NEWSLETTER - NOVEMBER 2011

SEASON SO FAR
Another mid-term report and once again it’s the unpredictability of our sport, subject as it is to the vagaries of British weather that shines through. Who would have thought during that dreadful day in July at Hambridge Lake that we would, a couple of months later, be experiencing the warmest October for centuries and now here we are close to the end of November crying out for rain.

RAIN NEEDED
Yet more pressure on our venues, this time it’s the canal section at Froxfield which could be affected by the following news. There is a serious problem with water levels on the Kennet & Avon canal to the east of Marlborough. Lack of rain has caused the natural springs that feed the top up reservoir to dry up leaving the whole canal westwards at risk - ground water levels are at their lowest for 90 years. In an effort to maintain present pound levels and to protect aquatic life, British Waterways have suspended boat movements in the area locks 61 to 80 are being padlocked. With little or no significant rainfall forecast the closure may remain in force for some weeks. Not sure if the lack of movement will make any difference to the quality of the fishing – let’s hope not.

WALLINGFORD
Members please note, as the Environment Agency are now in the process replacing the lock gates, there will be no access to the Wallingford venue from the Benson side. The projected completion dates for these works is March 2012

VIC REDDING
Last weekend, following a short spell in hospital our Chairman, Vic Redding, passed away. It was a year ago that Vic was first diagnosed with cancer of the bladder and he underwent a series of major life changing operations. Vic’s enthusiasm for fishing didn’t desert him however and within months he was back chairing our meetings and, helped by his brothers, he was soon able to return to the bank, competing in our matches as ever. To us, Vic was a good angler, a dedicated clubman and an all round good bloke with an infectious sense of fun - he will be missed…. our sincerest condolences to his family.

CLUB MATCH RESULTS

Barley Mow to Double Bridge – 26th June 2011 :-
Position Name Winning Weights
( First Brian Charman 3 – 7 – 0
( First Mick Hill 3 – 7 – 0
Third Vic Redding 2 – 8 – 0

The Club has never fished this section before, an interesting choice to start the new season. The optimistic feedback from those of our members who had fished here before combined with fair weather conditions giving a keen edge to the 14 anglers as they settled in their pegs. As is so often the case at the start of the season though the fish were not really playing ball offering only patchy sport. Brian Charman and Mick Hill were at consecutive pegs and the scales could not separate them, they each managed to land tench and roach to finish joint winners. Vic celebrated his return to the bank with a mixed net including a roach of 11oz. for third place. All of the competitors weighed in for a total on the day of 20-9-0 and after some tense calculations (and re-checks) John Clements and Mick Wright won the Pairs Trophy by ½ an ounce.

Hambridge Lake – 17th July 2011 :-
Position Name Winning Weights
First John Clements 0 - 2– 0

None of the other 11 anglers caught on this wet and windy disaster of a day, although fish could be seen in the clear water, except for John Clements solitary roach, they proved all but impossible to tempt. The banks were overgrown and it lashed down most of the time. Eddie Grayson admitted to missing a fish as he was trying to reposition his umbrella, the only bites anyone else owned up to were from the resident insect population. As a result of his walkover John took all the pools and went home £84 better off and wins both the 53+ Plate and the Prince of Wales Trophy. This is no solace but, a string of poor results have been reported from this venue over the past few years and R&DAA have now enlisted the help of the Environment Agency and West Berkshire Council to investigate and try to determine the reasons why. It is known that most of the storm water in the local area finds its way into the lake and it has also suffered two sewage spills but no fish deaths have been reported and fish are certainly still present - members will be kept informed of any developments.

Beat 5 – 21st August 2011 :-
Position Name Winning Weights
First Pete Redding 7 - 10 – 0
Second Brian Charman 5 – 13 – 8
Third Derek Carter 5 - 12 – 0

Our annual afternoon outing and first go at the river – conditions on the day could best be described as comfortable with a slight downstream breeze and mostly clear skies. With water levels low and showing a slight tinge of colour prospects looked promising although there was very heavy weed growth from bank to bank in some swims which did prove problematical for some. The fancied area was along the high wall downstream from the road bridge, but Pete was not swayed by this and upset the form book as he fished waggler tactics to master his swim 3 pegs upstream of the “blue barge” keeping a succession of roach and perch coming to his net to take the win. Brian had drawn peg 1 on the high wall and whilst the hoped for chub did not show he still caught enough roach and perch to secure second spot. Derek was in the next peg to Pete and used similar tactics for third. 12 members fished for a creditable combined weight of 47-10-8, a good return of around 4lbs. per man.

Froxfield “A”– 18th September 2011 :-
Position Name Winning Weights
First Pete Redding 8 - 1 – 0
Second Stan Redding 6 - 14– 0
Third Mick Hill 5 – 13– 8

“Redding brothers dominate at Froxfield” read the headlines for the Reading Chronicle match report. But what it did not reveal was that the brothers had each drawn the first peg below a lock on a very busy day for boats, and preferred rod and line with the waggler tactics on a venue that is dominated by the pole these days (Pete doesn’t own a pole actually) – fair play to them. This was the second win on the bounce for Pete as he persisted in catching bream, roach and perch despite or maybe because of the constant disturbances caused by the barges in his peg immediately below lock 69 (the same peg that won our match here last season). Drawn immediately below lock 68, the first one on the ‘wides’, Stan had a similar bag to his brother for second place. The first of the pole men, Mick set about bashing the small fish from his peg on the middle of the ‘wides’ to claim third place in the frame. As well as moving boats, moored boats are a problem on this venue too and we were not able to peg several “known” good swims, however, the 13 anglers bringing a total weight of 45-11-0 to the scales is still pretty return from what is, for the moment at least, R&DAA’s most prolific water.

Sandford Weir – 16th October 2011 :-
Position Name Winning Weights
First Stan Redding 4 - 10 - 0
Second Pete Redding 2 – 11 - 0
Third Terry Smith 2 - 6 – 0

It’s those dominant Redding brothers again! First visit for the Club to this Thames venue, and, disappointingly, on the day, it did not really live up to its reputation of being good roach and chub water. The Roach Trophy was up for grabs and it was just our luck that with little or no flow due to low water levels bleak seemed to have taken over. With a slightly overcast sky and just a breath of breeze conditions looked good but as so often happens it flattered to deceive. It wasn’t too long into the proceedings before we realised we were going to struggle, apart from Stan that is who lobbed his feeder out early and had snared a 1-6-0 perch within the first quarter of an hour. The noted weir swims were not producing so attentions were turned to small fish. Stan and Pete successfully used their trusty waggler method to catch most to run out first and second while Terry snatched his way to third. Brian Charman caught the only roach of the day, a real micro that barely registered on the scales but roach it was and enough to win the Roach Trophy. All 12 anglers weighed in a total of 20lbs. It’d be interesting to try this place again when water levels etc. are more normal.

Reading Rd to Pondtail – 20th November 2011 :-
Position Name Winning Weights
First Robin Reynolds 2 - 2 - 0
Second Brian Charman 1 –13 – 0
Third Mick Hill 1 - 11 – 0

After receiving the sad news about Vic when we arrived at Pondtail Bridge looking down into crystal clear canal waters littered with autumn’s fallen leaves we knew it was going to be difficult but, at least the exceptionally mild weather would help. Robin had the longest walk from the draw and probably had more leaves than most in his peg but, dipping his pole in amongst the gaps he found more fish (roach and perch) than anyone else to win and take the Handicap Trophy – it’s been a while since he featured in the frame. Brian found the moored boat in his swim an obvious holding spot, and tempted enough roach and perch to finish second. Mick Hill polefished bloodworm to scratch out plenty of bits for third. 10 of the 11 anglers that fished troubled the scalesman weighing in a total 9-4-0, a typical winter result.

THE CHARLIE JOHNSON CHRISTMAS MATCH 8
Our Christmas Match will take place on 11th December on the Basingstoke Canal between Iron Bridge and Ash Lock. The draw will be at Camp Road (Ash Lock end) at 8.30 a.m. – fishing 9.30 a.m. until 2.30 p.m. There’ll be plenty of prizes to fish for including Charlie’s special bottle, and a free raffle. Entries please to Eddie on 01344-304203 - only members that are booked in are eligible to fish.

NEXT MEETING
Our next meeting will be held at the Winkfield Social Club on Tuesday 13th December 2011 commencing 8.30 p.m. - ALL MEMBERS, BOTH FULL AND ASSOCIATE, ARE WELCOME TO ATTEND. (a pint, or two, has been known to be consumed before, during and after...)

NEWSLETTER - MARCH 2011

This time last year we had just experienced the worst season in living memory so far as returns are concerned. Whilst 2010/11 was nowhere near the best it was definitely an improvement despite the big freeze.

Not sure why this should be - it could be cyclical, but some of the credit must go to R&DAA Fisheries Management team whose diligent work to improve the angling environment at various venues continues. Their main project has been the transformation of the Brown-Lee Pool (formerly Nursery Pool – Farnham Flint) into a match lake with junior anglers in mind and this is now virtually complete. Swims have been cut, an aerator has been installed, snags have been removed and a stocking of over 1200 fish including crucians, tench. bream and carp has just taken place. Go take a look, you won’t recognise it - there’s also a further stocking to come.

On the subject of stocking, it is planned to place a number of “home grown” 20lbs.+ carp into Pingewood (6) and Englefield (50) – it is felt that these venues are presently a little under-fished and it is hoped that this may tempt one or two more anglers on to the bank – got to be worth a go…

The removal of trees and cutting of channels between the lakes at Cottage Lane complex appears to have had the desired result. You can now see your parked car from any of the swims on Lake 1 and you’ll be pleased to learn that, despite being frozen over for around six weeks, unlike previous years, there has been no evidence of de-oxygenation and no signs of any fish deaths whatsoever.

If you are not doing anything else during the next few months then at least try a visit to Froxfield. It’s form during the last 3 months (except when we visited of course) has been nothing short of amazing – double figure weights of perch and skimmers are becoming quite commonplace, and there’s plenty of small stuff to keep you interested.

