Hartleylands Farm Fishery. Nick’s Lake. December 29th, 2006.

After yesterdays trip to Monk Lakes with the lads I had a pint of maggots to use up.
Well to be honest I’d forgotten them the day before and left them in the fridge.

The weather today had definitely taken a turn for the worst, with a drop in temperature, rain and a fair bit more wind. I was in two minds whether to go but had the car loaded and set off around 10·30am. The venue today was to be Hartleylands Farm, with The Reservoir and 6 other lakes and ponds there is always somewhere on the fishery where you can tuck yourself away from the worst of the weather and catch a few fish.

Arriving at around noon I had a look round and decided to fish Nick’s lake, settling on peg 35 for no other reason than it was only 10 yards from the car, meaning I could leave the rod bag and carryall in the car and save them getting soaked.

Just the 1 top kit with white Hydro was set up allowing me to fish at the bottom of the shelf about 5 feet from the bank into around 3ft of water. In summer the fish will come in closer on top of the shelf, but with the fall in water temp and a bit of colour dropping out I didn’t feel it would be a goer.

The main line would be to my left at around 10mtrs with a throwaway straight in front just fishing the top 2. A pinch of maggot, fed every few minutes with double maggot on an 18 completed the picture for the session.

A quick chat with Dave on the phone cheered me up when he revealed that those on the MD’s Fur & Feather up at Lindholme were experiencing even colder and windier conditions.

Sport was pretty continuous throughout the session, I rarely had to wait more than 60 seconds for a bite, with a succession of Roach, Rudd and Skimmers coming to hand interspersed with the odd pastie Carp. Every time I tried the top 2 line it was a bite every 5 seconds from the hordes of Pongo’s that had settled in…………

With the light starting to fade and the weather closing in once more it was time for just one last put in down the left hand side.
Sure enough the float slid away once more, only this time there was rather a lot of white Hydro streaming out!!!!!
A couple of minutes later the culprit surfaced and showed itself as it slid into the waiting landing net……

an absolutely glorious Mirror of around 6lbs+, the perfect way to end my fishing for 2006, making me glad I had forgotten those maggots the day before.

Monk Lakes. Match Lake 2. December 28th, 2006.

Off down to Monk Lakes today to meet up with a few lads from the Maggotdrowning site. Overcast skies but a really mild 10°C on the way down held the promise of a few fish to be had.
8·45 in the car park and Nick and Tony had arrived, shortly followed by Dave(The Fish) and Colin. Vince had already told me that he would be arriving late and a quick chat with Ron the bailiff had ensured we could use keepnets for what was to be a light hearted knock up.

Making our way over to Lake 2 we passed the heavy plant that is in the process of re-excavating the old catfish lake to a deeper depth. Parking up we decided to fish the closest pegs which included the corner flyer, peg 45. We had an impromptu draw to ensure fairness and Colin ended up with the flyer, then Nick, myself, Dave and Tony. We decided Vince could tag onto the end as penance for late arrival.

A leisurely tackle up session interrupted only by Nick moaning that the cold wind was blowing towards him and why couldn’t he fish the opposite bank so the wind was off his back and there were fish topping over there, finally came to an end when Nick swung in a Gudgeon that had hung itself on his hook that was already baited.

Most of us has settled for the pole, though Nick had set up a waggler as well. Colin was soon into a fish……
……. as was Nick, while the rest of us we a little slower off the mark.

15 minutes in and Vince arrived and was soon set up and fishing…

…..Tony has started to get a few but was having to chop and change baits in an effort to keep the bites coming.

I was having a bit of a struggle, having wasted a bit to much time trying to catch close in, before moving out to 9mtrs and alternating baits to start catching with any regularity.
Dave’s arthritis was giving him a bit of jip in the cool conditions, but by fishing short and sticking at it, he was still managing to put a few together.
The beauty of the match lakes at Monk is the wide variety of fish that are stocked, Carp, F1′s, Barbel, Chub, Ide, Orfe, Tench(Green & Golden) Bream and Perch amongst the species on offer.

Colin and Nick appeared to have the bulk of fish in front of them, with Colin always seeming to have the edge, though we were all catching if not as regularly as the dynamic duo.

