Willow Park Fishery. Big Lake. April 6th, 2003.

Hawthorne AC club match.

5.55am “RING RING” “It’s Malc, I’m downstairs ,where are you?”“OH GOODNESS IS THAT THE TIME !%*$$$*!!!! YOU GET OFF AND I’LL MEET YOU THERE “

Not the best start to the final club match of the season, so a mad charge round gathering up all the kit and chucking it in the car for the 40 mile trip to Willow Park at Ash Vale, just outside Guildford.
A quick phonecall to the chairman to let him know I’m on my way and to get him to draw for me.

Pulling into the car park just in time to find everyone making their way to their pegs I’m told that I have drawn peg 71 on the bungalow bank of the Main Lake. Now the Main Lake isn’t used much for matches anymore as the carp have grown rather large, much more the territory of the “Boilie & Bivvy Brigade”

As usually befits a Hawthorne match the weather that had been nice and springlike in the SE for the last fortnight, had transformed into a dull grey overcast day with a biting cold North wind that had dropped the temperature more than a couple of degrees.



Well running late and trying to play catchup, I quickly set up my feeder rod with a groundbait feeder so that I would have something to fish with at the start.
What I really wanted to do though was go at it with the pole, as there wasn’t a lot of colour in the water, and I had a feeling that it would be hard, so it was soon out with the pole and a quick plumb up revealed a nice flat area 8ft deep at about 11mtrs.

Now bearing in mind that it was the last match of the season and with everything decided clubwise I decided to attack it, so 6 big balls of Sensas Crazybait Black with a good helping of casters & hemp went in on this line to fish caster or red maggot over the top of it.

Well after about 40mins the first 6oz skimmer was netted and a steady stream of these,along with a couple of better examples continued throughout the whole match.
Four of the lads had close encounters with rather large carp during the course of the day, but the score ended Carp 4-0 Anglers.  Come the end of the match I put 26lbs 10ozs on the scales, which was only beaten by Paul (the club champ) on the end-peg putting 43lbs 2ozs on the scales for 1st place.

So that’s it for another season of club matches, just the 2nd round of the Supercup to be fished on the 27th.
It’s been a good season for the club though with a total of 5122lbs 13ozs being weighed-in during the 17 matches, an average of just over 300lbs per match, with an average of 17 anglers attending each match.