The Basingstoke Canal continues to impress with consistent sport throughout and it will be home to the Division 2 National on 20th August 2011. Around 50 teams of 5 are expected, so it is likely to be busy during the first two months of next season as they attempt to get to grips with the venue before the big event. BCAA will be looking for stewards on the day – you could earn £40 for the pleasure, if you are interested then get in touch.

CLUB MATCH RESULTS

Froxfield “B” – 21st December 2010 :-

Position Name Winning Weights
First Colin Neale 1 - 9 - 0
Second John Clements 1 - 8 - 0
Third Andrew Neale 0 -13 - 0

This venue had been showing some good form, but the big freeze was not kind to us Newtowners. When we arrived most of the section was frozen solid with only the first 50 yards below the bridge clear, some ice-breaking further along was attempted but in vain. We were determined to fish though, after all it was our Christmas outing - so the decision was taken to put in the requisite 10 pegs 5 yards apart in the only fishable area – tight and friendly like. We were all in such a hurry to get started that it was only after the start whistle did we realise that the mince pies had been left behind – Oh well something to look forward to later! As the day progressed word filtered along the bank that those nearest the bridge were at least getting bites unlike those who had drawn further along, and that was the pattern for the day. The 5 anglers closest to the bridge caught, the other 5 didn’t. Well done to Colin, as he ran out the winner from first peg with a number of small perch falling to his waggler approach, beating John into second spot by the smallest of margins. Colin’s son Andrew also had perch for third spot. Robin was the last man to weigh in and he was chuffed to find that his ½ ounce roach had secured fifth place and the Charlie Johnson “special bottle”. Total weight on the day was 4-0-0, and with mince pies and a raffle in the car park afterwards we all came away with a prize thanks to John for getting the shopping and making sure there were enough gifts to go round.

East Towney – 23rd January 2011 :-

Position Name Winning Weights
First Derek Carter 0 - 4 - 0

The diary entry for this match simply reads – weather reasonable – prospects good - no fish…CANOES! – and this basically is a pretty succinct summary of events on the day. This venue looks a bit bleak in winter but conditions weren’t too bad, chilly, a bit grey and overcast with a gentle breeze and the water showing a tinge of colour. No sooner had the whistle blown than umpteen canoes descended upon us – apparently they were training ‘en masse’ for some charity event, or other, paddling down to Westminster – pity they hadn’t advised their angling brethren (who pay to be on the bank) of their intentions, we could have gone elsewhere. Keeping a baited hook in the water during the first couple of hours proved problematical: why do canoeists always manage to plough directly through the area of your peg that you feel is the most promising? Around 1 o’clock the procession died away and a watery sun briefly looked out from behind the clouds, and things looked a little more promising. But for all of us except Derek the damage had been done no one would even own up to a bite. Fair play to Derek, he had had a few finicky knocks to bread punch early on but no takers. His dogged persistence eventually paid off as he snared 5 small roach in the last hour to become the only participant to trouble the scalesman.

Beat 1 – 20th February 2011 :-

Position Name Winning Weights
First Terry Smith 4 - 1 - 0
Second John Clements 0 - 4 - 0
. Third Mick Wright 0 - 1- 8

Since only 6 of us were booked in for this one it was decided to just peg the boats length, it’s a long enough walk to get to this venue anyway without having to walk on past what is probably the best area during the colder months. The weather wasn’t bad for this one, not sunny but not cold either. There was a nasty feeling of déjà vu when, just as the match started, a pod of canoes came paddling through (not again…), but fortunately this time there was only a dozen or so of the blighters. Apart from Robin who was drawn on the turning bay at the start of the section, we could all see one and other - it soon became clear that once again the fish were being conspicuous by their absence. It was something of a relief when John bagged a 4oz roach on his float rod just after the first hour, but it put the pressure on the rest of us to at least catch something. A further hour passed with nothing then Mick picked off a 1½oz roach. Terry was using his fully extended pole to run his casters tight to the second to last boat – hard work that paid off handsomely as he managed to tempt a 4-1-0 chub into his net just as the only through barge of day was bearing down – good enough to win the match and the Club Championship (with one match to spare) NICE ONE MATE…

Claycart/Farnborough Rd – 13th March 2011 :-

Position Name Winning Weights
First John Clements 3 - 1 - 0
Second Eddie Grayson 2 -14 - 0
Third Robin Reynolds 1 - 4 - 0

Rain was forecast for this the last match of the series, but really all we got was a heavy drizzle as we started, umbrellas were erected but were soon lowered as the day progressed. It had been decided to peg the ‘nature reserve’ a very likely looking area. As we arrived at our pegs there were plenty of fish pimpling and, judging by some of the splashes, predators were in evidence too. John and Eddie both included a 2-2-0 perch (twins?) in their bags, John’s fell to pole fished maggot whilst Eddie used bloodworm, as with everyone else the rest of their weights being made up of small rudd and roach. John, along with one or two others, was troubled by pike from time to time, but still managed enough bits to win the day from Eddie. Robin managed to find one or two slightly better quality roach (2oz as opposed 1oz) to grab third place – first time in the frame this season. We were hoping for some consistent from the ‘Bassie’ and so it proved with the 7 anglers that fished bringing a fairly respectable total weight of 9-12-0 to the scales. Congratulations to John and Robin on securing the Winter Doubles Trophy for their efforts during the winter months.

STATS & THANKS

Not a bad season - the average attendance for each of the ten match series was 9.7 anglers per match, around one man less per match than last season. The total weight returned for the series was 216.25lbs., some 85.75lbs. up as compared to last season. The average match weight was 21.61lbs. (last year 13.1lbs.) resulting in an average weight per angler of 2.3lbs. (last year 1.31lbs.).

From a straightforward fishing perspective this is a great improvement in comparison to the previous few seasons, but it masks the fact that the number of regularly participating members reduced as the season progressed, mostly due to illness. These members are the active heart of the Club so let’s hope they’ll be back with us in the summer – their presence is missed. In the meantime, thank you to everyone for taking part helping with the pegging, their continuing optimism bearing a little fruit this term, and keeping the banter going.

NEWSLETTER - NOVEMBER 2010

After what was, for the most part, not a bad summer - winter has arrived early and the predictions are that we are in for a bad one.

From a fishing point of view last season (2009-10) was particularly poor for most of us, and it will come as no surprise to learn that, in common with most clubs, our membership numbers have tumbled for this new season. Sport now seems to be marginally improving though, and whilst returns are not great from some venues they have been more consistent, there are certainly more small fish in evidence - let’s hope this bodes well for the seasons to come.

R&DAA’s new Thames venue at Sandford Weir returned some great bags of roach during the summer and it will be interesting to see how it fares now winter is here (it really looks chubby). Roach fishing at Wallingford returned to its prolific best, with plenty of pike marauding amongst the shoals too. On the Kennet, the lower beats 4 & 5 have been the best performers with plenty of silver fish showing. Lower Benyons seems to be the place for specimen barbel with confirmed fish of 13lbs+ and 14lbs+ along with other doubles being banked, and, once again, Froxfield has been the pick of the canal venues. Reports from the lakes and the Loddon have been sketchy to date but some good fish have been taken although exact details have not been forthcoming.

First the bad news - due to the general downturn in permit sales and in order to ensure that the Association remains viable, the management committee is now having to find various ways of reducing expenditure in the seasons ahead. Some of the proposed areas for cost cutting will be all but invisible to the general angler such as changes to insurances etc., but it has been decided not to renew the leases for waters at Bablock Hythe and Calcot Mill. Also, due to high printing costs, the familiar permit book is to become obsolete and is to be replaced by a permit card.

The good news is, it has been decided to continue with the creation of a Junior/Match lake and work has already commenced on converting the Nursery Pool at Farnham Flint. The name has been changed to the Brown-Lee Pool and permission to restock fish from within the KHV restricted area, once the lake has been cleared of snags and the swims cut, has been granted by CEFAS. It is also planned to transfer some larger “grown on” carp from stock into Pingewood and Englefield Lagoon.

CLUB MATCH RESULTS

By-Pass to Broadoak – 27th June 2010 :-

Position Name Winning Weights
First Mick Wright 5 –14 – 0
Second Terry Smith 4 – 11– 0
Third Roger Saunders 4 – 10– 0

A beautiful pleasantly warm summer day greeted the 13 anglers as they prepared to kick off the first of the series. This section is noted for bream and tench, but since is quite popular with the public at large with a nearby picnic area, pub and boats for hire, bankside disturbance means they don’t always show. The canal looked in quite good nick though with a tinge of colour, fingers crossed. After the first hour it was clear that, apart from the first peg, the further from By-Pass bridge the better - the top three results coming from the end three pegs. Mick drew the end-peg just around the bend, and pole fished red maggot under the shade of the far bank to take a succession of roach and skimmers for the win. Terry had the last peg on the straight and fished various lines and baits to keep the fish coming and amass enough for to take second spot from Roger, on the next peg up the straight, by 1oz. A total of 25-0-0 was brought to the scales by the 12 anglers that weighed in and, due to the luck of the draw, Mick Hill and Mick Wright won the Pairs Trophy for the second year running.

Froxfield “A” – 18th July 2010 :-

Position Name Winning Weights
First Terry Smith 8 - 8– 0
Second Mick Hill 6 –11- 0
Third Dick Ortzen 5 - 5– 0

This turned out to be a match of two halves - with a blustery wind causing all sorts of presentation problems and difficulties for those drawn on exposed ‘wides’ section, but for those drawn in relatively sheltered tree fringed section below the lock it all seemed perfectly tranquil. This is one of R&DAA’s more prolific venues though and plenty of fish were caught. Terry made the best of his calm peg, first one below the lock, and caught sizeable perch and skimmers more or less all day to secure victory. Mick Hill, also pegged below the lock, found a plenty of small roach and skimmers enough for runner-up. Dick battled against the conditions on the ‘wides’ to secure third and the 53+ Plate. Not a bad days fishing given the conditions with 13 anglers bringing an excellent total of 50-14-0 to the scales giving an average weight per man of just under 4lbs.

