• Chalybeate Springs

    Reg Littlechild Memorial Trophy 17th November 2018 · Report by Micky Heasman


    Eight TWFFS members were able to come to Chalybeate Springs to contest the Reg Littlechild Memorial Trophy and to help raise funds for the Hospice in The Weald. Reg was a very popular member of TWFFS for many years but sadly passed away in 2013. He was a passionate supporter of the Hospice and any funds raised at this event and through the year are presented to the Hospice. Once again we are able to benefit from a matching scheme offered by Fidelity Investments. The grand total will be revealed later in the report. So now onto the competition:

    Early weather was misty with a definite chill in the air. Wind was ENE and we were in for a mostly bright clear day. After discussion with Jim and all the competitors, it was agreed that we would run the competition on a catch and release basis with a total of 6 fish to be caught and released by each angler. If an angler caught 6 fish then a time bonus would be applied. Pegs would be changed every 30 minutes. With the draw for pegs completed and tasty breakfast rolls consumed (thanks Cathy!) we were ready for the off

    Last years champ, Martyn Gray, was hoping to make it a double but from the off it was yours truly who came out of the blocks fastest with three fish on the first swim. That doesn't happen often I can tell you! But after the feast came the famine! Martyn Gray, Peter Thomason, Nick Cox and Graham Morgan-Plumb all picked up their first fish in the first few swims. Then Mark T-C came into the fray with a nice brace on the tough peg eleven. Micky H picked up his fourth fish just before lunch

    The afternoon was tough with fish proving difficult to catch. However Nick and Graham kept picking off the odd fish and suddenly we had a three-way tie for top spot! Then Nick went and spoilt the dilemma by catching a fifth fish. Could anybody sneak up on the inside rails? We were now into Mark Tremain-Coker time - Mark always catches late in the day doesn’t he? Micky H caught a fifth fish in the last but one peg - could anyone conjure a sprint finish in the last swim and snatch the trophy. Martyn Gray and Mark T-C caught one each in the last half hour to move to four! Could they catch any more to cause any excitement and challenge for the top spot? Could Nick or Micky catch a sixth and final fish? Not to be on this occasion and a close-run race came to an end

    As Nick Cox caught his fifth fish before Micky H then our Reg Littlechild Memorial trophy winner for 2018 is Nick Cox - well done Nick! Runner-up spot went to Micky Heasman

    Fund Raising for Hospice in the Weald

    A fabulous £123 was raised on the day which gets added to the TWFFS Hospice in the Weald fund-raising pot and gives us a grand total of £1037. This is a fantastic total and with matching by Fidelity Investments means that TWFFS will be presenting a cheque to the Hospice for £2074 - a fantastic effort well done to all!

    Final Results

    • 1 - Nick Cox - 5 Fish
    • 2 - Micky Heasman - 5 Fish
    • 3 - Martyn Gray - 4 Fish
    •      Mark Tremain Coker - 4 Fish
    •      Graham Morgan-Plumb - 4 Fish
    • 6 - John Hancock - 2 Fish
    • 7 - Peter Thomason - 1 Fish
    • 8 - Neil Osmond - 0 Fish

    Many thanks to all for making the day a great success

  • Duncton Mill

    27th October 2018 · Report Russell Bell


    Eight members headed down to West Sussex on the first genuinely frosty day of the year so far. The log fire in the lodge and cups of fresh coffee were especially welcome before we set up and our party split fairly evenly between the two usual lakes – Birch and Rosie's

    Birch offered the easier fishing in the morning as Ray Burt dabbled his tungsten blob in front of cruising rainbows and Sooty lodged himself and his aching back on the island

    The going on Rosie's was harder, but Micky Heasman got in early with a splendid 3lb 10oz rainbow off the first jetty. The fact that it took him almost 2 hours (!) to net on his 5 weight rod, was neither here nor there, but he was a bit exhausted after the effort!

