whole complex had been hard due to the weather and volume of anglers on the banks, with 65lb being enough to win and qualify for the final. Someone's dream lives on.

GORSTY HALL, 22/4/12 ~ Fletcher has ammo to see off the opposition

Following our last visit, which was disappointing to say the least, any doubts about Gorsty were cast aside following this outing. The green haze which threatened the lake seemed to have settled down, and the usual assortment was brought to the scales. Carp, both big and small, cruies, tench, roach and skimmers all featured in catches. With the first three all adopting different tactics, proof was there that Gorsty is very much alive.
Carl Fletcher, fishing as a guest, lead the way with pole-fished pellet, both expanders and later hard banded, to put a real mix in his net and finish with 41lb 08oz, and an easy victory....Well done.
After supporting the club outings for a few months now despite a damaged shoulder, Derek Warren finally got his reward with a fine display of method fishing. Loads of carp, most only going about a pound, found their way into Degsy's keepnet and gave him a well deserved second place with 34lb 10oz.
Demonstrating the diversity of approaches which work on the venue was Dave Cargill, who fished 12mm banded pellet on the waggler (honestly!!!) to net a couple of better carp along with the pasties which totalled 31lb 04oz, and give Dave the bronze medal. Nice one Mr.Sec.
Dennis Jones, fresh form his big open match win at Yewtree on Thursday, was in the money again. This time his 25lb 08oz mix was split 50/50 between pole at 7 metres and a method feeder, using mainly pellet. Another sound performance from the gudgeon basher, this time winning a section prize.
The other section was won by The Gnome, who pole-fished (what else?) meat at 8 metres. A catch of small skimmers, boosted by half a dozen carp, went 25lb 02oz.
Other noteables, without a cash prize though, were Pete Lucas with 25lb, and Steve Coleman with 23lb. Both weights of method caught carp.
Did anybody catch on big white pellet? I saw loads on everybodys bait tray midway through the match. Despite the heavy shower, not a bad match really.

HAMPTON, WILLOW, 1/4/12 ~ Lee edges his way to victory

With everyone in buoyant mood following a couple of weeks of warm weather, the good old British climate threw a curve ball on Sunday at Hampton. No ice on windscreens, but the display in the car read 1*c on the way there. I think it caught everyone out, and a little too much initial feed made the whole day a struggle for most. Although it felt like a scratch around for a few bites, the overall weights were still as impressive as any.
Lee Pickup had worked hard on the method with only a couple of fish to show for it, but a look down the edge with an hour to go transformed his day. It was a fish a chuck till the end and Lee finally put 47lb 12oz of meat loving carp onto the scales. A great performance and a well deserved win.
The lottery peg was drawn by Gary Brislin, who had guessed at 52lb and it looked likely that he would go close with his own catch. Hauling a net full of carp up the bank to the scales it was indeed a possibility but in the end he fell short with a level 45lb and had to settle for the silver berth. A good effort from Gary though.
At the other end of the lake, Yozzer had overfed a couple of his usual close in lines. A switch to 6metres on corn brought about an improvement and having caught carp slowly but steadily throughout, The Gnome managed 37lb 10oz which was enough for third place.
John Heald has pleasure-fished Willow a few times and the experience told. After a slow start, a scum drifted into his peg (probably from Old Trafford) and he began to catch. A number of proper barbel, a few carp and some small tench on meat added up to 28lb 08oz and was sufficient to give the Benidorm chariot driver a well earned section win.
The other section again showed off Andy Lawton's feeder fishing prowess. Using the method with meat hookbait, Andy caught on and off all day to finish with 26lb 08oz of mainly carp. Nice one fella.
Pete Delmaine had a day to forget. Pole fishing up to his number 5, he reached for his tangled feeder rod, which gave a crafty mirror the opportunity to whip the pole from his relaxed grip. As the pole skipped across the lake, Pete lunged to grab it, missed, and his head went past a waterside bramble. Standing up, his hair was dripping, his sleeves were soaked, and his face was scratched with blood trickling down it. Meanwhile the offending carp had taken his pole through several pegs and was nearing the bridge. Jamie and Kenny Pickup both chased after it but missed, and when Zimbo came along, it was he who hooked the elastic with another top kit. With carp still attached he made his way back to his peg, netted and unhooked the mirror, before accidently breaking the attached top 2!!! To finally compound the disaster, the Club Chairman then announced to Pete that the fish must go back as he had left his peg. Never mind Zimbo, it could have been worse...... it could have happened to me (only joking). I think you took the incident remarkably well.
Another match not on the calendar, a possible bagging fest on Moreton Brickworks, Sunday 15th April. Phone Cargy for details and to book on. 