Burghfield River – 22nd August 2010 :-

Position Name Winning Weights
First Pete Foster 10 - 7 – 0
Second Mick Wright 4 – 3 – 0
Third Terry Smith 3 - 9 – 0

There was some confusion over where to park for this our annual afternoon outing. We had been warned that a flotilla of canal barges had been forming up in readiness for a regatta downstream and there were still some about but, it transpired that on the day, we probably could have parked behind the Cunning Man as usual. With a pleasantly warm afternoon forecast and a little colour in the water conditions didn’t look too bad, plus, we all could always pop in to the pub for a ‘swifty’ if the fish weren’t having it. As you can see from the result, some fish were having it and the landlord wasn’t troubled. Pete was pegged by Swan Bridge persevering with the float he netted around 3lbs of bits as well as a couple of nice chub (best 3-14-0) for a comfortable win. Mick was on the first peg above Burghfield Road Bridge and used both float and feeder tactics to take a mixed net of roach, perch, dace, bleak, gudgeon, chublets and skimmers for second place. Another consistent effort from Terry, whose top three finish saw him win the Prince of Wales Trophy. All 11 anglers weighed in – the total of 29-10-8 being a pretty good return given the vagaries of this sections performances over the past few seasons. Perhaps we caught it right for a change.

Sonning River – 19th September 2010 :-

Position Name Winning Weights
First Pete Trundley 6 - 8– 0
Second Terry Smith 5 - 13– 0
Third Vic Redding 4 – 12– 0

The long walk from the car park through the yatch club and beyond to get to this section is beginning to be a bit too much for some of our more senior members, and whilst on the face of it there seems plenty of water to go at, the number of fishable swims are at a premium – we only just managed to fit our 12 members in. As well as fallen trees there was still plenty of weed growth in evidence and Pete used this to his advantage. From his peg above the first of the fallen trees he polefished in the slack just over the nearside weeds, and also waggler fished further out into the current, to take a bag of good quality roach for first place and the Founders Cup. In second spot it was that man Terry again, pegged just downstream of the winner he could only find mostly small stuff, but he managed to snare enough bits to finish over 1lb. clear of Vic who, despite walking about a bit during the day, weighed in some nice roach too. Another good result this from what has been a notoriously inconsistent section, with the combined weight of the 12 anglers that fished returning a total of 39-13-8.

Wallingford “B” – 17th October 2010 :-

Position Name Winning Weights
First Mick Wright 6 - 2 - 0
Second Brian Charman 3 - 5 - 0
Third Dick Ortzen 3 - 3 – 0

This is another one of those venues where despite the amount of water available the number of safe fishable swims is limited. Just our luck, here we are on Sunday morning at one of our best performing river venues, and Saturday night saw the first really heavy ground frost of the year with minus 3 degrees ‘C’ being recorded at Benson (the coldest in England). The combination of the frosty conditions, the long walk, family matters and in some cases illness led to only 7 anglers turning out for this one - given the steep banks and icy conditions it was probably just as well – peg placement was very limited. Inevitably the expected quality/quantity of the fishing was affected, but a total weight of 21-11-0 brought to the scales at the end of the day was still pretty commendable. First past the post and this season’s Roach Trophy winner was Mick who fished waggler and maggot tactics for his catch of mostly roach together with a few perch and bits. For all the other anglers feeder fishing seemed to be the order of the day – Brian included a roach of 1lb. in his bag for second place, narrowly beating Dick into third spot.

Iron Bridge to Ash Lock – 21st November 2010 :-

Position Name Winning Weights
First Derek Carter 10 - 11 - 0
Second Terry Smith 4 - 4 – 0
Third Eddie Grayson 3 - 12 – 0

The venue for this match had to be re-arranged as a pre-match recce showed that the booked section from the Ash Lock down to Ash Wharf would not have enough fishable swims to accommodate us – it’s surprising that we seem to be struggling at the moment to find waters that have more than a dozen fishable swims. Could this possibly be a sign of the drop in numbers fishing, or are we just using unpopular venues? It was decided to fish at the Ash Lock end of this venue an area with good accessibility, but where we have never fished as a club. All in all, it didn’t turn out too bad even though we had a few barges go through, a fairly rare occurrence at this time of year. There are two sunken barges at the lock end and Derek found himself drawn on the featureless straight between them, there were fish there though, and plenty of ‘em – fishing with punch or pinkies, just over two-thirds across, he kept the roach and skimmers coming all day to win the day and the Handicap Trophy by a comfortable margin. Despite not having had a bite for the first two hours, in second place with a good net of roach, his fifth top three finish out of six, was Terry. Good to see Eddie back on the bank, pegged by the first sunken barge he used bloodworm tactics for a mixed bag and third spot. There was only one dry net amongst he 11 anglers that fished, bringing a total of 30-12-8 to the scales.

GET WELL SOON
Our thoughts and best wishes go out to our Chairman, Vic Redding, who is presently at home recovering from a series of major operations.

NEWSLETTER - MARCH 2010

This newsletter could well be a rewrite of last years, another lousy summer, a wet and windy autumn followed by the longest coldest winter for more than thirty years (it was only twenty years last time) – conditions that really aren’t conducive to good fishing. Not sure about all this global warming business!

The rivers, once again, seem to have been the most severely affected and what with the lakes being frozen over returns have been pretty poor. Thank goodness for canals which, whilst not fantastic, have at least continued to offer some sport.

Cottage Lane lakes, especially lake 2, has really suffered being frozen over for the best part of six weeks. This resulted in a drastic reduction of dissolved oxygen levels, and the consequent loss of around 30 carp to 20lbs. Pending approval by West Berks Council, there are plans to join the four lakes by channels so fish can move between lakes if D.O. levels drop.

If any venue should be singled out its Froxfield which, judging by the match returns and other reports, appears to have returned to its former glory. Around this time last year there was a limited stocking of small roach and perch and this, along with the steady recovery from fierce bank clearance and dredging operations by BWB two years ago, seems to have resulted with fish to be caught in every peg – if 2lbs+ perch are your thing then they are here in numbers.

The tail end of the season has thrown up some good specimens including that 50lbs. carp from Pingewood - also from Pingewood are confirmed reports of a tench 3oz. shy of 10lbs. and bream to 12lbs+. Carp to 34lbs. have been banked at Farnham Flint along with bream of around 12lbs. Whistley Mill Lake has seem the capture of a 37lbs carp and several pike to 18lbs.whilst the Loddon has yielded a 12lbs barbel and chub up to 6lbs. Sport at Sonning is on the up with reports of some good bags of large tench and bream despite freezing conditions. Finally, the Kennet at Upper Benyons given up a 13lbs 7oz barbel.

You’ll no doubt be pleased to learn that the BCAA will continue. At the December EGM volunteers were found to cover sufficient management and official positions to bring the Association back from the brink. A Head Bailiff and Match Secretary are still being sought however so if you’re interested just give me a call.

On 22nd January 2010, a new 5 hour match record for the Basingstoke Canal was set when 57lbs 10oz. of bream and roach was weighed in from a peg just below Reading Road Bridge Fleet. Obviously this was an exceptional return but reflects the consistent form the canal has continued to show this season.

CLUB MATCH RESULTS

Froxfield “A” – 13th December 2009 :-
Position Name Winning Weights
First Mick Hill 8 - 5 - 0
Second Pete Trundley 4 - 6 - 0
Third Pete Foster 3 - 6 - 0

As usual we were all looking forward to what is becoming a bit of a tradition, our Christmas outing, to Froxfield. The conditions on the day were not nice - grey skies and strong winds -
and the canal was showing a lot of colour due to some heavy rain during the preceding days. Because of this all but 3 of the pegs were placed in the more sheltered section below lock 69.
Once we’d scoffed a few mince pies and got started some struggled and some caught, it soon became clear that Mick in the first peg above the lock was catching small fish at almost one a go and the rest of us whilst snaring the odd one were going to struggle to catch up. As the match wore catch rates generally improved (still mostly small stuff) but, as you can see from the above, Mick romped home a clear winner making this his second Christmas victory in a row and of course first choice at the seasonal spoils. Pete T, pegged next to Mick, included a 2lbs+ perch in his net for second spot and Pete F was third with best weight from below the lock. Derek Carter finished fifth to win the Charlie Johnson special bottle. 12 anglers fished for a total weight of 31-5-8 and there were no dry nets. Our thanks go to John Clements who was good enough to do the festive shopping for this one, and he ensured that no one went home empty-handed.

Beat 3A – 17th January 2010 :-

A beautiful day with blue skies and a watery sun, the backwater was up and running with the thaw but the “A” section appeared perfectly fishable, but nobody told the fish. Unfortunately, it was the same result as last year – all blanks!

Chequers/Poulters – 21st February 2010 :-
Position Name Winning Weights
First Eddie Grayson 3 - 8 - 0
Second Derek Carter 2 - 5 - 0
. Third Pete Foster 1 -11- 0

Just as the draw was taking place the heavens opened and boy did we get wet as we walked to our pegs and don’t you just hate tackling up in the rain. At least we could get under our umbrellas, not like the bloke whose dog was taking him for a walk along the towpath – he was soaked through. Luckily the rain stopped just after the off and apart from light showers the rest of the day wasn’t too bad. BCAA rules allow the use of bloodworm in matches after October, so Eddie thought he’d give them a go – what a wise move it proved to be, he was catching bits virtually straight away and they kept him busy through to the finish for a well earned win. In the next peg, Derek set out his stall early on with punch and managed 20, or so, small roach before it dried up and he had to switch tactics: he kept the fish coming in dribs and drabs to take second place. Pete F, pegged to the left of the electricity cables, could never quite keep up with Eddie and Derek but still did enough to secure third place again. Of the 9 anglers that fished there was only one that didn’t bother the scalesman – a total weight of 11-7-0 was brought to the scales.

