07/02/26 - Todber - Hillview

Weight - 37lb 0oz (3lb 8oz - silvers)

Catch - 7 Carp, 14 Skimmers, 1 Roach

Weather - Showery and breezy

Match - Open (19 fished) - 4th carp only

We had 19 anglers booked on today and the pools would be paid out 50:50 silvers and carp, with the top 3 in each. However, I assumed this would be top 3 silvers and top 3 overall. As there was no section payout it meant a decent draw was more important.

P52 down the arm of the lake was neither here nor there. It can be OK for carp, but generally not the best for silvers.

On the all-in I started on the pellet cone with baninion boosted corn and netted a 5lber within 10mins. My next fish arrived 30mins later on a mini hybrid cast to the far bank, loaded with So Simple Top G and Crushed Expander, and 3 dead maggots on the hook.

With no more carp after an hour, I decided to try my silvers lines. 14.5m fed with baninion micros and corn, and 11.5m at an angle to my left fed with groundbait (BMGX : GCS) with dead maggot.

I initially tried corn at 14.5m hoping for some proper skimmers, but only had 1 hand size skimmer, plus a couple more on 4mm expander. The 11.5m line only produced a few hand sized skimmers or maggot and I was going nowhere fast.

With 2hrs remaining I decided to focus on the carp, catching 5 more on the straight lead (3 on corn and 2 on bread).

At the weigh-in I discovered it was the top 3 carp weights, rather than the normal total weight. Had I realised I would stayed focused on the carp, as I finished 4^th in the carp only weights, 2 or 3 fish short of framing.

Top Carp Weights

1.    68-12 – Michael Hall – p43

2.    49-  0 – Amanda Rowett – p46

3.    41-  0 – Matt Skyme – p60

4.    33-  8 – Ken Rayner – p52

Top Silvers Weight

1.    26-  0 – Toby Burrell – p57

2.    15-  0 – Rocky – p59

3.    12-  0 – Dan Squires – p54

4.    11-  8 – Mark Wynne – p36

29/12/25 - Todber Manor - Hillview

Weight - 32lb 0oz (2lb 8oz - silvers)

Catch - 9 Carp, 9 Skimmers

Weather - Cold & cloudy. Cold north easterly

Match - Open (20 fished) - 1st overall

Mark had a full house today thanks to an equal pay out for overall and silver winners per section of 5. I quite fancied a day on the silvers and when I drew p45 thought that’s what I would be doing.

However, I soon found out that the previous match had been won from p44. The question was would the fish still be here following the change in weather. Today, the north easterly breeze was blowing off my left shoulder, and the water temperature was only 3.7c.

On the all-in I started on the bomb and bread cast ¾ of the away across to the island. Within a minute the tip rapped round, but the fish came off halfway across. With no more indications, a switch to the maggot feeder produced a few liners, but no carp, so I went back to the lead fishing corn this time and at last netted a carp.

No more followed and I decided to try the pole at 13m fishing corn (boosted with baninion) over micros (boosted with BMG) pinging 4mm baninion pellet over the top, catching 2 carp. Despite trying later in the match these were the only carp I caught over this line.

Back out on the lead and corn, I stayed on this for a couple of hours and knew I was comfortably winning my section. With an 1hr 45mins to go I stopped catching and all the liners had also stopped. I felt the fish had moved off to my right settling in front of the silver fish anglers on p47 and 48.

After unsuccessfully trying the corn line at 13m, I fed a small ball of groundbait (BMGX: GCS) with BMG micros at 13m to my left. Fishing double reds I caught 9 small skimmers in 45mins, before returning to the straight lead and corn for the last 45mins, but I never had another fish.

On the all-out I think everyone was relieved for the match to finish as the fishing had been extremely hard. Roll on spring.

1.    32-  0 – Ken Rayner – p45

2.    30-14 – Simon Stacey – p37

3.    26-  8 – Rich Yeo – p42

4.    22-  9 – Lee Jan – p51

5.    20-  2 – Barry Robson – p52

Silvers

1.    10-  8 – Guy Manton – p54

2.      7-  6 – Mark Blake – p47

3.      7-  3 – Jack Stamp – p57

14/05/25 - Todber - Whiteposts

Weight - 88lb 10oz

Catch - 30 Carp

Weather - Warm & sunny.

Match - Garbolino Clubman Qualifer (41 fished) - 1st in section

I decided to try my luck again at qualifying for the Garbolino clubman at Barston. I didn’t fish it last year, but the year before I missed out of by 4lb after weighing 446lb for 2^nd in section!

As there were only 41 fishing, we were spread over Hillview and both lakes at Whiteposts. I would have preferred Hillview but drew p27 on the bottom lake at Whiteposts. It was 4 years ago when I last fished this lake (and p27) and I don’t have fond memories, as I had torrid time due to lost rigs and fish to the line of reeds.

On arrival at my peg the wind was blowing into it and I quite fancied it, however I wasn’t sure how it would fish as its usually the toughest of the 2 lakes at Whiteposts.

As the swim was no deeper 2ft, I only set up 3 pole rigs, 1 to fish paste down both margins, another paste rig to fish at 8m, a meat rig and finally a method rod just in case.

On the all-in I fed some micros and 4mm pellet down by a lily bed to my right and the reeds to my left. Whilst that settled, I started on meat at 8m, but didn’t have a bite after 10mins, before I noticed the bottom being churned up by the lillies. First put in on paste (U-Zit GLM & Crushed Expander) by the lillies quickly produced my first fish. Another followed soon after before the swim went quiet.

Back on the meat, I hooked 2 carp and lost them both, so I switched to feeding pellet and fishing paste instead, as I felt it would sit better in a skimming breeze.

After an hour I had 6 carp for about 18lb and looking down the lake not much was being caught, confirming my thoughts that this would be a tough match.

After 3hrs I was up to 70lb, rotating between the 2 margin swims and the 8m line. However, the following 2hrs the lake just shut down, as I couldn’t catch over any of my swims. I even set up a new swim to fish meat and cast the method to the far bank but never had a bite.

In the end I had to go longer down the left bank catching a further 6 carp all on paste.

On the all-out I was fairly sure I had the won the section, which I did as 2^nd weighed 62lb. As it happened, I won the lake. As expected, the top weights all came from Hillview.

1.    250-14 – Jason Crump – p54

2.    203-14 – Malcolm Fowler – p39

3.    186-12 – James Bowen – p37

4.    178-  6 – Paul Smith – p40

5.    171-14 – Andrew Palmer – p42

6.    164-14 – Simon Stacey – p46   

30/04/25 - Todber - Hillview

Weight - 190lb 14oz

Catch - 62 Carp, 3 Carassio, 1 Bream

Weather - Cold start, sunny with a cool breeze

Match - Open (26 fished) - 4th overall, 2nd in section

I decided to jump onto this open ably run by Andy Weston to get back in tune with the venue with the Garbolino qualifier next month. Also c. 5000lb had been removed from the lake and it would be interesting to see how this had affected the fishing, but I was looking forward to getting a few bites.

 
With 26 booked in drawing a peg with space would be ideal and I was pleased to draw p60, as it’s a peg I’ve never drawn and p61 wasn’t in. The only concern was the wind, which was blowing into the other end of the lake and later in the match the wind turned quite cold.
 
As p60 is probably the best feeder peg on the lake, I started on a small method, loaded with bubblegum micros and a 6mm orange wafter, whilst I primed by short line with meat.
 
Dave Brittian to my left on p59 got off to a flyer catching short on pellet and was 3 or 4 fish ahead of me after 15 minutes. I decided to stick with the feeder, hoping Dave would slow down and after 2hrs I probably had 80lb in the net, but I still felt I was behind Dave.
 
Although I was still catching on the feeder, I was concerned the average stamp of fish was smaller than those Dave was catching. I had maintained my feeding over my short line (3+2), but when I switched, I couldn’t catch nearly as well as expected and ended up fishing shorter at 2+2, but I never felt I got this right.
 
Fortunately resting the feeder line had helped as I kept catching and then started my margins with meat and micros.
 
In the end I started catching better stamp fish down the right margin on meat, only switching back to the feeder when I needed to rest the swim.
 
The last 45mins slowed down which necessitated a move to fish longer down the margin, which resulted in a few extra fish, which meant I managed to overhaul Dave’s early lead.
 
Come the weigh in I was pleased to finish 4^th overall, picking up the section money. The top 3 all came from the windward end of the lake. It was also nice to feed some bait, feeding 3 tins of meat and 2pts of micros.
 

