Round three saw us back fishing Privates pond and the Canal and yet again we faced poor fishing conditions.  With heavy rain leading up to the match water levels were up a foot and very coloured.

So far in the league it doesn’t seem to matter where you draw as winning weights have been coming from all over our waters, which makes for a great match.

Adam Logan has had a fantastic start to the Winter League, having two section wins already.  This week saw him on Peg 5 on Privates – this peg didn’t fish well the the last match with only 7oz coming off it.  Adam was still confident of catching and fished two lines, ground bait at 12m and casters at 5m, and after a slow start he was soon catching quality Roach and skimmers to win his third section in a row.

Jim Mercer drew Peg 12 on Privates pond and having won his section on the pond last time out he was full of confidence going into the match.  Jim fished pinkies over ground bait and had a lovely day, catching small Skimmers and Roach to win his section for the second week running.

Young Olly Flindall was on Peg 22 on the road side of the pond, and was eager to make amends for a bad result the previous week.  After speaking to a few “in the know” he put a plan together.  Olly fished ground bait and maggots at 11m and casters at 5m and it worked a treat as he won his section and beat his Dad again…

The first section on the Canal – Pegs 13 to 17 – saw five very good Canal anglers pegged together.  Ade Knighton drew end Peg 12 and showed his class, experience and knowledge (squashing the rumors he’s past it) – he fished casters down the track and had a great day catching a Roach a chuck.  Craig Logan was on Peg 16 and decided to target the Bream which nearly worked, catching two over 3lb and a few skimmers.

The second Section on the canal was on the Stock Pond – Pegs 23 to 27.  Only one person caught from this section the previous match so expectations were low.  However, as it turned out this section fished the best, with all anglers catching well.  Coming out on top was Carl Wilson with an excellent 15lb, to not only win his section but also the match.  Carl made the decision to fish for bonus fish, fishing soft pellets and caught 3 Carp.  Well done Carl!

This week saw us fishing the Kingfisher pond at Beechwood.  The weather forecast must have been good as Craig Radford graced us with his presence…  Luckily for the rest of us Craig is allergic to the cold and normally doesn’t fish in the winter months, giving the rest of us a chance 😉.

The pond has had winning weights from all areas throughout the year and as it’s been a few weeks since we last fished Kingfisher nobody could predict which area of the pond would fish best.  Ade Knighton on Peg 12 was giving a master class in feeder fishing, casting a feeder to pin point accuracy across to the far bank – it’s a shame this was the only area of his Peg with no fish in!  It still looked good Ade.  Mick Burke was trying not to be out done on Peg 11 but failed miserably by spending more time casting into the trees on the far bank than in the water.  This worked well for both Craig Logan and Olly Flindall as this meant the Carp moved into their Pegs and they both made the most of it.  After a slow first hour, a change to dobbing bread at 14m saw both catch Carp up to 10lb.  Tony Males on Peg 6 was also catching steadily, fishing the pole long to the island.  Sue Reid was catching yet again on peg 20.  Sue fished pole and pellets, catching Carp up to 10lb which proved too much for her son Danny off the next Peg, who decided to call it a day with 3hrs to go.

Ade, Craig and the committee would like to thank you all for your support this year.  It’s been a difficult time organizing the matches and complying with Covid rules and we appreciate everyone making the most of a bad situation.

1st  Craig Logan – 161lb 5oz

2nd  Olly Flindal – 96lb 12oz

3rd  Tony Males – 60lb 13oz

Section 1  Sue Reid – 41lb 40z

Section 2  Ian Bradley – 39lb 11oz

This was the second round of the Winter League.  Sections were split over two waters with two sections on the Canal and three on Privates pond.

The weather conditions could not have been worse leading up to the match, with freezing temperatures and lots of rain – the waters were incredibly cold and colored.

Canal pegs 21 – 28 seemed the place most competitors wanted to draw, with a few having a practice in the week leading up to the match and catching quite well.

The fishing turned out to be incredibly hard going, with all anglers struggling for bites.  But this also meant that everyone had a good chance of section points with only ounces separating competitors by the end of the match.

Canal section 1 – won by Ray Agent on Peg 14.  Ray fished maggots catching small roach, beating Pete Beard on the next peg by 1oz

Canal Section 2 – won by Ian Shaw on Peg 23.  Ian was the only one to catch in his section.  Ian fed a few maggots at a time with maggots on the hook.  Mick Burke did catch a small Roach but missed his keepnet with the pressure and excitement of catching a fish…. 😂

Privates Section 1 – won by Jim Mercer on Peg 2.  Jim fished pinkies up to the island and caught two Tench, a small Carp, plus a few small Roach, to not only win his section but the match overall.  Well Done Jim.

Privates section 2 – won by club favorite Craig Logan on Peg 12.  Craig fed ground bait at the start and fished pinkies over the top, catching small Roach and skimmers.

Privates section 3 – won by Adam Logan on Peg 23.   Adam fished pinkies over ground bait catching small Roach and a bonus Perch.

This is the first match after the latest lockdown and even with the appalling weather, all competitors couldn’t wait to get back fishing a match.  As always, thank you to everyone for complying with the Covid Restriction rules that are in place.

The match got underway with Sue Reid on Peg 13 catching the first Carp and quickly followed by two more.  Sue was fishing pole at 12m, feeding micros with soft pellet on the hook.  Second to catch was golden oldie Dave Harris.  Dave came into this match full of confidence after winning his last match.  Dave drew Peg 18 and fished his margin from the off – after a slow start he started to catch Carp regularly, feeding micros with corn on the hook. Dave Perry was also putting the odd Carp in the net fishing opposite Harris on Peg 15, again fishing his margins.  Ian Shaw was having a nightmare on Peg 11 losing his first 5 Carp until a change in tactics saw him put 5 Carp in the net in the last two hours.  As time was called Dave Harris estimated he had 37lb 🤔 and looked to had done enough to win but it was too close to call for 2nd and 3rd.

1st  Dave Harris – 56lb 11oz

2nd  Sue Reid 24lb 13oz

3rd  Ian Shaw 23lb 6oz

Section 1  Mick Burke – 1lb 5oz

Section 2  Dave Perry – 23lb 2oz