Farnborough Rd/Iron Bridge – 7th March 2010 :-
Position Name Winning Weights
First Eddie Grayson 3 - 0 - 0
Second Pete Foster 1 - 5 - 0
Third Pete Trundley 0 - 8 - 0

On setting off it seemed as though the weather gods were smiling for once the sky was clear and just the slightest of breezes was in evidence. The ice-topped canal that greeted the seven of us that turned out on arrival was a bit of a surprise. Ice breaking was the first job following the decision ‘to fish on regardless’ and some of the passers by couldn’t believe their eyes that a group of grown men should be sitting around imitating Eskimos on a March morning in Hampshire. After a couple of hours we weren’t too sure that we had all our faculties either, but then someone caught a fish, and then another. Eventually six out of the ‘magnificent seven’ caught something and the decision was vindicated, a total of 5-3-0 was weighed in. First past the post was Eddie (two wins on the trot), who found a couple of decent pound plus perch from under the ice that had taken a liking to his casters. With his seventh top four finish this season, Mr. Consistency, Pete Foster secured the Club Championship with his second placed bag of perch and small roach – so WELL FISHED to him! A single 8oz. rudd was enough for Pete T to come home third on the day. Eddie and Pete F had paired up in November and showed all their rivals a clean pair of heels with their performances over the last few months to win the Winter Doubles Trophy. Meanwhile, Vic Redding, last years champion, found that the 2oz. he put on the scales today was enough to win the season long campaign for the Western Fuels Trophy.

STATS & THANKS

The average attendance for each of the ten match series was 11 anglers per match, a slight increase on last season. The total weight returned for the series was 130.5lbs., down on last season by some 36lbs. The average match weight was 13.1lbs. (last year 17.6lbs.) giving an average weight per angler of 1.31lbs. (last year 1.76lbs.).

This is telling us something all those that took part already knew, so no surprises except maybe that our December outing to Froxfield was our best match in terms of weight. Thanks to all participants for their support during what was a very tough year, surely the only way from here is up.

NEWSLETTER - NOVEMBER 2009

Usually at mid-term it’s a time to reflect on the general quality of fishing in our neck of the woods. Whether the weather could have been kinder and just what are the water conditions, colour, temperature etc. needed for us to make the ideal catch. Let’s face it, fishing on all waters so far this season has been just about the hardest any of us can remember whatever the reason, and with winter approaching only an out and out optimist would believe that things are going to get better, but we live in hope.

There have been some high spots but these seem to have been fewer and farther between than in previous years. However, some good fish have been banked including, once again, “the Brute” from Pingewood Lagoon at just over 50lbs. this time and a number of carp in excess of 30lbs. have been landed at Farnham Flint. A bream of 15lbs. was recorded at Whistley Lake. On the rivers, a 15½lbs. barbel was confirmed from Upper Benyons along with several other specimens in the low teens reported from both the Kennet at Lower Benyons and the Loddon at Whistley. On the general match front Beat 5 continues to be the section to draw for consistent fishing and reports indicate that Froxfield appears to be on the way back.

Pressures on our sport continue to mount. The further development of Green Park and surrounding area, the apparent re-emergence of American signal crayfish upstream of Calcot, mitten crabs, Eastern Europeans taking fish for the pot, cormorants seen fishing on Beats 3 & 4 oblivious to onlookers, Foudry Brook where it joins the Kennet completely choked by floating pennywort - these are issues that should be of serious concern to us all. Be grateful that there are still some people, namely the R&DAA Executive Committee and Fisheries Management Team (all volunteers), that are doing their utmost at all levels to combat these and many other problems.

Unlike the BCAA, where imminent dissolution is on the cards due to lack of any members willing to take responsibility for running and managing the organization - an increasingly common problem these days. The Association is presently in the hands of trustees since no Chairman, Secretary or Head Bailiff can be found. Should no prospective officers be forthcoming at the Extraordinary General Meeting at Mychett on 10th December then the only option will be closure – a very sad state of affairs. What this means as far as fishing on the Basingstoke Canal is concerned can only guessed at. Anyone out there fancy taking it on – please contact me.

CLUB MATCH RESULTS

Coxheath to Reading Road – 21st June 2009 :-

Position Name Winning Weights
First Mick Hill 3 – 14 – 0
Second John Clements 3 - 8 – 0
Third Mick Wright 3 – 2 – 0

Not a bad day, but not a good one this on a length of the “Bassie” that the Club had never fished before. This can be a good section, particularly since there is a pub slap bang in the middle. There was a great sense of optimism at the draw in the Fox & Hounds car park, the speculation concerning whether, or not, the resident bream shoal would put in an appearance was intense - well they didn’t! Generally sport was pretty patchy especially for those drawn downstream of the pub, for some it really was a struggle. At least the lure of a cool drink at the finish was something to look forward to. As far as the fishing went it was all down to small fish and who could keep them coming consistently with Mick H proving his prowess on the pole, his bag of roach and skimmers edging out Johns similar net by 6oz. - Mick W just couldn’t keep up although he did include a couple of perch in his final tally. The two Micks were drawn as a pair for the day and their combined weight was enough to secure the Pairs Trophy. 13 anglers fished and bought a total of 20-14-0 to the scales followed by a nice pint and a slow drive home.

Upper Benyons “A” – 19th July 2009 :-

Position Name Winning Weights
First Pete Foster 4 - 10– 0
Second Mick Wright 2 - 0– 0
Third Brian Charman 1 - 14 – 0

A good turn out of 14 anglers for what was to prove a very disappointing day on one of R&DAA’s premier river venues. This is a long old section with fast shallow sections, and to be fair, pegging in clear water-colour conditions proved pretty difficult. The dilemma here is whether to sit it out for a big fish or just try to catch anything that swims. Pete took the latter option, drawn on a clear glide he trotted straight down the middle for his winning net of roach and dace, whilst second placed Mick trotted an inside line with his center-pin and included a 7oz. dace amongst other things in his mixed bag, he also landed two trout, one a 2lbs + brownie, which unfortunately didn’t count and had to be returned. Brian lost a good-sized barbel during the day but managed to put together enough bits for third spot. A couple of other lost barbel were reported each of which could have probably won the match in their own right. A total of 12-1-0 was bought to the scales with 4 anglers dry-netting. Congratulations to Pete who wins the coveted 53+ Plate for his efforts.

Beat 4 “B” – 23rd August 2009 :-

Position Name Winning Weights
First Vic Redding 11 - 3 – 0
Second Pete Trundley 4 – 14 – 0
Third Eddie Grayson 3 - 2 – 0

In terms of overall weight returns this was our best of the season so far with all 10 that fished this our annual afternoon outing bringing fish to the scales. The water was carrying a tinge of colour and there was a gentle breeze with pleasantly warm air temperature. Vic had bought his Mrs. along for an afternoon out and maybe she’s his lucky charm. Drawn one swim down from the “s**ty ditch” he managed to lure three chub in the 3lbs. range from their home amongst the bushes to emerge a clear winner on the day (and strong contender for the Best Match Weight trophy too). Pete and Eddie were both downstream of the Rose Kiln Lane bridge in amongst the trees. A chub of 2½lbs. along with a couple of skimmers taken on float down the middle proved enough for Pete to finish runner up. Eddie used pole tactics fishing in amongst the trailing branches for his net of small roach and third spot. This was also Prince of Wales Trophy finals day and since one of the finalists, Pete Foster, failed to turn up (away on holiday) Stan only had to catch a fish to win it – which he duly did, coming home fourth with 2- 3-0. Average weight per man was just under 2½lbs. with a total weight on of 27- 4-0.

Wylies Lake – 20th September 2009 :-

Position Name Winning Weights
First Dick Ortzen 1 - 13– 0
Second Mick Wright 1 - 12– 0
Third Pete Foster 1 – 2 – 0

In the run up to this one a couple of our members had been doing a bit of practicing, some nice tench and bags of perch had been caught, but despite the reasonable weather and water conditions on match day, as so often happens, these were conspicuous by their absence. As the day progressed it became evident that small fish were the only fish willing to feed so once again it was all down to who could catch most. With the Founders Cup up for grabs, this time it was Dick who during the last hour or two managed to swing in a succession of small roach and rudd for victory. Mick was having problems with his pole elastic and appeared to “bump” as many fish as he caught, finishing 1oz. short of Dick at the finish. Meanwhile Pete managed to amass enough littl‘uns for third. 12 anglers fished but only 10 troubled the scalesman – total weight running out at 7- 2-8.

Mapledurham “A” – 18th October 2009 :-

Position Name Winning Weights
First Vic Redding 3 - 7 - 0
Second Pete Foster 1 - 4 - 8
Third Pete Trundley 0 - 15 – 0

Our best turn out of the season with 15 souls keen to wet a line. Originally scheduled for “B” section, which a “recce” had shown to be too overgrown to accommodate us, a switch to the “A” section for this our annual Roach Trophy match had been granted. With the sun low in the sky and the Thames water level just about as low and clear as has ever been seen we thought the going might be hard and it really did turn into a grueller for most. Unless you were in the copse you weren’t in it - the section above the fence accounted for the top three weights - maybe the fish were hiding in there away from the boats and cormorants, who knows. Vic and Pete F had both been for a practice during the preceding week and it seemed to pay off taking positions “one” and “two” respectively with their nets of “mostly small perch”. Pete T was pegged next to Vic and employed “any method I could catch with” for third spot, again small perch. There were 3 dry nets on the day for a total of 7- 3-0. As for the roach, not a single one showed - the trophy being carried over to our next outing.

