Thursday 20/07/2023 - Over 55's and Short Walks - Bridge Pool

Have lost my appetite for Bridge Pool. Had a walk around with no signs of fish. Not sure about the colour.

Need a draw around the carp park end island or near an aerator to do well. So was disappointed to draw peg 5 on the road side even though the far island can be reached with 13 metres but no cover.

The upshot caught 8 lb 10 oz of small Silvers and five F1's and missed out on picked up by 3 oz. This was down to me leaving my light elasticated top sets home so bounced a good few silvers fishing 13 metres and having to double unship, couldn't put the roller back far enough due to the road. Second roller was still in the garage! A tad frustrating. It was unwise fishing long as suffering after the match, so no "back to Compton" for me.

The majority of anglers only had bites for the first 3 hours spending the remaining 3 biteless as I did. The pool needs a significant stocking with small carp 2 to 3 lb to reestablish it as a match venue.

Paul Barnfield done the double again with 15 lb of F1's and 18 lb of silvers. Well done matey. Worms and micro I suspect.

Good to see anglers rallying around Tony Rixon supplying loads of kit to get him out fishing again after having his van stolen. Especially Ian Hudson for loaning a van. Only thing he didn't have was sunglasses, but that didn't stop him catching a few silvers.

Weigh Sheets:

Sunday 16/07/2023 - Inter Club - Alcove AC and Silver Bream AC - Gall Lake

First for me fishing an inter club match, plus a new venue - Gall Lake situated on junction 14 - M5, so close to home. It's an old well established and therefore considered a natural lake and absolutely beautiful, no rickety platforms just fish off well kept lawns - perfect. Sort of lake we fished back in the day before the commercial over stocked holes in the ground.

Told it's very hard fishing, however, the club has recently stocked 50 bream from 5 lb to 10 lb plus some freebie small fish from the EA. Noticed plenty of carp feeding but told we wouldn't hook any and if we did wouldn't get them out due to size and hugh amount of lily pads.

17 fishing 8 Alcove 9 Silver Bream. We had even pegs. I drew peg 20 far end of the dam wall.

Caught a 5 lb Bream second put in at top set plus three barrels in 9 foot of water. Added 3 lb 2 oz of small silvers loosing two more Bream which were foul hooked due to them being off bottom and me laying the rig out for small silvers. Some Eels were being caught so decided to have a go for them in the last hour only to completely bugger the peg which was to cost me.

Thoroughly enjoyed the day managing to keep bites coming until the last hour. lovey place and great company - lot of old people there though! 😁 Came 5th, 6 oz out of the money, due to my love of Eel fishing.

The match was won by Andy Gabb - SB (pictured) with 3 Bream for 16 lb 10 oz from peg 17.

Alcove 46lbish to silver breams 44lbish. So close, call it a draw, not that it mattered nice to meet some new and old faces. Hopefully be able to fish it again next year.

Shay Gillman having had a look around last week has joined Silver Bream club.

Weigh Sheet:

Thursday 13/07/2023 - Ray's Rip Off - Windmill Fishery - Match Lake

Another of Ray Bazeley well run Thursday matches, he always manages to keep the attendances at 18.

Pegs 23 to19 are not current match winners but give a decent days fishing. Drew peg 22. As expected had good days fishing catching small silvers for 4 hours switching to paste in the margin landing 7 carp to 10 lb loosing 5 foulers!! Bigger the fish the higher probability of fouling?

Barny (pictured) did the double  - silvers and overall. Well done matey. I could hearing his scissors' clicking drowning out the Weed Warblers.

Lynol Legg was fishing today so asked if he had sold his Goretex jacket which I was interested in. He had. I asked him why no Bib and Brace. He explained he wanted the legs taken up by a few inches so contacted Halkon Hunt who wanted 1 month turn round, so Lynol went to a local shop giving instructions on the 2 inch leg shortening. He went back and found they had cut the legs off at the knees!! Difficult not to laugh. Apparently his now summer attire. There's one angler I can think of they might now fit.

Had company today, a young Robin who was already wise to the potential of getting a feed from anglers. Came back 4 times and if ignored would tap it's feet.

Weigh Sheets:

Sunday 09/07/2023 - Experimental fish of Billy's Pool

Ask by Kev Winstone to fish with 5 others Billy's pool for a feel for it's fish stocks, obviously pools money involved. Cleared the weed from peg 2. Only paste with me, caught three Skimmers, 12 baby carp and 5 really fit good condition carp to 8 lb, lost 3 foulers which was emotional considering I was only using the top set off the Drennan margin pole with 25 elastic!

Pictures of Barny fishing short, never seen this before.

Nice place for youngsters to start fishing, plenty of Rudd to catch to keep their interest.

Weigh Sheet:

Thursday 06/07/2023 - Over 55's - Withy Pool - Silvers Only

Looking forward to being back on Withy especially as it's silvers only. Some pegs are shallow close in and very stoney, so it was agreed keeping Carp in nets wouldn't be beneficial.

In form Shay Gillman pictured who went on to come second with 22 lb 13 oz. Well done matey.

Had a walk around noting that the pegging had changed, so another walk around with Tony Rixon to sort sections etc... The level was down a bit but wouldn't effect fishing. Colour looked good.

A few on holiday etc...so down to 17. Didn't mind which peg, so pleased when I pulled one rather than being forgotten and handed a peg. Peg 41 it would be. Found myself next to Kev Winstone so it would be heads down to avoid the chest poke.

Three rigs - Short and long Ronnie rigs and a 4x14 Winter Titan to fish 4 barrels. Three lines, the short ones to fish early and the long line late once the carp come in short. Hook bait caster with copious amounts of caster on the GB. It all went to plan except didn't leave the short line quick enough and eventually landed a 20 lb + Carp and a surprise 2 lb Eel and a hard fighting 2 lb Hybrid on the long line. Remember Rich Coles catching a few Eels from this peg some years back. 

My silvers weighed 22 lb consisting of mainly Skimmers to 1 lb for third and section win. Really great fishing.

The match was won by Tony Rixon (pictured) with 28 lb 2 oz from lonesome peg 49. See his blog for further details, expect hard pellet was involved somewhere!

Next match on Bridge Pool.

Back to the Compton sat outside in the sunshine with the usual suspects, lovely end to another memorial day.

Result:

1. Tony Rixon 28-02-0 peg 49

2. Shay Gillman 22-13-0 peg 63

3. Mike Nicholls 22-0-0 peg 41

4. Andy Greenham 19-13-0 peg 65

5. Dave Poole 19-04-0 peg 44 (Whip - Hemp and Tares)

6. Kev Winstone 18-12-0 peg 42

Weigh Sheets: