Match results/Events info

Club Match / Outing

Hall Farm Large Lake

N/A

Low Bank 1st Phil Whitmill 46lbs 10oz 2nd Jeff Pearson 39lbs 10oz 3rd Peter Green 26lbs 13oz High Bank 1st Rob Calderon 72lbs 3oz 2nd John Carter 46lbs 13oz 3rd Bill Beeston 44lbs 9oz

Rob's day At Hall Farm today – first thing the lake looked good with little wind and blue sky but that was about to change. Twelve on the bank today, seven on the Low Bank and five on the High. With pegs 18 and 20 in I really wanted one of the pegs nearer to the car park so was not unhappy to be left with peg 24 in the bag. Had John Carter to my left on 22 and Bill on peg 26. At the start of the match the wind was not so bad, blowing into peg 26. Decided mainly to fish hard pellets at around 6 meters today, also setting up a couple of margin rigs in around 2 ½ foot. After about 20 minutes started to get a few bites – mainly smallish carp and F1s but already the wind started to be a problem with a strong tow on the water right to left. Looked to be quiet on the Low Bank with one or two carp coming out and a few splashes from peg 26. Still getting a few bites, some missed bites and a couple of foul hookers, maybe the fish coming off the bottom. Fed a bit heavier to try and keep the fish down and had one or two runs of a few bites. Half-way through I had 45lb clicked so moved onto the second net (always a tricky manoeuvre) and that’s when the weather took a turn for the worse. Along with a couple of rain bursts the wind increased and gusted about causing some of the biggest waves I’ve seen at Hall Farm! This made fishing the pole almost impossible at times but I was cheered up with the sight of Barry on peg 2 fighting with his brolly in the wind! When the wind dropped a bit I managed a few more carp but the second half of the match was tricky for me – tried the margins but no signs so kept out at 6 meters. Wasn’t sure what had been caught but Phil on peg 3 looked to have a good second half with some good carp down his edge. At the weigh in Bill had 44lb 9oz, my first net did not go 45lb but went over by several pounds (have to work on the clicking) I think the carp were going heavier than we thought today. So knocked back to 50lb my total was 72lb 3oz to win the High Bank with John Carter second with 46lb 13oz and Bill third with 44lb 9oz. On the Low Bank Phil’s 46lb was enough to top the bank with Jeff’s 39lb 10oz from peg 5 second and Peter on the more sheltered peg 12 third with 26lb 13oz. So all types of weather today, high winds, rain and at times sunshine, maybe with better conditions in the second half I could have had more, but possibly the winds help churn up the water and caused the carp to feed today with most catching a few.

Interclub (Abbey Cross)

Beggar's Hall

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Bishop's Stortford won with 74 points to Abbey Cross's 62 points High bank 1st Fred Hunt 54lbs 2oz 2nd Bill Beeston 50lbs 9 oz 3rd Bob Fox 33lbs Low bank 1st Tony Parker 26lbs 2nd Ray Gibson 17lbs 13oz 3rd Tony Cruci 16lbs 7oz

Rob's day Back at Beggar's Hall today for an Interclub match with Abbey Cross. A bit colder than the last few days with a chilly wind blowing away from the carpark end. We lent Abbey Tony Heath to make the teams 8 a side, so with 16 anglers on the lake a couple of dodgy pegs had to be put in. At the draw the only peg I didn’t want was peg 2 so no surprise when that was left for me when all others had drawn, I suppose someone had to have it. Not many options on this peg as the margins are not great – very shallow and rooty under the willow to the left (also lily pads to the left that you can’t reach due to the tree). Deep to the right amongst the tree roots. The main attack was the feeder just up to the tree as the lake is narrow here and I had Peter Green opposite on peg 22. Match started with Peter catching a carp on the waggler after a few seconds, couldn’t see anyone else. Nothing after 3 hours then a pull round out of the blue and a carp around 7lb. Sadly no more bites – tried the pole out long, and the margins but no signs of life – apart from a family of geese that repeatedly attacked my groundbait bowl – least something was eating it. At the weigh in – Martin kindly weighed the low bank while after putting my carp on the scales for 7lb (and last in the match!) went to see some fish on the high bank. Peter had added another small carp (which he tried to pass as a roach!), a tench and a bream for 14lb 4oz – Graham had 31lb 2oz from 21 and Jeff 11lb 13oz from peg 20. As expected, pegs 19 down to 16 produced the best weight on the day with Bill 50lb 9 oz and second from peg 19, Bob Fox 33lb from 18, Fred winning the bank and top weight on the day with 54lb 2oz, and Tony Heath getting 3rd with 39lb 7oz from peg 16. Tony also deposited his phone and glasses into the lake – I think he retrieved his phone but if anyone catches a pair of sunglasses on peg 16. On the low bank Tony Parker topped the day with 26lb from peg 13, Ray Gibson second from peg 4 with 17lb 13oz and Tony Cruci third with 16lb 7oz – so a good day for Tony’s. The team result – Bishop's Stortford 74 points Abbey Cross 62. Thanks again for Martin and Abbey Cross for their help today – also to Alan who tried to take my peg this morning – mistaking peg 2 for peg 3 – I wish he had stayed there! Photo today is Fred with his winning catch.

Club Match / Outing

Malcolm Barker Lake

N/A

1st Steve Foster 11lbs 10oz 2nd Terry Moranda 7lbs 3rd John Carter 4lbs 1oz

Rob's day At Malcolm Barker Lake today - looked like it was going to be a sunny but windy day. Eleven on the bank today – I drew peg 4 next to Phil on 3 and Ray the other side, so at least I could have a chat if no bites came. A bit limited as to where to fish as a large weed bed extended across the peg at around 11 meters, so set up a pole rig for just before the weeds and another closer in by some lilies – both about the same depth – 7 feet or so. Fed some groundbait and started out long – after a couple of hours not a sign. Tony over on 19 had a good start though, landing a 3lb tench within the first half hour. John Carter also had a tench on 16 so at least a few feeding. All quiet on my bank from what I could see, Phil having a couple of roach, but Ray, Fred and myself all fishless. Fred apparently having a couple of wrap rounds on the feeder but nothing on the end. News had it Terry and Steve on pegs 8 and 10 had a few tench between them. The swirling wind on our side of the bank causing problems today – at times hard to hold the pole, not helped by a large amount of weed etc constantly floating up and down the lake. In the end Steve’s peg was almost totally covered. Into the last hour and a try close in produced a couple of tiny bites and two micro perch. Looked like that was it – thought about packing up with 15 minutes left ready for the weigh in but one last cast close to the lilies brought another tiny bite, but this time more solid resistance on the strike. After trying to get in the lilies and under the staging landed a tench around 3lb. Weighed in the low bank first. Phil not quite a pound of small roach, my 3lb 1oz followed by DNWs from Ray and Fred. It was better at the far end though with Terry weighing 7lb dead for second place and Steve 3 tench for 11lb 10oz and top weight on the day. On the other bank John Carter came third overall with 4lb 1oz and Tony completed the frame, his early tench the only one he caught and weighed 3lb 10oz . So at least a few tench caught today, but hard fishing with very few bites for most. Photo is today's winner Steve.

Club Match / Outing

Hall Farm Large Lake

N/A

Low bank 1st Phil Whitmill 20lbs 11oz 2nd Adrian Barker 10lbs 4oz 3rd Steve Foster 8lbs 10oz High bank 1st John Carter 106lbs 8oz 2nd Bill Beeston 25lbs 9oz 3rd Tony Cruci 23lbs 1oz

Rob's day Hall Farm today – numbers a bit down so pegged 6 on the low bank, 5 on the high bank missing out some of the middle pegs that haven’t been doing so well lately. At the draw bag drew peg 20 – not my favourite peg being at the start of the deep water. Walking to the peg it was obvious that John Carter would be difficult to beat today on peg 26 – already several dark shapes swimming around in his peg. After no success with pellets here on Sunday, just set up a pole for fishing a top 2 and 2 in around 8 feet of water with maggots (nasty cold wind blowing into my face) and a couple of margin rigs although the margins here are around 4 foot deep – not ideal. Also, a method rod although didn’t think the fish would be on the bottom in 12 feet of water. A good start with a carp after 15 minutes and a few gudgeon and perch. Thought this might be the start of a few but did not get another carp on this line – just gudgeon plus a couple of nice roach and a bonus 12oz skimmer. Tried the margins a couple of times but seemed empty of fish. Over the other side it looked to be fishing hard although most seemed to have one or two carp each halfway through. As expected, news was that after a couple of hours John was on about 8 carp. Definitely fishing for second place today. Eventually a few carp turned up in the left margin and I had 3 in the last 20 minutes on meat. At the weigh in the low bank had fished hard with Phil topping the bank with 20lb 11oz which included one that looked a double (picture) – Adrian second from peg 4 with 3 carp for 10lb 4oz and Steve Foster third with 8lb 10oz from peg 2 (I think he expected more from that peg) On the high bank not so close! John fished well to record 106lb 8oz – second from peg 22 Bill with 25lb 9oz which included a nice carp around 8lb landed on the whistle. Tony third from peg 24 with 23lb 1oz – my fish went 20lb 8oz for nowhere. So, with the exception of peg 26, the lake fished relatively hard, hopefully as summer approaches the fish spread out a bit not making drawing peg 26 a formality.

Club Match / Outing

Beggar's Hall

N/A

Low bank 1st Rob Calderon 64lbs 15oz 2nd Barry Cornel 42lbs 14oz 3rd Bill Beeston 42lb 1oz High bank 1st John Carter 65lbs 2nd Peter Green 63lbs 7oz 3rd John Todd 60lbs 15oz

Rob's day At Beggar's Hall today – looked good being warm and overcast – some drizzle forecast. Looking around the lake before the draw it seemed to be a good colour and several fish crashing around. I drew peg 10 on the low bank – has been good at times over the winter but not so sure this time of year. Was just going to be a method feeder over to the island and a couple of pole rigs for close in although the margins on this peg are not great with several branches etc on the inside. On the whistle chucked out a feeder with a pink wafter just short of the branches. Two minutes later playing the first carp – quickly followed by two more. By an hour and a quarter had 35lb on the clicker! Over at peg 16 John was also catching a couple from the start and Peter losing a fish in the first few minutes. After that, things slowed down a bit although caught another carp after a couple of hours before losing a good one at the net when the hook pulled. John was still catching regularly casting over to the island – Jeff on 13 a bit quieter but saw him catch a couple on the pole. I dropped the feeder rig down by the side while picking up the pole pot to feed the margins resulted in the rod nearly being dragged in – unfortunately the hook link snapped being so close in! Tried the pole in the margins but no signs so back on feeder for the last 45 minutes. Caught a aouple more carp and a 4lb bream that took the bait almost on the drop – the fish fighting really hard in the warmer water today. Packed up the pole and one last cast on the feeder resulted in the finger slipping and ended up losing the lot in the island brambles, so packed up a bit early. I don’t like using the line clip as I have had a couple steam off here before and no time to take off the clip. At the weigh in, mine went 64lb 15oz to top the low bank – close for second with Barry’s 42lb 14 just beating Bill’s 42lb 1oz - Jeff's 12lb included a carp, a bream and a tench. On the high bank the 3 favoured pegs dominated with John Carter winning with 65lb – second was Peter with 63lb 7oz from 17 and third Toddy from 18 with 60lb 15oz. Fewer fish from pegs 19 down to 22 although Tony did well with 33lb 1oz from peg 21. So most catching a few fish today – a lot of big fish caught, several looking between 12-16 lb caught – and a few lost.

Club Match / Outing

Hall Farm Large Lake

Summer League 1 of 6

High Bank 1st Graham Carter 60lbs 3oz 2nd Bill Beeston 27lbs 15oz 3rd Fred Hunt 27lbs 12oz Low Bank 1st Peter Green 37lbs 11oz 2nd Ray Gibson 27lbs 12oz 3rd Jeff Pearson 15lbs 15oz

Rob's day Back at Hall Farm today – temperatures up to 24 degrees today and what little wind there was blowing down the lake into peg 12. It was the first round of the Summer League with 15 anglers on the lake hoping for a few bites. Looking at recent results, a peg with shallow water seemed best today so pegs 26, 1 and maybe the pegs at the other end 12 and 13 would be favourable, definitely not a draw in the middle of the lake i.e. peg 19 where I drew. Had Tony next peg on 17 similar to the last Wednesday match here where Tony had a few carp. Match also started similar to that match with Tony catching a couple of carp close in to the reeds early on. After starting on the pole with maggots in about 8 foot of water only had a couple of gudgeon after an hour or so. Went down the edge on corn and an instant bite resulted in hooking a large carp. After a good fight the carp popped up in between my nets, a good double, before burying itself into the bankside weeds. Looked like it was coming out when the hooklink snapped!! The next 4 hours were biteless despite trying everywhere and various baits. Tony also seemed to get no more fish. On the other side, Ray looked to be doing well, landing a couple of big carp, also Peter now catching steadily on peg 1. The pegs in the middle looked to be quiet. Into the last 15 minutes, and just chucking a feeder out at around 13 meters while I packed away the pole resulted in 3 bites and 3 small carp for a total of 11lb 14oz and nowhere. Elsewhere on the high bank the best weights were predictable with Graham Carter making no mistake with 60lb 3oz and top weight from peg 26. Bill 2nd from the other corner peg 13 with 27lb 15oz – good to see some fish from this end. Fred completed the frame from peg 23 with 27lb 12oz (close for 2nd on this bank with three 27lb weights) On the low bank peg 1 came first with Peter Green weighing 37lb 11oz with Ray’s fish going 27lb 12oz. Jeff on the other end peg 12 coming third with 15lb 15oz. A lot of fish caught in the margins today, although it seems best to avoid the middle pegs at the moment.

Interclub (Abbey Cross)

Taylor's Lake (Abbey Cross water)

N/A

Abbey Cross won today with 45 points to Bishop's Stortford's 42 1st Gary Pickard 10lbs 10oz 2nd Alan Fox 9lbs 2oz 3rd Ray Gibson 8lbs 9oz 4th Rob Calderon 8lbs 1oz

Rob's day At Taylor's Top Lake today for an inter-club match with Abbey Cross. Good conditions with it being reasonably warm, overcast and little wind, although most venues are patchy at the moment with some good weights and some blanks. It was going to be the same today. We had ten signed on to the match today to Abbey's seven, so lent them Gary Pickard today with the instructions not to catch too much (obviously wasn’t listening). I drew peg 36 today next to Peter on 37 – normally a good area for a few fish. Just set up the pole today at 13 meters with a light rig and one a bit heavier as a few pads had started to emerge. The start of the match saw some action with in-form Ray picking up a couple of F1s from corner peg 38 and across from me Alan Fox had a couple and lost one. I then had a quick bite before I knew it was embedded in the lily pads – at least I got my rig back. Peter then lost one before I had another bite and this time bullied away from the pads and landed an F1 around 4lb. Half an hour later another bite and a 4lb bream gave up quickly and cruised into the net. Sadly this was my last bite. The Lake seemed to switch off (never came on for most) and we all seemed to sit biteless with the exception of Gary on peg 52 not following orders and went on to catch 3 good bream – fishing 14 ½ meters on the pole. The weigh in showed only six people caught – well done to Gary winning the match with 10lb 10oz, Alan Fox second with 9lb 2oz, Ray's two fish went 8lb 9oz for third. I came fourth with 8lb 1oz and Bill completed the frame with a late F1 for 6lb 8oz. Team result – Abbey won 45 points to 42 – not too many fish today but those that were caught were a very good quality. Thanks to Abbey Cross for hosting the match. No fish picture, but my swim across to Tony on peg 44.

Club Match / Outing

Malcolm Barker Lake

N/A

1st Ray Gibson 11lbs 7oz 2nd Bary Cornell 2oz and that is it

Rob's day At Malcolm Barkers today – with some trepidation looking at past form, although mindful of Darren's tench catch on peg 18 a few weeks back. Steve drew that peg, I drew the last peg on the high bank, 10 – also the golden peg for what it was worth. Nasty conditions today – a cold wind coming in from the left to start, with a forecast of rain and stronger winds to follow. Set up a pole and a waggler to fish near the lillies, and started on the feeder trying for a lucky carp. Five hours later not a sign from anywhere, the same for all on the low bank. A quick weigh in today – Barry managed one roach for 2 oz which gave him 2nd place, but the easy winner today, Ray from peg 3 with a late double figure carp – apparently losing another two. Not much action to report today – glad to get home today!

Winter League results

Various

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1st Rob Calderon 65 points Jt 2nd Bill Beeston & Phil Whitmill 64 points 4th Tony Cruci 61 points

In what ended up a very tight League there were 4 in contention before the sixth and final round with only 4 points separating the top 4. With a big turn out for the last Winter League match there was plenty of scope for a last minute charge. In the end it all came down to 4oz - both Rob and Bill had just the one carp each at Hall Farm but Rob's slightly bigger fish meant he snuck ahead of Bill and Phil by one point or we would have had a 3 way tie. 1st Rob Calderon 65 points Jt 2nd Bill Beeston & Phil Whitmill 64 points 4th Tony Cruci 61 points

Club Match / Outing

Hall Farm Large Lake

Winter League 6 of 6

High bank 1st Tony Cruci 34lbs 12oz 2nd Graham Carter 13lbs 2oz 3rd Bob Fox 9lbs 2oz Low bank 1st Adrian Barker 15lbs 5oz 2nd Steve Foster 7lbs 8oz 3rd Phil Whitmill 6lbs 4oz

Rob's day Back at Hall Farm today for the final round of the Winter League – with all to play for with just a couple of points between myself, Bill and Phil, so the draw would be crucial today (so we thought!). A warm and sunny day was promised so we were hopeful of a good day and with a good turnout of 16 anglers. I drew peg 16 – not one of my favourites with Tony C to my left on end peg 15. Started short on the pole with maggots and had the first bite at around 45 minutes and put a 5lb carp in the net. The first bite in fact turned out to be the last bite! Apart from one foul hooker that came off I could not get another bite from the pole line/feeder or down the margins. On the other bank there was a bit of activity, Tony P and Ray on pegs 1 and 2 having an early carp then Phil a couple on the feeder a bit later on. Tony C then found some carp by the reeds to his left and managed to land about 7 or 8 fish – some good ones on the pole. News was that, even in the usually pretty reliable car park pegs, it was for some reason fishing really hard. Adrian across on peg 13 had already had a couple and managed two more near the end and looked to be leading the low bank. At the weigh in Tony C's fish went 34lbs 12oz for an easy win – well done Tony – Graham’s 13lbs 2oz came second and Bob on Golden peg 26 third with 9lbs 2oz. My one fish went 4lbs 15oz importantly beating Bill's one fish by 4oz The Low Bank fished really difficult – Adrian winning the bank with his 15lbs 5oz – a good result on his second match with us – Steve second with 2 carp for 7lbs 8oz and Phil’s couple of carp went 6lbs 4oz for third. Seven DNWs on the sheet today. Today's photo is a very happy looking Mr Cruci.

Water booking

Hall Farm large lake pegs 1-13 low bank

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Club Match / Outing

River Stort Backwater

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1st Rob Calderon 4lbs 11oz 2nd Fred Hunt 3lbs 3rd John Todd 2lbs 10oz 4th Bill Beeston 2lbs 4oz

Rob's day On the Backwater today for the last time this season. The River looked a bit different today after the rain we have had at the beginning of the year – a lot clearer than it has been recently and a lot less flow. Nine of us on the match today so pegged 8 up to 18 just leaving out 11 and 17. I drew peg 13 so relatively happy being at the right end of the River if recent results were to go by. Set up a couple of whips – 5 meters and 2.5 meters and a pole rig for across for the perch. Started on punch and first few casts resulted in bites, but very small fish – some around an inch long! Also, a lot of pike activity early on. Changed to pinkie but still small fish but at least bites. John Todd to my right also getting a few small fish as was Fred on peg 14. Some workers were clearing the weir from weed and an hour in a lot of debris started floating down. Unfortunately, with the flow in this peg (mainly from the left flowing into the barge causing most of the swim to back up) – and with the upstream wind – the weed was congregating in the swim making laying in a rig difficult. Tried the perch swim a couple of times resulting in 2 perch – but small 4oz and 2oz. Toddy still getting a few and Fred now getting a few perch over by the gap in the barges. Bill also apparently getting small fish and below me on pegs 9 and 10 Phil and Tony seemed quiet. Not sure about Steve on 8 or Adrian Barker (fishing with us for the first time this season) who drew hot peg 18 (although conditions completely different to when Steve had over 9lb on this peg a couple of weeks ago. Half-way through decided just to fish the short whip and a top kit just to my left where there were not so many leaves and around 3 ½ foot deep. Plenty of bites on single maggot mainly from small roach and bleak (I think) – but also a couple of better roach around 3-4 oz and a small perch. Half an hour left and struck into something a lot better. A few seconds later slid the net under a perch – maybe just over a pound or so. (luckily on the elasticated top kit) A few more small fish and that was it. Everyone had a few bites today, but generally very small fish – Adrian 1lb 9oz first to weigh in – then Bill with 2lb 4oz for fourth on the day. Barry 5oz from peg 15 then Fred doing well with 3lb from peg 14 for second. My fish went 4lb 11oz – most fish going about 40 to the pound but helped by the perch. Toddy came third with 2lb 10oz and Steve did well from peg 8 with 2lb 3oz. Tony and Phil predictably struggling from pegs 9 and 10 with the majority of the fish still at the top half of the River.

Club Match / Outing

Malcolm Barker Lake

N/A

1st Darren Cope 46lbs 2oz Jnt 2nd everyone else

Gary's day Today was the last match of the season and it was a trip to MBL. The expectation was it would be tough, however, on turning up to find some colour in the water, hopes should have been higher but for the 8 cormorants on the lake. Out of the draw bag came peg 29 and really not a peg I wanted as you are hemmed in and I was expecting the fish to be well out in the lake. Surely though there would be a few small fish near the lily bed? A quick start along the edges for a perch on worm did not produce a bite but it gave a bit of time for the swims over near the lilies to build as I was sparingly firing a few maggots over them. A first try long did not produce a bite - no problem though I hoped as it was a bit chilly so it could be a slow start. Darren over on peg 18 was having a much better start with a bite on his pole line producing a good looking tench. We were all now playing catch up. An hour plus in things were looking more desperate as no one but Darren had had a bite never mind a fish. Darren though was having no problems with a steady run of bites and each one a tench on both pole and waggler. 2+ hours in my float shot under but there was nothing there and nor did my maggots show any signs of being nibbled. But a sign at last. Was this the turning point? Darren was still catching and by the midway point had around 9 tench in his net and was having a true red letter day. A try on a waggler right over the dead lily bed must surely produce a fish of some sort I thought - even a micro perch would do. Not a wobble despite perfect conditions for fishing the waggler. Unbelievably everyone else was in the same boat and only Darren was getting bites. At the end of 5 hours it was a very quick weigh in with only Darren having caught a brilliant net of tench all around the 3 - 4lb mark. Photo today is a very happy Darren with over 46lbs of MBL tench.

Interclub (Abbey Cross)

Hall Farm Large Lake

N/A

Bishop's Stortford won today with 36 points to Abbey Cross's 18 points Low bank 1st Ray Gibson 33lbs 3oz 2nd Tony Cruci 26lbs 1oz High bank 1st Bill Beeston 31lbs 2oz 2nd Martin Adams 17lbs 2oz

Rob's day We were at Hall Farm today for an Interclub match with Abbey Cross. Bishop's Stortford had 9 on the match today to Abbey Cross’s 5 so we were to discount our bottom 4 weights. A definite advantage, although Abbey could remove 4 of the 9 pegs they were allocated. The lake is now full but the water does have a rusty tinge to it. We were promised decent temperatures and some sun in the afternoon, although this never happened and there was a chilly easterly breeze coming across the lake. I drew peg 25, one off the in-form peg 26 which Martin Adams drew. Set up a couple of feeder rods and the pole for out at 11 meters and close in. A slow start for most – not Ray on peg 1 who hooked his first carp after about 30 seconds and landed a good fish around 8-10 lbs after a few minutes. Martin then had one on the tip casting to the reeds opposite – the first of many I thought he was going to land. After around 45 minutes I had the first bite on the maggot feeder – carp around 4lbs then another. Ray was on number 3 by then. Martin then had another couple. After around two hours another bite and this fish felt a lot bigger. After several minutes and a spirited fight, I managed to get the carp (looked to be over 10lbs) over the landing net – then disaster! The hook link snapped – me and the carp looked at each other for a second then it jumped out of the net and swam back into the depths. After a lot of sulking managed a couple more small carp and that was it from me – nothing on the pole – the lost fish was going to be costly. Martin had a couple more on the tip – not as many as I thought he would get but the lake looked to be fishing hard for most. Not Ray who finished with around 8 carp for 33lbs 3oz and the top weight on the day. Peter had one carp and silvers for 9lbs 11oz from peg 2, Graham one carp from peg 4 and Jeff 12lbs 14oz from 8. A couple of DNWs on the low bank but Tony on peg 12 managed a few good carp for 26lbs 1oz and second on the bank. On the High Bank honours went to Bill with a good 31lbs 2oz from peg 15 with Martin second with 17lbs 2oz – my fish going 13lbs 5oz. Good to see some fish coming from the bottom end of the lake today pegs 12 and 15 getting in the frame. Team results were Bishop's Stortford 36 points, Abbey Cross 18 – thanks to Martin for helping with the weigh in. Today's photo is winner Ray.

Club Match / Outing

Beggar's Hall

N/A

1st Tony Heath 41lbs 12oz 2nd Darren Cope 27lbs 13oz 3rd Rob Calderon 16lbs 9oz

Gary's day For the penultimate match of the 2025/26 season it was to be Beggar's Hall today. Wednesday's match was a tough one with blanks and single fish for most which did not bode well. Out of the bag came peg 16 for me. This is usually a pretty good peg but that and 17 fished poorly on Wednesday. I set up a couple of feeder rods and the pole in case a few fish came closer. To the right of me most were hoping for a few coming from near the lilly beds. A carp rolling near Darren's patch of lillies just before the off reinforced those plans. After an hour of searching along the island with a feeder things were not looking good with not a sign. Rob on flyer peg 10 was also struggling with 1 carp hooked and lost in the branches now in the water near the island. Darren though was getting a few silvers and then had a small carp. 2 more hours in still no bites for me not even a silver on the pole line on maggot. Rob and Darren had started to pick up a few small carp and were on about 3 each and then Bob, one along, had a carp. Were they heading my way? An hour more and still no bites so I had a quick wander down to Fred on peg 18 as I was getting cold in the steady drizzle that was falling. Fred had 1 carp and had lost a couple, Tony H had had a couple on peg 20 and Tony C on peg 17 had had a bream. With the lake fishing tough I finally had a bite and a 6lb common was in the net. That was it though for my day and I just could not get another bite or even sign of fish. Rob and Darren had slowed too although Rob snook another on the whistle. It looked like it was going to be tight between Rob and Darren at our end of the lake with Fred and Tony H down the other end being firmly out of sight so a bit of an unknown. Darren's half a dozen carp ended up a better average weight which gave Darren 27lbs 13oz to Rob's 16lbs 9oz but Tony Heath's half dozen carp were bogger still to give him a winning 41lbs 12oz. Today's photo is a very happy Tony.

Club Match / Outing

Beggar's Hall

N/A

Low bank 1st Bob Fox 33lbs 1oz 2nd Bill Beeston 32lbs 5oz High bank 1st John Carter 43lbs 10oz 2nd Rob Calderon 39lbs 3oz

Rob's day At Beggar's Hall today with a good day forecast with temperatures into the mid-teens. A lot of water pumped into the lake recently with the levels now fully topped up – looked good but not sure how the addition of the cold water would affect the fishing. Ten on the match today so five each bank – putting in pegs 10, 12 and 13 today as this area has been producing recently. My name last out of the bag and was left with peg 18 – obviously nobody wanted that peg! Just set up a method feeder rod for fishing wafters today, and a pole for just past the rushes in about 7 foot. Started straight in front on the feeder and had a bite after 3 minutes! Landed the first carp about 7lb and was thinking this could be good today. Still thinking that an hour and a half later with no more bites. John on peg 21 had also had at least one carp by now – everywhere else seemed quiet. A quick try on the pole brought an instant bite and after a struggle landed the second carp – had felt big but was hooked in the fin. Four hours in and now had 4 carp for about 30lb – last two on the tip, no more bites on the pole. John also had around 4 or 5 carp at this time – Fred biteless. Looking across Tony on peg 5 also looked fishless (and cold sitting in the shade while most of us had full sunshine). Fred had a wander down to pegs 16 and 17 earlier and reported little action from these pegs, although Bob on 12 was getting a few – not sure how Bill was getting on in peg 10. Struggled to get a bite in the last part of the match – maybe not helped by the cormorant splashing around in my peg. Into the last few seconds and chucked to feeder down by the reeds to the left while I picked up the whistle to blow time – interrupted by the tip moving a couple of inches. Picked up and had carp number 5 on! At the weigh in John registered 43lbs 10oz to win the bank– around 6 carp and a few silvers – Fred unfortunately fishless and mine going 39lbs 3oz. I expected a few fish in pegs 16 and 17 but fished difficult there today, Peter on 17 just one 3lb bream and Steve on 16 one carp. On the low bank, Graham on peg 13 had one carp for 8lb, Bob on peg 12 did well for 33lb 1oz to win the bank and included a goldfish in his catch. Bill narrowly second with 32lb 5oz from peg 10, Tony Parker one carp for 8lb 11oz from peg 6 and sadly Tony Heath not just cold but fishless from peg 5. So mixed results today, fish feeding in some areas – especially around pegs 10-12 and also a few around 18-22. I expected a few more from peg 18 today especially after a fast start but was out fished by John Carter today (again). Sorry John but today's photo had to be Bob's goldfish - Gary.

Club Match / Outing

River Stort Backwater

Stort Cup 2 of 2

1st Steve Foster 9lbs 9oz 2nd John Todd 5lbs 14oz 3rd Darren Cope 5lbs 3oz

Gary's day We were on the Backwater again today with it dropping after another wet week but with it still having some flow and colour. Wednesday's match showed the fish are still shoaled up at the top end and the goal was to squeeze us into the high numbers. Out of the bag came peg 16 for me. The right end of the river, however, I had forgotten how close peg 15 is. You do not get a lot of water to play with and no gap in the boats. I had Rob on peg 15 below me, the same peg he had on Wednesday, with Steve above me on end peg 18. A start on bread punch had a bite after a few runs through and a 2oz roach. After the last couple of matches fishing for bleak it looked huge. Below me Rob was having a slow start but Steve got off to a flyer with his landing net going out regularly. After a decent roach to start the fish got steadily smaller and a big flash of silver under my float soon explained why - pike. Rob started to catch a few small perch over towards the barges and Phil on 14 was also getting a few fish now. My day was pretty much the same. A few reasonable roach or dace, then a pike strike and back to micro fish until the better ones regrouped. As usual the fishing got tougher as the day progressed but the odd fish was still feeding the net. Steve was still catching well and Rob was also ticking over. At the weigh in I was surprised to have 4lbs of bits, lots of bites but nowhere near enough. After seeing Steve regularly netting fish for most of the day it looked like he was the man to be beat and so it proved with a great mixed bag of perch and silvers for 9lbs 9oz. Second was John with 5lbs 14oz from peg 13 which looked so odd without a boat opposite. Another good weight and normally enough to win with Darren not far behind with 5lbs 3oz with around 130 small fish - a very busy day. With 3 1/2 lb taking last place it fished the best it has done for a long time. Photo today is Steve.

Winter League results at 5 of 6

Various

With 5 of the 6 rounds gone it is very close with 3 points separating the top 3 - all to play for at Beggar's Hall for the final round

Club Match / Outing

River Stort Backwater

Winter League 5 of 6

1st Rob Calderon 4lbs 3oz 2nd Tony Cruci 3lbs 10oz 3rd Phil Whitmill 3lbs 9oz

Rob's day Back on the River today for the penultimate round of the Winter League - it was touch and go as a few days ago the River was pretty much unfishable due to the amount of rainwater entering the River. Luckily it had fined down a lot in the last 2 days and looked good – coloured and a decent flow. With 11 on the match today unfortunately a few lower numbered pegs had to be put in – these have not fished well on the last few visits – maybe with the water pushing through, a few fished have come back down (or not). So, we wanted a high draw and I was not upset when peg 15 came out. Had Phil for company on the end peg 18 (the peg he knew he would draw due to the long walk) but at least at the right end. Also had Barry Downstream on the next peg. Set up a whip for trotting down the middle and a pole rig for across near the boats for perch. This peg is relatively shallow with about 4-4/2 feet in the deepest part (just short of the middle) and 3 foot across where there was a bit of slack water. Started on the punch and had bites from the off – small roach and one or two dace. After an hour or so the bites dropped off so went onto pinkies for a couple more roach including a couple around 3-4 oz and a 6oz perch. Couple of tries over by the barges produced nothing so kept on with the whip. Conditions not great today with a cold wind causing presentation problems (and tangles) – also a lot of branches on the bottom – rarely had a clear trot through without snagging. (Hooking a pinkie on a size 20 not easy with frozen hands). Saw Phil and Barry catch a few small fish – also Tony netting a decent perch and swinging in a sizable roach (he also had a run in with the crayfish pot). Fred had wandered down earlier to say things were slow where he was – also Graham who after 3 hours had not had a bite. After a couple of more roach on maggot, spent the last 30 minutes by the barges for perch and had 3 around 4-6 oz and bumped one. At the weigh in Phil recorded a good 3lbs 9oz from a swim that a day earlier had white water flowing down from the weir – now looked good. Thinking I had around 2 ½ - 3lb I somehow had 4lb 3oz in the net – maybe the perch at the end weighed a bit more that thought. Tony (peg 13) pipped Phil by an ounce for second place and Bill filled 4th place with 3lb 2oz from peg 10. Bob had a decent weight of 2lb 9oz from peg 12 but things a bit different when reaching peg 9 down to 4 where it was a struggle to get any fish at all. No fish pictures today, but instead a queue of anglers trying to get away from the low number pegs after a hard day.

Club Match / Outing

Home Farm Large Lake

N/A

1st Darren Cope 56lbs ish 2nd Rob Calderon 46lbs 15oz 3rd Gary Pickard 46lbs 6oz

Gary's day It was a trip to Little Walden's Home Farm today and its large lake. The car park was pretty full as the small lake also had a match on. With a day of rain but strong winds forecast I left the brolly at home which was a mistake. I have not been on the large lake many times and I seem to keep drawing the same corner so today was going to be a change as we fished the other bank with the wind off our backs. Out of the bag came peg 13 near the island which I could just reach the overhanging branches of at 14.5 m. The plan was to fish long to the island until the wind picked up and then shorter with either maggots or expanders. And a maggot feeder rod in case the wind really picked up. The first hour was very slow for me but Rob to my right was catching on a maggot feeder from early on and Fred was also getting a few bites on the pole. The island proved a waste of time and I finally picked up a small F1 on the feeder. A try on the micros and expander swim gave me a reasonable carp but I only had 1 more bite on that swim all day. Rob and Fred were still catching and so now was Darren on the pole. A couple of small F1s from near the island kept me from falling too far behind. Whilst all this was happening the gentle sleat at the start had turned horrendous with 50p sized bunches of snowflakes falling. Shipping the pole was horrible as your hands got covered in freezing slush. When it finally turned to rain about 12.30 it was a welcome relief as the temperature increased a bit. The forecast strong winds did not happen though, I could have brought the brolly. As the weather eased there was a quiet spell for us all and then my right hand maggot swim started to come good with a steady run of bites through to the end fishing a very light float. A few lost, foulhooked fish including one at the whistle was the downside of this though. By the end of the day everyone had caught a few fish despite the weather. It looked like it was going to be between Rob and Darren although Fred had had a couple of decent carp. At the scales Darren's fish went 56lbs to Rob's 46lbs 15oz. I had thought Rob had more than that as he'd seemed to be catching all day and lifting my nets out I had more than I thought. It was close with my fish going 46lbs 6oz - I just needed some of the foulhooked fish to stay on. Sorry no weigh in shots this week just the start of the match and the next 3 hours of sleet / rain and the more sensible of us under a brolly.

Club Match / Outing

Hall Farm Large Lake

N/A

Low bank 1st Jeff Pearson 18lbs 1oz 2nd Steve Foster 15lbs 9oz High bank 1st Rob Calderon 53lbs 5oz 2nd Bob Fox 22lbs 10z

Rob's day Back at Hall Farm today after a week or so of rain most days but with temperatures up to 10 degrees today. The level at Hall Farm pretty close to normal now after the rain and water pumped in from the stream, but with a rusty tinge to the water. 8 of us today so 4 each bank, I was last to draw and was left with peg 26. Hadn’t fished this for a while, but a lot of fish had been settling at this end of the lake over the winter so hopeful for a few bites. Set up hybrid and maggot feeders for over to the reeds and a couple of pole rigs. Started on the hybrid feeder with a wafter but after 30 minutes not a touch, thinking it might be harder than we thought today. In the meantime, Barry on peg 2 had a couple of carp on the pole, seemed quiet elsewhere although Fred on 24 mentioned they had caught further along the bank. A change to a maggot feeder brought an instant response though and I had three small carp in as many cast. Kept on the maggot feeder for a couple of hours catching the odd carp – most tight to the reeds opposite. The middle of the match went quiet – went an hour or so without a bite – fish seemed to disappear somewhere for a while. Nothing on any pole line so back to the feeder. Looking across Jeff had a few carp now fishing the pole and Steve on peg 10 seemed to have caught a few on the tip. Not sure about our bank, although Fred had one carp going into the last 30 mins. The carp seemed to have returned by the end and I finished with a good run of 4 to 5 carp although most seemed small (spoilt by the size of Beggar's carp!) last fish on the whistle which also brought back a float that had been stuck in the weeds across all match. Weighed in the low bank first – Barry sadly just the two carp caught early but weighed 10lbs 15oz – Terry one carp, Jeff catching five to win the bank with 18lbs 1oz and Steve second with 15lbs 9oz. On the high bank Bob on peg 20 weighing a good 22lbs 10oz, John Carter 12lbs 6oz from 22, Fred, who added a couple of fish near the end for 11lbs and my fifteen or so fish going 53lbs 5oz – one on the hybrid feeder, the rest on a maggot feeder. None on the pole today. So, fishing hard for most today, but at least we all caught at least one carp. Photo today is Bob Fox.

Club Match / Outing

Beggar's Hall

N/A

1st Rob Calderon 101lbs 7oz 2nd Mark Halverson 59lbs 4oz 3rd Gary Pickard 50lbs

Gary's day After yet another very wet week it was Beggar's Hall today for us. The water was a lot more coloured than expected likely due to all the rain and the water being pumped in. At the draw out came peg 18 for me. A great summer peg but not so great in the winter as you have a lot of water in front to try and find the fish in. The pole stayed in the car today and it was to be a day on the feeder and bomb with a waggler rod set up just in case. A search around with a couple of bits of corn on the bomb to start with did not produce any signs. Darren on peg 21 and John on 19 got off to a good start with a carp each early on. Mark all the way up on peg 14 also looked to be getting a few bites too. 90 minutes in I finally had a bite on the feeder and a nice common was in the net. Had I found them? In short no. Darren and John by this time had another each and then John quickly had a couple more. I was now at least 4 carp behind John. Fred then wandered down for a break from watching a motionless tip and mentioned that Rob had at least 5 carp too. 10 mins or so later I finally had another carp but just the 1 bite. Mark was still catching fish including on the pole and I could not see how Rob was doing. With 40 mins or so to go I finally had a bite where I had been feeding a bit of corn all day. The tip sailed round but nothing was on the end. A quick recast and the tip yanked round and carp 3 was in the net. The last 30 mins was like another match with 3 more carp in quick succession. John thought he had about 30lbs and I reckoned I had that beat. Darren had had a pretty slow second half of the match. Fred had not wandered down or packed up so he must have caught too up on peg 16. Having seen Mark catching pretty much on and off all day and knowing Rob had 5 fish early on it looked like it was a case of seeing if I could get 3rd. Rob was the clear winner today with 101lbs even after going over on one of his nets. It was then a lot closer than I expected with Mark's "40lbs" going 59lbs and my "35lbs" going 50lbs. Those carp are getting bigger and we also had a showing of a few bream for Rob and Darren. Picture today is birthday boy Fred at 85 years young.

Water booking

River Stort Backwater

Interclub (Abbey Cross)

Taylor's Lake (Abbey Cross water)

N/A

Bishop's Stortford won with 42 points to Abbey Cross' 29 1st Jeff Pearson 13lbs 40z 2nd Fred Hunt 1lb 8oz 3rd Bob Fox 1lb 4th Graham Carter 11oz

Rob's day Another Interclub match with Abbey Cross today – on the Car Park Lake as the Top Lake had not been fishing too well as late. Apparently, a few fish, including some bream, had been showing lately so hopefully a few more fish than last time (weighed in one perch for a generous 1oz on the last match). Most of the fish caught then were at the entrance end so that’s where we wanted to draw. I drew peg 12 the furthest away from the car park end – as it happened didn’t really matter as the small fish seemed to have disappeared from pegs 28 and 29 where they showed last time. Lake looked completely dead, not a sign of a fish topping at the start so knew it was going to be tough. Set up a maggot feeder rod to cast to the island 20 meters away and a couple of pole rigs for out at 11/13 meters. Also, a 2 ½ meter whip for fishing down the edge if thing were getting desperate (which they did get). After 3 hours no bites anywhere so started thinking about catching anything for points. Over on peg 21 Jeff looked to have landed a good carp on the pole – turned out to be over 13lb – Fred also hooked but lost a carp on the feeder. News came that, apart from that, all were struggling – most not getting a bite. Into the last hour and now fishing tight to the bank on a piece of worm – surprised to get an indication on the float and a quick dip – sadly missed the bite (think the perch were smaller than the bait!) Luckily next drop in the float went again and a perch around 1 1/2oz was in the net. Added a couple more to end up weighing 2oz. At the weigh in our team did well in the circumstances, most managing a perch or two to get points for our team – Fred managed a bream of 1 ½ lbs to get second in the match – well behind Jeff’s 13lbs 4oz – Bob Fox weighed in 1lb for third and Graham did well catching a few perch and roach down the edge on worm for 11oz and fourth. The DNWs made the difference in the team match - Abbey registering three DNWs to our one (with one discarded due to us having seven anglers to Abbeys six). Final team result Abbey Cross 29 Bishop's Stortford 42. Sorry no photo today.

Club Match / Outing

River Stort Backwater

Stort Cup 1 of 2

1st Rob Calderon 6lbs 6oz 2nd Bob Fox 6lbs 5oz 3rd Steve Foster 5lbs 11oz

Gary's day Today was a trip back to the Stort Backwater with a good turn out for a river carrying a good bit of colour. A draw towards the top of the stretch was going to be needed to do well as the fish seem to be shoaled up at this end. Out of the bag came peg 7, the complete wrong end but at least it was an end peg. With the water being so coloured the breadcrumb was left in the freezer and it was to be maggots and some worms for a perch or 2. Perch were out of the question though as there was a floating platform opposite that kept moving back and forth blocking the gap between the boats. Down the middle it was then. Jeff above me on peg 8 got off to a good start with a couple of small fish whilst I was still feeding some groundbait down the swim. My own start was slow with not a sign running a rig through near the bottom. After 30 mins I got the mid water rig out and had a couple of decent bleak in quick succession. It looked like it was going to be a small fish day. A couple of hours in Jeff had a run of small perch over by his boats so maybe there were a few better fish about. Above us they were catching well and we needed a bonus fish or three. As usual the fishing got harder as the day progressed and the fish smaller. By the end I had about 70 fish in the net but the quality was not great and it would need a small miracle to get anywhere today. I had a little more than I feared with 1lb 13oz but nowhere near enough to do any good. As expected, the pegs towards the weir fished better with the fish being caught generally a better stamp too. There was a good showing of perch to just over a pound with Bob and Steve having a good net of them - along with a pike of just under 7lbs for Steve. On the scales Bob was just beaten by Rob with 6lbs 6oz to Bob's 6lbs 5oz and Steve with 5lbs 11oz was 3rd. Thankfully no DNWs this week after a tough few weeks. Photo today is Bob with what we thought was the winning net until we got to Rob.

Club Match / Outing

Beggar's Hall

N/A

Low bank 1st Jeff Pearson 50lbs 2nd Steve Foster 13lbs 1oz High bank 1st John Carter 31lbs 9oz 2nd John Todd’s 21lbs 1oz

Rob's day At Beggar's Hall today – after rain and winds yesterday the forecast was dry and light winds, although there was a frost this morning and temperatures around zero as we drove in. Nine on the bank today so pegged 4, 5, 6 and 10 on the low bank and 16, 17, 18, 20 and 21 on the high. I drew peg 20 – not near the island where I wanted but the lake looked ok with a bit of colour so hopeful for a few fish. Started off on the feeder out to the middle – 10 minutes in John Carter to my left was in to a fish – then a few minutes later my tip went round for a carp around 5lbs. 20 minutes later the tip moved again and a better fish landed around 10lbs. It looked like it might be a good day, but sadly that was my last carp. Tried method feeder, bomb and bread/corn and the maggot feeder but only other bite came a couple of hours to go from a nice tench around 3lbs. Also tried the pole close in but no bites. John had caught a few more including a small carp on the pole and a bream around 5lbs on the feeder and ended up with 31lbs 9oz to win the bank. Close for second place with John Todd’s 2 carp coming in at 21lbs 1oz including one at over 14lbs (see pic). Graham on Golden peg 18 had 20lbs 3oz and my fish 19lbs 4oz (the tench needed to be a carp, but not complaining, first tench for a long time) On the low bank pegs 4, 5 and 6 fished hard with Steve and Bill catching a single carp and Fred not getting a bite. Steve’s 13lbs 1oz was good enough for second from peg 4 but no match for Jeff on peg 10 who weighed in 50lbs for an easy win. (Peg 10 has produced in the last few matches) So a disappointing day after such a good start, not sure why a couldn’t get any more bites after a good start but at least most caught something.

Club Match / Outing

Malcolm Barker Lake

N/A

1st Mark Halverson 19lbs 2oz 2nd Gary Pickard 3lbs 3rd John Todd 3oz

Gary's day Today was a trip to Malcolm Barker Lake and we were expecting it to be tricky. It can be tricky in the summer nevermind in the depths of winter. Out of the bag came peg 20 in the middle of the riverside bank with no features in front. Not a peg I was hoping for. For company I had Rob on 19 and Darren on 21. The plan was: a couple of long pole swims, one with groundbait and one just loose fed with pinkies; a bomb/feeder rod; and an emergency perch edge rig. I started out on a bomb with a bit of bread or meat for the first hour seeing if a rogue carp was willing to feed whilst the pole lines settled after feeding them. An hour passed without a bite which was pretty much what I expected. What I was not expecting was that only 1 small roach had been caught an hour in. A try on the emergency perch line did not get a wobble. Being able to see the bottom 5 feet down probably did not help. Time for the long lines. I decided to start on the negative line and completely missed the first bite as I could not believe the float went under. A quick rebait and the float went under again and a very welcome 1-2oz Rudd was in the net. I had 3 small rudd in quick succession before the swim went quiet. Every now and again I had a couple of bites/fish after resting the swim. The rest of the lake was struggling and 2 hours in only Darren and me had caught anything. That was until Mark's feeder rod tip wrapped round and a good fish was on. Seeing the carp's tail sticking out of Mark's net as he landed it meant I was fishing for second unless I could find something better than 2oz rudd. The positive long pole line was a waste of time but the pinkie line kept giving me the odd small rudd and occasional roach. It was hard work as all the bites were pretty much as the float settled so there was a lot of relaying the rig in. The rest of lake was still fishing very badly. John managed a couple of small fish near the end and Darren added one more but that was it. For no reason a few small fish had ended up in front of me and I ended with 40+ small fish. A busy day and more bites than I have had on MBL for a long time. 5 of us though went biteless, MBL is a tough venue at times. It was pretty obvious who was today's winner but Mark was not expecting the carp to be quite that big - it topped the scales at 19lbs 2oz. My busy day got me second with 3lbs and then it was a close one for 3rd with John 's 3 fish going 3oz to Darren's 2 for 2oz - and that was it. Today's photo is Mark with his MBL lump of a carp.

Club Match / Outing

Hall Farm Large Lake

Winter League 4 of 6

Low bank 1st Rob Calderon 36lbs 10oz 2nd Graham Carter 29lbs 8oz 3rd Phil Whitmill 14lbs 12oz High bank 1st Fred Hunt 32lbs 2nd Steve Foster 18lbs 7oz 3rd Bill Beeston 12lbs 2oz

Rob's day At Hall Farm today for the fourth round of the Winter League. Mixed results on the Sunday match here so not sure how this would fish today – the majority of fish showing at the shallow end especially on peg 1 on Sunday. Promised to be reasonable temperatures but very wet today and no doubt some wind as always here. Only 8 on the match today so 4 on each bank leaving out the deeper end. I drew peg 4 one away from my Sunday peg 3 so hopefully a couple of bites although peg 5 did not fish well on Sunday. Set up method and maggot feeder rods and a couple of pole rigs to fish at 11 meters and a top 2 and 2 – depth about the same at 4½ to 5 feet. Started on the short pole for nothing then onto the feeder rods. No bites on the tip so concentrated on the pole. By this time the wind had increased along with the rain so difficult to hold any length of pole out, so, decided just to fish short with a heavy float and bulk shot with maggots. Looked to be quiet around the lake – couldn’t really see Phil and Graham on pegs 6 and 8 but on the other bank a few carp being caught in the high 20’s. After an hour and a half had a couple of missed bites and a lost foul hooker before landing my first carp around 4lbs. There was a strong tow but holding on to the float and edging it through started to get a few bites although just small movements on the float. There was obviously a few fish there but the conditions were proving difficult. Into the last couple of hours and now on about 4 carp – still getting the odd bite. Barry was struggling from peg 2 but Fred on 26 catching a few, also Steve getting a couple more on the bomb. Bill then had 3 in quick succession after a slow start, and John looked to have had a couple. Finished the match with 9 carp for 36lbs 10oz. Graham did well from peg 8 catching on the bomb for 29lbs 8oz for second on the bank and Phil completed the weights on the low bank with 14lbs 12oz. On the high bank Fred made no mistake from peg 26 with 32lbs although admitting to losing a few. Steve came second with 18lbs 7oz from peg 24, Bill third with 12lbs 2oz from peg 20 and Toddy 8lbs 10oz from 22. So the lake fished quite well for the time of year – levels still coming up with the pumping of the water from the nearby stream and putting some colour into the lake. Next winter league match – round 5 on the Stort Backwater in February. Today's photo is Graham.

Club Match / Outing

Hall Farm Large Lake

N/A

1st John Todd 34lbs 11oz 2nd Rob Calderon 20lbs 12oz 3rd Gary Pickard 13lbs 5oz

Gary's day After the freeze of the last couple of weeks we were finally back in a lake and heading to Hall Farm's large lake. With a cold snap mid-week and plenty of rain we had no idea how it would fish. With a few fish topping before the draw it looked better than feared. Out of the bag came peg 10 for me. Not where I wanted to be with it being so deep. The plan was to be: a couple of long pole lines in about 12ft (a full top 3); a little maggot feeder to search around a bit; and a couple of shorter swims in only 8ft. A start on a maggot feeder did not get the quick response I thought I might get as a few silvers seemed to be active. After just under the hour mark the tip went round and 2lb F1 was in the net. Nothing more though so time to try the long pole lines. That proved a waste of time. Coming up to the 2 hour mark neither Tony nor Fred either side of me had had a bite and even the shallower low number pegs were struggling. There was still the odd fish topping but they were well over the other side and out of bounds. Just before the half way mark I had another F1 and then a nice rudd on the feeder but it then went quiet again. A few fish were now being caught in the shallower swims and Phil seemed to have 2 in quick succession on peg 7. Another F1 about 3 hours in kept the net ticking over but the long pole lines were completely dead. I had been feeding a few maggots on the shorter swims all day so, with an hour or so to go, I gave them a try. The float went under almost straight away on the right hand swim and another 2-3lb F1 was in the net. Nothing more though on either line so back to the feeder. With 5 mins to go I decided to sit the match out looking at a float rather than a rod tip. And the float went under again. Sadly though this one came off at the net. It looked like they had turned up at the whistle - typical. It had fished hard in the deeper swims but the rumour was the low numbers had fished much better. As seems to be the case in winter, the weights got better as the water shallowed up with the car park end fishing best. Fish wise though Rob and John only had a couple more but they were a much better average size. 1st today was John off peg 1 with 7 carp for 34lbs 11oz, Rob then picking up 2nd with 5 carp for 20lbs 12oz and then it was me just edging past Phil with 13lbs 5oz. Picture today is John Todd.

Water booking

Cancelled booking - River Stort Backwater

N/A

Club Match / Outing

Beggar's Hall

N/A

1st Bill Beeston 14lbs 8oz 2nd Steve Foster 12lbs 1oz And that's your lot

Rob's day At Beggar's Hall today – following a cold start to the year most still waters have been frozen over for a week or so. Checking Beggar's the last couple of days, due to the milder start to the week the ice had mostly disappeared – on Tuesday all pegs were fishable with the exception of pegs 12 and 13 behind the island. Unfortunately, Tuesday night/Wednesday morning saw the temperatures dip again to around -3c but it was still a surprise to see Beggar's iced over again come Wednesday morning. There were some pegs on the low bank that had a few meters of ice free water so a few of us decided to remain and fish that bank. So, five of us in total we decided on pegs 3-7 would give us the best chance, hoping the sun forecast today would help recede the iceline. I drew peg 6 next to Bill on peg 7, Graham next door on 5, Steve on 4 and Fred on 3. With only around 10 meters of ice free water to go out it was just the case of fishing a bomb or feeder as far out as I could, but I wasn’t feeling too confident expecting the majority of the carp to be balled up somewhere, probably in the middle of the lake or around the island. Bill had less water to go at with the ice creeping into our bank at first not melting at all it would seem. Half way through I had a walk down to see if anyone had anything and saw Steve halfway up the bank with a double figure carp in his landing net so we hadn’t all blanked. Into the last hour and the ice at last started to thin and move out – a look to my left saw Bill with his landing net in the water – a walk over saw a carp around 12-15lb safely netted (not easy with Bill sitting up high on the bank) Caught on the waggler around 8 or 9 meters out. Bill's fish went 14lbs 8oz to win the day with Steve the only other to catch with his carp going 12lbs 1oz. Good to see a couple of carp being caught even in these extreme conditions. Next couple of matches Sun and Wed at Hall Farm, hopefully ice free and a couple of bites!

Club Match / Outing

River Stort Backwater

N/A

1st Darren Cope 4lbs 14oz 2nd Fred Hunt 4lbs 10oz 3rd Phil Whitmill 3lbs 14oz

Gary's day With all the lakes being frozen still it was the Backwater again this Sunday. Thankfully not as cold as last weekend but with a threatened drizzle all day. Thankfully it only started as we were leaving. In contrast to last weekend's very clear and barely moving river today it was heavily coloured and pushing through. Out of the bag came peg 7 for me which I was pretty happy with as it has a bit of a slack being in one of the corners. For company I had Tony below and Phil above. It was a slow start but by the end of the first hour I had about 10 small bleak in the net. They only ever seem to show up when the river is flooded. Below me Tony, John and Rob were struggling to get any bites. And above Phil and Fred were catching a few small roach. A try for perch by the boats was soon abandoned as a floating platform kept being pushed back and forth by the flow blocking off my line. So it was back to bleak. For the rest of the match it was a case of chopping and changing depths, maggot or pinkie on the hook and different areas of the peg. There seemed to be never more than 2 fish on any 1 combination and most wanted to be nowhere near the bottom. Below me they were still struggling and I ended up the last peg as you went downstream to catch anything. It was definitely a river of 2 halves today with the upstream half fishing much better. In the end my 40 or so small fish just nudged over 1lb for nowhere with the higher number pegs dominating the day. It was close between Darren and Fred with Darren just edging into the lead with 4lb 14oz to Fred's 4lbs 10oz. And then Phil picking up third with 3lbs 14o. Photo today is Phil and Fred's fishier bit of the River.

Interclub (Abbey Cross)

Cancelled due to ice - River Stort Backwater

N/A

Club Match / Outing

River Stort Backwater

N/A

1st Gary Pickard 3lbs 14oz 2nd Mark Halverson 2lbs 4oz 3rd Darren Cope 10oz

Gary's day After last week's match I was not looking forward to today, however, with everywhere else frozen, it was the River or nowhere. It was a very cold start to the day with the car registering -4C as I set off and it stayed pretty much below zero in the shade all day. Thankfully though it was dry and the Backwater was sheltered from the bitterly cold wind. On arriving I was surprised to see the Backwater had started freezing up and we just managed to find 5 pegs that were pretty much ice free for those crazy enough to be at the match today. Phil drew the short straw of peg 8 which was not as ice free as we had thought - sorry Phil. I was up on peg 16 today - some flow but not as much depth with about 4 1/2 feet down the middle. It was a standard Backwater start for me: some breadcrumb/liquidised bread for fishing punch; a bit of worm near the boats for perch; and a few maggots/pinkies drip fed in. After 30 mins on bread punch and quick try by the boat I was biteless. This was not a good sign as bread punch is normally pretty instant. Darren down on peg 14 had managed a couple of small roach so at least there were fish present. What we had both been seeing though were plenty of pike strikes. About 45 mins in I popped on a single white maggot and let the float run down the peg to try and find anything. Towards the bottom the float shot under and I struck into something that was not a small roach. After seeing all the pike strikes I was certain it was a pike. After a couple of minutes I had not been bitten off so thought I may as well try and get it in the net so I could move it out of my peg. I was very surprised to see a silvery flash that was not a pike as went to net it - chub! After the inevitable dive for snags near my feet it was in the landing net and looked a pretty solid 2 1/2 - 3lbs. That was going to be worth a lot of micro roach. After the commotion I refed my peg and had a quick wander to thaw my feet. Phil had had a 4lb pike and a tiny roach but Mark on Peg 10 was getting a few perch. He was looking the man to beat today. Tony on peg 18 was struggling for a bite and Darren was busy watching pike swirl around his float. The rest of the day was a lot less exciting and it turned into a real grueller with tiny bits of bread punch being the only thing I could get a bite on. And when I did get a fish they were tiny - they must have been 60 to the pound. I never did get a bite on maggot or even a single pinkie. I ended with a dozen small roach to add to the chub. It was a tough day with bites at a premium and the fish that were caught being on the small side (mostly). Mark managed 9 perch in the end for 2lbs 4oz but my rogue chub was bigger than I thought and went 3lbs 11oz - I suspect it might have eaten a few of the small roach as I am sure I had a few more than were in the net. After that it was down to ounces with Darren's 20 fish coming in at 10oz for third. Hopefully next weekend we will be ice free and get a few more fish.

Club Match / Outing

River Stort Backwater

N/A

1st Phil Whitmill 5lbs 12oz 2nd Darren Cope 4lbs 4oz 3rd Steve Foster 4lbs

Gary's day After a chilly day on Saturday the morning started off pretty mild although the wind that picked up later soon dropped the temperature. At the draw out came peg 2 for me which I was pretty happy with. It is quite narrow but pretty deep which I thought would help with the lack of flow and the River being crystal clear. An hour later I was not so sure as I was bite less and Tony on peg 4 was also struggling (apart from a small jack pike). Phil up on peg 6 was doing OK though with a few small roach and perch. At last, I had a tiny dace and a small perch but after these 2 the swim died again. Despite searching all over with worm, maggot and bread punch I just could not get a bite. Tony suddenly had a couple of decent perch around noon and I was a long way behind without even thinking about how the top half of the River was fishing. And then Phil had a decent perch of around 1lb and I was a very long way behind. Up at the top of the River and out of sight there were quite a few fish being caught. With half an hour to go and out of desperation I set the float to half depth (4ft - I said it was deep) and put on a tiny piece of bread punch and the float went under. It was only a small dace but a bite at last. And then the small fish were suddenly there and it was a bite as soon as I could get a float in - they were pretty small though and I needed the better roach to show. Sadly, there was no heroic come back as a canoe suddenly came round the corner and the fish disappeared for a bit until they turned around. My flurry of small fish did not save from a miserable 8oz and bottom of the weigh sheet - if only they had been there from the start. The River had fished much better as you went up towards the weir with quite a few reasonable sized roach and more perch coming out. Darren had a busy day on peg 15 for 4lbs 4oz of mostly small fish which pipped Steve on peg 10 with 4lbs who had a mix of roach and perch but Phil was the clear winner today with 5lbs 12oz including a couple of perch over a pound - the best was 1lb 3oz.

Club Match / Outing

Home Farm Small Lake

N/A

1st Rob Calderon 32lbs 2nd Gary Pickard 10lbs 1oz 3rd Darren Cope 7lbs 2oz

Gary's day The last pre Xmas match had us at Home Farm's small lake today. It had not been fishing well recently and we feared the worst. I was surprised to see it was pretty much at its normal level and was very coloured. It was peg 7 for me today, pretty much in the middle of the far bank and a bit hemmed in by pegs 6 and 8. I really wanted peg 1 which Rob was in as the carp seem to be down that end at the moment. The match started better than our last visit with most people getting a few bites off roach early on. A try on expanders and corn for carp was a waste of time so I swapped to maggots to get something in the net. The first 90 mins flew by the odd roach coming out but they just did not seem to settle. You caught a couple and then they disappeared. After a quiet spell the float went under and it was not a roach. After a brief fight the rig came back with a large scale on the hook - foulhooker no. 1. Another 30 mins with a couple of roach and this time when the float went under with a carp it made it to the net. If the match ended then it would have been job done. Sadly not and Rob then started catching whilst we all looked on. Darren on peg 6 and Fred on peg 5 were having a good run of small roach with lots of splashing through most of the afternoon. A few nice roach and 1 more foulhooked carp towards the end was my day done. There was only going to be the one winner today with Rob wiping the rest of us out with 7 carp for 32lbs. My carp made all the difference giving me second place with Darren putting a good net of roach on the scales for just over 7lbs and 3rd. Photo today is Fred with his bag of roach.

Club Match / Outing

Hall Farm Large Lake

Xmas match

Low Bank 1st Phil Whitmill 29lbs 5oz 2nd Barry Cornell 3lbs 5oz 3rd Jeff Pearson 2oz High Bank 1st Tony Cruci 29lbs 10oz 2nd Bill Beeston 24lbs 3rd Gary Pickard 14lb 4oz

Rob's day At Hall Farm for the last Wednesday match before Christmas. Thanks to everyone for putting up with me at the draws and weigh ins over the last year and for the good turnouts this year. We started on a good note on a pretty cold morning despite the ice on the car this morning and mist driving in. Thanks to everyone who brought sausage rolls and mince pies and to Peter for his pre-match Gin. Onto the fishing – I drew peg 20 in the middle of the high bank – thought there may be a few fish today with Gary’s 70lb coming off peg 18 on Sunday. Set up a feeder rod, bomb rod and a pole at 11m in about 9 foot of water. At the start went out on bomb and corn and second cast had a slow pull round and a 3lb F1 in the net. No more on the bomb so after an hour went onto the pole where I had been feeding maggots. After half an hour had 2 bites – a 4oz roach and a 6oz skimmer – then no more. Alternated between the bomb/feeder and pole and eventually had a couple of carp on a hybrid feeder/wafter. Looking over to the far bank, Phil looked to be having a good day on peg 2 catching the odd carp on the feeder from the off. Apart from that very quiet on that bank although Jeff seemed to drop a carp off at the net near the end – no one likes to see that! Whistle at my lips the tip flew around but to my surprise nothing on the end!! It was obvious that for some reason the fish wanted to be in the shallower water today with the top three weights coming from the car park end. Tony’s 29lbs 10oz from peg 24 beating Bill's 24lbs from 26 – Gary came third from peg 16 with 14lb 4oz beating my 12lb 6oz On the low bank Phil’s 29lbs 5oz from peg 2 easily won the bank with the next best weight a solitary carp from Barry at 3lbs 5oz – Jeff only needed 2oz for third place. Some DNWs on that bank today. Photo today is Tony. At the end a nice surprise with a collection handed to me from all the Wednesday club members – thanks a lot for that – much appreciated.

Club Match / Outing

Hall Farm Large Lake

Xmas match

Low Bank 1st Phil Whitmill 37lbs 1oz 2nd John Todd 21lbs 6oz High Bank 1st Gary Pickard 76lbs 12oz 2nd Rob Calderon 20lbs 7oz

Gary's day It was Hall Farm today for the Club's Xmas match and, at long last, we were going to have a dry day. The last few weeks have been tough with me seeming to just need one more fish to get in the frame. Surely, I would get a decent peg today? Finally, the draw gods waved at me and I pulled out peg 18 - not a flyer but an end peg today and a reasonably warm wind was blowing my way. Again, it was box in the water time as the level is still very low. Then it was a gamble as to how long I dared fish the pole as the weather forecast was for it to be breezy. I settled on 13ms where I had a full top 3 (11ft) of water and then over to the left a bit shorter where I could hopefully still fish if the wind got up - it was still 7ft. After a quick feed of the pole lines I started off on a small maggot feeder hoping for a quick fish. The quick fish went to Darren on peg 4 and John on peg 2 but I finally had a small F1 after about 30 mins. After another 30 mins on the feeder I had no more bites only a couple of liners. Darren though was off to a flyer with another couple of carp in the net. It was time to try the long pole line as the wind was OK. After a few minutes the float dipped and I nice 6oz roach was in the net - no blank today. A quick re-feed with some groundbait and the float went under again this time with a nice little carp of about 3lbs. I was still behind Darren and John though as they had both had another carp each. About 90 mins in the peg changed and suddenly the fishing was good. It was not hectic but every now and again the float went under and a carp or F1 was on. A try over to my left also produced a couple of quick fish but then it went quiet. By swapping between the 2 lines a steady run of carp kept coming - a bit of a handful playing them on a top 3 when they came from the deep line. Phil over in the corner on 12 was also getting the odd fish and so was Peter who was pretty much opposite me on 8. Daniel to my right was also getting a few on the feeder. The lake was fishing a lot better than I had expected. At the all out I had 18 carp in the nets after one of the best days out on the bank I have had in ages - I can't remember the last time I caught a decent fish on the float. Phil ended up winning the Low Bank with a quick run of fish near the end for 37lbs and I had the High Bank sown up with 76lbs with Rob second with 20lbs 7oz. Second place on the Low Bank was ridiculously close with less than a pound separating 3 anglers with John just edging out Darren by 1oz with 21lbs 6oz for second on the Low Bank. Many thanks Tony for organizing the prize table. Today's photo is a very happy me with a few fish at last.

Club Match / Outing

River Stort Backwater

Winter League 3 of 6

1st Bill Beeston 5lbs 4oz 2nd Phil Whitmill 4lbs 7oz 3rd Peter Green 3lbs 15oz 4th Tony Cruci 3lbs 11oz

Rob's day On the Stort Backwater today for the 3rd round of the Winter League. Twelve on today with the River looking pretty good after the recent rain – a good colour and a decent flow. I drew peg 7 which looked ok but no slack water except close in with the current flowing towards the far side barge. Set up a couple of whips and a pole rig for the Perch by the barge. Had limited bait today as my Willy Worms delivery was lost by Royal Mail (next time go to Stansted Angling!) Tony did give me some pinkies to go with my 2 worms dug up in the dark last night. Started on bread punch and after a couple of quick roach about 2-3 oz caught small fish steadily for the first hour. After that, bites tailed off – not sure why, maybe the pike that was swirling in the swim a couple of times or my feed was drifting into the downstream peg? Next door Tony on peg 6 was catching a few roach including a few better ones around 4-6 oz – also quite a few splashes from Bill on peg 8 – obviously a few fish being caught today. Tried close in on the 2 metre whip and had one roach then a better fish hooked – felt like a good perch but unfortunately slipped the hook. Apart from one or two small roach on maggot near the barge that was it from me – no sign of perch over and the roach never came back. At the weigh in it looked like everyone caught and a few good weights today. Phil took the lead with 4lbs 7oz including a nice perch (that was bigger than it looks in the photo) but was overtaken by Bill's catch that went 5lbs 4oz. Peter came third with 3lbs 15oz and Tony completed the frame with 3lbs 11oz. My fish weighed in 2lbs 14oz for seventh. Good to see the River fishing so well, hopefully still producing when we go back in the New Year.

Club Match / Outing

Beggar's Hall

N/A

1st Mark Halverson 71lbs 14oz 2nd Fred Hunt 50lbs 7oz 3rd John Todd 47lbs 15oz

Gary's day It was back to Beggar's Hall today. With a forecast for a day of wind and rain I left the pole at home and brought a brolly instead. It was going to be mild though so we hoped for a few fish. With winter being here I was wanting a peg near the island but it was not to be. Peg 19 was my home for the day and where I seemed to spend most of last winter's matches. A first hour on cage or maggot feeder finally found me a couple of small perch so I was not going to blank. And they seemed to be the only couple of fish caught down our end of the lake. 90 mins in I popped my head from under the brolly to see if Phil on peg 18 had caught anything to find him playing a carp. After a couple of hours Rob on peg 21 also had a small carp and suddenly my rod bent round with a carp taking a liking to my wafter. A careful few minutes later a 10lb common was in the net. It then went very quiet with no more signs until about 1 when I had 2 good bream in quick succession on sweetcorn. But then it went quiet again all the way until 10 mins to go when Rob had a better carp and a small one followed for me a few minutes later as if they had been swimming through our 2 swims. It soon became clear that we had been at the wrong end of the lake although Darren had done well with 5 carp on peg 22 and Phil had managed 3 more carp in the last half hour. The pegs up by the island had the better day with quite a few carp being caught. In the end Mark made no mistake from peg 10 to win with 71lbs 14oz of mostly smaller carp, Fred coming second off peg 13 with 50lbs 7oz and John Todd taking 3rd with 47lbs 15oz. Picture today is my peg before the all in - it was raining by the time we started weighing in.