Match results/Events info

Friendly

Hall Farm large lake

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1st Gary Pickard 89lbs 4oz 2nd Rob Calderon 77lbs 15oz 3rd Fred Hunt 36lbs

Gary's day With a few of the regulars otherwise engaged with Easter egg hunts we decided to head to Hall Farm. It was a chilly start but slowly warmed up through the day. With a couple of people on the lake already we decided to go for a walk off and I decided to have a go on peg 24 as 26 (Rob) and 12 (Phil) had already been taken. The plan was the pole long with either hard pellets or expanders and then closer in with luncheon meat. The margins were only a couple of feet deep so seemed a bit shallow for this time of year. I had a steady start on pellets on the long pole in about 7ft of water. Not many bites but each a carp of a couple of pounds or so and the weight was slowly ticking up. Rob was also having a good start on the feeder chucking to the reeds and seemed to be inching ahead. By the mid point I had about 12 carp but the long line was fading. A quick try shallow for the odd cruising carp did not work so time to give the short lines another go. This time the float wobbled and then shot under and another carp was heading to the net. Jeff on 22 was also starting to catch but Phil on 12 was very quiet and I could not see Fred on 13. The second half of the match was steady with carp heading to the net regularly. Rob was also still catching but losing a few in the reeds. The last 30 mins was a nightmare as everything I hooked came off and it looked like I was falling behind Rob. It looked like it was going to be between me and Rob, although the other end of the lake does seem to have some pretty big resident fish. Despite the horrible last 30 mins I had done enough edging out Rob's late flurry of fish. 1st Gary Pickard 89lbs 4oz, 2nd Rob Calderon 77lbs 15 oz and 3rd Fred Hunt 36lbs. And no blanks or DNWs today after a long winter and cold spring. It was not as sunny as the photo of Rob makes it look like.

Club Match / Outing

Beggars Hall

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High bank 1st Rob Calderon 33lbs 15oz 2nd Peter Green 22lbs 5oz 3rd Gary Pickard 19lbs 12oz Low bank 1st Ray Gibson 27lbs 10oz

Rob's day Hi All Beggars Hall this week – and the promise of a moderate breeze turned into a forecast of 40 mph blustery winds on the day. Hopefully after some good weights last Sunday, notably Gary’s 100lb plus, the fish would be in a feeding mood. Conditions were completely different though, and although the pegs up in the bowl and peg 16 were somewhat sheltered, the rest of us had to put up with waves heading down the lake towards the car park bank. Fishing a pellet waggler was out of the question for most. I didn’t really want peg 22 then, on the narrowest part of the lake facing peg 2. Anyway, started on the feeder, also setting up a pole rig for the right hand side around the sunken tree just in case the wind eased off later. After 45 minutes, casting just off the tree, had a pull round and a small for Beggars 3lb carp landed – next hour or so saw two more carp landed, one of around 6lb and one about 8lb. Rumour had it that Ray was on three carp and Peter two, everyone else was struggling. Couple of tries on the pole, when the wind dropped for a few minutes produced nothing so ditched that and concentrated on method feeder. Down to the last 30 minutes and started packing the pole away (always a good tactic for a bite) and had two more carp, the last landed on the whistle, so ended with five carp. Gary had a couple in the last hour, but not sure what was happening on pegs 16 and 17. Youngster Rupert who joined us for the first time drew peg 18 but unfortunately did not catch. Hopefully that didn’t put him off too much and we’ll see him again soon –he caught the lake on an off day and wasn’t alone in blanking. At the weigh in – on the high bank Peter weighed 22lb 5oz for second, Gary’s went 19lb 12oz for third and mine went 33lb 15oz top weight on the bank – and luckily (for me) 22 was also a Golden Peg. On the low bank – only one out of the seven anglers weighed in – Ray had a great result with his carp going 27lb 10oz from peg 5. So Ray, today's photo, took all the pools money with a couple regretting throwing back a few silvers.

Friendly

Beggars Hall

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1st Gary Pickard 116lbs 2nd Phil Whitmill 64lbs 13oz 3rd Mark Halverson 35lbs 11oz

Gary's day It was a trip to a warm and sunny Beggars Hall for us today. Thankfully peg 19 was left out of the draw bag . After drawing it 3 out of the last 4 matches here I wanted somewhere different. Pulling out peg 17 it was going to be a feast or famine day as it has not fished well this winter and has had its fair share of blanks including one for me. Walking to the pegs we could see plenty of carp cruising around and the odd one gobbing at bits on the water which was encouraging. I set up a bit of everything: a feeder/bomb rod; pole rigs for shallow, on the deck and margins; and a pellet waggler. At the whistle I fed the long pole line and pinged a few pellets waiting to see if a carp would swim within pole range. One swam by and promptly grabbed the pellet but it came out the winner after charging off on an unstoppable run - time for a stronger hook length. With the carp looking to be feeding it was time to try the pellet waggler. An hour in and I had 4 carp in the net and was off to a flying start. Mark on 16 was getting liners on the feeder but had just the one carp, although a big fish. It was hard to see what was happening up the other end of the lake but I could see Tony net 1 off peg 18. The middle of the match was slow with just a couple more falling to pellet waggler after casting at passing fish. Mark was also having a slow time but I could see Phil on peg 21 get up for another keepnet. Finally the margins came to life and it turned into a bit of race between a couple of ducks that took a liking to the sweetcorn I was using and the carp. After losing the first couple of fish I got my eye in on picking out the proper bites and I had a great last hour ending up with about 17 carp. Sorry no pictures of the weigh in as the heavens opened right at the end and it was a scramble to get everything packed away. The strong finish really helped add to my weight and I ticked up my first 100lb of the year with 116lbs. Phil also had a busy day weighing in 64lbs 13oz including a couple of good tench with Mark's net of carp coming in at 35lbs 11oz.

Club Match / Outing

Hall Farm Large Lake

Summer League 1 of 6

Low Bank 1st Peter Green 24lbs 4oz 2nd Jeff Pearson 17lbs 11oz 3rd Tony Parker 13lbs 10oz High Bank 1st Rob Calderon 71lbs 7oz 2nd Fred Hunt 42lbs 1oz 3rd Bill Beeston 32lbs 9oz

Rob's day Hi all First round of the summer league today at Hall Farm, although it didn’t feel summery being overcast with a cold wind blowing down the lake. We had 14 on the lake today so 7 each bank with the corner pegs having the best form of late with the middle pegs struggling. Decided to split the 2 banks up for the Summer league points – so winner of both banks getting the full 12 points – seems to be fairer that way as possibly the high bank pegs around 22-26 may dominate this summer – we will do the same at Beggars. I drew 24 not far off the corner but with Fred on 26 next door and on a Golden Peg. Started the match on the feeder and got 2 quick pull rounds for a couple of small F1s then nothing for the next 45 minutes. Fred also seemed to get off to a good start casting to the reeds across. Fed the 10m line from the start with hard 4m pellets so went on this after an hour. Had a couple of missed bites before connecting with a 2lb F1 but bites were far apart and only slight dips on the float. Stayed on this for the next 3 hours and with 2 hours to go had around 25-30lbs. Elsewhere Fred put in a second net (kiss of death) – and had a poor last 1 ½ hours. Wasn’t sure what was being caught to my left – although John Todd on 22 had a couple – on the other bank it seemed to be fishing hard with just a few carp being caught – did see Tony Parker land 3 though on the feeder and Terry one carp and a few roach from pegs 2 and 1. By about 1:30 the sun tried to make an appearance so with it warming up a bit I fed the margins (around 3 foot deep) with groundbait and dead red maggots. Went on this at around 2 and after a couple of roach caught a 3lb carp. Could see the carp coming in and out of the peg but they were cautious and bites were just small dips again but eventually they seemed to move in and I had a good last 45 mins landing around 8 more carp – some a good size. Ended up with 71lbs Fred weighed in 42lbs for second on the High Bank with Bill third with 32lbs 9oz from his favoured peg 20. (Shortly before drawing Bill did say if he drew peg 20 he’s going home!) On the Low Bank Peter was top weight with 24lbs 4oz from peg 6, Jeff second with 17lbs 11oz and Tony Parker 13lbs 10oz with his 3 carp. Hopefully as the weather warms the carp will start feeding all round the lake.

Friendly

Hall Farm Large Lake

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Low bank 1st Phil Whitmill 42lbs 11oz 2nd Mark Halverson 38lbs 9oz High bank 1st John Carter 55lbs 13oz 2nd Gary Pickard 15lbs 6oz

Gary's day It was a busy Sunday at Hall Farm's large lake with the good weather encouraging 10 of us to try and catch a few fish. With us split over the 2 banks I found myself on peg 22 in the middle of the high bank. With lots of carp and F1s cruising around on the surface as we were setting up it looked like we should have a good day. Starting long on the pole on hard pellets gave me a great start with a bite and a carp in the net in the first 10 minutes. An hour later and it was still the one bite. Mark opposite on peg 2, which is one the best pegs on the lake, was also fishless. The only peaon who seemed to be catching was Phil in the far corner on peg 12. A try on the feeder did not get me any signs. A go on a pellet waggler casting towards the odd cruising fish that came into range was also biteless. Halfway through Rob and Fred to my left were carpless and only had a few silvers. Mark had finally had a carp but was now reduced to trying for silvers. Thankfully I caved at the tackle shop on Saturday and bought a pint of maggots. I was finally getting bites but only from small rudd. A change to a shorter line I had been feeding a few maggots on was slow but the float then shot under and I was into my best fish of the day with a carp of about 5lbs. After that the peg filled with small rudd and roach and just 1 more F1 followed amongst the silvers. Phil was still catching and by the end everyone seemed to have at least 1 carp with Mark catching another 5 with a couple of lumps. John Carter on peg 26 had been very quiet all day and, given the number of carp cruising around in the shallower water there, must have been busy. It was a frustrating day with lots of fish showing at last but just not feeding as they seem to be gearing up for spawning. Low bank 1st Phil Whitmill 42lbs 11oz and 2nd Mark Halverson 38lbs 9oz. High bank 1st John Carter 55lbs 13oz and 2nd Gary Pickard 15lbs 6oz. Picture today is John C.

BSDAS AGM

Great Hadham Golf Club

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Interclub (Abbey Cross)

Hunter's Hall (Abbey Cross water)

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Abbey Cross won with 63 points to Bishop's Stortford's 32 1st Martin Adams 29lbs 5oz 2nd Rob Calderon 10lbs 5oz 3rd John Todd 3lbs 12oz 4th Tony Parker 3lbs 8oz

Rob's day Hi to all Today we had an interclub match with Abbey Cross at their Hunter's Hall lake near Epping Green. It promised to be a warm sunny day with a fresh breeze blowing towards the car park end. We had a turnout of 7 today with Abbey Cross fielding 8 so one of their weights were discarded. At the draw I was left with peg 17 – apparently 15 and 16 doing the damage on the last match with, I was told, the angler on 17 going home early. You can never believe anything a fisherman says though and at least I was in the right area. Pegs 15-17 are set out a way in the lake on pontoons, so the water is fairly deep close in – about 8 foot at 11 meters. I started the match at this length on expanders feeding micros and groundbait. After about 30 minutes got the first bite, a bream around 3lb – then a couple more. After an hour I was on 3 fish, John on peg 15 also landing one bream but nothing from Martin next to me on 16. That’s when it all changed – another bite resulted in a bumped fish and they seemed to disappear. Martin then caught a couple on the feeder – then switched to the pole and caught steadily till the end. Tried the pole at 13m – also short on a variety of baits, also the tip in the middle, but couldn’t get any more bites. Definitely fished better on my bank, with Tony also getting one bream, couldn’t see much being caught on the other bank, just the odd fish, or one or two small roach. So the match ended with Martin a runaway winner with 29lbs 5oz, myself second with 10lbs 5oz, John Todd third with 3lbs 12oz and Tony Parker 4th 3lbs 8oz Abbey Cross ran out easy winners 63 points to 32 – thanks to them for hosting us and running the match. Photo today is Tony, Steve and Ray preparing for the match – thought I would show something different for the picture today, nothing to do with forgetting to take any fishy photos.

Friendly

Wickham Hall

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1st Rob Calderon 8lbs 5oz 2nd Mark Halverson 7lbs 9oz

Gary's day Today's match saw us back at Wickham Hall hoping the fish had decided to start feeding after a long winter. Again we did a rover and I decided to sit on peg 6 as it was sheltered from the surprisingly cold wind. It made a huge difference as I spent the day in just a sweatshirt whilst Rob, facing the wind on peg 11, was tucked up in coat and hat. The plan was 2 swims: a longer line with cage or method feeder in a count of about 10 (pretty deep); and a pole line at around 9m which was a top 3 deep (about 10 feet). An hour in and none of us had had a sign when Rob finally had a carp over on peg 11. In my swim a try on the pole produced no signs even from the hordes of small rudd in the lake. About 11.30 Mark's swim over on peg 1 suddenly kicked into life and he had 2 bream and a hybrid of about 2lbs in a 30 mins spell. Over on our bank neither Phil, Tony nor I had still not seen any signs of a bite. About halfway through I spotted a couple of small carp sunning themselves in the corner to my right. 20 metres upwind of course. The feeder was out of the question as it was full of weed on the bottom. A shallow waggler would just about work so I set up a rod and had a go for them. Casting was hard work needing me to wait for the wind to calm before I could get near the fish. Sadly my one chance ended carp 1 Gary 0. Despite getting it out of the weed a couple of times my luck did not hold. And that was it for my day. Our bank ended fishless with neither Phil nor Tony getting a bite. We all thought Mark had this one but we had not spotted Rob sneak in another carp. It would be close. Well it was a quick weigh in today with just Rob and Mark catching. Rob's second sneaky carp was enough to push Mark into second. 1st Rob Calderon 8lbs 5oz and 2nd Mark Halverson 7lbs 9oz. Today's picture is Mark with his couple of bream and a good sized hybrid.

Water booking

Hall Farm Small Lake

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Club Match / Outing

Malcolm Barker Lake

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1st Peter Green 21lbs 15oz 2nd Steve Foster 3lbs 4oz 3rd John Carter 3lbs 3oz 4th Phil Whitmill 8oz

Rob's day Hi All It was Malcom Barker Lake today coming into some spring weather so hopefully the fishing around the Club's lakes will steadily improve. Eleven on the match today looking to see a few bream and tench come out. I wasn’t 100% today having spent the best part of the last two days in bed with a nasty cold so, with that in mind, decided just to fish rods today wherever I drew. That was peg 2 (not sure that will go in again as some steep steps) so set up a waggler rod, cage feeder and method feeder rods. Started on the waggler , feeding a couple of balls of groundbait with maggot on the hook. After 45 minutes the float dipped and I missed the bite. Unfortunately for me that was the only bite of the day – tried maggot, corn, pellet and wafters on all lines for nothing. There were several carp cruising around the lily pads but seemed disinterested in feeding – did try for these on a shallow waggler but no response. Even quickly set up a whip to try close in for small roach/perch as it seemed that any weight might do ok today but not a sniff. It was not the same for Peter opposite me though on peg 20 who fished well to catch a steady procession of 6 bream and a tench to win the lake easily with 21lbs 15oz. John Carter managed one tench for 3lbs 3oz from peg 8, Steve Foster, making a welcome return, pipped John for second with a single bream of 3lbs 4oz from peg 15 and Phil completed the frame with 8oz of roach from peg 28. The rest of us blanked. Seems the same pattern at the moment at most places, a few finding the fish and others really struggling. Hopefully, as the water warms, the fish will start to spread out so we can all catch some! Picture is Peter with his well earned catch.

Friendly

Hall Farm Large Lake

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1st Gary Pickard 89lbs 2oz 2nd Phil Whitmill 64lbs 2oz 3rd Mark Halverson 49lbs 1oz

Gary's day Today we decided to try and catch a few fish so headed off to Hall Farm's large lake which seemed our best chance. With Tony's car playing up I was guest match runner today and opted for a roving match so no one could complain about the pegs I put in the bag. We ended pretty well spread around the lake as everyone took a guess at where the fish would be. With second pick I opted for peg 26 which is normally pretty reliable. I set up a few options: a pole rig for on the deck at 10 metres; a shallow pole rig as a few fish were cruising around before the all in; a feeder rod; and a waggler just in case. After way too much feeder fishing this winter I was keen to catch on the pole so started with micros and expanders whilst pinging a few 4mm hard pellets for a swallow swim. I was soon 2 fish down as Phil on peg 1 got off to a flying start. Finally I had a bite after about 40 mins and a small mirror carp was in the net. 1 more carp and then a bumped fish killed this swim so time to try a feeder. There were worryingly few signs despite fish topping over near the reeds and it was a few casts before I had a bite. One more carp on the next cast followed then it went quiet. John Carter to my left was also now getting bites on the pole and Phil was still getting the odd fish. All this time the temperature was slowly dropping and the the first of a number of rain showers arrived and the cruising fish disappeared. I changed the shallow rig to another deck rig for hard pellets which was the change I needed. After that the peg started getting stronger as the day went along. Phil was still catching well but I was catching up and the fish size was getting better with them now being more 3lbs than 2lbs. John was still getting the odd fish (including a couple of skimmers) and I could see Peter on peg 8 had a couple but it looked like it was between me and Phil unless Mark in the far corner on peg 13 and well out of sight was catching. Despite the rain I had a great day with plenty of bites which helped after over 10 hours for 6 bites before today. The rain stopped just as the whilst blew so it was a thankfully less wet weigh in. Now to see how well Phil had been catching. 1st Gary Pickard 89lbs 2oz, 2nd Phil Whitmill 64lbs 2oz and 3rd Mark Halverson 49lbs 1oz with everyone catching a few. Picture today is John Carter near side and Phil over on the other side at the sunny start of the day.

Club Match / Outing

Beggars Hall

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Low bank 1st Ray Gibson 8lbs 10oz 2nd John Carter 1lb 11oz High bank 1st Tony Heath 9lbs 9oz 2nd Gary Pickard 3oz 3rd Fred Hunt 2oz

Rob's day Hi All It was Beggars Hall this morning on what promised to be a warm and sunny day with little wind, so maybe the fish would have a feed today – or maybe not. A good turnout of 13 today so 6 on the low bank and 7 on the high bank. I drew peg 17, normally one of the best pegs but how everywhere seems to fishing at present who knows. Set up a couple of feeder rods and two pole rigs for just off the margins in 4 foot of water. In the five hours I had one line bite – the only action was the geese which seemed to be getting a bit excited. Plenty of fishing cruising around in groups of 4 or 5 but not interested in feeding. Peter next to me on 16 also blanked – losing one fish possible foul hooked or lassoed. On the low bank only 2 weighed in – John Carter with maybe one of the smallest carp in the lake – 1lb 11oz and Ray with one carp of 8lbs 10oz to win the bank – he also lost a larger fish. Same story on the high bank with the exception of Tony Heath on peg 18 with 2 carp for 9lbs 9oz and the top weight on the day – well done Tony on his first BS match of the year. Second and Third on the bank went to ounces with Gary's 3 oz roach beating Fred's sole perch although Fred had the consolation of winning the Golden Peg with a double default with a very generous 2oz. I said fishing would get better soon!! – maybe next Wednesday at Malcolm Barkers! Picture is Tony with his winning catch.

Winter League results

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2024/2025 Winter League results 1st Phil Whitmill 48 points 2nd John Carter 47 points 3rd Jeff Pearson 42 points 4th Rob Calderon 32 points

Going into the last round there were 3 in contention after a grueller of a day at Malcolm Barker in the penultimate round killed the hopes of others. Sneaking it with 1 point after a win on the last round on the Backwater Phil takes home the honours this winter with John Carter taking second, Jeff Pearson third and Rob Calderon fourth. Well done to all for toughing it out in a harsh and not very fish filled winter season. Picture is Phil with the catch that secured his win.

Club Match / Outing

River Stort Backwater

Winter League - 6 of 6

1st Phil Whitmill 5lbs 8oz 2nd John Todd 3lbs 6oz 3rd John Carter 10oz

Rob's day Hi all So Wednesday we fished the Final Round of the Winter League on the Stort Backwater. Eight on the match today so a bit spread out – the river had some flow but was clear as we have not had too much rain lately. Weather overcast with the promise of some showers and also sunny spells. Had to talk about the weather as struggling to mention anything of note regarding the fishing! I drew peg 10 – about 8 foot deep in the middle shallowing off towards the boat. Started off on bread punch for the first 30 minutes without a bite before trying pinkies then maggots. Back to punch for my only bite and a one ounce roach. To my left Jeff, John and Fred were having pike trouble – as was Tony apparently. No signs of fish at my swim – looked completely dead, not even a pike. Starting the weigh in with Phil at peg 18 it looked a different river with fish topping in peg 17 - Phil and John Todd having bites all day. Phil weighed in a good 5lbs 8oz including some nice perch for an easy win. John had as many fish but smaller for 3lbs 6oz and second. John Carter came 3rd with a hard earned 10oz. Picture is Phil with his catch.

Club Match / Outing

Hall Farm Large Lake

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1st Gary Pickard 54lbs 11oz 2nd Mark Halverson 42lbs 7oz 3rd Phil Whitmill 8lbs 3oz

Gary's day Today was the last match of the season which saw us at a sunny and warm Hall Farm. With a few warmer nights beforehand hopefully the fish would be feeding. Out of the bag came peg 2 for me, a great draw with the weather warming up. The plan was going to be starting on micros and expander on the pole and building up a couple of maggot swims for later. As well as a couple of pole rigs I also dusted off a waggler rod in case the carp and F1s wanted to come shallow out of pole range. A few fishing topping before the all in suggested they might come shallow. It was a steady start with a small F1 in the net in the first 15 mins getting me off the mark. I had a couple more F1s then the expander swim went a bit funny as I lost a couple of fish on the trot. At this stage not a lot was happening elsewhere in the lake with only Phil on peg 6 seeming to have caught. A try on the waggler got me bite straight away but only a small rudd and then a couple more rudd before they disappeared. A try back on the expander line did not work and my other pole line that I had fed with maggots was also full of rudd. Before I knew it we were a couple of hours in and I was stuck catching rudd. A try back on the expander line produced a couple more F1s but it was slow going. Fred to my right was having a nightmare having just lost a big carp whilst trying to get a bite from anything. At the far end on peg 12 Mark was on 4 carp and I suspected they were bigger than my F1s. A quick try on the method feeder whilst I had something to eat produced a decent carp but it was just the one bite. There were now quite a few carp cruising on the top - on the other side of the lake of course and showing no interest in the odd maggot I catapulted towards them. Upping the feed on the pole maggot swim only produced more rudd so it was the expander swim or nothing. When that produced a rudd on the next try and then nothing things were not looking good. I then added a pole section to go to about 10m and that did the trick. Not quick but the bites were carp or F1. I reckoned I had about 50lbs so it would be close if Mark had kept catching. The late flurry of fish was going to be vital as Mark had been catching a few more. 1st Gary Pickard 54lbs 11oz, 2nd Mark Halverson 42lbs 7oz with 10 carp and 3rd Phil Whitmill 8lbs 3oz with a couple of carp just beating Tony by 3oz. Picture today is me with a few of the obliging F1s.

Interclub (Abbey Cross)

Hall Farm Large Lake

Interclub match

Bishop's Stortford won the match with 75 points to Abbey Cross’s 52 Low bank 1st Peter Green 22lbs 3oz 2nd Phil Whitmill 16lbs 4oz 3rd John Carter 6lbs 7oz High bank 1st Tony Cruci 15lbs 7oz 2nd Rob Calderon 10lbs 15oz 3rd Bob Fox 6lbs 2oz

Rob's day Hi all – today was an Interclub match with Abbey Cross at our Hall Farm venue. Bit chilly to start but a promise of temperatures into double figures and no rain with little wind. But who knows how it was going to fish as it seems that all venues are struggling at present. We had 8 a side so nice and symmetrical with equal number of anglers both banks. With all the low numbers taken, I drew peg 23 – usually pretty good but was expecting a slow start. One bite of the hybrid feeder with maggots brought a 3 lb carp but no more. Tony on 26 already had one and Peter over on peg 1 after a quiet start looked to have caught 3 early carp on the pole. Tried as I could on the pole long and short on different baits I could not get a touch. Everyone else around me was also struggling although Bob Fox on 25 landed a decent carp on the pole from the margins. So that looked to be it – I packed away the pole and all the bits and bobs in readiness for the weigh in – clock on 14:29 picked up the whistle and the rod went round!! – carp around 6-7lb. So weighed in 10lbs 15oz for second on the high bank to Tony's 15lbs 7oz with Bob's one carp weighing 6lbs 2oz for third. On the low bank the end pegs were best with Peter’s 4 carp going 22lbs 3oz – Phil doing well from peg 12 with 16lbs 4oz (and today's picture) for second and John Carter third with 6lbs 7oz. Bishops Stortford won the match with 75 points to Abbey Cross’s 52 – having just one DNW. Many thanks to Martin for weighing in the high bank today. The fishing must get better soon!!!

Club Match / Outing

Beggars Hall

N/A

1st Mark Halverson 41lbs 6oz 2nd Fred Hunt 25lbs 5oz 3rd Rob Calderon 9lbs 5oz

Gary's day Another chilly start with the car reading -4C at the draw but with a warm and dry day forecast. After seeing the Wednesday results a good draw was needed, and that was not peg 19. It was going to be a tough day. It was a very simple plan: feeders of various types towards the middle; and a waggler line with maggots in case the lake had woken up. The water was a lot more coloured than expected but this was likely down to the many Canadian geese on the lake rather than fish movement. It was the expected very slow start at our end of the lake but Mark on 16 and Fred on 10 had much better starts with a carp each almost straightaway. An hour and a half in and there were still no signs at our end of the lake with all 5 of us biteless. Fred had had another carp which he was thinking put him at 20lbs and John on 17 also had a bream. With nothing happening it was time for trying to get a fish of any size and in went a small cage feeder with groundbait and maggot. Finally I had a small bite and a 2oz roach was in the net - blank saved. On the next cast the tip twitch turned into a full wrap around and a carp was on. The little 9ft feeder rod I was using was pushed to its limits but a carp of around 7lb was also in the keepnet. Sadly the brief flurry of excitement was a false dawn and the next 3 hours produced 3 more small roach for me with no signs of any bigger fish. The rest of our end of the lake was having a worse day with only Rob on peg 21 getting any signs with 1 bite and 1 carp. Down the other end it was strangely quiet after their good start until peg 16 came to life in the last 30 mins. It was clear that the winner was going to be coming from the other end of the lake today but would it be Fred or Mark? 1st Mark Halverson 41lbs 6oz with 6 carp with 5 coming in the last half hour, 2nd Fred Hunt 25lbs 5oz with 3 carp and 3rd Rob Calderon 9lbs 5oz with 1 carp beating John's bream and tench.

Club Match / Outing

Beggars Hall

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High bank 1st Tony Cruci 15lbs 13oz 2nd Fred Hunt 8lbs 13oz Low Bank 1st Peter Green 31lbs 3oz 2nd Jeff Pearson 9lbs 5oz

Rob's day The Wednesday club were back at Beggar's Hall today with the promise of heavy rain throughout the day. With 10 anglers we had 5 on each bank. I drew peg 20, end peg of the 5 but that’s where the good news ended. With at least the rain holding off until we started, I went out on bomb and bread. John Carter next door lost an early fish, but sadly that was the last action he had. I tried all combinations, bread, corn on the bomb, method feeder with wafter, maggots etc for not an indication. Fred on 18 then had a carp after getting a few pulls which was also to be his last bite. The day was getting colder with the rain continuing and a nasty wind coming down the lake – the only entertainment was seeing Bill over on peg 5 grapple with his brolly which turned inside out with one large gust. With around 45 minutes to go the rain mostly stopped and the wind dropped – all of a sudden a different day! I had set the pole up and seeing Jeff on peg 3 land one carp from the margins, went out by the reeds with maggot on the hook. Immediately the float dipped and a few seconds later a 5lb carp landed. One more bite missed and that was it. Very few fish caught today – on my bank Fred's one fish, Phil had a carp and a bream and Tony on 16 one good carp of 15lb 13oz enough to win the bank. It was equally hard on the low bank although Peter did well from peg 10 with 3 carp for 31lbs 3oz for top weight on the day. Bill had one carp, John Todd one roach, and Jeff the one fish. Picture is Tony with his carp.

Water booking

Hall Farm Small Lake

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Club Match / Outing

River Stort Backwater

Stort Cup - 2 of 2

1st Mark Halverson 5lbs 5oz 2nd John Todd 3lbs 13oz 3rd Phil Whitmill 3lbs 1oz Winner of the Stort Cup was Mark on weight with Mark and John both having 4 points.

Gary's day Today was a trip back to the Stort's Backwater and another stormy but mild day was forecast. Out of the bag came peg 16 for me. With everyone having a bit of room and only the better pegs in the bag we all had a chance today. With not a lot of colour but some flow it was the usual approach for me of breadpunch to get some bites and then hopefully a couple of perch near any cover. With most of the depth in my swim being my side I tried a short line down the bank and one over by the boats with worm for the perch. It was a slow start with a few roach on breadpunch but not very big ones before it faded. A try by the boats on worm gave me a few odd bites I could not hit. The mangled worms revealed the culprits - crayfish. A try on the inside was marginally better with a small perch followed by a 6oz pike. Then nothing more. Back to the punch line and a sail away bite on the drop led to solid resistance on the strike before it moved. A couple of minutes later pike 2 of about 2lbs was in the net and another walk to peg 18 to release it well away from my peg. And so it continued. A try on worm on the inside found another pike of about 3lbs and then a struggle for a bite. Another pike on maggot down the middle and then more hunting for a bite. Mark on peg 14 was also having some pike issues but also getting some decent roach and the odd perch. With Phil on peg 12 (again) also getting a few good roach. The last couple of hours was a real struggle with micro roach plaguing the punch line and only the odd fish worth catching coming to pinkies fished hard along the edge of the boats where the fish must have felt a bit safer. With us spread out down the river it was going to be tricky working out how everyone had done. 1st Mark Halverson 5lbs 5oz with a couple of good perch boosting his weight, 2nd John Todd 3lbs 13oz and 3rd Phil Whitmill 3lbs 1oz. Winner of the Stort Cup was Mark on weight with Mark and John both having 4 points.

Club Match / Outing

Malcolm Barker Lake

Winter League - 5 of 6

1st Jeff Pearson 9lbs 1oz 2nf Phil Whitmill 8lbs 13oz 3rd John Carter 3lbs 1oz

Rob's day The Wednesday Club had our 5th round of the Winter League at Malcolm Barker Lake today. Not much wind and no rain but still pretty cold with temperatures around 2 or 3 Centigrade at best. The lake looked like any other gravel pit in winter – pretty dead – but who knows. I drew 27 on the car park bank next to Gary on 29. Try as I could on the pole long and short with various maggots/pinkies etc could not get a bite – seemed that the all the small fish were refusing to feed. Over on the right hand bank on 17 Phil had some action landing two good bream in quick succession and apparently losing a bigger one. As the day went on it looked like Phil would be the only one to catch and take all the pools money, but then Jeff came good landing three similar sized tench on the waggler. Then John Carter on peg 3 caught a 3lb bream on the feeder – and that was it with 8 blanks around the lake. At the weigh in Phil recorded 8lb 13oz just pipped by Jeff on 9lb 1oz (also on the golden peg) John only other to weigh in with 3lb 1oz Looking forward to going somewhere with a few bites, but that’s winter fishing – roll on spring. Picture today is Jeff's winning bag of 3 peas in a pod tench.

Club Match / Outing

Beggars Hall

N/A

1st Gary Pickard 43lbs 2oz 2nd Mark Halverson 29lbs 3oz 3rd Phil Whitmill 9lbs 9oz

Gary's day Today was Beggars Hall. After a cooler week and some cold rain the day before expectations of a bite filled day were low. At least we were going to be dry if a little cold. At the draw out came peg 16 and I had a chance as the peg was still fishing well although other usually good pegs are not at the moment. Before the all in we had an unexpected catch. There was a long length of line trailing in the water near peg 18 and, on giving it a pull to remove it, up popped Phil's rod and reel that took a trip into the deeps a couple of weeks back. Back to the fishing and it was a slow start for me although Rob on peg 17 was getting liners from the off. Unknown to us Mark on peg 20 had gotten off to a flyer with a carp on the first cast and another shortly after. About 45 mins in I started to get some liners and then the feeder rod tip went round and a very carefully played carp was in the net. Blank saved. Rob then had a carp and we were suddenly expecting a good days fishing. Another hour later the good days fishing was fizzling out with even the odd liner disappearing. A change to a bomb and meat brought another bite and a carp; a feisty mirror that thought it was a lot bigger than its 5lbs or so. And then nothing. A change to a cage feeder and maggot snuck another biite and carp after I spotted a couple of small bubbles break surface in the open water. Then another hour of waiting for a bite but this one came off right at the net. At this point there was a flurry of activity on the lake with Mark and Phil also getting a carp. The last 2 hours produced 2 more bites and 2 more carp. Rob had had a very quiet 4 hours since the early carp and it looked like it was between me and Mark. With Mark looking like he had also had 5 carp it was all going to be down to average size. 1st Gary Pickard 43lbs 2oz, 2nd Mark Halverson 29lbs 3oz and 3rd Phil Whitmill 9lbs 9oz. Photo today is Mark, Phil and Fred rescuing Phil's rod.

Club Match / Outing

Hall Farm Large lake

Winter League 4 of 6

Low bank 1st Phil Whitmill 14lbs 9oz 2nd Ray Gibson 11lbs 13oz High bank 1st Rob Calderon 62lbs 5oz 2nd John Carter 22lbs 14oz

Rob's day The rearranged fourth round of the Winter League today was at Hall Farm's large lake. A bit chilly but with no rain forecast and little wind should be a comfortable day, although the lake looked very clear, so maybe a swim with some cover would be good. With 6 on the Low Bank and 5 on the High, I was last to draw with 26 left in the bag! Plenty of features with the reeds across. I set up a couple of pole rigs but didn’t expect the carp to come close, so started on the method feeder with wafters. No indications in the first half hour although John Todd on peg 2 looked to have hooked a good carp on the pole early on. A change to maggots on the hook made a difference and I started to get bites, some pull rounds but also small knocks which turned into well hooked carp although on the small size. Not complaining though as, apart from John Carter next door on 24 netting a couple (including one around 10lb), the rest of the lake seemed to be fishing hard. After 2 hours I was on 10 carp but things then slowed down with the odd carp for the next couple of hours. Nothing on the pole lines, so ditched these and concentrated on the feeder. The last hour brought a few more casting tight to the reeds and ending on about 17-18 carp for 62lbs 5oz and top weight. John Carter ended second on 25lbs 14oz and the rest of the high bank had 2 carp each. It fished difficult on the low bank with Phil doing well to weigh 14lbs 9oz from peg 12 with Ray and John Todd getting into double figures. Photo is John Carter with his catch from peg 24.

Club Match / Outing

Home Farm small lake

N/A

1st Rob Calderon 51lbs 5oz 2nd Phil Whitmill 19lbs 14oz 3rd Gary Pickard 8lbs 10oz

Gary's day Sunday's trip to Home Farm's small lake was a lot warmer than last weekend but a day of heavy rain beforehand could make things tricky as this is a shallow lake which can cool down quickly. Out of the bag came peg 6 for me, the same as last time so set up was quick. With us well spread around the lake we all had a good chance as long as the carp were near you and feeding. It was the usual slow start but after not getting any signs even from roach after 30 mins fishing maggots the doubts started. Fred then across from me on peg 5 started to get the odd bite and then struck into a decent carp on his roach rig. And then Rob on peg 8 caught a carp. In fact he had it landed before Fred had his landed. Finally, my float went under but it was a brief battle as it was foul hooked and quickly shed the hook. There was another flurry on the lake about 30 mins later when we all seemed to get a carp about the same time and I was off the mark. At this stage Rob and Phil (on peg 1) were neck and neck. And it stayed this way until midday as the rest of us could only watch them catching fish. By the half way mark they were each admitting to about 5 carp. All this time my float was staying motionless. A quick try on a method feeder whilst I had a hot drink had a liner but no bites. Around 12 I started to get a few bites from roach up to 6oz or so. Some action at last but I needed carp. As the afternoon wore on Tiinu had a couple of carp and lost one when it went through a branch that had fallen in the lake. Rob was having a steady day but Phil's swim looked to be fading. For me the roach never turned into carp and I was 1 carp down on Tony and Fred's carp was much bigger. Although Rob looked to have things sown up Phil had also been catching steadily - the rest of us were battling for 3rd. 1st Rob Calderon 51lbs 5oz, 2nd Phil Whitmill 19lbs 14oz and 3rd Gary Pickard 8lbs 10oz. Photo today is Tony on a very damp peg 3.

Interclub (Abbey Cross)

Taylor Lake (Abbey Cross water)

N/A

Bishop Stortford won the match 23 points to Abbey Cross' 7 Top Lake 1st Ray Gibson 57lbs 15oz 2nd Richard Beeston 15lbs 5oz 3rd Rob Calderon 13lbs 13oz Car Park Lake 1st John Todd 3lbs and that was it on this lake

Rob's day Hi all The Wednesday club fished an interclub match with Abbey Cross today at their Taylor's Lake. They decided as there were around 15 of us to use both lakes so as to pick the better swims in both (that was the thinking!. With a light frost it was always going to be difficult for most. 8 were on the Top Lake and 7 on the Car Park Lake. I drew peg 35 on the Top Lake in a good area with Bill (fishing for Abbey Cross) to the right and Ray further along in peg 37. A predictable slow start on the pole with maggots at 13 meters, it soon became obvious a lot of fish were holed up in the corner near Ray (despite a sheet of ice covering that area). After a couple of skimmers, Ray landed F1 after F1 – we lost count after 13. A couple of hours in, I had my first bite and netted a 2lb F1 followed half an hour later by another over 4lb. Meanwhile Richard across in peg 43 (despite throwing his pole in the lake while plumbing up and had to get his Dad’s help to retrieve it!), started to get a few F1s and Bill also landing one. In desperation I had a quick go on the method feeder and got a surprise pull round for another F1 and a drop back for a skimmer and that was it for me. Richard had a couple more to end in second place on the Top Lake with 15lb. I weighed 13lbs 13oz for third on the lake pipping Bill by 3oz despite Bill having 2 or 3 more on the waggler. Ray had a well-deserved win with a fine winter weight of 57lbs 15oz. On the Car Park Lake thing were even harder – only John Todd catching anything to win the lake and all the pools with 3lbs Bishop Stortford won the match 23 points to 7 – thanks to Alan Sims and Abbey Cross for hosting the match. Top Lake 1st Ray Gibson 57lbs 15oz, 2nd Richard Beeston 15lbs 5oz and 3rd Rob Calderon 13lbs 13oz. Car Park Lake 1st John Todd 3lbs Picture is the aerator in Phil's peg which was not as fishy as it looked.

Club Match / Outing

River Stort Backwater

Stort Cup - 1 of 2

1st Gary Pickard 5lbs 4oz 2nd John Todd 1lbs 15oz Jt 3rd Mark Halverson 1lbs 13oz Jt 3rd Phil Whitmill 1lbs 13oz

Gary's day It was the Stort Backwater for us today. With colour and flow and being 5c warmer than our visit a couple of weeks back (it was still -3c at the draw) signs looked good for some fish. Out of the draw bag was peg 6 for me. A very short walk and a gap between 2 barges which looked very fishy. It was a lot deeper than I expected so a couple of bits of line needed to be added to the pole rigs: 1 for down the middle and over near the barges; and 1 for perch between the barges. It was a fair gap to Rob on peg 10 so I was not going to know much of what was happening up the river. At the all in a ball of breadcrumb and a couple of groundbait with some rather old pinkies went in. It was a flying start with 4 reasonable roach in the first half dozen runs through. It was never going to last but gave me hopes of a good day out. The very low sun meant it was going to be a good hour before I could try between the barges as I could not see the float for all the glare. A few more roach saw me to the hour mark and time for a first try for perch whilst I rested the breadpunch line. No signs. Back on the punch for a few roach and then time to try for perch again. This time the plan worked and 3 chunky 6oz perch were in the net. Above me Rob was having a nightmare and could not get a bite. The rest of the pegs above were also proving hard work with mostly very small roach and dace being caught. Another go over by the boats found 1 more perch but the increased activity on the boat killed that line off. As the sun swung round and the river was in its full glare the bites slowed down and the last hour was a real struggle with only a handful of bites even on a single pinkie on a size 20 to 0.8. I was guessing I had a bit over 3lbs so it would all be down to whether perch had shown on the upstream pegs. 1st Gary Pickard 5lbs 4oz, 2nd John Todd 1lbs 15oz and joint 3rd Mark Halverson and Phil Whitmill with 1lbs 13oz. Photo today as my view down river at the cold start of the day.

Club Match / Outing

River Stort Backwater

N/A

1st John Todd 3lbs 4oz 2nd Bill Beeston 1lbs 13oz 3rd John Carter 1lbs 10oz

Rob's day Hi All On the Stort Backwater today – touch and go as the weekend rain had put colour and flow into the river. Definitely fishable but was going to be difficult. Pegs up to 14 put in as the water was rushing through 18 the day before. I drew peg 7 which was mainly a trot through on the far bank as shallow and snaggy anywhere else. Really needed a slack but the only calm water was on the left between the boats and close to Terry on peg 8 and also full of branches/twigs so left that. Started on bread punch for nothing so changed to trotting a stick float through with maggots which after about an hour produced one bite – a 4oz roach then nothing. Spent the rest of the match scratching around for bites and ended up with 4 roach for 8oz. Elsewhere the low number pegs struggled but Phil sneaked in a good perch near the end on peg 5 to frame. Upstream to river seemed to fish better with John Todd weighing in a good 3lbs 4oz for an easy win. Bill on 9 and John Carter on 13 also catching a few for 2nd and 3rd with 1lbs 13oz and 1lbs 10oz respectively. Picture is the winning peg 10 – sadly minus John as I only remembered to take photos after everyone had gone home.

Club Match / Outing

Hall Farm Large lake

N/A

1st Tony Cruci 41lbs 8oz 2nd Fred Hunt 39lbs 14oz 3rd Gary Pickard 30lbs 14oz

Gary's day It was a frosty morning start at Hall Farm but the lake being more than half frozen over was a surprise. Thankfully the high bank was clear to about 10 metres all the way along so we decided to fish. Out of the bag came peg 24 for me, an OK peg but 1 away from peg 26 I really wanted. With high winds and rain forecast for midday onwards I decided to try the long pole near the edge of the ice sheet in front of me whilst I could. 45 mins later and no sign of a bite it was time to try a small maggot feeder. A couple of casts in, the tip went round and a carp of about 4lbs was in the net. A couple more casts later it went round again with another carp. At this point Tony on 26 started to get bites. 1 more carp followed but, as the ice sheet melted, the fish backed off. Tony though was still catching near the reeds. Half way through Peter Green popped by and I found out that a few fish were being caught all along the bank with Phil and Rob admitting to 4 carp each. Tony was still catching and I could not get a bite. With the pole packed away before the rain hit it was going to be rod and line only for the second half. Finally, at about 1, I found some fish again and had 4 in quick succession and then they were gone. The last hour was a cold and windy grind with the lake shutting down. A big liner in the last couple of minutes was it for me. I was pretty sure Tony had me beat but the other end of the lake was a mystery. After a very wet end to the match the whistle was welcome and it had fished a lot better than expected with everyone having at least 3 carp/F1s. 1st Tony Cruci with 41lbs 8oz, 2nd Fred Hunt 39lbs 14oz and 3rd Gary Pickard 30lbs 14oz. Today's picture is a very wet but happy looking Tony.

Club Match / Outing

Beggars Hall

N/A

High Bank 1st Tony Cruci 30lbs 15oz 2nd Bill Beeston 15lbs 14oz Low Bank 1st Phil Whitmill 45lbs 14oz 2nd Rob Calderon 44lbs 6oz

Rob's day Hi All Back on Beggars Hall for the Wednesday club with some trepidation due to the results on Sunday where half of us blanked. Bit warmer today so maybe better. Eight fishing today so 4 on each bank – I drew peg 10 which has fished ok in the winter before so hopeful for a couple of bites. First hour had a liner every cast including some pulling the rod right round until an hour and a bit in had a carp around 8lb on popped up bread. Next 3 hours or so still getting liners but some proper bites on the method feeder casting close to the island branches. Elsewhere John Todd and Fred were struggling on Pegs 16 and 17 – John Carter and Terry had one each and apparently Phil was catching a few. Couldn’t see Tony and Bill on 18 and 21. Finished with 6 carp for 44lbs 2oz just behind Phil who did well from peg 4 with 45lbs 14oz. There must have been a few fish at that end of the lake as Tony won the high bank with 30lbs 15oz from peg 21 beating pegs 16, 17 and 18. Photo is from peg 10 looking down the lake to pegs 6 and 5 with Terry hiding behind his brolly. High Bank 1st Tony Cruci 30lbs 15oz and 2nd Bill Beeston 15lbs 14oz. Low Bank 1st Phil Whitmill 45lbs 14oz and 2nd Rob Calderon 44lbs 6oz

Club Match / Outing

Beggars Hall

N/A

1st Mark Halverson 30lbs 7oz 2nd Fred Hunt 14lbs 15oz 3rd Rob Calderon 7lbs 11oz

Gary's day After a bit of reshuffling we ended up at Beggars Hall today. Thankfully the weather had warmed up since last weekend; 2c rather than -7c. With the ice having finally melted on Thursday the water was going to be cold Out of the bag came peg 17 for me and I was pretty happy with this as it is a consistent peg and usually good for a few carp. The day would be simple - just a feeder rod and a bomb rod to set up. A start out on a feeder saw the first hour passing without any signs which was getting worrying. Mark over on peg 16 at the other end of the island was getting plenty of liners but no bites. About 11 Rob on peg 19 and Mark finally had a fish each and it looked like the lake was waking up. About 12 John Todd popped along to say hello to us all and the tip started pulling round. But there was nothing there. A classic liner. But nothing more when I dropyped the feeder back in the same place. Mark was still getting liners and now the occasional proper bite and heading into the last 30 mins had 4 carp in the net, Rob had 1 and the rest of us not a sausage. A bit after 2 I had another massive liner followed by a drop back but nothing was there again. Fred then on peg 18 had a good carp. But that was it for me, my first blank for a long time After a tough day's fishing getting more than 1 bite made all the difference. 1st Mark Halverson 30lbs 7oz, 2nd Fred Hunt 14lbs 15oz and 3rd Rob Calderon 7lbs 11oz. Photo today is Fred with his last gasp carp that took him to 2nd.

Water Booking

River Stort Backwater

Water booking

Hall Farm Large Lake - pegs 1-9 booked

N/A

Club match / outing

River Stort Backwater

N/A

1st Phil Whitmill 5lbs 12oz 2nd Rob Calderon 3lbs 7oz 3rd Bill Beeston 2lbs 3oz

Rob's Day Second match in and again cancelled due to 2 inches of ice covering Hall Farm! A few members of the Wednesday club decided to fish the Backwater. As this is my first write up I just want to thank Phil for all his work over the last few years and helping me take over the duties. Apt then that I drew next to Phil so we could have a chat and I could watch him catch all day! I was on peg 13 – river looked ok with a bit of colour but little flow. Breadpunch caught a few roach but very small, a change to maggots still produced small fish but least getting bites. As the day went on a few better dace and at the end a couple of 4oz roach took me to 3lbs 7 oz but I thought a way off Phil’s catch which included a few decent perch. Elsewhere most had a few bites but with small fish and also some pike trouble. Tony on peg 18 not helped by the fact he decided just to take his feeder gear! 1st Phil Whitmill 5lbs 12oz, 2nd Rob Calderon 3lbs 7oz 3rd Bill Beeston 2lbs 3oz. Photo is Phil with his good catch.

Club Match / Outing

River Stort Backwater

N/A

1st Mark Halverson 2lbs 12oz 2nd Phil Whitmill 2lbs 8oz 3rd Gary Pickard 1lb 7oz

Gary's day After a very cold week all the local lakes were frozen so it was a trip to the Backwater. Even that had a few sheets of ice in slower sections. With a -7c at the draw pulling out peg 14 was welcome as it can be good for a few perch. It was the usual start on bread punch to get a few fish in the net but the bites were very delicate and the fish small. At least though I was getting a few bites and the odd fish. Mark a couple of pegs up was also getting bites and having the same issue with hitting them. After 90 mins or so the bites disappeared and then a big flash near the float revealed why as the first of many pike strikes occurred. 30 seconds later the float went under l and the strike was met with firmer than expected resistance which then started moving. After an exciting minute or so the line went slack as the poor roach that must have been grabbed by a hungry pike came off. After that I struggled to get a few fish together with them being very unhappy about the pike in the area. A couple of fish further down the peg on maggot proved a false start and the float never wobbled whilst trying for perch. Above me Tony was struggling with only a couple of fish but below, on 14, Phil was getting some better quality roach. Fred on 18 was also having pike problems but managed to get a small jack of about 2lb in the net. Mark was having a strong finish with a few better roach on pinkies. With a steady dripping of melting ice from the trees and not being able to see the float in the failing light the final whistle was welcome today. After a very cold but thankfully dry day it was going to be close and all down to whether you managed to catch a better quality of fish. 1st Mark Halverson 2lbs 12oz, 2nd Phil Whitmill 2lbs 8oz and 3rd Gary Pickard 1lb 7oz. Photo today is Mark and Tony at the very cold and misty start of the day.

Interclub (Abbey Cross)

River Stort Backwater

N/A

Club Match / Outing

Beggars Hall

N/A

1st Gary Pickard 25lbs 2nd Phil Whitmill 22lbs 7oz 3rd Steve Foster 10lbs 10oz

Gary's day It was a cold and snowy start to the year at Beggars Hall with a day of rain forecast. At least though it was going to be a feeder dominated match so hiding under an umbrella would be easier. Out of the draw bag came peg 20 for me and a long way from the island pegs I wanted to draw. Set up was quick and it was time to settle in for the day with a flask of hot coffee. Steve in peg 18 got off to a flying start with a decent carp within the first 10 minutes or so. Rob next to me on peg 19 then had a liner and the day was looking better than expected. When my tip went round after 30 mins and a carp of 10lb was in the net the day was looking hopeful for a few fish. We were not the only crazy people out and about today as, about this time, the first of what must have been a hundred ramblers started walking / running past in little groups. With no more fish on the feeder it was time to try casting a single hookbait around with a bit of luncheon meat to start. No luck on this. Time for a try on the feeder again with micros and a small wafter and round the tip went again at about 11. This time a smaller but angrier common. With 2 fish in the net it was looking promising. By 1 there had been no more signs for me and word came down the bank that Phil had a couple of good carp and Tony had 1. Then Rob had a good carp and it was getting very close. The clock was ticking down and I could not get another bite. With 20 mins to go it was decision time for the last couple of casts. I flicked the feeder about 2 metres further and started packing up some bits now the rain had stopped. A big liner soon into the cast was a good sign but had it moved the feeder? If it had the carp did not mind and a minute later another smaller common was in the net. A quick recast on the same spot brought another quick bite and another carp. It was all going to depend on how many more Tony and Phil had caught. Thankfully the rain stopped for the weigh in and it was close with that last fish making all the difference. 1st Gary Pickard 25lbs, 2nd Phil Whitmill 22lbs 7oz and 3rd Steve Foster 10lbs 10oz. Today's photo is a very soggy line of anglers huddled under their brollies.

Club Match / Outing

Wickham Hall

N/A

1st Tony Cruci 3lbs 1oz Jt 2nd Phil Whitmill 2lbs 13oz Jt 2nd Gary Pickard 2lbs 13oz

Gary's day It was a very foggy start at Wickham Hall with the far side of the lake just about visible. With just a few of us out today we did a walk off / rover and I decided on a short walk and chose peg 20 as this seems to get a few people fishing it and I hoped that the fish are associating it with some food now. With a few more bream having just been stocked we were all looking for a few silvers in the net today. As the pole does not seem to be working very well, despite plenty of water over their heads, I decided on 3 rods: a traditional cage feeder rod for out long; a method feeder; and, my secret weapon, an old Sigma Wand feeder/bomb rod with a very fine tip for trying to get a bite closer in. The first 3 hours were uneventful with only Phil admitting to possibly having had something nudge his bait. This was whilst the odd fish could be seen cruising on the top and Mark and Phil having seen a couple of carp swim by off their rod tips. Finally, after 3 hours, my rod tip went round as one of the small but slightly crazy carp took a liking to my maggot hookbait. After carefully playing it in as I was fishing quite a light hooklength by this time I had something in the net. I quickly cast back out ready for the next fish but nothing. An hour later Phil had a bite and small carp and we were neck and neck. By this time I had pretty much exhausted my options with trying different hookbait combinations of maggot, worm and pinkie but could not get a bite. Tony then had a carp with 10 mins or so to go and it was going to be down to size of fish as they are all a pretty similar size in Wickham at the moment. Tony was first to weigh with 3lbs 1oz and then it was me - the scales flickered up to 3lbs 1oz but then settled back to 2lbs 13oz with Phil also weighing in 2lbs 13oz with his one carp. 20 man hours of fishing today for 3 bites - roll on Spring. 1st Tony Cruci 3lbs 1oz, Jt 2nd Phil Whitmill 2lbs 13oz and Jt 2nd Gary Pickard 2lbs 13oz. Picture is my peg 20 in a less foggy moment with Mark in the distance.

Club Match / Outing

River Stort Backwater

Ralph Jarvis Rose Bowl - 2 of 2

1st Tony Cruci 3lbs 14oz 2nd Phil Whitmill 3lbs 12oz 3rd Mark Halverson 3lbs 10oz And Tony also won the Ralph Jarvis Cup with 6 points over the 2 legs

Gary's day It was back to the Stort for round 2 of the Jarvis Cup this weekend with the river low but with some colour and flow. Again it was going to be a stormy day with 40+mph winds. Out of the draw bag came peg 13 for me and I had hopes of a few fish as it always looks good in this corner. A start on breadpunch went well with a few small roach going in the net but, as is usual, the bites slowed and the fish got smaller and smaller. At this point Phil below me on 12 was struggling to get bites on punch but with some perch talking a liking to it. Above on 14 Steve was having a good run of perch over by the boats and looked to be heading for a good weight. Time for a refeed on the punch line and a try for perch whilst this settled - no bites. After a few more ever smaller roach and dace on punch it was time to try for perch again and this time a 6oz fish obliged. That was it though so back to the main swim. As the afternoon went on the fishing became harder and harder with the river's flow being all over the place as the wind pushed it back and forth. The last 90 mins was almost biteless with Phil and Steve also struggling. At the all out 5 hours of effort translated to just over 2lbs and nowhere in the match for me. Time for a rethink on the Backwater as we have a couple more matches on this before the season's end. 1st Tony Cruci 3lbs 14oz, 2nd Phil Whitmill 3lbs 12oz and 3rd Mark Halverson 3lbs 10oz. Picture today is me desperately trying to find a perch in the gap between the boats.

Club Match / Outing

Hall Farm Large Lake

Xmas match

High Bank 1st Tony Cruci 53lbs 1oz 2nd Stephen Foster 35lbs 2oz 3rd Bill Beeston 19lb 3oz Low Bank 1st Gary Pickard 11lbs 10oz 2nd Jeff Pearson 10lbs 11oz 3rd Phil Whitmill 10lbs 3oz

Phil's day Good morning to all, today was my last day as the Weds club captain and Rob takes over from the first match in the new year and I wish him well for the future, now back to the match. I drew peg 8 again and based on the last time I didn't have a lot to beat. Made up two lines on pole and, of course, a feeder rod for distance. Started off on feeder at 20 meters hoping for an early catch but not so lucky but at quarter past 10 the tip went round and I landed my first carp of about 5lbs. I spent the next 2 hours waiting for my next bite but nothing so onto the pole close in as it was blowing quite hard and made it very difficult to get any presentation. I did manage a couple of small perch and a very decent roach of 10oz then it just died so back onto the feeder for my last carp with half an hour to go. I weighed in 10lbs 3oz Results are: High Bank 1st Tony Cruci with 53lbs 1oz 2nd Stephen Foster with 35lbs 2oz and 3rd Bill Beeston with 19lb 3oz; and Low Bank 1st Gary Pickard with 11lbs 10oz, 2nd Jeff Pearson with 10lbs 11oz and 3rd Phil Whitmill with 10lbs 3oz. I would like to thank all our team members for my gift it was truly appreciated thanks mates. Pic is John Carter (not Santa) getting set up on the opposite bank.

Club Match / Outing

Home Farm [Small Lake]

N/A

1st Gary Pickard 23lbs 9oz 2nd Tony Cruci 14lbs 1oz 3rd Steve Foster 10lbs 15oz

Gary's day The mild weather continued this weekend for our trip to Home Farm's small lake; a little breezy at times but thankfully dry. We were all looked forward to getting a few bites after a tough few weeks of fishing. It was peg 6 for me today at the other end of the lake from where I seem to keep drawing. Rob and Tony were in pegs 1 and 3 again with Steve opposite me on 5 and Fred and Phil completing my bank. A quick try with with bread punch out in the middle in case any carp were cruising around with the high pressure proved fruitless. Steve then had a carp and it was time to feed some bait and be patient. The next hour disappeared as I tried micros and expanders. A couple of lightning quick bites gave me just enough to keep trying. Steve was also suffering from unhittable bites. The rest of the lake was very quiet with only Rob having a fish and even the silvers not feeding. We could also hear the big lake behind was fishing hard. A swap to maggot finally got a couple of hittable bites with a small roach and then a carp that started like roach and ended like a steam train whilst playing it in. One more small carp then led to a long quiet spell. Tony was starting to hook but not land fish and Steve was also having a run of foulhookers. A bit after the midpoint I had another small carp on bomb and bread and then my last carp and pretty much last bite of the day at 1pm. With Tony getting a couple of carp to the net and Steve another it was going to be close. It was tight again with the quality of fish and keeping them on the hook making all the difference. 1st Gary Pickard 23lbs 9oz, 2nd Tony Cruci 14lbs 1oz and 3rd Steve Foster 10lbs 15oz and Phil had a couple of good quality roach including one at 11oz. Picture today is me with by efforts of 5 hours.