It was just as grim on this match as the last one, with the river still really pushing it was hard to get the fish feeding.

Brian had 2 Skimmers and a few Gudgeon on the stick and feeder Derek had just the one Skimmer and small Roach, Ian had 2 Roach and a small Chub.

I would like to thank all the boys for there support over the season, we have had the usual good days and bad days but with the usual banter and laughs.

I would to thank Ian and Brian for doing the pegging on the arm, which is no easy matter when it is dark. Dont forget just give me ring if you want info about fishing the matches for next season.

Don

A you can see it was another one of them days when the fish just did not move, Derek drew on them and had mostly Roach with a few Skimmers and Rudd on the Waggler with maggot and punch.

Brian had 11 small Perch on the worm. Ian did the same with just 5 fish, Dave was the only other one to weigh out of 10 of us and he had 4 ounces.

To say it was a bit grim would be an understatement, I was drawn next to Derek and never saw a fish in the swim all day, as I said they just sat on the one peg.

Bob dropped out of the match and went past Derek and had around 5 pound on the waggler.

Don

Bob drew near the bridge in the mill pool but after Andrew came off the peg on the point he moved in there It was a good move as he had 3 Barbel on the feeder with the best going 8-12-0.

Dave was on the backwater and struggled early on , but some better fish came along once the sun dropped off the water a bit later in the match, he was on the waggler for most of his fish.

Ian was on dolphin bridge and had some decent Roach and Perch on the stick and pole.

Bob pipped Derek to the KOC title after they were level on points Bob had the better weight return, or as Martin said Derek is the queen of the Colne again, cant beat bad luck.

Don

Graham and Chris had the only 2 Pike caught on the day.

It was a better result than previous matches when no fish were caught.

I would like to thank Chris for taking on the running of the Pike matches and lets hope we can catch a few more next season.

Don

Due to the arm being frozen over we moved the match to the Island and had a walk off, it proved really hard with again low levels and clear.

Paul was on the backwater near the Hotel and had mainly Roach on the waggler and maggot. Brian was on dolphin bridge and had mainly small fish on the punch.

Dave drew last and tried a few pegs, then settled on a peg on the backwater and had a few Roach and Dace on the waggler. It then went down to ounces for a few of the boys, I was a bit rough so did not go, lucky me.

Don

It was a bit of an hard day with the water being very clear and dropping by a good amount as the match started.

Roger was on the point and only had a few minnows until 2-15 then had 2 Barbel with the best going 9-6-0, this was on the waggler with red maggot.

Derek was on dolphin bridge and caught small fish steady through the day on both stick and waggler, with a couple of decent Perch to help his weight.

Ian was on the backwater and due to the low levels and the sun on the water he had a few blank spells, but managed to get some better Roach on the punch, with others coming to maggot.

Don

Well at least it fished a little better than the previous week when the boys had a knock up and it was won with 1-5-0.

The fish are still just swimming about and you had to hope they stopped over the feed you put down, the fact you can see it on the bottom, its that clear makes for a weird day.

I never had a bite until 3 hours into the match and only a few fish were getting caught, then they had a munch on the punch over liquidised, I went through 2 loaves to keep them there.

Kevin was on the end peg and had his fish on the waggler, again they just swam past every now and again and he managed to pick a few off.

Brian was next to me, or should I say in the swim with me, because has I started to get bites this plopping sound kept happening, then a splash, it was Darties waggler, the little swim poacher.

The fish were nearly all Roach with a few better ones showing here and there in the match, but it was also a struggle in places. It was nice to have a few of the Yeading boys along with us and I just hope it fishes a bit better if they return next year.

Don

The boys were very nice to me on the day, as we all agreed the backwater would be the place to draw and they very kindly left in peg 52 for me. I had nearly all Roach and Dace with a few Perch on the waggler with punch and maggot, I seemed to get a better stamp of fish on the punch but had to go further down the peg to get them.

Derek drew on the main river and had 2 Chub like peas in a pod and both went about 5 pound each plus a few bits on the stick with maggot.

Lyle was also on the backwater and had all his fish on the waggler also. There are few small Pike around having a go at anything that moves, and my keepnet which had a nice hole bitten in it, lucky I noticed it or most of my fish would have done the off.

Don

It was the usual thing on the boats, the boys had been up in the week and were nearly all in double figures.
Come the Sunday the fish were a bit more shy.

Dave had to wait a fair while to get his fish going then had mainly Roach on the punch and maggot.

Roger had a similar catch with a few more fish but smaller and a few Perch.

Bob would have had a lot more weight but got pestered by a couple of large Pike having a few fish.

Don

Well this was all about the draw as most of the boys wanted to be on the backwater with the rise in the water levels after the rain. It proved right as all the top 3 weights were on there.

Bob was not to keen at the start as he thought that to much rubbish had gone in, but he caught steady on the waggler and stick to maggot with mostly Roach and Dace with a few Perch.

John was on the next peg and did likewise, and may of pipped Bob but for a bit of Pike trouble, he did have a Chub of around 2 pound in with his weight as well.

Ian was on the grill and had his fish on a mixture of methods including 13 metres of pole up to the weir sill, he also had nearly all Roach on the maggot.

For the rest of us on the main river it was a bit harder, with a lot of leaves coming down and the sun staying low making it hard to actually see your float and also the build up on the line if you went on the feeder.

Derek had a nice Chub of around 5 pound in his weight, but it was mainly small fish or nothing.

Don

Well what do you know, Barry pops along to fish the river for the first time and after I put him in a peg where I told him he may get some good Dace and Roach he goes and beats us.

He had some lovely Dace on the stick float and maggot with a few smaller ones and Roach and Perch.
He caught for most of the day, as the rest of us seemed to catch early on then the water dropped a good bit and we seemed to struggle.

Ian was at the top end upstream and had smaller fish for most of the day on Punch and Maggot, he was pestered by Pike a fair bit as well.

Dave was just down from him and caught like wise, again he had a bit of Pike trouble.

It was a bit frustrating as we had done a great work party on the venue on the Saturday with nearly all swims cleared and looking great, it was just that water drop which seemed to spoil it.

Still it was nice to see some catches of smaller fish again.

Don

Just as the boys thought they would be in for a good day with weather being so mild the colour went out of the river and it turned out to a bit of a struggle.

Brian only had 3 fish in the first 2 hours then a switch to pinkie to chase the smaller fish paid off with him catching steady for the rest of the match.

Ian stuck at it with the tares and caster for his catch and Dave had fish on a few baits as they were not really putting their heads down due to the conditions.

Don

Usual thing when we turn up, fish all over the place but just swimming up and down.

Brian struck lucky that they stopped and settled down just up from him on the end peg. He had to cast a couple of barges up on the waggler to reach them, he had mostly Roach and Rudd on the maggot.

Roger was next to him and had a similar catch with a few Perch on the worm as well. Dave was further back and had nearly all Roach on the punch and maggot.

We all had fish but they were not shoaled up and you caught for a few put ins then it just died for periods of time.
It was a bit frustrating because if they put there heads down it could have been a great day with the amount of fish around.

Still maybe next time.

Don

Derek drew on the mill pool and with the fresh water coming over from the canal he had a steady flow with a bit of pace on it.

He had all small fish on the waggler and bronze maggot mainly Roach and Dace, this is the best weight from that swim for some while and the biggest without any of the bigger Chub that hang about in the peg.

Dave was on dolphin bridge and was only owning up to 5 pound with about an hour to go, so either is name is really Pinocchio or he had a great hour.

Dave had some nice Perch and smaller Roach and Dace on both the pole and waggler
I was left a swim on the backwater and had some good Dace with a lot of small Chub on the waggler.
There were some other weights over 10 pound and nearly all were made up of catches with no big fish, the exception being Bob who had 1 Chub of around 5 pound in his catch.

This was done with the water being really low and clear, it was raining that hard we had to stop doing the draw and take shelter in cars until it stopped a bit, Bob done the off to his peg a bit rapid after unloading my gear, problem was he forgot my handle for my trolley, any body want a bent umbrella pole, only used as a handle once.

Don

Ian did not fancy a walk on the day and dropped in to the peg Kev won from previously.

He had nearly all Roach with a few skimmers and Perch, mainly on the tares and worm.

Derek went upstream and had a similar catch, with more skimmers.

Dave had a Bream of around 3 pound in his weight with again mainly Roach.

It fished well all over on the day with the last of 7 having over 5 pound.
If the Roach really have it on the tares it can throw up 20 pounds easy.

Don

Well golden arm went and done it again, everyone was saying peg 4 was still the one to get as the fish were just sitting in it.

What does Richard go and dip, as he did last year, yep peg 4. He fished at distance up tight to the reeds on pellet feeder with pellet on the hook and had mainly Carp with a few Tench.

Ian was a couple of pegs away and fished the same way.
Dave was a bit further down and also fished that way which is the main method on the lake.

It was pouring down all day, and who went and left his waterproofs at home, you guessed it yours truly.
Richard lent me a jacket but the water just poured down on to my trousers and I was soaked, If I had not caught a couple of fish early on it would have been an early day.

But I am either brave or stupid and sat it out, I know which one my wife would pick when I got home still soaked.
It was a good day on most of the lake with all the boys getting a few, I would like to thank the Harrow boys for making us most welcome.

Don

Ian did not fancy a walk on the day and dropped in to the peg Kev won from previously.

He had nearly all Roach with a few skimmers and Perch, mainly on the tares and worm.

Derek went upstream and had a similar catch, with more skimmers.

Dave had a Bream of around 3 pound in his weight with again mainly Roach.

It fished well all over on the day with the last of 7 having over 5 pound. If the Roach really have it on the tares it can throw up 20 pounds easy.

Don

Well talk about luck on the draw, Kev had never fished any of the matches on here and we all told him number 3 was the top peg, what did he go and draw, yep 3. He had fish for most of the day up in the water on pellet, the best was around the 6 pound mark.

Mark was on the point of the narrows and had nearly all Carp o the small feeder to bread, with a few down the side in the shallows.

Matt was on the narrows and had Carp with a few Barbel on the feeder and pole, when he was not up the tree over his peg, and he got bragging rights over Max.

There were some bigger fish lost late in the day, but overall the lake fished below par with the fish switching off after a good start nearly all around the lake with most of us catching straight off.

They have put permanent pegs in and reduced the pegs a bit, we will see how it fairs for next season.

Don

Kev had not been on matches for a while due to family commitments with the Tetley tea folk, he drew last and stayed near where the entrance was as most of the boys had gone upstream.

He put down a fair bit of chopped worm and fished over it on worm and caster for a mainly Perch catch, with a few Roach on the tares.

Roger had a mainly Roach catch on the tares and sweetcorn.
Derek also had Roach and a few skimmers.

It fished well considering it was blowing a gale and not a lot of flow on the river.

We could do with a bit of rain all round at the moment to top up the lakes and get the rivers moving, heres hoping for some soon.

Don

It was another enjoyable match on the Yeading Lake with everyone catching a few.
The winner was from Yeading and he had 3 good Carp on the pole.
Derek was next to him in the bay and had 3 Bream and 1 Carp on the method feeder.
Dave was at the far end of the lake from them and had mainly a small fish catch, with a few better fish doing him under a bush.
It can be a difficult water to fish as it goes off a bit when matches are held.
Mark Squire did bad this year so we voted him first reserve for both teams as they never wanted him either, cant beat bad luck Mark.
All joking aside I would like to thank the Yeading boys for a good day out with the usual few laughs.

Don

Smithy went and done it again, drew the flier on the lake on the narrow section to the right of the island, when I say flier other clubs don’t put the peg in because it won so many times, but it all comes down to the draw with us so in it goes.

Richard was on the small pellet feeder with bread and pellet on the hook and caught mainly small Carp all day, every time I looked up he was landing a fish, he had a couple of chucks over the rope by mistake and I am sure he was after the bigger fish on the other side, who said they are stupid.

Ian used similar tactics in the bay at the far end, he did admit to not being the greatest with the casting so was in Marks peg, Brians peg, and I am sure he nearly dropped in mine a few times, but once he got the hang of it he caught steady to the same baits as Rich.

Bob went and drew the same peg as the last match, he had a few quiet spells in the match so went down the side tight to the reeds and had a few better fish, one which was double figures, he did well to get that one in as he is nursing a sore arm, Roger lent him a bigger landing net but that proved to heavy for him lift, I think Roger put a brick in it to test is arm out, still he got it in.

There were a few bigger fish lost around the lake and all the boys caught pretty well, Max got the bragging rights over his dad Matt by 4 ounces, cant beat bad luck Matt.

Don

Richard has not fished the lake for a while so had to do a couple of laps to see where we he was going to fish, he dropped in on the last peg after the willows and had 3 what he said were small Carp with 2 coming in the last hour, all on the pellet method tight to the reeds.

Ian was on the island and had 2 Carp, one of which he had to borrow a bigger landing net as he left his big one at home, hope he remembers next time, best bring it to the arm just in case.

Roger was on the last peg on the roadside, I think this is the first time it as been fished in matches, he had a Tench with some Perch and skimmers. Bob had a good day on the waggler and maggot with 8-0-0 of skimmers and Roach.

I just got the cant beat bad luck after losing 2 good fish on the floaters.

Don

After tucking in to his breakfast bap and drawing on the narrows Bob did not fancy his peg, but he was landing his second fish while I will still pushing the pole out for my first put in. He carried on like that for most of the match with small Carp to pellet and bread on a small pellet feeder close to the island, he also had one fish closer to 8 pound.

Steve was on the same peg as Paul in the last match and did the same with fish coming from tight to the island.

Mark Was near the aerator and fished a small method feeder next to some reeds. It was a good match with all the boys having a few fish all around the lake, a lot of the pegs picked up well in the last hour with a lot of fish coming in this period.

Don

Well old dangerous went and showed us how to do it, his words not mine.

He drew number 1 and went in the last peg in the corner, he had all small Roach and Perch, then along came a decent Tench to boost his weight, all on the waggler and maggot.

Bob was just along from him and fished likewise but with more small skimmers.

Brian and Derek did the same, it was nice to see a lot of small skimmers coming out all around the lake.

Don

We had the great idea of giving the Lower a chance in the summer to see how it went, well with the sun belting down and low levels it was always going to be hard.