1.    288-  2 – Rich Butler – p54
2.    232-  4 – Fred Roberts – p50
3.    227-  8 – Rich Yeo – p49
4.    190-14 – Ken Rayner – p60
5.    179-12 – Tim Martin – p55
6.    177-  4 – Nigel Purchase – p51

 

 

18/01/25 - Todber Manor - Hillview

Weight - 148lb 8oz

Catch - 46 Carp

Weather - Cold and cloudy

Match - Open (20 fished) - 2nd overall

Mark Poppleton ran another open and it was a full house with 20 anglers. Like everyone, I wanted to avoid drawing in the 30s and was very pleased to end up on p54.

On the all-in I started on the lead and bread, as 2 weeks ago p55 came 2^nd catching mostly on the lead. I didn’t have any bites, but did have some liners and thought the fish may already be over my 13m pole line which I fed with micros and corn.

Switching to the pole was extremely frustrating as I struggled to get a proper bite, only landing 1 carp and losing 4. The peg is one of the deepest on the lake and I just felt the fish were hovering above the feed. In the meantime, I could see p52 & p53 down the arm of the lake catching well and Phil Hardwick on p55 had also caught a few long on the deck. I kept pinging pellet over the 13m line and did try it later in the match but I still couldn’t catch.

After an hour I only had 1 carp in the net, before switching to the left-hand bush at 11m, fishing at the bottom of the shelf where I had been pinging 7mm meat (flavoured in Uzit A-Krill cloud). By toss potting meat with some bubblegum micros, I had 8 fish very quickly to put me back in the race.

Over the next 3hrs I added a further 30 fish. Come the last hour the left-hand swim was slowing up and I felt I needed to have a good last hour to catch Dan Squires on p52 and Tim Martin on p50.

I started feeding meat at 2+2 and caught a few better stamp fish. I also dumped a cup of micros and meat down the right margin. Half an hour later it started clouding up and 5 fish in the last 15mins proved very handy.

I must admit it was nice to catch a few fish, particularly after last month’s struggles.

1.    171-12 – Dan Squires – p52

2.    148-  8 – Ken Rayner – p54

3.    107-  2 – Tim Martin – p50

4.      96-  8 – Dave Brittian – p60

5.      72-14 – Sean Taylor – p53

6.      64-  0 – Mark Poppleton – p57

04/01/25 - Todber - Hillview

Weight - 71lb 8oz

Catch - 21 Carp

Weather - Overcast and cold. Breezy later

Match - Open (14 fished) - 6th overall

There were 14 of us for today’s Open run by Mark Poppleton. After a severe frost on Thursday night and a less severe frost last night no one was sure how the lake would fish, but more importantly the lake hadn’t frozen as the ambient water temperature was still high enough.

I wasn’t overly enthusiastic about drawing peg 51, halfway down the arm, as it can be a bit hit or miss in the winter and last week it didn’t fish well.

On the all-in I started on the straight lead and bread around various areas of the swim, but never had a bite in the first 30mins. Rob McCann to my right had 1, as did Adrian Drew on p49.

10mins after switching to the pole at 13m where I had fed bubblegum micros with some corn, pinging 4mm bubblegum pellet over top, with corn on the hook I caught my first fish. It was slow going but at least I was catching and by the halfway point I was up to 10 fish.

Adrian was slightly ahead of me, whilst Dave Brittan and Michael ‘Ginge’ Hall on p54 & p55 had both been catching quite well.

The next 90mins was very slow, as I only managed a couple of carp on the lead & bread. I had started feeding meat at 2+2 and micros and maggot just off the margins, but I had no bites until the last hour when I had 8 carp from the short meat line.

At the weigh in I beat Adrian and Rob, whilst I couldn’t beat Dave and Ginge as they took advantage of a ball of fish in the corner.

Despite the freezing weather, the fishing overall was pretty good.

1.    143-  0 – Tim Hadland – p48

2.    100-  0 – Michael Hall – p55

3.      91-  0 – Tony Gilbert – p38

4.      87-  0 – Mark Wynne – p46

5.      80-  0 – Dave Brittan – p54

28/12/24 - Todber Manor - Hillview

Weight - 129lb 5oz

Catch - 43 Carp, 4 Roach, 1 Perch

Weather - Grey, overcast and cold.

Match - Open (11 fished) - 5th overall

After a tough month of not catching a lot, I decided to fish todays open to get a few bites and looking at yesterdays result the bulk of the fish appeared in front of pegs 58 & 56 which were first and second with 486lb (Martin Rogers) & 446lb (Jack Stamp) respectively.

I wasn’t disappointed to draw p48 and speaking to Lee Jan who drew it yesterday, he weighed 262lb for 4^th mostly catching down the margin on maggot over micros.

I started at 4m on 6mm bubblegum pellet over 6s. After 45mins I had 11 fish and looking around it seemed to be on par with everyone else. I had an early look down my margin, but had no bites and my short pellet line was now fading.

As there were fish boshing by the island, I tried fishing the method, hooking 4 fish, but only netting 2 and by the end of the second hour I had added not a lot as I chopped and changed. In hindsight I was trying to force the peg too much, expecting 200lb+, when the fish weren’t really having it.

I wasn’t the only one struggling and decided to change tact slightly. I set up a new line at 10m, feeding 4mm pellet, instead of 6s and started catching again, but just as I thought I was lining a few up, the swim faded again. Fortunately, the margin swim started to show signs of life where I caught for the last 90mins fishing dead maggot over micros, although the last 15mins the fish had backed off.

Overall, the lake fished harder than yesterday, and I didn’t get my feed right and should have fished a different match, but at least I caught a few fish which was welcome.

1.    237-  0 – Tony Gilbert – p44

2.    184-14 – Alfie Rhodes – p54

3.    157-  2 – Adrian Drew – p49

02/12/23 - Todber Manor - Ash

Weight - 21lb 8oz

Catch - 6 Carp

Weather - Overnight frost. Freezing fog all day

Match - Christmas Open (50 fished) - 6th in section out of 12

50 of us at Todber for their Christmas match across Hillview, Homeground and Ash. To be honest I wanted to avoid Ash, as I felt the other 2 lakes were likely to fish better, based on last week’s match. Therefore, I was disappointed to see Ash 67 staring back at me and the general feeling was I would be on the edge of the fish, with p69-75 likely to best area.

Despite the heavy frost there was only a little bit of ice around which was a relief and meant the ice breaker stayed in the car.

On the all-in I cast the lead and bread to the far bank without success. So, after 15mins I came onto the pole at 14m where I tapped in some micros and fished corn over the top and again no bites. In fact, very little was being caught, therefore I decided on a complete change of tactic and quickly set up a maggot feeder, cast 5m off the far bank for 45mins but again no bites. I even tried the pole and maggot at 16m, which at least produced a bite, but lost a large skimmer as the elastic had frozen in the top kit.

A few fish were now being caught to my right, but very little to my left. After 2hrs I eventually caught my first carp on the maggot feeder, quickly followed by another on double maggot sprayed with Uzit P-Nut.

In the last 90mins I had 4 more fish, 2 on the maggot feeder, then 2 more on the straight lead and corn.

I was definitely at the wrong end of the lake today as P62 & p63 both blanked which included Pete Upperton, Ash Tomkins managed one carp 30mins from time, so really hard. The further you moved up the lake, the better the weights, with only 58lb needing to win the lake, so well done to Simon Stacey who caught on the lead and bread.

Despite not getting above freezing all day the fishing was excellent on the other 2 lakes. I didn’t hang around for the prizes and got a surprise text from Mark when I got home to say I picked up £30 for 3^rd in the section super pool.

1st: Pemb Wrighting 242lb 6oz (78 HG)

2nd: Martin Rogers 236lb 0oz (49 HV)

3rd: Gary O'Shea 214lb 10oz (87 HG)

4th: Mark Poppleton 214lb 4oz (58 HV)

5th: Roger Hayton 207lb 6oz (48 HV)

Section A: Pete Neate 204lb 12oz (47 HV)

Section B: Adam Tester 166lb 4oz (55 HV)

Section C: Simon Stacey 58lb 6oz (74 ASH)

Section D: Tony Gilbert 157lb 0oz (84 HG)

25/11/23 - Todber Manor - Hillview

Weight - 253lb 0oz

Catch - 78 Carp

Weather - Hard overnight frost. Bright, sunny and flat

Match - Open (28 fished) - 13th overall

Only the one match this weekend. I settled on Todber’s open, which Mark Poppleton had organised and pay-outs would be based on sections only. As a result, 30 had booked in over Hillview and Ash (although 2 dropped out) and it would also serve a practice for next weeks Christmas match.

I was happy enough with p54 and following the first hard frost of the year, combined with bright flat conditions I was expecting it to be hard going, targeting 150-200lb as a winning weight.

