Miracle Baits Fen Lake Monday League
There are about 5 places left on the fen lake league for this season if anyone is interested. The dates are April 2nd - May 14th - Jun 11th - July 2nd & 30th - Aug 13th - Sept 3rd. Email me if you are interested miracle_baits@btinternet.com.
Miracle Baits Christmas Match 2011, Mill Dam, Girton
It was that time of year again, all the Christmas festivities were looming so it was time for our annual Christmas match. These matches are mainly for a get together for the lads rather than the usual heads down matches. Everyone brings some booze and we have a draw at the end, there were plenty of bottles so hangovers were on the cards.
The match proved very popular and although I originally booked just one lake, I had to revise my plans and book the other lake too. It's hard to decide how to run these type of matches sometimes, do you do separate matches like Burgess at Solhampton Fishery of run it as one big one. As I had never fished the old lake I had to get some advice from those who had, it was clear from what I heard that they were much of a muchness so I went for the one match approach. I planned to do 2 sections on each lake and overall top 3, but remember there were many prizes to be drawn from at the end too so anyone could finish up a winner.
The draw took place and I drew old lake, with never fishing it before I was gutted as I had sorted the match lake and had 2 wins from 2 visits on there. Never the less I just thought I would give it my best but opted to fish pinkie and worm with it being really cold. I knew it was going to be hard and very peggy, that's just the par for the course this time of year. I was the last to draw so got what was left, peg 9 on old lake, I set up a long line to the island at 16m using my new and excellent Middy XK55 pole, awesome thing that is. I had a line at 8m down the track and a top 2 in front rig, this would probably not get used today but fed just in case. Allan (end peg/corner peg) Foster had drawn peg 1, what a surprise he drew an end and corner peg, never been known. I knew that he would find plenty of silvers down there and if the carp fed maybe a few of those too. Allan draws these fliers all the time (admit it golden bollocks) and with him being an excellent angler it certainly makes life much easier.
As the match unfolded the first hour was pretty good weather wise, BUT Steve Jackson in the next peg put the mockers on that by saying "it's like a spring morning" and yes you guessed it it absolutely pissed it down the rest of the day and was freezing cold. (well done Jacko)
It was pretty terrible I can tell you and to make matters worse the fish were not having it at all where I was, just the odd skimmer down the track on pinkie. I was not on my own it was the same all around our side of the lake, apparently they were getting a few on the other side though. Well the match certainly dragged on in all that rain and I was glad to shout it up at the end, well Wolfy did, they heard him in Brussels I think.
After rushing to get all the gear into the van out of the rain we started to weigh in, my lake was first and Allan Foster had managed to secure a good net of silvers to secure his section, pushing me into second, cheers Al, but it was not enough to do any more damage. Ady Freeman on the other side found a few carp to win our lake and possibly get into the top 3.
The match lake was next, this lake had fished much better and almost all had a few carp but it would be Steve Pretty (another drawbag) on an excellent corner peg that would come out on top.
The weights were pretty tight for the top 3 spots and could have gone either way but at the end it was Pretty boy that won the Christmas show.
1st..............Steve Pretty.............peg 24 match lake..............42lb 08oz
2nd.............Alan Watts...............peg 6 match lake..............39lb 09oz
3rd..............Ady Freeman...........peg 29 old lake..................38lb 11oz
section 1 old lake................Allan Foster...........peg 1 old lake..................18lb 05oz
section 2 old lake................Chris Clark............peg 30 old lake.................15lb 04oz
section 1 match lake...........Paul Gregory.........peg 3 match lake..............20lb 15oz
section 2 match lake...........Dexy......................peg 21 match lake............13lb 06oz
With plenty of prizes for the draw at the end I did eventually manage to win 3 bottles so not all was lost. They are a great bunch of guys and it was a great days fishing, you cant expect fantastic weights at this time of year, that's winter fishing for you.
The match proved very popular and although I originally booked just one lake, I had to revise my plans and book the other lake too. It's hard to decide how to run these type of matches sometimes, do you do separate matches like Burgess at Solhampton Fishery of run it as one big one. As I had never fished the old lake I had to get some advice from those who had, it was clear from what I heard that they were much of a muchness so I went for the one match approach. I planned to do 2 sections on each lake and overall top 3, but remember there were many prizes to be drawn from at the end too so anyone could finish up a winner.
The draw took place and I drew old lake, with never fishing it before I was gutted as I had sorted the match lake and had 2 wins from 2 visits on there. Never the less I just thought I would give it my best but opted to fish pinkie and worm with it being really cold. I knew it was going to be hard and very peggy, that's just the par for the course this time of year. I was the last to draw so got what was left, peg 9 on old lake, I set up a long line to the island at 16m using my new and excellent Middy XK55 pole, awesome thing that is. I had a line at 8m down the track and a top 2 in front rig, this would probably not get used today but fed just in case. Allan (end peg/corner peg) Foster had drawn peg 1, what a surprise he drew an end and corner peg, never been known. I knew that he would find plenty of silvers down there and if the carp fed maybe a few of those too. Allan draws these fliers all the time (admit it golden bollocks) and with him being an excellent angler it certainly makes life much easier.
As the match unfolded the first hour was pretty good weather wise, BUT Steve Jackson in the next peg put the mockers on that by saying "it's like a spring morning" and yes you guessed it it absolutely pissed it down the rest of the day and was freezing cold. (well done Jacko)
It was pretty terrible I can tell you and to make matters worse the fish were not having it at all where I was, just the odd skimmer down the track on pinkie. I was not on my own it was the same all around our side of the lake, apparently they were getting a few on the other side though. Well the match certainly dragged on in all that rain and I was glad to shout it up at the end, well Wolfy did, they heard him in Brussels I think.
After rushing to get all the gear into the van out of the rain we started to weigh in, my lake was first and Allan Foster had managed to secure a good net of silvers to secure his section, pushing me into second, cheers Al, but it was not enough to do any more damage. Ady Freeman on the other side found a few carp to win our lake and possibly get into the top 3.
The match lake was next, this lake had fished much better and almost all had a few carp but it would be Steve Pretty (another drawbag) on an excellent corner peg that would come out on top.
The weights were pretty tight for the top 3 spots and could have gone either way but at the end it was Pretty boy that won the Christmas show.
1st..............Steve Pretty.............peg 24 match lake..............42lb 08oz
2nd.............Alan Watts...............peg 6 match lake..............39lb 09oz
3rd..............Ady Freeman...........peg 29 old lake..................38lb 11oz
section 1 old lake................Allan Foster...........peg 1 old lake..................18lb 05oz
section 2 old lake................Chris Clark............peg 30 old lake.................15lb 04oz
section 1 match lake...........Paul Gregory.........peg 3 match lake..............20lb 15oz
section 2 match lake...........Dexy......................peg 21 match lake............13lb 06oz
With plenty of prizes for the draw at the end I did eventually manage to win 3 bottles so not all was lost. They are a great bunch of guys and it was a great days fishing, you cant expect fantastic weights at this time of year, that's winter fishing for you.
Miracle Baits Open, Mill Dam, Girton, match lake, Dec 2011
Well its been a while since I had any opens and not been on the site to update it much. However we had a match today at Mill Dam at Girton, I have only fished this place once before but I was very impressed.
The lake suits my kind of fishing to the ground and I think the fish are of excellent breeding and fight so well, can't say that for everywhere.
Well at the draw I had the last peg in the bag and as it happened it was the same peg as I drew on the previous time I was there so knew how to approach it. I opted today to fish at 11m on the slope, top 2 in front and down both sides long, this was the plan but things can change. At the all in I put in a small pot of micro pellets and a few maggots on each line for starters and would feel my way into the match. I had already decided to fish maggot over pellet so I could catch the silvers as well as the carp as I expected it to be hard going.
It didn't take long for a response on the 11m line this was about 2 metres short of the island, and had a carp of about 3lb.
I could not get consistent bites on any line throughout the day and had to chop and change all the time to keep any bites I could get coming. I was doing ok but I could see others doing pretty well too so needed to be on top of the situation.
At the end of the match it was apparent the silvers were not in a feeding mood but I managed to stick a few carp in the net and secure a win with 81lb.
Everyone caught and really enjoyed the fishing there so we will be returning shortly.
1st..........Steve Gregory.............peg 3..................81lb 00oz
2nd.........Dave Wills..................peg 18................69lb 13oz
3rd..........Carl Sweatnam...........peg 14................52lb 11oz
4th..........Zak Lawton.................peg 10...............47lb 12oz
5th..........Malc Thompson..........peg 6.................43lb 02oz
6th..........Andy Woolfall.............peg 22...............41lb 08oz
The lake suits my kind of fishing to the ground and I think the fish are of excellent breeding and fight so well, can't say that for everywhere.
Well at the draw I had the last peg in the bag and as it happened it was the same peg as I drew on the previous time I was there so knew how to approach it. I opted today to fish at 11m on the slope, top 2 in front and down both sides long, this was the plan but things can change. At the all in I put in a small pot of micro pellets and a few maggots on each line for starters and would feel my way into the match. I had already decided to fish maggot over pellet so I could catch the silvers as well as the carp as I expected it to be hard going.
It didn't take long for a response on the 11m line this was about 2 metres short of the island, and had a carp of about 3lb.
I could not get consistent bites on any line throughout the day and had to chop and change all the time to keep any bites I could get coming. I was doing ok but I could see others doing pretty well too so needed to be on top of the situation.
At the end of the match it was apparent the silvers were not in a feeding mood but I managed to stick a few carp in the net and secure a win with 81lb.
Everyone caught and really enjoyed the fishing there so we will be returning shortly.
1st..........Steve Gregory.............peg 3..................81lb 00oz
2nd.........Dave Wills..................peg 18................69lb 13oz
3rd..........Carl Sweatnam...........peg 14................52lb 11oz
4th..........Zak Lawton.................peg 10...............47lb 12oz
5th..........Malc Thompson..........peg 6.................43lb 02oz
6th..........Andy Woolfall.............peg 22...............41lb 08oz
Bain Valley (King of Tons Final) 8th Oct
Well this was the hardest match of the year so far for me, I always knew it would be hard but it outlived my expectations. There are so many factors that can change a venue and how it fishes, it's been really hard on here recently and I have not been in attendance for that reason. When I drew peg 27 I was gutted as I reckon this is one of the worst pegs on the lake, it's ok people saying well 136lb came off that peg, but that was early in the year when it was fishing much better.
I honestly believe that an introduction of a few more fresh stockies would bring this place back to it's former self as the fish get lazy and without fresh competition they just sit and wait until the end of the match to feed.
The other factors that could be to blame are, cold nights, switch in air pressure, full moon etc each and everyone play their part in poor fishing.
Back to the match......
When I saw Dave Daniels draw peg 4 I thought well that's first place gone as peg 4 has been the most consistent winner all year, but who would believe that Dave would have been both biteless and fishless at the end. Also on peg 21 the next most productive peg was Ben Brighton so that was 1st and 2nd sorted.
As the day drew on I kept trying the pole but was totally biteless on that and must have waisted over an hour in total fishing it. This gave Sam Smith the edge over me in the next peg as he stuck it out on the bomb and pellet and kept a slow but steady stream of fish coming to the net. I had to do something quick so I opted for the big bomb and tea bag with 8mm pellet on a massive chuck hoping for some better fish. As it turned out the bigger fish were not interested and my biggest was a 5lber after loosing a monster at the net (costly fish), the rest were just stockies.
at the close of the day I was a bit disappointed with my performance but managed to hold my head up with a joint 2nd with 23lb 08oz, this still made me £131 but not the pleasure of winning, this went to a deservedly 26lb 14oz from Sam.
1st..............Sam Smith........................peg 28....................26lb 14oz
2nd.............Steve Gregory....................peg 27....................23lb 08oz
2nd.............Ben Brighton.....................peg 21....................23lb 08oz
4th..............Dexy................................peg 20.....................19lb 14oz
5th..............Carl Sweatnam.................peg 6.......................16lb 03oz
6th..............Shaun Moss.....................peg 14.....................15lb 11oz
I honestly believe that an introduction of a few more fresh stockies would bring this place back to it's former self as the fish get lazy and without fresh competition they just sit and wait until the end of the match to feed.
The other factors that could be to blame are, cold nights, switch in air pressure, full moon etc each and everyone play their part in poor fishing.
Back to the match......
When I saw Dave Daniels draw peg 4 I thought well that's first place gone as peg 4 has been the most consistent winner all year, but who would believe that Dave would have been both biteless and fishless at the end. Also on peg 21 the next most productive peg was Ben Brighton so that was 1st and 2nd sorted.
As the day drew on I kept trying the pole but was totally biteless on that and must have waisted over an hour in total fishing it. This gave Sam Smith the edge over me in the next peg as he stuck it out on the bomb and pellet and kept a slow but steady stream of fish coming to the net. I had to do something quick so I opted for the big bomb and tea bag with 8mm pellet on a massive chuck hoping for some better fish. As it turned out the bigger fish were not interested and my biggest was a 5lber after loosing a monster at the net (costly fish), the rest were just stockies.
at the close of the day I was a bit disappointed with my performance but managed to hold my head up with a joint 2nd with 23lb 08oz, this still made me £131 but not the pleasure of winning, this went to a deservedly 26lb 14oz from Sam.
1st..............Sam Smith........................peg 28....................26lb 14oz
2nd.............Steve Gregory....................peg 27....................23lb 08oz
2nd.............Ben Brighton.....................peg 21....................23lb 08oz
4th..............Dexy................................peg 20.....................19lb 14oz
5th..............Carl Sweatnam.................peg 6.......................16lb 03oz
6th..............Shaun Moss.....................peg 14.....................15lb 11oz
Well done the lads.
I would just like to congratulate the lads, Luke Morley, Mick Stamp, Tony Evans, Paul Christie and Rob Morris on their victory in the County Champs final.
It was a great result for the guys but in fairness they have the ability and proved it BIG STYLE.
I hope they spend their £10k wisely, beer, beer and more beer.
Well done from all the Miracle Baits Crew.
It was a great result for the guys but in fairness they have the ability and proved it BIG STYLE.
I hope they spend their £10k wisely, beer, beer and more beer.
Well done from all the Miracle Baits Crew.
Liam's Memorial Match, Westwood Lakes 17th Sept 2011
Westwood Lakes was full to capacity for the Liam Wilson Memorial Match on Saturday 17th with 99 anglers taking part in this ever popular event. Anglers from as young as 8 and as old as 87 and as far a field as Norfolk came together to have a fun days fishing .Adam Wakelin, sponsored angler with Preston Innovations, also a consultant with SonuBaits & he represented England in the recent World feeder championships presented the trophies and carried out the draw for the raffle which raised £760 for Liam's Memorial Fund. This now stands at a total of over £19,000.
Hawk Lake School Yr 8 & under.
1st Callum Houlden 20lb 4oz
2nd Samuel Claydon 11lb 6oz
3rd Nathan Lee 9lb 6oz
Hawk Lake School Yr 9,10 & 11
1st Ben Elding 55lb 9oz
2nd Davis Gurton 39lb 8oz
3rd Adam Swain 35lb 14oz
Kestral Lake
1st Adam Wakelin 83lb 6oz
2nd Gavin Butler 57lb 4oz
3rd Luke Morley 27lb 10 oz
Skylark Lake
1st Paul Ogglesbee 46lb 8oz
2nd Ken Clarke 33lb 10oz
3rd Steve Gregory 32lb 10oz
Kingfisher Lake NCRC Challenge
1st Dave Wilson 50lb 2 oz
2nd Mark Sutherland 21lb
3rd Stuart Rumball 14lb 12oz
Total weight Boston 99lb 8oz Norwich 37lb
Blind Mixed Pairs winners- Adam Wakelin/James Taylor
Dave,Julie & Lauren Wilson would like to say a big thank you to all that took part and made the day a great success. Raffle prizes where kindly given by Westwood Lakes, Boston Angling Centre, Preston Innovations, BaitTech, Sensas, Middy, Miracle Baits and many numerous individuals. Thank You... Thanks Dave
Hawk Lake School Yr 8 & under.
1st Callum Houlden 20lb 4oz
2nd Samuel Claydon 11lb 6oz
3rd Nathan Lee 9lb 6oz
Hawk Lake School Yr 9,10 & 11
1st Ben Elding 55lb 9oz
2nd Davis Gurton 39lb 8oz
3rd Adam Swain 35lb 14oz
Kestral Lake
1st Adam Wakelin 83lb 6oz
2nd Gavin Butler 57lb 4oz
3rd Luke Morley 27lb 10 oz
Skylark Lake
1st Paul Ogglesbee 46lb 8oz
2nd Ken Clarke 33lb 10oz
3rd Steve Gregory 32lb 10oz
Kingfisher Lake NCRC Challenge
1st Dave Wilson 50lb 2 oz
2nd Mark Sutherland 21lb
3rd Stuart Rumball 14lb 12oz
Total weight Boston 99lb 8oz Norwich 37lb
Blind Mixed Pairs winners- Adam Wakelin/James Taylor
Dave,Julie & Lauren Wilson would like to say a big thank you to all that took part and made the day a great success. Raffle prizes where kindly given by Westwood Lakes, Boston Angling Centre, Preston Innovations, BaitTech, Sensas, Middy, Miracle Baits and many numerous individuals. Thank You... Thanks Dave
Miracle Baits Open, Bain Valley (Halifax) 11 Sept
Conditions, gale force winds heavy swell but warm.
Steve Pretty drew his second home again to secure another win, it was quite a close match really but plenty of lost fish as usual.
1st.............Steve Pretty................peg 4...................92lb 15oz
2nd............Steve Gregory..............peg 23.................61lb 11oz
3rd.............Shaun Moss................peg 29.................42lb 11oz
4th.............Dave Usher..................peg 20.................42lb 03oz
5th.............Dexy...........................peg 8...................36lb 12oz
6th.............Allan Watts.................peg 21..................36lb 08oz
Steve Pretty drew his second home again to secure another win, it was quite a close match really but plenty of lost fish as usual.
1st.............Steve Pretty................peg 4...................92lb 15oz
2nd............Steve Gregory..............peg 23.................61lb 11oz
3rd.............Shaun Moss................peg 29.................42lb 11oz
4th.............Dave Usher..................peg 20.................42lb 03oz
5th.............Dexy...........................peg 8...................36lb 12oz
6th.............Allan Watts.................peg 21..................36lb 08oz
Doncasters/Miracle Baits, messingham sands island lake 10 sept
1st..................Steve Jackson..................121lb 06oz
2nd.................Geoff (fritz) Hides...............104lb 01oz
3rd..................Dave Sweeting....................48lb 09oz
4th..................John Bridges......................37lb 04oz
5th..................Pete Hides.........................36lb 11oz
6th..................Steve Gregory.....................36lb 03oz
Steve Jackson having never broken the ton weight before mad a sweet match where he found fish stacked up to secure not only a win but also his best ever weight and also walked away with the golden peg and a very nice cup.
As this was the last match of the season for the club Kitty donated a cup, well when we saw it we all broke out laughing, it was actually a mug with the miracle baits logo on and a picture of me with a big sparkle by my teeth. Funny as hell but everyone was after winning it, they must fancy me or something, just hope Jacko watches where he drinks from and keeps away from my lips, dodgy geezer, even got his arm around me on the pic, mind you where is my other arm????
2nd.................Geoff (fritz) Hides...............104lb 01oz
3rd..................Dave Sweeting....................48lb 09oz
4th..................John Bridges......................37lb 04oz
5th..................Pete Hides.........................36lb 11oz
6th..................Steve Gregory.....................36lb 03oz
Steve Jackson having never broken the ton weight before mad a sweet match where he found fish stacked up to secure not only a win but also his best ever weight and also walked away with the golden peg and a very nice cup.
As this was the last match of the season for the club Kitty donated a cup, well when we saw it we all broke out laughing, it was actually a mug with the miracle baits logo on and a picture of me with a big sparkle by my teeth. Funny as hell but everyone was after winning it, they must fancy me or something, just hope Jacko watches where he drinks from and keeps away from my lips, dodgy geezer, even got his arm around me on the pic, mind you where is my other arm????
Solhampton Fishery 3 day festival 2nd.3rd.4th Sept
Solhampton mini festival
overall winners:
1st S Gregory (Miracle Baits/Middy) 529-10
2nd C Jones (Maver) 460-05
3rd B Wilkes (Solhampton fishery/Miracle Baits) 397-06
Day 1
Dragonfly
1st K Stevens
2nd M Howells
3rd K Dales
Valley
1st A Foster
2nd B Homer
3rd B Wilkes
Kingfisher
1st S Gregory
2nd C Jones
3rd M Charod
Day 2
Dragonfly
1st C Jones
2nd S Gregory
3rd P Hallybone
Valley
1st A Croshaw
2nd N Rowley
3rd D Dryhurst
Kingfisher
1st B Wilkes
2nd K Stevens
3rd K Dales
Day 3
Dragonfly
1st A Croshaw
2nd B Wilkes
3rd B Homer
Valley
1st S Gregory
2nd C Jones
3rd M Howells
Kingfisher
1st S Pretty
2nd P Hallybone
3rd A Foster
Steve Gregory caught on Miracle baits Garlic paste over elite expanders on all 3 days.
overall winners:
1st S Gregory (Miracle Baits/Middy) 529-10
2nd C Jones (Maver) 460-05
3rd B Wilkes (Solhampton fishery/Miracle Baits) 397-06
Day 1
Dragonfly
1st K Stevens
2nd M Howells
3rd K Dales
Valley
1st A Foster
2nd B Homer
3rd B Wilkes
Kingfisher
1st S Gregory
2nd C Jones
3rd M Charod
Day 2
Dragonfly
1st C Jones
2nd S Gregory
3rd P Hallybone
Valley
1st A Croshaw
2nd N Rowley
3rd D Dryhurst
Kingfisher
1st B Wilkes
2nd K Stevens
3rd K Dales
Day 3
Dragonfly
1st A Croshaw
2nd B Wilkes
3rd B Homer
Valley
1st S Gregory
2nd C Jones
3rd M Howells
Kingfisher
1st S Pretty
2nd P Hallybone
3rd A Foster
Steve Gregory caught on Miracle baits Garlic paste over elite expanders on all 3 days.
SOLHAMPTON FISHERY, KING OF TONS FINAL.
(Clip from Solhampton fishery web site)
KING OF TONS FINAL 29TH BANK HOLIDAY MONDAY
king of tons final was won by Steve Gregory (Miracle Baits/MAP) with a winning weight of 293lb -12oz on valley pool
Steve caught using Garlic Miracle Paste over Miracle Baits elite expanders.
The king of tons matches were held over 6 hours with 34 fishing this gave us plenty of room for our anglers with between 8-9 on a pool 34 fished and 22 had over hundred pounds 3 over two hundred .The total amount caught 4,150 pounds of fish
valley pool
1 S.Gregory 293lb -12oz
2 B.Wilkes 230lb 12oz
3 S.Pearce 182lb -08oz
Dragonfly pool
1 D.Baker 178lb-00oz
2 D.Harrison 159lb-12oz
3 S.Dicken 156lb -08oz
Buzzard pool
1 C.Jones 220lb-10oz
2 K.Stephens 200lb -10oz
3 S.Foster 181lb -08oz
Kingfisher pool
1 B.Homer 184lb-12oz
2 A.Welding 173lb-00oz
3 M.Wall 152lb -08oz
top ten
1 S.Gregory 293lb 12oz
2 B.Wilkes 230lb 00oz
3 C.Jones 220lb 10oz
4 K.Stephens 200lb 12oz
5 B.Homer 184lb 120z
6 S.Pearce 182lb 08oz
7 S.Foster 181lb 10oz
8 D.Baker 178lb 00oz
9 A.Welding 173lb 00oz
10 T.maguire 172lb 10oz
11 M.Howells 171lb 08oz
KING OF TONS FINAL 29TH BANK HOLIDAY MONDAY
king of tons final was won by Steve Gregory (Miracle Baits/MAP) with a winning weight of 293lb -12oz on valley pool
Steve caught using Garlic Miracle Paste over Miracle Baits elite expanders.
The king of tons matches were held over 6 hours with 34 fishing this gave us plenty of room for our anglers with between 8-9 on a pool 34 fished and 22 had over hundred pounds 3 over two hundred .The total amount caught 4,150 pounds of fish
valley pool
1 S.Gregory 293lb -12oz
2 B.Wilkes 230lb 12oz
3 S.Pearce 182lb -08oz
Dragonfly pool
1 D.Baker 178lb-00oz
2 D.Harrison 159lb-12oz
3 S.Dicken 156lb -08oz
Buzzard pool
1 C.Jones 220lb-10oz
2 K.Stephens 200lb -10oz
3 S.Foster 181lb -08oz
Kingfisher pool
1 B.Homer 184lb-12oz
2 A.Welding 173lb-00oz
3 M.Wall 152lb -08oz
top ten
1 S.Gregory 293lb 12oz
2 B.Wilkes 230lb 00oz
3 C.Jones 220lb 10oz
4 K.Stephens 200lb 12oz
5 B.Homer 184lb 120z
6 S.Pearce 182lb 08oz
7 S.Foster 181lb 10oz
8 D.Baker 178lb 00oz
9 A.Welding 173lb 00oz
10 T.maguire 172lb 10oz
11 M.Howells 171lb 08oz
Miracle Baits open Bain Valley 14th Aug
It was a completely different day today, the fish wanted to feed and they got their heads down, unfortunately there were 2 pegs left in the bag 21 and 2 and I finished up with 2. Shaun on the other hand got 21 and this peg is on fire and has been for weeks, I suspected another win off it today.
The one thing for sure is Steve Pretty can draw well, he was on peg 4 again, he almost lives on this peg he draws it more than anyone else. It's an out and out flyer and with the right man on it it's a winner every-time, Steve would not prove me wrong. Everyone was catching, this is what it should be like on here but has not been of late.
I was catching steady on the pole up until dinner time, only stockies but they are now a decent size. Steve Pretty was catching on a method feeder thrown just past the pole line and his swim was solid all day. In all a good match which was very close and one big fish could have changed the positions all apart from Steve. Pete Smith in the gorse bushes once again had a good session and was pushing Steve Pretty up until late.
1st.............Steve Pretty...................peg 4........................141lb 06oz
2nd............Pete Smith....................peg 15........................106lb 03oz
3rd.............Shaun Moss..................peg 21..........................96lb 01oz
4th.............Carl Sweatnam..............peg 6............................85lb 03oz
5th.............Brian Baxter..................peg 26..........................75lb 11oz
6th.............Steve Gregory................peg 2...........................74lb 10oz
We will be holding a Sunday afternoon match on here next Sunday, draw at 3 fish 3.30 to 8.30 if anyone interested just turn up on bank. We will be fishing after the day match and weights should be very high.
The one thing for sure is Steve Pretty can draw well, he was on peg 4 again, he almost lives on this peg he draws it more than anyone else. It's an out and out flyer and with the right man on it it's a winner every-time, Steve would not prove me wrong. Everyone was catching, this is what it should be like on here but has not been of late.
I was catching steady on the pole up until dinner time, only stockies but they are now a decent size. Steve Pretty was catching on a method feeder thrown just past the pole line and his swim was solid all day. In all a good match which was very close and one big fish could have changed the positions all apart from Steve. Pete Smith in the gorse bushes once again had a good session and was pushing Steve Pretty up until late.
1st.............Steve Pretty...................peg 4........................141lb 06oz
2nd............Pete Smith....................peg 15........................106lb 03oz
3rd.............Shaun Moss..................peg 21..........................96lb 01oz
4th.............Carl Sweatnam..............peg 6............................85lb 03oz
5th.............Brian Baxter..................peg 26..........................75lb 11oz
6th.............Steve Gregory................peg 2...........................74lb 10oz
We will be holding a Sunday afternoon match on here next Sunday, draw at 3 fish 3.30 to 8.30 if anyone interested just turn up on bank. We will be fishing after the day match and weights should be very high.
Doncasters/Miracle Baits, Bain Valley 13th Aug
The club that has the curse, everywhere we go it fishes poor and this was no exception. The fish were all over on the top and this is always a bad sign, (you can't catch what you can see) as the saying goes. Well for me and Shaun on the roadside that was so true, we really struggled all day and Shaun on 11 had 18lb 06oz and I didn't do much better with 26lb 15oz off peg 9.
I could see John Bridges sneaking a few in but not bagging up, he was on the not so in form gorse bushes but looked as if it was producing better today.
1st..............John Bridges.....................peg 15..........................51lb 09oz
2nd.............Wano................................peg 4...........................38lb 08oz
3rd..............Jacko................................peg 2...........................38lb 07oz
4th..............Mac..................................peg 25..........................31lb 10oz
5th..............Fritz..................................peg 23..........................27lb 04oz
6th..............Me....................................peg 9............................26lb 15oz
I could see John Bridges sneaking a few in but not bagging up, he was on the not so in form gorse bushes but looked as if it was producing better today.
1st..............John Bridges.....................peg 15..........................51lb 09oz
2nd.............Wano................................peg 4...........................38lb 08oz
3rd..............Jacko................................peg 2...........................38lb 07oz
4th..............Mac..................................peg 25..........................31lb 10oz
5th..............Fritz..................................peg 23..........................27lb 04oz
6th..............Me....................................peg 9............................26lb 15oz
Liams Elite club, Priory Lakes Ruskington
Today's results from a warm sunny Priory Lakes Ruskington. New member Lee Sallabanks won the day by a small margin over Ron Roberts on favoured peg 40. 1st Lee Sallabanks peg 33 61lb 3oz fishing pellet waggler 2nd Ron Roberts peg 40 57lb fishing paste on pole 3rd Dave Wilson peg 36 26lb 4oz method feeder & paste on pole
Next match 28th August @ Gedney Hill. If possible we need 15 or more anglers to get complete lake to ourselves,so if you can please let me know ASAP so i can update owner. davew404@btinternet.com Dave Wilson.
Next match 28th August @ Gedney Hill. If possible we need 15 or more anglers to get complete lake to ourselves,so if you can please let me know ASAP so i can update owner. davew404@btinternet.com Dave Wilson.
Miracle Baits 3 day festival 5th 6th 7th August
It was a bit of a shame but I took too many names for the festival forgetting about the first match at Fen Lake. This resulted in myself and Carl Falconer having to sit the first match out. As it happened it was a hard match, the fishing around here at the moment is patchy to say the least.
Day 1 Fen Lake.
The expectations were high for this match even though I had to put 2 extra pegs on the lake, this was just an open leading to the 2 day fest. Unfortunately Carl and myself were bystanders for this one but at least I could walk around and pass on a bit of advice to those who had not fished it before. The all in saw elastics stretching immediately but the pace soon dropped and it looked as if it could be a hard match. There were certain anglers I knew would do well looking at where they were pegged and I thought it may be a ton fifty win today, a patch of it's real potential. Allan Foster drew in a decent area, not the best by far though, but I knew it would suit him as it tends to be shallow fishing of late. Allan has mastered the shallow fishing and would put him up against almost all the anglers I know at this game. A couple of other anglers tipped to do well was Karl Stevens and Carl Sweatnam, both on pegs that suited their style of fishing.
As the day drew on I tipped only one winner Allan Foster, he was catching more steadily than anyone else and was keeping the fish there where others were loosing them for spells.
All I could do was watch, I would have really loved to have fished but as the organiser it was my fault there were not enough pegs, (but due to people not booking on and assuming I had put them down)
The match was pretty much poor for the venue but still decent weights overall and some happy faces
1st.................Allan Foster.................peg 12.......................130lb
2nd................Carl Sweatnam.............peg 3.........................122lb
3rd.................Karl Stevens.................peg 2.........................116lb
As the day drew on I tipped only one winner Allan Foster, he was catching more steadily than anyone else and was keeping the fish there where others were loosing them for spells.
All I could do was watch, I would have really loved to have fished but as the organiser it was my fault there were not enough pegs, (but due to people not booking on and assuming I had put them down)
The match was pretty much poor for the venue but still decent weights overall and some happy faces
1st.................Allan Foster.................peg 12.......................130lb
2nd................Carl Sweatnam.............peg 3.........................122lb
3rd.................Karl Stevens.................peg 2.........................116lb
Day 2, Bain Valley, Spitfire and Hurricane.
This match was a silver fish match with the carp just counting as a pond, this was to stop the reed strewn corners running away with the match.
The skimmers and tench refused to feed in numbers and it was left wide open for the guys fishing maggot to plunder the greatly overpopulated rudd shoals. There rudd are tiny and you really need to get your head down to make a good bag. It was all down to the lake draw however, Spitfire holds a much bigger head of rudd and that's where the weights were recorded. Again Allan Foster was on top form netting up to 14 rudd a minute to build a decent weight and take victory, He did it in such good form too, there were literally thousands of the silver blades in his net.
Chris Clark and Chris Smith were putting plenty in the net too, again armed with plenty of maggots they were unstoppable. I was a bit upset to hear that the solhampton lads were ill prepared for the silvers and failed to bring maggots in their armoury this was due to someone forgetting to mention that carp only counted as a pound. I did tell Burgess twice but he has been so busy it slipped his mind.
Having said that they just got on with the job, guess that I will make a point of telling all next time to save this happening again.
1st...............Allan Foster...............spit 21.................47lb 03oz
2nd..............Chris Clarke..............spit 16.................34lb 08oz
3rd...............Chris Smith...............spit 15.................32lb 10oz
The skimmers and tench refused to feed in numbers and it was left wide open for the guys fishing maggot to plunder the greatly overpopulated rudd shoals. There rudd are tiny and you really need to get your head down to make a good bag. It was all down to the lake draw however, Spitfire holds a much bigger head of rudd and that's where the weights were recorded. Again Allan Foster was on top form netting up to 14 rudd a minute to build a decent weight and take victory, He did it in such good form too, there were literally thousands of the silver blades in his net.
Chris Clark and Chris Smith were putting plenty in the net too, again armed with plenty of maggots they were unstoppable. I was a bit upset to hear that the solhampton lads were ill prepared for the silvers and failed to bring maggots in their armoury this was due to someone forgetting to mention that carp only counted as a pound. I did tell Burgess twice but he has been so busy it slipped his mind.
Having said that they just got on with the job, guess that I will make a point of telling all next time to save this happening again.
1st...............Allan Foster...............spit 21.................47lb 03oz
2nd..............Chris Clarke..............spit 16.................34lb 08oz
3rd...............Chris Smith...............spit 15.................32lb 10oz
Day 3 Bain Valley, Halifax.
It has been quite peggy of late on here but the morning saw a good blow on the water which put a bit of colour in to it. Maybe this was just what it needed, but I suspected the usual pegs to produce, they seem to have settled in a few areas.
The draw was a little late because some of the lads couldn't get breakfasts in the digs early enough but it finally got off and the on fire peg 21 was the first peg to come out. Matt Stanhope drew this flier and he got some stick putting pressure on him to do well, another good peg, 20 was drawn by Chris Smith but Steve Pretty was sitting well in it on peg 10 on the road side.
I drew peg 26, not good by any standards but it occasionally throws a weight up, I wouldn't want to be any further round than 24 on that bank. I started off on the usual tactics pole at 13m with a back up line of 6m for later. It didn't take me long to realise that it was not going to happen in my peg today, I just have the knack of reading the place now. I could see Steve Pretty catching on peg 10 but Matt was struggling early on but he was messing about on the method feeder, he was going over the fish as they tend to be close in there. It was a while before he realised and dropped on the pole to start catching immediately, could he have made a big blunder with the time wasted on the method? One thing for sure they just were not in my peg, I tried pellet wag, method and every conceivable method and bait without success. With 2 hours remaining I had 5 stockies in my net and at the end I managed a couple more and 3 average sized lumps while loosing 3 proper crocodiles.
It just wasn't my festival but hey that's fishing for you, you need that luck in the bag as well as skills at fishing.
The matches were run on a section points basis and it was looking pretty good for a few and would be a pretty tight result. The prize money was quite good too, and it was boosted by Steve Leggate the owner who gave us back £40 from the pegging money towards the overall prize fund. I just added this as an extra prize which would be welcomed by anyone finishing 4th.
At the end of the festival there were a few with grins, a few with frowns but plenty with sore heads from the boozing and living it up. They are all a good set of lads and I enjoyed their company and look forward to next years event.
Unfortunately Tony Brown was taken ill on his way home and was taken to hospital, Tony has a heart condition and it was worrying to hear the bad news.
I just hope that everything is fine and he is back to full health soon, I am sure all the other lads would be sending the same message. Get well soon mate, your a gem.
1st....................Steve Pretty...................................................peg 10..................74lb 12oz
2nd...................Matt (never coming here again) Stanhope.........peg 21...................69lb 10oz
3rd....................Chris Smith...................................................peg 20...................64lb 15oz
OVERALL POSITIONS
1st on 2 points with an overall weight of 83lb 01oz.............Chris Clarke
2nd on 2 points with an overall weight of 79lb 08oz............Carl Sweatnam
3rd on 3 points with an overall weight of 94lb 09oz.............Steve Pretty
4th on 3 points with an overall weight of 66lb 08oz.............Shaun Moss
The draw was a little late because some of the lads couldn't get breakfasts in the digs early enough but it finally got off and the on fire peg 21 was the first peg to come out. Matt Stanhope drew this flier and he got some stick putting pressure on him to do well, another good peg, 20 was drawn by Chris Smith but Steve Pretty was sitting well in it on peg 10 on the road side.
I drew peg 26, not good by any standards but it occasionally throws a weight up, I wouldn't want to be any further round than 24 on that bank. I started off on the usual tactics pole at 13m with a back up line of 6m for later. It didn't take me long to realise that it was not going to happen in my peg today, I just have the knack of reading the place now. I could see Steve Pretty catching on peg 10 but Matt was struggling early on but he was messing about on the method feeder, he was going over the fish as they tend to be close in there. It was a while before he realised and dropped on the pole to start catching immediately, could he have made a big blunder with the time wasted on the method? One thing for sure they just were not in my peg, I tried pellet wag, method and every conceivable method and bait without success. With 2 hours remaining I had 5 stockies in my net and at the end I managed a couple more and 3 average sized lumps while loosing 3 proper crocodiles.
It just wasn't my festival but hey that's fishing for you, you need that luck in the bag as well as skills at fishing.
The matches were run on a section points basis and it was looking pretty good for a few and would be a pretty tight result. The prize money was quite good too, and it was boosted by Steve Leggate the owner who gave us back £40 from the pegging money towards the overall prize fund. I just added this as an extra prize which would be welcomed by anyone finishing 4th.
At the end of the festival there were a few with grins, a few with frowns but plenty with sore heads from the boozing and living it up. They are all a good set of lads and I enjoyed their company and look forward to next years event.
Unfortunately Tony Brown was taken ill on his way home and was taken to hospital, Tony has a heart condition and it was worrying to hear the bad news.
I just hope that everything is fine and he is back to full health soon, I am sure all the other lads would be sending the same message. Get well soon mate, your a gem.
1st....................Steve Pretty...................................................peg 10..................74lb 12oz
2nd...................Matt (never coming here again) Stanhope.........peg 21...................69lb 10oz
3rd....................Chris Smith...................................................peg 20...................64lb 15oz
OVERALL POSITIONS
1st on 2 points with an overall weight of 83lb 01oz.............Chris Clarke
2nd on 2 points with an overall weight of 79lb 08oz............Carl Sweatnam
3rd on 3 points with an overall weight of 94lb 09oz.............Steve Pretty
4th on 3 points with an overall weight of 66lb 08oz.............Shaun Moss
Steve Pretty 3rd ... Chris Clark 1st ... Carl Sweatnam 2nd ...Shaun Moss 4th
Miracle Baits open Bain Valley (Hurricane) 31st July
The previous match was pretty much a success on here so we decided to have another go. This time the lake was overfull we had to make a couple of pegs and put in the ones we normally would not. We knew some pegs would hold plenty of carp so again we made it silvers only but this time carp would count as a pound only just to make it fair.
The match kicked off well with plenty of fish being caught early on, I had a couple of the big skimmers on pellet and was crossing my fingers they would return. About half way through the match it all of a sudden just died a death and no one was getting bites at all. I put this down to a rise in air pressure, that usually causes this kind of thing. It was just the odd fish for the rest of the match, I even went for carp in the last hour just to get a few bites, I nailed 5 that would have gone 30lb plus for a steady 5lb but as it happened I didn't need them.
1st................Steve Gregory...........peg11.................29lb 14oz
2nd...............Steve Pretty..............peg 12................21lb 06oz
3rd................Allan Foster..............peg 7..................20lb 04oz
4th................Chris Smith..............peg 3..................16lb 05oz
5th................Andy Gaunt..............peg 2..................15lb
6th................Shane Spafford.........peg 8...................13lb 04oz
The match kicked off well with plenty of fish being caught early on, I had a couple of the big skimmers on pellet and was crossing my fingers they would return. About half way through the match it all of a sudden just died a death and no one was getting bites at all. I put this down to a rise in air pressure, that usually causes this kind of thing. It was just the odd fish for the rest of the match, I even went for carp in the last hour just to get a few bites, I nailed 5 that would have gone 30lb plus for a steady 5lb but as it happened I didn't need them.
1st................Steve Gregory...........peg11.................29lb 14oz
2nd...............Steve Pretty..............peg 12................21lb 06oz
3rd................Allan Foster..............peg 7..................20lb 04oz
4th................Chris Smith..............peg 3..................16lb 05oz
5th................Andy Gaunt..............peg 2..................15lb
6th................Shane Spafford.........peg 8...................13lb 04oz
Miracle Baits open Bain Valley (Hurricane) 24th July
We decided to have a match on this lake just for a change from carp albeit there are plenty in here but silvers were the target today. It seemed like a long time since I fished for silvers but I was as eager as ever to get going and hopefully have a good days fishing. We drew out and Steve Pretty drew the point that everyone wanted, so much water to go at there and endless opportunities. As we got under way it was apparent that we were going to have a few fish, they were having a good chomp even though they were small a bite a chuck. I started off shallow with maggot while feeding a long line with pellet for the skimmers. After a good hour catching shallow they backed off a bit so I had a drop on my long line, immediate response and a pound and half skimmer in the net. This was closely followed by a couple more before I went back to the shallow rig. By this time the wind had stopped completely and the sun was beaming down, not ideal conditions at all. I heard Steve Pretty moaning that he had hooked a carp and it was taking him all over on the light gear. He managed to land it and boosted his weight with a carp that turned out to be 5lb 14oz. The fishing was very good even though the conditions were against us and at the end of the match I was pleased with my result considering. It actually turned out that Steve's carp won him the match, without that we would have been on identical weights.
1st..........Steve Pretty..........39lb 13oz
2nd.........Steve Gregory........33lb 15oz
3rd..........Shane Spafford......29lb 07oz
4th..........Alan Treadwell.......22lb 01oz
5th..........Alan .....................17lb 09oz
6th..........Shaun Moss..........17lb 03oz
1st..........Steve Pretty..........39lb 13oz
2nd.........Steve Gregory........33lb 15oz
3rd..........Shane Spafford......29lb 07oz
4th..........Alan Treadwell.......22lb 01oz
5th..........Alan .....................17lb 09oz
6th..........Shaun Moss..........17lb 03oz
Holly Bush (Sheffield) Mill Dam, Girton 21st July 2011
It was the first time I had ever seen this place, I had been told it was quite good by a few friends and as I got an invite to fish the match it would be rude not too. The standard of angler fishing was very good and just 2 youngsters tagging along, well it didn't turn out that way. Young Ted Wheeler grabbed a lift to the venue from the cafe with me and I told him how I would approach it from the little info I had. I told him to stick to the top 2 in front and down the margins with pellet/paste and go for it. This he did in style and was duly battering the adults both sides, in fact he was giving Andy Bradshaw some verbal as well as a battering. He really shone throughout the match playing the fish very confidently and fully in control the whole time.
I was starting to get a bit worried too, it looked as if he was going to win outright at one point. I can't tell you just how well the little guy fished, he is only 11 years old and my youngest sponsored angler.
I on the other hand was having a mare, I fished to the island because it was solid with carp backs out of the water and all that. Unfortunately they were not in a feeding mood and all I could do was foul hook them with the odd mouth hooked fish. I decided to leave them alone after a good spell loosing foul hookers one after another, it's not fair to the fish. I then went to the margin swim and weeded out a few more before the end and biting my nails hoping Ted hadn't beat me, that would have been in the national newspapers trust me.
A summary of the fishery, fantastic venue with quality fish that are hard fighting and well looked after, the experience was great and I will definately be returning here.
1st..........Steve Gregory..........peg 3...........89lb 11oz
2nd.........John Dawson...........peg 1...........80lb 11oz
3rd..........Ted Wheeler............peg 8...........79lb 02oz
4th..........Chris Bray..............peg 15..........77lb 01oz
5th..........Ady Hogg...............peg 17..........68lb
6th..........Dean Atkin.............peg 21..........65lb 02oz
I was starting to get a bit worried too, it looked as if he was going to win outright at one point. I can't tell you just how well the little guy fished, he is only 11 years old and my youngest sponsored angler.
I on the other hand was having a mare, I fished to the island because it was solid with carp backs out of the water and all that. Unfortunately they were not in a feeding mood and all I could do was foul hook them with the odd mouth hooked fish. I decided to leave them alone after a good spell loosing foul hookers one after another, it's not fair to the fish. I then went to the margin swim and weeded out a few more before the end and biting my nails hoping Ted hadn't beat me, that would have been in the national newspapers trust me.
A summary of the fishery, fantastic venue with quality fish that are hard fighting and well looked after, the experience was great and I will definately be returning here.
1st..........Steve Gregory..........peg 3...........89lb 11oz
2nd.........John Dawson...........peg 1...........80lb 11oz
3rd..........Ted Wheeler............peg 8...........79lb 02oz
4th..........Chris Bray..............peg 15..........77lb 01oz
5th..........Ady Hogg...............peg 17..........68lb
6th..........Dean Atkin.............peg 21..........65lb 02oz
Miracle Baits (King of the valley) Bain valley 17th July 2011
I was certain I knew where the winner would come from today, I was so confident I stuck my head out yesterday and said either 21 or 22 peg. There has been lots of fish in the area for ages and when Shaun drew it today I said "you will win it" and he didn't let me down.
I drew peg 1, that is awesome when the fish are in that bay but kiss of death if they are not. Just my luck, they were not there today and all I could do was watch as others all around the lake caught steadily.. I can't complain, I have had more than my fair share of winning on here and it was won by my travelling partner which was a bonus.
With the tickets being £30 each it had a mixed reaction but even though 5 didn't turn up for different reasons we still had 21 fishing. I was paying just top 3 and the payout would be £250, £175 and £100, not a bad pick up really. The weather was hit and miss but the rain mainly held off most of the day just leaving the usual wind that always blows its head off there.
I was hoping for a late run to get me out of jail but it never happened, but that's just fishing for you and with a telescoped number 4 section I am glad in a way the lumps didn't turn up.
The weigh in was awaited with eagerness by the anglers and onlookers and went as follows.
1st.......Shaun Moss...........................peg 21........93lb 12oz
2nd......Brian Baxter............................peg 5..........73lb 07oz
3rd.......Matt (never again) Stanhope.....peg 9..........56lb 04oz
4th......Chris Smith..............................peg 31........54lb 05oz
5th......Carl Williams............................peg 30.........53lb 07oz
6th......Big Pat....................................peg 24........49lb 10oz
I drew peg 1, that is awesome when the fish are in that bay but kiss of death if they are not. Just my luck, they were not there today and all I could do was watch as others all around the lake caught steadily.. I can't complain, I have had more than my fair share of winning on here and it was won by my travelling partner which was a bonus.
With the tickets being £30 each it had a mixed reaction but even though 5 didn't turn up for different reasons we still had 21 fishing. I was paying just top 3 and the payout would be £250, £175 and £100, not a bad pick up really. The weather was hit and miss but the rain mainly held off most of the day just leaving the usual wind that always blows its head off there.
I was hoping for a late run to get me out of jail but it never happened, but that's just fishing for you and with a telescoped number 4 section I am glad in a way the lumps didn't turn up.
The weigh in was awaited with eagerness by the anglers and onlookers and went as follows.
1st.......Shaun Moss...........................peg 21........93lb 12oz
2nd......Brian Baxter............................peg 5..........73lb 07oz
3rd.......Matt (never again) Stanhope.....peg 9..........56lb 04oz
4th......Chris Smith..............................peg 31........54lb 05oz
5th......Carl Williams............................peg 30.........53lb 07oz
6th......Big Pat....................................peg 24........49lb 10oz
MATT........................................................................................SHAUN..................................................................................BRIAN
Miracle Baits/Doncasters Candy Corner (Hoskers pond) 16th July 2011
The rain was predicted and it didn't let us down, it poured down most of the day making the fishing difficult to say the least. I like this lake as it seems more even than A,J's and not as peggy. At the draw I was hoping for an end peg but had to settle for peg 10, never mind at least it was only 13m to the island so that was a bonus. I started off tight across in 10 inches of water with 6mm hook pellet over 4mm feed pellets hoping that this would be the only line I would need to fish. As it happened it only lasted a short while before it dried up, I had taken about a dozen carp but generally small stuff but had a lovely golden grass carp. I tried the small lilly pad to my left fishing it shallow and on the deck where I managed a few more fish before that too dried up..
I had been feeding the inside to my right, the left was a no no due to the pads and I just didn't bother with it. I took a couple of better stamp fish from the right margin before trying across again, this resulted in a foul hooked fish that I had to try and stop ploughing through a lilly pad. Ooops ! there goes another number 4 section, I had knocked it on the box leg earlier just after I had the pole blown off and put a crack in another section. Well the number 4 must have sustained some damage and gave up in style, BUT I got the top kit back and fish and all.
I started to get more signs from the right hand margin so stuck with it seeing as the fish were bigger, I had some fish on 4 red maggots and some on pellet but I was watching Dave Sweeting catching well and thought he had pissed it.
At the all out Dave weighed in 74lb off peg 1 and thought he had enough but I just managed to push him out and was only really challenged by Allan Foster from peg 24. Allan had a fantastic net of silvers, he deserved to win with these but he had to settle for 2nd and another shiny gold coin coming my way.
1st Steve Gregory............peg 10................89lb 08oz
2nd Allan Foster...............peg 24................81lb 04oz
3rd Dave Sweeting............peg 1.................74lb
4th Shaun Moss...............peg 12................49lb 12oz
5th John Bridges..............peg 20................48lb 06oz
6th Alan Kitson................peg 2..................46lb 10oz
I had been feeding the inside to my right, the left was a no no due to the pads and I just didn't bother with it. I took a couple of better stamp fish from the right margin before trying across again, this resulted in a foul hooked fish that I had to try and stop ploughing through a lilly pad. Ooops ! there goes another number 4 section, I had knocked it on the box leg earlier just after I had the pole blown off and put a crack in another section. Well the number 4 must have sustained some damage and gave up in style, BUT I got the top kit back and fish and all.
I started to get more signs from the right hand margin so stuck with it seeing as the fish were bigger, I had some fish on 4 red maggots and some on pellet but I was watching Dave Sweeting catching well and thought he had pissed it.
At the all out Dave weighed in 74lb off peg 1 and thought he had enough but I just managed to push him out and was only really challenged by Allan Foster from peg 24. Allan had a fantastic net of silvers, he deserved to win with these but he had to settle for 2nd and another shiny gold coin coming my way.
1st Steve Gregory............peg 10................89lb 08oz
2nd Allan Foster...............peg 24................81lb 04oz
3rd Dave Sweeting............peg 1.................74lb
4th Shaun Moss...............peg 12................49lb 12oz
5th John Bridges..............peg 20................48lb 06oz
6th Alan Kitson................peg 2..................46lb 10oz
Fen Lake League 2011, Metheringham
4th July
The sun was enough to make it a warm sweaty match for the latest fen lake league. It is still not fishing to it's potential but surely it must get back to normal soon. I drew peg 5, it used to be a flier but it seems to have blown out over the last few months and peg 15 now seems to be the peg in form. I had to sit and watch hundreds of carp swirling in 10 inches of water for most of the match, they just were not interested at all. Well not until the last 2 hours when I started to get a few bites. This got me out of jail as I managed to net 112lb in a short space of time.
The sun was enough to make it a warm sweaty match for the latest fen lake league. It is still not fishing to it's potential but surely it must get back to normal soon. I drew peg 5, it used to be a flier but it seems to have blown out over the last few months and peg 15 now seems to be the peg in form. I had to sit and watch hundreds of carp swirling in 10 inches of water for most of the match, they just were not interested at all. Well not until the last 2 hours when I started to get a few bites. This got me out of jail as I managed to net 112lb in a short space of time.
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
5th
6th
Mike Elliott
Gary Hazelwood
Chris Smith
Tony Brown
Matt Stanhope
Steve Gregory
157lb
152lb 09oz
135lb
128lb 06oz
125lb 03oz
112lb 15oz
Miracle Baits/Doncasters weekend, herons mead/mill road/hill view, 1st-2nd-3rd July
To say the fishing was patchy was an understatement, it was all down to the draw and went exactly as we thought, hard.
On the first day we we were on Herons Mead, some good fish in there but we had been told you needed just a a hand full of pegs and the rest would struggle. This was the case and saw me sat at the top of the lake on peg 16 that no one wanted, pegs 1, 23 and 22 were the place to be.
Zak drew peg 1 and the pressure was on, but Allan Foster drew peg 22 where the big lilly pad was and he was set to upset the apple cart.
Day 2 saw Mill Road fish extremely hard, I had lots of fish in my peg (13) but they refused to feed and all I could do was foul hook and loose them 30 in total.
Day 3 was the hardest on Hill View match lake, everyone struggled and it was a battle of patience to see who would stick it out to the end, Dave Sweeting caught the best but he could reach the island with the pole on peg 22.
On the first day we we were on Herons Mead, some good fish in there but we had been told you needed just a a hand full of pegs and the rest would struggle. This was the case and saw me sat at the top of the lake on peg 16 that no one wanted, pegs 1, 23 and 22 were the place to be.
Zak drew peg 1 and the pressure was on, but Allan Foster drew peg 22 where the big lilly pad was and he was set to upset the apple cart.
Day 2 saw Mill Road fish extremely hard, I had lots of fish in my peg (13) but they refused to feed and all I could do was foul hook and loose them 30 in total.
Day 3 was the hardest on Hill View match lake, everyone struggled and it was a battle of patience to see who would stick it out to the end, Dave Sweeting caught the best but he could reach the island with the pole on peg 22.