Burghfield River – 15th November 2009 :-

Position Name Winning Weights
First Stan Redding 3 - 15 - 0
Second Terry Smith 1 - 0 – 0
Third Mick Wright 0 - 13 – 0

It was fully expected that this match would have to be called off given the grim stormy wet weather for the two prior days - but to our surprise the river, while a bit fast and coloured, appeared in quite good shape and the weather forecast was good. It was decided to fish the boats and on a scratchy day all but 2 of the 10 of those that turned up caught something. Stan led the way with a decent chub (3-11-0) on feeder plus bits. Second placed Terry also used feeder for some perch from the washing machine swim just below the bridge. Mick’s stick float tactics resulted in a small chub and a 7oz. roach enough to finish third and win the Roach Trophy as well. Total weight for the day was 7- 0-0. Could have been a lot worse…

NEWSLETTER - MARCH 2009

It would be all too easy to go on about how tough the season has been and how our sport really seems to have suffered at the hands of the weather gods, the long wet summer giving way to the coldest winter for the past twenty years and for most of us at least the hopes of having a decent year went with it.

Well it wouldn't be called fishing if every time you cast out you caught a fish, it would be called catching! It would be nice just to get a bite now and then though.

Sure some good fish were caught albeit few and far between, but mostly conditions remained stubbornly unfavourable with returns from the Kennet, Loddon and Thames reflecting this. Even on the generally more reliable canal sections sport was poor.

Reports from the Specimen Group have been very sparse during the last few months with far fewer than usual big carp being recorded – apparently they don't like the cold, who does? However, a superb barbel scaling 15-12-0 was banked at Lower Benyons during the final week so there's hope for us yet. Maybe the angling press is onto something in calling for a months extension to the season for rivers, might have helped this year anyway.

Strict monitoring for signs of Koi Herpes Virus continue in and around the Burghfield area, with a complete blanket ban on any fish transference and stocking for at least a further year. Sourcing of good quality fish for stocking elsewhere is proving very difficult - the good news is that the fisheries team believe they may now have found a reliable supplier so watch this space. A limited stocking of small roach and perch has just taken place at Froxfield following a netting of a lake in Wooburn Green.

Although affected by the poor weather, t he Basingstoke Canal continued in its usual way, though never spectacular something can usually be scratched out.

BEWARE

Unfortunately three of our associates have reported having had their fishing gear stolen. Although not from the same area, the thefts in each case were from locked garages. Decent second-hand tackle commands reasonable re-sale value, it's perfectly possible that the rod you had your eye on at that car boot sale could have been your mate's – who knows?

SAD NEWS

Our thanks to Wokingham based Terry Cornell for reporting the sudden passing of his fishing pal and fellow associate Charles Marshall, his presence on the bankside will be missed.

CLUB MATCH RESULTS

Froxfield “A” – 21 st December 2008 :-

Position Name Winning Weights

First Mick Hill 4 - 2 - 8

Second Dick Ortzen 3 - 0 - 0

Third Vic Redding 2 - 15- 0

During the preceding weeks at least three of our members had been struck down by a very nasty flu virus, it was a tonic then to see everyone turn up for a bit of a blow on more or less the eve of the festive season. Only Derek couldn't make it, he was in hospital having a stone removed (what bad luck, the Saturday before Christmas as well!). Stan, the most recent victim, was looking decidedly green around the gills – a day out with rod and line being just what the doctor ordered – not sure about the mince pie for breakfast though! Although it was a bit breezy at times conditions were good for the time of year. We fished the wides, and as the day progressed some fish began to show. From his peg just below the gate Mick caught roach and perch all day to complete his 100% season record (fished 2, won 2) whilst Dick O, one down from the lock, fished his usual tidy style for second spot again roach and perch. Third placed flu sufferer Vic drew the lock peg and was mostly struggling for bits until a perch of 2-10-0 took a shine to his baited hook – nice one mate. Pete, another of the flu boys, was reasonably pleased with his fifth place, but was more than delighted to take home the special Charlie Johnson Bottle bonus. All 11 anglers that fished weighed for a total of 22-4-8 and as usual all had a share of the prizes – thanks to Roger once again for doing such good job with the shopping.

 Beat 3A – 18 th January 2009 :-

After a few hours maggot drowning and no sign of fish it was mutually decided to “blow the whistle” early so we could all go home and get warm.

Burghfield – 15 th February 2009 :-

Position Name Winning Weights

First Pete Foster 3 - 11- 0

In the early hours of Sunday morning there had been a freezing downpour and we were in two minds whether to fish the resulting swollen fast flowing river or to move off to a canal venue. In the end it was decided to peg the boats section downstream of the road bridge and give it best. Well best was given by all nine of us, every method and bait was tried during the day, but only one of us succeeded. Pete, after much trying, eventually managed to snare one of the resident chub on his feeder rig, not a bad one either at 3-11-0 – some would say that he used his skill to present his bait in the right place at the right time, he assured us it was pure luck. Just after he landed it Mr. and Mrs. Weekend-boater turned up to faff about in their barge moored opposite his peg (as they do) and doubtless spoiled any possible chance he may have had of another. Subsequent reports have shown that Pete's was the only fish recorded on the whole of the river that day – let us know next time you're buying a lottery ticket mate.

Iron Bridge /Ash Lock – 8 th March 2009 :-

Position Name Winning Weights

First Eddie Grayson 1 - 9 - 0

Second Pete Foster 0 - 6 - 0

Third Vic Redding 0 - 5 - 0

Canal towpaths are popular recreational areas and the fine but chilly weather at the start of this outing had brought out plenty of walkers (many with dogs), runners, cyclists and even the odd canoeist put in an appearance. The forecast was for blustery winds and squally showers as the day progressed this proved to be spot on, we more or less had the venue to ourselves by lunchtime as it deteriorated. The last match in the series and hopes were high for a good day as 11 of us marched off to our pegs, water conditions looked reasonable with a tinge of colour and a bit of ripple. It could have been bankside disturbance or maybe the dropping barometer, but after an hour or so it became evident we were in for a grueller. Fish were at a premium, even those using the much vaunted bloodworm were struggling - by midpoint as the weather began to worsen five of our band, with nothing to show for their efforts, decided to finish their season a couple of hours early and at least go home dry. Fair play to our Match Secretary Eddie for plugging away until the bitter end to take victory with a bag of small roach whilst Pete's couple of tiddlers came early on they were still good enough for second place. Vic (the fish whisperer) knew he needed to frame to be in with a shout for the Club Championship and as the others left he stuck to his task battling against the ever increasing wind and rain – with half an hour to go his labours and determination paid off as he caught his only fish of the day, a five ounce perch, to take third place and be crowned Club Champ 2008/9 a fitting reward for his consistent finishes throughout the year. Brother Stan caught a few small fish on borrowed bloodworm too for fourth spot and ensured that the Reddings secured the Winter Doubles Trophy. Unluckiest angler of the day was fifth placed Terry who failed to recover 2 pole sections that a particularly strong gust had loose fed into the canal. Total weight brought to the scales by the bedraggled few was 2-8-0.

STATS & THANKS

The average attendance for each of the ten match series was 10 anglers per match, virtually the same as last season The total weight for the series was just 176.5lbs., an increase of 24.5lbs. over last season. This gives an average match weight of around 17.6lbs. (last year 15.2lbs.) and an average weight per angler of 1.76 lbs. (last year 1.5lbs.).

So here's the surprise, despite all the bad weather, the blanks and the poor water conditions these results were an improvement over last year – well done and thanks to everyone that took part. Let's do everything we can to maintain this upward trend.

NEWSLETTER - NOVEMBER 2008

Well that's two wet summers on the trot and if anything 2008 was worse than 2007. The effect on river fishing in particular has not been good – more or less every weekend saw them either coloured up and running or the inclement conditions (wind, rain etc.) ensuring difficult bait presentation and, apart from the Beats 3 to 5, yet again silver fish have been conspicuous by their absence. The Thames has also seemed a bit out of sorts. The lakes have performed consistently, albeit a little below par, but tench catches have been noticeably fewer. Once again the canal venues at Froxfield and the ‘Bassie' seem to have been the haven for catches of intermediate sized fish of all species although even here tench haven't shown too well. One theory being put forward is that, due to poor weather, our waters never really warmed up at the beginning of the season, combine that with the near permanent state of flood and its little wonder the fish haven't been responding – does this mean there'll be a lot of hungry fish around next season hmmmm.

On one occasion the Kennet did show its real potential however. It really turned on for the Annual Championships at the beginning of October when the 70, or so, anglers that fished brought over 228 lbs. of fish to the scales with the 12 peg section on Beat 5 returning close on 100lbs. In the words of one competitor “it just got better as the day progressed”.

As always some better specimens have been reported with a number of 30lbs. plus carp from the various lake venues being capped this time by the wonderfully named fish “the Brute” who paid a visit to the banks of her Pingewood home weighing in at 48½lbs. Reports of several specimen barbel in the 14lbs. to 15lbs. range have come in from the Kennet with the confirmed river record now being held by a fish of 16-7-0 from Lower Benyons – fish to 14lbs. have also been banked from the Loddon at Whistley Mill along with chub in excess of 6lbs. Clearly there are some decent fish to have a go at if you are of a mind.

Our overall Club membership has declined still further – a couple of years back numbers seemed to have stabilised at around 70, but this year there have been 11 fewer renewals. The Club hasn't been this small for many a year. In its heyday we boasted upwards of 200 members, will we ever return to those halcyon days.

CLUB MATCH RESULTS

 Pirbright to Sheets Heath – 29 th June 2008 :-

Position Name Winning Weights

First Dick Ortzen 16 – 12 – 0

Second Derek Carter 12 - 10 – 0

Third Robin Reynolds 9 - 14 – 8

A much better start to the campaign than this time last year when we were on the next section down, it was all about ounces then - this was all about the tortoise and the hare. Derek and Robin pegged on the wider section were both into fish from the off, mostly roach and skimmers - for the first half of the match it looked as though no one would catch them as they battled it out almost fish for fish. Dick spent the first couple of hours trying to buy a bite from his peg further down, eventually he decided to “fill it in” and went for a walk along the bank to watch the lucky ones who were on the fish. When he returned to his peg he was into a proper bream almost immediately, his chuck it and chance it tactic had worked for once, by the final whistle he had sacked seven of them to take the win. Both Derek and Robin continued catching to the end with Derek managing a bream to shade second spot. The 9 anglers that fished all troubled the scalesman for a total of 65-12-8, an impressive average in excess of 7lbs. per man. Being Pairs day, Robin and Dick were partnered up for the day and easily caught enough to secure the Trophy.