Brian went upstream near the platforms and had a lot of small fish on the waggler with maggot and punch, The other Brian was on the next peg and did likewise.

Andrew went right downstream and had some decent Perch for his weight. A couple of the boys lost good Chub, they got the usual, cant beat bad luck thrown at them.

Don

I was on the swim just before the willows and was on the method without a touch for 4 hours of the match, then switched to surface baits when a few fish were on the top.

I had 3 Carp with the best going 16 pound, I also lost 3 as they were shooting around the corner and I could not stop them.

Brian was on the road bank and had 3 small Carp early on then added a couple more late in the match.

Ian was also on the method and had 3 Carp as well.

Don

Well its the first match of the season we are on new farm where Mark drew on the narrow swims on the right and fished the same tactics which served him well last year on here.

He had small Carp on bread tight to the island on the pole, Paul was around the other side and did likewise with a few fish coming to meat.

Andrew was on the narrows and stayed on a small method feeder with maggot and pellet and had a more mixed match with a bit of everything in the net.

I kept getting snagged up tight on the island when hooking carp, I was looking at 3 floats bobbing around in my swim, when mine went under I did not know which was which, so I done the off for the second half of the England match..

Don

Ian was only getting a few a small Roach on the punch, but when the water began to run along at a bit of a lick due to locks and wind he decided to have a go on the waggler and big maggot.

It paid off as he had around 12 skimmers to the pound and over, also a few better Roach. Brian had fish of varying sizes all day, on pinkie and the punch. I had a bit of a dead spell when the water was moving but had better fish all on the punch.

would like to thank Ian and Brian for getting down early on all the Arm matches and doing the pegging, they get a bit of stick if some boys are not catching but it is the luck of the draw, so Thanks Guys.

Don

Well what can I say, they think fisherman are mad and with the weather for this match they may well be right. The canal was frozen over on the saturday but a few of the boys decided to meet up and see where to fish, luckily a boat had gone through and the wind got up so a fair bit was cleared of ice.

When they pegged it Brian drew where Derek had 17 pound on the wednesday knock up. It did not fish as good as that but he still managed to get a nearly all Roach catch on the punch.

Dave was on the next peg and had few better Roach on the maggot. Lyle did likewise. It was blowing straight down the canal all day, so the boys did well just to wet a line, with a couple of them not having a bite.

Don

It was another day where the river was very low but had a bit of colour in it, most wanted the back steam but the main river threw up the winning weights with Ian having the 1 Barbel on the feeder and maggot. And Barry having 1 Chub for his weight, on the stick with maggot.

Lyle drew Dolphin bridge but with all the rubbish built up after the rains he spent more time setting up again than fishing and lost 9 pole rigs in the process, cant beat bad luck. He still managed to get a few nice Perch and Roach mainly on the maggot. Brian Dart won the K.O.C. with 2 firsts and a fourth after discarding his lowest weight.

Thats why we call him mister draw bag.

Don

Kevin has not been out on the matches for a while as he is juggling work and family commitments, i.e taking the tetley tea folk to football and rugby. He then went and drew right on the fish which were shoaled up as usual in certain pegs.

He had mostly Roach on the Punch with a few Perch on the worm. Ian was just up from him and also had mostly Roach on the punch. Derek had a lot of better fish on the waggler and maggot but had periods in the match where he was not catching as fast as Ian and Kev.

For the rest of the boys it was a bit grim with some doing the off to watch the rugby.

Don

Well what can I say, he went and drew the flyer again, all the boys were hoping to get on Dolphin Bridge and with just Brian to draw and my peg that would be left he dipped it.

All the top 3 were on the backwater as the main river was right out of sorts with a few of us doing the off half way through. Brian had Perch, Roach and a few dace on the maggot and Punch.

Derek got pestered by Pike for most of the day but still managed to have some decent Roach and Dace on the waggler to maggot. Ian did likewise, both these 2 had there fish in about 18 inches of water which you would think may put them off, but they are just shoaled up in pockets at the moment.

Ian was getting a bit saucy in the cafe in the morning, not in a sexual way, it was just that the top on the sauce bottle wanted to go where it wanted when squeezed, that being all over Ians cap, its lucky me and Bob did not find it funny, and when we got up off the floor from laughing we informed him ( you cant beat bad luck ).

Don

It was another one of those days that if you never drew on the fish it was a bit of a struggle.

Golden draw Darty drew smack on them, he pegged it, not saying he is a bit iffy. Brian had fish nearly all day on the usual squat and punch with some good Roach in his weight.

Ian and Roger fished similar, with Roger having a lot more fish but a bit smaller. The back up weights were good as well with the last place having 4-8-0.

I was out of sorts and not there due to man flu..

Don

To say it was hard will be an understatement with 9 of the 20 fishing not having a bite.

Brian drew on the same swim on the backwater as he had previously, I think it was stuck to his arm, he had Dace and Roach on the waggler for most of the day.

Roger was on the point and thought he had blown his chances when he lost a Barbel, but he managed to winkle one out at 2-30 they were his only 2 bites all day.

Malcolm was on the sluice and had a few small Roach and Perch. It went down hill fast from there, it was a mixture of low water and the run off from the roads after gritting which put a lot of salt into the water.

Well thats my excuse any way.

Don

It was the day of the snow but 6 of the hardy or foolhardy whichever way you look at it boys turned out. Me and Bob were on our way but roads were to bad our end, must tell Three Rivers Council to get some grit.

Dave had Roach on the punch and big maggot. Ian and brian had a similar catch with a few Perch on the worm.

Brian Stannet had a Roach of 1-4-0 in with his weight which was a good fish on the day, as you can see by the attached pic it was a bit grim with the weather.

Don

I promise Brian and Ian were not the only ones fishing as they seem to be first and second on most recent matches. Ian drew on Dolphin Bridge and really that was where all the boys would have liked to have picked out, he opted for the pole rather than running line and with the water about 3 foot down on normal it payed off with better presentation in the slower channel.

He had a Chub of around 3 pound and the rest was nearly all Roach on the punch, he said he done this with a bad back, after offering to help him with his gear after I weighed him in I can see why with all the gear he brings, it nearly killed me carrying it back to his car, still he proves he needs it with his result.

Brian the mover Dart as he is now known done the off from the peg he drew and dropped on the fish in about 10 inches of water on the backstream, again mainly Roach and Dace on the punch. I was left a peg on the backstream and was catching in periods throughout the match, but was getting pestered by small snappy Pike, they were going for everything that moved except the spinner I threw to them.

Again most of my fish were Roach with a couple of better Perch on the worm. It was a bit of a struggle on the rest of the swims as the water was so low and clear it got hard to feed and not spook the fish if you had one. Derek lost a nice Chub on the sluice which added to his 27 Perch would have probably got him second place, cant beat bad luck.

Don

It was a low turn out and no fish were caught on the day. I would like to thank Chris Sims for running the match and hope we get a few more faces on the next one.

Look at your fixture list and get along to have a try for the specimens that are in the lake.

Don

It was another one of those days on the Arm where the fish were shoaled up to start with and then spread out a bit. Brian and Ian both had a better start to the match as they were on the fish from the off.

Both had mainly Roach on the punch and a few on the pinkie, they died off a bit in the afternoon and others started to catch a bit more regular. Dave was catching in periods through the match with a few fish and then waiting a while for the next ones, again mainly Roach on the punch. I left at around 12-30 and Lyle had only caught 6 small fish, then he was getting a fish every put in to the end of the match on the punch and maggot.

It goes to show how you can get a good weight in no time on this venue, Paul was going to do the off as well because he had 3 fish when I left, he then ended up with 6-12 so it may of payed me and Bob to hang about, but had an invite to pub for dinner, pub won.

Derek also had a good day on the waggler with punch and maggot for 7-14, he had some much bigger fish in his weight.

Don

It was a bit of a struggle from the off, with the wind blowing hard all day, it stayed hard for a few of the boys all day. Dave drew on the backwater and was getting piked out to start with as they were taking fish all the time. He managed to get 3 of them out then had some nice Roach and Dace on both the maggot and punch.

The boys left peg 11 in the bag for me and I was lucky the wind was behind me, the flow was so slow and the water low that when I cast upstream my float just stayed there, it was like fishing a lake. I had my first fish at 10-0 and that got taken by a Pike, I got it out and very kindly put it back up near Derek on 13, he was so pleased.

Then had periods of a few nice Dace and Roach on the maggot and a few Perch. Bob was on the sluice and had a lot of trouble getting his bait down to some Chub he could see, it took 5 mins for his float to get there due to low flow, when he did get it down he had one and a few little Perch on maggot. The rest of the main river fished bad, with a few of the boys moving off of what would normally be classed as good pegs.

Malcolm was on Dolphin Bridge and was showing off his new super duper hand warmers before the start, the only problem was when he went to light the bit inside to activate them, due to the wind I spoke of, the match blew out, and guess what, he only had one match, cold hands all day, cant beat bad luck.

Don

I would like to start by thanking Ian and Brian for getting down early to peg the match. Dave was even more pleased when they moved the end pegs back a bit, to as they said, be on a few fish.

Dave drew the end peg and had fish nearly all day, mainly Rudd with a few Roach on the big maggot and waggler. Roger had nearly all Roach on both the pole and waggler, with Punch and Maggot.

Bob did like wise from the other end peg with not as many fish but a better stamp of fish. It was a fair match all round with a few 9-0 and 8-0 weights backing up.

We would all have done better if they did not decide to cut the grass on the waters edge and let all the bits blow in the canal, you ended up fishing in the holes between the lumps of grass,if it touched the line you had to keep bringing it back in to clear the bait.

Still it was better than the last match with the fish more spread out. The boys will be back on there this weekend for a knock up, so if you were thinking of going for a try out with them give me a ring and I will let you know what to do.

Roger Salmon won the Senior Citizens trophy, although he was trying to lie about his age. Dave and Bob won the pairs with a combine weight of 22-1-0 which is the best winning weight in the pairs for a good while.

Don

This match fished really well considering the conditions, it was blowing a gale downstream all day.

Martin put a few big balls of bait down at 8 and 5 metres and had a lot of small fish all day on the pole to white maggot, most of his fish were small silver Bream, like as he said the old school ones from Broadwater.

Del was on the big stick and had more Roach and a few of the Bream on maggot also. Brian did like wise. A lot of the other boys had good back up weights as well, so it proves that even if the conditions dont look right the fish will still have it if presented properly.

Don

Well it proved that the newish rule about moving after an hour pays off, as that is what Brian did and dropped on to some decent Roach and Dace on the backstream on the waggler with maggot, he only went in the peg for the last 2 hours so he would have done better if in it all day.

Derek was on Dolphin bridge and had mostly Perch with a few Roach. Bob was on the grill and had some decent Roach and perch on the waggler. The water was very low and slow flowing and once the sun got up it was a real struggle. I would like to thank the boys who attended the work party on the saturday to clear pennywort and make the pegs fishable.

Don

To say it was a bit grim would be an under statement. The fish were shoaled up on the section pegged in the week but seemed to do the off on the day.

Both Brian and Dave managed to winkle out a few Perch down the inside on worm for most of the day, Martin did likewise, So if you were like me and a few of the rest with no worms in the bag it was a real struggle for a bite.

I moved to the top section out of the match and had about 4 pound in 2 hours, but that was when I could see the fish. With a bit of colour and if the fish move it should improve.

Don

Due to the stretch we booked being needed for a Charity Match we switched this match to Benson.

Derek fished the long rod with a 4 gram pole float to get down to the fish as most of this section is around 8 feet down the inside getting deeper as you go further out. He had a few decent Skimmers and Roach for his weight on maggot. Ian fished the waggler at half depth and had smaller fish, mainly Roach on both maggot and tares.

Brian and Roger fished similar to Derek with again mainly Roach. Martin headed to the so called noted Bream peg, well it was 10 years ago, he fished it hard all day and hooked one at the death to lose it at the net, cant beat bad luck.

Dave drew, in Martin words Pike city, he hooked around 6 in total with some of them even taking his waggler when he was reeling in, pity they dont count in the matches, again what cant you beat, would not be bad luck would it.

Don

Well smithy went and drew on one of the noted pegs (again) but still had to work hard for his winning weight.

Matt was the only one catching steady for the first half of the match with most of the boys picking up a few small fish. Richard never had a Carp until 12-30 then added 4 more and a few Rudd and Roach, some on the pole and some on the small method feeder.

Matt had a Bream of 6 pound and a few barbel on the worm to go with his silvers. Martin had nearly all silvers with the added bonus fish being a goldfish of around the pound.

Max Harrison was doing a Tom Daley with a visit in to the lake, the boys said it was not gold medal diving but it was funny, I was at a wedding so missed all the fun.

This venue fished very fairly over the matches we had on there and we are to visit it a few times next season, so if you fancy a day out with a few fish on all methods get your name down early next year.

Don

Well the usual happened the lake was fishing its head off until we turn up for a match.

Richard drew on one of the noted swims and had a small Chub first cast then had an all Carp catch on the small method pellet feeder, if he did not get 3 inches from the far bank he never got a bite. It was the case for most of the 23 fishing on the day. Ian had a few Carp doing the same as did Roger, some of us had just the one or two bites all day.

At least we were not running the Harrow Half Marathon which started at the School, that seemed like a lot harder work than just catching a few fish, or not in my case.

I would like to thank the Harrow School Committee for inviting us to fish with them, they are a nice bunch of lads who made us very welcome.

Don

Well Ian has returned after illness and straight into winning ways on this venue, he fished the waggler and pole for is mainly Roach weight with a few Perch to maggot and tares.

Dave was on the pole and had Roach as well mainly on the maggot.

Brian fished like wise for his weight, it was nice to see Brian getting in the frame as we hope he will fish a few more of the matches now the weather is turning and we are on the rivers and canal rather than lakes.

Don

It was nice to see Andrew win a match as he supports the club on all the matches and it is his first win.

Well Done mate. I would like to thank Lyle and the members of Yeading who make this a good day out with a few laughs all round, mainly when Mark and Kevin came walking down the path with their shorts looking like Andrew and George from Wham.

It was a good job we all got on as Kevin was dropping his feeder where Paul was fishing at 17 metres on the pole, they was taking it in turns to feed, then Kev went and hooked a Bream after the final whistle, it proves you cant beat bad luck in there club either.