    Three members had got their limits by lunchtime, so others had to persevere with Peter and Russell competing hard for the Brownie Shield with 50cm and 44.5cm fish respectively

    In the end the results were as follows with Martin taking the honours for best bag and Micky for best fish:

    • 1 - Martyn Gray – 4 fish - 9lb (Best 3lb)
    • 2 - John Hancock – 4 fish - 8lb 4oz (Bes t3lb 4oz)
    • 3 - Ray Burt – 4 fish - 7lb 4oz (Best 2lb 8oz)
    • 4 - Peter Thomason – 4 fish - 7lb 2oz (Best 3lb 2oz brownie)
    • 5 - Russell Bell – 3 fish - 5lb 1oz (Best 2lb brownie)
    • 6 - Micky Heasman – 2 fish - 5lb (Best 3lb 10oz)
    • 7 - Graham Morgan Plumb – 2 fish - 2lb 10oz
    • 8 - Neil Osmond – blank at agreed finishing time
  • Chalybeate Springs

    Juniors Day 23rd October 2018 · Report by Scott Benton


    Perfect conditions, a lake full of fish and 7 keen young anglers attended the juniors day at Chalybeate springs

    With casting assistance from parents and guidance on fly choice all who attended caught fish and had extremely large grins on their faces

    Cristopher (Simon's son) caught first but after a long battle the fish broke free before the net

    Eddie drew first blood catching on a green Damsel

    Tiny Ellie (One of Keith Lawrence's many) was first to catch her bag of 2 using a green Nomad Damsel with a decent fish too

    Both Scarlett (Graham Morgan Plumb's little one) and Christopher finished ahead of time followed by Eddie and James (John Deleu's grandson) little Finlay persisted through to the end and caught both his 2 in the last half an hour once he had finished eating his Chewits

    Cane finished with one fish and did a grand job on improving his casting

    The result was really tough with a draw on weight between Ellie and Christopher, and was then decided on heaviest fish

    • 1 - Ellie Lawrence - 2 fish - 4lb 6oz - Heaviest 2lb 11oz
    • 2 - Christopher Gregory - 2 fish - 4lb 6oz
    • 3 - Eddie Benton - 2 fish - 4lb 2oz

    Well done to all juniors and thank you for the support of the parents

  • Bewl Water

    Nigel Turner Trophy 29th September 2018 · Report Russell Bell


    Having reminded a couple of members that starting on a slow glass for a floating line competition wasn't the best idea, 9 members set out on a bright and calm morning

    The calmness and variable light winds proved to be a challenge throughout the day, making it very difficult to set up on consistent drifts without turning 180 degrees at some point

    Most boats headed for Chingley bank towards the dam, where fish were still to be found close to the surface and mainly in small pods which were hard to find and even harder to attract

    Results were variable in the morning with Ray Burt leading the way with 4 fish by lunchtime, caught on a Cat's Whisker and Blobs, and others catching in one's and two's

    Following a pleasant lunch and raffle with the prize kindly donated by Nick Cox, the afternoon didn’t get any easier with conditions remaining bright and the wind light and inconsistent

    Russell managed to catch up a little on Farmoor and Pink and Biscuit blobs, and was just about to start the slowest possible drift over a lively pod when a friendly member (who shall remain nameless) drove right over the top of them!!

    Mr Burt was quite happy to hear about that however, and the final results were:

    • Ray Burt - 5 fish - 10lb 12oz
    • Russell Bell - 3 fish - 6lb 4oz
    • Nick Cox - 3 fish - 5lb 13oz
    • Ian Watts - 3 fish - 5lb 12 oz
    • John Hancock - 1 fish - 2lb 14oz (biggest fish)
    • Mick Priest - 1 fish - 2lb 7oz
    • Peter Thomason - 1 fish - 1lb 12oz
    • Ray French - 0 fish
    • Alistair Garner - 0 fish
  • Draycote Reservoir

