Additional Matches

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Any idea what this is?

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

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

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