Don

This venue fished the same as before with mainly small fish being caught all round.

Brian had Roach and Dace with a few better Perch on the waggler and pole with punch and maggot. Paul had the same with the larger fish doing a no show, as it was for

Dave as well. It was a bit hard to keep the fish coming once the sun hit the water especially in the shallower swims.

Don

Martin drew next to the peg which won the last match and had small Carp and mixed small fish for most of the day, mainly to red maggot and soft pellet.

Derek was on the last winning peg and had fish mainly on the waggler to red maggot away from the tree where they usually sit. Matt was a couple of swims along and had a few better Carp late on down the inside to worm with a mixed bag of silvers with a few Barbel.

The rest of the lake was a bit patchy with Steve Hardy doing best away from the noted swims with 37-2-0 after that the weights dropped a bit. Still I enjoyed the breakfast.

Don

Dave will now be known as Bream man on this lake as the Carp seem to be a bit hard to come by in his pegs. He had 3 on the feeder with maggot but had to wait a long time for them to have a munch.

Paul done the same as the other week with just the one Carp,again his estimates were a bit out he was stating this one was smaller.

Richard was on the island and had just the one Bream. It fished real bad for the others with a few ounces and blanks on the day.

Don

Roger went and drew number one and has he and Dave had fished the lake in the week he knew where to head for, a swim over in the willows. The fish seemed to take a long time to have a munch then he had a Bream of 7 and carp of 10 on the method and cage feeder.

Dave was a few pegs along and had 2 Bream on the cage feeder with a couple of Perch on the maggot. It was nice to see Stuart back on the scene and he opted for the road bank and had the 1 Bream on the method for his weight. The fish seemed to be fizzing in a lot of the swims at the start but seemed to do the off when you fed over them.

I went old school on the wag on the road bank and had a few Perch and Roach on the maggot. After the main weights it was just a fish each here and there with a few blanks and Bob and John both losing good fish, you cant beat bad luck can you boys.

Don

Mark drew one of the noted pegs on the far side and if he landed the fish he lost he would have got over the ton. He fished about 18 inches deep close to a tree hanging over on the pole with Bread for a nearly all Carp catch, it seemed he had a bite nearly every put in as they were just tight in the swim, but as he hooked them they knew where the rope was that they shot under.

Last time I saw anything go under the rope so quick was a wrestling match. Richard done the same with a lot smaller fish but kept pulling out of them at the net, he lost 4 while me and Bob were stood behind him, we did not rib on that, not many. He fished bread pellet and pellet for his weight on a small method feeder, again nearly all Carp.

Lyle was doing like wise on another noted swim and his fish were shooting behind a tree when he hooked them, again with the fish lost both him and Richard could have made it a bit tighter. Lyles weight was also all small Carp on the method.

This is a very fair venue as you can fish a lot of methods on here and if you get it right then you are in for a good day. I must be getting it wrong as I only had about 5 pound and done the off an hour before the end as wetherspoons called. Still maybe next time, I wont hold my breath.

Don

Well this was a return to this venue after quite a while, it did not fish to bad considering the water was a bit low and a few swims need a work party, but Andrew as promised to visit on a few occasions to put that right.

Derek had a few decent Roach and Dace on the wagg, but most of his weight was a Bream around the 4 pound mark. Dave had similar with fish coming to maggot but a bit smaller. Brian had a few Roach on the punch then maggot.

Andrew was the only other to pop along and had 3-11-0. It may fish a bit better on the August match and hopefully we will have a few more there, as a few of us were away.

Don

Well it was the usual start of the season on the lake with a few of us blanking and a few with just a single fish.

Dave had 5 Bream and some decent Roach for his weight, mostly on red maggot after going on to the cage feeder, he put a lot of bait out to both stop and keep the fish in the swim.

Brian was second with a single Carp caught early on with method feeder, and Paul done the same by getting his on floating bread, it was nice of him to keep the resident swan fed all day..

Both of these should go to spec savers as Brian told me his fish was about 8 pound, and Paul was owning up to 7 pound,talk about fisherman telling porkies.

As to the rest of us, Bob was doing the off with me when his tip went round for a Bream of 5-0-0, and Martin had a Perch for 2 ounces, the other 7 of us blanked, the lake was a bit coloured and some fish seemed to be spawning, so lets hope the next match is a bit better, or it may be just us being useless.

Don

Martin drew at the back end of the lake and started by catching some good Ide at 3 metres with a few Roach. He then had a few Carp move in and some good Tench and Carp down the side of the peg, some of which ended up virtually under is feet in an undercut section of bank, most of the fish came to red maggot and soft pellet.

Mark was on the cafe side of the lake and had a nearly all Carp catch on a small method feeder cast close to the far bank, if it was short he waited much longer for a bite. He had most of the fish on lumps of bread, nice old school bait.

Derek was also on the back section and had most of his fish on the waggler over to the island, he had a small section clear and every time he cast in to it he got bites, mostly on red maggot.

Max Harrison the junior fishing on the day had a catch of 20-12-0, he did not beat his dad who went and had 30-8-0 so got the bragging rights going home, but he fished a good match on only his third senior match, well done Max.

Don

Jay seems to be making a habit of turning up and nicking a win on these charity matches. It was the first time he had fished the lake so we all told him just go on the method and wait, he did for a couple of hours then went old school.

He switched to groundbait feeder with double red maggot on a long hook link and had 5 Bream, the best going about 9 pound. Ian had his one fish as seen on the news page early on and thought he was on for a good day, it was his only bite.

Dave did likewise but his only bite was from a Bream. Only Derek and Andrew were the others to catch, the rest of us had 2 bites between us.

Cant beat bad luck.

Don

We held the match on the lake this late to see if it would fish any good, as you can see from the result it did not.

Only a few of the boys stated they had a bite with around 30 minutes to go, I went out around 10 yards further than I had been fishing most of the day and had a pull round which woke me up, it was the only fish of the day a Bream.

If I put this one on next year I may be fishing by myself.

Don

Well we tried to make it a bit fairer by putting the pegs up a bit past the gate, when we drew the feeling was you needed the low pegs and so it worked out with the top 3 on the first 3 pegs.

They all fished both the pole and whip with a few on the waggler to mainly punch and pinkie. It was the same as normal with them and 2 others catching from the off, and 6 of us sitting without a bite.

Me and Bob done the off to watch the football and they all started catching, Lee never had a fish until 12-30 then weighted in 8-6-0, the top section was the same with some not catching until the last hour. It is a hard venue to peg out and I would like to thank Brian and Ian for getting there early, with Ian missing the munchies down the cafe, to peg it for us on all matches, Thanks lads.

Don

Well would you believe it Brian went and drew the same peg he won from the other week, he had the same result of 2 Barbel on the feeder with maggot, the best going 9-0-0, they were the only 2 bites he had.

Ian had a few of the new small Chub we put in going into the last hour, then he upped the feed and had 2 Chub of around 3 pound each, he was on the sluice on waggler.

Paul was on the main river and had 2 Chub on the stick with maggot. It was bit hard in other areas with the back stream failing to produce again. Dave Allan was 4th and beat Bob to the King Of the Colne by 2 points.

Don

It was another good draw for Brian on the peg where Derek had is Barbel catch, he had a PB in his catch of 10-5-0 and the rest was just the one other Barbel on the waggler and maggot.

Dave was on Dolphin Bridge and caught steady through the day on the pole and had Mainly small Roach with a few better Dace and Perch.

Derek had just the one bite from a Chub on the main river for his weight. It was a bit grim for the rest of us with 5 not having a bite.

The back water was very low and as it was minus 2 with the rod rings freezing when we started it was obvious we were in for a hard day, and so it proved. Bob was the only other one to catch and that was just ounces when he dropped in the sluice.

Don

As usual the fish were tightly packed up and Derek drew on them, he had nearly all Roach and Rudd on the punch and pinkie on waggler and pole.

Paul was next to him and did likewise, Lyle was only one peg away but really struggled as the fish would not move on the day, the other 2 to fish also just had ounces between them, one of which was Ian who normally puts a few in the net on this venue.

Just goes to show if they are not having it anything can happen.

Don

Well what do know, Bob was not moaning as he drew the same peg he was on 2 weeks ago, at least this time the fish were there from the off and he caught steady all day on the whip and waggler. He had nearly all Roach with a few skimmers on both the punch and pinkie.

Kevin as not been out for a while due to other commitments, but he saw what he has been missing with his bag of Roach, again on the punch over near the boats. Roger had most of his fish on the waggler and pinkie, again nearly all Roach. It was not plain sailing for all of us as the fish were shoaled tight to start with.

The bottom section was a matter of wait until a fish swam past, as they seemed to be on the move all the time at the near end, Mark from Yeading had 6-15-0 his fish were a lot smaller but a lot of them, Tony for the Yeading boys also had 5-8-0 of smaller fish.

The top section was Lyle, Ian, Myself, I never had a bite until 12-25 then had 6-3-0, Lyle had his first bite at 1-30 and still put 2-12-0 on the scales, but to show the stamp of fish to be had on here Ian had his first fish at 12-40 then went on to weigh in 10-15-0, would like to have seen his weight if he was catching like that all day.

It goes to show how good this venue can be the 12 who weighed in had an average weight of 9-1-0, it really is well worth the visit if you want a pleasure day, remember to have your ID as this section is members only.

Don

No you did not see the winning weight wrong it was 78-3-0. Derek drew on one of the noted swims but it had not produced a lot of Chub lately, but that did not matter as he had 12 Barbel between 4-8-0 then progressing upwards with his best going 10-2-0. He had what you could call a great day and blew the old match record for the river apart.

Derek had his first fish on the straight lead to caster, then switched to the waggler and bronze maggot for most of the others. He was phoning me saying just caught number 4, 5 minutes later number 5 and so on, he caught his last 3 fish when I was having a pint in the Dolphin. It was a terrific catch and got the well earned round of applause when he came back the pub, he went on holiday a few days later and was still in shock.

Hopefully the report will be in the Angling Times next week. Dave was on the same peg as me last time on here and done the same with the one Barbel to maggot.

Ian was on the backwater and had mainly Roach and Dace on the waggler, he had most of his weight in the first hour, then it became a bit of a struggle.

There were a few blanks on the day, hence me being in the pub early, I had a bit of company it was that bad. Still it was nice for a few of the boys to stand and watch Del and state that they were glad it was him in the peg as not all of us would have got them out. Well done Del.

Don

Well what a difference from the last match, Bob wanted to do the off after not having a bite in the first hour and a half, he came to see me as he left his phone at home to tell me he will give it another hour then go, when he got back he had a fish a chuck on the whip to punch.

Even a boat in front of him pulling out did not put the fish off, it was all Roach.

Brian had a similar catch with a few more on the squatt and pinkie. Ian had is usual 100 and odd fish but they were a bit smaller, again on the punch and pinkie.

Don

Bob drew peg 61 and did not fancy that so he opted to give a peg on the main river a go. Ian had a choice between 2 pegs on that bit but chose wrong as Bob dropped in the one he left empty.

He was going to move from there after an hour but as he was putting his bits a way he just dropped a feeder out a short way and the tip shot round producing a Barbel of 6-9-0, he then decided to stay put what a suprise. He then went on the waggler and had a few good Roach and Dace then lost a couple of fish but things went for the better when he hooked and landed another Barbel 9-4-0, he had all the fish on red maggot.

I was left a peg on the main river where we could see the Barbel, they were swimming around the peg all day, just when I thought I was going to blank at 2-40 I dropped my feeder with a bunch of maggots right on one of there noses and he took it. It was my only bite of the day but I was not complaining as it was my PB Barbel, happy days.

Martin was on the main river and had 1 Chub and 2 minnows for his weight on the stick float.

Don

This was another one that proved a bit tricky for pegging with the water still low and clear, especially on the back stream.

Dave drew on the main river and sat it out on the feeder with maggot, he lost one Barbel after a couple hours and thought that was it but another one had a munch and with the 2 massive minnows he had the winning weight.

Derek was on Dolphin bridge and had mainly Perch and Roach on the stick to maggot. Bob drew on the main river but decided to drop into the sluice and it payed off with a few good Dace and Roach and Perch, his swim died with a couple of hours to go or he may of pushed Del a bit.

Once the sun hit the water it was difficult to get a bite, still Lyle tried a few swims as he went to the wrong one at the off, then settled where he was drawn and had 1 Chub for 3-15 and lost 2, I knew moving that peg number would work, not really.

Don

Well it was as we feared, first hard frost and on the thames can only mean struggle, and it was.

Me and Bob done the off at 12 after not having a bite, a few of the others only had the 1 or 2 fish, Roger stuck it out on the stick float and picked up the odd better fish through the day, mainly Roach with a few Perch.

Mike did the same with fewer bigger fish, Ian fished his normal swim and had a a bleak after 3 hours then had 1 Perch and 1 skimmer for the rest of the day.

It was like old school winter league with the hope that something wanted a munch, it just happened to be small fish that did and not a lot of them. Roger won the Thames Cup with this result, first time Ian has not won it for 4 years, at least he was second.

Don

Well it was another of them days where the fish played the game for parts of the day then just went off. Ian seemed to be struggling then had a fish a chuck in the last 2 hours to catch over 100 fish on both the punch and pinkie.

Dave had a lot of bigger hybrids on the maggot but this was in a short period of time then struggled late on. Brian had the same with all his fish to punch then a long period with no fish.

Martin was winning after a couple of hours with a load of Rudd, then these done the off and he struggled. Roger went for a walk mid match and just down from the last peg put in he said you could have walked across the canal on the big Roach in there. Hope I draw it for the next match, but I bet the fish move to the other end.

I done the off to Bath for the weekend so never fished. Ian and Derek won the pairs and Brian old boy Dart won the senior citizens.

Don

This match was switched from the lower to the island, it was the lesser of two evils with the river so low. Bob was on the backstream and fished the waggler and red maggot to catch mainly Roach and Dace with a few bonus Perch, it died off a bit when the sun we had was on the water so he would probably have hit higher double figures easily.

Paul was on Dolphin bridge and opted to fish from the high bank to trot along the far bush hanging in the water on stick f;oat and maggot, this produced mainly Perch and a few smaller Roach and Dace.

I was on the main river in a peg which normally throws up some good Chub and Barbel but they never showed and I had mainly small Roach and a couple of decent dace and a few good sized Perch on the maggot and worm.

It was a bit hard with the water so low but we all managed to catch a few, it was amazing how it turned off virtually everywhere when the sun got up as it was peeing down when we started and was so dark I was going to go home for a miners lamp. Still with a bit of rain it should improve.

Don

Roger fished in Ians usual peg on the mid week match with the retired boys but opted to go further downstream on this match and it payed off. He had a nearly all Roach catch fishing an 18 foot rod and 3 gram pole float trotting through just in the flow, what there was of it.

He caught on both maggot and tares then had a few better fish on the corn late on. Ian ended up in the usual peg but had a smaller stamp of fish and pike trouble. He also caught on maggot and tares.

Derek went wandering downstream and had most of his fish on the maggot and caster, again nearly all Roach. It was a really good day with the average weight approx 5-8 a man, once we get a bit of water going through it should get better, so dont forget you can apply for the card to give this venue a visit.

Don

You would not believe his luck but Brian was drawn nearly on top of where he was on Wednesday having a practice when he had 13 pound.

It proved a bit harder on Sunday as he had a few more fishing near him. He had nearly all Roach on the punch and pinkie.

Bob was on the whip and also had Roach and a few small skimmers to the punch. Lyle was struggling to get any decent fish for the first few hours then had a better stamp of fish for the rest of the match to the punch as well.

It was a struggle if you were not in the pegs where the sun was not on the water, as yours truly. The canal is crammed with fish and hopefully as the weather cools they may get there heads down for a good feed, as at the moment you get a few fish and have to wait a while for the next bite.

Don

This was our annual visit to Yeadings lake and again it proved hard work for us G X boys as the top 5 places were Yeading anglers, well I tried to poach a few of them at the start as they are in our club as well but Lyle was having none of it.

I was the best of G X with a Carp and a bream for 10-7-0 and it went down hill from there. C, Adams won it with 2 Carp for 23-12-0, J,Thorn 17-7-0 Lyle (team poacher ) Charlton 14-11-0. There was a bit of you cant beat bad luck on the pole front.

Mark was putting his bits away when Lyle walked past and stated that the Maver pole he was using were prone to break, you guessed it, he had not gone 10 foot when Mark leaned the wrong way and crack, third section went.

Richard had a Carp on for a good 10 minutes on the pole, it decided it had enough and tried to climb the tree next to him, the Carp won, Richards pole lost, it was a loud noise so he should be proud of how good it sounded so we all knew what had happened, he would not have wanted us to go home without a laugh, as I said you cant beat bad luck.

Don

Well what do you know Richard never won, first time in 4 matches, it was a bit grim in places with some of the boys only having a couple of fish all day, me being one of them for 3rd, I had them 2 in the first hour then not a touch.

Ian had 2 Carp for 17 pound then a mixed bag of silvers for the rest of his weight, all on the pole.

Brian did likewise but his 2 Carp were a bit smaller. It was a pity it fished so bad as this is a lovely little venue with a breakfast to die for and a few fish to top it off would have been great.

Don

Well back on the Thames and nothing changes, Ian was left his favourite peg as a few of the boys who drew before him had a look and did not fancy it,big mistake.

Ian had a nearly all Roach catch on both the maggot and then later on the tares, I think he as won and been second in the last 6 matches on the venue so he seems to know what he is doing.

Dickie was just in the trees at the start of the venue and had Roach with a few skimmers on the maggot and caster. Brian went way downstream and had Roach and Perch on the waggler with hemp and caster.

Don

I was a way for this one and Richard run the match on his home turf, he fishes the lake all the time. Them kind anglers who attended went and left one of the best pegs in the bag to last, which went to Richard. He had 53 pound of good quality Tench on bread discs on the method and the rest was made up of Carp on the pellet.

Bob had an all Carp catch on the method to pellet and corn, Ian had similar with a few on the pole.

It is a very well kept and stocked lake and we would like to thank the committee of Harrow School A.S for inviting us to attend and we hope we can organise a return visit for next season.

Don

Well you cant beat bad luck, we had been trying to fit the Harrow School A.S. on the lake with us and when we do it fishes probably the worst it as for years.

Most of the boys out of 19 never had a bite, Brian should be banned as he told us his Carp was 4 pound, talk about fisherrmans tales. He had that on the method with meat.

Myself and Richard were next to each other on the island, he had 1 Bream and a small skimmer in consecutive casts and thought he was going to have a few more, no such luck, that was it. I

had just the one bite and the 1 Bream, mine was on maggot with dummy maggot and Richard had his on the pellet.

At least one of there boys won the mystery peg as all the pegs went in instead of ones who caught.

We had to ask 2 members to pack up and leave the venue as they had not read the fixture list properly, Please consult your list to stop any confusion on the day.

We also had a report of some fish deaths on the lake, this was due to a parasite attacking the gills of some of the fish causing them to stress. If you fish the lake make sure you fully dry out your nets and unhooking mats.

Don

As you can see it was a draw on the day. It was a cracking little venue with good weights all round the lake.

Ian and Martin were catching most of the day on both maggot and pellet on the pole, the weights consisted of small Carp, Rudd and a few Barbel.

It was hard to make up your mind how to fish it as there were so many fish to be had, some went for the smaller fish all day but had patches of not catching if bigger fish moved in.

Richard had similar fish on soft pellet and maggot, I was fishing about 3 inches from the far bank to get a bite but the fish knew where the roots of the local trees were and I had to crack off around 3 times, the old elastic took a bit of a hammering. It is a really fair venue with a lot of fish in all pegs.

Also Graham and the young lady in the Cafe came and took orders for rolls and tea to be dropped to your peg, what more could you want.

Don

Well we put a match on here earlier than we normally would to see how it fishes.

As you can see by the weights it was not a good choice. We were supposed to have had some of the weed cleared but it never happened.

Nearly all of the boys were just getting a few fish here and there on both the pole and the waggler to maggot. Some big Tench were crashing around in the weed but did not have a munch.

Back to the late times next season.

Don

The lake proved to be its grumpy self with a few of the boys not having a bite, including Derek who fished the same peg a week ago and had 8 fish.

Just goes to show how it can change. Roger was on the willows bank and had small Carp and Bream for his weight on the method and groundbait feeder. Martin went on to the island and fished it old school on the waggler and had 3 Tench and some decent Roach. Richard was next to Roger and had the one Carp.

As I said it was a bit grim, for me included as I had one little knock all day, there were a lot of one fish only weights on the day so heres hoping it improves for the next match.

Don

It was the Richard Smith benevolent day all over again as he drew next to where he won the last 2 matches on this venue last year, no wonder he asks me to book each year.

He had 8 Carp on the feeder right tight to the reeds, by tight in them as if you are not they wont play the game, he lost a few in there as well, one when I was standing behind him, you cant beat bad luck I whispered loudly.

He also had another one which must have seen the new tarzan film as it took him up a tree, after some coaching in tree felling from yours truly and me trying to bounce it off when he had to stretch under the tree to land it with me holding the rod, but he still got it in.

Brian was in snag valley as he lost 5 fish to the same snag in front of him,I warned him about it before the match but they still got him in there, he had 7 Carp.