Weston Pools Canal, 25/3/12 ~ EFC...Easy For Col... on his Weston return

There have been far more important things in life than fishing for Colin Cook over the last couple of years. How fitting then, that on his return to the sport with Eggy Ferry, a glorious spring morning greeted him and the other members at Weston.
The script gets better as everyone had a reasonable day's sport, a few bites and a few fish. A fitting end to proceedings too, as Colin ran out a comfortable winner with 44lb 04oz. Fishing 4mm pellet, he had the customary mix of F1s, cruies, tench and ide, but crucially he also found a number of better carp, which generally proved elusive during the match. Great to see Colin back on the bank, but as KP said, you're supposed to hold the thick end of the pole.
Another tidy performance from John Edwards, who also found some carp to add to the general mix, this time mainly on maggot. His total of 32lb 12oz was more than enough to put him in first loser position. Getting better Sumo, keep it up.
'Team Kenny' were in the money. 2oz separated the pair, with Ken Stuart edging into third with 23lb 02oz of tench, cruies, ide on maggot, while Ken Pickup was left to win the section money with his level 23lb. He too found a few better carp on pellet, to boost his mixed net. Well done the Kennies.
The other section was a noisy affair. Stevie Coleman was pegged in a corner. In the adjacent field was, presumably, a rugby match. The vociferous crowd cheered and sang all morning. It coincided with Steve having a golden catching spell, so every time we heard the crowd roar and sing, we looked over to the corner and there was Steve with reams of elastic out of his pole. That encouraged us to cheer and sing too.
The support proved to be in vain as the Gnome had plodded through the match, steadily catching 4oz ide on maggot, and despite dropping a number 4 section in the lake, (whatever was he doing with that much pole out of the bag???) Yoz managed to bring a level 22lb to the scales for a section win. Thanks to some much appreciated help from several members, the offending 4section was also retrieved. I am eternally grateful.
Another enjoyable outing, and not long to wait for the next one as Dave has managed to book Hampton Springs Willow pool for Sunday 1st April (no it's not a wind up).

LLOYDS MEADOW, BADGER, 11/3/12 ~ Dennis is a menace to Lloyds carp

Well, a pleasant surprise at Badger this time. Following a few dodgy visits in the past, there now appears to be a good variety of fish in the lake, which are well spread out too. Plenty of quality silvers and a mix of carp, crucians and crossbreeds meant that there was something to target for everyone.
Dennis Jones showed us that he's not just a gudgeon basher, as he plundered a net of quality carp from the far bank. Den fished meat and pellet to amass a level 39lb and secure his first club win. A great effort.
Steve Coleman continued his recent run of good form, and having caught some decent skimmers early, he too found some better carp late on,again from the far bank, but this time on corn, and recorded 22lb 13oz to clinch a well deserved second place.
Proving that the fish were indeed well spread, Kenny Stuart was pegged on the other side of the lake, and caught an assortment of good skimmers, rudd and roach, as well as a mix of stockie carp and crucian types. Using pellet, he finished with 21lb 06oz which put him in third spot, well done the master.
Following an honest, hard day's angling, John Edwards also put together a net of mixed carp and crucians, which went 17lb on the scales and gave Sumo a genuine, well earned section prize.
Back on the match scene with a vengeance is Gary Brislin, and following last week's success, he was in the money again. 5 carp, a decent chub, and some big silvers, caught on meat at 16metres, Gary weighed 20lb 14oz and won the other section.
Next peg to Gary was Mr.Lucas, who unfortunately broke a section rather than winning one. Sumo reckons the rare venture into pole fishing by the maestro was doomed to disaster from the start as he only had one roller for 16metres!
Only two walks of shame this week, as Lee went with about 2 hours left while Yozzer doubled last week's effort by staying for 4 hours.
Spare a thought for Neil Paterson, who had eight proper carp on meat and would probably have won the match. Disaster struck when some lousy f****r shouted allout at 3.30. He didn't start catchin till quarter to four!!!!!!!

CHESTER LAKES, 4/3/12 ~ Do you really want to know?

Another dismal day out at Chester Lakes. I did the walk of shame after 2 hours!!!!!
Result (roughly) was as follows:
1st  Gary Brislin........4lb summat
2nd Dave Norman.....3lb
3rd  Pete Lucas.........2lb odd
Sections, Lee Pickup and Tony Byers both had less than 2lb
Nuff said, well done the framers.
That new batch of fish stocked the previous day made all the difference.......not.

A BANJO TUTORIAL

The link may be of interest to members wishing to know more about the infamous banjo feeder. Apparently a mate of Tony's will be able to explain more if needed.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pZBv1QCRFKc&feature=share

GORSTY HALL, 19/2/12 ~ Lucas lights up a dour Gorsty

All seemed well setting off , with no frost on windscreens and a sunny sky. Reaching the canal outside Nantwich suddenly started the alarm bells as a dusting of hail/snow appeared in the fields. By the time we'd got to Gorsty it was icy roads too. No ice breaking involved, but a grueller was a distinct possibility.
No negative thoughts from the maestro though, as Pete Lucas reached straight for the method feeder. Demonstrating why he is the Method Maestro, Pete caught 5 carp, which he backed up with a few pole caught silvers to dazzle the opposition with 11lb 08oz and a runaway victory. Congratulations Pete, on a well deserved win.
Comfortably securing second spot was Jamie Pickup, who pole fished 4mm pellet over micros at 14metres and caught skimmers throughout the match to record 6lb 02oz. Another consistent showing from JP, who's concentration was awesome. At intervals during the match, golf balls were landing behind him. Each time he hurled abuse towards the golf course. Not once did he notice Dave Norman lobbing them at him from 2 pegs away...Nice prank Dave, anything for a blog mention aye?
Another podium finish for Tony Byers. 4lb 02oz of pole caught silvers was enough to put crafty in the frame again. Cheated though, as he used double pinkie! What do you think this is, a winter league outing?...............Oh, I suppose it is really, well done Mr Treasurer.
'Team Kenny' were both section winners, Stuart winning outright with 3lb 12oz of small roach and skimmers, while Pickup shared his section, weighing 2lb 15oz of skimmers, crucians and roach on pellet. The other share went to Banjo Paterson, who managed a carp, and added a few bits on pole. The big man even learned a few tricks too as he was pegged next to our winner.
We now have a new head to head, as Jamie and Jedward are fishing for a pound at every match. With John only weighing 2lb odd, Jamie has taken an early lead in the 'Sumo Sovereign'.

LINGMERE, 12/2/12 ~ Kenny wins the island showdown.

Despite the heavy frosts for over a week, Lingmere was in perfect condition for a good match. Their aeration system had kept the lake ice-free, and even allowed for a waggler or feeder chuck if desired.
Master-catcher Stuart drew 'in-form' peg 5 and went out on a waggler with maggot. The right tactics for the peg and it was game over as Kenny caught carp and barbel throughout the match. He recorded 25lb 15oz at the whistle for a fine victory.
Pegged next door was last week's winner Andy, and he proved his worth once again by putting carp and barbel totalling 20lb 06oz onto the scales to claim runners-up spot. Well done again.
That crafty chap known as Tony Byers also went down the waggler and maggot route. He had obviously learned from the last couple of successful anglers in our recent visits, as he had 4 decent carp, most of which reversed into his landing net. Adding a few bits n bobs, Tony finished an honourable third with 19lb 04 oz. A good effort from our new treasurer.
John Edwards had F1s and skimmers on pole-fished maggot, all of which were legitimate, lip-hooked specimens. He was about to celebrate a podium finish as the needle flickered above Tony's weight, but sadly for Sumo, it settled at 19lb 03oz, and he had to be content with a section win. Still, another decent result for John, although his lottery estimate (38lb) was wide of the mark.
Picking up an envelope for the third consecutive Lingmere outing was Mark Ormond. Once again Mark pole fished pellet to net a steady stream of F1s and skimmers to the tune of 18lb 12oz. Another solid effort, and a section win so well done.

