We managed to hold the match due to the Covid restrictions being lifted a bit for meeting outside. 

The draw was done at distance and the weigh in was done by just 2 people. Paul drew on the flier on the back water and had the usual Roach and Dace catch on the waggler. 

The usual snappy Pike put in an appearance and Paul hooked 4. and if not for them having a go all day he would have probably doubled his weight. 

I was left the next peg up and had all Roach and Dace again, I had most of my fish in a slack on the far bank as the fish seemed to be sitting out of the faster water, but due to a bad shoulder could not hold the pole in there so was forced to drop the stick and wagg over. 

I had a bit of fun with something that took about 5 minutes to get in and when landed it was a wild brown Trout that went 5-6-0 see pic, to say it went all around the houses will be an understatement, also I would have won the match if you could weigh in game fish, cant beat bad luck.

Don

Oh well back we go to the Jubilee, as the Thames was still belting through it was a no brainer to switch venues.

Ian, Derek and Dave all fished the Bollo over hemp and maggot and had some quality Roach up to the pound mark, it was a bit slower in places for the rest of us as the fish seemed to be shoaled up in areas and never really moved around on the day. 

 But as a back up venue it proved its worth again.

Don

We moved this to the Jubilee as the arm was still a bit out of sorts and Dave followed up his last result with another good bag of Roach. 

When they turn on to the feed going in, which may take a while, they really seem to like the way Dave goes about it with heayy feeding of hemp and red maggot on the Bolo method. 

Ian and Bob fished likewise as this is the way to do it present on the venue Dave and Ian won the pairs after drawing together with a combined weight of 32-5-0. Ian also winning the S/C with his weight. 

On the day 9 of us averaged 10 pound a man, so you can see why this venue is getting popular.

Don

This match was switched on to the Jubilee as the main river was pushing through a bit after the heavy rains, Dave was glad it was as he had a really good day on the Roach. 

He only had 3 fish after 2 and a bit hours then they found his hemp going in and he caught steady after that on the waggle and red maggot. 

Derek fished like wise and had some better fish on the caster. Ian fished a few methods, Bolo, Waggler and Pole for an all Roach catch. 

The river fished very well with an average of 10-0-0 per man with 10 fishing. 

Roger was on here a few days ago and had 37-0-0 on the corn and tares, so if you catch it right you can have a great day. 

I had just got back from Cyprus so decided to have a lie in.

Don

Derek dropped in to his usual peg and had a couple of Chub and some bits on the waggler and maggot. 

Brian and Dave did like wise on a bit of a hard day with the water low and a bit weedy in places stopping a good trot down in some pegs. 

We hope to do a work party on here soon so keep your eye on the news page.

Don

Ian managed to pick out a few quality Roach on tares and corn on the waggler. 

Brian struggled early on but got the Roach going on the hemp late on. 

Dave put in a fair bit of groundbait but it seemed to attract to many small fish, Ian did tell him at the start, he never listened. It was a good result on the day considering there was a lot of boat traffic all day which stopped some of the boys getting a good feeding routine going.

Don

Well it was not peg 2 this time but Mark did draw close with number 3, he had the usual Carp tight to the island on the bread and a good bag of Barbel and Ide close to the near bank, by close around 3 inches as they were tight against the bank. 

Richard was around the corner on 8 and had a bit of a slow start but managed to get a few carp later on to go with the usual Barbel that he winkles out of the lake. 

John was on peg 1 and had nearly all Carp over to the island on the method feeder with pellet and mini pop ups. Again on this lake it was a matter of waiting for the Carp to turn up which for a few of us was a bit to late in the match. When they do you can usually get a good weight if they hang around but they seemed to just be going up and down the lake most of the time which made it a bit frustrating. 

Dave had a good bag of Roach and skimmers again with nearly 16 pound of silvers. 

Still at least Matt beat Max fair and square for a change without swooping to something dodgy as he usually does.

Don

We could not believe it when we turned up to our annual match with the Yeading boys as the lake was fishing great, then the water was pumped out from Saturday in to Sunday and it was a real struggle with the lake down by around 2 feet. 

