Having been “Duffed Up” by the weather on Sunday, I wasn’t really looking forward to Wednesdays “OAP, Skivers and General Layabouts match” at Sumners Pond. The weather forecast was again for high winds and heavy rain and I was just hoping for a decent peg out of the wind. However, when we went to peg the lake, it appeared that the wind was blowing straight down the lake, meaning everyone was in the wind !
At the draw, Mick Keeper, Don Garnish and Steve Gardener (God) all drew the favoured early pegs on the left hand bank – no change there then for Mick and Steve as in the matches I have fished recently, they seem to live there.
I drew Peg 11 – the end peg on the left hand bank at the end of the third island.
I’d fished the peg before a couple of weeks ago, fishing across to the island at about 12 metres but that looked an unlikely tactic as it wouldn’t have been easy to fish longer that 6 metres with the wind funnelling between the island and my bank. I set up a lead rig to fish around the point of the island and in the open water to my left and a pole rig to fish at 5 metres but at about 10 o’clock so that I wasn’t playing any fish I hooked on the lead in my pole swim – If only !
Luckily I’d managed to set my brolly up so that I was completely sheltered from the rain that continued to fall for the first 2 hours of the match. In that time I managed to get a few bites from silver fish but never had a sign of a carp. I could hear on the bank side grapevine that a few fish were being caught up the car park end of the lake and with a couple of hours to go, it looked like being a battle between Gadget, Mick Keeper and Neil Jakes for the top places.
With 90 minutes to go the wind dropped a bit and I decided to see if I could get across to the island without breaking my pole ! I quickly attached a rig containing a “Gerry’s of Nottingham Corn Float” a nice slim pattern with a long bristle that I find easy to see at distance, cupped in a few grains of corn and away we went.
Second put in the float disappeared and I soon had a carp of about 3lb in the net.
Whilst I knew I wasn’t going to win anything, my main aim was to try and beat Gary Haisman for a pound. Due to some superb drawing lately he tells me that he is now 14-10 ahead in our season long battle, although being a Painter and Decorator, I’m not sure he is very good at maths and I expect he has added 15% to his score ! Anyway, in the last hour I had another 5 carp to finish with 6 carp, a couple of skimmers, 2 tench, 2 chub, 2 crucians and a few roach, a real mixed bag.
As always, with 15 minutes to go, the wind dropped completely and the sun came out ! On the “All out”, I packed away as quickly as possible and went to give Paul Williams a hand weighing in the far bank. With Don on Peg 1 weighing in my bank, I just managed to get back to my peg to find that Haisman had beaten me again for the pound !
Match Result
Mick Keeper Peg 3 (Again) 82-8-0
Gadget Peg 19 75-0-0
Neil Jakes Peg 15 68-12-0
Don Garnish Peg 1 52-14-0
Sponge Bob Peg 16 52-8-0
Derek White Peg 2 42-4-0
Steve Gardener Peg 5 41-4-0
Barry Upperton Peg 7 40-6-0
Terry Harrison Peg 13 37-4-0
Alan Harrington Peg 4 34-14-0
Spindle Peg 6 30-0-0
Gary Haisman Peg 8 27-8-0
Dave Pearson Peg 11 22-0-0
Fordy Peg 18 10-0-0
Did Not weighs who thought they’d avoid the embarrassment of being named if they put their feeble catches back :-
Ian Hogg
Paul Williams
Ian Covey
John Clifford
Jon Watt
Ross Nursey
On Sunday we have the final round of the Southern Angler Club League at Willinghurst – I’ve just checked the weather forecast and it says “Heavy Showers and 20 MPH winds – Oh deep joy !!!!!
JPZ's from Marukyu - "The Dogs Danglies"
Jordan Whitby with a PB Carp of 18lb from Newdigate
Maggotdrowning.com
Exclusive Pictures
Fred Davis with his personal best chub of 7-2-0 from the River Lea
and his 6-8-0 tench !
Neil Humpage with part of his 89-10-0 match winning chub catch from the River Wye
Mike Spragg with his personal best Barbel from the The Wye, a whopping 10-1-0.
Davey P's Locker - Tackle I would recommend
Drennan Lake Floats - I used to use these floats for crucians and have recently started using them again for my silvers fishing, The cane bristle makes them especially sensitive.
I use this hook for nearly all my carp fishing from Size 10's with paste, 14's with the knotless knot on the lead and 18's for Hook in the loop rigs and they have never let me down.
How smart are this lot - Andy May and his wife with some of the motley Total fishing.com crew. There is a small pond just out of the picture and they fished a small sweepstake between the wedding ceremony and the reception ! Andy May won, Haisman was last - no change there then !
Myles Levy and his mate Chris with a 59lb catfish from France.
When I was writing in the Angling Times I promised some friends that I would try and get "Fish Cakes" mentioned in an article. However, as I was sacked before I could do so, I thought I'd put them on here ! So Mick and Karen Jones, here they are as promised !
At least one member of the Baxter clan can catch fish ! Young Dylan with a 4lb bream.
Hathers at Stafford Moor - Let this picture be a lesson to you all, those last couple of drinks the night before are never a good idea !
World Exclusive !!!!!!!
Andy Toplis playing a fish.
Ryan Hughes with part of an 80lb bag from White Springs Fishery in Wales
Mick Bull wont have received many points for this dive - but having just won the Fisho Final and £25k I don't think he really cared !
Another exclusive for Pikey's Progress - Terry Molloy not talking ! Oh yes and with a decent River Thames Pike.
OK Own up - who lent Mick The Bookie some fish to pose with ?
Martin Harper with a superb 8lb tench from Farlows Lake
Young match star Tony Curd with an 11lb barbel from the River Kennet - he didn't say where, these spessy hunters are so secretive !
Total Fishing's Justin Laundon with a fine net of fish from Lindholme Lakes
Fred Davis with 3 chub over 5lb and a small one from the River Lea.
http://www.carpvader.com/index.asp
Jeff Moors took part in the recent Catfish Challenge and caught this one - more of a "kitten" than a cat really !
And here are some proper ones that the winners had.
BNF - with part of a near 100lb haul from the Glebe
Scone - Angling writer, float maker and all round good egg !
"Hathers" with his 3-8-0 roach from Timsbury Manor - some claim it was really a hybrid, I couldn't possibly comment !
"Fordy on the Telly" with 40lb of prime River Kennet chub.
.........and this one weighed 5-2-0
Alan Dove with a small Skimmer Bream of 15-8-0 from Walthamstow Reservoir
Fred Davis plied Alan Dove with coffee all day then when he went to attend to a call of nature caught this one with his gear !
Colin Ormston (Billy no Fish) with the reason that some anglers still fish rivers !
Phil Stone (Pebs) with a fine net of roach and rudd from Witherington Farm
Total Fishing.com ventriloquist Gary Haisman with his two new dummies - Billy No Fish and Pebs.
