Match results/Events info

Club match/outing

Beggars Hall

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1st Mark Halverson 55lbs 12oz 2nd Gary Pickard 45lbs 8oz 3rd Jeff Pearson 45lbs

Gary's day It was a cold start today at Beggars Hall with 2 nights of frosts and it hovering at 0C until well into the morning. Thankfully though there was little wind and the rain held off. Out of the drawbag came peg 16 for me. A decent draw based on recent outings. We were all pegged around the island today as this has been the better end of the lake. With a raft of leaves out in front of me set up was simple: feeder and bomb with the pole staying in the bag. The plan for the day was also simple - a chuck to the island on a method feeder or bomb and a shorter line with a little cage feeder. With it being cold I started cautiously just trying bomb and bread. 30 mins in I had had no signs but Mark on peg 12 had 3 carp. Time for trying some feed and out went the method feeder. 90 mins in Tony on 17 had 1 carp, Mark on 13 had 6 carp and Phil on 10 had 2 carp. It was not going well. Finally, I had a carp which was played very carefully, and then another. The third fell off though at the net and so ended that run. The carp then came short for Mark and he started hooking them on the pole. The come back seemed to be off. After a very quiet middle of the match I started getting a few bites and Mark's swim was fading. Phil had a couple more but I was slowly catching up. At the weigh in it was a close day. Mark ended up with 55lbs, myself with 45lbs 8oz and Jeff on peg 18 with 45lbs. With the lowest weight being 14lbs+ it fished a lot better than feared. Today's pic is the view over the bowl - Mark over on the right, Phil to the left bank and the leaves in front.

Winter League

Hall Farm Large Lake - venue change

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1st Steve Foster 48lbs 3oz 2ndTerry Moranda 30lbs 13oz 3rd Ray Gibson 26lbs 8oz 4th Dave Sellick 22lbs

Phil's day Morning to all, the Weds club fished its second round of its winter league at Hall Farm. We were promised a good weather day with no wind or rain so even a hard day will be a pleasure. I drew peg 22 again so kinda knew what was in store for me but you never know that's what keeps us coming back. Alternated between pole and feeder for 3 carp and a bunch of roach and rudd with tiny perch for 12lbs 10 oz. First place Steve Foster with 48lbs 3oz, second was Terry Moranda with 30lbs 13oz, 3rd Ray Gibson with 26lbs 8oz and 4th Dave Sellick with 22lbs (Guest) , with no blanks it was a better day all round, a donation of £20 .00 was made by Barry Cornel and Ray Gibson.

Club match/outing

Home Farm Small Lake

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1st Mark Halverson 50lbs 11oz 2nd Gary Pickard 35lbs 4oz 3rd Phil Whitmill 13lbs 15oz

Gary's day It was Home Farm's small lake for us this weekend after yet another very wet but still pretty mild week. The water though was cold after all the rain. Out of the bag came peg 8 which I was happy with as it is usually a good winter peg with a long, deep margin. It was quite a slow start with the odd roach until I finally had a small carp on the long pole (well 6 sections as it was gusty) on expander. Mark opposite on peg 3 also had a carp about the same time and then a couple more before it then went even quieter with even the roach proving very tricky. The rest of the lake was fishing hard too with just the odd roach and, at one point, the far bank were all out on the feeder which shows how slow it was. Mark had a couple more decent carp and I was falling behind. Things started to improve about 1 but it was a case of wading through the small fish and rotating swims for the odd better fish including a couple of 1lb+ perch and occassional carp. The long edge failed me today with very few bites even from roach. Perhaps the wind blowing into it was a bit too cold. On the far side though Mark had a golden last hour when the carp rocked up in his quite shallow, but sheltered, margin and they were a better quality than the fish I had. At the weigh in Mark had 50lbs to my 35lbs with Phil snagging a couple of late carp for 13lbs and third. Today's pic is a very calm looking view towards the far bank, the wind started just after the whistle went - of course.

Club match/outing

Hall Farm Large Lake

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1st Terry Moranda 46lbs 15oz 2nd Steve Foster 22lbs 12oz 3rd Peter Green 22lbs 11oz 4th John Carter 19lbs 1oz

Phil's day Good morning to all. The Weds club fished Hall Farm lake today. It was going to be hard with the odd exception after a cold and wet few days. I drew peg 22 a good peg - I did manage to bag 1 carp and a few perch and lost a carp that slipped the hook and weighed in 5lbs 2oz. Word got through that peg 26 was catching well and I could see Peter on peg 3 was doing OK. End result was first Terry Moranda with a run away weight of 46lbs 15oz, 2nd Steve Foster with 22lbs 12oz, 3rd Peter Green with 22lbs 11oz and 4th John Carter with 19lbs 1oz. Thanks to Gary Pickard for his assistance in the weighing in. Picture today are the high bank pegs ready for the all-in - the wind started just after!

Interclub (Sawbridgeworth)

Sawbridgeworth club lake

Brandon Shield

Club match/outing

Beggars Hall

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1st Mark Halverson 90lbs 2oz 2nd Rob Calderon 40lbs 6oz 3rd Jeff Pearson 37lbs 2oz

Gary's day It was back to Beggars Hall today after a drier but colder week. Out came peg 19 for me, not a peg I fancied as the fish seem to always be moving through it rather than stopping. Rob got off to a flying start on peg 5 with a carp on the first cast. And so did Mark on peg 16. Peg 19 was a lot slower. After an hour of trying the method feeder without any signs it was time for plan b. Finally I had a bite on a little cage feeder with groundbait and maggot. I was not best pleased though when it came off right at the net and a good looking double figure common headed back into the deeps. A hope that this was the first of a few fish did not materialize. I had a consolation 8oz roach a couple of casts later but even the perch and silvers were not playing ball. A few carp had slowly been coming out with Jeff on 18 and Rob on 5 having a few with John on 4 and Terry on 20 slowly catching up. Another roach on the pole was my lot for the day; not a blank but not far off. Mark over on 16 had a great day with 14 carp and a rogue bream for 90lbs 2oz. Rob then just pulled ahead of Jeff with 40lbs 6oz to Jeff's 37lbs 2oz. Picture today is Mark with part of his winning catch.

Club match/outing

River Stort Backwater

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1st Phil Whitmill 3lbs 5oz 2nd Mark Halverson 3lbs 3oz 3rd Rob Calderon 2lbs 3oz

Phil's day Good evening to all, the Weds club fished its weekly match on the Club's Backwater part of the River Stort. It was a wet day but I am used to that now but at least it dried up before the weigh in. I drew peg 14 not a bad peg and I was in with a chance. Made up three lines: over to the barge;and down the middle; and a perch line on the inside. The flow was very good and the colour was dropping out all the while. I did chopped worm over to the barge, bread punch down the middle track and worm and mags on my inside line. It took 45 minutes to get a bite but they were there. Did all my catching down the middle track on red maggots - tried the punch but they were so small - 50 to the pound size. I weighed in 3lbs 5oz most were 2 or 1 oz fish but had a couple of 4 to 5 oz, 1 being a 4oz skimmer hybrid. 1st Phil Whitmill with 3lbs 5oz, 2nd Mark Halverson with 3lbs 3oz and 3rd Rob Calderon with 2lbs 3oz. Pic is Dave Fuller and John Todd on pegs 13 and 12.

Event - Canoe Club

River Stort

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Club match/outing

Hall Farm Large Lake

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1st Gary Pickard 75lbs 10oz 2nd Mark Halverson 38lbs 5oz 3rd John Todd 31lbs 4oz

Gary's day It was back to Hall Farm today after another wet but still quite mild week. Today was going to be pretty windy and peg 12, which had some shelter, was looking very inviting. Out of the bag came peg 6 - no shelter today but it has been a good peg recently so I was pretty happy with this. I got off to a flying start with an F1 on the first cast with a little maggot feeder. The next 30 mins gave me 2 more small carp but then the silvers moved in. They were not a bad quality but it was too slow. It was hard to tell how the rest of the lake was fishing as the wind drowned out the give away noise of netting fish. A change to the pole, fishing just over 5 sections so I could hold it relatively still in the wind, saw the silvers coming regularly. With plenty of rudd around 6oz and some chunky perch pushing 1lb they were well worth fishing for. Phil in peg 4 was getting the odd fish on the feeder as was Tony on peg 8 but it was looking slow for Mark on peg 2. The odd quieter spell marked a carp or F1 being in the swim and, thankfully, a few decided to feed. A quick try shorter have me a couple more F1s but the wind made presentation difficult. Mark on peg 2 was now catching with Tony and Phil still putting fish in the net. The pegs further to the right were an unknown. At the weigh in my nets went 75lb with over 10lb of silvers and a really enjoyable day with plenty of bites for November. The match was pretty tight with a couple of good fish making all the difference for places. 1st Gary Pickard 75lbs 10oz, 2nd Mark Halverson 38lbs 5oz and 3rd John Todd with 31lbs 4oz. Picture today is Mark and me (behind camera) bothering Phil before the all in.

Interclub (Abbey Cross)

Beggars Hall

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Abbey Cross won on the day with 95 points to Bishop's Stortford's 75 points 1st Peter Green 61lbs 8oz 2nd John Carter 39lbs 15oz 3rd Jeff Pearson 32lbs 12oz 4th Barry Cornel 31lbs 8oz 5th Tony Cruci 30lbs

Phil's day Hi to all, the Weds club held its monthly match against Abbey Cross on our club waters at Beggars Hall. It was well attended with 18 anglers so a few bad pegs went in but not a lot I can do about it as there is only 22 pegs on the lake. It was a damp start and the rain got steadily heaver as the day went on. I drew peg 9, a peg that is not usually used but that's how it goes. I decided, as it's about team points, I would fish for silvers but on carp tackle just in case. No carp today but weighed in 4lbs 14oz of good roach which kept me busy most of the day. 1st was Peter Green with 61lbs 8oz, 2nd John Carter with 39lbs 15oz, 3rd Jeff Pearson with 32lbs 12oz, 4th Barry Cornel with 31lbs 8oz and 5th Tony Cruci with 30lbs. Pic is my peg. Abbey Cross won on the day with 95 points to our 75 points

Club match/outing

Beggars Hall

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1st John Carter 92lbs 2oz 2nd Mark Halverson 77lbs 6oz 3rd Phil Whitmill 54lbs 2oz

Gary's day It was another bright start at Beggars Hall with the view at the draw being that there would be no rain; we were very wrong. Out of the bag came peg 4 for me. A good summer peg with the dubious pleasure of giving you a great view of fliers 17 and 18. A quick try on hard pellet on the pole had no signs so it was on to the feeder. An hour in things were not looking good - no bites or liners and John on peg 5 was reeling them in. Finally, I had a bite after just over an hour and one of the smallest carp in the lake was in the net. At least a blank was saved. With no more signs on the method feeder I had another bite fishing a small cage feeder. Sadly it came off. Time to try the pole again which seemed to be working for Mark over on peg 17 who was also now catching well. A couple of dead maggots on the hook was getting me bites but from small perch and not the carp I needed. And then the rain started about 12.30 and the next hour was not pleasant. At least I had a bite from a proper carp during the downpour but then it was back to the small perch. At this stage it looked a 2 horse race between Mark and John - they looked to be fish for fish. A consolation third carp with about an hour to go had the hopes up but then it was perch again. At the weigh in my 19lb came nowhere. John's steady day on the feeder took him to 92lbs 2oz, with Mark's 77lbs coming second with Phil sneaking his way into third with 54lbs off peg 10. Today's photo is John with part of his winning catch.

Club match/outing

Hall Farm Large Lake

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1st Peter Green 71lbs 3oz 2nd Jeff Pearson 47lbs 3oz 3rd Rob Calderón 43lbs 2oz 4th Gary Pickard 39lbs 13oz

Phils' day A good Morning to all, the Weds club fished its club match at Hall Farm. There was a good turn out so some not so good pegs were in the bag. I drew peg 26 a very good peg but very shallow water and this cold snap will have an effect. I made up two lines: one at 10 meters; one in the margins; and, of course, the feeder for next to the weed beds. I fed micro pellets and mags in my margin and mixed pellet and corn at 10 meters. Started off with the feeder for the first hour but, apart from the odd very small roach and perch, nothing so on to my 10meter line. Tried that for a while but nothing again so tried my margin - had some small roach and a couple half pound chub. Then, out the blue, had my first carp on red maggot. I stayed on this line for another hour or so and got another carp then nothing so back to the feeder and had two more carp then nothing so, with the margin rested, spent the last hour down there and had 3 more carp to weigh in 32lbs 9oz. 1st Peter Green with 71lbs 3oz, 2nd Jeff Pearson with 47lbs 3oz, 3rd Rob Calderón with 43lbs 2oz and 4th Gary Pickard with 39lbs 13oz. Pic is of my peg number 26. A big thanks goes to Gary Pickard for helping me at the draw and weighing the high bank in.

Club match/outing

Hall Farm Large Lake

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1st Dave Knapp 29lbs 15oz 2nd Mark Halverson 27lbs 2oz 3rd Gary Pickard 25lbs 14oz

Gary's day After a very wet week thanks to Storm Babet Sunday dawned clear and cold, not quite a frost but very close. With a good turnout we were on both banks today and it was a good job we each had the extra space Out of the bag came 22 for me which I was happy with; not a flyer but consistent especially as we move into the colder months. There were a few fish topping as we were setting up which is always encouraging - they disappeared as soon as the whistle blew of course. A start on the long pole on hard pellet gave me a few bites but nothing was there when I struck even on sail away bites. A move to one side and try with maggots found me the culprits - lots of roach. At 4oz each and noone really catching it was worth going for them though whilst I waited for the carp and F1s to rock up. Over on peg 2 Darren had a couple of carp on the feeder and Mark on 6 had another but it was slow going. A carp after about an hour along with the silvers was keeping me in the game. A foulhooked and then a bumped couple of fish finished off the right hand swim though. Time for a break and an early sandwich. A couple of small carp on a maggot feeder was a welcome boost but the waits were too long. There were plenty of carp cruising but annoyingly well out of pole range. They seemed to be coming in but my margins were lifeless. So out back long it was to the end. Slowly the small roach I was catching started to grow and another couple of carp kept the weight ticking over. It was going to be a close match as a few of us looked to be at around 20lbs. A couple of late big carp made the difference for Dave on peg 26, with Mark having a steady day fishing a patient short pole match. And my silvers, including a rare chub, helped me pip Jeff to third. 1st Dave Knapp 29lbs 15oz, 2nd Mark Halverson 27lbs 2oz and 3rd Gary Pickard 25lbs 14oz. Pic today is the lake just before the all in with bright, blue skies unlike the rest of the week.

Winter League

River Stort Backwater

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1st Bill Beeston 2lbs 7oz 2nd Phil Whitmill 1lbs 9oz 3rd Steve Foster 1lbs 6oz 4th Rob Calderon 1lbs 3oz

Phil's day Hi all, the Weds Club fished the Backwater for its first round of our winter league. I drew peg 2 not a good peg but not too bad - it's very deep, a full match top deep. My plan was to be bread punch and worm with the odd maggot. Well bread was out as it was much too deep so maggots down the middle track and chopped worm over by the barge it was. Got a small perch on maggot within 20 minutes then a few roach a little bigger than the usual size. The it was over to my worm line - not a twitch on worm so tried maggot over there and got broken up on a very decent perch. Stayed there for a while but nothing so back down the middle and had a couple more roach then a pike take and another hook length gone. Carried on there until the end of the match and lost another good perch ending up with 1lbs 9oz 1st Bill Beeston with 2lbs 7oz, 2nd Phil Whitmill with 1lbs 9oz, 3rd Steve Foster with 1lbs 6oz and 4th Rob Calderon with 1lbs 3oz. The cold snap had had a bad effect on the catches today. Pic is the Backwater from my peg.

Club match/outing

Home Farm Small Lake

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1st Mark Halverson 78lbs 7oz 2nd Rob Caderon 47lbs 3rd Gary Pickard 30lbs 4oz

Gary's day Autumn is here and it was a cold start at Home Farm with a bit of a frost on the ground. It was bright and sunny though so was due to warm up. Out of the bag came peg 7. With the cold overnight and a good bit of cold rainwater going in the lake during the week it could be a hard day A small carp early on with micros and expander had my hopes up but it was a false dawn. An hour in I had the 1 carp and just a couple of roach, even they were not feeding. As the sun made its way over the trees the lake slowly came to life starting on peg 1 with Mark starting to catch. The sun took a long time to swing round until it hit our end of the lake and my feet were very cold by lunchtime. Mark was still catching and so was Rob now on peg 6 to my right. The middle pegs though were proving a lot trickier - Phil catching the odd roach over on Peg 3 and Tony losing a few carp on Peg 8. Finally, I had some sun about 2 and started warming up as did the fishing. A swap to a lighter rig helped as the bites were shy, winter bites with some just moving the float. Sadly it was much too late for me and a series of foulhooked fish that fell off did not help. Mark took out the field with 78lbs 7oz of paste fish followed by Rob with 47lbs and a thanks for coming of 30lbs 4oz for me (but with a big bonus perch of just under 2lbs thrown in). Pic today is Rob at the weigh in.

Club match/outing

Hall Farm Large Lake

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1st Bill Beeston 99lbs 10oz 2nd John Carter 84lbs 5oz 3rd Rob Calderon 82lbs 7oz 4th Jeff Pearson 55lbs 3oz

Phil's day Morning to all, the Weds Club fished their match at Hall Farm club lake. It was a good turnout with 15 anglers so I had to make a few alterations but all had an empty peg on one side. I drew peg 19 again for the 5th time in a row of either 19 or 20 - had enough now. I decided to fish pellet and corn and stick to it got it wrong again but that's fishing. 1st Bill Beeston with 99lbs 10oz and golden peg winner to double his winnings, 2nd John Carter with 84lbs 5oz, 3rd Rob Calderon with 82lbs 7oz and 4th Jeff Pearson with 55lbs 3oz. It was a close match with all framers within one or two fish, well done to all.

Club match/outing

Beggars Hall

R Jarvis Rose Bowl (2 of 2)

1st Gary Pickard 144lbs 11oz 2nd Peter Green 54lbs 14oz 3rd Mark Halverson 44lbs 3oz Winner of the Ralph Jarvis cup was Mark Halverson - points TBC

Gary's day It was a sunny and hot day for us at Beggars Hall which meant that, by the end of the day, pretty much every peg was being fished. Out of the bag came 17 for me, not quite 18 but I was very happy with this. I was not so happy when the top section of my bomb rod broke whilst I was setting up. With the weather being warm it was a start on pellet waggler. Sadly there were no signs, although Peter had better luck on it. I had flicked a few pellets down the edges and, an hour in, the left edge started colouring up. A quick try had signs straight away and then a chunky mirror heading to the net. 2 lost fish later it was time for a rethink - they were coming in but not feeding confidently so causing foulhooking. A go on a small method feeder had 2 more in the net but it was slow going. A try to the right on pellet and corn had 2 more big mirrors in the net but that was it, it never came back to life. So it was the left edge or bust. Messing around with the feeding and where I was fishing kept the bites coming. Upping the elastic to the strongest I had, 15-17, helped control the fish but they were all not very happy about being hooked. I had a great day ending with plenty of doubles pushing my final weight to 144lbs. Given my day I was surprised the rest of the lake had not fished that well on paper although there were plenty of fish lost which is par for the course at Beggars. 1st Gary Pickard 144lbs 11oz, 2nd Peter Green 54lbs 14oz and 3rd Mark Halverson 44lbs 3oz. Winner of the Ralph Jarvis cup was Mark Halverson. Pic today is the left margin that kept me busy.

Interclub (Abbey Cross)

Taylor's Lake (Abbey Cross water)

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Abbey Cross won on the day with 100 points to Bishop's Stortford's 68. 1st Jeff Pearson 16lbs 7oz 2nd Peter Green 16lbs 2oz 3rd Alan Sims 9lbs 3oz 4th John Carter 8lbs 8oz 5th Alan Fox 8lbs 1 oz

Phil's day Hi all, the Weds team fished its monthly interclub against Abbey Cross at Taylors Lake. We had a selection from 2 bags of pegs we chose the not so good pegs but, to be fair, there was some bad pegs in on both sides. I drew peg 35 - one out of where I would like to have been. Started off with casters and pellet for the bream and roach but it was a hard day all over even on the flyers. I did manage to catch a large skimmer bream and a bream of 3lb or so along with some nice rudd but couldn't keep them interested and weighed in 5lb 9oz for 7th place. Just wish I felt a bit better than I did - very achy and delicate so much so that when I got out the bath I did a covid test that was negative glad to say. In first place was Jeff Pearson with 16lbs 7oz, 2nd was Peter Green with 16lbs 2oz, 3rd Alan Sims with 9lbs 3oz, 4th was John Carter with 8lbs 8oz and 5th was Alan Fox with 8lbs 1 oz. Abbey Cross won on the day with 100 points to Bishop's Stortford's 68. There was a riddle of a half £5 note that has been sorted and its rightful owner will get it on Sun or Weds. Pic is my peg that looked great.

Interclub (Sawbridgeworth)

River Stort Backwater

Lea and Stort Cup

Bishop's Stortford retained the Lea and Stort Cup with 15lbs 2oz to Sawbridgeworth's 8lbs 8oz 1st Steve Foster 5lbs 6oz 2nd Colin Hawkins 4lbs 7oz 3rd Mark Halverson 3lbs 1oz 4th Tony Cruci 2lbs 2oz

Gary's day Today we were on the Stort Backwater for the Lea and Stort match against Sawbridgeworth. A big thank you to the Thursday Work Party as their work over the last few months has transformed the river. With almost no flow or colour but the water still quite warm it was anyone's guess as to how it would fish. Out of the bag (well envelope today) came peg 8 for me. Not one I have fished before but it always looks good as I walk past. Deciding to keep it simple I had just brought maggots; the last 2 pints from Stansted so a close call. Plumbing up I was surprised to find it quite a bit shallower under the boat so needed to make up another rig. The shallow water was not a great sign for perch action. It was a slow, slow start. Not unexpected as maggots can take a while to work especially if the water has not been fished for a while. But when those fishing breadpunch had not gotten off to the usual quick start on this method things did not look good. 5 1/2 hours later I had scratched my way to 25 fish for 1lbs 3oz, the fish must have been hollow. Around me had faired no better with Mark and Fred upstream from me being plagued by crayfish when trying for perch. Well done to Steve and Colin at the top end who stuck to their guns going for perch with Colin having a huge 3lbs 7oz specimen - sorry no photo. Bishop's Stortford retained the Lea and Stort Cup with 15lbs 2oz to Sawbridgeworth's 8lbs 8oz And individually 1st Steve Foster 5lbs 6oz, 2nd Colin Hawkins 4lbs 7oz, 3rd Mark Halverson 3lbs 1oz and 4th Tony Cruci 2lbs 2oz. Picture is my peg at the end of the match

Club match/outing

Beggars Hall

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1st Terry Moranda 55lbs 12oz 2nd Peter Green 47lbs 4oz 3rd Bill Beeston 36lbs 2oz 4th Jeff Pearson 34lbs 10oz

Phil's day Hi all, the Weds Club fished just its club match on Beggars Hall club lake this week. I drew peg 3 not a happy bunny but you never know. Well I found out the hard way - ended up with a few oz of perch and roach so it's a D.N.W for me. Peter next to me was catching all day so it seemed In first place Terry Moranda with 55lbs 12oz, 2nd Peter Green with 47lbs 4oz, 3rd Bill Beeston with 36lbs 2oz and 4th Jeff Pearson with 34lbs 10oz. Pic is Peter Green at peg 4.

Club match/outing

Malcolm Barker Lake

Malcolm Barker Rose Bowl (1 of 2)

1st Gary Pickard 13lbs 11oz 2nd Mark Halverson 8lbs 5oz 3rd John Todd 3lbs Gary won the MBL Rose Bowl with 2 points, second was Mark with 4 points and third John with 8 points.