Beat 1 – 20 th July 2008 :-

Position Name Winning Weights

First Stan Redding 4 - 4 – 8

Second Dick Ortzen 3 - 14 – 8

Third Pete Foster 2 - 15 – 0

This was one of those days when a little warmth would surely have improved things. The long walk onwards past the boats did not produce as we'd hoped. Stan and Dick had the first two pegs (both opposite boats) and these proved to be the best on the day – the rest of us further along really scratched for fish. Stan was on peg 1 and seemed to spend a lot of time chatting up the boaters on the opposite bank (trying to blag a cup of tea or some such…), despite the distractions he managed to find a few small roach early and subsequently having discovered a shoal of bleak on the inside demonstrated his bashing prowess to put together enough to take the win and get his hands on the 53+ Plate. Dick drew peg 2 and finished second on the day, his bag consisted of all roach, mostly small ones with a couple of half-pound goers. Pete fished straight down the middle for a mixed bag of roach and bleak for third. All of the 10 members weighed in a 17-11-0.

Hambridge Lake – 17 th August 2008 :-

Position Name Winning Weights

First Mick Hill 9 - 1 – 0

Second Pete Foster 8 – 14 – 0

Third Vic Redding 6 - 13 – 0

This was our annual afternoon outing and 11 of us turned out to give it a go. We were greeted by breezy but relatively mild conditions, and whilst there appeared to be plenty of colour in the water, no doubt due to the rain we'd enjoyed in the preceding days, the lake was covered in floating weed which proved problematical in most swims. On a day when the tench didn't show Mick discovered that he could catch small fish up in the water on his pole line which he successfully plundered, bringing a netful of roach, rudd and skimmers to the scales. Over on the other side of the lake Pete found fishing waggler at distance around and amongst the weed to be his successful method, taking a good stamp of roach for second spot. Vic started off really well taking roach after roach for the first two hours or so, then following a phone call from his brother for a progress report, spent the rest of the afternoon watching a motionless float (what on earth did Stan say in that call?). There were no dry nets - overall weight on the day was a quite respectable 45-2-0.

Northmoor ‘B' – 14 th September 2008 :-

Position Name Winning Weights

First Terry Smith 2 - 6 – 0

Second Stan Redding 2 - 5 – 0

Third Vic Redding 2 – 3 – 0

Quite pleasant weather for this one too, if a little overcast at times, but during the days prior there had been a lot of rain and the river was chocolate brown and running – much much worse than we'd expected. Following a recce, enough swims were found for us, although most were barely fishable it was decided to fish anyway, we had come a long way so we weren't about to turn back. As the day progressed some fish were caught, new member Terry found himself alone upstream of the pylons and used every tactic he could think of to eventually run out the winner on the day with his net of roach and bleak. Stan found the bleak obliging once again and snatched enough to shade his brother for second – Vic included a roach of around the pound mark in his all roach bag. Total weighed in was 11-7-0 and we were left wondering what might have been.

Wallingford “A” – 19 th October 2008 :-

Position Name Winning Weights

First Eddie Grayson 2 - 14 - 0

Second Vic Redding 1 - 8 - 0

Third Derek Carter 0 - 14 – 0

Nice day, shame about the river conditions applied yet again. Instead of the longest drive we'd made the longest walk for not a lot, it was really killing - don't expect we'll be coming back to this section in a hurry although we are sure there are good quality fish to be had. Much to our surprise the water was gin clear and static and the fishing was very hard indeed. The first few hours were spent getting our breath back, then, in to the afternoon, one or two fish began to be caught especially to those with deeper water close in. Eddie caught his fish during the last hour and a half to emerge the clear winner with perch and roach, and both Vic and Derek had similar waits. The 7 anglers that caught returned a total weight of 7-5-0, but there were 3 dry nets at the finish

Beat 4 ‘B' – 16 th November 2008 :-

Position Name Winning Weights

First Robin Reynolds 0 - 4 - 0

Second Terry Smith 0 - 2 - 8

Third  Vic Redding 0 - 2 – 0

A disappointing day with the river running cold and fast, and despite several of us experiencing huge “wrap rounds” culminating with Eddie having to perform risky acrobatics in the bankside mud to recover his rod after it was nearly pulled in, no big fish were landed - 10 of us could only manage a grand total of 9½ ounces. Stan caught a small perch early on which led the field for most of the day, but Robin, pegged at the downstream end, nicked a few bits enough to win. Second placed Terry revealed that he had dropped an estimated 1lb. chub at the net, which would have easily secured outright victory and with an hour to go Vic landed a slightly bigger perch than his brother for third spot (revenge for Northmoor perhaps). The remaining 6 anglers couldn't muster a fish between them.

NEWSLETTER - MARCH 2008

Now that it's over and the statistics gathered the results reveal what most of us have known for some time that the 2007/8 fishing season was not very good, particularly on the rivers. Following 3 years of steady progress the silver fish seem to have once again done a bit of a vanishing act, certainly the exceptionally wet summer did us no good, it's either famine or flood these days. Some over-zealous dredging and bank clearance by the BWB hasn't helped, the poor winter form on the canal at Froxfield almost certainly can be attributed to this. It's been difficult for the regular angler to know where to wet a line successfully.

The poor conditions do not appear to have deterred the specimen boys however, and although not so many big fish have been landed, one or two of those that have make your mouth water. The new R&DAA record for chub now stands at 8- 1- 8, this fish came from Upper Benyons and fell to cheese paste, two other 7lbs. plus fish were also caught during the year, one from Beat 3B and the other from Burghfield. A number of double figure barbel have been reported with a 14lbs fish from Lower Benyons and one of 14½lbs. from the Loddon at Whistley Mill the pick of the bunch. On the carp front, the heaviest reported fish of the year was 38lbs. from Englefield Lagoon although it was strongly rumoured that a fish of just over 40lbs. was landed at Farnham Flint. A number of tench in excess of 9lbs. were recorded from both Englefield Lagoon and Sonning Eye. A 21½lbs pike was banked from the weir pool on Beat 3 and some fish into the high teens have been recorded from Whistley Lake .

Fishing on the Basingstoke Canal has been reasonably consistent, plenty of small fish in evidence with the occasional better perch falling to worm or caster. Best individual match weight was caught during February - a 40lbs. plus bag of bream from behind the Fox and Hounds at Fleet. The BCAA are on the lookout for new committee members and bailiffs, if anyone out there is interested and wants to know more please contact me.

STOCKING AT WYLIES LAKE

Due to an outbreak of Koi Herpes Virus (KHV) in a lake near Burghfield, fish transference and stocking in that area has been curtailed for the time being. The R&DAA fisheries team are therefore concentrating their efforts on enhancing and improving Wylies. Following a recent netting of a private lake, over 275lbs. of roach are now in residence at the Newbury fishery. An adjacent lake (containing roach and bream - all with a clean bill of health) is due to be netted in April when a further stock transfer will take place. Tench and crucians are also on order.

BILL BROWN-LEE MEMORIAL

On 26 th April at 2.30pm a short ceremony will take place at Pingewood Lagoon where a seat has been installed dedicated to the memory of the late R&DAA secretary's life and work – some refreshments will be available. All are welcome to attend.

CLUB MATCH RESULTS

Froxfield “B” - 9 th December 2007 :-

Position Name Winning Weights

First John Clements 1 - 14 - 0

Second Mick Wright 1 - 4 - 0

Third Eddie Grayson 1 - 2 - 8

The weather forecast was for rain and boy did we get some! The 11 hardy souls that braved the elements, and slipped and slid along the dangerously muddy towpath, hearts dropped at the sight of the denuded far bank - still it was our Christmas outing so goodwill to all men (except the BWB). John (or should we call him JC fro this one?) did a Carter drawing the end peg he had the longest walk of all us, once he'd gotten ensconced and a couple of gaspers later the weather eased and he then began to nick the occasional tiddler on the float down the middle, bit by bit, in between the squalls, he put together enough to win the match and first dibs at the prizes. Mick had the second longest walk of the day and used the pole, again down the middle, and scratched out sufficient tiny fish for second spot, Eddie used similar tactics to finish third. Fred and Derek tied for fifth place, to qualify for the magic Charlie Johnson prize, but Derek graciously waived his right to the bottle of scotch in favour of Charlies old mucker Fred, who went home wet but well pleased. A total of 8 -15- 0 was weighed in before we scrabbled back to the cars for the prizegiving, which was quickly washed out by the heaviest freezing downpour of the day – we scarpered off home a bit rapid.

Beat 3A – 20 th January 2008 :-

Position Name Winning Weights

First John Clements 6 - 2 - 0

Second Stan Redding 4 - 0 - 0

Third Mick Wright 1 - 11- 8

This made it two in a row for John, a reasonably pleasant day to be out and about was a little spoiled by a group of noisy motorcyclists illegally whizzing along the towpath to go track riding. Due to heavy rain in the preceding week, the river was a brown raging torrent; by comparison since the water was being held back, the recently dredged canalised ‘A' section was like a lake making it one of the few fishable sections on the day – lucky us. The hoped for chub failed to show and it wasn't until the last hour or so that John decided, more in hope he admitted later, to cast his leger down the inside, but in doing so he picked up three bream, the best scaled 2 –15 –0, to romp clear of the rest of the 7 man field. Stan (no minnows this year?) snared a small bream and a 13oz roach along with some bits for second place whilst Mick's catch of mostly small stuff from the boom swim was good enough for third. Everyone caught on the day and the final tally of fish brought to the scales was 12 –12 – 8.

 Theale Canal “A” – 17 th February 2008 :-

Real brass-monkey conditions, fishing as hard as nails – Pete Foster reported a squeezed maggot but nothing was brought to the scales. Thanks to the 7 members for turning up, well above and beyond the call of duty.

 Ash Wharf/Heathvale – 9 th March 2008 :-

Position Name Winning Weights

First A Phipps (Guest) 4 - 3 - 0

Second Pete Foster 3 - 15- 12

Third Dick Ortzen 2 - 9 - 0

Fourth Robin Reynolds 2 - 4 - 0

We chose this section for the final match in the series as its previous form at this time of year has always been good. The weather was kind, if a little breezy, and although all 11 of us presented fish to the scalesman the overall weights were not as good as we'd hoped for. Possibly due in part to a team match having been fished on the venue the previous day – the high numbers of walkers (some with dogs – mind where you're putting your trolley!), cyclists as well as one herbert on an unsilenced motorbike didn't help either. Derek brought his mate along and he proceeded to give us a gentle battering, using the pole at various lengths he chopped and changed to bring a continuous stream of small roach, skimmers and perch to the net. Petes peg was on the narrowest part of the towpath, with nowhere to ship his pole he set up a waggler instead, fishing with caster he managed to catch a better stamp of fish than most to secure second spot. Dick was further up towards the Swan, he pole fished and despite using a selection of different baits could only find the littl'uns to finish third. Total weight on the day was 19- 8 – 0. Derek Carter didn't manage to frame in these last 4 matches but his good finishes in the early part of the season and overall consistency were enough to secure the Club Championship – WELL FISHED MATE !

STATS & THANKS

The average attendance for each of the ten match series was 9.9 anglers per match, a decrease of 1 over last season. The total weight for the series was just under 152lbs., a decrease of 163lbs. over last season. This gives an average match weight of around 15.2lbs. (last year 31.5lbs.) and an average weight per angler of 1.5 lbs. (last year 2.95lbs.).

When seen in stark black and white these statistics, especially the weights, show what a below par season we've just experienced. Surely the only way for next season is UP!

Thanks to all those that took part and who somehow kept the good-natured banter going even in the most depressing conditions. Special thanks also to those who helped with the pegging and to Roger for doing the Christmas shopping – again.

CLUB TROPHIES

Members are reminded that in order that they can be prepared for this season's presentation, would all holders of outstanding Club Trophies ensure that they are returned by the April 2008 Annual General Meeting.

NEWSLETTER - NOVEMBER 2007

The longed for rains finally came with a vengeance, June and July were pretty much washed out and as a result summer never really materialised. The effect on sport has not been good, weights from all venues are down – it's as though some sections, particularly the Benyons, have almost totally switched off. Perhaps the fish are still holed up in the various ditches and side streams where they retreated to during the deluge. This was not what we were hoping for at all.

The water showing the most consistent form has been the canal at Froxfield, but even here the weather has taken its toll at times. The Thames at Wallingford and elsewhere has disappointed and sad to relate the various lakes haven't fished too well either.
Our match calendar has been disrupted and we will not manage an outing to the Kennet this year. With winter now more, or less, upon us some of us are already beginning to write this season off, but who knows what can happen in angling?

Despite all this some decent fish have managed to find their way on to the bank. A carp just nudging the 40 lbs. mark was landed at Farnham Flint just recently along with a couple of thirties. A number of 30 lbs. plus fish and one of 40 lbs. have been taken at Pingewood Lagoon despite the weed and plenty of big tench into double figures were reported from there as well. The best barbel so far this season weighed just over 13 lbs. and came from the Whistley Mill river section. Two roach of around 2 lbs. were reported from the new Thames section at Mill End, have any of you tried your their luck there yet?

In an effort to encourage more youngsters in to our sport R&DAA are putting together a team of qualified coaches with plans to organise junior fishing days on two Saturdays per month commencing May through to October 2008 – these will take place at either Cottage Lane or Longwater Lake. Contact me for further details if required.

Club membership numbers have fallen again this season and the take-up of BCAA permits seems to have significantly reduced. From next season BCAA permit prices will be increased by 33% and although this will still represent excellent value for money a discussion as to whether, or not, we should continue our affiliation is proposed for our A.G.M. (April) - if any of you have any strong views on this subject then please let me know.

CLUB MATCH RESULTS

Sheets Heath to Brookwood – 24th June 2007 :-

Position Name Winning Weights

First Derek Carter 2 - 5 – 0

Second Roger Saunders 2 - 1 – 8

Third Pete Trundley 1 - 15 – 0

A very disappointing start to our campaign, rumours of pre-season cormorant banquets were rife as we all struggled to get bites. The prevalent rainy conditions probably didn't help us either. Derek, our resident canal expert, made the best of a bad day by fishing fine to take small roach and perch etc. consistently for top weight, his return could have been more but his light tactics cost him a couple of decent tench. Roger managed to land a 2lbs. tench but little else for second spot whilst Pete caught a solitary bream for third. All 11 anglers that fished weighed in, but only just, for total weight of 10-12-0 , and Roger and Pete comfortably secured the Pairs Trophy.

Padworth Canal – 22 nd July 2007 :-

Position Name Winning Weights

First Eddie Grayson 6 - 6 – 8

Second Robin Reynolds 5 - 9 – 8

Third Pete Foster 2 - 7 – 0

This match was scheduled to take place on Upper Benyons but had to be moved on to the canal, the river being totally unfisheable due to flooding. A dull sort of day and a strongish breeze made bait presentation difficult for some. Eddie drew the fancied first peg below the lock and fished the pole at 11 metres to take a mixed bag that included bream, chub, roach and perch for the win and the 53+ Plate. Robin was at the opposite end, just up from the swing-bridge, and found plenty of fish down the middle for second place – Pete was the best of the rest from his peg on the bend below the lock. A total weight of 23-9-0 was brought to the scales by the 11 that fished with no dry nets.

East Towney – 19 th August 2007 :-

Position Name Winning Weights

First Pete Trundley 3 - 15 – 0

Second Derek Carter 3 – 14 – 0

Third Dick Ortzen 3 - 11 – 0

A bit of a damp one this and pegging proved problematical since very few swims had been cut out. The canal fished reasonably well though, with 8 of the 12 anglers that fished returning a weight of 3lbs. or more in the total of 34-14-0 and everybody caught something. A couple of decent tench were lost during the day but Pete managed to net one which was good enough to win the match on its own. Derek had the longest walk to his end peg, but once he'd got his breath back he proceeded to empty the canal of its small fish population and was only beaten into second place by an ounce. Due to his solid performances in the previous two rounds of the series, Dick found himself up against Eddie in the Prince of Wales Trophy final and took the silverware and third place with another good display from a non-descript peg on the straight bit with plenty of small roach and perch.

Mapledurham Beat 1 – 23 rd September 2007 :-

Position Name Winning Weights

First Derek Carter 10 - 8 – 0

Second Eddie Grayson 5 - 4 – 0

Third Dick Ortzen 4 – 0 – 0

In terms of weight this outing proved to be the best so far, despite a particularly difficult facing wind and plenty of pike in evidence (chasing in the fish), the 10 members that turned out for this one managed a total weight of 35-11-0 between them, an average of just under 3½lbs. per man. This was the Founders Cup match and Derek in his peg amongst the trees was least bothered by the wind and showed that its not just canals he's good at with an excellent bag of roach for the win and the cup. Both Eddie and Dick struggled against the conditions but still managed enough roach for second and third respectively.

Wallingford “B” – 21 st October 2007 :-

Position Name Winning Weights

First Pete Trundley 1 - 13 - 8

Second Pete Foster 1 - 1 - 0

Third Stan Redding 1 - 0 – 8

Nice day, shame about the river conditions – chocolate brown, full of leaves and pushing through - there must have been a lot of rain in Oxford and beyond in the days prior to this one. It was just about fisheable and the results from this normally tiptop venue bear this out. Pete Trundley fished a small block-end feeder into a slack under a tree and snared enough perch for victory. The other Pete, Foster this time, float fished the crease to catch small roach and bits for second – Stan used similar tactics for third place. All 10 anglers caught for a hard won total of 8-14-0 . Dick caught the most roach on the day to add the Roach Trophy to his silver collection.

Salmon Cut Canal “A” – 18 th November 2007 :-

Position Name Winning Weights

First Derek Carter 0 - 2 – 8

Second Mick Wright 0 - 1 – 0

The heavy frosts experienced in the lead up to this contest had given way to rain the night before, and the forecast was for gusty winds and rain on the day. Sure enough, just as we trudged along the bank after the draw it started and blooming unpleasant it was too. It soon became clear that this was going to be a grueller, the facing winds and driving rain pushing under our umbrellas was making fishing all but impossible. By noon 4 of the 9 attendees had given it best and gone home and who could blame them. In view of the atrocious conditions it was agreed amongst the remaining anglers to pack up 1½ hours early. Amazingly 2 anglers had somehow managed to catch fish - once again Derek showed his small fish prowess, the 2½ ounces of fish that he placed on the scales was made up of four different species! Mick caught a tiny perch to complete the weights. What a grotty day, no more like this please!

THE CHARLIE JOHNSON CHRISTMAS MATCH 5

Our Christmas Match is on 9 th December on the same venue as last year - Froxfield ‘B' – it fished pretty well last time out let's hope for a repeat . Once again the Club has generously agreed to sponsor this outing so expect plenty of mince pies and prizes. Nobody goes home empty-handed from this one and it's a great way to start the festive season.

NEWSLETTER - NOVEMBER 2006

Despite the heavy rainstorms and localised flooding experienced during the last couple of weeks, no decision on whether, or not, to lift the hose pipe ban has been reached. According to the newspapers the current “dry spell” started as long ago as October 2004 and yet more prolonged spells of wet weather are needed to raise the aquifer level. The speed that water levels on our lakes and rivers currently recede following a good downpour bears this out – doesn't seem to help the fishing either now that winter is on it's way, you've got to catch it just right (and be on the fish of course).

