09/08/26 - Rood Ashton

Weight - 7lb 5oz

Catch - 52 Roach, 51 Carp

Weather - Hot & sunny

Match - Tackle Den (16 fished) - 2nd in section, 12th overall

It was a nice short drive to Rood Ashton with Tackle Den and on arrival I could see the lake was down about a foot, which meant some pegs would be very shallow.

At the draw, everyone wanted pegs 18 to 21, as that was where the fish had been showing. With that area likely to dominate, Steve decided to pay out the winners of four sections only.

I drew p2 which was about as far from the fish as I could be. I was then told that my peg in recent matches had produced no more than 25lb, so my enthusiasm was in short supply while setting up.

On the all-in, I started on the method to the island, but I could feel the feeder plugging in the silt. Needless to say, I had no bites. I also tried the straight lead at 25m, where I had been pinging 8s, but that didn’t produce either.

After an hour, Pete on p1 had one carp, Vince on p3 had a couple of small fish, and Simon on p4 had yet to catch.

So, I decided to try catching some roach. Before leaving the house, I had grabbed a bag of dead maggots from the freezer, although live maggots would have been better.

By feeding small balls of groundbait (Coco Squid : Crushed Expander) with dead maggots at 4m, I started catching baby carp among the roach. A whip would probably have been better, but at least I was catching and I hoped for a few carp in the final two hours.

With two hours remaining, Pete netted his third carp and Simon caught his only carp, so it was time for me to try for one myself.

I had kept pinging pellets over the 25m line, but I never had a bite.

I also started feeding 4mm pellet down my left margin. Fishing an 8mm pellet over the top brought no response, so I big-potted micros and 4s and tried paste, but this only encouraged the small fish. Any decent fish in the area would have pushed them out of the swim. So I switched back to 8mm pellet catching one baby carp, and then, 20 minutes from the end, some elastic came out of the pole — but the fish was only about 1lb.

Pete won our section by catching against the end bank and next to the reeds. So well done to him. Surprisingly, I came 2nd in section, with Vince weighing 3lb and Simon 5lb.

Fair to say, the lake did not fish well, with only one weight over 100lb and my part of the lake fished the worst.

1.    107-  9 – Shaun Hodges – p21

2.      56-  5 – Pete Philips – p1

3.      49-12 – Darren Hibbert – p20

4.      46-  8 – Andy Burns – p5

5.      43-  5 – Andy Bartlett – p19

08/08/26 - Harescombe - Doughnut

Weight - 91lb 6oz

Catch - 27 Carp, 1 F1

Weather - Warm & sunny

Match - Summer League rd5 (12 fished) - 3rd in section, 6th overall

This was the penultimate round of the summer league, and I really needed a good result to put myself back in contention for a top three finish.

I drew p5, which has been a good peg, although recently it hasn’t produced quite so well, however I still fancied at least 2nd in section from it, as I expected p1 to win after dominating this side of the lake over the last couple of weeks.

Sadly, the first two hours were appalling, putting only three fish in the net. I started across by the island in 2ft of water, tapping in a few 4mm baninion pellets with a 6mm pellet in the band. I soon caught an F1, but despite fish being in the swim I could not get a proper bite and lost a foul hooker. I then tried paste over the same line, losing another foul hooker and the one I did hook properly pinged off at the net.

Fishing tight to the far bank in 8ins of water was also fruitless, losing another fish. I then tried the method but lost another one!

Next, I tried a shallow rig and netted a foul hooker, but I was going nowhere fast.

Meanwhile, Steve on p1, Arthur on p7, and Gary (who was lying 3rd in the league) on p10, were all catching and at least 20lb ahead of me.

I had been feeding 4s and micros on a top kit+1 and had caught one carp early on Kriller paste. When I returned to that line, I finally had a run of fish. I still managed to ping out of a couple fish, and after speaking to others after the match it seemed we had all suffered the same problem: the fish were snatching at the bait rather than taking it confidently.

When I needed to rest the short swim, I tried the margins with either paste or 8mm pellet but only picked up a couple of fish. I could see fish coming into the margins, but they spooked out just as quickly and wouldn’t settle.

Another go across on the shallow rig didn’t last long, as my 14m section folded! Just as well I will be collecting my new Matrix XTR 700 later this week.

Back on the short line, it began to fade with an hour to go, so I fed a new swim 6m to my left and alternated between the two swims until the end.

By the all-out, I knew Steve had won the section and I was sure I had overtaken Gary. As for Arthur, it was much closer than I expected, and unfortunately, I missed out on 2nd in section by 2lb.

1.    272-  4 – Andy Jane – p17

2.    150-  5 – Steve Brown – p14

3.    132-  6 – Steve Partington – p1

4.    123-11 – Elvis – p15

02/08/26 - Harescombe - Doughnut

Weight - 121lb 5oz

Catch - 35 Carp, 2 F1

Weather - Warm & sunny

Match - Open (14 fished) - 1st overall

Due to low water levels (down about 2ft) Gary limited numbers to 14, which meant everyone would have some space.

I drew a peg I have never drawn before in the shape of peg 1 and although it doesn’t normally feature, I quite fancied it as the breeze was blowing down my end. Plumbing up only revealed 3ft down the track and the margins were 12ins

On the all-in I started across by the island on So Simple Kriller paste, netting my first fish after 15mins and a 2^nd after 30mins. I could see plenty of fish by the island but catching them was a different manner. Looking down the lake it looked like everyone was struggling to catch and I decided to ignore the far bank

and concentrate on my margins and short line.

When I switched, I tried fishing pellet in 2ft of water 6m to my right, but it became obvious the fish wanted to be in shallow water so that rig was never picked up again.

In the meantime, I had fed 4mm baninion pellet and micros at top kit + 1, fishing paste expecting an immediate response. When the float did go under it was a decent fish but I couldn’t catch another.

So, it was time to try my margins sooner than expected. I had been feeding 4s and micros 6m down the right margin, and there were plenty of fish showing, but again catching them was tricky.

After 3hrs I was up to 12 fish, as well as losing a few foul hookers. I started to catch more regularly on 8mm pellet toss potting a few micros and 8mm.

I had kept my short line topped up but as yet it hadn’t produced much and I decided to feed more heavily. I also started feeding micros to my left by the inlet pipe and this started to produce. By alternating between both margins my catch rate increased fishing paste.

I tried my short line again and this time I caught, staying on this line for most of the last hour, occasionally trying both margins when it needed resting.

On the all-out I was fairly sure I had beaten most of those I could see and it was a pleasant surprise when the normal flyers in the ‘teens’ hadn’t produced meaning I won the match.

1.    121-  5 – Ken Rayner – p1

2.    110-  2 – George Organ – p4

3.    108-12 – Ray Russell – p16

4.      99-11 – Andy Pollard – p19

5.      89-13 – Elvis – p5 

26/07/26 - Hillview - Canal 4

Weight - 129lb 13oz

Catch - 43 Carp, 3 F1, 1 Tench, 1 Perch

Weather - Warm & sunny, but windy. 

Match - Tackle Den (17 fished) - 4th overall, 2nd in section

For today’s match we were over canals 2, 3 and 4 and I was very happy to draw p83, an end peg on canal 4, particularly as the wind was blowing into my end of the lake.

I had bought 5pts of caster expecting to catch shallow and there were plenty of fish showing themselves.

On the all-in I tried mugging a couple of fish early without success, not least helped by loads of branches and cut reeds that had blown into my swim. So, I switched to fishing 6mm pellet over 4s, down the right margin and down the end bank at 5m. This only produced a couple of fish, so I was soon trying to catch shallow on caster, but the wind was proving to be a real pain.

I caught a couple of fish, before one snagged me in a branch, prompting me to go round to try and clear the worst of the snags. To be honest I was pretty annoyed as I lost 4 fish to

various snags, which was clearly avoidable had more care been taken when gardening.

Back to the shallow line and I couldn’t catch, although the wind was increasingly getting stronger making feeding difficult. Looking down the lake, I could see John Brady who is a good shallow angler also struggling so I didn’t feel too bad about not catching.

I decided to return to my pellet swims and started to catch well. Due to the snags and the fact, I was catching more carp than F1s I switched from 4x10 rig to 4x12 and stronger elastic.

I kept going alternating between the 2 swims for a couple of hours, before I started foul hooking fish. I had pre-soaked some micros just in case I wanted to fish paste (the rule being you can only use fishery pellet and you can’t cup in the paste). First drop into the right margin I had a 8lber and stayed on this for a couple hours alternating between the right margin and a new swim down the left side of my nets.

With 30mins my paste rig snapped above the float, so I reverted back to fishing pellet and kept catching but the swims had slowed. As a back-up, I had fed pellet at 5m down the track resulting in a final run of fish before the end of the match.

I was fairly sure I had won my lake with about 150-155lb. The weigh in started at the other end of the canal and I followed the scales. When we got to my peg I realised one of my 5 nets had been blown into the water by a strong gust of wind. When I recovered it there were only 4 fish remaining and I reckon I lost about 20-25lb.

So instead of winning the match I ended up 4^th overall – gutted but I only have myself to blame.

1.    143-  4 – John Brady – p88 (canal 4)

2.    139-  9 – Steve Venn – p76 (canal 3)

3.    132-14 – Andy Dixey – p74 (canal 3)

4.    129-13 – Ken Rayner – p83 (canal 4)

5.    122-11 – Darren Lawrence – p79 (canal 3)

6.    111-12 – Vince Grillo – p72 (canal 3)                                                                                                         

25/07/26 - Harescombe - Match Lake

Weight - 121lb 6oz

Catch - 27 Carp, 14 F1, 4 Skimmers

Weather - Warm & sunny

Match - Summer Series rd4 (12 fished) - 2nd in section, 3rd overall

The 4^th round of the Summer Series and I really needed a good draw and result to put me back in the running for the league.

P6 was not what was required and felt p1 and p14 would be tough to beat.

I decided against taking meat and brought caster to fish shallow instead. I still mixed up some So Simple Kriller paste and started tight to the island but couldn’t get a clean bite so didn’t waste too much time making it work.

A switch to fishing 6mm baninion pellet over 4mm pellet at 2+2 to my left at the bottom of the shelf resulted in my first fish. Over the first hour I picked up the occasional fish mostly on pellet from the left-hand swim or down the right margin.

In the meantime, I had been prepping a shallow caster line and when I went over this line I couldn’t catch, giving up after 15mins, not least because the wind was proving to be a pain.

This meant, the 2^nd hour was slow and I felt I was overcomplicating things. So, I just focused on fishing pellet, returning to my right- and left-hand swims. The left-hand swim proved to be the best, whilst the right margin didn’t feel right so I switched to fishing at the bottom of the marginal shelf which proved to be much better.

With 2 hours remaining I moved to my margins over 3 swims (pinging 4s to the p5 pallet, down the left side of my keepnets and the right margin where I fed micros, hemp and 4s) fishing paste.

With 45mins remaining the swims closest to me just dried up. Fortunately, I could still catch by the p5 pallet and the occasional fish over the left-hand pellet swim. Since the margins had stopped, I decided to start a new swim at 2+2 feeding micros and 4s, resulting in a final good run.

Unfortunately for me Andy Jane won my section breaking the lake match record by 4oz, catching mostly on caster. I at least finished 2^nd in section weighing a PB for this lake.

1.    170-11 – Andy Jane – p13

2.    152-  3 – Steve Brown – p18

3.    121-  6 – Ken  Rayner – p6

4.    114-  7 – Steve Partington – p15

23/07/26 - Harescombe - Match Lake

Weight - 75lb 7oz

Catch - 21 Carp, 11 F1, 1 Roach

Weather - Warm & sunny

Match - Open (14 fished) - 8th overall

I fished todays open in preparation for next Saturdays Summer League and the lake has been fishing well with a new match of 170lb 7oz had been set a couple of days ago.

I drew p25 and to be honest I wasn’t happy as you are pegged next to the end bank, which would reduce my options. I would have preferred to have been on p24, however the platform was a bit wobbly (Gary has since repaired it).

So far fishing paste has been a bit hit and miss, and not as productive as last year. The same applied to fishing meat, but I was sure with the lake now fishing so well these baits would come into their own. Just in case they didn’t I set up a couple of pellet rigs as back up.

On the all-in I started on So Simple Kriller paste down the left margin, but only had knocks from small fish, in fact the tiny roach were a right pain at times.

I eventually caught a carp after 30mins on meat against the end bank but couldn’t catch another.

2 hours into the match I had 3 fish in the net and I really wondered what was going on.

I had been pinging 4mm baninion pellet towards p24, and when I switched fishing a 6mm baninion I at last started to catch. When the swim needed a rest, I caught a couple of fish fishing to the far bank corner with paste (I couldn’t fish a pellet rig due to scum blowing into the swim).

Going into the last hour I had been feeding micros and 4s either side on a top kit +1 and had a really good late run all on paste.

Sadly, the poor start cost me as I was only 9lb off claiming the section.

1.    139-  5 – Mick O’Brien – p10

2.    132-  8 – Ian Sutton – p15

3.      89-  3 – Martin Hook – p14

4.      87-  7 – Phil Auger – p8

5.      84-12 – Gary Townsend – p22

18/06/26 - Ivy House - Old Match Lake

Weight - 94lb 14oz (11lb 10oz - silvers)

Catch - 38 Carp, 25 Skimmers, 3 Roach

Weather - Warm & sunny

Match - Open (12 fished) - 6th overall

I had originally intended to go to Harescombe today, however with only 3 booked in the match was cancelled. So, I booked into Ivy House on the Old Match Lake instead.

P16 for me, only one away from where I was last Sunday and the rigs were pretty much the same.

On the all-in I started at 13m fishing So Simple Kriller paste, feeding a few damped fishery 4s boosted with Kriller Sludge and I got off to a good start catching 5 carp in 20mins. Coming a little closer at 11m I kept catching for the remainder of the first hour, before the swim faded.

The second hour was difficult, trying the method towards the island for only a few fish and trying shallow proved fruitless.

Going back to the paste I started catching again and the during the 2^nd hour of the match concentrated on fishing at 5m and down the right margin. Although I did manage to mug one decent carp on 8mm pellet, most of the of carp I caught were mostly stockies, which were replaced by skimmers for a while over the 5m line.

The margin was a little hit and miss. Feeding 4s, corn and occasionally micros, I could see fish coming in and I would catch a couple of fish, but they wouldn’t stay in the shallow water due to the bright, flat conditions.

By the all-out I had plenty of bites, but too many stockies and skimmers. Had I caught the same stamp of carp as last week, I would have had about 115lb. So, a little disappointed to finish with 94lb, but an enjoyable day, nonetheless.

1.    183-  3 – Mick Lane – p7

2.    138-12 – Mitch Rowlands – p10

3.    131-  7 – Tim Hadland – p1

4.    130-10 – Harry Rowlands – p8

5.    112-11 – Alan Smith – p15