LINGMERE, 22/12/13 ~ It's Xmas comfort and joy for Kenny

Checking back, it seems that this was a re-run of last year's Xmas match at Lingmere. Another very modest affair. Those who drew the top lake struggled in the main to even get a bait in the water, such was the ferocity of the wind. The only peg with any real shelter gave Dave Norman the chance to fish the 'In' method at Lingmere, and long pole with bread produced the goods to the tune of 24lb, and an easy lake victory. A big well done to Diddy Dave.
Dave Lynch was next best with a section winning 14lb, while last week's winner, Dirk Wriggler took the other section with 11lb. Great efforts by both.
It was a different world on the bottom lake, with everyone fishing in relative comfort. A couple even fished without coats for half the match! The only one to experience both comfort and joy, however, was Kenny Pickup. Fishing the feeder, the Daddy had 30 odd F1s for 26lb, and could even afford to put several decent chub back. That gave him the overall win. Even though it's Xmas, he proved he's not a turkey, so congratulation Ken, an awesome display.
Section wins for Simo with 7lb 14oz, and Sumo with 4lb 14oz, just about sums up how this lake fished on the day, but well done to both lads.
Cracking hot food was provided by Jan in the Lingmere cafe after the match, which cheered everyone up on a rather dismal day. a big thanks to her.
It's a month till the next one, so Merry Xmas and a happy new Year to you all. 

P.S. AGM is on Tuesday 7th January 2014. Be there and have your say, or don't moan at any decisions that are made. Simples...

MERRY XMAS

I THOUGHT PATO HAD BEEN KEEPING A SECRET

LINGMERE, 15/12/13 ~ Derek has a grueller but struggles to victory

Never forget, there's always someone less fortunate than yourself. Having spent the match on the top lake with the wind directly in my face all day, and managing a bite an hour, I had the dubious pleasure of doing the weigh-in. 
Starting on the top lake, Dennis Jones had the best weight with 9 F1s for a 16lb 10oz total. A great performance in the circumstances. Pato had 11lb 09oz (that's good for him), and Paul Dennett had 13lb 04oz, which won them a section prize each. Well done to both. At the other end of the spectrum, the Pickups had 'nightmares', with Lee doing the walk after 3 biteless hours, and Jamie returning 8lb odd, which was scant reward for 5 hours at 18 metres (crackpot).
Onto the bottom lake, and seemingly things were no better with Daddy Pickup winning the first section with 13lb 14oz. Might be an idea to peg him by the lads so he can help them out during future matches.
Arriving at Derek Warren's peg, and after giving a tear-jerker account of how he'd struggled to see bites in the wind (gentle breeze compared to the top lake), and couldn't present his bait, he put his fish on the scales. Having used 6 tissues to dry our eyes, the dial read 37lb 12oz. Wow! Some of us never had bites to spot. Congatulations Degs, a fine win.
Seems like this was the only worthwhile section on the day, as Dave Norman finished overall runner-up with around 29lb, and Sumo eased into third with his 21lb. Good efforts from both, but alas, no coin, only the satisfaction of a good day's sport. I wish.....

CONWY WATER GARDENS, 8/12/13 ~ Right appROACH wins the day for The Gnome

A poor turnout for the latest outing to Conwy. In sharp contrast to the last match, when carp fed freely all over the lake, this one gave the roach boys a chance.
The Gnome gave it a fruitless half an hour on pellet for carp before resorting to his normal approach at the venue. Maggot shallow at 5 metres saw him catch roach throughout, and an end total of 44lb 08oz secured an easy victory. 
John Edwards flew the flag for the carp boys, and managed a steady stream of mainly big F1s on 8mm pole fished pellet. Sumo finished with a very respectable 33lb 06oz to take second spot, well done John.
Pete Lucas showed his all round ability with another roach net, supplemented by one carp, which together totalled 29lb 08oz to put him on the podium. Nice one Clueless.
Next stop Lingmere.... now that'll make a refreshing change.

LINGMERE, 24/11/13 ~ Robbo gets that 'longed for' victory

Remarkably calm conditions for Lingmere meant good presentation was possible although it was a little chilly. Paul Robb proved the point by wielding 19metres of mix n match pole sections to the island.
 Robbo had initially thought about fishing a piece of lightly poached quail's egg through a mustard and dill groundbait cloud, but ultimately made the right choice, with a simple uncooked crouton for hookbait, and no loose feed.
Carp and F1s came regularly, topped up with a few quality skimmers. 41lb 04oz was the final outcome to earn Paul an excellent win.
Dave Lynch put his venue knowledge to good use and, fishing some secret squirrel expanders, he put together another good net of 30lb 08oz to ease himself into a clear second place. Well done Spadger.
Incredible as it may seem, Pato actually turned up at Lingmere, and then fished the full match without a moan! Might have something to do with the fact that the 'jolly one' came third with 22lb 08oz. Three tins of corn transformed his peg and turned Neil into a bagging machine. Hard to believe, I know, but true. Congratulations to laughing boy.
Sections were won by Dennis Jones with 18lb 10oz, Clueless Lucas (who battered Sumo) with 14lb 08oz, and Derek Warren with 21lb 04oz. A good effort from all three.
Another walk of shame for me. Sandwiched between the first two, even Spadger's secret pellets failed to earn a bite. Doh!