    22nd September 2018 · Report by Ray Burt


    Four members travelled up to Draycote and were met with seemingly perfect conditions - cloud cover and a light south-west wind and hopes were high after a couple of recent gruelling trips to both Grafham and Bewl. On the way up to Rainbow Corner, where the fishery staff had advised us to start, neither boat saw a rise but plenty of green algae instead . Most started with floaters or midge-tip lines and it was these that took just three fish by lunchtime - DI3 and DI5 lines being tried without success. After a short break Keith and Graham persisted in Rainbow Corner while John and Ray ventured further out to B Buoy and late in the day as the wind changed to south-east, found quite a few fish near Draycote Bank while fishing midge tip lines washing line style with a Booby on the point and Bibio Hoppers on the droppers

    At the weigh in the results were:

    • 1 - John Hancock - 5 fish - 10lb 13oz
    • 2 - Ray Burt - 4 fish - 7lb 4oz
    • 3 - Keith Lawrence - 3 fish - 6lb 4oz
    • 4 - Graham Morgan Plumb - 1 fish - 2lb 0oz
  • Bewl Water

    Pairs Cup 15th September 2018 · Report Russell Bell


    With a rod average of 0.9 for the previous weeks, Bewl was always going to struggle to attract a significant number of anglers for this event, and so it turned out on the day

    6 members came readily armed with very limited expectations, but with our normal good cheer and banter we were ready to defy all predictions of doom and gloom

    Well we were for a while ...

    Having said that, Mick Priest led the morning session with his pink versions of everything from blobs to nymphs (I’m sure there’s a mid to late life crisis going on there somewhere) and a very pleasant lunch was had as we tried to figure out whether anyone was even close to working out a method

    After lunch, the pattern continued, with most of our efforts being concentrated around the bottom of Rosemary Lane, and an unusual trend developing of one catcher and one blanker in each boat which continued until close of play

    With typical TWFFS skill and patience, we blasted through previous rod averages to attain the heady heights of 1.666 (repeated) with the final results as follows:

    • Mick Priest & Ian Watts - 4 fish 10lb 7oz (MP)
    • Russell Bell & Ray French - 3 fish 6lb 8oz (RB)
    • Peter Thomason & Nick Cox - 2 fish 4lb 12 oz (PT)

    Someone suggested that Russell had caught the biggest fish at 2lb 14oz which seems difficult to work out, but it didn’t really matter

    Congratulations to Mick and to Blanker Watts for a good result in testing conditions

  • TWWFS Midland Weekends 2018 – Part 1

    30th June Grafham Water · 1st July Pitsford Reservoir · Report by Russell Bell


    Three members and one guest began this expedition into the sweltering Midlands with a trip to Grafham

    As expected conditions were difficult, but fish were caught early in the day along North Shore with Boobies and nymphs predominating but fished very slowly or static. The main bowl towards the dam was also productive but as the day progressed, conditions got tougher as participants either boiled or poached in the sun

    With a nice fish late in the day, John Hancock led the way with 4 fish, Russell and Trevor Bourne managed 3 each and Ray French 1

    Following an excellent dinner and stay at the Worlds End in Picton (lovely pub close to Pitsford) we were joined by 3 more members for the points day. If Grafham was hard, Pitsford was granite, with few signs of fish, fewer takes and even fewer to the net

    Sticking mainly to the main bowl and the dam, with a couple of boats going dangerously near the bubbles, we soon reverted to our "4 points for a fish, 3 for a take..." method of scoring which resulted in the following finish:

    • 1 - Ian Watts - 3 fish 5.5lbs on a snake, a booby and a nymph
    • 2 - Russell Bell - 0 fish but 4 takes on dries
    • 3 - Mark Tremain Coker - 0 fish but one take on a nymph?
    • 4= Ray French - 0 fish and no takes
    • 4= John Hancock - 0 fish and no takes
    • 4= Graham Morgan Plumb - 0 fish and no takes

    Of course all of this pain was taken in great spirit, with the usual banter and allegations of spurious behaviour in the pub afterwards. Congratulations to Ian for earning maximum Championship points and well done to the rest of the party who earn 2 points each for participating

  • Bewl Water

    Corrib Cup 16th June 2018 · Report Keith Lawrence


    Five members fished this event and enjoyed a good day’s fishing. Most fish were in the surface layers and successful flies were Blobs and Boobies fished on floating lines

    A total of 29 fish were caught, giving a rod average of 5.8 and an average weight of a little over 2lb

    The results were:

    • 1 Keith Lawrence – 8 fish 17lb 5oz
    • 2 Ray Burt – 8 fish 16 lb 14oz
    • 3 Mick Priest – 7 fish 15 lb 8oz
    • 4 Dave Crouch – 6 fish 11 lb 10oz
    • 5 Alastair Garner – 0 fish
  • Farmoor II

    12th May 2018 · Report by Ray Burt


    Just three members went up to Farmoor 2. We were joined by two people from Ouse Valley and one from North Kent Flydressers to fill the three boats that were left after I had cancelled the other three. What a day was missed by those who did not come!

    The fish were feeding on buzzers in the gin clear water and were bars of silver. After checking with the fishery staff we were told that catch and release was allowed after your six fish limit. We had about sixty fish between us several in the region of 4lbs plus but had decided to kill just four and add 2lbs each for the other two of our six fish limit and not count other returned fish as was done recently at Chigboro

    The results were:

    • 1 - Ray French - 12lb 9oz
    • 2 - John Hancock - 12lb 6oz
    • 3 - Ray Burt with - 11lb 9oz
  • Chigboro

    29th April 2018 · Report Andrew Stoner


    Seven members attended this early season trip to Chigboro on the outskirts of Maldon in Essex. On arriving we were greeted by a pair of breeding swans doing what swans do at this time of year. Also, in the reeds of Rook Hall Lake, various warblers could be heard and whilst tackling up, I heard the first cuckoo of spring

    We decided to have a three-fish ticket and then catch and release. The weather was cloudy with a chilly north-easterly breeze. Mark and Ian decided to fish the windswept Rook Hall Lake and the rest of us headed to the slightly calmer Home Water. Buzzers proved to be the most productive pattern, fished on a floating line. At lunch, Ian and Ray were leading with 13 fish each and everyone had caught. A good sign when the fish were feeding was when swallows skimmed across the water to take a hatch of flies

    After lunch and a successful morning’s fishing, Ray moved to Rook Hall and caught another brace. Ian set up the "bung" for the final hour and after finding the depth at which the fish were feeding, he managed 10 fish in the last hour

    All seven anglers caught fish and we raised £15 for the Society in the raffle

    Results

    • 1 - Ian Watts
    • 2 - Andy Stoner
    • 3 - Mark Tremain-Coker
    • 4 - Micky Heasman
    • 5 - Simon Gregory
    • 6 - Ray Burt
    • 7 - Graham Morgan Plumb

    The biggest fish was landed by Andy Stoner at 3lb 5oz

  • Powdermill Reservoir, Sussex

    26th May 2018 · Report by Peter Thomason


    Nine members fished this event where each had the choice of boat or bank fishing – four electing for boats and five for the bank

    The weather was mostly sunny and warm with occasional cloud cover and a moderate but gusty wind from the north which made for awkward fishing from the dam. Good Mayfly hatches had been occurring in the previous weeks but fewer were in evidence on this trip. The four boat anglers each managed to catch their six-fish limits of hard fighting good conditioned trout. A variety of methods proved successful; Blobs fished on intermediate lines, nymphs, wet flies and dry flies fished on floating lines. The bank anglers fared less well with only four fish between the five anglers although many had fish showing interest in dry flies but not connecting

    A total of 28 fish were taken, giving a rod average of just over three per person. However, if the average is calculated for the four boat anglers it results in six per person

