Fur and Feather

  • Wyland International Angling Centre, near Battle, East Sussex.

    Maggotdrowning.com

     magtrans.gif MD's Logo picture by pnm123

    Southern Fur & Feather.

    w1.jpg Wylands, House Lake. picture by pnm123

    Time for the annual Maggotdrowning Southern Fur & Feather match and we're back down at Wylands on House Lake today. Pressure of work has meant that I haven't been out fishing for nearly 2 months so it was good just to be going fishing today . I was hoping that the weather would be a little kinder than last year, but looking through the curtains it was looking pretty cold and that was confirmed as I loaded the car. I rolled into the car park around 7·50am in tandem with Mark (MoleMan) and found Bill, Simon, Trevor and Wayne already in residence at the tea hut. The bad news however was that there was no food on the go , and the bailiff had only opened it so we could get a cuppa before we started.
    Looking across the lake it was obvious that some drastic gardening had gone on since last year with the island that's reached by the footbridge cut in half to form two, a lot of the trees cut back and a number of bivvy friendly swims installed on the woodside bank and the bank to the left of the bridge.
    Mark soon had the draw underway for the 14 of us in attendance and put in 3 more pegs for absentees who hadn't cancelled . I ended up with peg 16, one of 4 new pegs to the left of the bridge. For company today I had Tony to my left on 17, while to my right was Wayne on 15 and Trevor on 14 next to the bridge. Positioning my box I couldn't help noticing the icy easterly that was blowing from right to left into our pegs, and then for good measure it started raining .

    A1-13.jpg My peg on House Lake. picture by pnm123

    Now with a good head of silvers present and the cold snap probably slowing the carp down, I'd picked a couple of top kits with soft white Hydro and made up a couple of silvers rigs, 4X12 carpa tricky's on 0·12 to 0·10 with size 20 Red Drennan Barbless Carp Maggot hooks. Now the main body of house lake offers depths of around 4-6 ft on the pole line, so I was a little taken aback to find no more than 2½ft regardless of where I plumbed up . Bait for today was red & white maggot, 4mm expanders and some micro pellet.

    10am and Mark blew for the All-in, I potted some maggot and pellet straight out at 8mtrs and a similar amount about 10ft to the left of it.
    Out with the rig baited with a single red maggot and 30 seconds later a small roach made sure that I wouldn't be facing a DNW . Further small roach followed in the next 2 hours, but Tony and I were really struggling, Wayne appeared to be doing a bit better, while Trevor fishing the whip was definitely doing the best of the four of us......

    A4-13.jpg Looking down the backwater. picture by pnm123

    Feeling a little disheartened I grabbed the camera and took a stroll. Jeff had once again drawn on the island and was getting regular action with some skimmers helping him build a decent net. Looking across I could see Mark on the 1st peg and rumour had it that he already had a bonus Carp in the net.......

    A5-13.jpg "Hathers" picture by pnm123

    Indeed it appeared that all those on the wood bank had got off to a decent start, especially Simon and Andy......

    A7-13.jpg The Woods bank. picture by pnm123

    and I could see that Vince over on the dam was getting a few meaning that he was looking odds on for another Golden Nugget off me today ......

    A6-12.jpg Vince on his way to a "Golden Nugget" picture by pnm123

    I could see Bill sitting in splendid isolation with the tea hut bank all to himself, and as I made my way over he was into a fish that was taking just a bit to much elastic for it to be anything other than a Carp. A couple of anxious minutes followed, but soon it was safely in the net, a nice bonus fish ......

    A9-12.jpg A nice chunky Carp for Bill. picture by pnm123

    Mick looked to be lost in concentration and getting amongst a few silvers himself ......

    A10-11.jpg Mick the Chippy. picture by pnm123

    Indeed the whole of the main part of the lake seemed to be fishing quite well as I made my way back to my peg. I stopped off for a chat with Trev to try and pick his brains as it's his local fishery and he suggested that I needed to up my feeding despite the bitter cold as that's what the fish normally responded to. So back to my peg and off with the kinder pot and out with the catapult.