CONWY, 17/11/13 ~ Cookie conquers Conwy with the help of a new MAP

Our first visit of the winter to Conwy Water Gardens was greeted with pleasant weather conditions. After recent gales and persistent rain, a flat calm lake and mild temperatures meant everyone was confident of a few bites.
Well, to coin a phrase..' it fished it's nuts off '.Carp fed everywhere and the roach boys were left to look a bit silly.
Col Cook drew at the top end and started with a silver approach. After half an hour of roach bashing, the lure of a shiny new MAP 901 saw him go to the full 16metres. Fishing shallow with pellet, Col caught carp and big F1s regularly. A few chucks with a method in the last half hour topped up an already impressive net with some decent skimmers. Totalling a level 66lb, his catch was enough for victory. Well done Col.
At the other end of the lake was Ian Simpson. He too fished 16metres and had an assortment of carp, F1s and silvers which went 58lb 12oz at the scales and secured the runner-up berth. Consistent as ever, a great effort Simo.
John 'Sumo' Edwards did incredibly well to end up with a net of mainly quality carp. Every time I looked up, he was doing something different. In fact, it looked like he didn't know what he was doing. One minute he was  chucking the tip, the next he was roach fishing. Then it was carp on the deck, then pellet shallow. He managed to keep fish of some description coming to the net and ended up with a level 55lb, and a well earned podium spot.
Other noteable weights came from Dave Norman, with an unlucky 54lb 12oz, Yozzer with a mostly roach catch weighing 46lb 08oz , and Pato with another net of decent carp for 45lb 12oz .
Another interesting day at Conwy, and well worth the journey for the sport on offer. With the money saved on petrol when we go to Lingmere every winter weekend, it's got to merit a visit. 

Ben Pickup Memorial, Lloyds Meadow BADGER, 20/10/13 ~ Great turnout in Ben's memory

A turnout of 22 was a brilliant tribute to the memory of young Ben.






The weather was very mixed throughout the day, along with the fishing. However, the benefits of the payout structure were illustrated perfectly today, with close battles for prizes all around the lake.
The Gnome drew his now customary flier, an end peg, conveniently full of fish. Making good use of it, Yozzer put 37lb 08oz on the scales, an equal split of silvers and carp, all caught on maggot. Enough for a comfortable victory, but winning only the same cash as Steve Coleman, who's 10lb was the lowest winning section weight. A much fairer system, especially on a peggy venue, and the winner still gets the glory...priceless.
The runner-up berth was filled by Kenny Stuart, who also fished maggot, over micros, and finished with a level 26lb. Nice one Mr Mastercatcher.
Jamie Pickup was third, even having time for a midmatch walkabout to check out the opposition. Jambo fished chopped worm n caster, putting his new Sensas 874 pole to good use at 14metres. His final tally was 22lb. Well done JP.
Section winners were Sumo with 14lb 12oz, Pato (he's my friend) with 15lb 04oz, and Colin Cook with 18lb 08oz. Congatulations to all the prize-winners.

BRON EIFION WEEKEND 27, 28 AND 29th Sept 2013

FRIDAY 27TH, WALL & ISLAND PEGS

Baron of Bron.....just.

With most travelling down on the Friday, a knock-up had been arranged for the afternoon. The relatively late start meant that bumper weights were expected. Oops!

With an easterly wind blowing, and some torrential midweek rain, sport had been severely 'dampened'. Nearly everyone struggled for a few bites, with not even the backup silvers apparently willing to feed.

One exception was John Edwards, the self elected Baron of Bron following some of his previous performances at the venue. Sumo caught well throughout, mainly on paste, and finished with  42lb, which narrowly secured victory. 

Lee Pickup also caught steadily and put 41lb on the scales for the silver medal. Pole, pellet waggler, method feeder and floating feeder all proving successful. Yes, the same floating feeder that was ridiculed when Sumo first unveiled it some years ago at Gorsty.

A late burst of margin fish brought the Gnome from nowhere to third place with 32lb.

Most amusing occurrence was when Dave Norman, who arrived too late to fish, turned up at the lake as a Bradley Wiggins look-alike. The impression ended when Dave went arse over the handle bars much to everyone's amusement. This overshadowed Clueless' attempt to win clown of the day. Pete had earlier been landing a carp when he leant back a bit too far and ended up flat on his back while still holding the net and his pole! Obviously everybody rushed to help......after the laughter had subsided.