    The average weight was just under 2lb and the best fish of the day was caught by Bob Holland and weighed 3lb 3oz

    Despite the paucity of fish from the dam and bank, an enjoyable time was had by all at this most pleasant of reservoirs

    Results

    • 1 - Bob Holland – 6 fish 12lb 2oz
    • 2 - Ray Burt – 6 fish 11lb 9oz
    • 3 - Peter Thomason – 6 fish 11lb 4oz
    • 4 - Russell Bell – 6 fish 10lb 5oz
    • 5 - Graham Morgan Plumb – 2 fish 3lb 5oz
    • 6 - John Hancock – 1 fish 1lb 14oz
    • 7 - Micky Heasman – 1 fish 1lb 10 oz
    • Robin Starkey and James Dench were without fish but each earned 2 Championship points for participating

    The day was ended in conviviality at the nearby Queen’s Head in Sedlescombe.

  • Bewl Reservoir

    5th May 2018 · Report by Ray Burt


    Five intrepid members met at 8.30 am in the new Fishermans car park and waited for the train to arrive to take them to the fishing lodge. When this failed to arrive they made the trek to the lodge to get their tickets. After waiting for the hordes of spinners and bait fishermen to depart they were heartened to hear that a further fifteen hundred pounds weight of fish had been put in which at the average weight of 2 lb plus amounted to about seven hundred fish or slightly less than one to the acre. Conditions for the day were bright sun with a light easterly breeze and hopes were not high. At 1 pm they reconvened back at the jetty for lunch to find that the number of fish taken was five. Nevertheless they set off again and fished through to five o'clock when the weigh-in took place finding that the afternoon had fished better with another six fish taken

    The results were as follows:

    • 1 - Nick Cox - 4 fish 10lb 1oz
    • 2 - Ray Burt - 2 fish 4lb 13oz
    • 3 - Ray French - 2 fish 4lb 4oz
    • 4 - John Hancock - 2 fish 4lb 3oz
    • 5 - Dave Crouch - 1 fish 2lb 6oz

    Championship points will be added to scores already established in the TWFFS Championship table

  • Arlington Reservoir

    21st April 2018 · Report by Graham Morgan Plumb


    Six members of the Society dusted off the Factor 30 and travelled down to Arlington for the second trip of the season to the reservoir

    Following a satisfying breakfast at the Willow Cafe, fishing commenced with half the contingent turning left out of the lodge toward the bay and the remainder turning right towards the willows and beyond to the dam. Advice being provided by the old hands to the three anglers who had not fished this water before

    The weather was warm and sunny with a moderate ESE breeze veering to SE as the day wore on. This did mean that those of us who had elected to fish the bay were casting into the wind

    As the morning progressed, it became evident that the bay was not fishing as consistently as it had recently and the dam was probability the better prospect

    Lunch was taken in the sunshine outside the lodge where we were briefly joined by Bob Holland who had been fishing independently and had managed five fish. Ray Burt was leading our own party with six fish. Mickey Heasman left us at lunch for a prior appointment

    After lunch, a certain member, who shall remain nameless, headed for a part of the dam descriptively called Duffers Corner, with an alacrity of which Usain Bolt would have been proud! The remainder followed at a dignified pace more befitting serious fishermen. Buzzers were the order of the afternoon, fished more effectively by some than by others. With all anglers now fishing the dam, the banter was certainly flowing even if the fishing had slowed up but at the end of the day, everyone had caught

    The final scores on the doors were:

    • 1 – Martyn Gray – 6 Fish 10lb 14oz
    • 2 – Ray Burt – 6 Fish 9lb 10oz
    • 3 – Dave Crouch – 1 Fish 5lb 1oz
    • 4 – Micky Heasman – 2 Fish 3ib 8oz
    • 5 – Mick Priest – 1 Fish 2lb 4oz
    • 6 – Graham Morgan Plumb – 1 Fish 1lb 10oz

    The largest fish was caught by Dave Crouch at a 5lb 1oz

    The day concluded with a welcome pint at the nearby Plough public house. The consensus of the day was that Arlington was in a beautiful, peaceful location and the fishing was certainly worthy of further visits

  • Bewl Reservoir

    Dave Clarke Cup 2nd April 2018 · Report by Mark Tremain-Coker


    Seven TWFFS members fished this event:

    • James Dench
    • Ray French
    • Micky Heasman
    • Mick Priest
    • Peter Thomason
    • Mark Tremain-Coker (organiser for the event)
    • Ian Watts

    Conditions on the day were overcast accompanied by a south-east breeze with the threat of rain. The wind turned more easterly as the day went on

    Water clarity was still quite poor and rain throughout the week did not help

    We chose to get dropped off at ferry point and fish from Monty’s seat to Dunsters Bay

    The morning proved very difficult with a couple of follows and one lost fish for myself and generally the fish did not want to know. However, Ian had two fish to a DI5 and Blobs by lunch

    Lunchtime came and so did the rain. We all took cover in the nearby shelter. Well all but one of us who decided to fish on for an extra 15 minutes. Guess who?

    Only two fish for seven anglers by lunchtime reflects how difficult it was

    For the afternoon session, a couple headed for Mussel Bay and Monty’s Seat. Myself and James headed for Dunsters Bay where James informed me he'd had a couple of good pulls before lunch. With wind in our faces it was difficult but I managed two fish pulling a DI7, short leader and a single fly

    Results

    • 1 - Ian Watts – 5 fish 13lb 12oz
    • 2 - Micky Heasman – 3 fish 7lb 3oz
    • 3 - Mark Tremain-Coker – 2 fish 6lb
    • 4 - Mick Priest – 2 fish 5lb 8oz

    Ray French, James Dench and Peter Thomason did not catch but each qualified for 2 Championship points for participating

    Congratulations to Ian for coming top on a difficult day!

    A raffle was held and raised £35 for Society funds

  • Bewl Reservoir

    24th March 2018 · Report by Graham Morgan Plumb


    Seven members of the Society travelled to Bewl Reservoir for the first boat event of the season. After the initial disappointment of finding that the Waterfront Café was closed for breakfast, anticipation was high after a rather mixed opening day earlier in the week

    After drawing for boat partners, the fleet of TWFFS boats departed for the four corners of the reservoir. The day was overcast with a chill, if light, south-easterly breeze

    At the lunch time stop, tactics were swapped and it became clear that Ian Watts was showing how it should be done, with eight fish to the net. Anglers had travelled far and wide across the reservoir in an attempt to find the elusive trout. Whatever, breeze there had been in the morning had dropped to a near calm as anglers boarded their boats for the afternoon challenge

    The afternoon proceeded in much the same way as the morning with most anglers adding one or two fish to their morning tallies. The favoured flies by both anglers and trout, appeared to be Boobies fished on a variety of lines

    At the weigh in, the party was joined by James Dench, who had fished the bank down Hook Straight way and had landed five fish for a very creditable 18lb 3oz including a best fish of 4lb 14oz

    The final results of the day were:

    • 1 – Ian Watts – 8 Fish 21lb 8oz
    • 2 – Peter Thomason – 5 Fish 14lb 4 oz
    • 3 – Ray Burt – 4 Fish 9lb 10oz
    • 4 – Nick Cox – 3 Fish 6ib 13oz
    • 5 – Mark Tremain-Coker – 2 Fish 5lb 5oz
    • 6 – Dave Crouch – 1 Fish 2lb 9oz
    • Graham Morgan Plumb earned a well-deserved "Blankers" badge

    Following the tribulations and successes of the day, a small but highly select band of anglers, adjourned to a local hostelry (or should that be an Italian delicatessen!), for a refreshing pint or two

