Thankfully after a couple of weeks of struggling at Willinghurst after the carp spawned, I now have a break of three weeks before I am back there again ! Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love the place but it is just so frustrating when you have fish swimming around your peg refusing to feed.
Anyway, Sunday saw me guesting in Malc Fowlers "Molesey League" and with 24 anglers fishing, me and Don commented on the drive there that we didn't really fancy drawing Pegs 16-18. So, where did we draw ? ................. Don drew Peg 16 and I drew Peg 18 ! I used to love Peg 18 but that was before the Chainsaw Massacre took place and chopped down most of the tree that hung over the water and made it such a good edge peg.
With Terry Harrison at the next peg I was certainly in for an entertaining day and had to be prepared to dodge a selection of pelletts and balls of GB which would no doubt come my way during the course of the day ! As usual the wind started to get up just as the match started, making long pole paste fishing very tricky and after an hour, the only fish I'd had was a carp of about 6lb on the 6 metre paste line. I then spent the next couple of hours lobbing out a T Bag as although it is boring, it is no worse than watching a motionless float and when you do get a bite you can't miss them as the butt of the rod usually moves at least a couple of inches !
Having not fished the lead for a while I made the fatal error of not checking the clutch before starting as the first fish I hooked went off like a torpedo and as I desperately tried to loosen the clutch it swam off with my hooklength - what a plonker, it's hard enough trying to hook one without letting it go once you've done the hard bit. I had one more fish on the conker and then having fed the inside line to my right all day and tried it to no avail throughout, I finally saw signs of fish there with about ten minutes to go. I lowered in my double maggott rig and within seconds it was gone and I soon had a barny rubble in the net. However, the hook had gone through it's lip and into the net and as the fish turned over the line in the net, the hook came off. With time running out I grabbed my paste rig shallowed it up a couple of feet and cupped the paste in the edge. The float hardly had time to settle properly before that too had disappeared and another double figure fish joined his mate in the net but then the whistle blew !
So another frustrating day ended with the fish starting to feed just as we packed up again ! The odd thing is that even when you fish later, the fish still seem to know when you are going to finish !
I didn't manage to get hold of the weight sheets but think it finished something like this:-
Result
Bag Up Bob (Bob Poulton)....................Peg 23................67-0-0
Alan "The T Bag" Harrington..............Peg 20................56-0-0
Mick "Wicket" Keeper..........................Peg 26................55-0-0
Jeff Dickinson .......................................Peg 1...................54-0-0
Brian "Chainsaw" Green ....................Peg 2...................53-0-0
Sorry if I have that wrong but I wasn't that interested in the final results !
My 4 fish went 33-8-0 whilst Don's 6 pipped me for the section by 1-8-0 as I rued the one I stupidly let go !
Next sunday I am really looking forward to a trip to Holly Farm in Leicestershire with the Match Fishing Scene chaps and hopefully a few more fish than I have caught lately. I don't expect to win as a lot of it is "Up in the Water" fishing which I don't do very well, so I will stick to what I do know and fish paste on the bottom. After that I have a couple of blank match days, due to holiday and work so will endeavour to find a couple of Guest bloggers so you can all still get your twice weekly blogging fix !
Good Luck to everyone fishing the Willinghurst Fisho tomorrow, unfortunately I didn't get a ticket but will probably be around to see the weigh in.
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.