Gary's day It was Malcolm Barker Lake today for the second leg of the MBL Rose Bowl. A win in the first round meant I had everything to lose. With weights expected to be low it would be tight and easy to drop points quickly. Peg 3 was my home for the day; the same peg I had on the first match so set up would be quicker. After having a careful look at the swim I decided not to weed rake. The lilies looked reasonably clear and the left was so weedy I would be there still clearing it. Well it was a very slow start for all. Finally I had a couple of small fish on the waggler and maggot but it was hard work. When the wind got up I swapped to the pole. When a 2oz roach decided to go on a run to the middle of the lake the slow start was clearer - I had some pike in the peg. 2 more roach went the same way to pike and one even had a go at my pole tip when it splashed in the water when shipping back. Around noon it was looking like a very low weight affair with only a few small fish being caught. Then slowly the lake revved up. About this time I hooked a tench on my roach gear. I had hopes of landing it after getting it to the top but it soon dived back in the weed and we parted company. Out came the heavier pole rig from the box. A few small skimmers then started showing but never more than 2 at a time. A couple of the quiet spells were down to tench and 3 went into the net after a lot of playing through the weed. I had seen Mark and John netting a few fish including at least 1 tench for Mark. On the far side Tony and Phil had some run ins with bigger fish but none landed so far. And Fred was struggling with small roach in peg 2. At the weigh in I was surprised to have over 13lbs, I am useless at guessing tench weights. 1st Gary Pickard 13lbs 11oz, 2nd Mark Halverson 8lbs 5oz and 3rd John Todd 3lbs. Photo today is me for a change.

Club

Various

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Wednesday Club Summer League 2023 1st John Carter with 55 points 2nd Terry Moranda with 54 points 3rd Bill Beeston with 47 points 4th Fred Hunt with 44 points

It was another close finish with it all coming down to the last match and droppers. In the end John just pipped Terry for 1st after the final match at Hall Farm. 1st John Carter with 55 points 2nd Terry Moranda with 54 points 3rd Bill Beeston with 47 points 4th Fred Hunt with 44 points

Summer League

Hall Farm Large Lake

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1st John Carter 70lbs 7oz 2nd Bill Beeston 56lbs 12oz 3rd Tony Cruci 51lbs 1oz 4th Fred Hunt 42lbs 4oz

Phil's day Afternoon to all, the Weds club fished its final match of the summer league at Hall Farm club lake. I drew peg 20 what a stinker of a peg I fished as best as I could but could not get the carp going. I managed to get two small carp and 2lb of silvers and even they were hard to come by. As for the rest of the lake it fished quite well with plenty of weights in the 40lb mark 1st John Carter with 70lbs 7oz, 2nd Bill Beeston with 56lbs 12oz, 3rd Tony Cruci with 51lbs 1oz and 4th Fred Hunt with 42lbs 4oz

Club match/outing

Home Farm Small Lake

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1st Gary Pickard 152lbs 10oz 2nd Rob Calderon 65lbs 15oz 3rd Mark Halverson 53lbs 15oz

Gary's day Today saw us at Home Farm's small lake near Little Walden. With a Caravan Club meeting the last 2 weeks the lakes had seen plenty of pressure. Out of the drawbag came peg 8 for me which I was pretty happy with. On getting to the peg a little gardening was needed as the rushes had gone mad. With margins restored it was time to decide on tactics. With the water being low and foulhooking always an issue in this shallow lake it was time for big baits to pin the rig to the bottom and shallow rigs. A start out long on 6mm pellets was fruitless; a couple of small bites likely from roach. Likewise having a go at the odd cruising carp I could make out did not work. At this stage, Rob 2 pegs to my right, was starting to catch. It was time to try and get a few bites. I had been feeding the odd pellet to my margins which were pretty much the same depth as out long - 2 foot or so. 3 fish in 3 puts in on paste had my day sorted. I kept pinging the odd pellet long and giving it a go to rest the margins but I may as well have gone for some walks. Between runs of foulhooking fish and needing to make a few changes to convert to proper hookholds the bites kept coming. The far bank was struggling despite it looking perfect with a warm wind heading their way but the fish had other thoughts. Rob also seemed to still be catching with some regular splashing from the other end of the lake - apparently not as many as I thought as quite a bit was down to some very active carp trying to escape his nets. At the weigh in a busy day saw me with 152lbs 10oz with Rob Calderon on 65lbs 15oz and Mark Halverson on 53lbs 15oz. Pic today is Tony, Mark, Rob (hidden) and Phil (lurking in the background) at the weigh in.

Interclub (Saffron Walden)

Bordeaux Pits (Saffron Walden water)

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Saffron Walden won with 82 points to Bishop's Stortford's 56 points 1st Clive Bradford 10lbs 8 oz 2nd Brian Newman 10lbs 3rd Brian Mizon 8lbs 8oz 4th Bill Beeston 7lbs 1oz 5th Phil Whitmill 6lbs 10 oz

Phil's day Hi everyone, the Weds Club fished it 4th and final match against Saffron Walden on their lake Bourdeux Pits. It's a pretty lake with lots of twists and turns. It's a silvers match where king carp count for nothing, I drew peg 9 - it's a good area but very carpy so tackled up a bit heavy for roach but no choice. Made 2 lines at 10 meters and 8 meters in open water hoping the carp would stay away. Fed small amounts of corn and pellet with groundbait. I started off at 8 meters on red maggot and caught very small roach and rudd - did this for a while till it got hard to catch then on to my 10 meter line. This produced much better silvers with the odd skimmer and then the carp moved in. With a 2.8 lb hooklength didn't fancy my chances but did manage a small f1 which counted. Then I got my first carp of about 10lbs and after a lot of playing the fish I managed to land him so put it back and half hour later started to pick up the roach again then got into another carp. This time it snapped my hooklength, soon got back to catching roach but the swim had taken a beating from these carp and it was getting slower and slower. Then, with half an hour to go, got another carp played this one real slow and got him in. It was a common of the about same size and went on to catch a couple more roach before the match finished. I weighed in 6lbs 10 oz. First Clive Bradford with 10lbs 8 oz, 2nd Brian Newman with 10lbs, 3rd Brian Mizon with 8lbs 8oz, 4th Bill Beeston with 7lbs 1oz and 5th Phil Whitmill with 6lbs 10 oz. Winning team on the day was Saffron Walden with 82 points to Bishop's Stortford's 56 points - well done to all. Pic today is Peter Green with Peter Mottram chatting before the match.

Interclub (Abbey Cross and Sawbridgeworth)

Hall Farm Large and Small Lakes

Triple Cup

Bishop's Stortford took home the Cup with 35 points to Abbey Cross 38 points and Sawbridgeworth 61 points Large Lake lower bank 1st Tony Parker 44lbs 10oz (AC) 2nd Ray Gibson 37lbs 10z (BS) 3rd Phil Whitmill 23lbs 13oz (BS) Large Lake high bank/steps 1st Gary Pickard 54lbs 6oz (BS) 2nd Mark Halverson 42lbs 13oz (BS) 3rd Dave Salick 32lbs 8oz (AC) Small Lake 1st T Smith 14lbs 10oz (AC) 2nd Tony Cruci 9lbs 13oz (BS) Jt 3rd Barry Fox (AC) / Dave Fuller (BS) 4lbs 8oz

Gary's day Today was the big match of the year, the Triple Cup between BS, Abbey Cross and Sawbridgeworth. 3 teams of 9 descended on Hall Farm with both lakes in use. The mid-week match had fished OK but we had had another 3 days of 30+C temps and today was going to be another scorcher. Out of the draw bag came the middle pegs for our team; not a great start meaning we had not one of the 6 end pegs. Tony, Barry and Dave opted to fish the Small Lake with the rest of the team on the Large Lake. Peg 21 and the high bank section was my draw. Whilst setting up there were plenty of rudd and roach with the odd carp swimming around in front of me so that pretty much had my day planned - shallow. Now would they feed? A few quick, decent quality silvers saw me off the mark and it was soon clear that the carp were swimming rather than feeding. A few carp and f1s did finally take a pellet but only when close to a couple of big weed clumps in front of me. It was a slow plod but I looked to be doing OK as the pegs I could see on the far bank were pretty quiet and so was Jeff to my left. About half way through it was time to try the margins as I needed a break from fishing shallow for little to show. A couple of quick fish on corn to the left had me excited but then the swim died a death and never really came back. The right margin was much better but with the weed only 5/6 metres away every fish went charging for it. At the all out I ended with 54lb and the all important max team points and we seemed to have done pretty well on the Large Lake. In a very close finish Bishop's Stortford took home the Cup with 35 points to Abbey Cross 38 points and Sawbridgeworth 61 points. Well done to all in toughing it out in pretty extreme conditions and roll on next year.

Interclub (Abbey Cross)

Hall Farm Large Lake

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Winning team on the day was Bishop's Stortford with 88 points to Abbey Cross 82 points. 1st Martin Adams 68lbs 11oz 2nd Steve Foster 42lbs 7oz 3rd Rob Calderon 37lbs 5oz 4th Bob Warmsly 34lbs 15oz 5th Bill Beeston 34lbs 3oz

Phil's day Hi all, the Weds Club fished its monthly interclub match against Abbey Cross this week. The teams were equal at 9 aside but the pegging was hit and miss with late arrivals. I drew peg 3, not a bad peg but with the extra hot spell we are having it was anybody's guess as to how the lake would fish. I was late setting up having to fit late comers in, but managed to get the match off to a start on time. I made up 3 lines on pole and a feeder and pellet waggler, fed mostly pellet with a little corn and bread down the margin. It started off slowly and I couldn't get a carp anywhere. Next to me has had 2 carp and some rudd so the pressure wass on to catch. Went on my margins about 12 ish and nothing. When I looked down beside my keepnet, and no bait had gone in, there were 3 or 4 biggish carp down there so changed tack and fed some reds and started catching odd roach and rudd then got my first carp about 3lbs. I stayed there for the rest of my day and went on to put 31lb in the net. 1st Martin Adams with 68lbs 11oz, 2nd Steve Foster with 42lbs 7oz, 3rd Rob Calderon with 37lbs 5oz, 4th Bob Warmsly with 34lbs 15oz and 5th Bill Beeston with 34lbs 3oz. Winning team on the day was Bishop's Stortford with 88 points to Abbey Cross 82 points. Pic of the day is my peg 3.

Club match/outing

Beggars Hall

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1st Mark Halverson 92lbs 10oz 2nd Peter Green 83lbs 70z 3rd Gary Pickard 71lbs 2oz

Gary's day It was back to Beggars Hall today. With it being hot and calm the conditions looked perfect for a bit of pellet waggler fishing. Out of the bag came peg 4 which I was pretty happy with and I had Peter for company in peg 5. After a couple of hours of trying the waggler I had 2 carp to show for all the effort. The lake was fishing a bit harder than expected; you could just about make out the odd carp cruising through quickly rather than stopping to feed. Peter though was having a much better day on the waggler and was catching steadily. A try on a bomb and pellet under the waggler line produced a massive liner which had the rod bent double but nothing else. With the sun high in the sky it was time to see if anything was seeking some shade under the willow to my right. The answer was yes. A couple of quick bites on paste finally had another carp in the net but it was a long wait between bites. After messing around with different baits to my left margin (and the perch eating anything thrown at them) a few carp started to show and a quick run of fish near the end saw me with 7 carp for 71lbs. Apart from hearing Peter catching well and Jeff making it clear he was not having a great day on peg 19 I had no idea how the rest of the lake had fished as you can't see anything from peg 6 because of the willow. Again it was a pretty close finish given the average size of carp. Mark on peg 17 ended with 92lbs, Peter had more carp but a slightly smaller average to finish with 83lbs and then me on 71lbs. Pic today is Peter weighing in.

Club match/outing

Hall Farm Large Lake

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1st John Carter 86lbs 1oz 2nd Terry Moranda 67lbs 2oz 3rd Jeff Pearson 61lbs 4th Bill Beeston 55lbs 5oz

Phil's day Hi all, the Weds Club fished Hall Farm club lake. The weather was kind to us although a bit chilly to start with. I drew peg 19 - this area has not been kind to me of late seem and I seem to draw the same 3 or 4 pegs every time. I knew I would be into some carp 20 or 30 lb at most. Started off making 3 lines for the pole and a feeder for the extra distance. I fed pellet and corn with a bit of groundbait in both margins and micros and maggots at 10 meters. Started off on the feeder at 20 meters and started arranging my tray and putting bits away that I didn't need looked up as the feeder went round with carp number 1. I went on to get 3 more from the same area then nothing so onto my pole lines. Went out on my 10 meter line on 6mm pellet got a few bites from small roach but no carp. By this time it was 12.30pm so margin time - went in on my left margin and hooked one straight away. I thought here we go got a few more then nothing so on to my right - nothing. I played about there for a hour and then went back on my left margin and picked up a couple more then a string of foul hookers has left me frustrated but carried on with this margin for a couple. I ended up with 34lbs 8oz and thanks for coming. First place John Carter with 86lbs 1oz, 2nd Terry Moranda with 67lbs 2oz, 3rd Jeff Pearson with 61lbs and 4th Bill Beeston with 55lbs 5oz . The lake fished hard but well. Pic is my peg looking down on my feeder rod.

Club match/outing

Beggars Hall

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1st Fred Hunt 65lbs 3oz 2nd Rob Calderon 49lbs 7oz 3rd Gary Pickard 38lbs 15oz

Gary's day There were a few of us today so both banks were in use and peg 4 was my home for the day. Whilst setting up there were a few fish topping and hopes were high for a few fish, however, as usual, they had done a disappearing act before the start whistle. After 2 hours of hard work out in the middle trying pellet waggler and then a method feeder underneath each time the wind picked up I had nothing to show - not even a liner. Over on the other bank it looked lovely with a bit of shelter from the wind. It was slow going though but Phil on 17 and Fred on 18 had a couple of early fish and I could see Jeff had a real lump in the net. And with Rob to my left having a couple I was looking a long way behind already. Finally, I was off the mark around 12 with a carp on the feeder and then another 30 mins or so later but Fred was racing away and Phil was losing a few. Time for an early look in the margins - and nothing at all to the left nor any signs on paste in front which usually works well. Time to raid the freezer clearings out I had brought along and I finally started to get some bites on some rather old dead maggots near the willow. Perch to start with but with the odd carp mixed in. But way too many were coming off the hook. At the all-out I ended with 4 carp and a couple of dozen perch for 38lbs. It was closer than I thought it would be - 1st Fred Hunt 65lbs 3oz, 2nd Rob Calderon 49lbs 7 oz and 3rd Gary Pickard 38lbs 15oz with a chasing pack in the 30s. Pic today is Jeff with the lump I saw him land whilst I was still biteless.

Interclub (Saffron Walden)

Beggars Hall

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1st Peter Green 48lbs 8oz 2nd Terry Moranda 44lbs 7oz 3rd Rob Calderon 44lbs 5oz 4th James Gillard 42lbs 4oz Bishop's Stortford lost by 1 point with 104 to Saffron Walden's 105 points

Phil's day Hi all, what a scorcher of a day I was glad I was in the shade most of the day. The Weds club fished its 3rd leg interclub match against Saffron Walden at Beggars Hall Lake. There was a full turnout of 20 anglers so a few bad pegs were. I drew peg 15, it was a peg I did not want but that's the luck. Started off making 2 lines: one at 10 meters; and one in the margin. Fed pellet and corn on those lines and a feeder at 20 meters it was a bit tight for casting but I managed to stay out of the trees. Got my one and only carp within the hour of about 4lb then nothing on pole or feeder so a change of tactics go for the small stuff. A few perch and roach got me another couple pounds then that died and I was glad when 3:30 came round so I could end the match. First Peter Green with 48lbs 8oz, 2nd Terry Moranda with 44lbs 7oz, 3rd Rob Calderon with 44lbs 5oz, 4th James Gillard with 42lbs 4oz, 5th Fred Hart with 31lbs 15oz and 6th Peter Motram with 23lbs 3oz. Bishop's Stortford lost by 1 point it was 104 to Saffron Walden's 105 points - pic is Our Billy on peg 13

Club match/outing

Home Farm Large Lake

Stone Cup (2 of 2)

1st Mark Halverson with 168lbs 2oz 2nd Gary Pickard 129lbs 11oz 3rd Phil Whitmill 128lbs 8oz Phil wins the 2 leg Stone Cup on weight with 205lbs 9oz to Gary's 199lbs 6oz after a points tie.

Gary's day Today was a new venue for me as we were at Home Farm's large lake, we tend to fish the small one. So peg 7 meant nothing at all to me when it came out of the draw bag. On arriving at the peg I had a long straight bank of tins with a bramble in the water on a top kit, a small tree to the left and the corner much too far to the right for the pole as it was going to be breezy. On plumbing up it was pretty much 2 1/2 feet everywhere out front and 2 foot down the sides. Time to find some shallow rigs in the box! With a few fish cruising I started trying shallow but only had roach and rudd. Next up was paste at 5 sections to one side where the light was good to see the float. Again the roach and rudd were a pain so time for hard pellets. This seemed to fix things a bit and slowly a few carp were heading to the net but only small ones of around a pound. Over on peg 5 Mark was flying with fish regularly heading to his net and looking twice the size of mine. Time for a change as I needed to catch bigger fish. Thankfully the fish down the edge were a better stamp but I really had to wait for a positive bite to avoid foul hooking fish - and it is amazing the number of bites I had just to come back with a stick! Over on my left Phil had a blinding finish and it was going to be close for second place - Mark was well in front. At the all out 1st was Mark Halverson with 168lbs 2oz, 2nd Gary Pickard with 129lbs 11oz and 3rd Phil Whitmill 128lbs 8oz. Phil wins the 2 leg Stone Cup on weight with 205lbs 9oz to Gary's 199lbs 6oz after a points tie. Today's picture is Mark - you might just see the tail of a very orange koi in the top right of the weigh bag.

Water booking - Waterside Festival

Hall Farm Small Lake

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Water booking - Waterside Festival

Hall Farm Small Lake

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Summer League

Hall Farm Large Lake

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1st John Carter 103lbs 11oz 2nd Terry Moranda 86lbs 10oz 3rd Fred Hunt 53lbs 12oz 4th Phil Whitmill 44lbs 11oz

Phil's day Hi all, the Weds club fished it 5th round of our summer league at Hall Famr. I drew peg 25 not a winning peg just lately but I am going to catch a few fish. Made up two margin lines and a 10 meter line to a bank of weed in front of me and a feeder line to my right past the weed. Fed pellet and corn with some micros added to it. My main area was going to be the margin on my right - in the first hour I had a could of good carp of 10lb and a 8lb on pole which made me happy as I thought this was the start of a good day but not so. The carp I caught afterwards were much smaller and only I got the odd fish passing by. I ended my day with 44lbs 11oz so not too bad 1st John Carter with a very good weight of 103lbs 11oz, 2nd Terry Moranda with 86lbs 10oz, 3rd Fred Hunt with 53lbs 12oz and 4th Phil Whitmill with 44lbs 11oz. Pic is 25 my peg for the day.

Club match/outing

Hall Farm Large Lake

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1st Gary Pickard 114lbs 5oz 2nd Phil Whitmill 100lb 2oz 3rd Tony Cruci 47lbs 9oz (inc 8lbs 2oz of silvers)

Gary's day Sunday saw us with a change of venue to Hall Farm as MBL is very weedy at the moment. With just a few of us due to holidays and the like we decided on a rover. Out of the draw bag came 1 for me so I had first pick of the pegs. With the weather forecast being for a windy day I decided to tuck myself in a corner on peg 26. It was a slow start for me fishing about 10 metres on the bottom with pellet. Over on peg 5 Phil had a flying start with a few fish in the net before I had a bite. And the same for Tony on peg 1. Slowly though I started to get a few fish whilst feeding the margins now and again. After an hour it was time to try the margins as the left side had coloured up. And in the margins I stayed for the rest of the day. Ringing the changes now and again from paste to hard pellet and then to corn kept fish coming but a lot seemed to just come off even after playing them for a while. I could see my fish looked a bit smaller than Phil's and Tony's so it was going to be tight as they were catching steadily too. At the weigh in my fish went 114lbs to Phil's 100lb by default. With Tony having over 8lbs of roach/rudd to take over the front running for the silvers cup. Today's picture is the view from my peg to Phil and Tony. 1st Gary Pickard 114lbs 5oz, 2nd Phil Whitmill 100lb 2oz and 3rd Tony Cruci 47lbs 9oz.

Club match/outing

Malcolm Barker Lake

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1st John Carter 5lbs 5oz 2nd Phil Whitmill 4lbs 11oz Joint 3rd Dave Fuller and Rob Calderón 4lbs 2oz

Phil's day Hi to all, we fished our Weds match at Malcolm Barker Lake this week. The lake is full of weed and makes it almost impossible to hold a match. I drew peg 23 a very good peg and fairly clear of weed but one of our eldest members drew peg 8 and it was totally unfishable without a lot of work doing to it so I did a swap and used all my prep time clearing weed with a rope and rake head. At 9.30 am I blew the whistle to start the match and also stop raking the weed. I found a clear spot and concentrated on that. It took maybe a good hour or so to draw some fish in only small roach and rudd but it was fish in the net. By 2 pm the swim just died then 20 mins before the end I got a half decent tench on - it took me all over the swim from one patch of weed to another but managed to land it and I weighed in 4lb 11oz 1st John Carter with 5lbs 5oz, 2nd Phil Whitmill with 4lbs 11oz and joint 3rd was Dave Fuller and Rob Calderón with 4lbs 2oz each - pic is me on a sunny day.

Club match/outing

Hall Farm Small Lake

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1st Phil Whitmill 29lbs 10oz 2nd Rob Caldron 20lbs 12oz 3rd Tony Cruci 12lbs 3oz

There was a change of venue to the Small Lake on Sunday after the Charity match on the Large Lake the day before 1st Phil Whitmill 29lbs 10oz, 2nd Rob Caldron 20lbs 12oz and 3rd Tony Cruci 12lbs 3oz

Charity match - Breath Easy Bishop's Stortford

Hall Farm Large Lake

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1st Mark Halverson 53lbs 14oz 2nd Darren Marder 42lbs 2oz 3rd Fred Hunt 41lbs 7oz

First a big thank you to all that came along helping raise £285 for a worthy cause. [match info to add] In a tight finish Mark took top honours off red hot peg 2 (don't believe Mark when he says he doesn't like it) - 1st Mark Halverson 53lbs 14oz, 2nd Darren Marder 42lbs 2oz and 3rd Fred Hunt 41lbs 7oz.

Interclub (Abbey Cross)

Green Lanes Nazeing (Abbey Cross water)

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A tight finish with Abbey Cross winning with 48 points to Bishop's Stortford's 47 points 1st John Carter 103lbs 8oz 2nd Martin Adams 59lbs 10oz 3rd Ray Gibson 38lbs 15oz 4th Tony Cruci 36lbs 9oz

Phil's day Hi to all, the Weds Club was at Nazeing, an Abbey Cross venue, for the interclub match. The day was due to be a right drenched with rain from start to finish, however, for the most part, it was quite dry - all except the last one and a half hours when it tipped it down. I drew peg 19 not a bad area I thought but was soon told that it blanked the previous Sunday - never mind it was then and this is now. Only two lines of attack today: feeder and pellet waggler with the wind blowing I stayed on the feeder. I fished pellets on a band and corn had nothing on pellets but got my first fish on corn. Played it all the way in only to get my line cut on zebra mussels under my feet (bugger) waited till 2ish for my next bite and kept it up in the water so as not to repeat the last episode. It was only 6 lbs but saved the blank. I went on to catch 2 more of 7 and 8lbs but word was there were plenty of big doubles being caught so at least I held my side up. Aat the results it was the closest match for a while Abbey Cross 48 points Bishop's Stortford 47 points and second place first John Carter with 103lb 8oz, 2nd Martin Adams with 59lb 10oz, 3rd Ray Gibson with 38lb 15oz, 4th Tony Cruci with 36lb 9oz and I got 5th and thanks for coming. Pic is myself on peg 19