SATURDAY 28th ~  Pete proves he's the Maestro

Another poor day's sport by Bron standards, but an incredibly close-fought match. It looked to be going the way of Gary Chambers on the fieldside end peg as he put together a slow but steady run of fish to end with 37lb 08oz. A good attempt but only good enough for second. 
With Yozzer and Jamie shaping like turkeys on the adjacent pegs, and taking an early bath, this gave Pete Lucas just enough room to put a few carp in the net late on, and scrape to victory with 38lb. Well done to the Maestro......Who said he was Clueless?
Ahhh, I know, it was Sumo, who completed the frame with a respectable 36lb, just edging out the Jolly Green Giant. Neil's catch weighing 35lb 03oz. 
The wall provided very poor sport with Steve Coleman managing a stand-out 29lb 02oz on the day, which won him a section prize.
The other section showed us that fishing is a better option than cycling for Dave Norman, who put together a 16lb 04oz net. 
Well deserved honours to all who picked up an envelope.

SUNDAY 29th ~ Paul's no has-bean, baked or otherwise.

Having been berated for messing about with a tin of Heinz baked beans with sausage as bait on the Friday, Paul Cargill showed that when he does it properly, he can fish a bit. Cargy brought 34lb 08oz to the scales for a comfortable win,

Gary Chambers showed his understanding of his 'local' venue by producing the best weight from the wall with a paste-caught 31lb 08oz. Another good result.

Steve Coleman was as consistent as ever, and completed an excellent weekend for him by taking third place with 26lb 08oz. Enough to keep Jamie Pickup out of the frame. Jamie showed improved form with his 24lb 02oz weight.

Neil Paterson, prosperous champion, earned some more pools money with a 22lb 12oz section win.

With the threat of another ass-kicking from Lucas, everyone put cardboard down the back of their trousers but the Maestro used some of Jamie's whupass and bombed out in spectacular fashion. 

Really poor weights by Bron standards, but very competitive matches and some cracking banter meant the weekend was as enjoyable as any of the others the club has had. Thanks to everyone for making it that way.

JACOBS, 8/9/13 ~ Sumo falls short in record attempt as Yozz wins off another flier

The club's first visit to Jacobs coincided with an overnight chill as temperatures dropped into single figures for the first time this autumn. Such is the reputation of the lake however, it was still expected to produce.
Ten minutes into the match and John Edwards had made a flying start. He immediately declared his intention to smash the lake record, which stands at an impressive 170lb+. Despite catching regularly on paste and corn, at the final whistle Sumo fell just short with his 33lb 09oz net of F1s and a solitary bream. Unlucky John, but an excellent try which gave him third place in the match.
Meanwhile, The Gnome had drawn an end peg with a weed bed on the inside. Fishing meat at 8metres and down the side, Yozz managed 55 F1s and 2 proper carp of 5lb each, which pulled the scales round to 73lb 02oz for a runaway victory.
Steve Coleman was second with another good net of F1s, caught on paste, which went 34lb. Another good effort, well done.
Kenny Pickup had his lads for company in his section and proved he's the Daddy with a winning 26lb 04oz.
With Dave Norman unable to maintain his winning Old Hough form despite his end peg draw (10 minutes to land a 2lb fish) it was left to Tony Byers to win section A. The crafty cockney made a switch to 8mm banded pellet with an hour to go and suddenly started hitting all his previously missed indications. A mix of F1s, bream and a proper carp gave him 24lb 10oz. Lavly jabbly.
The final section, a low key affair, went to Gary Brislin with a maggot caught mix weighing a level 21lb. A big well done to all. Although it didn't produce the level of sport anticipated, it was a very fair match on a good little venue, apart from that Yozzer bloke who just had to go and spoil it! 

General Meeting on Weds 4th Sept 2013

The following  detail was discussed/ decided at the latest club meeting:
Members intending to fish a club match MUST book on with the Match Secretary no later than the Thursday prior to the match. If you just turn up on the day you will NOT be allowed to fish. This is not a new rule, it is a long standing rule which members are being reminded of. (rule 25)
BRON EIFION  
For those going to Bron on the Friday, we will be meeting at Tesco's in Conwy for breakfast at 9.00 and travelling on to Bron for about 10.30. The knockup will probably be 12 til 5
On Saturday the draw will be 9.15 with fishing times 10.30 til 4.00, and on Sunday we'll be fishing 10.15 til 3.15.

