Covid Tier 4, Match Up Date for 2021
Good Afternoon guys, I received a call from Phil this morning asking me to put a message up on the blog. Unfortunately whilst we are in Tier 4 all Matches are cancelled.
Hopefully we will all be back on the bank again as a club competing 🎣
Have a great New Years Eve & New Year, Tight Lines 🎣
HLS Sedges 27.12.20
Here we go then guys, first match back after the Christmas Celebrations & we got thirteen anglers in the zone & booked in ready.
Unfortunately I’m not in on this one as yep I’ve been a bit gluten with the seasons cheer 😁😉 so the write up is how I’ve read the weight sheet sent to me by Guru. Hay this guy is keen, as my watch hit 16.00hrs so did his P.M with the attachment of the weight sheet, I thought ,wow, then I’ve seen he’s framed, second overall 💪💪🎣🎣😉.
To be fair to the Guru I’d expect nothing less !! this is his venue, what he doesn’t know about these lakes really ain’t worth knowing, he’s always up there, he’s got all the inside info from the Pro’s that go there.
So on to the next, Tony Knewll well what can I say apart from he’s done it again two on the trot I really do need to have a chat with this guy & find out his edge. Again always up there Paul Bowyer he’s also done two on the trot these guys are on fire 🔥 & the list goes on Martin Western wow taking 1st overall on the silvers 🔥 there leaving us behind. Also Bagger Dave Allen back on top form 2nd on the silvers he certainly is top draw that guy 💪🎣Nick Selway another Sedges local enters the framing blog with 3rd overall this week, super well done to you all from us all. So that just leaves me to say, me & Kingy not doing so well the wheels have fallen off temporarily. We will have our regular chat during the week to discuss tac-tics & he’ll blow me out of the water 💦 🤣 ha. Next week I’m back in, so the blog will be a little longer with a bit more detail ,ummm, maybe not it’s way in the depths of winter & were all be fighting for a bite on the Mighty Trinity Waters - Woodlands I love that lake I got to say, think I’ll do a practice there this week to see what’s happening, until then if your back to work don’t work to hard if your not !! I may see you on the bank 🎣💦👍.
As always book in with Guru & Tight Lines guys see you next week 😁👍
HLS Christmas Match at Trinity Lakes 2020
Trinity Lakes
Today we had our annual Xmas Match with 27 Club Anglers attending. We had two lakes in , Woodlands Match lake & Ash which is a favoured Snake lake. Ash is an excellent lake rammed with a good head of Silvers & Carp a like. Woodlands was split into two sections - far bank & near bank the sides were left out. So on with the match I drew Peg 9 yep chuffed with that, for company I had Dave Allen on 8 Tony Fry on 10 then down through my section were 6 very good anglers that all would have no problem winning. Straight across was Phill Guru, to the left was Brian Chivers the Gringe 😉 on 29.. the all in was called I had quite a straight forward outlook the Method towards the middle & a bomb line at 25m on the same line looking for signs from the method 😉 two edges one with Maggots over Maggots & the other Worm over GB, I thought I’d get a few carp & maybe a couple of accidental Perch well long story short nothing on all lines except a Roach aaarrrggghhh I could have screamed. Bagger Dave Allen didn’t have a bite until 2pm but then snared two good Skimmers & a Carp well done Mucca. Not such a good ending for Tony Fry just a few roach. So Guru was straight in within the first hour having a good Perch then straight after an F1 I think that was it ? Nick Selway was straight into the skimmers on peg 11 fishing the long pole & kept catching silvers very steadily all day. Tbf that’s all I really could see, oh Gringe wasn’t catching haha 😂 never mind Bri maybe next time ?? Ah my mate Paul Lock aka Locky, he won the Silvers for his section well I’ll have the nugget off you next time 💪 Martin Western drew peg 26 great area for his favoured fish silvers I couldn’t really see him but he managed first Overall for his section 💪👌 Tony Newll done the job with an overall with Paul Bowyer winning the silvers on our section. Ash George was by the bridge & admitted to 4lb saying that’ll win the lake for Silvers & shore enough it did 💪 Wow.. Kingy wanted a dobbing peg on Ash he got that but not such a great area by far he done some dobbing at 16m knowing him he did that most of the day, that guy would do 20m if he could he lives for the long pole 💪 John Wulverscroft took Overall for Ash. So that’s about it. I didn’t really know I’d be doing this blog so this is my first attempt of a few to come, so my intro is aka Dettol, P.I.1,!Willie Wonka to name but a few by the previous authors.
Next week the club will be at the Sedges, Ring or txt Guru to book in.
Have a fab Christmas, Stay safe & Tight Lines. 👍🎣
A week before the Christmas Match saw a gathering of 17 with 1 cry off on the morning. With the forecast being of a wet and windy day I'm sure that probably influenced the decision of the non attendee.
A quick consultation with fellow anglers and we decided to fish on the road side bank, this would be much easier for getting to our pegs and the wind behind our backs.
Most anglers in buoyant mood but you always get those that have to have a moan. It was good to see Simon Gardener back having been away for much of the season.
There was no draw this week on the Friday evening as Vic decided that he would like to do the draw on the day so all anglers were waiting for the 8.30 draw. With everyone ready were were waiting for Sausage to arrive and sure enough, loaded with Des Ships left over ground bait from their recent outing at Viaduct, we were set to go.
CHRISTMAS MATCH
After the long awaited competition fishing from Covid restrictions Part 2 - We resumed at Summerhayes on Longs Match Lake. We were 3 members short today as they live in part of the naughty country who cant keep to instructions so they were banned from travelling. When you see the results I wish I had joined them.
The morning was cold and when I arrived early to put my gear at the peg, the wooden platforms were slippery with a covering of frost., time for the warmer bib and brace today and wooly socks. No ice on the lake but as the morning progressed I'm sure it got colder with my holdal that was placed at my swim now also having a covering of frost.
17 persons braved the cold which for December is a good turn out and I think with the 3 who weren't allowed we would have had an exceptional turn out.
As per normal the draw was done on Friday evening with th decision of which pegs to leave out, Phil not wanting 19 as its rubbish but we chose odd number pegs and left out 25, 27 and 39.
The draw pulled out some strange pegs, I always seem to fish on the roadside and again this happened, Rich Coles had peg 35 for the 3rd time in a row, Dave Allen on peg 5 for the 3rd time in 4 draws, George, Danny and Afghan Bob all drew un- favorable pegs and the un-favored peg 19 was drawn by big Nick. The trouble with that area was the fact that its by the motorway and in the shade all day but true to form Nick, was in his vest, but he must of got a bit chilly as he then put on a T Shirt for the rest of the match. Dettal, (was he in or was he out ) graced us with his presence today and hopefully now attending on a regular basis.
Martin , Steve and Tony continue with their good form with drawing favorable areas of the lake.
Fees all collected and everyone ready nice and early. Eric was next to me again today sporting his new N Gauge Guru Rod that I had kindly bought for him from Bristol Angling. He also bought himself a new holdal, I recon the pensioners have had a pay rise!!
Draw
We have been informed that match fishing is allowed to commence after the 2nd December.
Our next fixture is at Summerhayes on Sunday 6th December, Longs Match Lake. The draw will be done on Friday evening at 7.00pm.
Please ensure you contact Steve Warren 07702 676869 to book your place by Wednesday evening.
If you live in a tier 3 area then unfortunately you can not cross the border into Somerset and therefore will not be permitted to fish.
Please ensure you bring your correct fees (£16 ) and arrive in plenty of time. Face mask are compulsory.
No following scales, once you have weighed, please make your way home. Results will be available as per normal on the blog. Any winnings will be given the following week.
The Christmas Match (20th December) is still scheduled to go ahead and for those who have not paid and wish to fish, please can you bring your monies this week.
Todays match was at the popular viaduct venue. Weather conditions have changed and has got a lot colder over the past couple of weeks and fishing on all venues has been hard. Hopefully for the 19 anglers booked in, today would carry on where they left off last week.
The draw was done on Saturday Morning on zoom with Phil, Nige and Steve in attendance.