    Well it worked to a degree, in that the roach started to come a bit more frequently, but they were still just 1-2oz fish with the occasional 4oz bonus fish. With around half an hour to go Terry (Wily Coyote) Goff appeared having come down to see how we were getting on, and it was as I chatted to Tony that I struck into another roach bite only to see quite a lot of White Hydro , and a nervous couple of minutes followed before I slid the net under a Carp of around 5lbs. However that was the end of the excitement for me and Mark blew the All-out at 3pm just as the rain returned for us to pack up in. Thankfully we were using fishery keepnets so were able to pack up in double quick time and get the gear back to the car before the weigh in .

    Mark kicked off with 20¾lbs and was rapidly overtaken by Simon with 24¼lbs, Stuart managed 15½lbs before Andy brought 37lbs to the scales including 3 Carp. Vince's 16lbs+ secured the Golden Nugget from yours truly Crybaby [:C]while Jay put a match winning 38¼lbs on the scales . Mick recorded 12¾lbs while Bills level 34lbs left him ruing 3 lost carp, anyone of which would have given him the win. Next up Jeff and Trevor both put 25½lbs on the scales for joint 5th place. Wayne had 14½lbs, my meagre total was 11lbs 6ozs leaving poor Tony last to weigh and last on the day with just 4¼lbs to show for his efforts .

    At least everyone took home a prize on the day , one day hopefully we'll catch it on a day when the weather gods are smiling on us.
    A Big Thank You to Mark for organising the match , and to all that turned up on the day. Same again next year folks?

    Position              Angler                          Weight     
     1st Jay Lay 38lbs 04ozs
     2nd Andy (CU) Cummings 37lbs 00ozs
     3rd Bill Gibbins 34lbs 00ozs
     4th Nick Gilbert 26lbs 06ozs
     5th= Jeff Driscoll 25lbs 08ozs
     5th= Trevor (M.T.Net) Little 25lbs 08ozs
     7th Simon Elsey 24lbs 04ozs
     8th Mark (MoleMan) Hathaway 20lbs 12ozs
     9th Vince Gould 16lbs 06ozs
     10th Stuart (squeaky roller) Wilson 15lbs 08ozs
     11th Wayne (map) Taylor 14lbs 08ozs
     12th Mick (The Chippy) Pearson 12lbs 10ozs
     13th Peter (Mugger) Morton 11lbs 06ozs
     14th Tony (spamwham) Roberts   4lbs 04ozs

     

  • Wyland International Angling Centre, near Battle, East Sussex.

    Maggotdrowning.com

     magtrans.gif MD's Logo picture by pnm123

    Southern Fur & Feather.

    w1.jpg Wylands, House Lake. picture by pnm123

    Well it was off down to Wylands, just outside Battle today for the Southern Fur & Feather match  on the fishery's House Lake, that's been organised for the lads on the Maggotdrowning forum by Trevor(MT Net)Little. Loading up the car it was cold, windy and pouring down with rain (the sort of morning that makes you question your sanity ) and it didn't get any better during the trip down . Pulling into the fishery and as I got out of the car I realised it was even windier than I thought. A quick bacon sarnie and a coffee while I caught up with the other 14 lunatics assembled proceeded the draw and it has to be said that nobody looked too enthusiastic to get started . In fact the conversation revolved around which were the closest pegs to the snack bar .

    Anyway peg 14 by the footbridge stuck to my palm. A stroll down with the tackle revealed a pretty steep bank that would test the seat box legs out, all in all a little precarious. Mick to my right on 13 was in pretty much the same predicament while across the footbridge I had Jeff D and Al on 15 & 16 . Once I'd managed to level the box up I stuck the brolly up. With the wind swirling and the angle I was fishing at, it meant that I couldn't get right out of the rain but at least it offered a bit of shelter .

