Tuesday 25/08/2026 - Harescombe - Hob Knobs - Doughnut

Glenn loves fishing the Harescombe Doughnut, so with the Hobknobs on it this week got Glenn to come, he needs to get out fishing. So Breakfast - Fishing - Pint and a curry on the way home was planned.

Chat on the way was about the GAS match Saturday. Podge miss his usual goal just before half time - wonder where he was?

We havn't been to Harescombe for some time so out of touch with the fishing. However, the Doughnut has been fishing very well. After a chat with the locals and a breakfast into the draw and peg 17 for me and 9 for Glenn a peg he has framed off previously, my peg has also been decent in the past. Had Lionel Legg next door so good company and had a good chat. Dont think he's a GAS supporter though!!

Bait wise had Micro, Paste and Maggots of which the price has gone through the roof with the quality gone down, after one day they started to turn. Probably now paying for John Alexander's holidays. There is only a few Eels and Perch in the Lake so Maggot can be good, but probably best in winter.

The water level (pictured) is well down similar to last year so set my box up on the dry margin enabling to get my keep nets into deeper water. No one likes being hgh of the water, nothing worse than looking down on your float.

Set up a 0.4 gram paste float and had a good plumb around. Umm, margin was from nothing slopping to 3 foot before dropping off to full depth at 5 foot at 3 metres out. Set the paste float at full depth at top set plus one barrel. Carp were coming in clsoe to the bank and darting out again not sure they would be catchable with this behaviour. Set up a 0.3 g RJ slim for the deapest part of the margin - 3 foot for the left side and and at a similar depth a 0.3 gram paste PC float on the right.

Fed a pot of Micro on the long line and similarly down the right, loose fed some maggots down the left. Started long on the paste whilst watching Carp darting in for the maggot feed. Soon lost a fouler then had one about 3 lb, surprised me how hard the fish fight here. Was expecting a bit of just playing fish all match day, but it was proving very hard. Had three Carp and pulled out another, plus a few lost foulers before trying the maggot and had a Carp first try. Then nothing other than a Bootlace Eel and a couple of Perch. Shallowed up to 2 foot and had another Carp before it died again. Tried the paste in the right side not one indication. Spent a few hours catching the odd Carp on the long line, but it was slow. Kept picking the odd fish off on the maggot rig. Into the last hour the paste long line showed some signs of Carp so decided to fish it to the end. Unfotunatey having foul hooked five Carp on the bounce lost another which snapped a well worn rig line. Couldn't be assed to set up another instead fished the maggot rig shallow and had a very late burst on it but needed to feed heavy then leave it.

Weighed 55 lb 6 oz for last! Did enjoy it, did learn a few things for next time. This comes from being out of touch with a venue.

Local venue expert Mick O'Brian (pictured with some of his catch) took the match out from peg 19 with 167 lb 11 oz. Mick caught all his fish from both margins with his rig set at 2 foot with banded pellet over loose fed same. He certainly got this method sorted, bit like mud bank fishing in oppoite. Well done matey nice to watch.

Our Over 55's member John Smith (pictured) came third with 129 lb 14 oz from peg 7. John caught long on paste - very good result for a pellet head! Well done matey saw you wheel spin out of the car park to the call of Chedder Valley.

Nice to round the day off with a Khurka chicken curry at the White Harte and Glenn explaining the story how he met Jane his wife and the Elephant dance at his wedding reception - both remembering this one 😂. Thanks for the company.

Over 55's got the Doughnut booked for the 24/09/2026. Details to follow on the group chat.

Weigh Sheet:

Sunday 23/08/2026 - Alcove Club - Whitehouse Farm - George's Lake

Bit nippy this morning loading the car - it wasn't to last. Twenty minute drive to George's to see plenty of early birds already unloading.

The day before the club had an 8 hour Carp match on George's. Didn't see any results but told it didn't fish that well.

Most wanted peg 1 as certain winner at the moment. It came out first for Tony Welsby. Game over.

Peg 5 for me, with Steve Sewell - "the Big-un" on peg 4 and match organiser Jason on peg 6. Bit disappointed to find on the right a over-hanging Willow - so no margin there and on the left similarly a Bramble bush which went out into the lake about a metre. so limited margin fishing. A bird cage without the canopy.

With now bright sushine and flat calm I didn't fancy the Skimmers would show in numbers. However, set up a paste float to fish top set and three barrels out in the white water in 4 and half foot of water to cover both options, the lake is at least 18 inches down at the moment. It was going to be hard work in the heat to fish the Ronnie rig, but set it up anyway. - good job I did. 

Tried the paste over micro and incredibly not one indication!!. So picked up the Ronnie rig and caught small Ronnie's, Rudd and the odd Perch steady over GB laced with LR's. The Big-un was who was catching F1's and the odd Skimmer on chop worm and caster most people were catching the odd skmmer and Carp on corn. Too late for me to change. Couldn't see a Wasp nest but three of the buggers hanging out with me.

"Hindsight holds a level of perfection that real-time decisions can't provide".

Now here's a thing a phone call with a family emergency only second time ever out fishing. Which wasn't really, by time I got there someone in Sainsbury's car park had got the car started with jump leads.

I tipped back about 5 lb of spratts and was unlikley to get anywhere near 10 lb of silvers. Did  lose a Carp in the brambles - would be very difficult to land an angry Carp from this peg.

I don't have the results sheet but when it appears I will add to the blog. However, walking past Tony on peg, was playing yet another decent Carp so took a video for something to blog. Tony caught at 10 metres using corn over corn. The beautiful Common Carp in the video weighed in at 14 lb 7 oz.

I predict that The Big-un (pictured) would have the highest silvers weight as claiming 15 lb -3 F1's and some Skimmers.

Weigh Sheet:

Sunday 02/08/2026 - John Treasure Memorial Match - Joint with the RBL Club - Whitehouse Farm - Margret's and George's

Not been fishing for four weeks for various reasons. So at last had a chance to go to the Alcove match at Whitehouse Farm. Both Georges and Margret's were both in the draw, both have been throwing up some big Carp weights especially George's peg 1. The Carp are mostly double figures and too big for me to wrestle with in the landing net these days especially with the water levels down. If I drew the peg I would still have go though it's in the DNA, but hoping to avoid the known Carp pegs.

The match was split into two with top 3 and 1 silvers on each lake.

But first had to follow instructions and pick my annual helping of the Special One's Blackberries for her pies. So with mission accomplished it was Into the draw bag and peg 8 (pictured) on Margret's for me. For company on the next peg 9 was matey Andy Gard - now a serial match angler who does more miles than an Uber driver. Had this peg before and always fished for small Ronnie's of which there are millions add the millions of tiny Perch it's a bit of a physical effort in this hot weather. I had bought some worms but had left them home - hope they're OK, so only had LR's and Paste. So went for the waggler to fish for the Chub and a paste rig - simple.

It's very wide to the island on this peg but had waggler's that could do it, but would not be able to loose feed it, so settled for an 8" Drake bodied waggler. With the water level really low had just 4 and a bit foot of water. So a 0.4 gram PC paste rig with yellow top selected. That was it so had 45 minutes to hang around for the 10 o clock start - a few more Blackberries it was then.

Having mixed my paste and making a right mess of my trousers fed the paste line at 10 metres with micro and the waggler line as far as the catty and wind conditions would allow - about half way!! No wind can be worse than a side wind for loose feeding.

Started on the waggler with double DR and had a 1 1/2 lb Gold fish fan tail second cast. Good start. Then it was the usual small Ronnie's and Perch afterwards. Occasionally I  was getting the complete ragging of the maggots which I'm sure were Chub. Didn't connect with any though, smashing the hook bait on the way down me thinks. Shallowed up to no avail. I had planned to leave the paste until I saw some fizz, but tried it anyway and was surprised to catch a 2lb Skimmer first try. I then had problems with the platform being too far off the water, the elastic being too strong and shipping back into bushed and jamming up causing the loss of a couple of Skimmers. Switched to a lighter elastic and adjustment of the pole roller helped considerably. Had a couple of hours picking off the odd better Skimmer and one F1. The peg was by now showing a lot of fizz caused by tiny Skimmers which were becoming a nuisance they are hard enough to catch on natural baits let alone paste. Had a common and Mirror Carp both about 5 lb each which herald the end of the Skimmers fishing. So upped the feed to try and catch more Carp alas only one lost foul hooker. On hindsight wish I had rested the line in favour of the waggler for a while, think the extra feed buggered it up. Struggled the last hour which I spent catching small  silvers on the Waggler.

The two Carp weighed 10 lb 4 oz and my silvers 18 lb 7 oz for a total weight of 28 lb 11 oz and the lake silvers win. Our side of the lake wasn't fishing that well so pleased with my result - bollocks to worms. To be fair a nice day's fishing and the Special One thought the Blackberries were excellent.

Pete Watkins (pictured with the lakes silvers winner) won our lake with 76 lb 5 oz from peg 17. It took the last hour to catch, starting with a 20 pounder. Kev caught down his left hand margin using double corn

Over to George's where the lake record was nearly broken by Kev Murch (pictured) who weighed an impressive 155 lb 14 oz from peg 1. A;ll pole caught - well done Matey.

Bill Knight picked up the silvers on George's from peg 13 with 14 lb 2 oz. You will no doubt read more of today's exploits by visiting "Billy's Blog" which is always an excellent crafted blog - very enjoyable read. Just google it.

PS: John Amato didn't get his net bag back which fell off his new motor bike last match - luckily the dog wasn't in it.

Weigh Sheets: