Match results/Events info

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.

Water Booking

River Stort Backwater

Club Match / Outing

Malcolm Barker Lake

Winter League - 3 of 6

1st Rob Calderón 4lbs 5oz 2nd Bill Beeston 9oz and that's it folks

Phil's day Good morning to all, the Weds club fished its club lake the Malcolm Barker. It's not a bag up water with only a few pounds to be expected per angler but the Club has not been able fish it most of the year because of the weed problems. The weed has almost gone now so most pegs are fishable. I drew peg 7 which used to be a good peg. I made up two pole lines at 10 meters right and left and a feeder for further out. Well that's where the blog ends - didn't get a bite. Tried 4mm pellet, maggots, corn and even bread punch but not a jot. Come 2.30 match over and glad it's over. I can't say I learned anything from that session except not to go back there again There were only 2 payouts 1st Rob Calderón with 4lbs 5oz and 2nd Bill Beeston with 9oz, the rest of the field blanked. Pic is from my peg

Water Booking

River Stort Backwater

Club Match / Outing

Hall Farm Large Lake

Xmas match

1st Rob Calderon 51lbs 9oz 2nd Mark Halverson 38lbs 110z 3rd Tony Cruci 23lbs 11oz

Gary's day Another Sunday and another storm, this time it was storm Darragh. The weather was awful with a strong and cold wind and rain for much of the day. Despite the high banks at Hall Farm the wind was coming straight down the lake so there was no shelter apart from for Steve tucked into the corner on peg 12. It was peg 10 for me, with 10ft of water on 4 sections the pole was just about manageable but the hope was a few fish on the feeder. The first 90 minutes went by without a sign on a small maggot feeder which was not a good start. Finally I had a bite and a mirror of about 7lb was in the net and the blank was saved. But that was it for the feeder - maggot or method. A try on the pole found another carp at about 12 and things were looking better. Phil then dropped by and mentioned that Rob, Mark and Tony down on the lower numbers had 2 or 3 fish each and one of Mark's was a real lump (it went over 16lbs). Another carp on the pole after 30 mins had me hoping for a few more but that was it with just 1 small perch on the pole and nothing on a feeder. One more bite than last weekend but not what I had hoped for and my 15lbs was well off the pace. At the weigh in it was clear the fish were happier in shallower water today with the weights getting better as you went down the lake. 1st Rob Calderon 51lbs 9oz, 2nd Mark Halverson 38lbs 11oz and 3rd Tony Cruci 23lbs 11oz. Picture today is Rob looking very wet but happy with his winning net full.

Interclub (Abbey Cross)

Taylor's Lake - Abbey Cross Water

N/A

Abbey Cross won the match with 43 points to Bishop's Stortford's 32 points 1st Peter Green 17lbs 12oz 2nd Terry Moranda 10lbs 0oz 3rd Rob Calderón 9lbs 4oz 4th Alan Fox 4lbs 2oz

Phil's day Morning to all, the Weds club fished its monthly interclub against Abbey Cross on their Taylor's Lake. We had a reduced team of 6 a side for one reason or another but the benefit was we should all get goodish pegs or so I thought. I drew peg 38 - a bit disappointed as it wasn't the peg I thought it was but it is what it is so I got on with it. The weed was a problem but I could find an odd clear spot. I made up 1 line to the lily pads off to my right - no point in putting up the feeder as everywhere I cast to was buried in pond weed. Sat there for 4 and a half hours with not a sight of a bite then, with half an hour to go, had a roach about a 1oz but enough to give me points. I caught 4 more rudd for a total weight of 5 oz Abbey Cross won the match with 43 points to Bishop's Stortford's 32 points , 1st Peter Green with 17lbs 12oz, 2nd Terry Moranda with 10lbs 0oz, 3rd Rob Calderón with 9lbs 4oz and 4th Alan Fox with 4lbs 2oz. Pic is my peg

Club Match / Outing

Beggars Hall

N/A

1st Rob Calderon 55lbs 10oz 2nd Mark Halverson 54lbs 14oz 3rd Phil Whitmill 39lbs 12oz

Gary's day Today was officially the first day of winter and it was a trip to Beggars Hall. After a cooler week it was back to a mild but wet weekend. Today's peg for me was the new peg 19 between the old 18 and 19 - a great looking summer peg! With the wind picking up a bit and the day set to be wet the pole stayed in the bag with just the feeder/bomb rods being set up. With no features apart from at my feet in the edges it was going to be the case of trying to find a fish in front of me. The first hour passed without a sign for me or Tony on 20. Mark though on 18 was killing it with 1 carp within seconds of his first cast and 5 fish, including a bream of just under 5lbs, after the hour mark. Time to try a maggot feeder just to get something in the net. Not a sign after 30 mins and things were not looking good. Time for being more patient on a hybrid feeder. Finally I had a bite 2 1/2 hours in and a nice looking common carp of about 9lbs was in the net. The blank was saved. The bites had also slowed for Mark and the rumour mill had Rob on 17 with at least 2 carp and Phil on 16 a big carp of 16-18lbs. The rest of the match was slow and very wet but I managed 2 more bites and 2 more carp and I had 24lbs on the clicker - I was a bit off. But it was 3 more bites than Tony who had a shocker and I only needed a couple more fish given the size of those feeding. It was a close finish with it all down to making sure fish hooked were landed with the carp averaging around 10lb today. 1st Rob Calderon 55lbs 10oz, 2nd Mark Halverson 54lbs 14oz and 3rd Phil Whitmill 39lbs 12oz. Today's picture is Rob with a crowd behind wondering why he was bothering setting up a pole.

Club Match / Outing

Beggars Hall

N/A

High Bank 1st Phil Whitmill 51lbs 13oz 2nd John Carter 44lbs 8oz Low Bank 1st Terry Moranda 24lbs 15oz 2nd Richard Beeston 21lbs 7oz

Phil's day Hi all another freezing cold day but the rain held off so that was a big plus. I drew peg 19 on the high bank - it can be a moody peg but you never know in fishing. I baited up 3 pole swims but I am putting my hopes into the feeder at 15 meters. I decided to keep it simple red maggots on the hook and small cage feeder with a small amount of groundbait. First cast and waited patient for 20 mins and low and behold my first carp about 8lbs. Did this a second time and 25 mins later another carp kept this going for 3 out of the 5 hours then a dead spot as the wind and cold got slightly worse. About just after 2pm the feeder went round for my last carp which gave me a good weight of 51lbs 13oz. Many thanks to Rob who is getting very good at running the matches he did the weigh in on his own today which gives me a break. Pic is my peg. High Bank 1st Phil Whitmill with 51lbs 13oz and 2nd John Carter with 44lbs 8oz. Low Bank 1st Terry Moranda with 24lbs 15oz and 2nd Richard Beeston with 21lbs 7oz

Club Match / Outing

River Stort Backwater

Ralph Jarvis Rose Bowl - 1 of 2

1st Fred Hunt 4lbs 7oz 2nd Steve Foster 3lbs 11oz 3rd Gary Pickard 3lbs 3oz

Gary's day Today was day 2 of Storm Bert. Thankfully we had a bit of shelter along the Backwater from the trees and the high bank but it was still pretty windy. The downside was that any relatively calm areas were where the leaves were gathering. With a bit of colour and some flow we hoped the River would fish OK. Out of the draw bag came peg 12 for me which seems to be one I keep drawing. It is quite narrow so handy on a windy day and with a bit of shelter – but lots of leaves. A start on bread punch was not overly successful. The light rig was struggling to get through the leaves and when I did get a bite the fish were small. After half an hour of leaf dodging I decided to try between the boats which was a bit clearer and had a small perch quite quickly followed by a few more and after an hour was flying with a good 1lb in the net. Tony down on peg 10 was struggling for any bites and having to battle the wind. The perch had started to slow and get smaller so I gave it a quick rest and tried the middle with maggots. This got me a couple of small fish but nothing much. About this time Phil came past with his trolley – an emergency call home as his fence had blown down. The rest of my perch line had done it no good – they had gone never to return. The rest of the day was spent scratching for bites from anything with the fish getting smaller and smaller until I was glad of a ½ oz dace. The boat downstream from me was bobbing all over the place in the wind and a few times I thought it was going to be pushed into the boat in front of it – the fish were not keen being anywhere near it. The flow was also all over the place during the day as the wind must have been strong enough it was forcing the river to back up. How the upstream pegs had fished was a mystery as they were round the corner from me but down at our end it was hard work. After 5 hours of being battered by the wind 1st Fred Hunt 4lbs 7oz of mostly perch up to 1lb, 2nd Steve Foster 3lbs 11oz and 3rd Gary Pickard 3lbs 3oz. Picture today is my peg with a healthy scattering of leaves on top.

Club Match / Outing

Hall Farm Large Lake

N/A

High bank 1st Gary Pickard 55lbs 6oz 2nd Steve Foster 23lbs 0oz Low bank 1st Phil Whitmill 31lbs 10oz 2nd Rob Calderon 17lbs 15oz

Phil's day Good morning to all, the Weds club fished its club lake at Hall Farm, as it turned out it was the coldest day of the winter so far made worse by the windchill. We had a few people off with chills but still managed 10 anglers so plenty of room between pegs. I drew peg 4 on the low bank, what a relief didn't fancy the steps on the high bank at all. I made up three lines one at 6 meters, the margins ad a feeder. I was so cold I started off on the feeder so I could put my hands in my pockets as my gloves seemed to have gone missing since last year - probably put them somewhere safe. Started off on red maggots in a open ended cage feeder and stayed with this for the whole day. It was half an hour before my first bite for a carp of about 4lb very happy with that then it was a carp every 45 minutes with no lost carp. I weighed in 31lbs 10oz so not such a bad day as I original thought it might be. High bank 1st Gary Pickard with 55lbs 6oz and 2nd Steve Foster with 23lbs 0oz. Low bank 1st Phil Whitmill with 31lbs 10oz and 2nd Rob Calderón with 17lbs 15oz. Pic is my peg for the day.

Club Match / Outing

Home Farm [Small Lake]

N/A

1st Rob Calderon 10lbs 5oz 2nd Steve Foster 9lbs 11oz 3rd Gary Pickard 8lbs 10oz

Gary's day It was Hall Farm's small lake for us this week with the weather finally getting colder but still not frosty - would the carp have a last feed up before winter? It was peg 8 again for me today with the rest of us spread around the lake. Peg 8 has been good to me but often does not come good until later where the deep margins tend to hold some F1s. As expected it was a slow start out on the long pole lines with no signs on micros and expanders and just some small roach and rudd on maggots. Everyone else was in the same boat with just the odd silver coming out despite carp topping regularly. An hour in Tony opposite hooked a carp which promptly fell off and then Rob on peg 1 managed to land one foulhooked in the fin. But that was the end of that flurry of activity. As the fish out long were still small and with the wind and low winter light making seeing the dotted down float hard I came shorter. The bites were horrible to see with some of the bigger roach only moving the float sideways rather than pulling it under. But at least a few fish were coming to the net. Then Steve on peg 6 had a quick flurry around 1pm with 2 carp in the net and 3 lost. With Phil also getting a couple of good perch on peg 5. It was going to be a very close low weight match if the carp did not feed later with me needing a carp or F1 to get back in the mix. 2 hours later it was all over with not a carp in my net nor none hooked and nor did anyone else catch another. It sounded like the Big Lake also struggled. At the weigh in I had more than expected but needed that bonus fish. It was a close result with so few carp showing. 1st Rob Calderon 10lbs 5oz, 2nd Steve Foster 9lbs 11oz and 3rd Gary Pickard 8lbs 10oz. Picture is the lake before the all in - flat calm and a lot colder than the photo makes it look.

Club Match / Outing

River Stort Backwater

Winter League - 2 of 6

1st Steve Foster 4lbs 5oz 2nd Phil Whitmill 3lbs 9oz 3rd Jeff Pearson 3lbs 1oz 4th John Carter 1lbs 10oz

Phil's day Good morning to all, the Weds club held their 2nd of 6 winter league matches on the Backwater next to our club lake Malcolm Barker. It was a good turnout as some don't like river fishing but a good effort was made by all. The river had a very little flow and was gin clear so it was going to be hard. I put in all the pegs that I thought might fish but there was always going to be some not get a bite. I drew peg 7 not a bad peg and my target was 1 to 2 lbs for the day. 3 main baits today it was bread punch and crumb, chopped worm and red maggots. I made two lines down the middle track with punch and over to the barge with chopped worms. Started off cupping out chopped worms and leaving it to draw in the perch while I trotting through on bread punch down the middle track. It took me awhile to find a good run but this produced 4 roach for 10oz then it dropped back to very small roach and dace but still keeping putting fish in the net. After 1 hour it dried up so onto my perch line. Had a run through 3 or 4 times and made some adjustments then got my first perch 10 mins later got another one a bit bigger then two more before it died a death so cupped in more worm and back on the punch. Did this on and on for the whole day and I finished off with a good weight of 3lbs 9oz - a lot of fish but busy all day. 1st Steve Foster with 4lbs 5oz, 2nd Phil Whitmill with 3lbs 9oz, 3rd Jeff Pearson with 3lbs 1oz and 4th John Carter with 1lbs 10oz. Well done to all with no quitters. Pic today from right to left is Jeff, Barry and Rob (soon to be our next Weds captain / organizer when he takes over in January)

Interclub (Sawbridgeworth)

River Stort Backwater

Lea & Stort Cup vs Sawbridgeworth

Bishop's Stortford won the day with 12lbs 4oz to Sawbridgeworth's 9lbs 14oz 1st Mark Halverson 4lbs 2nd Mark Muncey 3lbs 4oz 3rd John Carter 3lbs 2oz 4th Kevin Brace 2lbs 7oz Section 1 - Gary Pickard 2lbs 6oz Section 2 - Nick Winson 1lbs 15oz

Gary's day Today was a trip to the Backwater on the Stort for the annual Lea and Stort cup against Sawbridgeworth. With a low and clear river with almost no flow it was going to be tough. Out of the bag came peg 3 for me and a very short walk from the car park. The plan was simple. Down the middle in the deep water (7ft) for anything swimming and over to the boat for quality perch. It was a slow but steady start on bread punch down the middle. Not a lot of bites but fish worth catching rather than tiny roach. After an hour I had about 10 fish and it was clear it was going to be a tough day with not a lot being caught in the half dozen pegs near me. Upstream just in view Peter had an epic battle with something but hopes of a carp were short lived to be replaced by a tail hooked pike of about 5lbs which he landed after a hell of a battle. Sadly pike did not count. Down at our end the fishing was getting worse with almost no signs even tight by the boat. Nick above me then had a half pound perch and an hour of my effort was wiped out. The middle of the match was a real grueler with hardly anything being caught near us. I had a final flurry of a few fish in the last hour but when these started turning into bleak rather than roach it was a lot of effort for little return. At the weigh in I had more than I thought so it had been worthwhile trying to avoid the small fish which I know weigh almost nothing from past visits. Bishop's Stortford won the day with 12lbs 4oz to Sawbridgeworth's 9lbs 14oz. For the individuals: 1st Mark Halverson 4lbs, 2nd Mark Muncey 3lbs 4oz, 3rd John Carter 3lbs 2oz and 4th Kevin Brace 2lbs 7oz. Photo today is Mark H with his winning net of fish helped by some chunky perch.

Interclub (Abbey Cross)

Beggars Hall

N/A

Abbey Cross won the day with 40 points to Bishop's Stortford's 38 points. Low bank 1st Phil Whitmill 11lbs 3oz 2nd Martin Adams 10lbs 8oz 3rd Peter Green 9lbs 7oz High bank 1st Tony Cruci 48lbs 13 oz 2nd Rob Calderón 45lbs 11oz 3rd Bill Beeston 31lbs 5oz

Phil's day Good morning to all, the Weds club fished its interclub match against Abbey Cross on Beggar's Hall club lake this week. I drew peg 12 not an area where I would have chosen but that's the luck of the draw. I got to my peg and decided, as I was in a poor low weight section, I would fish for the roach and perch but with heavy rigs just in case. It was going to be 1 line by the lily pads and a feeder as far out as I could cast to get near the island. I fed reds and micro pellets by the pads and 6mm pellet on the feeder. Well the feeder after an hour was a total loss so moved to my pole line and got as close to the lily pads as I dare and started to pick up the odd good roach. The plan was working 'tll I hooked a carp and straight into the pads with not a chance and I came back hookless. Nevermind, back on the roach and got to 1 ish and the float went under and struck to the pads direction and the carp pulled in the opposite direction and landed him for 8 or 9 lbs. I hooked two more carp unfortunately they were wised up and went in the pads for a loss. I weighed in 11lb 3oz The lake was split into 2 secs high and low banks to make it a fair match. Low bank 1st Phil Whitmill with 11lbs 3oz, 2nd Martin Adams with 10lbs 8oz and 3rd Peter Green with 9lbs 7oz. High Bank 1st Tony Cruci with 48lbs 13 oz, 2nd Rob Calderón with 45lbs 11oz and 3rd Bill Beeston with 31lbs 5oz. The pic is looking down the lake from my peg 12. It was very close with Abbey Cross winning the day with 40 points to BS's 38 points.

Canoe club event

River Stort - main river between Bishop’s Stortford and Sawbridgeworth (11:00 to 14:00)

Club Match / Outing

Wickham Hall

N/A

1st Mark Halverson 10lbs 3oz 2nd Steve Forster 8lbs 6oz 3rd Tony Cruci 7lbs 6oz

Gary's day It was back to Wickham Hall this week with the hope the bream and carp were feeding up for winter. We had another walk off with the pegs being unknown still and, pulling first choice out of the bag, I went for the near side weedy corner (peg 15??}. The rest of us were spread around the lake. After being plagued by small rudd on previous visits the plan was to be careful feeding any groundbait today. Having left it at home that was not going to be an issue! Micros it was then. A few with corn as near the weed bed to my left as I dared and then with maggots to the right and a feeder line out front in about 20 feet of water. After quickly feeding the pole swims it was out on a small cage feeder whilst the pole lines settled. A bite and a skimmer of about 1lb after 20 mins was a good sign. Tony midway along the bank to my left was also making a good start with a small carp. With no more bites on the feeder it was time to try the pole lines after an hour by which time Tony had 3 carp. Nothing. Not a wobble on the float. Back to the feeder it was then. And nothing, not even a small fish rattle. Over in the corner near the gate Steve then had a run of bream and Mark around the right hand side a carp. Trying pole and feeder just made no difference with Mark and Rob still getting the odd bite and small carp. Finally, I had a carp with 45 mins to go by dropping a method feeder as close to the weed as I dared. But that was it, 3 bites and 3 fish. It was going to be common pattern today with the size of your 3 or 4 fish making all the difference. Time to go back to the drawing board as it looks like the rudd have shut up shop. 1st Mark Halverson 10lbs 3oz, 2nd Steve Forster 8lbs 6oz and 3rd Tony Cruci 7lbs 6oz. Picture today is my swim and me hoping the tip would go round with Tony and Phil in the distance.

Club Match / Outing

Hall Farm Large Lake

N/A

High bank 1st Bill Beeston 54lbs 8oz 2nd Fred Hunt 25lbs 5oz 3rd John Carter 23lbs 12oz Low bank 1st Colin Brister 11lbs 2nd Barry Cornel 9lbs 7oz 3rd Jeff Pearson 4lbs 1oz

Phil's day Good Morning to all, the Weds club fished its club match at Hall Ffarm big lake it was going to be a tough day for most as the fish at the moment don't want to play. The turnout was 13 anglers so managed every other peg to try and make it more room to coax a few fish. I drew peg 16 not a favourite peg of mine but lately I have drawn a lot of not so good pegs. Made up two margin lines and a 7 meter line. I fed corn and pellet on my 7 meter line and maggot and micros to my margins - well that's the exciting bit done with. Managed 4 very small perch and 2 x 3oz roach and nothing else till 15 mins to go and hooked into a decent carp of 11lb 6oz and saved my day. The lake was split into 2 secs high and low banks. 1st high bank Bill Beeston with 54lbs 8oz, 2nd Fred Hunt with 25lbs 5oz and 3rd John Carter with 23lbs 12oz. Low bank 1st Colin Brister with 11lbs, 2nd Barry Cornel with 9lbs 7oz and 3rd Jeff Pearson with 4lbs 1oz. Pic is my peg - with a fish jumping just before the all in.

Club Match / Outing

Beggars Hall

N/A

High Bank: 1st Rob Calderon 83lbs 7oz 2nd Mark Halverson 71lbs 1oz. Low Bank: 1st Gary Pickard 35lbs 4oz 2nd Jeff Pearson 7lbs

Gary's day After an extra hour in bed with the clocks going back it was Beggars Hall today. Following a miserable Wednesday match struggling to 13oz of bits from a seriously out of sorts Beggars I was hoping for a much better day. Pegs 16-18 were still the ones everyone wanted but it was to be peg 5 for me. Only 2 pegs away from Weds but a better peg. Today I had come prepared with a couple of pints of maggots in case it was tough. The first hour was a waste of time for me with not a sign on a method feeder or bomb and pellet. Not so on the other side where Fred on 16 and Rob on 17 were into carp from the off. Mark in 18 was having a slower time with just the 1 about an hour in. With nothing out longer it was time to try and get some bites on the pole. Thankfully there were some roach and perch on the pole lines to keep me busy. It was active fishing with getting a bite needing lots laying in of the rig as the bites only seemed to come as the float settled. And then it happened and I hooked something very much not a roach. After some careful playing and seeing the elastic stretched more than I thought it could a 9lb carp was in the net. Then it was back to the roach and perch. Fred was slowing down but Rob was still getting bites as was Mark now. A couple of quick tries during the day on a method feeder got me another couple of carp whilst I rested the pole swims but the bites came out of the blue. A bonus bream of about 3lb on the pole boosted the silvers but no more carp. At the weight net the 10lb of silvers boosted me to 35lbs with the rest of our bank fishing poor. As expected 17 and 18 dominated with it coming down to a couple of fish either way with Fred's lost fish costing him. With the lake being very peggy at the moment we did 2 sections: high and low bank. Low Bank: 1st Gary Pickard 35lbs 4oz and 2nd Jeff Pearson 7lbs. High Bank: 1st Rob Calderon 83lbs 7oz and 2nd Mark Halverson 71lbs 1oz. Picture today is my peg 5 before the off with a grebe out in the middle of the lake and pegs 16 and 17 in view.

Club Match / Outing

Beggars Hall

N/A

Section 1: 1st Rob Calderón 50lbs 2oz 2nd Jeff Pearson 24lbs 7oz Section 2: 1st Peter Green 7lbs 11oz 2nd Fred Hunt 4lbs 14oz Section 3: 1st Steve Foster 28lbs 7oz 2nd Phil Whitmill 4lbs 11oz

Phil's day Hi to all, the Weds club fished Beggar's Hall lake it seemed to be a good start no rain and the forecast fog was none existence. We had a good turnout of 17 anglers so split the match up into 3 sections two of 6 and one of 5 being the least likely to catch a carp. I drew peg 2 not a good peg by any means but it had to go in. I had a couple of places to fish to although it was very awkward fishing to the lily pads under a willow tree and a feeder for distance. I couldn't go too far as it's the narrowest part of the lake and with someone opposite me not a lot of room. Started off on feeder at 16 meters tried various baits but not a touch stayed with this for 2 hours. By this time I knew it wasn't going to happen so onto the pole at 12 meters - as I suspected the willow tree was a major problem. Still no bites and Colin next to me was in the same position. Once I had tried all my baits I lightened up my rig and decided to go for silvers. I then started to pick up odd perch of no size or value so cupped in a large pot of micros and maggots over the top and had some lunch. As soon as I went over the feed got my first roach about 4oz carried on with this until the end of the match and weighed in 4lb 11oz Section 1: 1st Rob Calderón 50lbs 2oz and 2nd Jeff Pearson with 24lbs 7oz. Section 2: 1st Peter Green with 7lbs 11oz and 2nd Fred Hunt with 4lbs 14oz. Section 3: 1st Steve Foster 28lbs 7oz and 2nd Phil Whitmill with 4lbs 11oz. Pic is my peg 1.

Club Match / Outing

Home Farm [Small Lake]

N/A

1st Peter Green 34lbs 4oz 2nd Gary Pickard 23lbs 12oz 3rd Fred Hunt 21lbs 12oz

Gary's day It was Home Farm's small lake for us today with Storm Ashley meaning it was going to be rather breezy with 40mph winds.  We decided to fish the far side which hopefully offered a bit of shelter from the trees behind.  Out of the bag came peg 9 for me, one of the end pegs and with a large, overhanging tree.  Not a peg we usually use but it looked very fishy. I started as long as I dared on 6 sections with hard pellets.  2 bites and 2 carp of around 3lb each in the first half hour or so was a solid start as only Peter on the other end peg seemed to be catching.  After that, the bites dried up or I just could not see them as the wind picked up.  A try long on expanders and then maggots only caught a very small roach. Time to try closer in the margins which was pretty much the same depth as out long and a bit sheltered by the bank.  The right edge held some decent roach at 6-8oz but they were not coming fast enough and no sign of carp.  Peter was still catching and was admitting to 8 carp 2 hours in.  The rest of us were struggling. A try under the tree was a waste of time with no signs even on maggot.  I swapped long and to the right edge and even tried a small feeder under the tree but the middle of the match was very slow with just some silvers from the right edge.  Fred to my right then had a couple of carp on a feeder dropped on a long pole line and I was quickly dropping down the order.  Time for kill or cure time.  I upped the feed with some micros and groundbait and decided to try the last hour under the tree as I needed carp. I was just about to head back to the right margin to get some bites when the float went under and a carp was on.  Only for the hook to pull when it got in some reeds under my feet.  Then it was 2 carp in 2 put ins and I thought the come back was on.  It fizzled out though with 3 foulhooked and lost carp and a few silvers seeing me to the end of the match. 1st Peter Green 34lbs 4oz, 2nd Gary Pickard 23lbs 12oz and 3rd Fred Hunt 21lbs 12oz. Picture today is my swim with the disappointing margin.

Club Match / Outing

River Stort Backwater

N/A

1stJohn Carter 3lbs 13oz 2nd Colin Brister 3lbs 6oz 3rd Steve Foster 2lbs 7oz 4th Jeff Pearson 2lbs 6oz

Phil's day Morning to all and what a great day for mid-October. The Weds club fished its match on the Stort Backwater private stretch. We had a good turn out considering some are not so keen catching silvers but I do think all enjoyed it mainly because I didn't get any moans about the river. I drew peg 7 not a bad peg it has been noted for reasonable catches. There were only two lines - one across to the barge and middle of the track. I made up two rigs - one with an 18 match hook and the other a 16 match hook for the perch if they showed. Started off on bread punch and crumb this got me some small rudd and roach and I fished it for a hour then went looking for perch over by the barge. Tried this for a hour with nothing to show for it so back on punch and carried on with the small fish. I ended up weighing 2lb 3oz for 5th and thanks for coming. First John Carter with 3lbs 13oz, 2nd Colin Brister with 3lbs 6oz, 3rd Steve Foster with 2lbs 7oz and 4th Jeff Pearson with 2lbs 6oz. Pc is Terry Moranda on peg 12 from last year.

Club Match / Outing

Hall Farm Large Lake [Venue change]

N/A

1st Jeff Pearson 41lbs 9oz 2nd Gary Pickard 28lbs 3oz 3rd Phil Whitmill 22lbs 10oz

Gary's day Today was a trip to Hall Farm's large lake as MBL is still very weedy. The weights had really tailed off in Wednesday's match and, after a few more cold and wet days, it was going to be tricky. A few fish topping before the draw was a good sign though that some fish would feed. Out of the bag came peg 5 and not where I wanted to be; very much in the middle and flat as a snooker table after the margin shelf drop off. After 3 goes to find a second rig for the 7 1/2 foot I had I was finally ready a little after the all in. The plan was fishing long on pole or feeder and maybe trying a 2+2 line. The margins though seemed unlikely to be worth it but I set a rig up anyway along with a shallow rig - neither of which got used. Fishing long was to be with maggots and expanders with the 2+2 for hard pellets. Rob was soon into a fish on peg 2 and it looked like it was all over for the rest of us. And then Peter had a fish on a feeder on peg 7. Then the float dipped on the short line and I was into a good fish but not for long. It was clearly foul hooked and we soon parted ways. And that was it for the short line. Out long with expanders was a waste of time but a change to maggots on the hook found a few roach, a small skimmer and a small F1. Peter was still catching on the feeder and now had about 6 in the net after a couple of hours and was well in the lead. Then the lake shut down and I could not get a bite - even trying a small maggot feeder did not help. Phil though on peg 4 was starting to catch on a small feeder and all I could do was watch. With 90 mins to go I decided to spend the rest of the day watching a float rather than rod tip and slowly a few bites started. A good carp of 7-8lbs kicked things off and then I had a steady run of smaller F1s potting a few maggots and sitting on them for a bite. Jeff on peg 8 was also having a strong finish and his fish looked bigger. Rob too was catching again. It was going to be a tight finish. 1st Jeff Pearson 41lbs 9oz, 2nd Gary Pickard 28lbs 3oz and 3rd Phil Whitmill 22lbs 10oz. Pic today is jeff with his winning bag of fish.

Club Match / Outing

Hall Farm Large Lake

Winter League - 1 of 6

Low bank 1st Jeff Pearson 24lbs 3oz 2nd Peter Green 23lbs 1oz 3rd Phil Whitmill 22lbs 6oz High bank 1st Steve Foster 46lbs 14oz 2nd John Carter 37lbs 7oz 3rd Bill Beeston 14lbs 6oz

Phil's day Morning to all and what a murky day that the Weds club fished it first round one of our winter league. I drew peg 8, last in the bag, and happy with that as it's been fishing quite well lately. I made up two pole lines - one at 7 meters and 1 down the margin. I fed the longer line with corn and pellets and the one and only margin line with pellets and maggots. I had the feeder ready to go for longer distances. I tried the feeder to start with but not a touch so onto the 7 meter line. Stayed with this catching odd rudd and roach but nothing else so by now it's midday and I thought it's time to go down the margins. Tried there a couple of times earlier but just small fish this time but I thought go for the bits as it was better than nothing. I caught at least 2 or 3lbs of these but by now its 2.30 with only a hour to go. The float went under but this time the fish fought back at last a carp of about 4lb and I thought it's now come to life but no just that carp. With 20mins to go got myself another carp this time it's a lump. I played it carefully as it's got to be a double of 16 odd lbs or more this gave me a weighed in weight of 22lbs 6oz. The lake was split between high and low banks. Low bank 1st Jeff Pearson with 24lbs3oz, 2nd Peter Green with 23lbs 1oz and 3rd Phil Whitmill with 22lbs 6oz. High bank 1st Steve Foster with 46lbs 14oz, 2nd John Carter with 37lbs 7oz and 3rd Bill Beeston with 14lbs 6oz. Today's photo is Bill B.

Interclub (Sawbridgeworth)

Sawbridgeworth Club lake

Brandon Shield vs Sawbridgeworth

Bishop's Stortford won with 473lbs to Sawbridgeworth's 257lbs 1st Peter Green 91lbs 6oz (18 carp) 2nd Mark Halverson 72lbs 3oz (13 carp) 3rd Colin Hawkins 71lbs 1oz (13 carp) 4th Gary Pickard 62lbs 9oz (12 carp) 5th Jeff Pearson 51lbs 5oz

Gary's day Today was going to be a bit of a mystery as we headed to Sawbridgeworth's lake for an interclub match. Pretty much all we knew was it was 7 foot max and full of big carp along with plenty of silvers. Each carp "only" counted as 5lb and it was catch and release on these. At the draw I ended up with peg 23 and all that meant to me was it was on the far side of the lake facing into the main lake from an arm/spit. Thankfully I had a spare peg to the left as the pegging was tight on the arm. The plan was: feeder or bomb out long; 2 pole lines at 11m - one for carp on hard pellets and one for anything swimming with expanders or dead maggot; and the margin for near the end. With 4 feet in the edge foulhooking was going to be a risk. A try out long was pretty quiet until the tip went round after 45 mins and a lump was on. When it came off at the net I was not best pleased especially as a few fish were coming out on the far bank. Seeing my hook broken soon explained the loss so it was time for a heavier hooklength. With no more signs it was time for the long pole. There was bubbling on the anything swimming line so a few skimmers seemed on the cards. 2 hook pulls to decent fish before a carp went in the net suggested they were not skimmers. That was it though for the long line. I tried a few times through the day - lots of bubbles but no bites. I never tried the pellet line as the sun made it impossible to see the float. I also later found I had been feeding the bomb line on an aerator when it turned on. The far bank was still catching and now Colin on the end of the spit started landing some big carp dropping a feeder short. It was time to try the margins very early as long was not working. A few liners were encouraging and then the tip flew round and a very angry tench of just over 2lb was in the net. By this time Colin was 4 carp ahead of me. After more liners on the feeder it was time to try the pole down the edge. The float flew under and I was in with a double figure carp in the net. Every carp hooked went shooting off trying to go round the point and way too many came off. By the end I was only fishing the feeder as it gave me the best chance of landing the carp which were averaging over 10lbs. A last gasp carp that was around 20lbs saw me finish on 12 carp to Colin's 13 - almost caught him up. Bishop's Stortford won with 473lbs 15oz to Sawbridgeworth's 257lbs 8oz. A big thank you to Sawbo for hosting us today. Individual places TBC when I get the full weigh sheet. 1st Peter Green 91lbs 6oz (18 carp), 2nd Mark Halverson 72lbs 3oz (13 carp), 3rd Colin Hawkins 71lbs 1oz (13 carp), 4th Gary Pickard 62lbs 9oz (12 carp) and 5th Jeff Pearson 51lbs 5oz. Picture is my peg looking back down the arm to the main bank.

Club Match / Outing

Hunters Hall (Abbey Cross water)

N/A

Abbey Cross won the day with 59 points to Bishop's Stortford's 52 points 1st John Carter 38lb 11oz 2nd Phil Whitmill 16lbs 10oz 3rd Ray Gibson 14lbs 9oz 4th Martin Adams 12lbs 11oz

Phil's day Good morning to all. The Weds club fished its monthly interclub match against Abbey Cross at their lake at Hunters Hall. I drew peg 5 not a peg I know but you never know. I started off on feeder with corn for the first 20 minutes then tried worm as it's known as a bream venue but still nothing so onto my pole line. I had previously baited up two swims 1 to my extreme right and another to my left at 10 meters. I used a silvers rig 4.5 lb main line with a 2.5 lb hooklengh and 18 match hook and 6 to 8 elastic and the smallest bits of sweetcorn I could find in my box for hook bait. Got a couple bites and 4 or 5 rudd and roach as this was my plan for this rig then the float went under and struck the bite and away the float went half way across the lake. I thought I had hooked a tench but no, a carp, this was going to take a while to land it would be down to a bit of luck. I let the elastic do most of the work I got it into landing net distance then I saw it for the first time and wondered how was I going to land it. I got it in the net twice and both times it swam out so by this time it was tired and so was I and third time lucky it went in and stayed in the net. It was about 14lb common wow how lucky was I, went on to catch a couple pound of roach and rudd nothing of any size but been busy all day until the heavens opened up and killed it dead. The rain stopped just in time for weighing in and I weighed in 16lbs 10oz 1st John Carter with 38lb 11oz, 2nd Phil Whitmill with 16lbs 10oz, 3rd Ray Gibson with 14lbs 9oz (1 carp, again a common) and 4th Martin Adams with 12lbs 11oz all rudd and roach. Abbey won the day with 59 points to Stortford's 52 points well done to the team good effort. The pic is Ray Gibson who paid a quick visit to my peg before the off.

Club Match / Outing

Hall Farm Large Lake

N/A

1st Gary Pickard 121lbs 10oz 2nd Rob Calderon 67lbs 10oz 3rd Phil Whitmill 50lbs

Gary's day It was Hall Farm's large lake today after a very wet week and a couple of cold nights. Not expecting a great day I had brought maggots just to get some bites. At the draw a few fish were topping so I might have been a little pessimistic. Out of the draw bag came peg 2; a consistently good peg so the pressure was on. With seeing a cloud of small rudd and roach near the weed bed in the middle the maggots stayed in the bag. It was going to be: 4mms long in case they came shallow (although in 3 1/2 feet of water a long shot); hard pellets on a top 6 to the left in case they wanted to feed; and micros and expanders at 6 sections to the right if it was tricky. The margins were for a lot later. I had a steady start with a couple of smaller carp in the first 30 mins on hard pellet before trying the expander swim. A try then on the expander swim got me a couple of roach / rudd and then a carp. Bouncing between the 2 swims kept the fish coming and I had 30+lb coming up to 2 hours in. The rest of the lake was slower with Rob on peg 10 getting a few smaller carp and Phil the odd bigger fish on peg 4. A try shallow had me hook one fish that fell off at the net so it was back to the 2 pellet swims. With a couple of hours to go it was time for the margins as Phil was getting a few bites down there. This is where the wheels fell off a bit. There were fish to the left but I just could not get a clean bite. Even 2 big grains of corn were being wafted all over the place. Dropping a method feeder in the margins got a couple of fish but way too many were coming off even on the feeder. Phil was still hooking fish but also having a nightmare with keeping them on but looked to be having a very strong finish. Rob was also an unknown after his good start. I thought I had done enough but you can never tell with carp fishing as weights can add up very quickly in the last hour. 1st Gary Pickard 121lbs 10oz, 2nd Rob Calderon 67lbs 10oz and 3rd Phil Whitmill 50lbs. Picture today is Phil with a net of chunky carp - apparently the ones that came off were even bigger.

Club Match / Outing

Beggars Hall

N/A

Low bank 1st John Carter 50lbs 1oz 2nd Tony Cruci 31lbs 13oz 3rd Rob Calderón 31lbs 7oz High bank 1st Rick Beeston 48lbs 1oz 2nd Steve Foster 47lbs 8oz 3rd John Todd 47lbs 7oz

Phil's day Good morning to all, the Weds club fished its match on Beggar's Hall club lake this week. It was a very wet start to our day but it promised to clear up by midday and it did so not too bad. I drew peg 23 on the lake not so good - very tight for room and a not very productive but hoped I would make a day of it and catch 2 or 3 carp but that wasn't going to happen. Got a 3lb carp and a few bits but otherwise a very bad day. I haven't gone into detail but to say I tried everything and nothing was working. Total weight for my day 3lbs 6oz. The lake was split into two halves for payout. On the low bank 1st John Carter with 50lbs 1oz, 2nd Tony Cruci with 31lbs 13oz and 3rd Rob Calderón with 31lbs 7oz. High bank 1st Rick Beeston with 48lbs 1oz, 2nd Steve Foster with 47lbs 8oz and 3rd John Todd with 47lbs 7oz. Toddy also won a golden peg by default mind you he doesn't know that until he reads this. Thanks to Rob for his help running the match. The pic is my peg for the day.

Club Match / Outing

Wickham Hall

N/A

1st Gary Pickard 15lbs 3oz 2nd Steve Foster 14lbs 7oz 3rd Phil Whitmill 6lbs 12oz

Gary's day Today was going to be very wet with rain and thunderstorms forecast for most of the day. Thankfully we missed the most of this but it was a very wet morning. It was another roving match and, with second pick, I decided to try the far corner peg 15ish. I went for 3 main lines: pole in front in about 9ft before it headed into the deeps; a feeder line a little further out; and an emergency maggot line shorter to the right. A quick try to the left on a method feeder found more weed than I was expecting so that quickly ruled out the left. Tony got off to a quick start with a carp on pretty much his first cast. The rest of us had much longer to wait. A try on the long pole found a couple of reasonable rudd and baby carp on sweetcorn but it was way too slow. A go on a cage feeder had me bitted out with small rudd with the bait being attacked on the drop. Mark over in the opposite corner then started to get a few bites but the carp knew exactly where to go and were bolting into the weeds. With the lake fishing hard it was time to get something in the net so out came a 6m whip and I spent the next hour or so catching anything I could on maggot. It was hard work with way too many very small fish. A quick try on the long pole netted me a carp of about 3lb which more than doubled my efforts. I kept swapping between whip, pole and feeder trying to find bonus fish. With an hour to go Steve to the corner on my right and Phil down the right hand bank started getting bites from carp. A last gasp small carp which I managed to get out of the weeds was going to be vital. It was a close finish with lost fish making all the difference. 1st Gary Pickard 15lbs 3oz, 2nd Steve Foster 14lbs 7oz and 3rd Phil Whitmill 6lbs 12oz. Sorry no photo today as my phone seems to be paying up.

Summer League results

Various

N/A

It was a close finish with 4 people in the running up to the last match 1st Phil Whitmill 47 points 2nd Rob Calderon 46 points 3rd Jeff Pearson 44 points

It was a close finish with 4 people in the running up to the last match 1st Phil Whitmill 47 points 2nd Rob Calderon 46 points 3rd Jeff Pearson 44 points

Club Match / Outing

Hall Farm Large Lake

Summer League - 6 of 6

High Bank 1st Rob Calderón 78lbs 3oz 2nd Bill Beeston 29lbs 9oz 3rd Steve Foster 26lbs 1oz Low Bank 1st Fred Hunt 47lbs 6oz 2nd Jeff Pearson 33lbs 8oz 3rd Peter Green 28lbs 15oz

Phil's day Hi to all, the Wednesday club fished its final Summer League match at Hall Farm. I personally have done well in this league and leading most of the matches but it was all down to the last match with 4 people able to take first. I drew peg 24 and could not believe my luck a real pucker of a peg. That's where it fell flat I fed 3 pole lines margins and 12 meters to the weed bed and a feeder to the middle. Started off on feeder nothing not even a liner so on to my long line. This produced small rudd and roach but not much else so tried my margins and this was no different so back to the feeder. After an hour or so had a carp take and played it almost to the net and lost the lot feeder and all must have been a weak spot just above my quick change bead nevermind not my words exactly but they will do. Made up the feeder once more but no joy. I noticed some movement out by my long line so back to the pole this got me my first carp about 4lbs then I hooked into a very large carp which ran me into the weed bed. Managed to pull him out only for him to throw the hook hence my rig ended up on the ropes 8 meters out so: all stop; walked round to the other side; let the rope slack; back round to my peg; pulled in my pole and rig intact; back round the other side to retie the rope; and then back to fishing again. Went on to catch a couple more carp in the margins but all too late to do any good and weighed in 18lbs 5oz. This helped me maintain my win in the League High Bank 1st Rob Calderón with 78lbs 3oz ,2nd Bill Beeston with 29lbs 9oz and 3rd Steve Foster with 26lbs 1oz. Low Bank 1st Fred Hunt with 47lbs 6oz, 2nd Jeff Pearson with 33lbs 8oz and 3rd Peter Green with 28lbs 15oz. Thanks to Rob for his assistance weighing in.

Canoe club event

River Stort - main river between Southmill and Twyford Locks (10:00 to 15:00)

Club Match / Outing

Home Farm Small Lake

Stone Cup - 2 of 2

1st Gary Pickard 75lbs 7oz 2nd Rob Calderon 61lbs 13oz 3rd Tony Cruci 40lbs 5oz

Gary's day It was Home Farm's small lake for us today after a chilly and wet week. Out of the bag came peg 5 which put me near one corner of the lake with a great view of carp swimming under a large tree out of range. A try out short on hard pellets got me an early carp so I was off the mark. That was it though, just the one bite. The rest of the lake was also taking a while to liven up with just the odd silver being caught. It was time to try longer towards the tree where I had been pinging 4mms. No signs on pellets but a swap to paste found me one more carp. Again that was it. With the day warming up the carp had started cruising about so it was time to try shallow. I had a couple of enjoyable hours mugging carp. It was hard work spotting the fish but exciting when I saw them turn for the bait and the float shoot under. Slowly the margins started to come to life and I could hear Rob on peg 3 starting to get a few along with the pegs opposite me. Time for my go. I wasted a lot of time to the left where the fish really did not want to come away from the tree. They were swirling there all day in. After deciding to stick to the right for the last 40 mins I finally started to get a few bites feeding micros and groundbait and fishing with worm on the hook. I could still hear Rob catching well although everyone else was still struggling with a lot of fish being lost. 1st Gary Pickard 75lbs 7oz, 2nd Rob Calderon 61lbs 13oz and 3rd Tony Cruci 40lbs 5oz. Pic today is Rob with part of his catch. As to who won the Stone Cup I suspect Tony is keeping this one under wraps until the presentation evening in May.

Interclub (Saffron Walden)

Bordeaux Pits (Saffron Walden water)

N/A

Saffron Walden won the day on points 42 to Bishop's Stortford's 38 1st Fred Hunt 24lbs 8oz 2nd Rob Calderón 17lbs 11oz 3rd Peter Mottram 14lbs 0oz 4th Barry Cornel 10lbs 3oz

Phil's day Hi to all, the Weds club fished the last of its 4 matches against Saffron Walden at their lake Bordeaux Pits. I drew peg 29 nothing known about this peg it was open water with no features so made up 3 lines on pole and, of course, the feeder. The facts are there are some big carp and good bream so set my sights on the silvers as there was a payout for best weight on these alone. I had two rigs 1 with a 16 hook and the other a 14 fine wire both match hooks. 3rd rig was an outright carp rig able to handle the big carp if they appeared. Started off baiting up with pellet and corn and groundbait at 10 meters and maggots and pellets for my margin. I fished feeder for the first half an hour with no signs so onto my long line getting bites from small stuff but not much else - this was going to be a hard day. Eventually hooked a big skimmer and a half decent perch then back to the small bits again. A change of bait was called for but no difference so maggots were the only bait I could get a bite on. Ended my day with 3lbs 15oz and a thanks for coming. 1st Fred Hunt with 24lbs 8oz, 2nd Rob Calderón with 17lbs 11oz, 3rd Peter Mottram with 14lbs 0oz and 4th Barry Cornel with 10lbs 3oz. Silvers won by Clive Bradford and Brian Newman with same weights 4lbs 10oz. Saffron Walden won the day on points 42 to Bishop's Stortford's 38 close but no coconut. Pic is Fred Hunt with his winning bag

Interclub (Abbey Cross / Sawbridgeworth)

Taylor's Lake - Abbey Cross Water

Triple Cup vs Abbey Cross and Sawbridgeworth

Bishop's Stortford came out convincing winners with 60 points to Sawbridgeworth's 85 points and Abbey Cross's 94 points Top Lake 1st Mark Halverson (BS) 39lbs 8oz 2nd Mark Harris (Saw) 20lbs 9oz 3rd Steve Foster (BS) 19lbs 11oz Car Park Lake 1st Rich Beeston (BS) 6lbs 6oz 2nd Phil Whitmill (BS) 6lbs 3oz 3rd Dave Higgins (Saw) 4lbs

Gary's day Sunday was Triple Cup time again this time at Abbey Cross' Taylor's Lake where no 2 pegs seem to be the same. It was going to be a wet day with thunderstorms forecast for the afternoon. They arrived early and it was a very wet draw. It was peg 29 for me on the Top Lake; tucked away at one end with a view up the favoured riverbank pegs. With a big lilly bed in front of me my options were simple: 7 sections of pole left, middle or right. I also had pretty much the same depth of 3 1/2 foot everywhere so set up was quick. Bonus fish would be the key today so I set aside the left for a possible bream or F1 with some groundbait, micros and sweetcorn and the rest for anything else swimming with loose fed maggots. A quick couple of rudd / roach on the maggot rig saved the blank but it was very hard going. Even with the float dotted right down the bites were horrible to see. Ray over on the riverbank side had a great start with a couple of skimmers and the point peg (52) kicked in with bream coming on the long pole. Time to try for a skimmer. In went the float with an expander on the hook and few micros in the feed; a few bubbles came up from the bottom; and then a skimmer was in the net. This happened twice more with the waits getting a bit longer each time. Had I at last sorted out Taylor's? Sadly the clouds then cleared and the sun came out and the lake started shutting down. I managed 2 more small skimmers but only after giving the left swim a long rest and even the rudd had disappeared. The odd small fish jumping out of the water suggested I had a pike in the area. At the weigh in I managed just under 10lbs which would be good team points as the Top Lake had fished hard. Every ounce would count today especially on the Car Park Lake which can be very tricky. A big thank you to Abbey Cross for hosting us all on Taylor's Lake. Bishop's Stortford came out convincing winners with 60 points to Sawbridgeworth's 85 points and Abbey Cross's 94 points. That is 2 in a row now for Bishop's Stortford - can we make it 3 next year?

Interclub (Abbey Cross)

Hall Farm Large Lake

N/A

1st Martin Adams 39lbs 9oz 2nd Rob Calderón 37lbs 14oz 3rd John Carter 34lbs 2oz 4th Steve Foster 34lbs 0oz

Phil's day Good morning to all, the Weds club fished its monthly match against Abbey Cross on Hall Farm big lake. There was a lower turnout then usual due to holidays etc with the weather a bit on the chilly side but dry - it was the stiff breeze that made it so. I drew peg 2, not unhappy with that, and set up a feeder and two margin lines for the pole. I fed reds and pellet to my right and corn and pellets to my left and that was the high point of my day. The feeder produced nothing and the right hand margin pretty much the same. To my left margin all I could get was some very good rudd and this continued until 3.15 when I got a carp. At least it was something to end my day and I weighed in 9lbs 2oz and a thanks for coming. 1st Martin Adams with 39lbs 9oz, 2nd Rob Calderón with 37lbs 14oz, 3rd John Carter with 34lbs 2oz and 4th Steve Foster with 34lbs 0oz. Well done to all. Abbey Cross won the match with 41 points to Bishop's Stortford's 37 points - close but no cigar. Pic is Martin Adams (Abbey Cross's Captain) paying out the winners.

Club Match / Outing

Hall Farm Large Lake

N/A

1st Gary Pickard 89lbs 2oz 2nd Phil Whitmill 88lbs 10oz 3rd Mark Halverson 70lbs 7oz

Gary's day Today was the official start of autumn although it was going to be a hot start with 26C+ forecast. Whilst we were waiting for the draw there were plenty of fish surfacing on the lake so it looked like it could be a good day. Out of the draw bag came peg 7 for me, not the one I wanted as I fancied the shallower car park end today. It was going to be: long and shallow on the pole; down the edges later; and, hopefully, something at around 4 sections in 7ft before the peg got way too deep. A start on the short swim whilst trying to persuade the cruising fish from coming into pole range got me a couple of smaller carp but then the bites stopped. But it was a good start. The shallower pegs were slow to kick off and only Jeff to my right seemed to have anything early. A quick try on the long shallow swim did not get me anything. There was some bubbling though and a quick try on the feeder found me 1 more carp but after that just liners. There were still lots of fish cruising but they were very spooky and not feeding. Out came some emergency maggots and feeding them got the carp curious. Finally I had a fish shallow but then the rudd joined in and I could not get the bait near the odd carp coming into the feed. Swapping back to 4mms started to work and I had a great little run of F1s shallow. To my right Jeff started catching a few more down the edges and to the left the shallow swims started to kick in and there looked to be someone with a fish on every time I glanced that way. It was now 2pm and time to try my margins. They were going to be tricky as they were deep with a huge slope. Thankfully they had a few fish in them and I had a steady run of good sized carp on paste. The fishing got trickier as the fish wanted to come into shallower water where the slope was worse and the bites to landed fish ratio went off a cliff. It was going to be a tight finish as everyone had caught well. 1st Gary Pickard 89lbs 2oz, 2nd Phil Whitmill 88lbs 10oz and 3rd Mark Halverson 70lbs 7oz. Today's picture is Jeff tipping back part of his catch.

Club Match / Outing

Hall Farm Large Lake

Summer League - 5 of 6

Low bank 1st Jeff Pearson 91lbs 4oz 2nd Peter Green 87lbs 13oz High bank 1st Fred Hunt 80lbs 9oz 2nd Bill Beeston 70lbs 13oz

Phil's day A very good morning to all. The Weds club fished its 5th leg of our summer league on Hall Farm club lake. I drew peg 2 a good peg so hopes of a pick-up. The plan wasn't rocket science two margins and a feeder. I fed the margins with pellet and corn with a few reds in the hopes this wouldn't attract to many rudd - nice to catch but won't win you the match. Cast the feeder out to the weed beds with not much action so put that up the bank and fished the margins. I got my first carp at 10 ish and fished steady for most of the day - I lost too many big fish to do any good but still ended up with a good weight. I caught mostly on sweetcorn and bread but couldn't get a bite on pellet at all. I ended my day with a respectable 73lbs 14 oz no pickup but happy with my weight. The match was split into two banks high and low banks with 1st and second from each bank. 1st low bank Jeff Pearson with 91lbs 4oz and golden peg, 2nd low bank was Peter Green with 87lbs 13oz, 1st high bank was Fred Hunt with 80lbs 9oz and 2nd high bank was Bill Beeston with 70lbs 13oz. The pic is Jeff Pearson with part of his highest weight of the lake, thanks go to Rob for his help running the match.

Water Booking

Hall Farm Small Lake

Club Match / Outing

Wickham Hall

N/A

1st Phil Whitmill 19lbs 9oz 2nd Mark Halverson 16lbs 11oz 3rd Gary Pickard 7lbs 4oz

Gary's day Today we were back at Wickham Hall and getting the better quality fish was going to be key. This time around we opted for trying the swims along another bank to see how they fished. I was pretty happy pulling out a corner peg but a quick cast around showed it to be weedier than hoped. It was going to be a very simple day: one feeder line into a count of 9 or so / 20 ft; and a pole line into around 9 feet. This place is rather deep! After feeding both lines I started on a cage feeder. I was getting signs straightway but only small fish. Mark over on the other corner had a quick carp which reinforced you would need the better quality fish today. After getting nothing but small rudd on the feeder it was time for a go on the pole. I soon swapped to using corn as anything else was getting mobbed by small fish. This helped find a few better rudd but still only 2-3 oz and then a small skimmer. Had the bream arrived? Sadly no and it was back to the small rudd. Mark was still getting a few fish including some smaller bream and now Phil to my right started catching. It was a frustrating match, all I could find was small rudd with lots of them whilst the feeder was falling through 20 feet of water. A small carp near the end after sitting it out on a rudd proof method feeder helped but I was well and truly battered by Phil who caught carp and bream steadily. 1st Phil Whitmill 19lbs 9oz, 2nd Mark Halverson 16lbs 11oz and 3rd Gary Pickard 7lbs 4oz. Today's picture is Mark's nice mixed net of bream and small carp.

Water Booking

Hall Farm Small Lake