Tuesday 29/04/2025 - Acorn Cost Cutter - Paddocks

Had a decent egg and bacon bap at H&H burger van and sat outside eating it on a glorious morning. Down to the fishery to discover Eddie had decided to make it a silvers only match based on the Carp spawning. Many of the anglers weren't equipped with silvers top sets, rigs etc... We were also limited to top set plus three - no margin fishing. My plan of waggler fishing scrapped.

Into the draw bag and found myself on bridge peg 34 again. A good Carp peg  I was told. Umm.

Nice to see Fred Welsh out fishing again who was next peg 36. The other side of the bridge was Gary Bedford.

Set up three rigs one for up to the bridge at full length, one for top set  and a long Ronnie rig. The peg was alive with Carp and whilst shotting up foul hooked a Carp losing a hook length!!

Started feeding up to the bridge with some LR's and a tiny bit of chopped worm hoping for some Tench and out in front on top set with some Pinkies in GB for Skimmers. Had a quick look on the Pinkie for a decent Perch. Then went out for a quick look on the bridge with double LR's and first put in hooked and landed a 10 lb Carp. Unfortunately it rolled over on the rig and trashed it. I spent the next 15 minutes setting up a new rig which needed some extra line the peg is quite deep. Whilst doing this Gary was catching a Ide one a bung. So I was well behind. Out again on the bridge and had a run of 10 Ide and a small Tench. The match was planned for 6 hours but after 2 hours the silvers completely switched off for everyone. Afterwards, I had just the one decent Skimmer on the Ronnie rig. It's clear the Ide refuse to come short. Had a walk around and a few had switched to fishing for Carp to stop the boredom. Went back and after catch 11 accidental Carp packed up 15 minutes to go. Waste of a good Carp peg today.

The match was won by John "Turkey" Thompson (pictured) with 28 lb 10 oz from peg 15. John fed 2 pints of casters and a match pack of worm catching on worm. Well done matey.

Tony Whitcombe was a close second with  27 lb 13 oz from peg 5 with a mainly Ide catch on maggot over heavily fed maggot. Well done matey.

Weigh Sheets:

Tuesday 22/04/2025 - Acorn Cost Cutter - Paddocks

On a high today and looking forward to fishing the Paddocks again with my good friend and bank runner Glenn Bailey (BTW he isn't very good at it). Berger van to getting us going.

Had a walk around the tackle shop and must say it's very well stocked and well supported by Zoe and Des Shipp.

Apparently 30 fishing today, which is good, more the merrier.

Into the draw bag and drawing peg 24 and being one of the first to draw was quick getting to the peg and unloading the van and is a peg I've not draw since the concrete bridge was installed, so was looking forward to having a go at it. Then Dom Sullivan came running around announcing a redraw. It don't happen often, but mistakes are easy to make running matches - I know from experience, usually with collecting the pools. Apparently all to do with having two number 11's. Back in to the draw bag and pulled number 11! Told my draw had gone bad to worse. It doesn't matter happy to fish any peg.

For company on peg 12 was Pinkie Paul Faiers and Chris Gay on 10 who was to DNW. Paul thought the area would be no good for silvers and he would be fishing for Carp.

Set up far too many rigs. Didn't expect to catch many Carp until  later in the match so targeted silvers with 4x14 Winters - one on top set for LR's over GB and loose fed LR's over the top and the other out at three barrels with worm over a smidgen of chopped worm and larger amounts of caster, for hopefully some Tench. Had a few Ronnie and a decent Perch short and a few Ide long on worm, but it was slow. Paul wasn't catching Carp and had switched to silvers. I noticed what I thought was silvers topping over to the island which was well out of reach for my 13 metres. So set the waggler up for double LR's over loose fed same. The first four cast resulted in three foul hooked Carp landing one and getting one in the mouth. Clearly not silvers topping then- Lol. Stayed on this adding another 9 Carp before the wind got so bad I couldn't see where the fed was going or the float too well. So went down the LH margin with a 0.3 gram RJ on the top set and had 10 more Carp with double LR over loose fed same plus a Tench and a decent Skimmer.

Silvers weighed 12 lb 15 oz and the 20 Carp for 61 lb totalling 73 lb 15 oz (weigh sheet error). Happy enough with that but more so if the wind wasn't for bad and freezing cold. If the wind stay's as it is peg 10, 11 and 12 will fish very well indeed.

The match was won by Shaun Fillingham with 147 lb 9 oz from peg 9. Shaun caught long over to the island mugging on banded pellet. No loose fed was injured during the match. Well done matey.

Paul Faiers won the silvers with 31 lb 2 oz from peg 12. Paul having given up on the Carp switched to silvers catching either down his RH edge with Pinkie over Pinkie or short in front with maggot over loose fed maggot. Tench and Skimmers making up most of his weight. He did have Carp trouble near the end. Well done matey nice to watch and thanks for letting some overcasting of the waggler in your peg.😘

Back to the Waterloo for a pint with Glenn, runner up Tony W and Haydn W. Great end of the day even with bad wind burn.

