Newton AA disabled and over 60 Thursday match series, 7/3/24 White Door Dam Oak and Beech Pools. 16 fishing, got drawn peg 2.

After the dismal showing during the practise on Tuesday I decided to just bring my rods, I wasn’t up for sitting for hours with a pole out at 13 and 14.5m with little to no action. I regret this decision, Wednesday had the lakes stocked with Ide, and these showed up for the first 2 hours in peg 1 and peg 2 swims out at 13m. Sods law had me miss as many bites as I struck into and landed the fish.

Chris G on peg 1 giving a lesson in pole fishing by landing almost every bite, which were 1 a chuck for those 2 hours. Pinkie or big red were the hook bait of choice, being taken freely by the Ide, feeding 50/50 Thatchers Dark/likkie bread crumb. A small pot of soaked 2mm, hand tossed small balls supplementing the ground bait every 30 mins or so. I had set up my whip to 4m with a 4m lash and this had me pulling ide in close, but the bites were few and far between. At lunch time I cast out a tip rod with bomb and single big red on the hook, for no response. Polished off my sausage rolls and a big mug of coffee, back on my waggler line at 13m, slowly picking off ide and a solitary roach. Not as prolific as the mornings session, having to adjust my line to 16m and back to 10m chasing the bites. An hour on the tip in the afternoon which resulted in one liner/pull and nothing to show. Waggler again for the last 3/4 of an hour, All Out had me with 39 on the clicker, had it no been for the ide I would have had 1 roach 😂.

Weighed in with 7lb 1oz for not last. We are back on this venue next Thursday as some of our usual venue’s are slick underfoot and difficult to get to the pegs safely, this puts us back in sync with where we would normally be fishing. If that makes any sense!!

3/3/24, Newton AA, Sunday members match on Havannah Flash, Parr. 11 fishing, drew peg 23.

A clear and sunny start to the day, still cold from the overnight low temps and frost. By All In the Sun had burnt its way through any wispy clouds and with little wind it turned out a glorious day.

Peg 23 is over the bridge and on the right hand twang, half way up, the water was well coloured from the run off of all the rain over this week. Open water right across, the far bank a good 40m, an overhanging tree left and straight out with rushes to the right. My 11′ tip rod easily getting close with a tiny 10g bomb or 15g hybrid feeder. Waggler out at 15m was to be my main line for the day, tip during lunch and last hour of the match. Set up with a yellow bristle on my Drennan 2.5g insert waggler, plumbed up with just shy of 6′ of depth. Pinkie on the hook, toss feeding small balls of 50/50 Thatchers dark/likki bread crumb, catting big red over the float. At the ALL IN I tossed in 2 small balls of groundbait and catted in 6-10 big red, first cast and a pommie in the net 👍, no blank for Johhny boy. Making steady progress with small to tiny stamp during the morning. Chucked out my tip with 2 big red on the hook to the far bank while I quaffed a brace of ham and pickle sandwiches, washed down with a mug of Columbia’s finest No3 roast. After lunch I hooked up a pinkie on my waggler, the rod slipped off the rest and as I caught it the hook embedded itself in the back of my hand! The hook being a thin wire #22 micro barbed affair. Options; cut the spade and feed it back through the skin, just grab it with plyers and pull it out the way it went in! A quick look round to see no one was looking and I had a little cry 😂, just before pulling it out the way it went in 😟, that really did smart. The clouds had moved in and the lighting had changed significantly enough for me to change my insert from yellow to black. I felt a bump through my platform which made me jump, a big ~2.5footer, pike had crashed my keep net and was swirling in front of the platform!
Tip for the last hour, which I gave up on with 15mins to go as it was fruitless, pulled in 3 more tiny roach on the waggler before the ALL OUT bringing my tally to 35 on the clicker. Weigh in had me with 2lb 5oz and not last, I think I ended up 6th, with less than a pound between the 8 who weighed. That’s winter fishing on natural waters for you, a great day with amazing company and a good laugh.

Yew Tree Res, a pleasure day on the pole. 27/02/2024.

After the blankety blank on White Door Dam on Sunday I was hoping for a far better day at this venue. I chose peg 24 pumphouse so I didn’t have to unpack my trolly as it is only a short walk from the car park, glad I got there earlyish as it got busy quickly.

Nice and calm, slight breeze and chance of rain in the afternoon, which didn’t disappoint. A simple 3 lines:
1. 11 to 13m straight out, 8-10 SRG hybrid elastic, 4×14 GORTINI SUPER SLIM CHIANTI FLOAT, 0.16 mainline to 6″ 0.14 hook length #20 SFL-B, pinkie as hookbait. Feeding 50/50 Thatchers dark/likki bread crumb from the cad pot. 6 foot of water.
2. 11 to 13m straight out, 12-14 SRG hybrid elastic, 4×14 GORTINI SUPER SLIM CHIANTI FLOAT, 0.20 mainline to 6″ 0.18 hook length #16 SFL-B, double pinkie as hookbait. Feeding 50/50 Thatchers dark/likki bread crumb from the cad pot. 6 foot of water.
3. 13m right 2 o’clock to the pumphouse wall, 4×14 GORTINI CARBON SLIM FLOAT, 0.20 mainline to 4″ 0.18 hook length #16 XSH-B hook, multi big red on the hook. Feeding 50/50 Thatchers dark/likki bread crumb from the cad pot. 6 foot of water.

Started off on my 1. line with a 8-10 elastic rig, can’t take the chance to go lighter on this water as there are big carp and big bream that have fun dragging light elastics round the res. I was losing a few small roach on the strike, bumping them off. The bigger stamp were loving the likki bread and groundbait mix, pulling a skimmer of 1.5lb and a skimmer of 2lb within half hour of each other, I had a carp pull my rig but the tiny 20’s hook not holding and pulling as the carp headed off across the res. By lunch time I had a good haul of skimmer, roach, pommie and a brace of perch on the clicker. Switched over to the pumphouse line, sitting for 40 mins without a bite, switched back to my 11-13m line again on the 8-10 elastics rig. Another carp pull, resulting in a lost hook. Plenty more big stamp roach plus the bonus of another 1.5lb skimmer and final fish of the day a 3.5lb bream. 20 on the clicker, somewhere else I needed to be so packed up for 14:00 and headed off, a goof day was had.

22 Feb the 2024 start of the Newton AA disabled and over 60 Thursday match series. Yew Tree Res, 15 booked on. Got drawn peg 15.

A wet day forecast and at times it was torrential. Peg 15 is a good peg for some big carp if you can get them feeding in the cold.

Left and right margin and an 11m line straight out, right margin being an option as the carp normally sit in the left snags if they are there.

11m line; 8-10 SRG hybrid elastic, GORTINI 4X14 CARBON SLIM FLOAT, 0.16 mainline to 6″ 0.14 hook length #18 Drennan maggot plus hook, pinkie or big red on the hook. Feeding Thathchers dark and soaked 2mm pellet from pole pot and cad. 6 1/2 foot of water
Left margin; top 2 plus 2, 13-15 SRG hollow elastic, GORTINI 4×14 SHORT MARGIN FLOAT, 0.24 mainline to 6″ 0.20 hook length #14 XSH-B hook, 3 big red hook bait. Feeding Thatchers dark and soaked 2mm pellet from cad pot. 4 foot of water.
Right margin; same set up as left. 3 1/2 foot of water.
At the ALL IN I potted 2 small cups of groundbait over my 11m line and a single pot over my Left margin. Shipped out to my 11m line and waited a good half hour before the first bite, a small roach, there is always a chance of a big carp so 8-10 elastic was the smallest I dared fish with even though I knew I would loose roach on the strike with this set up. 3 fish in the net, the float sunk and I struck into a carp, it stretched out the 8-10 and eventually the hook pulled, the rig coming back non the worse. Stayed on this line for another 20 mins, I had been feeding my left margin line while fishing the 11m. Stuck 3 big red on the #14 XSH-B hook and dropped into as close to the snags as I dared, a waiting game now. Just after 11:00 the float bobbed and I struck into a carp, pulled to my right to stop the carp heading into the snags, before I could get some more sections on it had swam directly under my platform and secured my hook to some debris. Carp No 2 avoiding my keep net! Rotated my lines, included the right margin, but this was barren, pulled a nice fat angry perch on the Left margin and a small skimmer at 11m, but nothing big. With 30 mins to go I again hit into a carp on my 8-10 rig, this pulling away and the rig coming back minus the hook, damn those carp 😟. That was me pretty much out of the frame now, still pulled some roach and a bonus hybrid. At the weigh in I had 22 on the clicker for 3lb 8oz and not last.

Due to the heavy rains over the last few weeks, some of our venues are pretty water logged, we are back on this venue next week as it is the safest option for the “old and bold” among us.

A quiet Sunday outing, Yew Tree Res, Haydock. A Newton AA venue.

A misty start to the day and nice to see that motorists were being sensible on the M62 and M6 motorway. I had decided to occupy Peg 26, right by the gate, if it was vacant, which it was 👌. Tip rod with a waggler option if needed.

Just one other angler on when I got there, Alan W perched on Peg 7, also fishing the tip.
Casting out to 11m – 13m with a 15g hybrid feeder, Thatchers dark ground bait, catting in 3-4 big red over the feeder every 5 mins. Sat on this until 11:30 ish, watching the tip twitch, drop back and the odd line pull, but no takes. Small roach pilfering my hook bait! Set up my 10 foot waggler, with a Drennan 2.0g loaded waggler. Enough weight to get me out to 13m, plumbed dead bottom and stuck a big red on the hook, took but 2 mins and I had a small roach on the clicker, saves a blank. Bites were tentative and few and far between, pulled up 6″ from the bottom and I started pulling in small roach, pommies and a small (8oz) skimmer. I had a few “netter” roach as well, it had cleared up and rain clouds were drifting over, I had planned on packing up at 14:00, 14:30. The rain started about 13:40 so took this opportunity to pack up and head off home.

40 on the clicker, so a productive day and quite busy after the bite less morning on the tip. The local robin getting a smattering of pinkie to tide it over until the next angler feeds it.

Newton-le-Willows Anglers Association, Sunday members match. Havannah Flash, 9 fishing, got drawn peg 21.

Fishing in a gale

13 initially booked on, but lost a few along the way side. 9 loonies rocked up to fish in heavy wind with gusts over 30MPH or so. It wasn’t even a case of the wind behind me or in my face, it was swirling all over the place. Had to fish out my lunch box from the water 4 times, coffee mug a few times and 2 pints of maggot got an early bath! It was taxing fishing in the wind and trying to get a good presentation or even see some of the bites was near impossible. That’s fishing as they say.

Waggler and tip, didn’t even bring a pole or a brolly due to thee forecasted high winds.
The All In was a calm affair, but it soon changed for the worse. Started out on the tip, fishing across with a 10g hybrid feeder, 50/50 Thatchers Dark/2mm soaked pellet/big red on the hook. Stayed on that line for 30 minutes, re-casting every 10 mins or so, not even a liner.
Switched out to my waggler line, plumbed up out at 13m, fishing on the deck, 6 foot 6 inches. Big red on the hook, trying to focus on the float in the swell, thought I seen it bob so struck. Resistance on the line and I could feel a fish on. Landed a nice ~1lb 8oz Tinka.

First fish of the day for anyone, so at this point I am first 😂😂👌. It didn’t get any easier from here, rotating my tip and waggler line every hour or so and only picking up a few pommies and roach off my waggler line. Peg to my left landed a ~4lb carp, so there goes my first place, Peg 10 on the front had a few bream a tench and silvers to take the first place, pushing us back to 2nd and 3rd place at the All out.
My tally for the day was 1 Tench, 3 roach and 2 pommies for 1lb 15oz and a 3rd place envelope.

7 man knock up on Lyme Pool, a Newton AA venue. 1/2/24

The normal Disabled and Over 60 Thursday match series doesn’t start until 22 Feb, so we have been having a few, unannounced, knock up matches in the mean time.
7 of us rocked up for today, fishing Lyme Pool, a venue that doesn’t get too many match days but is a favoured water for a lot of members as it is in the middle (ish) of Lyme and Wood Country Park. There is also Ron Hassall Pool and Wood Pool in this country park, these are also well fished venues by our membership.

I got drawn peg 5, right on the corner of the pegging. All fishing just the one side of the doughnut pool. It was a bit baltic from the overnight frost and the wind was blowing down the back side of the pool and right across my right hand side. Decided on just 2 lines, a mud line and a track line 3/4 across.
1. 12m mud line, 13-15 SRG hybrid elastic, GORTINI SHORT MARGIN FLOAT, 0.18 main line to 6″ 0.16 hook length, #16 SFL-B hook. Big red, pinkie, 4mm hard pellet or 6mm expander pellet as hook bait. Feeding small amounts of 50/50 Thatchers dark/2mm soaked pallet from the cad pot.
2. 10m track line, 4-7 SRG hollow elastic, GORTINI 0.40g CARBON SLIM FLOAT, 0.16 mainline to 6″ 0.11 hook length, #20 SFL-B hook. Big red and pinkie, as hook bait. Feeding small amounts of 50/50 Thatchers dark/2mm soaked pallet from the cad pot.
Started off on my mud line, had to tentative bites in the first 20 mins, but nothing positive, striking into nothing. Sat for far too long on this line, switching to my track line after an hour. Not much happening this end of the pool and not that much more in the lower peg numbers either. Peg 6 had first catch with a roach that was about twice as big as one of the big red I was using as hook bait, it didn’t make the net, just getting dropped back in. Rotated hourly in the hope something would turn up, Peg 4 was still barren, Peg 6 and 7 had a roach each. Started pinging 3 4mm robin red pellets over the float on my mud line mid day and I managed to pick off a ~6oz roach, so no blank for Johnny Boy 😂. That was my lot for the match, started packing up with 20 mins till all out, cold, miserable and in need of a hug! 😂. Peg 7 had been laying down a bed of chopped worm and this brought in some decent stamp F1 for him, although he did lose a few with hook pulls, winning this match with 14lb odd, the remining honours going to Peg 2 for 8lb odd and Peg 3 with 5lb on the nose. I wasn’t last so I class that as a bonus, yay.

As the year draws to a close…

I would like to take this opportunity to wish all my followers and casual readers a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

I have struggled a bit with my mental health during 2023, but I have enjoyed and sometimes revelled in the posts that I construct after my ventures on the bank side, hoping they bring you a bit of light relief and a chance to show that angling as a sport helps, helps a lot. Initiative’s, like Tackling Minds for example, have highlighted the positive aspects of this sport, the amazing volunteers who give up their time to give back and support those who need a new direction to loose themselves without having any barriers. To those who do volunteer, thank you, you do make a difference to the well being of those you give your time and patience to.
I hope that in 2024 we can all be better people, more tolerant and accepting of those who choose to join us in this great activity, an activity that we can choose to share with friends or go off on our own to seek solitude and peace of mind.
Tight lines, many happy days and all the best from my family to yours.

Support your friends, our sport, your club and your local angling shops.
Be kind to the fish you catch and the environment they live in and the surrounding areas.