MG vs SAIC UK Angling Challenge Trophy - 26.04.13

It's now all square at 2-2 after the latest piscatorial battle at Tunnel Barn Farm. MG retained the cup after narrowly beating the anglers of SAIC on points in a grueling 4 hour match.

I managed 24lb from the edge on worm and light float tactics but missed loads of bites from TBF's lipless F1's ,at least I scored some points. Dave Roberts from Shanghai AC had the most weight out of all the anglers with 86lb.



Thanks to Steve 'Breezy' Breeze for organising it.

MG 2 - SAIC 2

College Pool Wasperton - 21.04.13

What a stunning morning, cold but with the sun out and College Pool flat calm there is nowhere locally I'd rather be in the close season.

For those that have fished it before will know it contains some of the hardest fighting pound for pound you are ever likely to come across. It has big bream, Chub and the odd Barbel and big Perch within it's depths.

From one of Sean's posts lots of the pegs are unfishable as it's flooded and over it's banks, the same again today. I cannot see where the water will go either. I was the first angler to arrive and I settled at a swim at the far end of the pool. I had a sleeper rod out for the carp and planned to fish the margins with a centrepin and float set-up, with worm as hook bait. The float was the small drennan glow tip antenna which is ultra sensitive, you can literally see the worm movement on the float and a couple of number 8 shot will take it from well above the water to below the water.

No runs on the sleeper rod but the float and worm was getting attention all morning. Lots of small Perch and Roach and I missed countless bites, but managed a nice Tench and Roach both around the 1lb mark. The Baliff who set-up opposite me managed a nice bream on 10mm pop-ups just before I left, a slowish few hours but the fish were moving which is an encouraging sign.

Snitterfield Reservoir - 14.04.13

Snitterfield Reservoir can be hard fishing the best of times and today was no exception. It's deep, very deep and takes ages for the water to warm up. When the fish are active it's usually a bite a chuck, today it was one bite in 4 hours and judging by the other anglers who were struggling, it wasn't just me.

The only fish I caught a small Tench fell to this rig a small inline lead with size 14 barbless hook on a short hooklink, a quickstop held the small SBS corn floating and sinking boilie with a pva mesh bag full of hemp and corn.

I also had a margin float rod out and tried various hook baits such a soft pellets, corn and worm, but couldn't even muster up a single bite. 

 

Judging by the lack of fish topping I'm going to leave this venue alone for a month or so. Even Twig the baliff said he had been struggling and if Twig isn't catching then no one will, last week in five hours, one bite resulted in one fish.

The already featureless reservoir has been made even more featureless buy some extensive tree pruning and felling. I assume a good reason for it but one of my favorite swims that I fish for crucians in the summer no longer has the overhanging branches that give the fish some cover.

Just a quick note, some sad news, Stuart from Stuart's Angling in Stratford-Upon-Avon died a few weeks ago, I know he had been ill for sometime so not unexpected.

Talking of Stratford-Upon-Avon, the angling clubs AGM was a week ago and although I couldn't go, sounds like it was well attended. From one of my previous posts I mentioned they were in trouble, they might have had to close the club down or lose some of their waters. Anyway it sounds like they have voted to increase subs to £40 for seniors and £20 for concessions. If everyone who was a member last year re-joins then they should just about cover most of the rents.

Not sure where to fish next weekend, might even give Arden Fisheries in Snitterfield a try, or even Moreton Springs in Moreton Bagot.

Shanghai AC match - Tunnel Barn Farm - 06.04.13

Cold, cold, fff'ing cold was the order of the day, 12 of us from the Shanghai AC fished Tunnel Barn Farm as at the end of the month is a return match against the grunts of MG Cars. As I've said before I'm not a match fisherman, but with the river close season in full swings it's a good way of staying in contact with fellow automotive contractors. We were on house pool today which apparently contains 140,000 fish including f1 carp, mirror carp, roach, bream, tench, chub, perch and golden orffe.

I drew peg 25 which was away from the main group of anglers, I had a float rod and a quiver rod with a small bomb to fish tight against the island. To cut a long story short nothing I did could muster up a bite, for the first 3 hours the tip remained motionless and the float stationary. The most activity was from a friendly Robin that liked my maggots.

The last time I fished Tunnel Barn Farm I had 40lb of fish, today I ended up last with 2lb 4oz's, that was a small F1 and a small carp. A tough day with the winner Steve Breeze managing 22lb, with half the anglers not even reaching double figures. Lets hope the return match against MG the water would have warmed up and the carp are moving.