Tuesday 18/11/2025 - Harescombe - Hobnobs - Match Lake

Back to Harescombe, just a shame that we don't have a fishery like this closer to home. A bit nippy this morning with some car ice scraping before the off.

Another decent breakfast and into the draw bag and for second time on the trot - peg 5 for me. Couldn't help noticing John Smith aka "Cliff" or "Foggy" on peg 29 again!!

Whilst setting up there was a lot of Roach topping on the crease of the wind. So set up the short Ronnie rig to fish down the right, a 4x10 Roob Wire for down the left margin in-between the reeds and a 4x14 Winter Wire to fish top set plus three barrels.

Loose fed the Ronnie line with Pinkie, the left side some DR's and the long line loose GB and DR's and Pinkie. Had a quick look on the Ronnie rig with single Pinkie 100% certain would result in one first try. Well, after 10 minutes not one indication - cripes. So a quick look down the left in the reeds with double DR's and again not a sign! So out on the long line with various combinations of maggot/pinkie and one indication. Persevered with this line for nothing. Two hours in and nothing. So decided to set up 13 metres to fish tight over.What surprised me it was exactly the same depth as the the shorter line. Not fished 13 metres for about twenty years - in fact the end two sections hadn't been used on this pole. However, I was to severely regret doing this, with a reminder why I don't do long pole fishing. Fed some loose GB and DR's and had indication first try - liners? Well the upshot was five foul hooked Carp lost (probably due to towing into into them with the flow going both ways) and one Skimmer and one F1 in the mouth and netted. The consequences of this frustrating excursion was a painful back and hip - never again. Last hour back on the three barrel line and surprise awaited - four more F1's on the bounce plus a lost decent Skimmer before the line died - still haven't got the feeding right convinced this was the cause.

Weighed 13 lb 9 oz for section win and 5th overall. Yes fished hard as most fisheries are at the moment. Left thinking why I didn't have one Ronnie from a lake that is stuffed full with them. Very enjoyable even though it nearly crippled me. Considered a few times leaving the 13 metre section home but it does give some protection to the rest of the pole.

The previous match fished here John Smith (pictured being photo bombed by head Hobnob) was on peg 29. I went and had a pre- all in chat and recommended he fish the waggler up the leg. It surprised me that an angler of his class didn't have one with him. However, he didn't make that mistakes this match fishing the wag and mag into the leg taking the match quite convincingly with 50 lb 11 oz. His first cast caused a chuckle resulting in a Moorhen which was safely returned. Well done matey can't beat waggler fishing.

Weigh Sheet:

Sunday 09/11/2025 - Westerleigh Winter League - Practice Match

We were all looking forward to this nine match series starting again. Great bunch of match anglers to be fishing with.

This match is classed as a practice match, don't know anyone fishing that needed this. Nice to see the water levels up, yet still more rain required.

Met "Six Sheds" (AKA Geoff Francis) at Wetherspoons for a decent breakfast. A 09:00 draw allow us to easily fit this in. Fishing 10:15 to 15:15 mostly -  dependent on Shanksy. BBC 91% chance of rain - going to rain then!! As usual waited until we were packing up.

Didn't have a preference to which peg. Draw bag chose peg 25 on Taylors Pool. Only issue from experience not a very good silvers peg. So today would be mostly Carp.

I have been experimenting making my own soft pellet and thought I would give them a real match try out. So set up a 4x14 Winter to fish top set plus two barrels in 5 foot of water for the trial. Also set up a 0.3 gram RJ to fish top set and four barrels which was plumbed down the LH edge and over to the island.

Fed the pellet line with a small amount of micro, over to island a combo of DR's and Micro and down the edge DR's and GB.

Started my trial with a 6 mm round soft pellet and was satisfied that they stayed on shipping out and lifting and dropping. It was soon clear that it was fishing hard our end of the Pool after 10 minutes had a decent F1, but whilst netting it the hook caught in the landing net and pulled out. I spied a carp rise over to the island and satisfied my pellets worked couldn't resist trying the island with double LR on the hook. Having liners straight away with decent Carp bowing waving out towards me. Refed neat DR's and went back on my pellet and had a decent Carp after which the line went quite. So back out to the island and by topping up through the kinder pot had a decent run of small Carp and F1's. Tried the margin and had some small Carp and two Skimmers but was much slower than over. So back on the island and had a run of four decent Carp before it went quite again. So rested it for the margin again and a couple more small Carp. Definitely helped resting the lines. Back on the island had a decent Ghost Carp and lost another Carp though not taking enough care shipping the pole over the roller totally missing it. However, the Gods forgave me landing a decent Carp in the tail.

