MKAA - News

Further Reports will be published on the Veterans Page in the information Section

We all know just what a gem we have in Furzton lake, the fish stocks are very diverse and plentiful, the access is great and we are able to employ various tactics in the knowledge that ‘On the day’ we all have a very good chance of some good catches. There are however exceptions and today proved to be one of them. The weather forecast (WHY OH WHY DO TAKE ANY NOTICE OF THEM?) was not brilliant but then we just gear up for it. What we have learnt the hard way is to watch, listen and then go outside, wet a finger and hold it up and make our own predictions!! The forecast rain thankfully avoided us but the ‘Gentle Breeze’ had obviously had a curry the previous night and resulted in only just being able to cope for pole fishing fiends like myself. Oh and cold – for those on the hotel bank the wind was off their backs but for us past the sluice it was B******* freezing as it gathered pace and tore down the lake.

Anyway, enough of my audition for the next Grumpy Old Men series and onto the match report. It was an eventful day for most in as much as there was more movement by Cormorants and Grebes than on quiver tips or pole floats. You can always be assured of some very good banter when certain anglers are about and this was the case today. Pegged past the sluice, Artful Austin Maddock and Wily Silver Fox Bill Lovelock had a head to head over a shoal of bream and Austin found himself facing a ‘Stewards Enquiry’ when the fish left Bill’s ‘boring’ bait for Austin’s secret squirrel delicacies!! Needless to say, it was all in good humour and Bill had to admit that Austin had the edge on the day. Past these two, Ken Mott was not so fortunate despite some practice, John (Half a Mo) Harvey suffered a rare miss of several bites, Terry Lancaster suffered in two ways – one by some ‘new’ line breaking and cormorants plundering his distance fed swim. Ron Hedges worked hard for some late skimmers and Ernie Sattler fishing the pole opted (wisely) to loose feed casters and no groundbait for 15 roach which tipped the scales at 4lbs exactly. This was not conducive of reports over the past week that in excess of double figures of these beauties were being caught. On the Hotel bank, TV was banjoed by Henry (Practice makes perfect) Snell and Chalky White who both found some skimmers on the tip. There is NO truth in the rumour that Terry is now saving up for a feeder!! Apart from these two, Alan Ford found one bream but for some (including myself) it was a case of early bath common sense. A disappointing day then for the 30 attendees less those who did catch.

When the fishing is hard and bites and fish are difficult to come by, the very last thing you need is the best angler on any water to come and show you how it’s done – don’t you? Well the very thing happened today. Struggling for bites, a heron flew in and landed on the far bank between Ron Dorril and myself. Steadily casting his eye on the water he suddenly dived in and came out with a decent fish – not content with upstaging us and playing with his catch, he then proceeded to stalk the water again and just when he was about to catch another I extended my pole to put him off. I have never previously seen a heron dive into water to catch a fish before but will remember this lesson for the future. Has he been taking note from a certain TV advert I wonder?

As for the match, many of the veterans who normally attend had taken note of the weather forecast and decided that caution was the better judgement and stayed at home. This was a very good tactic as the day started cold alright but by about 9.45 the wind completely changed direction and it turned absolutely perishing. 2 members who I can never remember walking during a match did that in an attempt just to get warm.

Pegged on the favoured early pegs, Bob Burdett and Chalky White got off to a good start netting some useful skimmers before Chalky had a bad spell of losing fish. Ron Hedges had a slow start but soon got into his stride and found some better quality skimmers as did Ron Dorril. Adopting his usual laid back style, Mick Reynolds was steadily putting fish in the net and John Harvey was doing the same so in the first part it was anyone’s match.

This all changed at about 9.45 when the wind completely changed direction and gathered pace which made fishing very difficult and the fish for most of us switched off leaving us in the search of bites and any stray fish willing to feed. Those still putting fish in the net were Bob Burdett and Chalky White pegged next to the road bridge, Ernie Sattler on the far end peg and Mick Reynolds near the fuel pump. The final whistle was a welcomed relief for most and a chance to get home and warm up! Final results were:

Next week we will be visiting Furzton so let’s hope that the weather is kinder and the fish responsive

With the ever consistent change in the weather, this match started in drizzle, changed to overcast and ended in bright sunshine which was in total contrast to the previous day which was very cold in the afternoon and one was soon perishing and in need of a hot drink at least. In contrast today, having taken the precaution of a return to winter clothing – you didn’t need to visit the Turkish bathes to get a sweat on!

The fishing started well and in the high numbers it was Gordon Metcalf who set the pace in the first hour with a succession of net fish – one Perch was pushing 3lbs all caught on worm bait. Next door, Ken Mott also had a couple of Perch but then went through an agonising period of lost fish from which he could not recover. On the Water point, Gary Britton got the draw he wanted and was looking forward to getting amongst the resident bream shoals and started like most reasonably well – until that is the boat traffic started and this only resulted in the fish opting to disappear. Further along this area, Paul (The Grafter) Chapman was catching consistently on secret bait and also looked to be a front runner for the overall frame.

Quietly working away on the end peg on the high numbers however, was Mr Artful; Austin Maddock who was steadily putting some quality fish in the net and next door Jack Wilson was doing the same. Further along that area, we were all catching, but not stamp fish. It was the last ½ hour which changed fortunes for a couple of us, Alan Ford on the water point area and myself on the high numbers both netting bream of about 4lbs. This just proves that you can never give up hope. At the all out, the very encouraging and very close results were as follows:

Now for that error. Last to weigh in was Reg Quillan. His catch consisted of 2 small skimmers (about 4ozs apiece) and a perch which all together weighed 4lbs 4ozs. This put the perch in the 3lbs 8ozs to 3lbs 12ozs bracket and this, alas, was not weighed separately or a picture taken. The general consensus was that if it had been it may have been good enough for the MKAA Perch of the season. OUCH - a Senior Moment from the Seniors?

This was the first match on the new fixture list and the first of the ‘Silly o’clock’ draw time of 7am. As not everyone has a copy of the new list there were some expected late arrivals and by the end of the match they probably wished they had stayed away.

In all the years I have fished this venue I cannot remember such a dour and poor response and never can I remember so many anglers packing up and moving on before the end..

The target was set in the first 7 minutes by Ernie Sattler who again found himself on the wharf end peg and landed a 4lb bream which took his bread punch on the very first put in. Any hopes that the rest of us would be on a similar track were very soon dispelled. On the wilderness, apart from Mick Reynolds, it was also quiet - so quiet in fact that Austin Maddock on peg 1 was bite and fish-less until nearly 2 hours into the match when a couple of barges made an appearance - and on that peg it is unheard of that this could happen. Nearer the bridge, Mick Reynolds had an early run on small skimmers before bites ended and a change to worm resulted in a 2lb perch gracing his net.

At the weigh in, out of the 19 that turned out, only four anglers troubled the scalesmen and the results were as follows:

This has got to be the longest coldest winter I can remember. 1962 whilst serving in the RAF I can remember shovelling snow from aircraft hangers but this winter has just got to me and like a good many others I shall be glad when it is over.

Only 14 braved the elements today for the last river match of the season and if it were not for a bitter easterly wind that seemed to cut right through you it would not have been too bad. The river had a pace on and with the continued frosty weather the colour has dropped out so a ‘Stealth’ approach was the best option.

Steve Emmerton, pegged below the Passenham footbridge was not too enthusiastic when he got to his peg but after a while and bites coming regularly on his waggler fished caster bait he was enjoying some reasonable sport from roach, chub and perch. Pegged on the ‘Perch hole’, Alan Ford had a blank first hour before changing tactics to be rewarded with some small chub and roach to casters under a stick float. Pete Hogan, pegged in the dip on Hollands was also catching – his worm bait attracting the areas Perch. Meanwhile on Toombs it was grim and Ken Mott pegged on the last tree before the big bend was left wondering what was happening after losing big fish after big fish. Overall, it is good to see small fish appearing especially as numerous cormorants have been spotted on the river this winter.

At the weigh in, Gordon Metcalf who had been catching small fish all match only found a few left in his net due to a large unexplained hole appearing in his net was disappointed to find just over 2lbs left in it.

One final piece of advice for all contemplating fishing these sections of river, there are numerous snags now through the entire length probably large branches brought down in the floods.

Despite the adverse weather forecast, 16 brave souls attended this match which was spoilt by some previous rain which in turn had added about 6 inches and doubled the pace since the pegging out the day before. The colour was good so all in all, we hoped that the fish would feed. Taking out some of the unfavourable pegs did very little for the majority of us as sport was very patchy and SMALL proved to be the best order of the day. On reflection, we are obviously still suffering from the recent frosts and maybe the additional salt used could well have been the root causes.