CONWY, 29/1/12 ~ Gnome breaks strings on Paterson banjo

At last, a day on Conwy without a hurricane. Flat calm conditions were the order of the day, and the predicted snowstorms turned out to be gentle rain showers.
As in the last Conwy match, there seemed to be a runaway winner. This time Neil Paterson set a furious pace, catching several decent carp on his new favourite tactic, the banjo feeder. Pato caught on and off throughout the match and finished with a very respectable weight of 31lb 15oz. A valiant effort, but it wasn't quite good enough though.
Two pegs along sat the Gnome, weilding 13metres of pole. Scrapping the customary maggot/ roach route, 6mm pellet was his chosen approach and it worked a treat. Big skimmers and a few F1s went into the net on a regular basis, and the final tally went 35lb 02oz.
With Pato cursing his luck, things got a little worse as, with two anglers still to weigh, a guest known only as Andy tipped 34lb 02oz of roach into the weigh sling, relegating the big fella to 3rd! A great catch, and proof that the roach are still very much present at Conwy. The successful tactic was hemp and caster at 6metres.
Sumo Edwards had a steady but thankfully uneventful day, and caught on short and long pole with worm, and an odd fish on teabag to collect some section money with a well earned 21lb 15oz . Nice one John, never mind the triple default, it's money in your pocket and a notch on your belt.
Our very own Mastercatcher made up the prize list. Kenny Stuart put together a mix of skimmers and roach on maggot and pellet to finish with 16lb 14oz and take the other section. Well done Ken.
That's the last of Conwy for another winter, but members please note an additional match next Sunday. A much shorter journey as this one's at Lingmere. 

CONWY, 15/1/12 ~ Pato shows the field a clean pair of...buttocks!

Rumours and recent results from Wirral matches at Conwy suggested that the once prolific roach sport was a distant memory. Once again the roach failed to show in any numbers, and following a couple of hard frosts, it was tough going on the carp front too.
Bright sunshine bathed the right-hand bank, and such was the temperature on that side that the banter started with regard to sun cream and removal of shirts, etc., while those on the other bank sat dithering in the icy shadows. Neil 'the legend' spookily showed everyone his lily-white buttocks before the all in, and it proved to be an omen.
Pato plodded through a few miniscule roach for the first half of the match before deciding to sit it out on pellet at 16metres. He was rewarded with three small carp, then found a better sample seconds before the whistle. Weighing 20lb 14oz, he'd shown the field a clean pair of heels. Well done Neil.
That last fish was a crushing blow to Jamie Pickup who was the only one to find a proper bag of roach. Fishing worm at 12metres, Jambo had a solitary goldfish in an otherwise roach net and put 20lb 08oz on the scales. Another consistent effort from JBay, nice one son.
Yozzer half heartedly gave the roach fishing an hour, and with next to nothing to show for it, he decided to carp fish at 12metres. Banded pellet produced four carp and a goldfish, along with a handful of roach and he sneaked third place with 16lb 08oz.
Whether it was anorexic fish, or just girlie elastic, Dave Norman had caught what seemed to be quality skimmers all through the match on his mackerel rig. So much so that everyone had him down as a comfortable winner. The scales proved otherwise and 16lb 02oz wasn't quite enough for the frame.
Such is the history at Conwy that this match goes down as a disappointment even though everyone had plenty of bites and a decent winter weight. Sometimes I think we expect too much.

LINGMERE, 8/1/12 ~ Dave clinches victory with help of new species

A hastily arranged knockup was well attended by Eggy members, Wirral borough members and other assorted guests. Being local, it also attracted a number of spectators to add to the atmosphere.
Dave Norman usually does well at Lingmere (amongst other places), so when he started catching F1s and small carp it came as no surprise. Pole fished pellet at 12/13m was the successful approach. A small slice of fortune helped though. Dave hooked a mystery fish which had a mouth under its pectoral fin! Amazing. Reportedly weighing about 8lb it boosted his weight to 28lb 04oz and helped clinch victory.Then again it happens to us all, so well fished Dave, a deserved success.
Arriving at his peg, Yozzer discovered that he had Wirral's angler of the year Billy Gore, on one side, and venue expert Pete Zimbo Delmaine on the other. No pressure then. On the plus side it was the very same peg he had sat on when practising in the week. Fishing mainly maggot at 12metres, Yoz had an assortment of F1s, a couple of big skimmers, a perch, a tench and a few roach for a total of 27lb 01oz and second place.
Lingmere's barbel had apparently been shoaled up in a few areas, including just off the island at peg 5. Making full use of his draw was Mark Ormond, who plundered those fish on the tip rod with maggot, adding a few F1s on the pole. At the whistle, Mark had crept into third place with a well earned 20lb 09oz. A good performance.
Our old friend Ian 'Simo' also joined the party, and as is usual, he put up a consistent display. Ian caught a few F1s out at 16metres on pellet, and also managed to add some quality roach and big skimmers on margin fished maggot. With cash for the top four today, his 20lb 02oz total was enough to secure another Eggy envelope for the Simpster. Well done mate. 
Certainly not Lingmere at it's best, but all in all everyone had a few fish, and a return trip in February is a definite.