As I didn’t expect to catch short, I started on the lead and bread, but after 5mins p49 already had 2 carp in the net by fishing short and other anglers were also catching in the same way!

I soon switched to fishing at 13m tapping in 4mm Uzit p-nut pellets, pinging pellet over the top. Due to the conditions, I expected those that started short to only catch a few fish before having to move out longer.

As it happened those fishing short kept catching and I probably stayed on the 13m line too long, however after 45mins I started catching at a better rate than those around me so decided to stick at 13m (still hoping those catching short would soon stop), with corn being better than pellet, until the line slowed up at the end of the 2^nd hour.

The remaining 3hrs I spent down each margin, starting down the left on 6mm meat soaked with Uzit bubblegum yellow dye and then double corn over 2mm Uzit p-nut pellets to my right.

In the last 2 hours I probably had 120/130lb and felt I had caught up with those around me, although I could see anglers further down the lake catching much better. I had beaten all the pegs opposite on the spit and peg 55 beat me by a pound, however all the better weights were further down the lake.

It was ridiculous how well the lake fished and in hindsight I should have fished shorter and probably caught 300lb. It will be interesting to see whether it will fish this well next week as a cold week is forecast with the prospect of sleet later in the week.

1.   547-  0 – Perry Stone – p48

2.    512-14 – Pemb Wrighting – p60

3.    448-  4 – Adam Burrow – p42

4.    428-  2 – Rob McCann – p47

5.    388-  4 – Greg Welsby – p34

26/07/23 - Todber - Hillview

Weight - 440lb

Catch - 124 Carp, 1 Roach

Weather - Warm, sunny start, rain later.

Match - Garbolino Clubman Qualifer (75 fished) - 6th Overall, 2nd in section

I have to say the qualifying criteria or name of the Garbolino Clubman competition probably needs reviewing, as its not strictly a ‘clubman’ competition as there were several ‘open’ anglers, including myself fishing. My view is I’m not good enough to compete in the Fisho or Maver qualifiers as there are so many other really good anglers who are able to fish much more regularly than me and this competition is at least a chance to compete in a national competition.
 
To qualify for the Barston final I needed to win my section and I was more than happy to draw with p48, with my section running from p48 to p54. However, Dave Wilmott turned up on p49 and it’s usually very close between us when we fish Ivy House, although he has beaten me on the last few occasions, particularly on Heron lake.
 
After my 2 practice matches, I had a plan of attack in mind, which revolved around paste. I could have gone down the pellet route, which if the venue fished exceptionally and over 500lb was needed would be quicker. However, I have a lot of confidence fishing paste and based on recent results felt confident of doing well on it and felt if I got it right 25 fish per hour was possible. So that was my target.
 
On the all-in I started at 2+1, but soon came back to 1+1 when I realised, I wasn’t fishing where I plumbed up! After an hour I had 24 fish despite having a 10min spell where I was foul hooking fish, losing 5 on the bounce, so I cut back on the feed (6mm pellet) which was much better. I also trashed 2 rigs that snapped around the eye, which also slowed me down.
 
Going into the 2^nd hour I started down the margins, alternating left and right on a top kit plus a short no.3. Again, I had periods where I suffered from foul hookers, but when I got the feed right or even stopped feeding altogether, I got bites instantly and by the halfway point was up to 75 fish.
 
The 4^th hour proved to be a struggle as I couldn’t get a clean bite and got more foul hookers. Switching to fishing off the end of my keepnets during the final hour produced another 30 carp to finish with 124.
 
Come the all out I had got through 7-8pts of paste and less than 2pts of pellet.
 
I was the first to weigh in our section and 440lb was a PB 5hr match weight and also very briefly the record Clubman match record, so really happy. Dave was next and he had the same number of nets. With his last net Dave needed 58lb and so far his biggest net was 55lb, however he saved the best to last to weigh 64lb and 446lb in total, beating me by 6lb.
 
Well done to Dave, but I must admit I was gutted to miss out by such a tight margin. I was also 1 out of picking up in the main frame, as 620lb won the match. There were 3x 500lbs and Dave was 5^th, which meant I at least picked up the section money by default.
 
On reflection you start thinking about what I should have done different. To be honest I was annoyed to have 2 lost fish because of the line snapping around the float eye during the first hour, as it shouldnt have happened. I also lost a few fish and should have switched swims a little sooner than I did. That said, Dave lost a few fish and had problems with foul hookers, so its all swings and roundabouts. 

 

22/07/23 - Todber - Homeground

Weight - 250lb 2oz

Catch - 70 Carp, 2 Roach, 1 Catfish

Weather - Wet & windy

Match - Open (14 fished) - 5th overall

Back to Todber for a final practice before Wednesday’s Garbolino qualifier and we were all on Homeground. With the forecast for wet and windy weather I was hoping to be able to park behind my peg, but instead drew p86, 1 away from where I was last Wednesday.

As soon as we started setting up the rain started and stayed with us throughout the whole match, so an uncomfortable day for everyone.

I started on the paste at 2+2 and struggled to get going, catching only 16 fish in the first hour, which set the tone for the rest of the match.

I don’t think I have sworn so much in a match for a long time, due to rig failures, and trashing 5 rigs for various reasons and I’ve never had so many foul hookers either.

My margins produced the majority of my fish again on paste, but they just wouldn’t settle for long.

Unlike Wednesday I decided to try pellet and soon trashed that rig when I pulled out of a foulhooker. Fortunately, I had a few on meat, before having to go back out to my 2+2 line on paste, even catching a mini catfish, a number of which have been caught recently from the lake.

It’s a bit mad to say that I struggled having weighed 250lb, but it is all comparative. The top 4 all came from the pegs with space, so in hindsight I didn’t do as badly as I thought, but I would really welcome a ‘proper’ flyer, particularly on Wednesday.

1.    415-  6 – Jack Stamp – p82

2.    382-14 – Ash Tomkins – p89

3.    368-  6 – Mark Cannings – p83

4.    324-  6 – Martin Rodgers – p91

5.    250-  2 – Ken Rayner – p86

19/07/23 - Todber - Homeground

Weight - 308lb 12oz

Catch - 91 Carp, 1 Skimmer, 1 Roach

Weather - Warm & sunny

Match - Open (12 fished) - 3rd overall

As I’m due to fish the Garbolino clubman next week, I decided some practice was required as I haven’t fished here for a while. Today was about sorting out my elastics and rigs, and then on Saturday I plan to put into practice what I have learned, before the main match on Wednesday.

We were all on Homeground and I drew p85, not ideal as the wind was blowing into the corner of 76 and 91. I had intended to fish pellet (and set up rigs), however when speaking to a couple of anglers in the car park it was mentioned that paste was working. Therefore, I decided to fish to my strengths and see whether I could catch quickly enough on paste.

It would be an interesting comparison as Jason Crump (p86) would be fishing pellet, although he started on meat, which in hindsight he admitted was a mistake and could have cost him 3^rd place, and Sean Coleman (p84) who was also fishing paste.

Plumbing up I decided to focus on 3 areas, 2+2, 1+2 off the end of keepnets and my right margin which plumbed up nicely with a 2ft of water, tight to the bank.

The first hour I got off to flyer catching 25 carp at 2+1, despite me nearly buggering it up by feeding too much. After an hour this line was slowing, so I tried fishing shorter which didn’t work and then down my margin which got going eventually. Consequently, my catch rate slowed before picking up again and by the halfway stage (2.5hr) I was up to 50 carp.

The right margin proved to be really good as I got a bite within seconds of the paste hitting the deck and kept it going by feeding 4s every time I hooked fish, but it didn’t last as it slowed up with an hour remaining.

I had kept feeding my short line as a backup which didn’t produce as expected. I tried the left-hand margin which was shallower than the right without too much success. To kick start my swims I introduced micros which killed the margins. In the end I resorted to trying my 2+2 line, before the fish finally returned down my right margin. It was also noticeable the stamp of fish was getting smaller; I suspect due to a slight shift in the wind which meant it became flatter in front of me.

As I struggled in the last hour, I fell short of what I should have had, although I did pick up a few ideas for next time. As expected Pemb won and Simon was 2^nd, so I was more than happy to pick 3^rd place, behind those 2.

Comparing my approach with others, I think the weather forecast for the coming week might help me as there is likely to be less emphasis on shallow fishing and hopefully paste will be the way to go if it turns into a low weight affair, well low weight by Todber standards.

1.    390-  8 – Pemb Wrighting – p88

2.    373-  8 – Simon Stacey – p89

3.    308-12 – Ken Rayner – p85

4.    258-  6 – Sean Coleman – p84

14/05/23 - Todber - Whiteposts

Weight - 82lb 4oz

Catch - 22 Carp, 1 Roach

Weather - Foggy start, mostly cloudy and sunny later

Match - Wiltshire Angling Open (7 fished) - 3rd overall

Only the one match this weekend and as I write this blog I realise I forgot to write about last weeks match at Ivy House, which to be honest was quite forgettable coming 8^th out of 11 on a very wet day.

I was also supposed to fish a pairs match at Ivy House on the Monday; however, Mark messaged me Sunday morning saying a reoccurring shoulder injury meant he couldn’t fish. I could have got another partner, but to be honest the weather wasn’t looking great for Monday, whilst Sunday was warm and sunny. As it was too late to book in anywhere, I decided to fish the afternoon/evening at my club water, fishing Merritts Lake hoping to catch some units. Well, I caught 17 fish for 189lb, mugging a few early fish before catching on 8mm meat down my margin, including a PB of 20lb 2oz.

When I booked into this match, I expected both lakes to be in, however when I turned up there were only 7 of us, all on the top lake. At least we would have plenty of space, but I was disappointed to draw end peg 12, a boom or bust peg.

As I was setting up, I realised I forgotten my tip rod and waterproofs, so thanks to Pete for lending me a rod and Phil who had a spare bib & brace. 

I fished this peg last year and struggled and thought today might be a repeat, particularly as the westerly breeze was blowing right to left down to the other end of the lake.

At the start I fed some meat at 3+2 and micros down the end bank. Whilst that settled, I started on the method to the far bank with a 6mm wafter and soon netted a carp. With no further bites I switched to the 3+2 line where I caught 7 carp over the next hour and then nothing for an hour.

I tried down the end bank which produced a single roach, and another try on the feeder didn’t produce, which confirmed my fears about the peg.

In the meantime, I saw Banger on p8 catching on paste and with nothing happening I set up a paste rig to fish at 11m. Fortunately this line proved to be quite productive, although I had a few hook pulls at the net, which suggested the fish weren’t really feeding confidently.

Back on my meat line proved fruitless, so I converted this to a paste line reasoning I would catch quicker, but it never happened so I had to go back out to 11m.

I had hoped my margin would kick into life, but the fish just wouldn’t settle regardless of whether I fed groundbait, micros, meat or any combination. I eventually caught 2 on paste and speaking to others hardly anyone caught down the margins. 

82lb was a little more than I expected, and 3^rd was better than expected on what turned out to be a tricky day.

1.    112-10 – Pete Neate – p3

2.      97-14 – Banger – p8

3.      82- 4 – Ken Rayner – p12

11/02/23 - Todber - Hillview

Weight - 105lb

Catch - 38 Carp

Weather - Sunny with cloudy periods. Light breeze

Match - Open (26 fished) - 8th overall

No fishing last weekend, so I was keen for a double header this weekend, although more heavy frosts during the week would probably mean wherever I went it was going to be tricky. In the end I decided to go to Todber and 26 of us all on Hillview.

P59 for me and a good winter area especially with p58 out of action due to a dodgy platform.

Starting on the straight lead and meat I had a good first hour catching 10 carp for about 25lb, with 8mm red meat being the best.

After an hour the swim was slowing and I switched to the 14.5m line where I had been pinging pellet, however this was slower than expected and the stamp of fish was on the small side. To be honest I wasn’t happy with my 6mm pellet, as I left my normal pellet at home and felt the ones I was using were too light.

Wynner next to me on p60 and Nick Veale on p57 were also struggling. At the halfway point Wynner started pinging pellet to the island to make something happen and shortly afterwards had a good run of fish on the lead and meat to overtake me. In the meantime, I was struggling. I started pinging meat over the lead line and had a few fish, but it didn’t last and Wynner was back to struggling for bites.

I had fed a short meat line and managed 8 carp in the last hour, but again it was slow going.

In the end I was disappointed not to have weighed more and Wynner beat me by 20lb to take the section money. In hindsight I wonder whether I should have stuck to fishing the lead and just be patient rather than trying to make something happen on the pole.

1. 249-10 - Craig Edmunds - p49

2. 175-  2 - Mark Poppleton - p54

3. 152-14 - Jack Stamp - p53

4. 136-  0 - Gary O'Shea - p56

5. 127-  8 - Mark Wynne - p60