Golden peg was 115
The annual 1off "away day" eagerly waited by many had arrived, and the prospect of catching fish which for many of us of late has been difficult. We were on Hillview and a venue where Martin Western seems to have a particular liking after winning the last 2 outings there and actually winning the last 3 "away days", could he make it four on the trot or could someone else win. He was in with a good chance as having a nice empty peg and a the end of an island to throw to as the unlucky Paul Lock had car problems. This year the club decided to do it differently and probably fairer. There was an overall winner, a silvers winner, then 3 section winners with a golden peg in each section, albeit you had to be the overall winner to get the golden peg.
Weather at the start of the week was cold and had some rain but it changed mid week onwards and we all hoped for a dry day. The gods were on our side for once and although it was overcast we did have some sunny spells and no rain and very little wind.
An early start for the day but it was only just over an hour away for most and with most fisheries fishing hard Todber seems to produce fish and lots of bites for everyone. Everyone was there early and eager to set up and decide their tactics for the day and everyone seemed to be in good spirits with the banter free flowing when setting up and throughout the match although some of the rubbish that comes from peoples mouths is mind boggling, was it the excitement of fishing a different venue or just high testosterone levels. Even George was in good spirits today but there was one bad grumpy sod our very own Mr Grumpy - Steve Warren who couldn't get bite, now I think he forgot to tie any hooks or as George says "ooks" on his rigs as from the off every one was reported to be catching. To be fair he was taking the mickey out of himself and joining in the banter but he did have a very good second half of the match.
After last weeks disappointing results and weather conditions all anglers were hoping for a much better day . Would it remain dry, would it be windy we could only hope that our prayers would be answered, but the most question we wanted answering was would the fish be biting. A mixed week of weather leading up to the day, showers and colder nights and a northerly wind to throw into the mix. Layers of warm clothing was definitely at the top of the list for us sat in the shade.
20 anglers were booked in, many with wet gear from last week and these were hoping to get it dried out this week and dust off the damp mold growing on their gear.
All car parks on every fishery seem to be packed at the moment with fisheries holding many matches and with Anglers probably attending more matches with the possibility of another lock down and wanting to get out. We are lucky at HLS, with mostly committed members turning up each week and often have to leave a few on the reserve list. This week was no different with a match on the Canal Lake and pleasure anglers on Brick.
As per normal the draw was held on Friday evening
Golden Peg nos -
Next week is the away match at Todber. Draw will be done on Friday evening again. Please remember to bring your face coverings for the weigh in. After the weigh in their is no waiting, results will be on the blog.
Slightly different this year as no pools - all monies paid out with overall and silvers winners and also section winners, golden peg in each section, so there's all to play for, including the Away Day Overall winners trophy, currently Martin has won the last 2 years so can he be knocked off of his perch.
Meet at normal time - before 8.30. Face mask required.
A real no-no on the match circuit, but equally applicable to pleasure angling. To skyline someone is to stand in their peg above their seated position and give the fish the chance to make out a large silhouette against the backdrop of the sky. So, if someone’s fishing in close, or up in the water, don’t come bounding over the horizon like the Jolly Green Giant.
Shocking as it may seem to some anglers, all buzzers have an off switch, and many have a mute button. So, please, for the sanity of those around you, use one of them. Setting your bobbins with the alarm still screeching is like playing a Nintendo in church There’s nothing more annoying than alarms being set on full volume
Hands-free miners’ lamps are great for organising yourself at night, but do consider nearby anglers when using any form of after-dark illumination. A head-mounted beam of light points where you’re looking – and if you swivel to investigate a passing angler just remember not to blind them!
Much like failing to flush a public toilet, dumping a load of unused bait into your swim just before you leave can give the angler following in behind you a nasty surprise. By all means tip a few bits and pieces into the margins but unloading pints of maggots and kilos of pellets in the edge is poor form
To continue the toilet analogy, just like you wouldn’t squeeze into the adjacent urinal unless there’s no other option, you don’t plot up in the next-door peg on a small venue. It might be frustrating if the fish are there but give each angler some space and cultivate your own area, unless it’s the only peg left, or the space between you is large enough.
One of fishing’s most delicious sub-plots is the extraction of information from other anglers. Getting a tip-off is a key part of the sport, but how you delicately tease that information from a stranger is an art in itself. Don’t shout across a match to the angler in the lead, ‘what you catching on, mate?’ but do consider how you might phrase an open-ended question in another scenario that secures you the vital nugget of information that you seek.