    I just set up 2 pole rigs, both consisted of Malman 4x14 Snake 1's on 0·12 to an 0·10 bottom with a size 20 red Drennan carp maggot hook, one for under the bridge, but with only just a couple of feet of depth I wasn't expecting much from there. The other was for out into open water at 7mtrs where I had around 3½ft. Fishing any longer was out of the question really with the wind and driving rain , Bait was just red maggots with some corn for a change bait and some micro's for feed.

    10am and Trevor called the All-in. A pinch of micro's and maggots followed by a maggot baited hook soon produced a small roach from the open water swim and set the pattern for the day. Looking round after about an hour though , very few were looking comfortable, though everyone appeared to be catching the odd fish. Now I've had my Preston Dri-Fish suit since they 1st came out and it's served me well, but despite regular NikWaxing after 4 seasons of abuse it's due for changing, and today the conditions found it out . I could feel the water starting to leak through, so decided to retreat to the snack bar for a warming coffee. I wasn't the only one either. Mick produced a bottle of Brandy and a shot was added to the coffee (strictly for medicinal purposes of course ) Sitting there certainly seemed a better idea than battling it out with the elements and offered a good view of the lake.

    w9-10.jpg Looking down on House Lake picture by pnm123

    Nick Gilbert right in front of us seemed to be doing OK, alternating between waggler to the island and the pole line, as did Mark(MoleMan)Hathaway a couple of pegs along to the left of Nick. Tony(spamwham) pegged between them was having a bit of trouble however with his umbrella with the wind doing its best to wrap Tony up in it  .............

    w2-14.jpg Tony gets swallowed by his brolly picture by pnm123

    I returned to my peg for another go, but I have to say that my heart wasn't in it , despite the Roach still being there. I stuck it out till about 1pm, but I was cold damp and miserable, so gave it best, tipping back about 6lbs of Roach and hastily getting my gear back to the car. A session with the hand drier in the loo got some feeling back in my hands and I returned to the snack bar to watch the rest of the match, and by the time that Trevor called the All-out at 3pm there were half a dozen of us there .

    The weigh-in didn't take long, Mark(Moleman) taking the honours on the day with 32lbs 15ozs from Nick's 30lbs 03ozs, though the real shock was Omega Mike sticking it out for the whole 5 hours for 19lbs 10ozs and 3rd place !

    W1-14.jpg Mark recieves the Trophy from Trevor picture by pnm123

    So a quick presentation saw Mark with a nice shiny trophy, while the rest of us all took home a little something from the prize table for Christmas. Thanks to Trevor for organising the day, we all agreed that it was a cracking venue and that we'd like another go at it in better weather. On a final note all the lads chipped in the pools money and Keith at Wylands chipped in £2 from each of our peg fees, meaning £75 was donated to the  Maggotdrowning Christmas Appeal  Nice one lads .

    Position                 Angler   Weight
     1st Mark(MoleMan)Hathaway 32lbs 15ozs
     2nd Nick Gilbert 30lbs 03ozs
     3rd Mike(Omega Mike)Jameson 19lbs 10ozs
     4th Jeff(Jeff D)Driscoll 13lbs 04ozs
     5th Alan(Al)Loader 11lbs 10ozs
     6th Tony(spamwham)Roberts 11lbs 05ozs
     7th Trevor(MT Net)Little   7lbs 08ozs
     8th Bill(Bill G)Gibbins   6lbs 06ozs
     9th Simon Elsey   4lbs 04ozs
      Peter(Mugger)Morton      DNW
      Mick(The Chippy)Pearson      DNW
      Vince(Vince G)Gould      DNW
      Kevin(The Catch)Loveland         DNW
      Matt Love      DNW
      Wayne(map)Taylor      DNW

    The DNW's aren't a reflection on the fishery as the 6 anglers all caught,
     but packed up early and tipped their fish back.

     

  • Monk Lakes. Match Lake 1.

    Maggotdrowning.com

     magtrans.gif MD's Logo picture by pnm123

    Southern Fur & Feather.