HAMPTON SPRINGS, WILLOW, 11/8/13 ~ Two-faced Jamie is winner on willow

Recent results on Hampton's website suggested it was fishing well, so good sport was expected. Apart form one small section, that was indeed the case, with most having about 40lb.
Saturday night on the chatbox, and Jamie was in buoyant mood, talking about cans of whupass and muppets fishing the method.
Granted, he got the whupass correct, which makes a change as it's usually a waste of time even opening the tin. Catching steadily throughout the match, and finishing strongly in the margins, JBay put together a tidy net which went 68lb 14oz at the scales. A magical performance, sadly tainted when he revealed that he had fished the method all day, including down the margins!!  Two-faced muppet, Miss Piggy AND Kermit rolled into one.

Runner-up on his 'home' water was the Gnome. Winkling out some early blade skimmers and cruies set up a late marginal attack, where some quality barbel and carp saw Yozzer weigh 60lb 02oz.
Third was Colin Cook, who by his own admission, had next to nowt for 4 hours. A manic last hour in the margins brought most of his 51lb 04oz . Well done Col.
Paul Dennett again showed his liking for Hampton with a section win. 46lb 08oz of mainly carp on meat was enough. Nice one Paul.
The only 'poor' section was won by Steve Coleman with a less than impressive 26lb 12oz. Can't believe he fished the full 5 hours and only had that much! But well done anyway Steve :-).

Dave Cargill memorial/benefit match, Moreton Brickworks, 4/8/13 ~ Tollo wins with a ton

This match, in memory of our late Match Secretary Dave Gargill, was well attended by Eggy members and other friends and Brickie regulars who came to honour Cargy. The main aim of the day was to raise some funds for the Cargill family and pay tribute and remember our good friend Dave. A great total of £310 was collected on a very successful day. 
It's a good job it wasn't all about the fishing because although the usual pegs provided some great weights, there were also very poor returns from some areas. 
The winner was Paul Tolliton with 111lb of quality carp, taken on the pellet waggler, so congratulations to him. From the next peg was our very own Jamie Pickup with another pellet wag dominated carp catch to the tune of 88lb. Well done Jambo.
Another venue regular, in the shape of Lee Pickup, won a section with 46lb, while the other section was very poor with yet another regular (but only for 30years), Andy Lawton, needing only 3 carp and some bits to weigh 18lb. Good effort lads.
The aim of the day was achieved, and not even the last hour rain shower could put a dampener on proceedings. A big thank you for all those who could support the day.

WESTON POOLS CLAYPIT, 28/7/13 ~ Yozz makes good use of alleged flyer

This was a first for the club, and very much a venture into the unknown. The claypit is a bowl-shaped pool which was an old quarry. Gin clear water has been dyed blue, and depths go to a reported 40 feet. Weston regulars informed us that it had an original carp stock, with some decent fish, and a good head of silvers. These  had been enhanced with large numbers of small stockies and F1s.
The Gnome drew a supposed flyer and found 4 feet at 6 metres. Fishing corn, he was into small carp and F1s from the off, with an occasional 3lb one. In the latter stages, he found some bigger lumps down the edge on corn, and finished with a very respectable 98lb 08oz. Not without his usual incompetency though. With water levels down, it was nearly 3 feet from platform to water, and whilst lifting his carp filled landing net, the 2 piece handle came apart with the net and carp going back in the water and yozz left holding the end of the handle. Steve was on the next peg, and quickly reached into his bag for the newly-acquired wet suit, but it was not needed as the offending net was rescued with the minimum of fuss.
Second place went to Colin Cook, who quietly and efficiently put together a fine net of mixed size carp on margin fished pellet for an excellent 67lb. Well done Col.
Agonisingly close was Derek Warren. Information was that an old railway line ran across the lake bed. After catching a dozen early fish, Degsy hooked a couple of better carp, which went 'steaming off' across the lake. Onto the pole with caster and he was soon catching again, this time including some nice skimmers and a couple of barbel. The scales registered 66lb 08oz, so only third, but another tidy effort from Derek.
The final envelope, in the hardest section, went to The Maestro, who caught a few lumps by fishing meat and corn over groundbait in the margins. 36lb was enough to give Pete Lucas another pick-up, so nice one Pete.
The pole that Lee is selling now has one slightly shorter top-kit, as a loud gunshot sound in midmatch was actually the top section braking. Oops!
Really good fishing at Weston, but sadly, due to a number of booking issues, and extortionate prices, it looks like further visits are unlikely.

YEW TREE, 14/7/13 ~ Derek worms his way into first place.

Heatwave conditions meant a difficult day was likely at Yew Tree. There were carp galore to be seen cruising the surface, but very few were interested in feeding. Eight members chanced their arm, so there were two sections of four.
It was pretty obvious from an early stage that the field was splitting into 2 camps. Those with worm n caster were catching well, whilst those using pellet, etc., were struggling.
Derek Warren seems to fish the wriggler wherever he goes, so he was one of the lucky ones. Fishing a top kit in both margins, the Moreton Marauder caught all day, with a mix of silvers, including some nice ide, going into one keepnet, while two specimen tench and a couple of large carp made their way into another. At the end, Degs had totalled 49lb 12oz (No! not 50) to deservedly take the spoils. Well Done.

Yippee Degsy, we're gettin a mention on the blog!!!

Neil Paterson also fished worm n caster, after wasting an hour on the 'splash waggler' chasing the elusive carp. That lost time possibly cost him as he brought a net of quality ide to the scales, which weighed 36lb 10oz. Cracking net of fish, but not enough for the Jolly Green Giant, who had to be content with second place.

In third spot, again using the magic worm, was Andy Lawton. Andy also had a good bag of mixed silvers, enhanced by a barbel nearing the 5lb mark. He ended up with about 25lb, so again, a big well done.

Typical for the venue, that was the good bit finished, as three DNWs, and nets of 5 and 10lb completed the field.  

FIR TREE, WIGAN, 23/6/13 ~ Kenny finishes first in Firtree fishfest

A windy day and an unknown in the shape of Firtree's new lake. A couple had fished it once before, with mixed reviews.
An unfortunate start for the Gnome, as, while tackling up, a gust of wind blew a top kit and sections 4 and 5 straight into the drink, DOH!!! The top kit was rescued, and despite 20 minutes of searching with landing nets, there was no sign of the flyaway sections. To add insult to injury, Kenny Pickup's gold watch fell off his wrist and also went for a swim. Quite why Yozzer had so many sections out anyway was a mystery, but a spare No.4 came out of the bag and that was as long as he fished all day  (nowt new there then).
As if to reward his efforts during the attempted rescue, Kenny went on to have the most memorable of days. A bite a chuck, and some 70 carp later, the scales confirmed him as the runaway winner with an incredible weight of 16lb 12oz. (Yeah, sixteen!!!) An awesome performance by the Chairman, well done.
A tight tussle for second place ended in a tie. Steve Cooke caught on meat, corn and pellet down the track, while Jamie Pickup did his usual numbnuts display of 16 metre mastery (in that wind). Both brought 13lb 04oz to the scales. Two great efforts.
With the section payouts now established, the final brown envelope went to Dave Lynch, who also caught bucket loads of carp, 35 in fact, for a total of 7lb 04oz. Nice one Spadge.
Not everything was rosey, as once again Sumo went for a walk of shame (off an end peg, too ??) and took Norman with him, while Yozzer got a cheque book and pen!

Two other DNWs meant the field was split in half, but the general consensus was 'a Pato special', and I don't think we'll be going back again.

Better news at the end as Kenny also had another look and found his watch, still working.

Cookie became a club legend as he stripped off and went swimming for the lost sections, and to my gratitude, he found both pieces.

Steve, what are those lumps in your throat?   Aaaaahhhh, your balls, OK

LLOYDS, BADGER, 2/6/13 ~ Ton-up for Lucas

Another match I missed, but the result was as follows:-
An excellent winning weight for Pete Lucas, with 102lb 08oz. A big well done to the maestro.
The other sections were won as follows, Spadger had 51lb 12oz, Jamie Pickup weighed 40lb 10oz, and Derek Warren added to his Weston success with a 47lb net. Well done to all.

HAMPTON SPRINGS, LONG ISLAND, 12/5/13 ~ Dennett donkeys secure winning debut

The middle of May, and everyone had big coats on. In conditions more akin to January, Hampton was not in the best of form. With very few margin fish caught, this was reflected in the weights.
One man who found some of the bigger carp, albeit at range on the feeder, was club debutant Paul Dennett.
Only five fish graced his keepnet at the end, but all were donkeys. They totalled 34lb 07oz and gave Paul a win on his very first outing with the Eggy. I knew I should have black-balled his application! Seriously, a great start, and welcome to the club.
A tie for second place between Lee Pickup, who was one of only a few who caught down the edge, but managed about a dozen meat loving carp, and Dennis Jones, who had a mixed bag of crucians, carp and bits. Both weighed a level 33lb from adjacent pegs. A real ding dong, and well done to both.
The new payout structure continued today, and section A winner was the maestro himself, Pete Lucas. He fished his usual method feeder, along with pole and bread, and finished with 27lb 12oz. Another good score by the Warrington Wizard.
Section B went to Kenny Stuart, who resorted to doing what he does best, and landed a crucian based net, on pole and pellet, weighing 21lb 04oz. Well done the mastercatcher.
With Paul winning section C, the final section was another close affair, with travelling buddies Derek Warren and Andy Lawton in a head to head, both netting some good carp. Derek came out on top with 23lb 12oz, caught on feeder with meat, while Andy was just a crucian behind with 23lb 02oz. Good effort lads.
Finally, from hero to zero in double quick time. On Saturday, fishing at The Oaks in Thirsk, Pato put on a masterly display to beat some top class anglers in winning his section at the fishomania qualifier. Congratulations on a great performance. Alas, on Sunday it was 'return of the duffer' as Neil failed to weigh after a dismal and cold day, catching next to nothing. Doh!!!

******* SPECIAL REPORT ******* ...Garbolino Club Angler of the Year... Tunnel Barn Farm Fishery, 19/4/13

When Neil Paterson earned the right to represent the club in the Garbolino, it gave us the perfect opportunity for one of our 'Premier Inn' excursions. The Big Fella chose the Tunnel Barn midlands qualifier, as we had at least been there a couple of times before, and even in a big match, a reasonable day's sport was likely. He didn't fancy the northern one up at Thirsk. 
Something big must have been on at the Birmingham NEC because rooms in the area were being advertised at higher than usual prices. I managed to secure a twin room at the Premier Inn, Royal Leamington Spa. 2 nights @ £39 per night, still great value and may I say what a delightful place it is too.
We travelled down on Wednesday morning, and arrived about 10.15. After a bacon butty and a chat with the fishery staff, we decided to fish on Extension Pool. Staff advised on the current form pegs, so we chose a couple where the wind was off our backs, and sat next to each other.
For the £2 challenge, we decided upon 6 hours. Pato went out to 6metres with groundbait and maggot and was quickly into F1s. I went to 5 metres, feeding 6mm pellets on one line, and groundbait on another. I also put a small pot of hemp and corn down the edge. I waited about ten minutes for my first F1.
After half a dozen fish each, things went a bit silly. Liners and missed bites for both of us. I put corn on and things settled down while Neil struggled on.
With about an hour gone, I had a little look in the margin on corn. The float buried first drop, and every other drop for that matter, until the end of the session.
After half an hour on maggot in his margins, and with little success, Pato started feeding maggot regularly and the F1s came shallow. Every put in was the same, a pinch of maggots, drop the rig in and within seconds the elastic poured from his top kit. And all at 6 metres ! 
What a fabulous day's sport we had. Then we realised that we may do ourselves some mischief as we had to weigh them. Pato added his weights up and came to a final tally of 127lb. After resting for a few minutes to get our breath back, it was my turn. I was worried. Not for my £2, but because I thought I'd done Neil by a few pounds and weighing would be hard work. We were equally stunned when my catch finally added up to an amazing 230lb. All F1s too. Never seen anything like it.

Back in Leamington, we found a Chinese, and ordered a banquet, the highlight of which were some rather hot salt n pepper king prawns. Full stomachs and aching muscles counter-acted the excitement, and we a good night's sleep.
Day 2 saw us on the Canal. No, not the thing with doggydo, boats and gudgeon, this was the name of another pool at TBF. We decided on another 6 hours, but this time, just in case, we would weigh after 3 hours and start again (same pegs). Information was that this was more of a maggot water, so Pato went 6 metres with maggot and groundbait, and the same down the edge. As it was a practice for the big match, I was happy to do something else. Pellet at 6 metres, and you guessed it, hemp and corn down the edge.
30 minutes gone and only a couple of skimmers to show for it. Down the edge, again, and a few F1s, but nowhere near as quick as the day before. Pato also went down the edge, on maggot, and had some F1s and a few small barbel. Slow but steady brought us to the first weigh, and only one net each. Neil on 24lb, me 32lb. Tongue in cheek we both muttered  "sh*thole" and laughed.
In truth, it was probably a more interesting day's fishing. Corn n hemp didn't seem to be working, and I scratched around for the odd F1 and mirror to 3lb. The staff came round and coached me on maggot for 30 minutes, before walking away muttering that they couldn't believe it hadn't worked for me.
Meanwhile, Pato was catching really well on the maggot, down the edge, mainly poundish barbel, with the odd proper carp and F1. We both agreed he was getting his £2 back.
With 45minutes left I scrapped everything and reverted back to what I know. Despite advice to the contrary, I went on a top kit straight out, where it was 3.5 feet deep, and fed a pinch of micros. A 4mm pellet went on the hook and unbelievably I started catching immediately. Big skimmers, F1s and barbel came steadily to the net until the end. All the local advice, given in good faith, and doing my own thing worked better.
The weigh-in seemed a formality, and when Pato put 54lb on the scales, to go with his first bag at 24lb, the total 78lb was a great effort considering we thought it had been a Grueller (now there's a laugh). Neil could have cried when I put my fish on the scales and the needle went to 52lb, meaning a total of 84lb for me, and another £2 coin.
 That evening we went for an Indian, and discussing plans for the Garbo match, Pato thought he had learned enough to have a good go.
There were 130 anglers in the match, spread over 7 pools. Each lake winner would qualify, along with the top 8 subsequent weights overall, making a total of 15 into the final. We both thought around 70lb might be enough.
At the draw, and Pato came out and announced 'Extension'......peg 30. Happy with the lake, but as far away from our opening session as you could get. Our fishery friends indicated, with a quick gurning contest, that it was not a good area.
At the peg, and it didn't look too bad. The whistle went, and so very quickly, did plans A and B. A lad opposite had started with 6 early fish. Plan C, two lines down the right margin, both fed with groundbait and hemp, came into play. Neil began catching steadily with maggot on one line and corn on the other. After an hour he was level with the other guy, and got his head in front, with 15 F1s approaching the two hour mark. A ten minute lull in the action coincided with the other guy having a good run, and that's when the wheel fell off for Pato. Instead of keeping things steady, panic set in and the next hour was "headless chicken" time (understandable I suppose) with Neil chasing round lines trying to make things happen.
With 90 minutes left, he finally settled down and went back to the original catching lines and tactics. F1s came at regular intervals, and he ended on 39 fish. I thought he'd done 50lb, but again, he just seemed concerned about the other fella, who was in his section. 'If I have 50, then he has a ton' was Pato's prediction. To Neil's amazement, the lad weighed 64lb against the honourable 57lb 11oz for the big fella. Lesson learnt! Fish your own peg and don't worry about others.
Pato had finished 5th of 20 on his lake, with the best weight being 80lb, from the other end. It seems that a high 70lb weight was needed to qualify.
 All in all, a thoroughly enjoyable trip. Neil enjoyed himself but feels that he may have let the club down. For what it's worth, I think he's been a credit to the club, and to himself. I'm sure the experience has helped his angling, and whoever is lucky enough to represent the club next year, would do a lot worse than ask him for advice.

OLD HOUGH, BIG MAX, 14/4/13

No texts with the result, no phone calls to say how enjoyable it was,     nothing! Called Pato myself at 10pm. He seemed to have had a reasonable day, on a flat calm peg, and claimed a 10lb roach net, caught on the pole.
For the majority however, it was slightly on the breezy side, and most adopted the donkey approach. Chuck a tip out and then fall asleep. The lucky ones were woken up every hour, and reeled in a few quality bream and F1s.
The actual final scores I got off the Old Hough site, and they read:
1  Gary Brislen..........20lb 12oz
2  John Heald............12lb 10oz
3  Andy Lawton........12lb 02oz
Congrats to the framers. Glad I had to stay in and wash my hair. How lucky am I? 

LINGMERE, 31/3/13 ~ Col catches the only respectable weight

Even a fishery with the quality of Lingmere will occasionally fall foul of the weather, and this Easter Sunday contest was badly affected by the recent arctic conditions.
Venue regular Colin Cook was the only one to put a half decent net together, and won easily with 21lb.
Lee Pickup continued his recent form with  another frame, this time weighing 12lb.  
Filling his now customary venue third place, was John Edwards with 11lb.
Sections went to Andy Lawton with 10lb, and Kenny Pickup with 7lb. Well done to all, least of all for actually fishing in this weather.
Finally, despite constant visits to Lingmere, and phone calls to Steve, Jamie Pickup took the wooden spoon.....Doh!

YEWTREE, 17/3/13 ~ Pato finishes top of the molehill

A farcical turnout at Yewtree. Only 5 members and a guest fished this one. Hardly mountain climbing to win it, more like a molehill, but Neil Paterson topped the pile with 39lb.
£25 win money, and a bonus peg £50, so a worthwhile exercise for the big man. Well done Pato.

Information from meeting, 5/3/13

Especially for Dennis, but everyone else too.
It was decided at the meeting that club matches from April to October would be used to determine who represents the club in the Garbolino Club Angler 2014. Fish as many as you like and your best six results will count.

HAMPTON SPRINGS, WILLOW, 3/3/13 ~ Robb rustles up a winning menu

Midweek reconnaissance indicated that there had been a gudgeon boom in the Willow lake. Hoardes of tiny fish had made life difficult, with bait selection crucial.
After two hours of fishing on the incredibly patchy fishery, half the field were bemoaning the fact that they couldn't even get a gudgeon! One wag shouted, " Wish I was on the canal, there's plenty of them in there." A swift response came back, "Wish I was in the canal, with concrete boots on."

It wasn't all despair though, as masterchef Paul Robb found carp from the off, fishing 16metres to the island with maggot and pellet. He served up a winning net of 49lb. Well done Paul, a tidy effort.
Dave Lynch proved his pedigree by catching donks not gonks and put 44lb of big lumps on the scales to clinch second spot. Dead maggot at 10metres did the damage, nice one Spadger.
Completing an impressive frame was Lee Pickup, who also went down the maggot route. Fishing halfway to the island, Our Lee had some good sized barbel in his 35lb bag. Spot on, and not a 'cesspit' comment to be heard, great stuff.
After a mid-match walkabout, with one bite in the first two hours, Jamie Pickup must have returned to a shedful. Copying Robbo, on the next peg, he went on to record 29lb and secure his section win.
Dave Cargill took the other section with 22lb of carp and barbel caught on maggot over micros. Well done to both section winners.
Once again Sumo Edwards led the 'walkers of shame', closely followed by Norman, Cooke(S) and Yozzer. For the record, I tipped back 4 blade skimmers, 2 gonks, 2 grains of corn and 3 maggot skins. Yippee! can't wait to go back.

LLOYDS MEADOW, BADGER, 17/2/13 ~ Coleman visits Bag-up City and hits the Jackpot

I didn't go to Badger because I didn't fancy a grueller! I really feel like a donut after this result (and not the jam kind either). When a Sumo text at 12.05 read "Ladies and Gentlemen, take your partners for the Walk of Shame", I thought I'd made a good decision to stay away. However, by the end, a Cargy phone call told me I had missed a bagging match, DOH!
Steve Coleman fished an absolute blinder, and remarkably for the middle of February, he smashed the club record with a brilliant 115lb 06oz. Steve caught carp from start to finish, bread to the far bank being the successful approach. Congratulations Steve, fantastic.

not saying it was solid or anything, but.........

Trailing in his wake, but with another outstanding weight, of 54lb 08oz, was Gary Chambers. Fishing the more traditional bait of bread at 16metres, rather than pickled whelk or whatever, he had a catch that would normally be more than enough to take the honours. Well done Gary.
Dennis Jones atoned for a dismal effort at the last Badger event by putting 34lb 08oz on the scales for an honourable third place. Nice one Den.
Proving that there was strength in depth, the sections were won with good weights, too. Jamie Pickup won one with 31lb 06oz, while Kenny Stuart had a netful of silvers to win the other with 21lb 02oz. Good scores, lads. 

COMMENTS

In view of the recent increase in comment numbers, I have introduced a page just for casual comments and chitchat.

RULE CHANGES following A.G.M.

Following the A.G.M. on Tuesday 8th January 2013, there have been several amendments to the club rules.

Guests will now be allowed to participate in section pools only.

Any member abusing another member, verbally or otherwise, will be expelled.

Applications for membership will be discussed at the monthly meeting and voted upon via a 'black ball' system. If one third of the meeting blackball, the application will be declined.

The existing rule apertaining to fishing a venue 24 hours before a match is abolished forthwith.

J. Pickup is appointed as vice Match Captain, to help the Match Secretary, and run things in his absence.

Members must fish a minimum of 6 matches each year or have their membership revoked.

Keepnets must be laid out to airdry and placed into the water 15 minutes prior to the all-in.

Tackling up time is extended to 1 hour and 15 minutes.

Matches shall be of 5 hours duration, with the option to extend 'on the day'.

50lb net rule is amended. Two nets will be required at all venues, and fishery limits will apply.

CONWY, 6/1/13 ~ Drawbag Paterson enjoys a banjo bonanza

Following nearly a week of milder temperatures, it was predicted by some that we would see big weights at Conwy. It was partly correct with an impressive winning weight, but it was down hill fast after that.
Neil Paterson was planning to put a roach net together, in the hope of cementing his lead in the Club Angler series. At the all-in, however, with a ripple blowing in to his bank, and the light all wrong to see a pole float, he decided to sit on the banjo until things changed. After ten minutes the tip went round and Pato was into a decent carp. The tip continued to go round on a regular basis. Some big fish went into his net, with Neil estimating the biggest to be about 15lb (that'll be 8 then!). At the weigh-in, following a scintillating performance, the final total was 90lb, and we hadn't heard a moan all day. Amazing.......fantastic effort Pato. It wasn't really "duelling banjos" as no-one came close. More a case of the Tango advert,...." You know when you've been BANJOED"

Sing along together, "THE WHEELS ON THE BUS"

In a remote 2nd was Ian Simpson, who put together a first half net of roach, followed by four decent carp and finished with 32lb 08oz. Usually regarded as a good catch for Conwy, today it paled into mediocrity, but was still worthy of praise, so well done to Simo.

On his very first attempt at the Golden peg, Yozzer had his usual all roach net for a level 32lb and a comfortable third place. Consistent if nothing else. 

John Edwards made the most of his end peg draw to clinch the first section. A decent carp about an hour into the match set Sumo on his way. Topping up with a few roach, he seemed to be going nowhere and the walk of shame was beckoning, but in a triumph for perseverance, John caught two good carp on the teabag in the last 30 minutes, and boosted his weight to 24lb 08oz. Perhaps he'll stay in future, well done Sumo.

Continuing his good form since returning, was Gary Chambers. Struggling to catch his trademark Conwy skimmers, which have done a disappearing act, Gary plodded on and ended with 18lb 01oz of mainly silvers to take the other section prize.

On reflection, an average match for the venue, slightly overshadowed by the performance from the Big Fella, but nonetheless a decent day out.