On the weir straight, Gordon Metcalf caught a Dace on maggot under a waggler and this was his one and only bite. Next door, Alan Ford put his faith in the feeder and was duly rewarded after an hour with a fine Chub which tipped the scales at 5lbs 5ozs. This fish was only caught after Alan scaled down after getting some irritating taps on large bread. These two fish were the only ones caught up to the A5D bridge. Further up river, Dave Adams was on a peg he had drawn on a previous match but on this occasion, the normally reliable Perch just refused to feed. Paul Chapman, drawn below the big bay again caught on his favoured bread punch but the fish were only small and he could only record ounces for all his efforts. One below the green pipe, Mick Reynolds kept making adjustments until he too scaled right down to tempt some small fish to take a single pinkie but again could only weigh in ounces for his endeavours. But at least he had managed to get some bites.

Now for the interesting bits! Austin Maddock, drawn one above the green pipe tried various tactics without success until he too scaled down to small punched bread on a 20 hook and as if from nowhere, a 2lb plus Perch took this offering. This was followed by a 4lbs 7oz Chub and both these fish had come from an area he had been fishing with worm to no avail!! A few small fish were also added to give Austin the best weight on the day. Drawn 1 above the culvert above Chapmans Island, Gary Britton was pessimistic about his chances but managed to use his vast experiences of fishing the River Swale in his native Yorkshire to good effect to tempt 2 small chub on maggot under stick float and an out of season Tench of 3lbs plus on worm. So, for the results on a rather eventful day:

Lets hope that the worst of the weather is over and we can get back to normal and stop resembling Michelin men!!

With the river at Riverside being out of sorts, the canal alternative was used for the second week running, this time at Deans Road. Now some were obviously very apprehensive after last week’s disastrous results on the canal but we still attracted a field of 24 which is excellent.

In my area, an early boat put paid to bites for the most of us except Bob Gale who still caught fishing against a moored boat to his right (Oh for a feature!!). Ron Dorrill had a good start then a quiet spell after the boat before turning heads with a good fish which proved to be a chub and he was back in contention. John (Golden Hand) Wood on the flyer bush was admitting to 3lbs plus after 2 hours but then had setback after setback with lost fish whilst others around him (except for Mick Reynolds who was catching small fish) were struggling for bites. On the end peg towards Wolverton, Jack Wilson was putting the odd decent fish in the net and at the three quarter stage was looking to be the best man to challenge John Wood for individual honors.

At the weigh in, Terry Lancaster who had popped down to see what was happening, kindly gave a hand to complete the task in double quick time. Jack Wilson again proved to be the man to take note of when big fish are showing with an excellent 4lbs 12oz catch of Perch and skimmers on the chop worm. As predicted, Jack was followed home by John (Lost fish) Wood who caught 4lbs 1oz which was way too good for 2nd place. As for sections, my 3lbs 1oz was good enough to take A section and Mick Reynolds took B section with 2lbs 14ozs.

Next week is the Christmas match and we are all hoping for favorable weather conditions so we can fish the river at last.

So, at last the rain we had been wishing for but with it came a river deemed to be too risky to fish for some of our group and so a late switch to the canal between Navigation Inn and Cosgrove was the alternative venue.
Splitting the venues so that we accommodated all the short walkers was easy and off we all trekked hoping that there would be plenty of bites to be had. How could we be so wrong? This proved to be a far from enjoyable day for most and very low and disappointing weights. The Cosgrove end was far worse than the Navigation with only 3 people troubling the scalesman as opposed to 4 at the navigation end!

Halfway through the match, I hooked a very large fish on my squatt rig (0.6 bottom to size 24 hook) which made numerous attempts to break free and when it snagged some floating debris I thought that it would be game over, but I managed to free it before it made one more lunge and I made the mistake of trying to turn it instead of adding another section and the hook length gave way. However, my terminal tackle came back with another float, line and elastic wrapped onto my own. It transpired to belong to Ernie Sattler who had hooked and lost this fish earlier in the match (also on squatt) and it had traveled 9 pegs which is approx 200 yds and then taken my bait. I have never heard of this type of occurrence before but it goes to prove that you never stop learning in fishing.

As far as the match results went, John Wood on end peg 13 at the Navigation end enjoyed another bread punch victory with some skimmers, roach and later perch on squatt to record 3lbs 10ozs ahead of John Harvey (Nav peg 4) who included a Perch of 1lbs 12ozs (also falling to the punch) in his 2lbs 14oz total. As for sections, I weighed a meager 1lbs 14ozs to just pip Gordon Metcalf for A section and Bob Gale at the Cosgrove end included a 10oz Perch in his 1lbs 9ozs total for B section honours. – Interesting day!!

This is by far my favorite venue and just my luck I was confined to barracks on tea making duties for the lads refitting our kitchen. Was I a happy boy? Well you can guess the answer!! That said however, this proved to be a good move as there was no way that I could have prevented a broken pole if I had fished. The wind was exceptionally strong and I would not have resisted having a go for roach had I been there.
Considering the weather, this match fished well for the hardy bunch attending. The only option for the majority was the inevitable feeder and there is no better angler to make this tactic work here than Terry (The master) Lancaster. Unbelievably, Terry still managed to punch his feeder out to 60 turns (he must have forearms like Popeye) and soon had the bream queuing up to record an excellent 31lbs 12ozs which was by far the best weight on the day. Gordon (Mr Consistent) Metcalf who must have a residential ticket for this venue also found some bream to take second place with 12lbs 12ozs.

Now for the interesting bit- pegged 4 pegs apart, Bob Gale and Paul Barnes had their own head to head and at the all out only 5ozs separated them and the honors for B section went to Paul who weighed 11lbs 14ozs. Bob was naturally disappointed as Paul had told him he only had 4 skimmers. You can guess the rest!! Even more interesting was the end result on A section. Robin Page had drawn peg 1 and fished the waggler and when he got the tactics right caught roach to weigh in 5lbs 2ozs. Alas, this fell just short of Jack Wilsons weight of 5lbs 10ozs which was made up of a couple of small fish and an absolutely superb Tench. See, you just don’t know what you will catch on this venue do you?

Weather permitting; we’ll be back on the river at Brushmills and Toombs meadow next week.

Some sceptics had this match as a potential gruel – and they were proved to be right – well with the usual exceptions. The wind was relentless and for those on the far banks it was to prove a real test of courage and commitment. But these veterans are made of strong material – when you consider that some were part of the Normandy landings in the second world war, you just have to stand back in awe as to their stamina and determination to get some fishing in.

Dick Peerless got off to a flying start on lake 2 landing bream of a good size, and as the match progressed, it was evident that this lake was the one to be on. The only exception was Gordon (Mr Consistent) Metcalf who proved his versatility by fishing the pole over by the reeds on peg 1 lake 1 and was catching reasonable sized roach on double maggot. Back on lake 2 and Ernie Satler and Austin Maddox found odd bream willing to feed so the gauntlet was down as to who would triumph.

This was to prove a very difficult match with only 6 anglers bothering the scalesman – 4 on laake 2 and only 2 on lake 1. Ernie Satler proved his class in the end by catching just 4 bream for a weight of 14lbs 2ozs, leaving Dick Peerless ruing one very large lost fish and a moving shoal to claim an excellent second place with 9lbs 11ozs. On lake 1, Gordon Metcalf easily took the honors for A section with 5lbs 9ozs and Austin Maddox was also ruing lost fish to record 4lbs 9ozs and the B section win.

This match had a lot of anglers hoping for a draw on the Baileys area as it does not get fished now with the increase of boat moorings preventing many pegs being available. The weather was kind and we all hoped for a reasonable catch. On the way to my peg midway along the Galleon straight, John Wood found himself pegged on the big bush and was ruing the fact that he had no worms with him so I (unwisely?) loaned him mine having decided that an all out squatt attack was my only option on this area.

Early fish was a good sign for most but then it just got worse and bites for most were few and far between – with the exception of John Wood and those in the Baileys stretch. Mick Reynolds made no mistakes from the end peg on Baileys steadily catching skimmers on bread punch and Len Green next door was also into skimmers – again on the punch. In the boat basin where it was expected to produce failed miserably and for some it was a case of the ‘Early Bath’.

At the all out, Mick Reynolds had the satisfaction of making the most of the long walk to weigh a fantastic 13lbs 10ozs and next door, Len Green put 7lbs 13ozs to easily take second place. Baileys produced as expected the next best weights with only John Wood splitting these (with my worm) catch 5lbs 1oz and that was by far the best weight in A section. B section honors came to Bob Carr who made the journey over from Buckingham worthwhile with a B section victory of 4lbs 5ozs just edging out Austin Maddox by a mere 2ozs.
Back to the river next week hopefully at Riverside now that the environment agency have completed their work.

Yet again we were still waiting for some rain which would, we firmly believe give the fish the impetus to feed. Pegging the match out the previous afternoon though, fish were topping all along the stretch so we took this as a good sign. This week saw the inclusion of the very popular pair’s element and all were keen to see the draw which determined who they were paired with.

The match proved to be one of two halves again and those pegged on the Calverton road to Ouse bank way section were left wondering if and where the fish had got to. On brushmill, the pattern of recent weeks was repeating itself and Alan Ford again found himself on the perch peg and was obviously hoping for a repeat of two weeks ago. On Holland’s, Austin Maddocks started well as did Bob Burdett on the next peg but Bob was getting plagued with Cray-fish while Austin wasn’t. Strange things happen on the river bed! Paul Neave, pegged on the swimming pool was taking a steady stream of small fish but Ken Mott on the end peg adjacent to the fence found bites too few and far between.