    Monks1.jpg Monks Match Lake 1 picture by pnm123

    Well where to start?
    Back in early October, I remarked to Vince that it might be an idea to run a Fur & Feather before Christmas if anyone fancied it. The main criteria for a venue was that everyone should get a few bites and fish at a time of year when a lot of venues struggle if the weather takes a turn for the worst. A chat with Ron at Monks secured some pegs on Match Lake1 and a post put up on the Maggotdrowning Forum to see if there was any interest.

    Soon the banter was flowing, generating a healthy response to the match, even in the days leading up to the match when the weather forecast predicted that the conditions might lead to an outbreak of Brass Monkeys searching for their Balls.

    Come the day and it was heartening to see a turn out of 25 anglers with only 3 wimps no shows that couldn't be bothered to let us know either by PM or E-mail assembled for what in reality was no more than a knock-up. Just a £5 optional pool and a commitment to bring a prize ensuring that nobody would go away rich but nobody would depart empty handed.

    Draw over we made our way up to the lake where the aerators had been left on overnight to try and stop ice forming, though in reality the lake is so exposed to the wind it was highly unlikely to happen.

    I had drawn peg 6, with Paul (nomorelongwalks) and Sven for company on 2 & 4 and Matt (yalding bloke) on 8 and the prospect of watching Bill G opposite me on peg 18 for a full 5 hours.

    Now in the past some have referred to me as a Tackle Tart, however it would seem that Matt has elevated the concept to another level. Sitting there in his bright red Santa Claus Milo fleece out came the £100 stainless steel/red foam Milo pole roller, followed by the red foam Milo rig roosts, kept in plastic cases to keep them clean (his excuse was that they were new, yeah right ) I think we may have to start calling him RED MAN. However disaster was about to strike as his pole dropped off the roller resulting in a snapped no5 section. I'm not sure I would have been able to raise a smile if I'd just done £200+ worth of section..................

    Mattandbrokenno5web.jpg picture by pnm123

    Feeling lazy I had just set up the pole to fish about 10mtrs, bait was red maggot with a few pellets to feed. I really should have set up a feeder and waggler as alternatives and with hindsight it was a mistake, as when I did set up a feeder later on it was to little to late.
    10 am and the All-in and I could see Vince over on peg 20 was straight into a fish............

    Vincepeg20web.jpg picture by pnm123

    .......... rapidly followed by Nick on 19...........

    Nickpeg19web.jpg picture by pnm123

    .......... and Matt was soon off the mark with an F1 on the waggler, while Bill and I were still gazing at an inactive pole line, though Bill did get the chance to christen his new pole sock when he used it as a landing net on a small fish to get off the mark . It was obvious that the lads opposite were in for a more comfy match with the wind off their backs (Nick's favorite ) while we had to endure the wind into us for the whole match.

    Soon i was off the mark with an F1 followed by a Skimmer and a small Tench, but  I would struggle to put a run of bites together throughout the whole match. Dave the Fish put in an appearance around 11am deciding against fishing, as the sub zero conditions were playing havoc with his arthritis but kindly provided me with a very welcome hot cup of tea. Bill switched over to the waggler in an attempt to keep up with Nick and Vince..............

    Billpeg18web.jpg picture by pnm123

    ......... while word filtered round that Mike and Trevor on pegs 36 & 35 were doing OK on the waggler.

    Try as I might Matt was catching 2 fish to every one of mine, and with Sven starting to catch well on the feeder as well as Kevin opposite on peg 17.............

    Kevpeg17web.jpg picture by pnm123

    ......... I swapped over to the feeder for the final part of the match. Just 4 more Carp proved that it wasn't a good move and that I should have stuck with the pole, but I was quite happy to hear the whistle for the All-out at 3pm.
    Dave helped me to weigh half the lake while Vince and a helper weighed the other half, and it was pleasing to see that everyone had something to weigh. In total there was a total of 520lbs of fish weighed in, an average of just over 20lbs per angler, excellent given that the temperature never felt as if it had risen above freezing all day and just goes to show what a decent venue Monk Lakes is.

    Back to the tearoom for the results, with Mike coming out on top with 54lbs 12ozs to Trevor's (MT Net) 44lbs 04 ozs with Matt taking 3rd with 37lbs 00ozs. Then the presentation of the prizes and a good table-full ensured that everyone went home with something from the day, a few more faces had been put to names from the forum, and everyone seemed to have enjoyed it in a perverse sort of way. I'd just like to add a word of thanks to Vince for his help and a special mention to Dave the Fish, who despite not feeling up to fishing still turned up and stayed to help out with the weigh-in, Many Thanks Mate.  The long distance award as always went to Dai Thomas for making the trip up from the Welsh Valleys for a days fishing with his fellow Maggotdrowners, you're a star.

    We'll have to do it again, though preferably when it's a little warmer.

    Position  Peg       Angler    Weight
     1st Peg 36  Mike Jameson   54lbs 12ozs
     2nd Peg 35  Trevor Little   44lbs 04ozs
     3rd Peg 7  Matt Love   37lbs 00ozs
     4th Peg 19  Nick Gilbert   36lbs 12ozs
     5th Peg 18  Bill Gibbins   35lbs 00ozs
     6th Peg 10  Jay Lay   29lbs 14ozs
     7th Peg 28  Steve Clinch   29lbs 04ozs
     8th Peg 24  Roger Harris   21lbs 12ozs
     9th Peg 17  Kevin Loveland   21lbs 08ozs
     10th Peg 14  Ian Jones   20lbs 04ozs
     11th Peg 4  Sven Castle   20lbs 00ozs
     12th Peg 13  Jim Boase   19lbs 04ozs
     13th Peg 6  Peter Morton   18lbs 10ozs
     14th Peg 42  Chris Withall   18lbs 00ozs
     15th Peg 20  Vince Gould   17lbs 00ozs
     16th Peg 2  Paul East   14lbs 00ozs
     17th Peg 31  Tony Roberts   13lbs 10ozs
     18th Peg 38  Clive Pritchard      13lbs 00ozs
     19th Peg 26  Dai Thomas   11lbs 08ozs
     20th Peg 41  Alan Loader   10lbs 04ozs
     21st= Peg 40  Pete Midgley     9lbs 00ozs
     21st= Peg 37  Andy Spreadbury     9lbs 00ozs
     21st= Peg 34  Ron Bignold     9lbs 00ozs
     24th Peg 9  Ryan Wells     4lbs 02ozs
     25th Peg 29  Terry Goff     3lbs 12ozs

     

  • Rockells Farm. Saffron Walden. Essex.

    Marsh AC. Christmas Match.

    RockellsFarm-2.jpg Rockells Farm picture by pnm123

    Well after 10 weeks without wetting a line I had received an invitation to join Dave (TheFish) Collier and the members of Marsh AC on their Christmas match at Rockell's Farm. I had heard some good reports about the venue and duly arranged to meet Dave at the services at junction 8 on the M11 at 7·30am.

    A heavy frost greeted me as I loaded the car, matching the 1st one of the year that had arrived on Saturday morning, and the drive up saw the temp refuse to rise above 0°C which didn't bode well Frown [:(].

    Now Dave had only returned the previous day from a Caribbean Cruise so may have been disorientated, but even with his sat-nav managed to take the wrong turn out of the services and lead us back towards London Tongue [:P].

    Arriving nearer to 8·30 than the planned 8am welcomes were soon exchanged with familiar faces amongst the others that had been invited including 4 of the lads from the GOT Baits Squad (Gary, Keith, Vic & Madd) and Terry Goff aka Wily Coyote (a fellow MD'er) Wink [;)].
    Therefore pegging was carried out in a bit of a rush prior to the draw, but a bit of misunderstanding ensued that put a spanner in the works, and although it was finally resolved, it did make things a bit rushed for the start of the match as peg numbers had to be shuffled.

    I ended up pegged between Keith and Madd, and just set up a pole to fish at around 6mtrs into around 4ft of water and down the left bank around 2½ft deep.
    Bait for the day was corn and pellet, though in hindsight i should have set up a bomb rod to fish to the island at around 30yds Frown [:(].