  • Rib Valley Fishery, Hertfordshire

    17th March 2018 · Report by Russell Bell


    In spite of snowy forecasts and below zero temperatures, the Famous Five ventured to the frozen wastes of Hertfordshire to visit the well-organised fishery at Rib Valley

    After a grand breakfast at the Ware to Eat Cafe in Ware (get it?), your Chairman was able to drag our party out into the cold to begin fishing promptly at 9.00am

    Both Keith and Graham enjoyed early success on small Buzzers fished as slowly as frozen fingers would allow and by lunchtime, spent huddled in the very cosy cabin, they had reached 6 and 4 fish respectively with the others struggling to keep up. While the snow fell persistently all day, the fish became more reluctant in the afternoon and the decision was made to retire gracefully to the Rose and Crown in Ware to enjoy a warm welcome, some good beer and England v Ireland on the telly

    By that time the results were:

    • 1 – Keith Nicholson and Graham Morgan Plumb with 6 fish each
    • 3 – Ray Burt with 3 fish
    • 4 – Micky Heasman with 1 fish
    • 5 – Russell Bell with 0 fish
  • Arlington Reservoir

    14th March 2018 · Report by Ray Burt


    The club's midweek trip to Arlington was attended by four members but found Bob Holland fishing there as well to bring the number up to five

    Although it was sunny there was a very strong south-east wind which made fishing in the bay, where most of the fish are congregated at this time of the year, very difficult because it meant casting directly into the wind. Four members braved it out till lunchtime for just three fish caught

    Dave Crouch went back and faced the wind for another half hour but didn't add to the total

  • Chalybeate Springs Trout Fishery

    Pairs Challenge Round I 10th March 2018 · Report by Peter Thomason


    This season's Chalybeate Pairs competition is fished over two stages, the first was held on Saturday 10th March. Six pairs entered the contest:

    • Scott Benton & Eddie Benton
    • Ray Burt & Mark Tremain-Coker
    • Alan Dean & Micky Heasman
    • Keith Lawrence & Ron Lewis
    • Keith Nicholson & Peter Thomason
    • Ian Watts & Simon Gregory

    On this first leg, a total of 10 out of the 12 anglers fished; Keith Lawrence and Peter Thomason fishing solo on this occasion

    Following soon after the bitter icy blasts of the “beast from the east”, the fishery produced good numbers of quality fish. The day was mild with light rain and a gusting southerly wind. As is often the pattern on small waters, there was a brisk start which gradually slowed by mid morning. Keith Lawrence headed the field by the lunch-time break with a maximum catch of three fish retained and three further fish caught and released. By the end of the day, six participants had caught the maximum. A total of 51 fish were caught, giving a rod average of 5.1 and a good average weight of just under 1 kg per fish

    The results were:

    • 1 - Ian Watts and Simon Gregory who each landed the maximum of six fish with a total weight of 11.6 kg earning them 10 points
    • 2 - Ray Burt and Mark Tremain-Coker who landed ten fish for a total weight of 9.5 kg earning 9 points
    • 3 - Scott Benton and Eddie Benton who landed nine fish for a total weight of 8.5 kg earning 8 points
    • 4 - Peter Thomason (whose partner, Keith Nicholson, was unable to fish) landed 6 fish for a total weight of 6.4 kg earning the partnership 7 points
    • 5 - Micky Heasman and Alan Dean who landed 7 fish for a total weight of 6.2 kg earning 6 points
    • 6 - Keith Lawrence (whose partner, Ron Lewis, was unable to fish) landed six fish for a total weight of 6.0 kg earning the partnership 5 points

    The heaviest individual bag of 6.4 kg was caught by Peter Thomason

    The heaviest individual fish of 1.4 kg was caught by Keith Lawrence

    The next and final round of the competition will be fished at Chalybeate Springs on Sunday 7th October and the overall result will be decided on the combined points earned in both rounds

    Our thanks and appreciation go to Jim Streeter at Chalybeate for arranging breakfast, setting out the pegged swims and for ensuring there was good sport on the day