The whistle brought a sigh of relief for most and when the boards came back it revealed a good win on the day for Austin Maddocks who recorded 9lbs 9ozs. Steve Schubert, pegged just below the footbridge (which is now quite a dangerous swim to fish for most) wasn’t far behind Austin with 9lbs 5ozs for second place. Pete Whatley had the best weight by far in A section with a very disappointing 5lbs 5ozs and Alan Ford took B section with 7lbs 11ozs. I rather suspect that his swim has been heavily fished after his last win which often happens when a good weight comes out.

The result of the pairs saw Jeff Armstrong and Austin Maddocks take the honors ahead of Reg Quillan and Steve Schubert who ran them very close. In third place, John Harvey and Len Green led a group of us who were ruing lost fish (AGAIN)!

A return to the canal at the Galleon straight and Baileys next week and this could throw up some very good weights.

The expected forecast of rain resulted in a trickle which did no more than to dampen the ground which made it quite slippery for some competitors. However, there were 27 members present, all hoping for a continuation of last week’s fair results.

The match started well for a few and slow for the rest of us. On peg one below Stony bridge, Paul Neave began well catching small roach and dace and below Paul, Ron Hedges latched into a decent perch before losing two and was left wondering what was going wrong. On Chapman’s Island, Steve Emerton had coached his worms well and was putting decent perch in the net. Below the green pipe, Pete (Wind up) Whatley was also catching fairly well and things were looking good for him. On the straight which is a very much hit and miss area, Robin Page and everyone around him were finding bites in short supply. On the willows however, Ron Dorrill fished lob-worm and had a couple of perch as did Dave Adams who, after 30 minutes really thought he was well on the way to double figures. Pegged on the ‘double willows, Dick Peerless was putting perch in the net regularly whilst John Harvey on the peg below the A5 D was on his favorite bread punch and catching small roach. Further downstream and towards the weir, bites were few and far between with mainly small fish showing.
At the all out, Paul Neave took the honours of the day with what was a relatively lowish weight of 5lbs 10ozs. Steve Emerton’s 5lbs 6ozs was good enough for second, while Ron Hedges was ruing lost fish but took A section honours with 4lbs 7ozs. Dave Adams had the best of a string of 4lb weights with 4lbs 14ozs just ahead of Ron Dorrill who like Ron Hedges was also ruing lost fish.

Next week’s venue is Calverton road to Holland’s and lets just hope we get some rain which might just give us some better fishing.

Again, we were let down - with still no rain falling despite the forecasters predictions meant that the river was clear, low and had very little flow and with the sun in evidence, how would this effect sport? The obvious pegs were well favoured so it was all down to how kind the draw bag would be.

Ken Mott had spent nearly all the previous afternoon making sure that pegs were clear of rubbish and were safe for competitors – thanks Ken, your behind the scenes hard work is very much appreciated.

As for the match itself, there were some surprises in store. Cyril Millward and Mick Heffron on the early pegs on Brushmill had a head to head battle and despite Cyril having his best catch on the river for some time, Mick just pipped him by 2ozs after weighing in 4lbs 11ozs to Cyril’s 4lbs 9oz. Just downstream from this pair was Kevin Osbourne who revealed some unusual tactics he used after the match to keep fish coming, and this gave him the A section honours with 7lbs 5ozs. Alan Ford started a good run of golden hand draws by making no mistake from the perch peg and completely dominated the match with 15lbs 2ozs. There were other good weights caught from other pegs on the straight by Paul Neave, Les Smith and Steve Emerton before getting to John Harvey on Holland’s. John caught a variety of fish from the cabbage patch swim to claim second place with 8lbs 1oz.

Down on Toombs it was a very different story. John Weatherall returned a very creditable 4lbs 11ozs which was top weight until Robin Page (welcome Robin - we know of your prowess on river venues) pegged two above Stony bridge who actually took B section honours with 5lbs 15ozs. So, some notable pegs came up trumps but then again, some good weights from others.
Next week sees a change of venue from Riverside to Stony main due to dredging work by the environment agency so; some rain will be more than welcome.

So, a return to the canal after three lake venues had everyone wondering just what we would be in for. Would the continued lack of rain and ever increasing boat traffic have an effect on sport? Well we would soon find out but at least the weather was still kind.

With a split venue you are always wondering just what the other section is producing but then you have to get your head down and catch what there is in front of you. Taking full advantage of someone else’s ‘Golden Hand’ at the draw bag, I was very pleased to be allocated the end peg just past Suicide Bridge and knew that this could produce the odd big fish but there is always a good head of small fish to be caught and these are a good back up when the fishing is harder than expected. My next door neighbour was Jack Wilson who was clearly setting himself up for bigger fish so I split my options and kept a keen eye on how he was doing whilst putting some fish in the net. After a while, Jack lost a very big fish which he thought was a tench so I had a brief look on my big fish fed line but had no takes so went back to catching small roach and gudgeon whilst occasionally having a look at the two other lines to see if better fish had arrived.

This proved to be the right option when the scales arrived as my 4lbs 11ozs just (and only just) had the edge over Jacks 4lbs 7ozs of mainly big perch - phew, close or what!

On the galleon stretch Terry (Whip King) Valentine was doing what he knows best and took the best weight from this section with 4lbs 8ozs ahead of Mick (Punch Wizard) Heffron who wasn’t too far away with 4lbs 3ozs. So, the end result was a win for the Roachman ahead of TV and Jack Wilson winning A section and Mick Heffron taking the B section honours. At the payout, TV’s comments at being beaten by such a small margin are totally unprintable!!

Next week sees our first visit to the river so let’s hope that the weather forecasters actually get it right and we get some rain.

Furzton - the lake of hopes and dreams. Huge bream shoals, a chance of carp, tench and an abundance of roach and perch. So, how do you prepare for a match here? For the majority, the lure of a big weight of bream has always been to the fore and so the inevitable feeder and now ‘Spod’ feeding tactics is the option to go for. That is except for me. When I first came to MK and was preparing for my first match on Furzton, I was told that the lake held a large head of roach and the best tactic for these is the pole, lots of groundbait and caster. Over the years I have learnt an awful lot and I really enjoy the regular action that this form of fishing brings.
There is always an excellent turnout for competitions here and today was no exception. A full house and perfect weather conditions had everyone in high hopes of a good days sport. On the whistle the air was parted by numerous feeders and the now ‘In’ tactic for initial feed introduction ‘THE SPOD’ Looking along the bank, I noticed another pole being used – ah – someone else is targeting the roach- this turned out to be Mick (Punch Wizard) Heffron and, he was into fish straight away. As the match progressed, one or two disappointed anglers were on the move to see what was being caught and it was rumored that Terry (The Master) Lancaster was probably in front with 4 bream and some others had just one or two so it was all to fish for.
The cloud cover continued for the duration of the match and this helped as the recent lack of rain meant that the lake was fairly clear and beginning to drop from its normal level.
At the all out, the scales revealed the true extent of the days fishing. Terry Lancaster did indeed win thanks to a 5lb carp to go with 6 bream for a winning weight of 20lb 15ozs. My 14lbs 13ozs of roach and perch proved good enough for second place just ahead of John Harvey who took the B section honors with a level 14lbs of bream on the feeder whilst Terry’s brother Charlie won A section with 13lbs 15ozs also bream caught on the feeder. So, in the end it was indeed a close finish and if it were not for lost fish the result would have been a lot different but that is fishing.

Jeff Maston fished a very good match to take second place with 27lbs of bream which made his journey well worthwhile. Local angler Charlie Lancaster also drew in the favoured area and ran Jeff close with a 25lbs 12ozs catch.
With the wind blowing from the North East, this did not favor fishing and a good many anglers had a hard match. There were also reports of lost fish which could easily have altered the placings. As for sections, this was determined by mainly feeder caught bream weights with the exception of 27 – 39 which was taken by John Hewison who fished his usual pole and caster tactics. The full breakdown is as follows:
1 – 13 Ian Benyon 16lbs 14ozs
14 – 26 Paul Barnes 14lbs
27 – 39 John Hewison 14lbs 2ozs
40 – 52 Ted Brown 20lbs 15ozs
A special mention has to be made with reference to Ted Brown’s section win. Historically, there has always been a standing joke that bream ‘home in’ on Ted but in this match, he caught some very big bream fishing paste on the feeder!! Nice one Ted – PS - we’ll be keeping and extra eye on you from now on!
Following the match, we were very grateful to Ken’s widow Pauline who presented the successful anglers with their trophies and prizes.

Whilst the weather forecast was not very favourable, 26 veterans made the long pilgrimage to this venue knowing that at the very least there are fish to be caught. Drawing an end peg is not always an advantage here but Roy (Didder) Heffron made no mistake from peg 40 and despite a blank 1st and very poor last hour took the honours with40lbs 9ozs of Bream all caught on the feeder and red maggot. This end of the venue proved to be the most productive and Gordon (Mr Consistent) Metcalf also found Bream willing to feed on peg32 but their taste was for white boilie and Gordon ended the match with 35lbs 1oz and second place. On peg 36, Ron Dorrill had a very enjoyable day when 3 carp and 6 Bream found sanctuary in his keepnets and their total weight of 32lbs 11ozs was way above the rest in B section. The ever consistent Terry Lancaster took the honours in A section with 26lbs 8ozs of bream - again on the feeder and like a few others could easily have won the match if it had not been for lost carp. High point of the day came to 89 year young John Ingmire who successfully landed a 6lb carp first cast – nice one John.

Today’s report comes from the sick bed as I eventually came down with the latest flu virus.

It is with great sadness that I have to report to you that we will never again be able to enjoy the excellent company of Dave Bacon who departed this life last weekend. I have never met anyone who despite being dealt such a cruel blow in having a terminal illness bore this with such grace and humour that he was an inspiration to everyone fortunate enough to have had the privilege of meeting him. I know I speak for all of us when I send our heartfelt sympathy to all his family. For this match, a peg was drawn for Dave (Peg 12)in his memory and this – ironically - would have suited his favoured style of waggler fishing to a tee.

Fished in ideal conditions, the majority of competitors were hoping to draw on the boats and this was to prove the area to be. Top rod on the day was Mr Artful - Austin Maddock who had a dream start when he landed a 4lb ‘proper’ Bream first cast and never looked back as he added smaller samples to record a decisive victory with 18lbs 10ozs. In second place and also in the boatyard was Ernie Sattler who also included skimmers in his 11lbs 3oz weight. Gordon Metcalf won A section with 3lbs10ozs and Ken Mott triumphed in B section with 8lbs 12ozs pipping Charlie Lancaster by just 1oz.

Following discussions on the state of the listed venue of Emberton Park, it was agreed that due to severe weed problems that this match would have to be moved. To our rescue came John Weatherall who very kindly offered Calvert Lake and this was graciously accepted. I have not fished this venue in recent years but have seen some significant changes over the 30 odd years since my first foray there but it is still an enjoyable fishery – so long as you remember to take plenty of insect repellent as the Mosquito’s that haunt this lake are not to be taken lightly.

Whilst the match did not reveal the lakes true potential, everyone caught a few fish (some only very small), most will agree that the big bream that dominated years before (and lots of skimmers I remember in the 80’s) have all but disappeared to be replaced by a lot more roach and Rudd. The older tench have put on weight and are now a formidable quarry as Gordon Metcalf can verify as he lost 3 during the match. John Weatherall on end peg 4 managed to catch a rare bream and added bits to win this with 7lbs 14ozs just ahead of Chris Russell who lamented on a wasted hour looking for a bonus fish and had to settle for a level 7lbs of caster roach. Ron Bull also caught a late bream and took A section honours with 5lbs 2 ozs whilst Austin Maddocks (who had a surprise when he caught a perch which tipped the scales at 3lbs 4ozs) showed the rest of B section a clean pair of heels with a fine weight of 5lbs 12ozs.

Today’s match started well when newly retired John Harvey was presented with the now traditional cake which was shared and appreciated by all. This was a match I viewed from the sidelines but wish I had brought my gear as it would have been right up my street but couldn’t be bothered to fight the traffic and go back home for it.

Whilst it was small fish that took the honours, it was good to see 2 Perch pushing 2lbs each (John Ingmire and Den Holland the jubilant captors) and a beautifully conditioned roach well over a pound caught by Alan Ford making appearances. I had a chance to talk to Terry Lancaster who was fresh form the Veterans World Championships held on Furzton Lake where England were just pipped by the French team for Gold. Terry and his brother Charlie are a formidable pair of quality anglers and it was brilliant that Terry’s ability was recognised to be included in the National Team.

As for the match, Charlie Lancaster took full advantage of a draw on the boats to romp home with 6lbs 11ozs of small fish ahead of Henry Ness drawn on peg 1B who recorded 4lbs 3ozs of skimmers. Anglers who were very close to this were Paul Chapman who caught consistently to weigh 4lbs 1oz for the A section win and Mick Heffron who took B section with 3lbs 11ozs.

Due to unfavourable reports and very poor results from the last visit here it was decided to leave out lake 2 and peg only 1 & 4.

Lake 4 is always the favoured area and for the first time ever I was lucky? enough to get on there. And that was where it ended. A succession of small perch and occasional roach told me that no bream were there and so a change to the whip saw some nice roach coming to caster until a huge fish that I can only assume was a pike took an 8oz roach off the hook and sent the rest scattering for shelter – end of match! On the other side, Mick Wilson had a couple of early big skimmers and Ron Hedges had found one decent bream but for the rest it was not easy going. Terry Lancaster abandoned a non responsive feeder and set about fishing the pole at 12 metres and found this a much better tactic and went on to win the match with 12lbs 15ozs whilst Mick Wilson had a disappointing end but caught enough to weigh 7lbs 8ozs for the B section win.

Over on lake 1 it was all action for most and Mick Reynolds led the way there with 12lbs 8ozs from peg 1 – which was good enough for second overall. The chasing pack included ‘Artful’ Austin Maddocks, Ron Dorrill, Mick Heffron and Bruce Harvey but all were pipped for the section by Wag and caster man Chris Russell who weighed 11lbs 4ozs.

A lower than normal turnout for this venue was all hoping for a good draw which is usually the bushes on the end pegs which is not good news for those who opt for the short walk.

To the left of the bridge, John Wood had the best weight to take A section with 4lbs 2ozs made up of early skimmers and some late roach on punch and red maggot although it has to bes said that had Steve Emmerton not lost 2 very big fish this would have been a different report.

On the favoured pegs it was Ron Dorrill who set an early pace with some good skimmers and then next door Gordon Metcalf also found the shoal was spreading out and started to catch Ron up. On the end peg Paul Chapman was beginning to wonder just what he was doing wrong until the shoal moved up and he is not an angler to make mistakes and ended the match with a winning 8lbs 2ozs ahead of Ron Dorrill who recorded 6lbs 2ozs leaving Gordon Metcalf to take the B section honours with 5lbs 3ozs.

Everyone has their own favourite areas of this venue but we seldom actually get to draw them in competition. The ultimate favoured area is always the paddock area and between the steps and the bungalow for this seems to hold bream, carp and plenty of roach but the niggle at the back of the neck was just how much damage the cormorants had inflicted on fish stocks over the winter and spring.

Terry Lancaster drew peg 2 between the Chinese restaurant and the paddock and gave a perfect demonstration of pin point accurate feeder fishing to lure 29lbs 12ozs of lake bream to easily win this match. Pegged next door was Ken Mott who thanks to his excellent memory remembered that last year, the angler on his peg caught very close and so applied the same tactics and came home in second place with 14lbs 14ozs. Just past the steps, Bill Lovelock saw too late the reason for so many missed bites – they were in fact liners from a massive shoal of bream – but still managed a carp and bream for 13lbs 9ozs to win A section which just beat his mate Mick Wilson by just 4ozs. Over on the back lake, Bob Burdett finished head and shoulders above everyone else and ran home the easy winner of B section with a level 13lbs.

As commercial venues go, this is as popular as they get and we always get a full house. Everyone has their own idea as to where the best areas are but to be fair, this match can be won from almost any peg provided the right tactics are employed as there are loads of fish to be caught.

That said, one had to feel for Bruce Harvey who was pegged on the fountain lake – with the fountain in full spray and no means to turn it down which wasn’t too bad until the wind picked up – and then*** well I’m just glad it wasn’t me.

Despite not being too happy at the start, it was Paul Chapman on the fountain lake (away from the spray) who fished pole with pellet and paste to take the coin with 35lbs 14ozs. On the top lake it was the feeder tactics used by Bill Lovelock that took the honours with a catch of 29lbs 15ozs which was a solid performance for second place.

A section winner was Ron Bull with 23lbs 12ozs mostly caught in the last hour and a half on paste while the ever consistent commercial specialist Phil Mason just pipped his wife Pam with a weight of 13lbs 13ozs for a B section win.

An indifferent day greeted the gathering veterans on this favourite venue. Cloudy skies and a strong wind favoured those anglers who always target the bream shoals and word had it that the shallow end was the area to draw as the bream had just about finished spawning there and had yet to return to the main lake.

There was however a very slow start and we were almost halfway through the match before any serious action developed and at the end it was Joe Roberts on the main lake who just pipped Terry Tapp who was on the shallows by 16lbs 6ozs to 16lbs 3ozs. Alan Ford won A section with 6lbs 1oz and Terry Lancaster won B section with 12lbs 12ozs. And it was bream that totally dominated the day.

This match also included one of the popular pairs elements and it was the combination of Terry Tapp and Ron Dorrill who easily won this with a combined weight of 26lbs 6ozs. Joe Roberts and Ken Carpenter followed in second place and third were Terry Lancaster and Ted Brown.

This visit to Emberton Park was the first for a couple of years and had all the signs of being not only an ideal venue, but that recent catches had a lot of the members really enthusiastic that this would break the recent mould of poor fishing for most and be a venue to return to with eagerness.

The day started well with anyone who was willing sharing a slice of birthday cake which was provided to celebrate Ron Dorrill’s rather belated birthday. Now Ron has not been too good lately due to a wrenched knee, so it was good to not only see him back on the bank but able to enjoy his fishing, and have a piece of his cake as well!!

Having decided to forgo participating in this match in favour of preparing for another the next day, I stayed on after the draw to have a wander for a while and this gave me an opportunity to see how other anglers were setting up as this was a new venue to me, and I like to have an open mind and some considerable info before preparing to fish any new venue. At the sound of the whistle there were an equal amount of styles in action. Those determined to go for bream cast the inevitable feeder carefully away from the visible weed hoping to find a clear spot in which to lay a carpet of feed. This proved not to be as easy as it seemed as previous ‘clear’ areas were suddenly invaded by copious amounts of weed.

The match for the majority either started with an odd fish early on, and then nothing, or nothing at all, with the exception of John Herbert who had tempted some fish on waggler tactics and John Wood and Ron Bull, on the end 2 pegs who were both catching using pole tactics. Steve Pauley, having a rare day off work had settled a huge shoal of bream, and by the time I got to see him had landed 6 – all over 5lbs each. On the way back, Steve’s tally was now 11 and a photo opportunity was available. Watching Steve, it became apparent that he was not only fishing exceptionally well but was also able to handle the fact that a growing crowd was not putting him off – and this is a rare quality. At the final whistle – or the moment of truth, his final tally was 17 bream for a level 76lbs. This proved to be more than all the other weights put together, and our congratulations go to Steve for an excellent performance. Over on the opposite bank to Steve, Ken Mott had also found 4 bream to weigh 14lbs 6ozs which proved to be good enough for second place. Mister consistent - Gordon Metcalf took A section with 4lbs 2ozs, and Paul (The grafter) Chapman won B section with a couple of late bream for 7lbs 13ozs.

So, whilst the fishing was not good for most I think the venue deserves a second chance. Next week sees us at Furzton Lake – will this be feast or famine? Let’s hope for the former.

As we approached the venue, a large dark cloud mass appeared and fog type mist hung menacingly below it. This proved to be the worst scenario for everyone as the wind gathered momentum, and rain, cold and unpleasant began and by the end of the match everyone was wet, cold and just glad to get to their cars and head for home. Within an hour of the competition ending however, it was really quite pleasant. What can you say?

Everyone looks forward to this venue as it caters for all styles and fishing preferences. If the Carp feed then the result is a foregone conclusion. If the Bream feed then those who prefer to feeder fish are all in with a chance and then there’s the Roach element to consider - a guaranteed banker if the Carp and Bream switch off. Today was no exception and with the feeder diehards all hoping for a good catch, the pole contingent set about their task in equal earnest.

Within 2 hours, the wind and rain had really set in and I genuinely felt for some who had not got warm layers of clothing on to keep out the cold and some also had to resort to go for a walk to get the circulation going again. On the feeder front, some were able to connect with carp whilst others in adjacent pegs could only catch bream. Ernie Sattler had learnt from previous sessions that the feeder/pellet waggler does not always give the anticipated results and had set his stall out for roach and was catching consistently. Gordon Metcalf proved his mastership of fishing the sweetcorn and by the halfway stage was admitting to 25lbs ‘ish and he was being chased all the way by Bill Lovelock who was also catching on the corn. Terry Valentine had tamed a 4lbs Tench and was steadily adding skimmers and roach to his net on the pole, whilst next door Ken Mott had a carp and bream on the feeder but had lost a couple more. Terry Lancaster, Roy Heffron and Terry Tapp were also catching on the feeder and it was anyone’s match. Chalky White was catching roach right by the walkway – which goes to prove you don’t always have to go that far out.

At the end of this match – a good days fishing spoilt by bad weather, Gordon Metcalf just proved to have the edge over Bill Lovelock with 36lbs 12ozs to Bills 36lbs 6ozs – wow – close or what! And then, Ernie Sattler weighed an excellent 35lbs 12ozs of Roach to take B section and this was only 2 fish away from first place!! In A section, TV was ounced out (as he was on the Tuesday night series match) by (in his words) that spawny person (he means me) by 23lbs 10ozs to his 22lbs 11ozs. 3 blank spells put paid to my weight not being better but 2 Roach over 11/2 lbs made the day very enjoyable none the less.

Next week sees us at Emberton Park for the first time and let’s hope it fishes well and gives us another venue to include on a regular basis.

All expectations that this match would be one to savour with predictions that winning weights in excess of 20lbs were on the cards were dispelled within the first 30 minutes when what few bites for most were on offer disappeared leaving us wondering what else could happen. All those on Stoke Road who had parked on the grass verge were made to re-park in the lay-by by an angry local who threatened to call the police. Clearly, a sign should have been erected informing anyone that parking on road verges is not allowed! This caused the timings to be delayed by 15 minutes for B section anglers.

The marina pegs were a huge disappointment and especially so for the unlucky few pegged opposite the marina pumps as the constant comings and goings meant that they were unable to fish for much of the match. This meant that the pegs between the bridges proved to be far too productive for the rest of A section to compete with and the jungle pegs on B section proved to be the same.

The odd early skimmer was an added bonus for most but then it just got worse. Pegged on B section just away from the noted area, I struggled and ended up with 47 fish for 2lbs 6ozs – nowhere near enough to threaten the top weights but at least I managed a few fish. On the noted areas, Ken Mott made no mistake in catching some early decent bream and next door Mick Wilson caught fish all match. You know it’s hard when you see anglers who never dream of walking during a match did just that.

At the all out (or today the end of the punishment session) saw exactly the same 2 anglers in exactly the same overall positions as last week. Ken Motts level 6lbs proved to be the best weight on the day and Dave Bacon put a very respectable 4lbs 14ozs for 2nd place. In A section, Chalky White proved too good for the rest with 4lbs 4ozs and Mick Wilson had the top weight in B section of 4lbs 1oz.

Based on this, I have decided that a better late than never New Year resolution is in order. So, from today you will be pleased to hear that I will NOT MAKE ANY FURTHER PREDICTIONS. (But lets all just hope that Clattercote is more kind to us next week).

IS THERE AN OUTSIDE FORCE WATCHING US?
Today started with a joint birthday celebration. Les Smith who was 75 last week and Terry Valentine had reached 73 the week before were both given cards signed by those present and the usual birthday cake was enjoyed by all. You can’t beat a bit of cake to start the day! TV was also presented with a new seat cushion for his services to the veterans league and we couldn’t resist in telling him that this could also double as an unhooking mat to comply with the latest MKAA regulations – his reply was ‘What - for Gudgeon?’ Terry, you never know what awaits us in the future. Think Boy Scout and be prepared!!

Like many other people at the moment all I can say is sorry!! In future I shall restrict my predictions to the bare minimum and then I won’t feel so bad. With the majority of pegs being placed on lake 4, all those drawing there were off like greyhounds with grins broad enough to clear the dark skies above. And that is where the joys ended for most. On a dim drizzly morning which was considerably colder than of late, something switched the fish off feeding mode and sent them goodness knows where. Probably to a sauna to get warm.

From the start, Ken Mott on lake 2 and Dave Bacon on lake 4 both had a fish first put in. For everyone else it was just a question of waiting for a response. The much favoured lake 4 was for the majority just a huge disappointment with only a few small perch showing whilst on lake 2, Ken Mott found that he was on a nest of bream and was steadily putting together a good weight. 4 pegs away from Ken was Roy (Didder) Heffron who had set his stall for Carp and had lost 2 . On the opposite bank Gordon Metcalf changed tactics and eventually caught a Bream and Mick Heffron in the corner also found one. Meanwhile, Terry Tapp on his first venture out with us since his major operation–(Good to see you on the banks again Terry- we all wish you well and trust that you are now on the road to a full recovery) and myself were wondering just what we had to do to get some bites. Even going down to a size 24 and single squat only produced the odd fish and again I found myself on mission hopeless. After 4 hours of near inactivity I gave in and went for the now regular walk in search of some action! Lake 2 was, apart from Ken as quiet as a churchyard and Lake 4 was proving to be similar. The ever persistent Bill Lovelock was catching the odd perch and had also had a small tench. Paul Chapman was as bemused as the rest of us but had a liner whilst I was there which only added to his frustration. Les Smith had lost a very big fish which we agreed was probably a carp, TV had packed up due to the cold after catching 32 small fish for about 2lbs (no need for the unhooking mat this visit) On the other side, Dave Bacon was still plugging away trying to add to his earlier tench. ‘Hi Dave’ I said, ‘I’m on the lookout for some action’ ‘Well’ he replied, ‘there’s been very little of that in the last 3 hours – Ah just a minute’ – and promptly added another tench to his tally – caught to order – must be after a photograph I said!!

And so to the all important results. Overall, No-one could even get near to Ken Mott who ended the match with 6 Bream for a level 21lbs (Peas in a pod?), and the ever happy Dave Bacon claimed runner up position with 5lbs 5ozs. Paul Chapman eventually caught a Bream which helped him to win A section with 4lbs 4ozs and Roy Heffron managed to tame one Carp which also tipped the scales at 4lbs 4ozs to claim the B section win.

Next week sees a return to the canal at Willowbridge and Stoke road and (cross fingers) this could well be a belter of a match if the fish co-operate.

This match was a return to this particular venue and we were all hopeful that it would not be a repeat of the previous disaster endured (with the exception of the three pegs past the bridge towards Fenny Stratford). Based on knowledge that bread punch ruled last time, I suspect we all had all brought this and were going to bag – up!. WRONG - with the exception of a small minority, ‘the punch’ did not produce much at all – if anything and was completely useless after the first boat came through. Once again (and so as not to spoil the pattern that has proved to be almost unbreakable of recent years), the end pegs dominated the match and provided the top two positions. The two anglers who were fortunate enough to be on these were Austin (Mr Artful) Maddock and John (Pecker) Wood. However, not all went according to plan.

Talking to Austin post match, he revealed that on information he received, the punch would give him consistent sport all day. Now normally, this would be accurate but today for whatever reason it just didn’t produce and this is where the ability to change tactics and find the right formula comes into force. A change to worm fished over, produced a steady stream of skimmers and occasional roach to give Austin the top spot with a very creditable 8lbs 5ozs. At the other end, John Wood based his tactics on punch and pellet and whilst the punch worked for him, the pellet was very slow in producing what he had thought was the ace in the bait pack!! At the all out, his catch of 7lbs 14ozs was more than enough to secure 2nd place though. The best producing area was without a doubt pegs 20 to 27 going towards the Plough for this area had more features which was the key for today’s top weights – If you were lucky enough to be on one!. Others drawn on these pegs were Mick (Punch Wizard) Heffron who would easily have won the match had a very large bream (which he had played very well for 10 minutes) not eventually broke him leaving him just short of a pickup. Next door to myself and drawn on the ‘animal house’, Les Smith had a skimmer on punch first put in and then waited in vain for another bite and was forced to go over into the inviting masses of branches. Again though this was not the easy ride that one thought it would be. After trying the usual baits, Les resorted to trying some very old bronze – on the verge of turning maggots and BINGO a bream and two tench took a liking to these and gave him a good B section win with 6lbs 3ozs. Struggling to put any fish in the net was the outcome for the others in A section and eventually Ken Mott’s weight of just 3lbs 9ozs was enough to secure top spot there. Next week will see a return to Teardrops – Oh I (along I suspect with everyone else) hope for a lake 4 draw.

THE SUN IS OUT, THE SKY IS BLUE, WOULD THE FISH BITE? NO, THEY HADN’T A CLUE!

The pre match winning estimated catch was in excess of 30lbs. Great news, but would the fish oblige? Following a very cold night which saw a lot of frost in some areas, this hardened bunch arrived in good spirits and hoped for a good days fishing. Today had another twist in the form of a sponsored ‘lucky dip’ prize kindly donated by Dave Bacon. This took the form of drawing a number once the draw had been completed and whoever finished in that position was the recipient of the prize! Ingenious and very technical and today’s prize was number 19. So, another factor to the increasing armoury of themes on a day’s fishing!!

Getting fed up of being unable to get a decent or half decent draw, I unleashed my secret weapon in the form of my travelling companion on the day – Cyril Millward. Cyril has just recovered from a strangulated hernia operation (that sounds so painful I couldn’t ask anymore!) and had asked if I had any room for him in my car. Following the excellent draw he made for me I have registered him as my personal drawer and eagerly await future calls for carriage!

Being on a relatively small lake, the banter being exchanged started early and was enjoyed by all with constant contributions keeping the chuckle muscles active. Bob Burdett was off to a flying start, just out of my sight but calls of ‘not another fish Bob’ lead me to believe he was indeed on his way to a good catch. Then John Wood netted a good fish opposite Bob and it seemed that the end pegs were proving to be a good draw. Next door, John Ingmire was catching the odd small roach and perch and to my left, Henry (I didn’t know it was on) Ness was netting a reasonable skimmer. On the opposite bank, bream were fizzing in Ken Motts swim but would not take any offering he made. With only 1 small perch in the first half hour it was time to move to another pre-fed line. Double red maggot proved to be too tempting for the first skimmer, and 2 more followed on maggot and caster baits. John Wood then started a chain reaction of losing fish and was joined by others. Waiting for bites is not my forte and I decided to pot out 2 balls of groundbait away from the loose feed swim and this proved to be the right move as 2 good skimmers and a few roach came to either caster or pinkie baits over this feed. As the match progressed it was evident that the pre match forecast was not going to be reached and the cold night, gin clear water and bright sun had obviously all contributed to the poor performance. At the all out, my 8lbs 12ozs proved to be enough to win ahead of Ron (end peg - again) Bull with 7lbs 11ozs. A section was won by the wily fox – Bill Lovelock with 4lbs 7ozs and B section by Alan (I’ve only got about 3lbs) Ford with 7lbs 7ozs (Hmm) The number 19th weight was jointly won by Bob Burdett and Les Smith with 2ozs which left a few anglers thinking that a few ‘lost’ fish would have been a good tactical ploy!! We all extend our thanks to Dave Bacon for an excellent added feature to the competition.

Have you ever looked back and wished you had carried out a pre-planned schedule? Today was one prime example! In an attempt to get all the little jobs done before leaving home I had failed to carry out the following:

Following a disastrous practice visit, it was going to be an A section (shallows) or bust day. No such luck though as I recorded all the pegs for others that I had hoped for myself and ended up in B section but exactly where I would wish to be in the warmer summer months totally confident of a good days fishing – but this is not summer and the fish are not yet spread out enough. At the sound of the starting whistle it was feeders to the left of me and feeders to the right leaving me to my preferred method of pole and hope for some roach. After 40 minutes the float disappeared and a nice roach graced the net. That was to be the only bite I had and when Ron Hedges netted a bream to my right I had to follow suit. But try as I may there was no response. Word came down from the already walkers that A section was producing a few fish whilst in B section that wily silver fox Bill Lovelock had found 2 Bream and was in front of the rest of us.

Henry Ness had 2 Bream straight off as did Geoff Lewis – both from the point area whilst in the shallows, Paul Chapman had managed to locate roach, perch and a couple of small skimmers. Paul however was getting a crick in the neck keeping an enviable eye on ‘Mr Artful’ Austin Maddox who was starting to catch much better bream. To Austin’s left was that master angler Terry Lancaster who whilst catching on par, had smaller samples than Austin. Three to Terry’s left was the king of Furzton Gordon ‘Mr consistent’ Metcalf. You have to admire Gordon as he has definitely mastered this venue and seems to adopt a very relaxed attack attitude confidently knowing that fish will come. Back on B section and Bill Lovelock had added another 2 bream to his tally whilst next door Ted Brown had opened his account with a bream and next to him Mick Wilson had quietly netted 4 skimmers – hmm, will have to watch this tactic for the future! At the all out it was time to verify the earlier predictions and visit A section. The results are as follows: 1st Austin (Mr Artful) Maddox 16lbs 12ozs. 2nd Terry (The Master) Lancaster 13lbs 9ozs. 3rd Gordon (Mr Consistent) Metcalf 13lbs 4ozs. In A section, Jo (Draw Bag) Roberts weighed 9lbs 13ozs (just beating Geoff Lewis) and B section Bill(Wiley Fox) Lovelock was way ahead of everyone else with 9lbs 4ozs. So, whilst A section fished ok, there were more blanks than catchers on B section - 7 in a row in fact – point proved!

Was this we were wondering before the draw to be ‘Teardrops by name and nature’? Everyone was hoping to draw on lake 4 where it was felt that the resident Bream would show in numbers and that prediction was to prove right. After a fruitless first hour and a half trying 3 lines, I was eventually rewarded with 2 small roach and 2 small (and I mean small) Perch. Roger Stratton had come to see what was happening and told me that Lol Harding, Henry Ness and Roy Heffron were catching small Roach on Lake 1, so I decided to take a walk myself and see what was happening on the rest of lake 2 and more interestingly lake 4. Apart from Terry Valentine who was admitting to 17 small Roach, lake 2 was also proving unproductive. Lake 4 however was living up to its prediction but it was a fifty-fifty ‘wet’ and ‘dry’ net scenario. Mick Reynolds had 1 Bream but 2 others had managed to come adrift just before the waiting landing net. Austin (Mr Artful) Maddock was showing his expertise on feeder fishing and was way ahead with 6, Mick (Punch Wizard) Heffron 1, Bill Lovelock 3, Les Smith 4 and the rest still staring at a motionless tip waiting in hope!! Returning to the fray in the hope of snaring a section win I only managed 2 more roach and realised I was on ‘mission hopeless’. The only additional bites were in the form of a complete depletion of the ‘chocky bar box’!

So, at the all out, the results speak for themselves and also gives complete justification in the newly implemented payout formula. On lake 1, Roy Heffron came out on top of the 3 peg battle with 3lbs 2ozs but was beaten by John Wood on lake 2 who had managed to tame a 4lbs 6oz Tench on very light tackle, which together with 4 small Perch meant an ‘A’ section win with 4lbs 10ozs. Lake 4 was the right area to be in but the question has to be asked – If bream fed on 4, then why not on 1 & 2? Ah well, I suppose that is yet another mystery of nature! Steve Schubert had 3 very late bream and would I’m sure have framed if they had arrived earlier or the match had been longer. Les Smith fished a very positive match weighing a very creditable 13lbs 6ozs to win B section (or under the old format 3rd place). Beating Les was that Wiley Silver Fox - Bill Lovelock who turned up the heat and proved yet again that you can’t afford to relax when he’s about and weighed in a very respectable 18lbs 3ozs for 2nd place. And way out in front on the day was ‘Mr Artful’ Austin Maddock who had also added to his earlier tally to put an excellent 25lbs 13ozs for a very well deserved win. It has to be recorded however that Mick (Punch Wizard) Heffron who was sat between Bill Lovelock and Austin Maddock was heard after the match mumbling ‘6 Bream to the left of me and 7 Bream to the right – Here I am sat here in the middle with 1 – Why? That Mick, is a situation we all endure at some time – you are not alone and will I know bounce back again.

Next week sees us on the GU canal at Bowlers Bridge where, it is hoped a few more bites and fish will be on offer otherwise I may have to consider shares in a certain chocolate company!

This match was the first one of the new fixture list.. The weather was for most the only pleasant outcome of the day as the bright sun played its part in a very indifferent response from the fish. Once again it was all down to the draw and those pegged on the Wilderness all had a chance of winning. But fate has a habit of providing a surprise and whilst all the top three weights came from this area, it was not quite the early pegs that dominated the frame.

Today’s winner was Gordon (Mr consistent) Metcalf who could not believe his good fortune when he found himself on peg 7, between some boats with no-one in close proximity and he needed no encouragement to once again prove his mastership of this venue with a formidable 7lbs 4ozs of mainly skimmer bream all caught on bread punch. Well fished Gordon. Runner up was Paul (The grafter)Chapman from peg 1 with a mainly roach catch of 3lbs exactly. Paul was pushed all the way though by Ken Mott on peg 5 who caught a few roach early doors on punch but then changed to lobworm and was rewarded with a superb 2lbs 5oz Perch. On the harshness which is the Wharf in winter it was again a ritual gruellor. Top weight from this area was Terry (Whip King) Valentine who must have taken to heart a council report that it must make savings by spending the first part of the match removing more rubbish from his swim than actually trying to catch!! He did however (amidst much ridicule) extend his normal fishing distance by dusting off additional sections of his pole and fishing over the canal and despite being offered a pair of binoculars proceeded to catch small Roach and Rudd. Not now catching myself, I took a walk down the section to see what else was happening. However, that just proved that I was in fact in a better situation than most of the others. On the way back, TV was in his element ‘What’s it like then’ he unwisely commented ‘to watch a craftsman at work?’ Well, the sky was blue and so was the reply! This only seemed to spur Terry on and he caught around 68 fish for a deserved section win of 2lbs 2ozs. Section win? YES in response to a request by some members, there will now be 2 section winners which will be much fairer for all when you consider most venue splits. With this information now in evidence, the A section winner was Chalky White who had to endure along with 3 others having their swims wiped out by an inconsiderate boat and had to settle for a weight of 2lbs 2ozs which included some nice Roach..

John Igmire, 87 years young and still fiercely independent fronts some of the early arrivals for the last river match of the 08/09 season.

Well, after earlier concerns of yet another possible venue transfer, we did manage to fish the river. The river itself though was not in good condition and despite some rain earlier in the week was gin clear with good flow as the weir seemed to be lowered for whatever reason... On the fishing front, with only one bite one fish to my credit, I decided that the wind was not doing my cold any good and went in search of some action and a ‘warm up’. On the tree swim Steve Emberton was catching a few fish and 2 pegs away Reg Quillan had also caught some Perch. Onto Brushmills, and on the early pegs only a few small Perch were making an appearance. Terry Valentine had a few small fish on the stick float above the footbridge and Paul Chapman, drawn on the Perch hole was admitting to about 4lbs but the fish were not really in feeding mood. Roy Heffron had 4 Perch but again, they were not exactly ‘queuing up’. Austin Maddock was busy and had a mixture of fish whilst Bob Burdett on the Chub hole had serious Pike problems and was losing more fish than he managed to get in the net. Ron Dorrill on the grill was having serious problems with snags in the swim . In the dip, Mick Reynolds had caught just two fish - a 2lb Chub and a 1lb Perch. Below him, Alan Ford was playing a 1lb Perch as I approached him which was he said his first fish of the day. Ken Mott, on the swimming pool swim had been harassed by dogs before and during the match and one, had devoured most of his bait before he realised it was there! Overall though it was mainly a Perch or bust day. – Disappointing. Still, that’s fishing for you!!

On the podium today, Roy Heffron added to his earlier catch and weighed in 8lbs 10ozs.

Austin Maddock also added to his catch and finished with an excellent mixed bag of fish for 7lbs 11ozs
Completing the frame, Paul Chapman weighed in a creditable 6lbs 8ozs from an over-fished peg.


Steve Emerton	Reg Quillan

Steve Emerton included this fine 3lbs 1oz Perch in his 4th placed weight of 5lbs 7ozs.

Reg Quillan, drawn two up from the weir weighed this very creditable catch of 4lbs 14ozs.
Well fished Reg, this is the best weight to come from this swim for some time.

Not for the first time this season we were forced to change the venue for this week’s outing due to the heavy overnight rain which made a lot of the swims at Riverside un-fishable. The pre planned alternative was to be Teardrops 1 & 2 but to our surprise, rain water had also affected this venue and we arrived to see that this was also ‘running’ and somewhat coloured although a lot of this was more of a surface scum which even discoloured fishing line by the end of the match.

The water was not surprisingly very cold and a ‘chuck it and hope’ philosophy was beginning to become more of a reality. On lake 2, Pete Whately was playing a very big fish before I had even started! (No real surprise there then I hear you say) and as the match progressed, the sun decided to hide behind any cloud it could, the wind got up and it was Freezing. With no bites forthcoming it was making for a very unpleasant morning – THEN – was that a twitch? One turn of the reel met a resistance – WOW a fish!! It proved to be the only one for me but at least I was lucky enough to catch. Only half of the anglers on lake 2 caught, and with the exception of Gordon (Mr Consistent) Metcalf we all had one fish although Austin (Mr Artful) Maddock did -unfortunately for him – lose a second bream after it shed the hook. It was however rather more than concerning that no small fish showed on this lake.

Over on lake 1 it was also a struggle for most and while some small fish did make an appearance the top weight there was a 2lb 11oz Bream caught by Dave Bacon – well done Dave it’s good to see you on the banks again. As for the overall result it was all Lake 2 and if you remember a certain game show hosted by Ted Rogers, (3-2-1) that was the final order - three anglers in a line. In 3rd place was Ron Dorrill who stuck it out on the feeder and was finally rewarded with a good Tench which weighed 4lbs 3ozs. Runner up next door was Pete Whately and his superb early and only fish registered 4lbs 14ozs and left him wondering if it was just a lone ranger or whether there were more there that were not so keen to feed and finally, the winner on the day - Gordon (Mr consistent) Metcalf who once again showed his unique ability to serenade bream by getting two to the net for a weight of 5lbs 8ozs.

Next week marks the last outing planned for the river this season but the weather forecast does not look good so we’ll just have to keep in touch for another possible venue change.


Serenading Gordon	Early Bird Pete	Resilient Ron

Joy of joys – at last a river match. Weather conditions were good, although the river was still running quite strongly and the colour had definitely dropped out since Sunday. That said, we were still very optimistic of catching some fish.

In my area, Steve Schubert was the first to catch and the fish looked to be about 8ozs. Not to be outdone, Paul Chapman on the next peg responded with a very big perch. This proved to be not the only one present in the swim but 3 others shed the hook on the way in – ouch. Bites for most were few and far between and there did not seem to be anything but odd small roach or perch willing to feed throughout the match length. Further down the length, Ted Brown found that no bites were forthcoming with worm bait so he wisely changed to a maggot feeder – result? A prime chub! Nice one Ted!

Ted with his chub of the day

On peg 5, Ron Dorrill fished an excellent match catching just 4 very big perch on lobworm and these weighed in at a staggering 9lbs 8ozs. Well fished Ron

Most competitors however had a really gruelling match and few bothered to trouble the scales man. Once again, the best areas to be were either side of the A5D and the green pipe. This was also a very frustrating day for some when big fish were lost. Gordon Metcalf twice hooked a huge fish which went up and down the swim but just refused to leave the sanctuary of the river bed and left him wondering just what it was. One noticeable thing today was how cold the fish were which means the temperature of the water still clearing through is not as high as we think it could be.