About 3·30 we decided to call it a day as the sun started to set…

Dave had brought the scales so a quick weigh in was done……

Vince managed 17lbs.

Tony had a creditable 49lbs.

Dave put 28lbs on the scales.

My net came to 41lbs.

Nick had 59lbs, 10lbs of that caught while we were weighing the rest in.

Finally Colin was the star of the day with a tremendous 118lbs!!!!!
(Only part of which is in the photo.) Doing justice to the flyer.

So farewells made and Happy New Years wished, we packed up for the day. Over 300lbs of fish between the 6 of us, plenty of good natured banter and great company had made for another good day.
Must do it again sometime (as if we really need an excuse).

Rockells Farm. Saffron Walden. Essex. December 10th, 2006.

Marsh AC. Christmas Match.

Well after 10 weeks without wetting a line I had received an invitation to join Dave (The Fish) Collier and the members of Marsh AC on their Christmas match at Rockell’s Farm. I had heard some good reports about the venue and duly arranged to meet Dave at the services at junction 8 on the M11 at 7·30am.

A heavy frost greeted me as I loaded the car, matching the first one of the year that had arrived on Saturday morning, and the drive up saw the temp refuse to rise above 0°C which didn’t bode well.

Now Dave had only returned the previous day from a Caribbean Cruise so may have been disorientated, but even with his sat-nav managed to take the wrong turn out of the services and lead us back towards London.

Arriving nearer to 8·30 than the planned 8am welcomes were soon exchanged with familiar faces amongst the others that had been invited including 4 of the lads from the GOT Baits Squad (Gary, Keith, Vic & Phil aka Madd) and Terry Goff aka Wily Coyote (a fellow MD’er).
Due to our late arrival the pegging was carried out in a bit of a rush prior to the draw, but a bit of misunderstanding ensued that put a spanner in the works, and although it was finally resolved, it did make things a bit rushed for the start of the match as peg numbers had to be shuffled.

I ended up pegged between Keith and Madd, and just set up a pole to fish at around 6mtrs into around 4ft of water and down the left bank around 2½ft deep.
Bait for the day was corn and pellet, though in hindsight I should have set up a bomb rod to fish to the island at around 30yds.

The heavy frost had started to knock the colour out of the water, and for me it never happened, not a single bite.
Keith and Madd however both managed to get among a few fish, Keith ending up in 1st place with 7 carp for 22½lbs.

while Madd took 8 carp for 20¾lb and 2nd overall
which had the effect of leaving me feeling like a bit of Cod (Battered both sides).

A peg draw in the car park after the match saw everyone getting a prize and these were boosted by a generous donation of goodies from Trev and Gary of GOT Baits, ensuring that everyone went home with a prize.

So not the best of days for me, but still great just to be back out on the bank in good company after a bit of a lay-off.
Thanks again to the lads from Marsh AC, I look forward to fishing with you again, though hopefully I’ll put a few fish in the net next time.

Holly Farm Fishery. Trotters Lake. September 30th, 2006.

Disabled Angler.co.uk Charities Championship. The Final.

