After years of Match fishing I have learnt never to listen to the weather forecasters as at least 90% of the time they get it completely wrong. Therefore, when they said the weather at Willinghurst was going to be windy with heavy rain and a temperature of 12 degrees (after it had been 26 degrees two days before) I wasn't too concerned.
However, when I left home at 8.30am it had just started spitting and as we got closer to Willinghurst the rain increased as did the wind. To say I had a cold and miserable day would be an understatement, I drew Peg 16 which isn't brilliant but I still quite fancied it for a few fish, however, as now that they seem to want to chop every tree down on the estate, there is little shelter from the wind and it made fishing the long pole almost impossible for me.
I started off fishing paste at 9 metres but due to the wind and tow ended up fishing at 5 metres where I had a few fish and also had a couple in the edge either side on luncheon meat to finish with 41-8-0. The only good news was that when we got back to the cabin I was chatting to Terry Harrison and he said I'd probably won the section - which was quite unexpected but very welcome as it paid for my days fishing.
Don picked up his first money for a long time with a victory from Peg 12 with 95-10-0 and will no doubt pick up much more in the coming months as he caught on catfood for the first time this year.
Result
Don Garnish............Peg 12..................95-10-0
Mick "Wicket" Keeper.......Peg 20.........65-4-0
Adrian Westgate...........Peg 10..............63-8-0
Alan Harrington..........Peg 19...............59-0-0
Sunday sees me back at Willinghurst for the Leatherhead DAS club match on New Lake - which I've not fished for a while - so fingers crossed I'll draw Peg 6 on the point !
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.