At the final whistle, Ron Dorrill was proved to be a very worthy winner, (sorry Ron, no photograph of your catch as I was weighing in the other end). John Hewison changed quarry tactics from roach to perch and followed Ron home with 7lbs 8ozs and Ted Brown completed the frame with a very creditable 5lbs 6ozs.

Next week’s venue is Riverside and hopes are high that the venue will fish well.

Roach (or occasional Perch) man.

Date: 18th February 2009

Venue: Grand Union Canal - Linford Wilderness and Wharf

With the rivers still un-fishable, this round was transferred to the canal. This venue was still covered in ice on Tuesday and this deterred a few anglers to attend which was a shame because there was no ice present come the morning. For those who attended, it was, as predicted a match of two halves. Again, the favoured area to be was the early pegs on the wilderness, and whilst this provided two of the top three weights, it was peg 10 (last peg to be drawn near to Linford bridge) which threw up the best weight of the day. For those enduring the harshness of the Wharf pegs, only Mick (punch wizard) Heffron bothered the scales man with a creditable 2lbs 11ozs.

Who could have thought that while you can be forever optimistic, there is always that nagging feeling that this would be a difficult day – well me for one! How wrong can you be? LOTS. On peg 2, Paul Chapman started off like an express train catching on his first put in and had 7 fish in the net before I had 1. Bites were on offer, but connecting with them was getting to be very frustrating. Depth and bait presentation sorted, my catch rate improved substantially. John Wood on peg 1 had to wait for almost an hour before he changed his attack and was rewarded with a good skimmer. Paul Chapman was still catching every put in and looked to be the one to beat. Not having any available information on who else was catching, we had to wait until the match ended before being told that Terry (Whip King) Valentine on peg 10 had caught some good net skimmers early on and when the scales recorded 5lbs 5ozs, this proved to be good enough for victory. 3 lost decent fish relegated John (Roachman) Hewison (peg 3) to runner up place with 4lbs 10ozs with Paul Chapman completing the frame with 3lbs 5ozs.

Hopefully next week will see a return to the river and if conditions allow the last of the snow water to run clear and temperatures to remain as they are we should see some good weights.

At last – a match on the river – HURRAY!! – However, due to the particularly unusual run of inclement weather of recent days, today’s match can best be described as follows:

Those brave enough to venture out of their door
Braving snow and ice they numbered four
With the sun in full glow none did shiver
Using Pole, running line and even the quiver
None were a match for the one who’s so hot
The ever impressive and likable Ken Mott
All this said, I have now to say
That for all their best endeavours
Ken was the only one to weigh!!

So, the hardy four opted for the trees area at Ousebank Way – only to find the Environment agency preparing to continue with the pruning and clearing of the trees along the bank. Very generously they moved further along towards the picnic area to leave the four alone. Ken Mott was the only one to catch however and despite a continuous gallery of ‘advisors’ offering him all sorts of useless advice, he continued to catch all morning – thanks he admitted to his ability to develop a sudden loss of hearing and weighed in a very impressive 12lbs 14ozs of roach and dace. On the way back to the car after the weigh in, we disturbed a cormorant which took flight – and neither Ken nor I saw it come in! One concern now is that once the trees have been cleared out of the water could the ‘Black Plague’ wreak destruction on the fish in this area?

Next week’s match should be at Riverside but as is usual this winter we will have to keep an eye on the weather!!

With the continuing bad weather affecting the river, this week’s venue was changed to the Fenny Stratford boatyard to Stoke House canal section as reports available put this as the most reliable part of the canal to produce some fish. That said, it proved to be a match requiring three key elements:
1. Be lucky and draw on the boats.
2. Be extra lucky enough to be away from boats coming in and out of the loading area.
3. Be extra extra lucky and find feeding fish.

With additional traffic using the A5 D due to a serious accident on the M1, some of us were wondering if we would ever get to the draw let alone on time. However, the roundabout system that is Milton Keynes finally let us in and although it was raining, everyone was optimistic of at least catching some fish. The favoured draw was as always opposite one of the boats and those who were fortunate to get one of these pegs all must have thought that they were in with a chance of winning. However, as the match evolved, five anglers had their swims wiped out by inconsiderate boats that came to load up at the marina and ultimately it was left to those furthest away from this ‘activity’ to benefit.

Finally ending a poor run, John (Roachman) Hewison found his favourite roach willing to feed and ended up with a winning 8lb 2ozs. Hot on John’s heels was Terry (Whip King) Valentine who included a 2lb Perch in his runner’s up weight of 7lb 2ozs which consisted of 143 fish. Completing the frame was Northampton’s Geoff Lewis who weighed a level 6lbs of skimmers – a very considerable weight as Geoff was one of those unfortunate anglers who suffered with the boat activity.

Next week’s river venue may well have to be changed again, and with the weather forecast predicting freezing temperatures’ and Russian Snow falls, those intending to fish would be well advised to check with TV on Tuesday if and where the venue is.
Below are pictures of TV’s catch and that 2lb Perch – Percival. A possible caption for this photo could be ‘Percival the Perch says that he would rather wear his hat than give a kiss’!! – Anymore?

Once again the weather dictated unfavourable fishing conditions and a vote on the morning saw the majority opt for a transfer to the canal rather than the swollen very murky river at Ousebank Way//Calverton Road. This decision proved to be not as good as had been hoped for as overnight a lot of colour had appeared and that, coupled with the flow and a very cold night which together with a very hard frost made it yet another day to test our immune systems. The only consolation for the canal anglers was that the biting cold wind was behind us. Some of the group preferred to remain to fish the river but by all accounts, that proved to be not as productive as had been hoped for.

One bite (well 1 bite and a ‘Dink’) resulted in a bream weighing in at 2lb 13ozs from ‘not so unlucky ‘ peg 13 for Bob Burdett early in the match. This proved to be more than enough to beat the field on the day and a delighted Bob returned home a very happy (if somewhat cold) man. Next door to Bob was Austin (Mr Artful) Maddocks. An early skimmer caught shall we say (for diplomatic reasons) by an ‘unconventional method’ proved to Austin that fish were in the area. He diligently persevered trying a variety of baits to be rewarded with a much better specimen later on in the match to go with a couple of smaller fish and ended up with 1lb 4ozs and 2nd place. On end peg 17 was John (Woody) Woods. John persevered with the ice which refused to go for nearly 2 hours and was rewarded with 2 early skimmers and 2 smaller fish late on for a 3rd place weight of just 11ozs.
This season has seen perhaps the worst weather conditions faced in the history of the Veterans League and whilst there have been a few rumblings about venue changes and pegging we must unite and thank in particular Ken Mott, Terry Valentine and other members who have given their time and energy to give us all a day out. Next seasons fixtures are currently being considered. Venue suggestions and anyone willing to peg out matches should contact Terry Valentine at the earliest opportunity.

Date: 17th December 2008
Venue: Grand Union Canal – Linford Wilderness and Wharf

Due to the river at Riverside being un-fishable, this match was transferred to the canal at Linford in preference to the areas above Linford which were still running hard and highly coloured as a result of the heavy rain we had on the previous Saturday which meant that the river Tove once again sought refuge in the canal!!.

In true tradition at this time of year, both end pegs were the only solid production areas and much like a boxing match, it was touch and go as to who would win.

On Peg 1 was Gordon (Mr consistent) Metcalf and on Peg 26 was John (Mr Universal) Wood. In the opening stages however it was Pete Whatley who turned heads with a stunning roach which tipped the scales at 1lb 3ozs and then added quality roach and a couple of skimmers but then sport died and it was the end pegs that took over as the potential winners.

Whilst both John and Gordon caught consistently over the five hours it was Gordon who emerged the winner thanks to a couple of nice skimmers in his 5lb 12ozs total to John’s 5lb 2oz. Pete Whatley was ruing his intermittent sport when his weight of 3lb 6ozs was easily proved to be good enough for third place. In my area, it was Mick (Punch Wizard) Heffron who had a brilliant start and must have thought he was on another Podium position but like Pete his sport died and he joined the rest of us imitating a garden gnome away from home!!

The day started with a nasty frost, and whilst the welcome thaw came, the wind increased and made for a very cold match. Weights were much lower than had been hoped for and most competitors were thankful for the pre agreed reduction in fishing to 4 hours.

Again as in recent competitions, bread-punch produced the best results and John Harvey made the most of a favoured draw area in the boat basin to win the individual section with 3lb 1oz consisting of mainly skimmer bream. Mick ( Punch Wizard) Heffron obtained 2lb 7ozs from the suicide section and Kevin Osbourne was granted a visa out of Olney to get fairly close to Mick with a creditable 2lb exactly from the Galleon straight.

This competition also included a 'Pairs' section and Mick Heffron and Lol Harding easily took the honours ahead of John Harvey and Henry Ness. John and Henry were in turn were pushed hard by Paul Chapman and Bob Burdett and hot on their heels were Kevin Osbourne and Steve Emmerton.

As is tradition for this match, competitors all brought a gift so no-one went home empty handed. In addition, Milton Keynes Angling Centre owner Brian Haynes very generously donated two prizes to boost the impressive prize table and our grateful thanks and Seasons Greetings are extended to both him and Gerry.