Result:

1. Shaun Fillingham 147-09 p9

2. Tony Whitcombe 118-09 p1

3. Gary Bedford 117-01 p7

4. Mervyn Sivell 106-05 p5

5. Antony Piekielniak              91-07 p2

6. Simon Stacey                      84-11 p33

Silvers:

1. Paul Faiers 31-02 p12

2. Steve Howell 29-09 p15

Section Weigh Sheet:

Sunday 06-04-2025 - Westerleigh Winter League - Round 7 - Taylor's Pool and Shipp's Canal

My turn on Taylor's Pool. The plan was to fish for silvers as too far behind in the league, but second in the pairs but not sure how far behind first place, likely to be too much. Bri Shanks was away so Steve Rogers stepped in to run the match, which was bit worrying😅

Mark Taylor thought the fish had started to spread out from their winter haunt's and with the wind blowing down the opposite end thought middle to far end would be good for silvers and a few Carp. 

Into the draw bag and found myself on peg 26. Pegs 14, 26 and 22 have been the pegs to draw all winter for Carp. Not really a silvers peg. Lee my pairs partner had drawn flyer peg 2 on Shipp's so silvers plan out of the window, Carp it would be and perhaps pull some weight back and give us chance on the last match.

Two rigs - 4x14 to fish top set plus either three or four barrels which took the end section to just touching the fence. A 0.3 gram RJ slim to fish either three barrel down to the reeds or with a slight depth adjustment down the RH side on the top set.

Pinched some corn off Johnny W started with a piece on the hook over some kindered micro at three barrels and straight away getting indications, thought it was silvers. Switched to 4 mm semi hard pellet and had 20 F1's for 5 lb 6 oz 😆. The line died so tried down to the reeds with LR's on the hook over kindered LR's and a bit of micro and had a small Carp which had a plummet and hook in it mouth (later established to be Ricky Mills rig he lost three weeks ago). Had a few Ronnie's so went back out on the 4 mm pellet and had a small Carp and a decent F1. After trying various other lines and baits everything seem to be dead. So tried the margin on the top set with LR's over LR's and micro and hooked a biggish Carp which fought really hard testing my patients too much causing the hook to pull - bad angling another - careful couple of minutes would have made the difference. The upshot was had four decent Carp, but with 15 minutes to go hooked a branch on the bottom which unsettled the line so no more bites.

Weighed 32 lb 15 oz for third in section 10 oz out of a pick up - note to self must be more patient with the bigger Carp.

The match and Shipp's Canal was won by Ron Hardiman (pictured) from peg 11. Ron caught on meat. Well done matey.

Taylor's Pool was won by Johnny Clarke (pictured) with 43 lb from peg 20. Johnny caught down both margins on meat. Well done matey.

Silver on Taylor's was by default Dave with a lowly 2 lb 3 oz from peg 22 and Taylors it was Martin McMahon with 5 lb 11 oz from peg 1.

Back to the pub and glad I didn't pick up today as a good few more were in attendance, Probably due to the sunny warm weather we're having.

Weigh Sheets:

Thursday 03/04/2025 - Windmill Cost Cutter - Match Lake

Breakfast in the Beefeater, Ok but not the best for the money. Didn't want to walk too far around the lake today as left knee has been playing up also took my chances on not having a short walk. Should have done as ended up on peg 11 the longest walk!! Luckily the slope was dry and not too steep.

The wind was coming in from the NNE so the car park end would have been my choice. But down under the bank on peg 11 was warm being out of the cold wind. The fish are all balled up in the reeds at the moment so having some down to my right and reachable with the margin pole was my preferred line. So set up a 03. gram RJ Slim with 0.2 GLine straight through to a Guru 20 super spade. Also set up the waggler to give me some choice with LR's.

As a reed wobbled decided to started down to the reed with pinched corn over kinder micro and had a fish take it on the drop but missed it. Back out and a proper bite and a hard fighting 1 lb 3 oz Tench in the net. No more indications on corn so switched to kindered LR's and triple reds on the hook and had two quick Carp before it dried, decided to rest it in favour of the waggler fished out in front at 20 metres with double reds over loose fed LR's in the meantime started to loose feed down to the reeds to see if I could entice some more Carp out. Second cast had another Carp. Things were looking good as Glenn Bailey came down at 11 o clock and said he was blanking and I was probably winning the match. Thinking have I got enough nets!! As it turned out I could have gone Home after Glenn left as couldn't get another bite!!

Weighed 15 lb 14 oz for nowhere. On hindsight after catching the Tench should have fished for silvers on the Ronnie rig.

The match was won by Steve  Mundy (pictured with the Silvers winner) with 39 lb 2 oz from peg 8. Steve caught 6 Carp on the straight lead with bread hook bait over to the reeds and 2 Carp on the pole on maggot. Well done matey.

Pete Greenslade picked up the silvers from peg 20 with 5 lb 13 oz. Pete caught on my Ronnie rig set up with maggot and GB. Well done matey got that sorted.

The best part of the day is usually the breakfast or a pick up or the after match curry. However, the best part today was seeing my good friend Glenn Bailey out fishing again and winning his section. Welcome back matey, forget the sections you broke 😉

Weigh Sheets: