Recent match results/event info

Rob's day

Back to Beggars today with the forecast of thundery showers that never materialized. Eleven on the match today – six on the high bank and the rest on the low. I drew peg 10 – good in the winter but not so sure this time of year. It was also golden peg along with Tony Cruci on 18. I set up a pellet waggler rod (only a couple of casts due to the conditions), a feeder rod and a couple of pole rigs – one for up to the lilies and one for paste down the left hand margin under the willow.

Started on the feeder a had a small carp around 3lb after 45 mins followed by a small crucian. Things went a bit wrong after that – when hooking a larger carp by the island trees, I had left the line clip on and the carp decided to bolt of round the island. Before I had a chance to take the clip off the hook link snapped (took the clip off after that). A bit later another carp hooked and for some reason pulled out of that one. Then another that stayed on around 6lb

The wind had picked up now blowing right to left and also bringing a load of leaves/pads etc down causing issues even when sinking the tip underwater. Also a bit cold – any sun obscured by the willow. Carried on with the feeder – hooking one more when sinking the line – but this also came off (probably foul hooked). With an hour to go only had about 13lb and a bit behind Peter who I saw had at least 3 fish on the pole on peg 6. Only other person I could see was Tony Parker on 16 who looked to have a couple of carp.

Into the last 30 mins and after trying the pole – no presentation due to the wind, decided to finish on the feeder down the edge. Lifting out to recast – somehow was attached to a carp – thought it was foul hooked but in fact was hooked perfectly in the mouth? With 5 mins to go the tip flew around and landed the best fish of the day – around 10lb - on the whistle. Ended with 30lb 11oz for second on the bank behind Peter who had 42lb 6oz. these were the only weighs on the bank with pegs 3, 4 and 5 blanking.

A bit better overall on the high bank – with Tony making no mistake from peg 18 with just 4 fish for 40lb. Fred second from peg 22 with 37lb 3oz and third Bill with 27lb 5 oz from 20. Fancied pegs 16 and 17 not fishing well lately with more fish from 18 upwards it would seem.

Gary's day

Today was a rare visit to Home Farm's Big Lake as the Small Lake was already booked. This lake has a lot of smaller carp and F1s so can turn into a bit of a fish race if they are feeding well

For my third trip to the venue I drew peg 7 up in one of the top corners. With pretty generous pegging on the lake it was going to be hard pellets long on the pole and the margins later on paste or corn. Rob on peg 6 got off to a flyer with a small carp before I had a rig in the water. I soon had a bite and a small carp on pellets and then a chunky roach but that was it for the long swim for the rest of the day.

Apart from Rob, who was still getting bites, everyone else seemed to be struggling although Fred and Phil on 3 and 4 were tucked around the corner so I could not see them.

I had some luncheon from the bottom of the freezer so gave this a go a bit shorter on the pole and finally had a few bites. A lot were from off small roach but the odd carp and F1 was also feeding. By the midway point though it was not going well. Rob was still catching the odd fish and Fred and Phil were strangely quiet suggesting they were doing well.

A change to paste near a tree to my left had the float wobbling all over as it was mobbed by small fish but then it flew under and I was into. .... a bulrush root. This was not the only bite of the day to end in a stick or lump of reed. A quick try on the right margin with meat got me one small carp but too many small fish were an issue.

Back to the left margin I finally found a couple of carp before a foulhooked carp killed the swim for a bit. A try elsewhere to rest the left swim produced nothing but a bumped fish. The last hour to the left was like fishing in a new lake with the paste not hitting the bottom a couple of times before a fish was on. A hectic finish but Rob was also catching a few fish too despite getting impaled in the finger by a pole float.w

With Phil admitting to 30lb and Fred having "had a few" it was going to be down to the scales as I could not see what they had been catching. The last 45 mins made all the difference and got me over the winning line with 68lbs 7oz to Phil's 56lbs 6oz and Fred's 47lbs 1oz. Today's photo is Fred with a pretty little Koi - it was a lot more orange in real life.

Phil's day

Morning to all, the Weds Club fished its second round of our summer league at Hall Farm. I needed to draw well due to a very bad leg on the last one but no joy as I pulled peg 13. If the carp are not down that end you're in trouble and they weren't and I was. I baited 3 swims and a feeder line with pellet and corn and red maggots but I could only get bites on silvers on reds and they were few and far between. I did manage late on to catch 2 small carp to weigh in with 8lbs 10oz and came 2nd from last never mind another day their I would have had 60lb but not today.

Results are 1st Bill Beeston with 49lbs , 2nd Barry Cornel with 40lbs 3oz , 3rd Peter Green with 32lb with only one small carp in that weight , 4th Fred Hunt with 31lb 15oz , pic is my peg 13

Gary's day

The good weather is back with us. A little chilly at times still overnight but today was going to be hot and sunny at Beggars Hall.

It was just a few of us today which was a good thing as the lake filled up as the day progressed. It was peg 16 for me - one of the more open water pegs with it being a good 30m+ to the island.

With lots of carp cruising around on the top as we set up, the pellet waggler rod was the first out of the bag along with a feeder/bomb rod and pole for the edges. I got off to a great start with a carp in the net within 5 mins after it took a liking to an 8mm pellet. And then it was steady for the next hour or so with the odd carp going for the pellet I cast towards them. Mark on 17 was having a slow start and there was no news from the other end of the lake. The wind then picked up and it became difficult to see the fish and present the bait well.

A try on bomb and pellet under my feed and a method over by the island were a waste of time with no bites. The next few hours saw me swap between feeder and waggler when the wind dropped enough - I never did get a bite on the bottom. Mark was slowly getting a few bites on the feeder but I was now struggling. A try down the edges with a couple of hours to go saw no signs. Back on the waggler grabbed me a couple more fish and big ones at that. The last hour was hard work with just one more fish from the edge and one lost. Putting in the third net was fatal. It is amazing how often that seems to happen.

Despite the lack of many fish in the second half I had done enough and some of the fish were real lumps with the biggest going 19lbs 10oz. 1st Gary Pickard 88lbs 6oz, 2nd Mark Halverson 43lbs 15oz, 3rd John Todd 18lbs 9oz and 4th Phil Whitmill 18lbs 1oz. Picture today is my lump of a mirror carp.

Phil's day

Hi to all, the Weds club fished its monthly match against Abbey Cross on our lake at Beggars Hall and the extreme cold nights in the last few days had taken its toll on the fishing. I drew peg 4, not a bad peg and I have had some good catches in the winter from this peg but that was then and it all changes by the month.

I made 3 lines and a feeder for a bit further out to open water ..Fed red maggots and pellets for some silvers just for the points and the feeder for the carp well that didn't work and I had no bites on the feeder all day and by 1.30 pm I decided I need to catch something so onto reds to catch a few perch and you never know I might hit a carp. I did manage a few rudd and a very small carp of 6oz for a total weight of a pound.

There were 2 sections of low and high bank. High Bank 1st Bill Beeston with 47lbs 3oz, 2nd Peter Green with 39lbs 5oz and 3rd Barry Cornel with 6lbs 1oz. Low Bank 1st Tony Parker with 14lbs 10oz, 2nd Bob Fox with 13lbs 13oz and 3rd Tony Cruci with 11lbs 13oz. Abbey Cross wins with 65 points to Bishop's Stortford's 52 points. Pic is my peg with a lone duck she had 10 chicks but they scarpered when it was time to take a pic.

Gary's day

It has been a funny old week weatherwise from 25C+ down to a chilly 12C or so over the bank holiday weekend. A cooler start saw us on Hall Farm this week with 8 of us squeezed along the low bank. Out the bag came peg 8 for me - one I seem to draw a lot and not a favourite peg as things get warmer.

It was going to be out at 5 sections in 9ft of water with hard pellets and then down the edges (in nearly 5ft - it is rather deep down this end) later on cubed luncheon meat. Well that plan did not work and an hour in saw me with no signs of a bite on pellets and it was slow going for most of the rest although Jeff on peg 10 snuck an early carp and Peter on 9 was busy catching plenty of roach and rudd as he was keen to snare a few more big roach after getting one over a pound in the Weds match.

Thankfully I had some maggots and decided to join Peter catching silver fish and hoping some carp or F1s would rock up - and promptly missed the keepnet with the first roach I caught (spoiler alert - that and some other misses were going to be costly). An hour in the roach bites were slowing and then the float went under and something more solid was hooked - and promptly came off after charging cross the lake. I did get 1 small mirror that took pity on me on the shallow line but it was going nowhere. A few tries down the edges was also producing nothing. By the midway point Phil on peg 2 had been catching steadily and Fred on peg 5 was admitting to 6 carp.

A F1 finally felt sorry for me on the long hard pellet line but that was the one and only bite on this so it was margins or bust. Nothing to the left which looked the better side. A bite to the right which I missed. With just over an hour to go things were not looking good but then the lake finally seemed to switch on for us in the deeps. It was then a case of swapping left and right and the peg was getting better although the carp and F1s were small at about 2lbs a piece but each one was very very angry. A 2lb+ koi was a nice surprise (sorry no picture) and the bites were finally flowing just in time for the whistle to blow.

Apart from Phil who had a clear lead on us all the results were very close: 1st Phil Whitmill 64lbs; 2nd Rob Calderon 44lbs 9oz and 3rd Fred Hunt 43lbs 4oz just beating me by 3oz. Pic today is Fred not yet knowing he had ounced me.