A contentious one, but an issue that strikes to the core of angling etiquette. Helping other anglers is great, and those who are willing to share the secrets of their success should be universally applauded… unless it jeopardises the hard work of others. If you know your hotspot is still being fished by someone else, don’t assume it’s okay to spread the word.
We could all learn to be a bit cheerier on and off the bank – whether that’s in helping inexperienced anglers, dealing with dog-walkers and canoeists or evaluating the merits of other anglers’ catches. Remember, your dreams and benchmarks may not be the same as the next person’s.
It’s tempting to round up the ounces or deliberately forget to take off the weight of the sling, but falsely elevating the weights of your fish will do you no favours in the long run. And when you haven’t got your scales, it’s always best to estimate a cautious weight when recalling the capture to your mates later on.
Not a widespread problem, but a bone of contention in larger winner-takes-all matches. If you draw a poor peg in a match you’ve agreed to participate in, it’s only fair to fish it rather than slink off home before the all in – if only for the balancing effect it has on the venue as a whole and the advantage it would give to the adjacent angler
Todays trip was to Landsend Fishery. Set in a lovely area, peaceful and pleasant. That's all that cab be said about it really. Water levels are too shallow, they continue to batter the match lake with matches so the fish don't feed and if a club is paying decent money to fish then it needs to be managed properly so people can actually catch fish. there's a few good lakes so why not alternate the lakes, so if the match lake gets fished on a Saturday the use the speci-lake on a Sunday or even 1 of the other lakes. Don't get me wrong, fishing shouldn't be easy, but at this time of year it shouldn't be so difficult either. Barely a fish seen topping all day or swimming around it was really poor.
Draw was done on Friday and we had a special guest in Bob Pascoe (must have been his wife setting him up on Zoom as I can imagine Bob doing this)
Golden Peg 19
Draw
This weeks match was at the very popular and immaculate Shiplate fishery one of the best we fish with big carp and plenty of silvers to be caught. Recent results had shown some really great weights around peg 8 area with the normal pegs 1 and 15 not been producing.
20 members booked in this week which again is a good turn out and the committee are sorry that we can not accommodate every one every week.
Today's gathering was at Summerhayes on Longs Lake. 20 people were booked in with odd numbers for pegging which gave every other peg. Weather was good with low winds and bright sunny spells forcast. All anglers arrived nice and early and were set up with plenty of time to spare.
The draw was done as per normal on the Friday night preceding the match.
Golden peg was nos 7
Draw
Todays match was at the popular viaduct venue where we have recently had a couple of matches cancelled as the fishery has changed Cary Pond to pleasure and carp anglers.
Many anglers got there early but still found the car park filling quickly as the pleasure anglers had congregated early in order to get to the better pegs, however there were still plenty of places to park.
A short wait for the shop to open then with face mask on and only 1 person allowed in the shop at any one time It was time to get the bait; however some had to wait as Queenie decided that he was going to have a flirtatious 5 minutes until he was told to book a date night at which he swiftly left.
Getting to the pegs was now a bit of an obstacle course as the carpers cant sit next to their rods, they have to take up as much room as they can, put up a bivvy that a family of illegal immigrants could camp in for a fortnight and set up so much stuff its unreal. The stupid thing is that they them set their rods with bloody noisy bite alarms set so loud that they could hear them in Langport (I CAN ONLY IMAGINE THAT THEY ARE ALL DEAF) then wait for the alarm to go off - just a thought, maybe they have them so loud so they can show off to the other fisherman - look at me I have a fish, where as us match anglers are so much more finesse , well some of us.
The sight of anglers walking around the lake with beer cans in their hands and the smell of weed being smoked seems to be an ever regular occurrence with these type of anglers but I guess i shouldn't stereotype them all.
The draw was done on Friday on zoom with Phil, Nige and Steve in attendance.
Golden peg was 115
It was a warm day - look at the results below - shocking
Please note - Viaduct this week on Cambell. All fishermen must have a face covering when weighing in. Viaduct will weigh, angler to take fish to weigh sling. No covering - no weigh in. Also Carp nets are 60lb limit - Silvers 50lb limit
Maybe Il be happier next week and write a bit more!!
Todber Match - October 18th
All members to pay £10 by 27th September - no acceptance after this date - Names to Steve Warren
Payouts will be as the following
1st Overall - £50
1st Silvers - £50
3 sections (not given to overall or silvers winners as separate prize given)
Section Overall £30
Section Silvers £30
Fishing 10am - 4pm
Christmas Match
2 lakes to be used - Ash and Woodlands
Entry free to members although there's a £10 refundable deposit to be paid by 8th November to Shane - Book place with Steve Warren
No club pools but if someone wants to do separate pools then they can
Section
Overall - Winners shield Hamper and bubbly
1st Silver - Winners shield Hamper and bubbly
3 sections - Smaller Hamper (not given to overall or silvers winners as separate hamper given)
Subject to COVID we will go back to ROF for buffet. All members who attend the ROF will receive a gift.
Fishing 10am - 3.00pm
Last week I drew a not very good peg and my tactics were not much different to the guy sat on the opposite bank, he was catching and I couldn't buy a bite, but one week later a different venue and you start catching a few fish and your whole outlook on fishing changes and the same can be said for the person the previous week who was catching and was full of confidence and was now struggling for a bite and its the fishery that's rubbish.
All fisheries have their good and bad points, some too deep, others not deep enough, some like open waters some like snake lakes, I've even heard people say that fishing was too easy but we all seem to forget that we have a choice to attend or not but the most important thing is that we are out fishing and not stuck indoors.
This week saw 23 anglers booked onto Longs lake at Summerhayes and well done for Steve to negotiate this with Pete to ensure we could get most of the club anglers fishing. Its not an easy task when the fishery limits the amount of persons able to fish but at least we were out.
From looking at the lake, you could tell the water levels were down even though we have had a few inches of rain over the past week. Summerhayes does suffer with the levels when we have had a prolonged dry spell as do many fisheries but there is a good stock of fish in Longs so people will catch.
As per normal we drew on Friday evening with fellow committee members looking in
Golden peg - 15
1 - Tony Fry
An early look at the forecast showed that the odd shower may be present but the wind was modertate. On setting up the skys grayed over then we had some misty rain before that blew away and it started to warm up
Today I had the awesome Dave Allen on my left and the in form Steve Warren on my right so I was up against it today. I have had some good battle with Dave in the last year but his class always shows . From the all in Dave was straight into a fish on the tip and he had at least 12 fish in the first hour followed by about 20 fish for 2 hours, wher as I had 3 and i think Steve had 2 or 3.
A switch of tactic with my paste line primed and I was pulling out a few bigger fish. Then I saw Dave go on the paste and thought that he would cruise it but again he could only catch little pasties whereas I was still getting bigger fish.
Dave disappeared for a few minutes which saw me land a few fish in his absence and he called over saying he thinks hes gonna get busy later in the match. That,s confidence for you.
Next to Steve was his mate John who was having a paddy and moaning about not being any fish and after 2 hours he had only caught 2 fish. Well John, I had 2 bites in 6 hours last week and poor Roger Coombes didn't have any so not too bad in comparison.
The section by the motorway always proves difficult in the summer but can be good silvers in the winter. Bob, Paul and Sausage may be in for a tough day. When Paul packed up at about 2 i thought Id see more follow but they all stuck at it.
It started to get more difficult on the paste line and bites were few and far between so a mixture of catch 1 on the paste then go on the tip for 1 seemed to work for the rest of the match as was the same for Dave. I wanted that 1 more fish but it never came and I thought Dave had beat me by a long way but it proved really close in the end.
Talk was that Shaun on peg 12 had 120lb and was the clear winner, however his clicking is somewhat off of the mark.
Results
Overall
1st - Shaun Larkham - 87lb - 08 oz
2nd - Dave Allen - 85lb - 01 oz
3rd Nige Coram - 81lb - 08 oz
Silvers
Ist - Bob Pascoe - 13lb - 14oz
2nd - George - 10lb - 12 oz
3rd - Tony Newell - 9lb - 08oz
Next up is Wedmore - Landsend - book in with Steve if you wish to fish.
Todays trip was at Sedges on Brick. It was hard, rubbish and nothing to report
Next up Summerhayes - all places are taken
Results
I'm sure I'l get some stick on Sunday for this but hey ho!!
Firstly. I can only apologise on behalf of the committee the actions and outburst, loudness of the Chairman, who would appear to be worse for wear following a few shandies the night before, not something we want to support when fellow anglers want a pleasurable fishing day and he should be setting an example and with other anglers fishing on nearby lakes not good a image for the club.
My second moan is the comments about the draw, we follow the fisheries guidelines and those set by the Angling Trust, so no you wont be putting your hand in a bag to do your own draw it will be continued to be done by the committee and if you don't like it then don't fish, there's plenty of people on the reserve list waiting to fish. When we are advised accordingly that is when the draw may return to normal but I don't see that being done for some time. If you want to witness the draw then speak to Steve Warren who will aid you in doing this.
My third moan is that we are still in COVID 19 Situation. We should be social distancing which means 2m apart minimum and should not be congregating in car parks or grouping close together on the bank, it all started very well but is now becoming very slack. We should not be hanging around after the match waiting for results and we should not be following the scales around the bank.
Onto the fishing and today's trip was the Main lake at Trinity. After a week of really warm weather and sunny days the expectations of a good catch was on the cards. Everyone was in a buoyant mood and I think it was me and Brian who were the last 2 to arrive albeit being 8.00am.
24 Anglers booked in today with most pegs taken up on the lake. The forecast was for warm sunny conditions but it was overcast and a slight breeze keeping things a little fresh. I did return to the van to get a hoody whilst setting up; however it did warm up at the start of the match then around lunchtime the sun appeared and was very warm. George met me with his normal grimace or is it wind - who can tell?
Draw
1 - Dave Allen
6 - Nige Coram
7 - Eric Searle
8 - Danny Donahay
9 - Rich Coles
10 -Colin Lambert
11 - Steve Warren
12 - Stan Butt
13 - Graham Burbidge
14 - Tony Fry
15 - Dave Tunstill
20 - Paul Bowyer
21 - Bob Pascoe
22 - Brian Chivers
23 - Tony Newell
24 - Shaun Larkham
25 - Roger Coombes
26 - George Fletcher
27 - Steve King
28 - Phil Beards
29 - John Wolstencroft
30 - Shane Western
31 - Martin Western
32 - Steve Coles
Fishing was proving to be difficult for most with a few of us fishing closest to the car park end having to wait a couple of hours for our first bites. Those further up seemed to be catching well, and I could see Steve King catching a few from the off.
For the few anglers that I could see, none were catching regularly and even Dave Allen on peg 1 was struggling for consistency. Eric, next to me was struggling then had a few Bream on the trott but he did wait for nearly 3 hours for a bite. After 6 hours of struggling and losing a few fish I was glad to hear the all out.
I don't know if its the weather conditions that makes it difficult or the fact that many people are now fishing the lake on a daily basis or if its the carpers being allowed to fish on the lake but its definitely changed and got difficult as normally this time of year there would be many nets of 100lb +, maybe a combination of all 3.
Results
Overall
1st - Tony Newell - 89lb - 02 oz
2nd - Steve King - 66lb - 07 oz
3rd - Stan Butt - 60lb - 10 oz
Silvers
1st - Rich Coles - 30lb - 05 oz
2nd - Danny - 21lb - 14 oz
3rd - Bob - 16lb - 01 oz
Well done to all the framers today and again Rich Coles showing his class as a silvers angler. Has any one seen George Fletcher, as he's not framed for months now as the above 3 seem to be framing week in week out. In fact he lost that many times that Danny commented that George has had to apply for a loan to keep paying out to Danny.
The dreaded sound of snapping carbon - Commiserations to Bob Pasco on breaking his top kit when letting carp ruin Sausages swim by failing to control the fish, Paul commented that this was Karma.
Shaun Larkham didnt have a good day, after finally getting into a match he snapped his nos four section. I think its where he polished it so much that he wore it thinner than the hair on his head.
Funny moment of the day - Danny was fishing the waggler and he ended up getting caught up in the trees behind him. (Trained by Phil Beards) - However; on 1 occasion he got caught up in a tree but also had a roach on the hook - looked like a flying fish.
Next up is Sedges on Brick lake, the ones without the islands. I think the next few weeks are fully booked but if you need to put your name down then please ensure that you contact Steve.