Saturday 30th September 2006 saw 38 qualifying anglers along with family, friends and helpers descend on Holly Farm Fishery situated just outside the village of Ashby Magna in Leicestershire for the Final of the Disabled Angler.Co.Uk Charities Championship 2006 to be fished on Trotters Lake. 1st order of the day for most on arrival was breakfast served up by Rita and her staff in the excellent onsite Café, before booking in and parting with their pools money under the eagle eye of Bucko, whereupon Linda parted them from yet more cash for the after match raffle. Thankfully the weather for the day promised to be a vast improvement from the previous day when the area had been hit by torrential rain for most of the day, however all that water into the lakes would probably have an effect on sport on the day. 9·30am and the draw saw anglers dispersing to their pegs, some more eagerly than others to prepare for the 11am all in. 11am and with a few anglers landing fish on their 1st casts, things were looking good, but alas for most sport didn’t continue at anything like that pace. A couple of hours in and it was becoming obvious that most were working hard for very little reward, with each fish being hard won. Just to put a further damper on things the rain then arrived, but thankfully after about an hour abated. What fish were being caught appeared to be coming from the first twenty pegs, while most of the rest struggled on with just the odd fish. 4pm brought the all out, and while everyone managed to avoid the dreaded DNW, the weights it has to be said weren’t the greatest ever recorded. With their gear packed away, everyone assembled back in the clubhouse for an after match meal prior to the prize giving and raffle. With everyone fed and watered it was time for the prizegiving, and it was lovely to see Steve Bishop in attendance to present the prizes. For those of you who aren’t aware Steve is the main sponsor of Disabled Angler.co.uk through his company BR Electrical, so a big vote of thanks is due to Steve. First off was the presentation of the medals for the team event which this year was won by the boys that qualified at Lindholme Lakes. Next it was the turn of the section winners on the day. Finally down to the main frame and in 3rd place it was D Ribbons……… In 2nd place overall and Disabled Champion for 2006 was Wayne Panting. while in 1st place overall and Non-Disabled Champion 2006 was Bob Reed. We than found time for a surprise presentation of a silver salver to John & Linda, by way of thanks for all the time and effort that they put into the organisation of the Charities Championship, and without which it would be impossible to run the event. Finishing off with the raffle with prizes provided by Mark Pollard (one of The Danglers patrons), Holly Farm and various individuals, brought the day to an end and a time for farewells. Thanks to Del & Rita Rogers and their staff for providing the venue and superb facilities for the Final. Thanks to all the anglers who have fished in the whole series of matches. Their efforts mean that the total being donated between Macmillan (Cancer relief) & Francis House (Children’s Hospice) stands at £ 2182, which at the end of the day is what the whole thing has been about. Very Well Done to All, Let’s do it all again next year.

This is my own individual take on the day…… Well, a restless night meant that I was up and on the road nice and early on my way up to Ashby Magna in Leicestershire for the Final of The Disabled Angler Charities Championship that was being Fished on Trotters lake at Holly Farm. A smooth trip up saw me arrive at the fishery at around 7·30am to be greeted by the smiling face of Del Rogers (The owner). A quick chat and looking round saw Stuart Joy, another Southern qualifier pulling in. Welcomes over Stuart and I went for a walk round Trotters to try and get a feel for the venue before adjourning to the clubhouse for Breakfast, where we were joined by Darren (badatfishing) and a few other early birds. Soon all the usual suspects were arriving, Lucky Wayne with his good lady Sharon and the kids in tow. Bucko and Linda ready to part us all from our cash and various other reprobates, including Vince who was looking for a 2nd victory over me to follow up his success at Lemington. All to soon it was 9·30am and draw time, 31 for me and 33 for Vince with 32 vacant meant that at least a bit of fun would be had, and after helping Wayne get his kit round to his peg I was soon setting up in preparation for the match. A small method feeder for tight across was set up, though things were tight with so many pegged closely on a tight bend. Pole for 8mtrs and the margin completed the set up for the day. 11am and all in, and 1st chuck across with the method the tip wraps round and a little Tench of maybe 1lb is soon in the net. Great Start. Unfortunately that was it, not so much as another knock or even a liner was to come my way from that line for the remainder of the match. Struggle was the least of it, with just a couple of small roach coming to the various pole lines despite trying paste (2 types) maggot, catmeat, pellet and corn at various stages. Sharon came round and I asked her to have a stroll round with my camera and try and get some action photos. It says it all for how slow sport was that she didn’t manage to capture a single fish being landed. Looking round, nearly everyone in the immediate area seemed in the same boat, though reports were filtering through of others round the other side getting a few. Vince had managed a couple of carp on the method at the start and was still getting indications, though unable to convert them to fish in the net. A couple of hours in Lucky Wayne’s better half, Sharon came round with a very welcome fresh brewed cuppa, and to be honest it looked like being the highlight of the day, as soon after it started to rain. All match long I had been trickling bait under a small bush to my right, and with a couple of hours to go decided to concentrate on it. After 10 mins something made off with the corn and there was a healthy amount of black hydro heading towards the island. 5 minutes later and I gratefully slid the net under a Carp around the 8lb mark. That was it however, despite nicking a few bits of prawn off Wayne having watched him catch late on, nothing else appeared from under that bush except another couple of small roach. Weigh-in just provided confirmation of just how hard it had been, but at least my 10lbs allowed me to edge out Lucky Wayne by a couple of ounces and double Vince’s 5lb. Back to the clubhouse for a meal and the presentations, followed by the raffle, where as usual I appeared to have every number but the winning ones. All to soon it was time for goodbyes and farewells, followed by a 3 hour drive home. All in all, not the best days fishing………but it was a great day out, in fine company. Well Done to all the Series Organisers and Competitors who over the Series raised £2182 for the respective Charities. Let’s see if we can beat that amount next year.