Weighed 40 lb 3 oz for third on the pool and sixth overall. Really enjoyed today. It was also great to see Ron Hardiman having a walk around who has been through a lot recently - to say the least. He's hoping to be back out with us soon. 

Ricky Mills (pictured with the Shipp's canal winner) won our pool with 76 lb 11 oz from peg 20. Ricky caught most of his fish down his right margin fishing 6 mm over 6 mm's fed moderately.  

Bela Bakos won Shipp's with 58 lb 13 oz from peg 4. Bela fished meat on his top set out in front. Well done to both.

A shout out to Mark Taylor who is retiring for the fifth time this year for winning the silvers with 5 lb 14 oz mostly made of a a quality Perch.

Back to the pub with the usual suspects. Now here's a thing, Bela was trying to explain to Six Shed's why the water in the Canal is not in level end to end. Six Sheds was obvious confused as to what the change in levelness effect the canal corners - all this before they had a full pint.

Weigh Sheets:

Sunday 02/11/2025 - Alcove Club - Poppy Match - Whitehouse Farm - Margret's and George's

Today's match was primarily for the British Legion annual appeal. So £10 pools and £10 for the good cause.

Steady drive down the Ring Road as I had a nail go in my tyre at Harescombe and had fitted the 50 mph get you home spare wheel.

19 fishing so 9 on Margret's and 10 on Georges. Hoping for Georges as not hemmed in by trees and bushes.

Into the draw bag and disabled peg 14 on Margret's for me. Great feeder peg albeit a very long chuck. Toyed with setting up the maggot feeder for five seconds, choose to fish for Ronnie's instead - my favourite target and method as it keeps me busy on a colder windy day - get bored very easily.

Next to John Amato on end peg 15 and judging by the expletives throughout the match was having a bit of a frustrating day 😀.

Geoff drew peg Margret's 7 - another feeder peg. Margins not that as good - full of snags.

Long and short Ronnie rig, 0.3 gram RJ Slim for the very short RH margin where I was advised by Bill Knight to fish for Carp, Finally a 4x14 Winter to fish top set plus two in 5 1/2 foot of water, hopefully for some Skimmers.

Only tabled live and dead reds. Had some Pinkies curtesy of Fred Welsh, but thought it too early to use them - proved a mistake.

Fed the long line with GB and DR's but started on the short Ronnie rig with single LR over loose fed same. Had an amazing 15 minutes catching a Ronnie or Perch - one a bung. It suddenly went completely dead so had a quick look on the long line which was only producing the same fish as the Ronnie rig but slower loosing a 1 lb Skimmer which may have been fouled. Picked up the long Ronnie rig to fish closer to the bush down the left. Feeling a Carp had disrupted play attracted by the sound of the loose feed and first try on the long rig foul hooked a Carp which halfway across the lake the hook pulled. Subsequent started to feed the LR's in loose GB to silence the feeding. Things picked up but it was slower. About 2 hours to go we had some light rain and the temperature dropped drastically recovering after 30 minutes. Had a short look for a Carp with a bunch on LR's down the right where I had been loose feeding DR's steady all match. Upshot never had a bite. Back on the long Ronnie rig but with Pinkie over potted Pinkie and the response was remarkable catching quicker until the end.

Weighed 8 lb 8 oz and due to Georges fishing really poor this put me 6th overall! It probably looked sacrilege to most that I didn't set the feeder up - perhaps next time!! Definitely should have started on the Pinkie.

Tony Welsby (pictured - smiling!) double bubbled today winning over weight and silvers from peg 8 with 27 lb 15 oz. Tony caught at top set plus 4 barrels fishing various baits over GB, Micro and Corn. Well done matey impressive 

Weigh Sheets: