Match results/Events info

Club match/outing

Beggars Hall

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1st Peter Green 24lbs 2oz 2nd Terry Moranda 23lbs 14oz 3rd Tony Parker 23lbs 9oz 4th Phil Whitmill 15lbs 11oz

Phil's day Hi to all, the Weds club fished Beggars Hall club lake. It was a baking hot day with a slight breeze and most knew it was going to be hard fishing. I drew peg 19, it's quite a good peg so spirits were high. After a couple hours of absolutely nothing my spirits were not so high. I tried the pole and the waggler and the feeder - nothing. So I sat it out and eventually the feeder pulled round for my first carp about 6lbs. I decided this was the way forward so stayed with the feeder till half a hour before the match finished. I could hear and see fish moving in the margin so I went down there on my pole and got one on sweetcorn. It was about 9 lbs and so ended my day. I weighed in 15lb 11oz with 2 fish 1st Peter Green with 24lbs 2oz , 2nd Terry Moranda with 23lbs 14oz, 3rd Tony Parker with 23lbs 9oz and 4th Phil Whitmill with 15lbs 11oz. Well done to all

Canoe Club race 11am - 2pm

River Stort - Bishop's Stortford to Sawbridgeworth

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Club match/outing

Hall Farm Large Lake

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1st Roger Phillips 93lbs 3oz 2nd Jeff Pearson 66lbs 2oz 3rd David Knapp 44lbs 13oz

Gary's day When you get to the draw at 8.15 and think you had better start slapping on the factor 50 you know it is going to be hot one. And it was, getting back to the car afterwards showed 39C on the dash. Back to the day. After 3 matches being fished over the last week at Hall Farm today was always going to be an odd one - pulling out peg 10 was not what I wanted on what was going to be a difficult day. There were 3 pegs on the lake I did not want and this was smack bang in the middle of them. But, if it fished rock hard, maybe .... Everything got set up although, with the number of fish swimming up and down the middle it looked like it would be a day shallow. A quick 3lb F1 along the edge whilst I primed a shallow swim got my hopes but it was not to be. 4 hours later, after trying everything I could think of to nail one of the cruising F1s and carp, saw me with lots of silvers but only 2 more few carp - things were not going to plan. A final flurry of carp down the margins on paste was my get out of jail card but it was much too little and too late and a run of 5 fish in a row falling off was to be costly. Well done to Roger who managed just over 93lbs on the other side of the lake - I could see most of the fish trying to take him to the next peg along. It was a tight finish in the middle of the pack with only a couple of fish separating a number of us for 3rd. Spot the man who has just drawn peg 2!

Club match/outing

Hall Farm Large Lake

Over 65s Cup

1st Phil Whitmill 100lbs 2nd Peter Green 80lbs 9oz 3rd Terry Moranda 66lbs 10oz

Phil's day Hi all, the Bishop's Stortford club held its over 65 (OAP) match at Hall Farm on Friday. Only 8 anglers took part but it was a good match. I drew peg 1 out and out flyer with a winning weight of 53lbs on our last match there on Weds. I made up 3 pole lines I didn't bother with a feeder or waggler as I was sure most of my fishing was going to be close in. Started off at 8 meters and within 10 minutes I foul hooked a carp then didn't get another bite for nearly a hour but when they turned up it was full on for the rest of the day. I over filled both nets for a max net weight of 50lbs each net. 1st Phil Whitmill with 100lbs, 2nd Peter Green with 80lbs 9oz, 3rd Terry Moranda with 66lbs 10oz ,a very well done to all our anglers And it's not all carp at Hall Farm, today's photo is Jeff with a chunk 10oz roach

Interclub (Abbey Cross) match/outing

Hall Farm Large Lake

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Abbey Cross won with 78 to Bishop's Stortford's 57 1st Alan fox 53lbs 10oz 2nd Martin Adams 46lbs 10oz 3rd Terry Moranda 43lbs 15oz 4th Tony Parker 43lbs 10oz 5th John Carter 42lbs 12oz

Phil's day Good day to all, the Weds club had the monthly interclub match with Abbey Cross at our home water Hall Farm. I drew peg 6 not very keen on it but it has produced some decent weights off it lately. With 16 anglers most pegs were in with anglers either side so it was always going to be hard with low weights. Made up my usual two margins and a 8 meter line as i t was too windy for any further and a feeder with a pellet method and banded 6mm pellet on the hook. I fed my pole lines with 6 mm hard pellet and a little corn as I did in both margins. Started off on the feeder and had a carp within 20 mins then had 2 more over the next hour until it died a death so onto my 8 meter line on pole. It was hard work trying to get presentation so after half a hour gave up on that. So on to my margins - could not get a bite anywhere so tried the feeder again - nothing, Both anglers were struggling either side of me - one had 1 carp and the other had small silvers so I was doing better then most that I could see. It got to about 1 pm and the angler to my right got a carp from his margin so I put the feeder rod up the bank and fished the margins. I had one almost straight away and carried on for the rest of the match down there and I weighed in 29lbs 6oz for half way on the score board. Overall it fished quite well with the expected pegs doing very well and framing, 1st with 53lbs 10oz was Alan Fox ,2nd with 46lb 10oz Martin Adams, 3rd Terry Moranda with 43lb 15oz ,4th Tony Parker with 43lb 10oz ,5th John Carter with 42lb 12oz ,well done to all. Abbey Cross won with 78 to Bishop's Stortford's 57.

Water booking

Hall Farm Large Lake - car park bank

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Club match/outing

Cancelled

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Water Booking (1st Thorley Adventurer Scouts)

Hall Farm Small Lake

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Once again, many thanks to the Club for letting 1st Thorley Scouts use the small lake for a fishing taster session. Despite a few dark clouds gathering on the horizon the rain stayed off and, apart from being a bit windy, it was a lovely summer's evening. We had 20+ scouts trying their hand at fishing and the fish in the lake were very obliging with everyone catching plenty of roach and rudd. We also had a few run ins with the bigger residents in the lake - whilst most managed to slip the hook we ended up with a few in the nets.

Club match/outing

Hall Farm Large Lake

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1st Bill Beeston 78lbs 8oz 2nd Peter Green 63lbs 14oz 3rd Tony Parker 51lbs 8oz 4th Phil Whitmill 34lbs 8oz

Phil's day Hi to all, the Weds club had there match at Hall Farm club lake. I drew peg 5 or, as I affectionately call it, no man's land. I made up two pole lines: one in the margin; and the other at 10 meters; and as a back-up the feeder with the method. I only had one margin side as I had a tree come bush to my right at about 2 to 3 feet so it meant fishing into the wind on my left - a bit awkward but manageable. First fish on the feeder played it in only to have it slipped the hook which then catapulted my rig into the lane rope just what I didn't need. So a long walk round the lake, untied the rope, then back round to my peg, removed my rig intact and then back round again to retie the rope back to where it was. So not a good start, cast back out and 10 mins later got one in the net at last. Went on to catch 3 more but lost them off the hook so onto my pole lines. Started off at 10 meters on banded pellet had 3 small carp but they weren't having it so onto my other pole line - this was what my money was on for a decent weight. I had been feeding pellet and sweetcorn down there with a few red maggots just to keep the small fish away from my hook bait. It took a good hour before the carp moved in but not in great numbers. I stayed with this till the end and weighed in 34lbs 8oz. First Bill Beeston with 78lbs 8oz, 2nd Peter Green with 63lbs 14oz, 3rd Tony Parker with 51lbs 8oz and 4th Phil Whitmill with 34lbs 8oz - well done to all. Photo is Peter and Jeff

Club match/outing

Beggars Hall

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1st Gary Pickard 37lb 2oz 2nd Peter Green 28lbs 13oz 3rd Phil Whitmill 6lbs 10oz

Gary's day This was my first match of the new season missing last week's big weight opener at Home Farm After another hot week it was a little chilly waiting for the draw and I was glad I brought a coat in case of rain. At the draw bag I came out with peg 16 - not one of my favourites and the last time I drew this I ended up with very little in the net. Having seen Phil's write up on the Weds match I had a pretty good idea of what to face. And just like on Weds the fish were cruising around at high speed - annoyingly tight to the island for much of the day and the wind made it nearly impossible to get a waggler near them. I got off to a flying start with a 6lber in the net in first 20 mins but it was a false dawn. It was a long day with just the odd bite here and there when a cruising fish slowed down a bit and decided to take a pellet. Not a sign on the tip all day when I needed to resort to this when the wind got too gusty. I ended up with 5 fish with 1 slipping the hook - amongst those was a 14lb mirror which helped me to 37lb 2oz and a win, 2nd Peter Green 28lbs 13oz and 3rd Phil Whitmill 6lbs 10oz. I am sure the fish have alarm clocks as they always seem to arrive down the edge after 3:30 - this carp was taking a real liking to Fred's spare bread.

Summer League match

Beggars Hall

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1st Steve Foster 33lbs 6oz 2nd Tony Parker 26lbs 13oz 3rd Ray Gibson 10lbs 14oz 4th Barry Cornel 7lbs 11oz

Phil's day Hi all, the Weds club fished Beggars Hall lake on the 3rd round or their summer league. It was a blistering hot day so I was hoping for a shady peg but that didn't happen. Peg 16 not a good peg for me and in full glare of the sun all day. Started off on the pellet waggler with 6 and 8 mm banded pellets hoping for a lucky fish but that wasn't happening . The fish were about but moving at a fair pace and were not interested so on to my 10meter line on the pole - this produced 1 small roach so decided to concentrate on my margins. These had been baited at the start of the match with corn and pellets and a small amount of maggots - both margins didn't produce a bite. By 1 pm I decided to go back on the waggler and started to see a bit of interest from the carp but they were very skittish but I finally got one. Had a further 3 carp by the end of the match but lost all 3: one slipped the hook just before the landing net; and the other 2 snapped my line. All in all did absolutely rubbish but I did have something to weigh in, I weighed in 7lb 6oz for 5th place. First Steve Foster with 33lbs 6oz, 2nd Tony Parker with 26lbs 13oz, 3rd Ray Gibson with 10lbs 14oz and 4th Barry Cornel with 7lbs 11oz, well done to all on a very difficult day. Pic is Jeff and myself sharing the Stort cup (With a full 4oz each not a great couple of matches!)

Club match/outing

Home Farm small lake

Stone Cup 1 of 2

1st Phil Whitmill 156lbs 1oz 2nd Tony Cruci 99lbs 15oz 3rd and Mark Halverson 97lbs 7oz

The 22/23 season kicked off this year on Home Farm's small lake and it was a big weight start to the season with an average of 80lb+ Phil Whitmill made the most of end Peg 1 to net over 40+ carp for 156lbs 1oz with Tony Cruci and Mark Halverson coming very close to break the 100lb mark with 99lbs 15oz and and 97lbs 7oz.

Interclub (Saffron Walden) match/outing

Hall Farm Large Lake

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Bishop's Stortford won with 74 points to Saffron Walden 62 points 1st James Gillard 41lbs 15oz 2nd Tony Cruci 35s lb 12oz 3rd Phil Whitmill 31lbs 13oz 4th Graham Carter 25lbs 13oz 5th Peter Green 25lbs 5oz

Phil's day Hi to all, fished our first interclub against Saffron Walden one of four. The turn out was quite good with 8 anglers on both sides. I drew a good peg on 26 not a winning peg but can be. I started off cupping in some 6mm pellets with sweetcorn that's in the margin only one side to the right the other was at 10 meters with pellet and maggots. I had a feeder and pellet waggler already to go so well prepared. Started off on the waggler but didn't get a bite stayed with this for about 45 mins. The carp were avoiding the float like they had other things on there mind so put that down and onto my 10 meter line. Nothing, not even a rudd, so decided the margin was my best bet. Stayed on this for the rest of the day. I caught on bread with the bites coming every half hour. It was hard but just enough action to keep me interested. Ended my day with a decent weight of 31lbs 13oz. First James Gillard with 41lbs 15oz, 2nd Tony Cruci with 35s lb 12oz, 3rd Phil Whitmill with 31lbs 13oz, 4th Graham Carter with 25lbs 13oz and 5th Peter Green with 25lbs 5oz. A very well done to both teams. Bishop's Stortford won with 74 points to Saffron Walden 62 points .

Club match/outing

Malcolm Barker Lake

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1st Phil Whitmill 16lbs 1oz 2nd Terry Moranda 4lbs 13oz 3rd Jeff Pearson 3lbs 13oz 4th Peter Green 2lbs 2oz

Phil's day Hi to all, the Weds Club fished its match on Malcolm Barker Lake. Tthe last match there I drew peg 7 and won the match so in good spirits I waited for my turn at the draw bag 3rd from last and wow peg 7. I have got two rigs for this swim from a month ago but when I got to my peg a lot more weed had grown into the peg. I made just one line because of the weed but at two distances one - at 10 meters and one at 12 meters. I fed some casters and hemp on one line and red maggots and pellet on the other. It took maybe an hour to get a bite from a small roach and that was from making a lot of adjustments to the rig this continued for another hour with just the odd roach and skimmer then, out of the blue, I got a tench on and lost it to the weed. Checked my rig and the hook was straightened out so with some quick adjustments and a stronger hook back out to where I lost the tench and within 30 minutes got another chance. It rooted itself firmly in the weed but, with beefed up rig, I held onto him. Went on to catch 4 more tench and some roach and rudd and had a good days fishing. I weighed in with 16lbs 1 oz for a lake win, 1st Phil Whitmill with 16lbs 1oz, 2nd Terry Moranda with 4lbs 13oz, 3rd Jeff Pearson with 3lbs 13oz, 4th Peter Green with 2lbs 2oz. Well done to all who fished its not a easy water by any means.

Interclub (Abbey Cross) match/outing

Hunters Hall (Abbey Cross water)

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Abbey Cross win with 50 points to 28 points Bishop's Stortford 1st Tony Parker 24lbs 4oz 2nd Phil Whitmill 19lbs 4oz 3rd Martin Adams 15lbs 10oz 4th John Carter 8lbs 12oz.

Phil's day Hi everyone, fished the first interclub match of the new season against Abbey Cross at Hunters Hall. It was a low turn out just 6 in our team but we were up for it. I drew peg 18 - didn't know much about the peg but my mate in the next peg up records it's not a good area. I made up two lines at 10 meters one at ten and one at two o'clock - I fed pellet and corn looking for tench and red maggots and ground bait on the other hoping for roach and rudd. I started off on the feeder for half a hour to let the pole lines settle - this only produced one rudd of 4 oz so onto my pole lines. Tried the ten o'clock nothing so on to my maggot line and caught 2 and 3 oz roach and rudd for a hour solid and then, for no reason, it all just stopped suddenly. Struggling on for another hour trying to get them back when I caught a tench of about 4lbs. Then for the remainder of the afternoon went on to catch 2 more tench and a bream, with the odd perch at the end of the match weighed in with 19lbs 15oz for a 2nd place. First Tony Parker with 24lbs 4oz, 2nd Phil Whitmill with 19lbs 4oz, 3rd Martin Adams with 15lbs 10oz and 4th John Carter with 8lbs 12oz. Abbey Cross win with 50 points to 28 points Bishop's Stortford

Club match/outing

Beggars Hall

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1st Ray Gibson 80lbs 4oz 2nd Tony Cruci 43lbs 14oz 3rd Phil Whitmill 43lbs 5oz 4th Darren Marder 29lbs 8oz

Phil's day Hi all, the Weds club fished the last of the season's matches at Beggars Hall Lake. It was a bit chilly but it stayed dry with a very brisk wind. I drew sock on with peg 18 so really fancied my chances. Made up two pole lines and a feeder - it was too windy for pellet waggler. Cupped in my pole lines one at 8 meters and the margins and started off on feeder with 6mm banded pellet. That didn't produce so went on to corn, that drew a blank so on to red maggot. It was about 11:30 before my first bite - a small carp about 5lb. I cast back out to the spot where I got that from and within minutes had a second one but lost it at the landing net. This was the trend for the next 3 carp all lost at the net so bloody annoying makes you nervous when playing a fish. I decided it was time to go down the margins where I had constantly fed all morning. Had a carp within 15 minutes about 10lb, that was a fight and a half, but I won. This went on for the rest of the afternoon with 3 more carp all good lumps finished my day with 43lb 5 oz. First Ray Gibson with a well earned 80lbs 4oz, 2nd Tony Cruci with 43lbs 14oz, 3rd Phil Whitmill with 43lbs 5oz and 4th Darren Marder with 29lbs 8oz, well done to all. Last Thursday 19th was our presentation evening the pic is just a few of the trophy winners I got club champion for the second time.

Club match/outing

Malcolm Barker Lake

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1st Phil Whitmill 9lbs 4oz 2nd Peter Green 5lbs 6oz 3rd Jeff Pearson 2lbs 8oz 4th Tony Parker 2lbs 1oz

Phil's day Hi to all, we fished the Malcolm Barker Lake with the Weds club. It was a very hot day shirt sleeves from the start and plenty of sun cream. I drew peg 7 not a bad area but very weedy as I soon found out. The top 3 pegs went to good anglers so I was in it for the pleasure. Started off with two lines both at 10 meters : 1 at 11 o'clock; and the other by the side of the weed at 2 o'clock. I cupped in red maggot and groundbait on one line and corn and micro pellet on the other as these were going to be my hook bait for tench. Didn't bring a waggler rod with me - my mistake there was carp patrolling everywhere. I started pulling the odd roach - very small and the bites were were very slight - then about 11 ish had my first tench. As I suspected straight in the weed and lost it - the air was blue to say the least. This was stupid fishing light elastic with so many obstacles down there so changed up to a 12 elastic. Got another tench on and this time I was able to coach him out. It was about 4 lb then nothing till about 1 hour to the finish I got another one on my 11 o'clock line. Again about 4lb. Then with 15 mins to go had a third for a 1 lb. I was pleased with my catch but couldn't see anybody on the favoured pegs so had no idea how I had done compared to them. I ended up with 9lbs 5oz for first place 2 wins in a row. It's the last match in our season next Weds hoping for a good draw First place Phil Whitmill with 9lbs 4oz, 2nd Peter Green with 5lbs 6oz, 3rd Jeff Pearson with 2lbs 8 oz and 4th Tony Parker with 2lbs 1 oz. It was nice to be back on the Barker Lake after a long shut down. Yesterday we added a good friend and fishing buddy to our roll he will be missed but not forgotten.

Club match/outing

Hall Farm Large Lake

Summer League

1st Phil Whitmill 54lbs 8oz 2nd Terry Moranda 36lbs 8oz 3rd Bill Beeston 36lbs 2oz 4th Peter Green 35lbs 3oz

Phil's day Good morning to all, the Weds club fished the summer league 2nd round at Hall Farm. I drew peg 24 not a bad peg so I knew I would find a few fish. Made 3 lines up for the pole and a pellet waggler and a feeder just in case. I cupped in on all my pole lines: 1 at 10 meters and 2 either side in the margin. I decided to go straight out on the waggler with 6mm banded pellet and within seconds had a take but couldn't connect. Tried again still the same so changed baits and got 2 then nothing so onto my pole lines. Tried out at 10 meters but just a few roach so onto my margin lines. Left hand side nothing. Right hand side good roach and rudd to over half a pound so put those in the keepnet till something better came along. By 11am got my first carp out of the margins so stayed with that until it dried up about 2ish the back on the pellet waggler for half a hour but they were not interested. So back to the margin and almost straight away got 3 more so stayed with it till the end. I tipped back the roach and rudd because I needed the net for carp. I ended up with 54lbs 8 oz for 1st place, well done to all, some half decent weights came out from all over the lake 1st place Phil Whitmill with 54lbs 8oz, 2nd Terry Moranda with 36lbs 8oz, 3rd Bill Beeston with 36lbs 2oz and 4th Peter Green with 35lbs 3oz. Pic is my peg no. 24.

Inter-club (Abbey Cross) match/outing

Beggars Hall

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Abbey Cross won the day with 53 points to Bishop's Stortford's 51 1st Jeff Pearson 61lbs 3oz 2nd Tony Parker 23lbs 7oz 3rd Fred Hunt 18lbs 4th Terry Moranda 16lbs 4oz

Phil's day Hi all what a lovely day out there. The Weds club fished an interclub match at Beggars Hall against Abbey Cross it was the last one of the season. I drew peg 20 not a bad peg but has fished very badly over the last few months. I made up 2 pole lines: one at 12 meters; and the other in the margin; and a feeder to the pads some 20 meters out. I started out cupping in some 6mm pellet and red maggots on both my lines. Whilst waiting for this to work I cast my feeder to a good spot off to one side of the pads hook bait was corn and a method with soft pellet. After 20 mins I was just thinking of trying the pole lines and the tip went with a tench of about 2lbs so off the mark with the guys either side with it all to do. Tried the pole lines but nothing. In the margin 7 meters along a carp slowly swam through my pole line and dragged my rig with it - I struck and all hell let loose until it broke my hooklength - I think it was foul hooked. So back to the feeder, tried both all day until I started to pack away about 3.15 pm and the feeder steamed off and had a carp for 7lb ish. I weighed in 9lbs 2oz which got me 6th overall 1st Jeff Pearson with 61lbs 3oz, 2nd was Tony Parker with 23lbs 7oz, 3rd Fred Hunt with 18lbs and 4th Terry Moranda with 16lbs 4oz. Abbey Cross won the day with 53 points to our 51

Club match

South End Farm

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Silvers: 1st Jeff Pearson 22lbs 5oz 2nd Tony Cruci 21lbs 8oz Carp: 1st Mark Halverson 25lbs 10oz 2nd Dave Fuller 12lbs 9oz

Phil's day Hi all, fished the Weds match at South End Farm. We held a silvers only match and a carp match - not a lot of money involved but it made it interesting as most opted for the silvers match. I drew peg 15 didn't know much about the peg but I knew I was in the right area. Made up two pole lines at 10 meters and a margin line. Today was going to be all pellet as I had left my sweetcorn on my kitchen work top along with my sandwiches blast and damn it. The weather, although dry, was very cold and overcast and by 1ish I was starting to shiver a little. Cupped in 4mm pellet and a little groundbait on all my lines and within 15 minutes got a decent skimmer and when that dried up. Moved on to my second line then on to my margin. I ended the day with 11lbs 2oz for 4th in the silvers match 1st place in the silvers was Jeff Pearson with 22lbs 5oz and 2nd Tony Cruci with 21lbs 8oz In the carp match 1st Mark Halverson with 25lbs 10oz and 2nd Dave Fuller with 12lbs 9oz

Water booking

Hall Farm Large Lake

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Club match

Hall Farm Large Lake

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1st Phil Whitmill 45lbs 1oz 2nd Jeff Pearson 29lbs 6oz 3rd Tony Parker 20lb 13oz 4th Steve Foster 19lbs 6oz

Phils' day Hi all, it's been another lovely day sitting in the sun. We fished the Hall Farm club lake. I drew peg 2, it's a flyer but you still got to do the work to catch. I have fished flyers before and they don't always produce the fish. I made up 2 lines for the pole - 1 at 10 meters and 1 down the margin and the feeder for further out to the middle. I started off cupping in 6mm pellet and red maggots on my pole lines I left them to rest and started off on my feeder. This instantly produced roach and rudd to half pound or so - only 2 of each but it was a surprise as we haven't seen them all winter. With little else coming I went on my pole lines. The 10 meter line produced 3 more rudd of the golden variety stunning colour. This dried up so onto the margin - this is where I will do most of my fishing today. It had taken a hour to find a couple of carp and I was beginning to think it wasn't going to switch on but by 1ish I started to pull a few better carp and the last hour produced more regular. Ended my day with 45lbs 1oz for 1st place 1st Phil Whitmill 45lbs 1oz, 2nd Jeff Pearson with 29lbs 6oz , 3rd Tony Parker with 20lb 13oz and 4th Steve Foster with 19lbs 6oz well done to all

Club match

Beggars Hall

Summer League

1st Jeff Pearson 25lbs 14oz 2nd Terry Moranda 23lbs 2oz 3rd Fred Hunt 19lbs 14oz 4th Ray Gibson 13lbs 9oz

Phil's day Hi to all, we fished our first summer league match yesterday at Beggars Hall club lake. It was a lovely spring day so I left off some of my winter clothing. I drew peg 10 - this has produced some very good weights through the winter but of late it's been awful with no fish. I made my feeder up with a medium cage feeder and red maggots on a size 14 match hook with 5lb hook length and one line for the pole line. I started off on the feeder casting to the island which only produced 2 very small carp and a roach by 12.30pm. For the rest of the match I switched between my pole and feeder and at 3.15, with a quarter of a hour to go, the feeder has gone round with a carp of 6lbs. By the end I weighed in 9lbs 11oz for 5th overall 1st Jeff Pearson with 25lbs 14oz, 2nd Terry Moranda with 23lbs 2oz, 3rd Fred Hunt with 19lbs 14oz and 4th Ray Gibson with 13lbs 9oz well done to all. Today's pic is my swim peg 10.

Inter-club (Abbey Cross)

Taylor's Lake (Abbey Cross water)

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Bishop's Stortford won with 53 points to Abbey Cross's 52 points a very close match. 1st Alan Sims 23lbs 15oz 2nd Barry Cornel 21lbs 1oz 3rd Kenny Farrell 18lbs 5oz 4th Terry Moranda 16lbs 12oz.

Phil's day Hi all, the Weds club had there interclub match with Abbey Cross on Taylor's Lake - it's a pleasant setting and the pegs are comfortable. I drew peg 36, been on there pleasure fishing a few times now so I was familiar with the layout. I made up one pole line and a feeder but very restricted as to where to cast as it's pads everywhere so stuck mainly to pole. I fed out to the start of the pads with red maggots and micro pellets and within the hour or so it produced a carp of 3 lbs. I carried on with the pole with the odd cast on the feeder but, as I suspected, it was very snaggy. I never got another bite for the rest of the day but I got my points - all important on team events. The weather was very windy and in the afternoon it chucked it down so no surprise there. Results are 1st Alan Sims with 23lbs 15oz, 2nd Barry Cornel with 21lbs 1oz, 3rd Kenny Farrell with 18lbs 5oz and 4th Terry Moranda with 16lbs 12oz. Bishop's Stortford won with 53 points to Abbey Cross 2nd 52 points a very close match. In closing, today's pic is Terry Tucker who's cremation was the day before - he was a long standing member of our team and will be sadly missed RIP Tuck.

Club match

Hall Farm Large Lake

Winter League

1st Tony Cruci 27lbs 3oz 2nd Ray Gibson 18lbs 14oz 3rd Phil Whitmill 13lbs 4oz 4th Terry Moranda 5lbs 6oz

Phil's day Hi to all, the Weds club fished the last of our winter league matches at Hall Farm club lake. I drew peg 25 in itself a decent peg on the day but the fish have not always showed on the decent pegs this year. I was running 3rd in the points total being only 3 points behind the joint leaders so need to come in the top 4 and the leaders to do not so well. I made up 2 pole lines and a cage feeder for further out - cupped out pellet and red maggots on my margin line and corn and micro pellet at 8 meters. I started off on feeder at about 35 meters with double reds and soft pellet in the feeder . An hour later had my first carp for about 4lbs and stayed on this line for another hour but nothing so onto the pole lines. Still couldn't get a bite so back to the feeder. This produced a carp almost instantly and I stayed with this for the rest of the day for 2 more carp for a total of 13lbs 4oz that put me in a good position for the final winter league tally. Results are 1st Tony Cruci with 27lbs 3oz, 2nd Ray Gibson with 18lbs 14oz, 3rd Phil Whitmill with 13lbs 4oz and 4th place Terry Moranda with 5lbs 6oz - well done to all. No photos today

Winter League results

Various

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Jt 1st Steve Foster with 48 points Jt 1st Phil Whitmill with 48 points 3rd Fred Hunt with 47 points 4th Tony Cruci with 46 points

After a cold and very windy winter campaign with all save John Todd having at least one DNW it all came down to the last couple of matches. Heading into the final match it was all to play for with only a few points separating the top 3. Once everyone dropped their worst results we have a joint first - with only 3 points between the top 4. Well done all for braving the winter - now for some sun (maybe). Joint 1st Steve Foster and Phil Whitmill with 48 points 3rd Fred Hunt with 47 points 4th Tony Cruci with 46 points

Wednesday Club

South End Farm

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1st Phil Whitmill 23lbs 6oz 2nd Fred Hunt 15lbs 12oz 3rd Jeff Pearson 14lbs 4oz 4th Tony Cruci 7lb

Phil's day Good day to all, the Weds Club fished Southend Farm's Damson Lake with MBL being closed. I drew peg 11 which I had fished many years ago and did OK from it so I had some hope. I made up two pole lines from what I could remember - 1 line at 10 meters and 2nd line in the margin. I cupped in micro pellet mixed with a bit of corn and red maggots and 6 mm pellet in the margin, I fished a difficult first 1 and half hours - Toddy next to me had lost his car keys and, between his paddling in the water and scrapping the swim, it was getting to me. Eventually he found them in the inner lining of his bib and brace (crazy). I put some more micro pellets in and went over the area and within a few minutes the float has gone under and a 15lb 11oz carp was in the net for my efforts. Had a couple more bites but looked like just a lucky fish. Started fishing my margins and got a roach straight away of a 1lb mark so carried on in my margin and produced some good perch with the odd roach but much smaller then my first one. As the afternoon went on I started to pick up good skimmers about of half a pound or so went on to win the match with 23lbs 6oz. First Phil Whitmill 23lbs 6oz, 2nd Fred Hunt with 15lbs 12oz, 3rd Jeff Pearson with 14lbs 4oz and 4th Tony Cruci with 7lb well done to all. Cover pic is John Todd looking for his keys.

Knock up

Home Farm small lake

N/A

1st Gary Pickard 38lbs 14oz 2nd David Jones 37lbs 9oz 3rd Phil Whitmill 28lbs 3oz

Gary's day Today was a small, knock up match that Tony organized at Home Farm (thanks Tony). After weeks of wet and miserable weather this weekend was sunny at last - although a bit blowy. I also managed to draw a new peg today after 3 matches on the bounce on the same one - peg 1 for me today (the draw bag arm is holding out). After getting pestered by small roach on the last visit a few weeks back, today was going to be all about hard pellets - the roach didn't get the memo though and were on the 6mm hard pellets like piranha. But at least it sorted out some better roach and we all had some quality roach and rudd of 8oz+. I had a great start on the long pole holding on against the gusts but then all I could get were roach and then Tony and Mark had a couple of fish (they were in the middle of the lake) followed by Phil and Dave at the other end and things were getting closer. By the end of the match it was very close with Dave having a last gasp carp on the whistle and a fish or 2 lost during the day making all the difference. 1st Gary Pickard 38lbs 14oz, 2nd David Jones 37lbs 9oz (I said it was close) and 3rd Phil Whitmill 28lbs 3oz Today's photo has Tony weighing in Dave's carp net (you might just make out the 31lbs and change so it was all down to Dave's silvers net)

Wednesday Club

Beggars Hall

N/A

1st Jeff Pearson 31lbs 3oz 2nd Barry Cornel 11lbs 6oz 3rd John Todd 8lbs 10oz 4th Terry Moranda 7lbs 11oz.

Phil's day Hi all, the Weds club fished our club water at Beggars Hall. We had 11 people turn out for the match and the weather was not too bad for most of the day but 5 degrees colder then Tuesday. I drew peg 20 - this peg has been steady lately, not a winning peg, but it has produced 3rds and 4ths. Picked out an area for the feeder and two pole lines: one at 12 meters and one at 7 meters to my left in the margin. The water levels are very high at the moment so the margin is some distance away. Well that's where I started and that's where I finished. I didn't get a bite not even a liner so when the rain and the red dust came along (see the BBC website about the Saharan dust blown over) it just made it a whole lot worse. At least it stopped raining long enough to do the weigh in and get back to our cars another blank to the list 1st Jeff Pearson 31lbs 3oz, 2nd Barry Cornel 11lbs 6oz, 3rd John Todd 8lbs 10oz and 4th Terry Moranda 7lbs 11oz. Cover pic is Tony Cruci and Ray Gibson

Club Match

Hall Farm Large Lake

N/A

1st Gary Pickard 46lbs 12oz, 2nd Mark Halverson 10lbs 11oz 3rd Jeff Pearson 8lbs 11oz

Gary's day Today was the last Club match of the 21/22 season and it was back to Hall Farm. With the shallow end pegs dominating the results at the moment everyone was looking for a low number. After spending the winter in the deep pegs it was finally my turn to pull out peg 2 - and with peg 1 not being drawn the pressure was on. With the week being quite mild hopes were high on the lake fishing better than of late. Well Spring has definitely not sprung yet - it was yet another windy day and when it started raining later it got cold. With the warmer week I also thought it might be time to give meat a try - it soon became clear it was the wrong bait. Thankfully I had grabbed some bits from the freezer so had a few dead maggots. After 90 minutes and trying long pole (well 7 sections due to the wind), feeder and margins it was getting desperate. Mark then had a carp and finally the lake seemed to start to wake up and I finally had a fish in the net. The fish were very much in the shallows and it was a couple of hours in before they started moving up the lake. I ended with a dozen or so F1s and carp for 46lb. Working up the lake everyone toughed it out to the end but it was hard work for most with just the odd fish showing in the deeper water - roll on Summer! 1st Gary Pickard 46lbs 12oz, 2nd Mark Halverson 10lbs 11oz and 3rd Jeff Pearson 8lbs 11oz. Photo today is looking up the lake from Peg 2.

Wednesday Club

Beggars Hall

N/A

1st Jeff Pearson 50lbs 2nd Peter Green 14lbs 4oz 3rd Ray Gibson 13lbs 5oz 4th Terry Moranda 12lb 4oz

Phils day Hi all, fished the Weds club match at Beggars Hall - a change of venue as the River has been fishing so badly of late. When I loaded the car it was a spring like morning and a dry forecast for the day so I was going to enjoy my day fish or not. I drew my peg 19 not a good peg it blanked last time out but today was going to be different, the weather was very difficult with a very stiff wind blowing its wind chill was about 5 degree's and wind in the face. I fed two lines for the pole but with not much hope of any presentation didn't think it was worth spending much time on the pole, so spent most of my time on the feeder on double red maggot with a small cage feeder. Had my first carp at about 11 ish I never had another bite till half two and lost it on the retrieve ended the day with 5lbs 2oz. First Jeff Pearson and golden peg winner with 50lbs (net limit) , 2nd was Peter Green with 14lbs 4oz, 3rd Ray Gibson with 13lbs 5oz and 4th Terry Moranda with 12lb 4oz. Well done to all the anglers, pic is Terry Moranda peg 20 the flyer peg,

Club match

Beggars Hall

N/A

1st Mark Halverson 73lbs 8oz 2nd Gary Pickard 35lbs 2oz 3rd Phil Whitmill 32lbs 9oz

Gary's day Well not quite the warm spring day I was hoping for but at least it was dry for change. With bowling and other club match clashes it was a smaller turn out than usual so we could cherry pick the best pegs - every one a flyer (on its day). Mark exercised his golden draw bag arm and pulled out on form Peg 10 so we all had him in our sights. It was going to be a simple day - out and out feeder/bomb fishing as there was a gusty and pretty cold wind making it feel more like January than March. I got off to a good start with 3 decent carp in the first 90 minutes on a hybrid feeder but then it went quiet in my swim. A couple of quick carp on a cage feeder around 12:30 and that was my lot - not a sign again. It was becoming clear where all the carp were as Mark's peg kicked into life and he made no mistake in making the most of it. Phil also had a few decent carp and Tony's swim finally came good in the dying minutes with a consolation last gasp carp of just under 10lbs. 1st Mark Halverson 73lbs 8oz, 2nd Gary Pickard 35lbs 2oz and 3rd Phil Whitmill 32lbs 9oz Photo today is Peg 17.

Inter-club (Abbey Cross)

Hall Farm Large Lake

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Abbey Cross won with 73 points to Bishop's Stortford's 57 points 1st Bob Warmsly 22lbs 1oz 2nd Tony Cruci 17lbs 4oz 3rd Alan Fox 14lbs 5oz 4th Alan Sims 10lbs 3oz 5th Tony Parker 5lb 6oz

Phil's day Hi all, Bishop Stortford Weds club fished the inter-club match with Abbey Cross at our home water at Hall Farm. It was a very miserable, wet day and the lake banks were like a swamp in most places so everything had to be dried out and scrubbed clean of mud afterwards. Well that was the good part of my day needless to say I blanked - hero one week zero the next, but the lake fished better the I thought it would for most with only 3 blanks in total - I was expecting more. The 3 hot spots all did well the 4th hot spot only had 1 oz but then that peg 2 can be like that. Well done to all who persevered, first place went to Bob Warmsly with 22lbs 1oz, 2nd was Tony Cruci with 17lbs 4oz, 3rd was Alan Fox with 14lbs 5oz, 4th Alan Sims with 10lbs 3oz and 5th Tony Parker with 5lb 6oz. Cover pic is my peg. Abbey Cross won with 73 points to Bishop's Stortford's 57 points

Club match

River Stort (Abbey Cross bank)

Stort Cup (2 of 2)

Match abandoned due to lack of fish and far too many canoes Cup winners Phil Whitmill and Jeff Pearson (4oz and 1 1/2 points from round 1)

Gary's day After the 1st round hopes were not high for today's match but 7 hardy (foolish?) souls arrived to try our best. Out of the draw bag came peg 17 for me - smack in the middle of the length so hopefully no sprint start practice groups today! Famous last words. I started feeding very carefully with a little bread crumb and fishing punch in ever decreasing sizes - when I hit 3mm without a sign of a bite things were not looking good. After an hour and a bit of nothing a very nice lady paddled down the River to let us all know they were about to hold a canoe race - my heart sank as the words sunk in. At that point there was quite a lot of walking along the bank and it became clear noone had had any signs of fish in the first 90 minutes. As the race got under way and canoes came past we decided to call it a day - match abandoned. Well done to Phil and Jeff who took joint 1st based on the first leg. Today's photo - Peg 17 fishy looking but no fish

Wednesday Club

Beggars Hall

N/A

1st Phil Whitmill 55lbs 10oz 2nd Terry Moranda 21lbs 10oz 3rd Tony Parker 8lbs 3 oz 4th Stephen Foster 6lbs 2oz

Phil's day Good morning to all, the Club fished the Weds match at Beggars Hall. The weather has promised to be dry for a change but very blustery and it was quite cold in the wind. I drew peg 10, this peg for some reason has produced some good weights in the last 3 matches so I had high hopes of at least 2 to 3 good carp. Started off making only one pole line and spent most of the time on the feeder to the island. I set up the pole line for pellet and red maggots and the feeder was a small cage feeder with corn and red maggots with a bit of micro pellets. At around 10.30 got my first carp of about 5lb on my feeder line then every 40 or 50 minutes would get another one around the 8 to 10 lb mark. Tried the pole on the odd occasions when the wind dropped but nothing so back to a method feeder. Ended my day with 7 or 8 carp for 55lbs 10 oz for a lake win 1st Phil Whitmill 55lbs 10oz, 2nd Terry Moranda with 21lbs 10oz, 3rd Tony Parker with 8lbs 3 oz and 4th Stephen Foster with 6lbs 2oz. Well done to all for braving that weather. Cover pick Peter Green from peg 9 looking down the lake

Club match

Home Farm Small Lake

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1st Fred Hunt 18lbs 5oz 2nd Gary Pickard 6lbs 8oz 3rd Phil Whitmill 3lbs 3oz

Gary's day It was a wild and wind swept day at Home Farm. At the draw bag it was deja vue all over again as I pulled out peg 7 which was peg 6 in the last match and peg 8 before that one - 3 times in a row for me. That made setting up very simple as I pulled out my rig from the last time. The wind picked up quickly and I had to retreat back from 7 to 6 sections of pole. It was a frustrating day for me with only 1 out of 4 carp hooked ending in the net with the others coming off. The lake fished harder than expected but at least the roach were feeding so we all had a few bites. 1st Fred Hunt who had a steady day ending with 5 carp on bread punch for 18lbs 5oz , 2nd Gary Pickard 6lbs 8oz and 3rd Phil Whitmill 3lbs 3oz. The wet and muddy score sheet gives you an idea of awful the weather was. Todays photo has Phil setting up to the right and Jeff hunkering down on the far bank.