    The heavy frost had started to knock the colour out of the water, and for me it never happened, not a single bite .
    Keith and Madd however both managed to get among a few fish, Keith ending up in 1st place with 7 carp for 22½lbs ThumbsUp [:T] ...........................


    .......................while Madd took 8 carp for 20¾lb and 2nd overall ........................


    .......................leaving me like a bit of Cod (Battered both sides ).

    A peg draw in the car park after the match saw everyone getting a prize and these were boosted by a generous donation of goodies from Trev and Gary of GOT Baits, ensuring that everyone went home with a prize ThumbsUp [:T].

    So not the best of days for me, but still great just to be back out on the bank in good company after a bit of a lay-off.
    Thanks again to the lads from Marsh AC, I look forward to fishing with you again, though hopefully I'll put a few fish in the net next time Wink [;)]
    .

     

  • Hartleylands Farm Fishery. Nick's Lake.

    Dave the Fish's 

    Fur and Feather Fun Match.

    nickslake.jpg picture by pnm123

    22 hardy souls headed down to Harleylands in Kent yesterday to take part in a Xmas match organised by Dave the Fish from Maggotdrowning.com

    I met up with a few of the lads at the Knoxbridge Cafe at around 7·30am to find it a tad busy, a party of shooters had obviously beaten us to it, meaning that the service was about as far removed from "Fast Food" as you could imagine.
    By the time that Jess & Szabi and The Welsh Contingent (Dai, Neo, Geoff & Malc) arrived it had slowed even more, and as we left for the draw they were still waiting!

    With the delays making the draw run late we decided that we would fish from 10·30 to 3·30pm so we all dipped in and made our way to our respective pegs.
    I found myself on 22 with The Jinx for company on 23. Not only were our pegs in the shade but we had the wind howling into them and although there was no ice on the lake it was soon obvious that the only people that would be at home on them would be Eskimos. Looking across to the other bank it was bathed in sunlight with barely a ripple on the water!

    I set up a pole and a feeder rod with a small maggot feeder, while Malc elected to fish the feeder all day to the island in front of him.

    All in and I went out on the pole, and needless to say with both Malc and Dave standing behind me my first bite, a small very delicate affair, (don't believe Malc when he tells you "it speared the bottom" ) resulted in me missing it horribly and wrapping the rig round the tip.

    I stuck it out on the pole for an hour for 4 small fish (1 Skimmer, 1 Roach, 1 Perch and a Gudgeon). In the meantime Malc had managed 3 Carp and Neo a few pegs down had managed a few small stockies. I could see Omega Mike (who I regard as something of a venue expert) pegged further round and bathed in sunlight starting to put a few together on the long pole.

    Sven on peg8 (The Flyer) and Colin opposite me appeared to be catching regularly,
    and with my hands starting to become numb with the cold the pole was replaced with the feeder rod.
    Looking round it appeared that a Garden Gnome had turned blue with the cold , but it was only Malc staring at his tip willing it to go round..

    Slowly i started to put a few small Carp together by dropping the feeder as close to the island as I dared.

    Just after Noon the best part of the day arrived in the shape of Dave & Jean bearing Hot Pies & Pasties along with a bottle of Canadian Club. Truely Inspired and most welcome, even if Malc did complain that they weren't served on Daves usual Silver Tray.

    Into the fading light, and a few missgivings were being aired about the wisdom of fishing to 3·30pm, it was getting that cold that I had a couple of feeders crack up where they had become so brittle in the cold.
    With 5 mins to go I'm sure that I heard the ominous sound of breaking carbon from further down the bank followed by a softly muttered Welsh curse, though I could be wrong.