Hartleylands Farm Fishery, Finches Pond. September 22nd, 2006.



Having a bit of time off I was pleasantly surprised when Maria suggested I might fancy a days fishing last night, as she was going over to visit a friend today. I should have known.

After my disaster at Lemington Lakes last Saturday I really needed to catch a few just to get the confidence back, so it was off to a favourite of mine …… Hartleylands Farm.

So 8·30am brought a nudge in my back as my beloved enquired whether I was going fishing today? A peak out of the window revealed it had been pouring down all night, but a hint of sun breaking through promised better for the day ahead. By 9·15 the car was loaded and I was on my way with a clearing sky, but as I reached Tonbridge the sun had vanished and the sky was getting greyer.

I reached the fishery about 10·30 but was a little disappointed to find a match on the reservoir, so that was the first plan scuppered. A steady drizzle was starting to fall as I had a look around and a chat with a couple of anglers that had already been fishing for a couple of hours with only a couple of Carp to show for their efforts between them meant that I settled for peg 8 on Finches, sheltered amongst the trees and with a comfy 8yds to the far bank it would do for me.

Before I had even finished setting up, the rain started hammering down, so just a couple of simple rigs were set up, 1 for paste and the other for 6mm expander pellet both to be fished over 4mm pellet (all G.O.T baits) both across and in the margin to my left. Both rigs were KC Carpa 2′s on 0·16 Carpteck with Fox match series2 in a 14 for paste and a 16 for the expanders.

First put in across with paste, and 30secs later the float had buried and the black hydro stretched out and safely in the net was the first fish of the day, an nice Ghostie.
A couple of looks over with expander produced a couple of Gudgeon, so back to the paste. This was definitely what the Carp wanted with most bites coming within a minute of cupping the paste in, and the bites are nice and definite, no messing about with the float just vanishing straight down the plughole.
With the rain still pouring down I got a phone call from Dave (Webbo) about 12, and he remarked that he could hear the rain, but it was lovely in Leeds. The action that I'd been having encouraged the chap in the next but one peg down from me to come over for a chat to see what I was doing differently from him. 10 mins under the brolly showing him how to prepare expanders with a pump and explaining the basics of paste and he was off back to his peg with a box of prepared expanders to give them a go.

Back out with the paste and the rain was starting to ease, but the Carp were still there.
By 1·30 the rain has finally stopped but because I was under the trees it was still coming down on me, so a move was called for if I was ever going to get anything dried out. A quick look over the back revealed that there were only 4 anglers on Nick’s Lake, so I moved all of ten yards onto Nick’s peg 3. With nobody on the adjacent pegs it was going to be margins all the way and 1st put in on the right hand margin produced an instant bite resulting in a super common gracing the net.
The afternoon proved to be fairly hectic, I doubt if I had to wait much more than 30 secs for a bite on paste, with most being so positive that the elastic just streamed out without any need to strike, smaller fish in general than those in Finches, mostly commons but occasionally a nice example of the resident ghosties putting in an appearance.
4·30 and as I was packing away after what has been a good confidence building session Paul Ward, the owner strolled round to see how I'd done. It's always interesting to have a chat with him and he told me that he’d finished digging another new lake and is just letting it fill naturally as he’s in no hurry to stock it yet.
Packing up, thankfully almost everything has dried out and on the way out I decided to stop and have a look at the new lake……..

As you can see there’s a quite wide marginal shelf around 2-3 ft below water level and it then drops to around 6-7ft, while it just rises up to the island without a noticeable shelf.
It promises to be another decent addition to the fishery once it’s up and running, probably not until next summer though at the earliest, as Paul likes to let things settle and establish themselves before he allows fishing.