Wednesday Club

Hall Farm Large Lake

Winter League

1st Stephen Foster 26lbs 13oz 2nd John Todd 12lbs 1oz 3rd Peter Green 11lbs 15oz 4th Terry Moranda 6 lbs 3oz

Phil's day Hi all, fished the 5th round of our winter league on Hall Farm on Weds. The weather conditions were awful - the wind was relentless and made things very hard. I drew peg 9 not the best place to be this time of the year. It was going to be a feeder rod with the exception of a margin rig on pole. Fished various baits all day but nothing. In a last 20 minute desperate attempt to catch I cast half way across the lake and got one - it was a half decent carp and fought it right to the landing net and lost it so ended my day with my 4th blank of the season. It was a bad day for most with 8 anglers out of 13 blanking. Well done to those that did catch 1st Stephen Foster with 26lbs 13oz, 2nd John Todd with 12lbs 1oz, 3rd Peter Green with 11lbs 15 oz, 4th Terry Moranda with 6 lbs 3 oz 5th Dave Fuller with 1oz. Photo of the day is peg 9 - this was taken before the wind picked up and the waves rolled in.

Club match

Hall Farm Large Lake

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1st John Todd 26lbs 11oz 2nd Mark Halverson 16lbs 9oz 3rd Phil Whitmill 6lbs 14oz 4th Tony Cruci 3lbs 12oz

Gary's day For once the weather forecast was spot on - very windy and rain at 1pm . It was supposed to be 7C but felt a lot colder in the wind. Peg 11 was my home for the day - completely the wrong end of the lake as the cold wind was blowing into this end and it is very deep - 12ft on a top 4. With the depth and strong wind it was going to be a day on the tip. Finally at 11 the tip went round and a chunky F1 was in the net. I thought the fish were finally on the feed, unfortunately that was it though for me and I could not buy another bite. At the other end of the lake things were going a little bit better with John on Peg 2 working his way clear of the pack although Mark on Peg 6 had a couple of late fish. With the wind and rain non-stop since 1pm those of us left agreed to pack up 30 mins early - an early finish is pretty much unheard of so that gives you an idea how cold we were all getting. 1st John Todd 26lbs 11oz, 2nd Mark Halverson 16lbs 9oz, 3rd Phil Whitmill 6lbs 14oz and 4th Tony Cruci 3lbs 12oz. Today's photo has Mark and Jeff having a pre-match chat with Phil with Tony busy setting up.

Wednesday Club

Beggars Hall

N/A

1st Barry Cornel 30lbs 5oz 2nd Peter Green 25lbs 15oz 3rd Tony Cruci 19lbs 1oz 4th Stephen Foster 15lbs 15oz

Phil's day Hi all, the Weds club fished its match of 2022 at Beggars Hall club lake. There were 12 anglers so some not so good pegs went in the draw bag. I drew peg 20, it's been a good peg recently and has produced 20 to 30 lbs in matches. I had two lines: pole line at 11 meters; and feeder line at 20 meters. Started off cupping in a bit of pellet with some red maggots and a golf ball size of groundbait. On the feeder rod I used a very small cage feeder with double red maggot on the hook. I spent the first hour on the feeder with no indications. I then tried the pole and by the second hour I got a nice bream of 4 to 5 lbs so carried on with the pole but nothing so onto the feeder again. I fished this for another hour or so then, out of the blue, I had a take. It was a carp of 7lbs and that was the finish of my day as I didn't get another bite. I weighed in 12lbs 12oz. First and golden peg winner was Barry Cornel with 30lbs 5oz, 2nd Peter Green with 25lbs 15oz, 3rd Tony Cruci with 19lbs 1oz and 4th Stephen Foster with 15lbs 15oz well done to all. Cover pic from a distance is Dave Fuller who had one bream from peg 19.

Club match

River Stort (Abbey Cross bank)

Stort Cup (1 of 2)

Jt 1st Jeff Pearson 0lbs 4oz Jt 1st Phil Whitmill 0lbs 4oz Jt 3rd Fred Hunt 0lbs 2oz Jt 3rd Mark Halverson 0lbs 2oz

Gary's day 8 of us fished today's first leg of the Stort Cup on Abbey Cross's bank of the Stort just below the Backwater's exit (and canoe club - more later) It was a wet start but it was a short walk for me to peg 7 and one of the end pegs - hopes were high. Sadly that is all they remained. The Stort fished very hard despite a bit of colour and some flow. Once the Sunday morning canoeists had finished paddling up and down (and practicing their sprint starts just below me) and the sun broke through the clouds it was a lovely, mild winters day - which was good as I managed to leave my fleece at home. The fish though did not play ball and I ended up in the half of the field that ended biteless and fishless. Well done to those that managed to eak out a few bites. Jeff (the bream whisperer) Pearson managed a small skimmer with the rest of the fish caught being very small roach. Roll on spring. Jt 1st Jeff Pearson and Phil Whitmill 4 oz and Jt 3rd Fred Hunt and Mark Halverson 2 oz