    Finally the whistle sounded, and it transpired that Malc and I would have to perform Scales Duty. My 27lbs 2ozs started the ball rolling (and secured £1 from Malc ), Omega Mike came up just short with what was still a creditable bag as he'd fished the pole all day. Colin was soon in the box seat however with a 50lb+ bag, a worthy winner on the day. Sven & John on adjacent pegs had obviously had a close match, with Sven just having enough for 2nd on the day pushing John down to 3rd and me to 4th. A very good result for Sven as I'm sure he would admit that matchfishing isn't his thing. Nick Gilbert also managed 27lbs on the day.

    Gathering up our kit Malc and I returned to find our nets frozen solid (told you it was cold ) so back to the car park for the prizes and farewells.
    I have to say that given the conditions the lake fished well on the day, even though the fish were shoaled up in pockets.

    A big thank you to Dave for organising the match and to all those that attended from near and far, making the day the success it was. We'll have to do it again, preferably in warmer conditions though.

    The final results were :-

     1st     Colin Sharrard 51lbs 12ozs
     2nd   Sven Castle 28lbs 11ozs
     3rd John Holdsworth   27lbs 04ozs
     4th Peter Morton 27lbs 02ozs
     5th Nick Gilbert 27lbs 00ozs
     6th Mike Jameson 25lbs 01ozs
     7th Nick Williams 19lbs 10ozs
     8th Tony Roberts 17lbs 01ozs
     9th Chris Withall 11lbs 08ozs
     10th   Kevin Loveland   9lbs 11ozs
     11th Jim Boase   8lbs 07ozs
     12th Jess Brind   7lbs 13ozs
     13th Dai Thomas   7lbs 11ozs
     14th Malc Doyle   6lbs 02ozs
     15th Geoff Palmer   5lbs 07ozs
     16th Rob Page   3lbs 09ozs
     17th Terry Goff           11ozs

    + two blanks and 3 who tipped back.

     

  • Luck's Lane. Christmas Match.

    Hawthorne AC club match.
    LucksLane.jpg picture by pnm123

    Off to Luck's Lane reservoir today for the club Fur & Feather match.
    Stopped of for breakfast at the Oakdene Cafe before meeting in the venue car park for the draw.

    Into the drawbag for peg 10 which was halfway along the lefthand bank with a cold NW wind howling straight into it.
    That made my mind up straight away, I set up my new Boss Box which was having its 1st outing, and settled for fishing a feeder with hair-rigged corn. This was going to be my only line of attack because of the large number of crayfish that plague the venue. (any "meaty" bait gets ragged immediatly.)

    Looking to the right from peg 10.....

    Sport was slow but regular for me at least, with 9 Carp coming to the net at regular intervals during the match.
    As the scales came round it became obvious that some had had a grueller with 10 dry nets recorded, My level 24lbs was enough to win the match by a clear 9lbs.

    Back in the car park and time for the prizes, a 1½ltr bottle of Scotch for me, and a nice brown envelope.
    Everyone took home a prize at the end of the day, even if it was only for sticking it out.

    So 1st time out with my new box and a win, lets hope it's a lucky omen .

     

  • Luck's Lane.Christmas Match.

    Hawthorne AC club match.

    LucksLane.jpg picture by pnm123

    Ho Ho Ho!!!!! Time for the Christmas Fur & Feather Match  This is really just a fun match and everyone is guaranteed a prize at the end of the day, and funnily enough this meant the best turn out of the season so far!!

    Now Lucks Lane Lake couldn't be described as the prettiest venue going, especially in the winter. It's an old irrigation reservoir that is raised up from the surrounding orchards, thus catching any weather that's going, and today there was plenty!!!!!! Oh and did I mention that the Eurostar trains thunder past about 50 yards away every 20 mins?

    In it's defence it's one of those venues that normally produces a few fish regardless of conditions. Being that today was basically a social event, I was just looking for a bit of comfort, so it was up with the brolly and out with a feeder to try and snare one of the lumpier Carp that inhabit the venue. I hate fishing the pole in the cold & rain so that got left in the rodbag.
    Between wandering around and chatting to most of the members I did actually manage to catch one  A nice Mirror Carp of 7lbs 10ozs which was good enough for 8th place on the day which won me a bottle of Scotch by way of a bit of Christmas cheer.