Lyle was alternating with the pole and feeder and had a few Bream in with Carp for his weight.

The rest of the boys ranged from weights in the thirties and twenties to just the 1 or 2 fish which included me with a Carp and a Bream, did better than last time only had the Carp then, still the breakfast was nice.

Don

This match was put on this stretch as it was hard in the winter and we tried to see if the summer would bring better results, not a chance with a lot of the swims full of weed and some of the bank areas well overgrown.

You would not have though we had done 4 work parties on there. But Derek still managed to land himself a cracking Barbel of 10-1-0 to nick the match, it was on the stick with maggot and a few small Roach.

Paul who is a new members and must of wondered what he had let himself in for when he turned up managed a few small Roach and Perch for his weight.

Dave or dangerous as he is known to some of us had a few small Perch, but it was nice to see different people in the frame. I was not silly I went to a concert in Hyde Park instead.

Don

We all turned up hoping for a great day as the lake had been fishing really well, it was the usual way on the lake with a few fish showing in some areas and others that had been producing not doing it on the day.

Ian was on the road bank and had 3 Carp and 1 Tench, one of the Carp was a cracking fish of 26-0-0 which on 7 pound main line and a lot of weed to contend with it was a great performance to get it out.

Ian was on the method with pellet. Derek was a couple of swims up from Ian and had a few lulls through the day but still managed to winkle out 3 Carp on the method with pellet also.

Richard was on the island and had a smaller stamp of fish for his weight with a Carp a Bream and a Tench, again on the method. I had 1 bite in the morning and that was a Bream of 8-12, then shot off to see the footie.

It was nice to see Tony and Pepy give the match a go, Tony had 2 small Carp and a Bream for 8-11-0. Martin had a Bleak of about an ounce on a 4m pellet, how he swallowed that who knows.

Don

Well this was not a great start to the season, the fish were really hard to come by with a lot of weed to hide in it was a waiting game as a few swam through.

Brian had a nearly all small Roach catch on both the punch and sqautts.

Ian did like wise with a few Perch in his net and Lyle also.

All in all a day to forget.

Don

It may look like it fished well with the top 3 but only 2 other anglers had over a pound. Some of the sections were one with just 1 small fish, at the top section there were 3 fish caught out of 12 pegs, to say it was a bit grim would be an understatement.

Still we were all there for a good cause. Bob and Steve drew either side of the boat where all the fish seem to be shoaled up for the past few weeks, Bob had less fish but of a better stamp, nearly all Roach on the punch and a few Perch on the worm, Steve had like wise.

Ian was just along from them and had small Roach again on the punch. Jay Baecke won his section with 2-0-0 Mark Squire won his with 1-5-0 Rob Blackburn won his with 0-3-0 Ramsey King won his with 0-1-0.

Bob was in my section and I was winning it until 20 minutes from the end with a Perch of about an ounce, he had a bit of a tangle on the top of his pole so just put his bait down the edge while he sorted it out and when he picked it up again there was his massive 3 ounce Perch hanging it self, cant beat good luck. The rest was that dire the only bites had were back in the Dolphin.

The team event on the day was one by Gerrards Cross .A which was Bob Hawes, Jay Baecke, Martin Harper and myself, we had 2 section wins and a second and won it on weight from Fishermans Cabin, as we also had a blank as did most teams, Martin asked for the bad end as he was prepared to scratch around, the only thing he scratched all day was his backside.LOL.

I would like to thank all who helped on the day, Martin, Brian and Ian for sorting out the draw and the pegging, Derek for arranging the munchies after in the Dolphin.

Noel at the Dolphin, as always for laying on such a fine spread, if you live local give it try on a Sunday. The team from Yeading A.S who were fishing it for the first time and really got into the spirit of the day.

They were Kevin Jones, Mark Squire,John Lee and Tony Adams with great support from Gerry, Diane and staff at the Hut thanks a lot lads and ladies.Also the regular boys from Fishermans Cabin.

Before I give the total raised I would like to thank the Specimen Group who held there match last May and raised £1,000 towards the total, with a special thanks to Tim and Mike Lomas for running that match.

The full total raised was £3,465-00 which was a great result, so once again THANK YOU all who supported the boys as we could not have done it without you.

We have been supporting the Shooting Stars Childrens Hospice for the last 6 years and I am pleased and proud to state that we have in that time raised the total of £21,515-00.

Terry and Rita who received the cheque on behalf of the charity were delighted with all we have done for them and relayed the thanks from all who work and volunteer for them. Heres hoping for a good result next year, with hopefully a few more fish.

Don

Well we would have loved to have lost some fish as last week, most of us did not even get a bite let alone a fish.

The fish were shoaled up in one spot and Ian drew on them, my exact words were he could of put some dogs wotsits on his hook and they would have it, there was that many fish there.

He had most of them on the punch. Lyle was just up from him and had fish on and off through the day, again mainly on the punch.

Brian was just up past the fence and struggled to keep the fish in the swim and had nearly all small fish for his weight. 5 of us never had a bite, and Stuart had one tiny Perch, that was the rest of us on the day.

Lets hope it fishes a bit better for the charity match.

Don

It was a day of the ones that got away for a few of us. It was best to sit it out for the better fish, which Derek done moving into peg 44, he had the one Barbel on the float to maggot.

Brian was on Dolphin bridge and once again the small fish were not to be found. He had 2 Roach and a Chub on the maggot.

Lyle was on the sluice and had the one Chub, with his second place he was equal points with Derek over the 4 legs, but Lyle nicked the king of the colne title on weight count back.

The day proved hard with big fish being lost. I was on the grill and had one bite all day, I hooked something and had it on for 5 minutes and never even saw my float let alone the fish, it just would not budge and done me diving under the weed on the near bank.

Bob was on the main river and was going to move when one of our members who fished the peg for Barbel put him straight as he was walking around. Bob proceeded to hook a Barbel first put in and after playing it for a while he could not fit it in to his landing net, I told him not to use the net he uses for his goldfish, he was not a happy bunny.

An hour later he decided to go back on the float with single maggot after a few small fish, but the barbel took a liking to that as well. And you guessed it, he lost that one as well, to say he was a bit peeeeed off would be an under statement, when he told me and I had stopped laughing, my cant beat bad luck comment did not go down to well.

The said Barbel boy Tony, was standing with me, he to nearly fell off the platform laughing listening to Bob on my phone. Still heres to getting them out next year.

Don

Well it was another one of them matches where if the fish were sitting in front of you it was ok, if not it was a bit of a struggle.

Brian had a lot of fish with some quality Roach on the hemp, mainly catching on the punch.

Ian had all his fish on the punch, as did I, we would both of had more but for our old friend mr Pike having a snap at fish throughout the day.

This venue is really fishing well, we pegged a bit further up this time and Brian was a fair way past the gate, Roger was also up there and had 10-12 Bob was down with us before the gate and he had 10-2-0 so you can see how spread out the fish are.

If someone gets the bigger fish sitting in front of them the whole match then 30 pounds will be on the cards.

We had a small match with Intertype on here last week and that was won with 18-15-0, there was 26 fishing and the weights were GX 95-7-0 Intertype 83-3-0 so you work out how many fish were caught, the winner Ian had 244. It was a great day and the Intertype boys could not believe them weights from a canal.

Don