Ian drew in the far corner and had 4 Carp casting the method feeder tight to a tree along the bank. 

L,Owens had 2 Carp on the method one of which went 12 pound and a few bits on the waggler. 

Steve had 2 Carp and a Bream also on the method and waggler. The rest of us really struggled to get double figures. It started ok with some decent Roach coming on the wagg and maggot fished shallow, then it was like a light going off and it dried right up. 

Cant beat bad luck.

Don

It was just as bad on the river as the lake had been the week before. 

Derek had 3 small Chub late on to add to a few bits, all on the waggler. 

Dave fished the same and had Roach, Dace and Perch but had to wait a fair while between fish as they were not shoaled up on the day. Roger also fished the same and had smaller fish through the day. 

It was a bit grim after that with only 3 more of the boys going over the 2 pound mark and the rest struggling with ounces. The water was very low and clear and once the sun was on it then a bad day was on the cards.

Don

It was a struggle to say the least with a few of the boys not even having a bite all day. 

Andrew was in the willows and had 1 Carp and a Tench of 6-10 with a few Perch. He had the Carp first put in and the Tench on the whistle and a few bits in between so it was not all action all day. 

Derek and ray both fished similar on the waggler with a few small Perch between them on the maggot. 

Ray and his son Ray are coming to a few of the matches, I bet they wished they never turned up with the lake fishing like this. 

It seems as if the fish are spawning again as the water temp was very warm. Or we are useless one or the other.

Don

Richard drew on the narrow bank in the low numbers where it was felt the most fish would come from and it proved right. He had a few Carp over to the island then at least 50 pound of Barbel and Ide down the inside close to the reeds, most fish came to pellet and corn. 

Paul was on the next swim going in to the inlet with the rope across, he had nearly all Carp on the pole, he lost enough gear in the tree roots to keep someone going for a season, by the time you strike the fish are in there and take some getting out. Cant beat bad luck. 

Steve had nearly 20 pound of Ide ,Rudd and Roach on the small waggler shallow with a few Carp added late on.

 It was a bit grim with the fish having a bit of an off day and a lot of us struggled to get over the 20 pound mark.

Don

This match was the one cancelled from Feb 16th due to the flooding on the river.

Bob drew number 1 and opted to go on the flier on the backwater, it was a good decision as a lot of the river was still belting through. He fished the stick mainly for some decent Roach and Dace on the maggot, and late in the day 3 small Chub between 12 ounces to the pound had a munch which was good to see.

Dave was also on the backwater near the bridge and had a lot of small fish in a slack behind one of the new refuges we had put in, also on the maggot.

Derek dropped in to Dolphin Bridge but it was going around like a washing machine and was really hard to fish. I tried a few pegs on the main river with the only bite coming first put in on the apple tree peg which resulted in fish tugging one way, me tugging the other, the fish won as my hook got straightened out.

Cant beat bad luck. Bob also won the K.O.C with 177 points in total, well done mate.

Don

This was a bit of the same whole result as the previous match, this time the flow was a bit calmer but still had a fair tow on it.

Ian fished the same method of grounbait feeder and pinkie picking up the better fish which again was all Roach.

Brian and Derek did likewise for there fish. We hope to use this venue a bit more often next season as when on its day there are good bags of fish to be had once you crack the depth and location of holding areas.

Don

Due to the arm being out of sorts the match took place on the Jubilee river.

Ian opted to go on the wider section and dropped in to the slower water down the inside to have some good Roach up to 12ounces on the groundbait feeder with pinkie and maggot on the hook.

Brian was also on a slower section and had Roach on the same method and bait.

Derek was in the faster flow and said he needed nearly 3 ounces to hold bottom, but the better fish did not play the game and he had a small Perch and a few smaller Roach on the maggot.

Don

This match was moved from the arm to the island fishery.

Derek drew on the backwater and had a great day with fish coming all the time on the waggler and stick float. Nearly all were good quality Roach and Dace with a few Perch on the maggot, he would have cracked the 20 pound mark except for a few lost fish..

Brian and Ian both drew likewise on the backwater and fished the same methods for again a nearly all Roach and Dace catch.

Don

The boys switched the match to the Jubilee river as the arm has been a bit out of sorts.

Did not make much difference as this proved just as hard. Ian had 6 Roach for his weight on the bolo rod over groundbait.

Brian did the same and had one Roach of 1-7-0 and a few smaller ones .

Derek did likewise but overall it was a day to forget as the weather was not great either.

This is a good venue when just right so we are going to persevere and hopefully catch it just right.

Don

With the river going through at a fair old lick most of the boys wanted to be on the backwater. They went and left the same peg in the bag I had the other week at the top of the sluice This time I started on the float but after about 2 hours the water rose again and was nearly over the platform.

The float rod went up the bank and the feeder went out. I had a Chub of 4-12-0 around lunch time and then went and followed that up with a Barbel of 9-0-0 both to a bunch of maggots.

Martin was down from Skye and went in the bag first and pulled out the peg that has won the last 2 matches on the backwater, he was getting fish off and on throughout the day on the wagg and maggot but they never really put there heads down for a munch, he had mostly Roach and Dace.

Brian was on the next peg up and had most of his fish across in to a slack on the pole behind one of the deflectors we put in on the enhancement, again Roach and Dace to maggot.

The rest of the boys had a bit of a struggle, mainly on the main river, the backwater threw up a few 4 pound weights but that to was hard.

Derek had his first blank on the river for a long time, cant beat bad luck.

Don

We had a walk off on this one, Derek went and drew no 1 and went straight to the same backwater peg I was on in the xmas match.

He stuck on the waggler for most of the match and had some cracking Dace and Roach on the maggot.

The fish were hanging right down the swim and he had to go a fair way down to get them or he may well have broken the 20 pound mark if they were in front of him as they sometimes are.

Bob was also on the peg Dave came second on, he did not expect to get it as no one went in there and he drew number 8. Again it was the usual Roach and Dace on the stick and wagg, he lost a couple of better fish later in the day as like Del he could have probably put a few more pound on the scales.

He must be getting tips off Darty re how much weight he had as he was admitting to around 7 pound, that’s Brians little trick. Roger went to the lower this time as he drew last of 13, it paid off as he had 3 small Chub and One Barbel for his weight on the waggler.

I had one Barbel on the main river at 9-15 and lost it at the net, that was followed by 1 minnow all day, as a few boys pointed out in the car park after, you cant beat bad luck.

Don

It was a good turnout with 20 of us fishing. The boys very kindly went and left the swim on the backwater in the bag for me that had been in the frame over the last 3 matches.

I had nearly all Roach and Dace with a couple of Perch on the waggler and stick to maggot. The water was really pushing so it was hard to get it right but when I did it seemed the better fish would have a munch, I was also lucky the river had a bit of colour as this peg normally throws up some little snappy Pike that can be a nuisance.

Dave was the first in the bag and drew on the backwater also, he had a similar catch with more fish but a bit smaller stamp, also on the wagg and stick.

Roger was thinking about going down the lower when he drew on the main river but stuck at it and had the one Barbel late in the match on the waggler and maggot.

Has I said it was pushing a bit so some of the noted swims on the backwater did not produce as it was hard to present it just right and they seemed to switch off with the extra push.

Still it was a good spread as usual in the Dolphin and I managed to pick up my drink for the Xmas period. What nice blokes they are leaving me that peg. Thanks lads.

Don

Again Ian was on the backwater and had nearly all Roach and Dace on the waggler with maggot and punch picking up fish for most of the day, he had a bit of a dry spell when the sun hit the water around midday, but it picked up again as it went down.

Derek was on the main river and had 1 Barbel of around 11 pound and 1 chub on the waggler, he had to fish really hard and caught quite late on in the match, so it proves if you stick at it you can get them to have it.

Roger was on Dolphin Bridge and had the usual Roach and Dace that seem to just like staying in the peg.

A few of the boys also had good days on some of the swims on the backwater, with Both John Barnes and Dave Allan having 9-9-0, Dave on a swim not normally put in on the matches, better change that.

Don

Bob drew on the backwater and when he got to his peg could not see a fish in the clear shallow water. They must be hide and seek champion fish as he caught nearly all day on the whip just straight in front of him.

He had some nice Dace and Roach and a few lumpy Perch.

I stood behind him for a while and saw no sign of fish and he was only trotting past his keepnet and the float buried and he was in. The best bait was red maggot on the day, with a few to punch.

Really good to see the amount of fish in the areas that were worked on in the enhancement scheme. Richard drew on Dolphin Bridge and we had to remind him what to do as the water was moving and he as not been on the river matches for a while. He must have remembered a bit as he had a Chub of around 3 pound and the rest was Roach, Dace ,Perch on both the waggler and stick with maggot.

Paul was at the top of the sluice and had 2 Barbel on the waggler, he lost 3 so could have nicked it on the day, cant beat bad luck.

The rest of the backstream fished ok, but the main river was a bit harder with some blanks. Don.

Don

When we arrived the water was coloured and going through like a train,

Roger opted for the swim he won from previously and had 3 Chub on the stick after wading out in to the river, he seemed to be the only one catching as we were all fishless by mid day except for 1 fish here or there, he also lost a couple of better fish.

Dave was having a bad morning and no fish so he moved just up from Roger on the shallows and had a small Chub straight away then followed that up with a Barbel of about 8 pounds, he also lost 2 bigger fish, this was to maggot on the stick. It was a bit grim after that with some of the boys, me included doing the off at lunch time.

The colour just seemed to go out of the river after an hour but the flow was really bad and never let up all day. Perhaps that was why the fish just dropped on to the shallow area as it was a bit wider and steadier.

Or we are just all useless.

Don

Due to water levels being to high ,did not think I would write that for a while, this match was moved to the Jubilee river at Marsh Lane.

Roger fished the bollo float over groundbait for a mainly Roach weight, with some fish going close to the pound mark.

Both Ian and Dave fished a similar way and had Roach also. This is one of the new venues on offer with the T.V.A.A. and it seems well worth a visit as the last weight on the day was over 4 pound, when some matches on other venues were being won with ounces it goes to show how good the fishing is on this stretch.

Don

We had 3 joint winners with Bob Hawes, Ian Randall and Roger Salmon all having 1-2-0 of Perch on the chopped worm.

It was a bit grim to say the least with the water being very clear and the Roach not putting in a show.

We went to the Marina end where it was a bit more coloured but it proved hard all round. Malcolm had 2 small Roach and Andrew one and that was it on the Roach front, lets hope they appear for the next match on there.

The pairs was won joint by Myself with Roger and Andrew with Ian as me and Andrew had 4 ounces each.

The senior citizens was won by Roger and Ian joint.

Don

Dave went upstream to the Thame bridge and had nearly all Roach on the bollo float with maggot and caster, he caught small fish nearly all day.

Ian fished similar and had a better stamp of fish but had quiet spells through the day.

Derek was in the trees and had some small skimmers with Roach on the big stick to maggot.

I think they timed it just right as the river was nearly over the bank the following week.

Don

First off I would like to thank all who attended the work party on the venue on the Saturday to make it fishable. Malcolm Davis, Brian Stannet, Carl Hickey, Derek Turton ,Frank Sperring, Lyle Charlton, Tony Neurgolis who if you remember nearly went under on the last work party on here, he was ok this time as I had him on the far bank with me and told him it was shallow, after he popped up for the 3rd time I don’t think he believed me.

But all joking aside thanks a lot boys. On the match Roger opted to go on the shallows and wade out in the river to get better access, it seemed to work has he had Chub, Dace and Roach on the waggler to maggot and caster.

Paul was downstream on the bend and had Perch, Roach and Dace on the stick, he also lost a good Barbel.

Derek opted to go to the top of the stretch and had the same catch on the waggler and stick.

It was very low for the time of year and the rain forecast for the coming week will be most welcome

Don

The first 2 were pegged close to each other on the near bank to the café.

Matt opted to go for the silvers early on and that paid off as he had nearly half his weight fishing a foot deep and feeding maggot to have Ide, Rudd and Roach with a few smaller Carp then switched to the feeder and had a few more Carp.

Bob was on the peg Richard won from last time out on here but the aerator was not fully on and the better fish did not stay in the swim, he caught small Carp most of the day on pellet feeder and a few down the edge on the pole.

Brian was on the first peg on the right side of the lake and waited a long time to get them going, he had some good Barbel and Carp mainly on the corn down the edge as the fish were not having it against the island which is unusual in that peg.

Matt is noted for having his gear all nice and clean when he turns up, now we know how he does it, he was following me round doing the weigh in when someone asked was he washing his trolley as it was in the lake, after the usual cant beat bad luck he managed to fish it out, most of the boys on that side also did the usual and peed themselves laughing instead of getting it out, not as much as his son Max when Matt fell in the week before, who needs friends and family Matt.

It was a bit of a push to get all the pegs on without crossing as they have arranged them a bit different when doing new pegs, we will have to leave a few out next year so get your name down early as I may have to limit it on the day. I wish I had stayed in Rhodes as where I drew you could not get a bite unless tight to the island, which was a bit hard with a tree hanging over most of it, still I never liked them 4 feeders and 6 hooks anyway.

Don

It was the first Thames cup match and the usual happens, the river was fishing great the week before, we turn up and it gets hard.

Brian had some quality Roach to the pound on the bolo float and tares over hemp, also a few small skimmers.

Andrew had mainly Roach and Perch on the stick and feeder to maggot.

Roger was also on the bollo and had small fish for most of the day. I was sunning myself in Rhodes so I did not seem to miss a lot as the rest of the boys had a bit of a struggle with the better fish not putting in a show.

Don

Smithie is on a bit of a roll at the moment, he drew the first peg going in to the open water area to the left of the aerator rope and had fish for most of the day on the method feeder with pellet on the hook, nothing new there as Rich fishes that method a lot and does it very well.

He had a few quite spells and had to wait for a bite or he may have hit the ton mark.

Brian was on the opposite bank and fished the same with Brian Stannett also doing like wise.

It is a small fishery so it is hard to peg fairly, I would like to thank Ian for getting down and doing his best to get the pegs sorted on there.

Don

Richard had a good look round at the start and decided on one of 3 swims, he managed to draw low enough and opted for the culvert swim. He went on the method with pellet and the first one nearly had his rod in as he just managed to grab it, I was on the far bank and just saw him diving across the swim. He had 4 Carp for his weight with the best around the 15 mark.

Brian was in the willows and had 1 Carp of 14-12-0 and a few skimmers and Perch.

Derek was on the island and had 1 Carp and a few bits as well. It was a bit grim for the rest of us with Bob hooking a couple of good fish on the willow bank and not getting them in, other than that myself and Ian never had a bite and Dave had a few skimmers.

Brian Stannet had one old school Bream of 6-10-0, but again that was his only bite.

Don

Well we had the usual thing when G/X turns up for a match, the lake as been fishing really well all round, then we turn up and the water levels were down by at least 18 inches, when you consider it is only about 3 foot at its deepest it was obvious we were in for s a struggle.

Dave had a few fish on the waggler, then went on the method and had fish in periods through the day. Mainly Carp on the pellet. Bob started like a train with a lot of fish early on to method with pellet and meat. They were a bit smaller than Daves otherwise it may of been a bit close.

Roger opted to go for small fishl early on then went to the method along the island, or was it in Bobs swim, they are a bit close them pegs. He then caught the same on the pellet.

Ian had his pole snapped by one of the better Carp, or was it a weak spot, either way he had to do the strip off and go in after the match, he said it was only 2 feet deep, then went up to his nads in silt, cant beat bad luck.

Don

Well it improved on the last match but was a bit slow in places.

Richard drew on the aerator which was going all day and made a right racket, you could have trotted a stick float round the lake it was pushing that much. He nearly made me fall off my box when he set up a pole as he normally just goes on the pellet feeder, It was a good job he did as he had most of his better fish close in the margins and had some Barbel up to 4 pound and Bream to 4 or 5 on dead maggot, he had 25-2-0 of silvers in his weight, the rest was small Carp on the pellet feeder, he could not resist it.

Bob was in the bay and had small Carp on the method feeder with a few silvesr down the inside on the pole.

Matt had a good mixed bag of silvers with some nice Ide making up his weight with the usual Carp on the feeder.

It was a bit frustrating through the day as you had to get really close to the island to get a bite and when you did the fished dived straight in to the tree roots around it and you lost your gear. It is a good little venue with fish to be had in most swims, we will try to peg it different next time as a few of the boys were forced to either fish in each others swim or in the margins because of crossing.

Don

Well we all turned up hoping it will fish like the previous match and got a bit of a let down as it was really hard.

Ian was just before the culvert and cast to the pads just out from there and he had 2 Carp on the method feeder and pellet.

Martin, who was on a flying visit from the Isle of Skye was on the long platform and had 1 Carp of 13-5-0 and some Skimmer and Perch, his Carp was on the pole in the margins and that’s where he ended up as it dived in the weed and wrapped it all around Martins line so he had to go in to land it, glad he was not in my car on the way home.

Richard went down to the bottom swim on the road bank and did not have a bite until the last hour, then had 2 small Carp on the method. There was a few smaller Tench caught in a few pegs and again some good skimmers, with Brian having 8 pound on the waggler, he was in the animal swim Bob had so that would have been a laugh on the light gear.

We may have a silvers only match on there next year.

Don

We decided, or I did, to give the river a chance in the warmer months to see how it would fish. Not great is the answer, it was low and clear with a lot of weed growth since the work party we gad on there which made swim choice a bit iffy.

Brian opted to go on the shallows down from longcroft and had nearly all Roach and Dace on the waggler and maggot, he would have had more if not for a couple of snappy Pike nicking the better fish.

Roger went downstream to a swim he has had 20 pound off of, but due to conditions the bigger fish never showed and he had Roach and Dace on the stick float.

Ian was just upstream from Brian and had mainly small Roach on the waggler. The rest of us struggled a bit as we were out in more open areas when the sun came up and it seemed to put the fish right off feeding.

There are some decent Barbel being spotted in a lot of the swims which is a good sign as they seem to be in different weight brackets which looks good for the future.

Don

Well we did not know what to expect as the lake had been hit and miss over the last couple of weeks. But on the day it fished really well.

Bob opted to go in the last swim down on the willows, he got smashed up twice so stepped up his gear, it was a good call as the first 2 Carp he had went 15-1-0 and 15-5-0, he added another 3 and lost 2 more on the method feeder and pellet.

I was left the last peg so I opted for the culvert on the road bank as we saw a lot of fish moving off of there. I stayed on the floaters all day and had 1 carp of 21-0-0 and 4 smaller ones also getting the hook straightened by a bit of an animal and losing one in the pads as I could not stop it.

Derek went on the willows bank and had a weight that would normally win on the day, cant beat bad luck. He opted for the method feeder at distance to clear the weed and had 1 Carp and a Bream in the first half hour, then added 3 more Carp through the day.

A few of the boys had a lot of Skimmers and Perch on the waggler with maggot which was good to see.

Don

This lake was fishing so well up to our match with 80 pound needed to frame,the GX boys appear and it becomes a struggle.

Brian drew along the right bank and had a few small Carp on the feeder and Ides and Barbel on the silvers line,mainly on pellet and maggot.

Ian was just along from him and had mainly Carp on the pole and feeder, again on pellet.

Andrew was in between the 2 of tham and had a mixed bag on maggot on both waggler and feeder.

There was quite a few of the boys in the 20 pound totals but the fish just seemed to caom along in patches and not really put there heads down.

Don

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