Coincidentally, the length of this “dry spell” appears to more or less correspond with the general improvement shown on the river sections, so maybe its not such a bad thing from an angling point of view - the silver fish comeback continues apace. Double-figure bags of roach have become almost commonplace during the summer. Some superb weights of roach and bream have been returned from the Thames at Wallingford (the jewel in the R&DAA crown), the river at Bablock Hythe and Sonning has also fished well. Beats 4 & 5 have been the Kennet hot spots, but quality roach and dace have begun to show in numbers at Upper Benyons too. Top weight in the Kennet Championships came from the last peg on Burghfield boats and included over 30 lbs. of chub. For the second year barbel are not featuring amongst the general weights, could be something to do with their pre-occupation with fishmeal baits as presented by the “speccie” boys – a number of sizeable fish including a 12 lbs. plus specimen from the Loddon at Whistley have been reported.

Plenty of carp in excess of 30 lbs. have been landed around the various lakes with Pingewood Lagoon outscoring the other venues with fish to 45 lbs coming to the net as well - not sure if this is down to more concerted angling pressure or just that there are more big carp swimming around in there, good bags of bream have also been taken. Farnham Flint fished well for carp at the beginning of the season - it's first season on the Specimen Ticket and there were a fair number of twenties recorded at Whistley Mill.

Roach and skimmers from the restocked bay section at below the lock at Brookwood on the Basingstoke Canal provided the top three weights in the Division 3 National during July – with over 460 fishing the canal returned an average of 2-11-0 per man with only 9 dry nets – say no more !

Our Club Membership numbers are just about on a par with last season and match attendances so far have slightly increased – let's hope this trend continues.

CLUB MATCH RESULTS

Brookwood to Hermitage – 25th June 2006 :-

Position Name Winning Weights

First Dick Ortzen 12 - 7 – 0

Second Robin Reynolds 12 - 1 – 0

Third Roger Saunders 11 - 3 – 0

First outing of the season, first time for us on this venue and a pretty good result too with plenty of fish showing – there had been some re-stocking in this area during the ‘close season' which may have had an effect. We had 10 members out for this one and the total weight brought to the scales was 68-12-0, an average of 6½ lbs. per man. Dick found himself at the one end of the turning bay and used pole tactics to whisk out a netful of silver fish. Robin had a similar bag from part way down the venue to finish just 6oz behind for second spot, whilst Roger claimed third from the opposite end of the bay.

Cottage Lane 3 – 23 rd July 2006 :-

Position Name Winning Weights

First Dick Ortzen 6 - 3 – 0

Second Vic Redding 2 - 15– 0

Third Stan Redding 2 - 12– 0

After such a good opener this match was something of a disappointment. We were greeted at the draw by Eddie who was being been eaten alive by the local midge population after having struggled to squeeze in the 11 pegs required on this relatively small venue. As the results indicate, it may have been the overnight rain or the tight pegging but the decent sized tench and crucians that Lake 3 is noted for didn't show, in fact the whole Cottage Lane complex generally seemed to have turned off for the day. Dick made it 2 in a row, fishing with the pole at 13 metres he took 6 small tench and bits to secure victory and the 53+ Plate. Legering towards the far side, Vic managed 4 small tench for second place while brother Stan was third with rudd and perch on the float. Total match weight on the day was 21-3-0 .

Hambridge Lake – 20 th August 2006 :-

Position Name Winning Weights

First Mick Hill 14 - 1 – 0

Second Pete Foster 9 - 14– 0

Third Eddie Grayson 7 - 2 – 0

This was our best attended match so far with 15 members turning up for this afternoon session - nice to see Brian Charman again (after so many years). Having been fully cleaned up after the ‘close season' sewage incident, with the better weights coming from the Eastern end, the lake fished reasonably well returning an average of around 4 lbs per angler. Floating weed was problematical in some swims. Once again tench were the key and Mick included 4 nice ones in his winning bag along with some small roach and rudd to take the Prince of Wales Trophy – WELL DONE! Good to see Peter Foster coming back into the frame with 2 tench and bits for second – our hardworking Match Sec. Eddie also included a couple in his net for third.

Sonning River – 24 th September 2006 :-

Position Name Winning Weights

First Roger Saunders 13 - 8 – 0

Second Pete Foster 8 - 11– 8

Third Stan Redding 7 - 14– 0

What “dry spell”? Did it rain before the start of this one, or what? By the time we'd made the long walk from the car park, through the yatch club to the riverside we were all soaked to the skin. Fortunately it eased off and stopped just in time for the start whistle, the sun came out and the fish began to show. With 13 anglers out, pegging was tight and as Roger was a bit late arriving he had to take Hobson's choice so far as swims go - he slotted in one up from the oak tree. After a slow start he began to entice some good bream and roach to his feeder set-up and ended up the clear victor. Another runner-up spot for Peter with an all roach bag this time and since we were fishing for the Roach Trophy he made sure it is now his property. Stan float fished and kept the fish coming all day for a worthy third place. 70-11-8 of fish were brought to the scales – not a bad day despite the damp start.

Northmoor “A” (Bablock Hythe) – 15 th October 2006 :-

Position Name Winning Weights

First Derek Carter 8 - 5– 8

Second Stan Redding 6 - 5– 0

Third Mick Wright 6 - 3 –8

This venue, a long drive from Bracknell , had been in excellent form during the summer but a couple of freezing cold nights prior to our visit had certainly had an effect. Yes, there were fish for some but others really struggled. It's such a long venue too, as Eddie and Dick will testify, having pegged it and then drawn the end pegs neither of which produced, they were shattered by the finish. Derek had drawn a peg in the middle of the first field and so did not have to walk too far, although I'm sure he will tell you it was far enough. He float fished his way to victory catching plenty of roach and perch from around a rod-length out. Stan was in the next peg upstream and also managed to find some roach on the float for second place, beating Mick into third place by 1½oz. who also had a mostly roach catch from his swim in the second field. 11 anglers made the trip to return a total weight of 32-12-0 and Derek wins the Founders Trophy for his efforts.

Theale River – 19 th November 2006 :-

Position Name Winning Weights

First Roger Saunders 2 - 10– 0

Second Robin Reynolds 0 - 6– 0

Third Pete Foster 0 - 5 –0

First outing to the River Kennet this season, only to find the fishing a bit out of sorts to say the least! The condition of the river itself did not look too bad with reasonable tinge of colour and a good flow. The form at Theale has not been too good this season, but the heavy rain on the preceding Thursday and Friday, followed by a light overnight frost on Saturday definitely didn't help. It was a nice bright sort of day and running a stick float down stream was no bother, but if the fish were there they didn't want to know. Roger sat it out in his swim between the bridge and Bonsals Point to take a single chub during the last hour and win the match. Robin had perch and gudgeon for second whilst Peter had mostly small stuff for third. The total weight recorded by the 8 anglers that fished was a not too good 3-13-8 , there was one empty net.

THE CHARLIE JOHNSON CHRISTMAS MATCH 4

Our Christmas Match is on 17th December at Froxfield ‘B' - let's hope this venues' good winter form doesn't let us down. The tradition continues with the Club generously sponsoring this outing and Roger has once again agreed to do the shopping. There'll be plenty of mince pies and prizes for all – let the festivities commence. You won't go home empty-handed whether you catch something, or not, so give Eddie a call on 01344-304203 to book in. Remember only members that are booked in are eligible to fish.

NEWSLETTER - MARCH 2006

Winter fishing is all too often a tough old game but it's difficult to recall what it was like when water conditions were seasonably normal. If the past couple of years have been anything to go by normal winter fishing now seems to be the same as summer except it's a lot colder. At least this year fish were caught during our winter outings so maybe we're getting better at coping with the vagaries of the weather.

Generally fishing on the rivers and lakes has been hard although the R&DAA record for a chub from the Kennet was broken 3 times in 6 weeks. Originally set in 1998 with a fish of 6–14-0 , a fish weighing 7- 4-0 was landed at Calcot at the tail end of December. Then at the beginning of January this was beaten by a chub of 7- 6-0 from Lower Benyons only to be eclipsed later in the month by a fish from Calcot “B” confirmed at 7- 7-0 .
Sport on the Basingstoke Canal has been at best patchy during the past 3 months although in December the Ash Vale section showed good form when 38 anglers recorded a total match weight of 230 lbs. between them (an average per man of over 6 lbs) – seems like you just have to catch it on the right day.

VENUE NEWS

An area of the lake at Whistley Mill is to be bunded off to form a new stock pond but the jury is out on how effective the mannequin in the boat is at scaring off the “black plague”. There is an ongoing stocking programme for the lake and around 20 carp to double figures have been introduced during the past 3 months.

There have been a number of incidences during the past season when whole sections of both the Kennet & Avon and the Basingstoke canal have been de-watered due to lock gates being left open (either by careless boaters or vandals, not sure which). With water levels so low anyway the effect on stocks can only be guessed at. Should you come across such an incident please use the emergency telephone numbers in your permits to advise the authorities.

Thames Water studies have shown that in times of low flow a higher percentage of water diverts from the River Kennet into the Holybrook than at normal flow times. It has been decided to install a flow regulator at Arrowhead to help redress this - only time will tell whether or not this development will beneficial to us anglers.

CLUB MATCH RESULTS

Padworth Canal - 11 th December 2005 :-

Position Name Winning Weights

First Stan Redding 0 - 13 - 8

Second Roger Saunders 0 - 10 - 0

Third Derek Carter 0 - 6 - 8

The 9 members that attended the Charlie Johnson Christmas Match 3 were greeted with a cold and frosty morning – just the sort of day for gorging on mince pies for sustenance. Despite the cold there was a tinge of colour in the water and it looked reasonably promising - as evidenced by the weights however it flattered to deceive and for most of us it was a dour struggle to scratch out a few bits. Stan was pegged at the top end just below the lock and managed to find some small roach and bleak from the far side to secure victory and first blag at the prizes. Roger who was at the next peg conjured up a similar bag to take second spot and Derek (our canal expert) was third. Back at the car park it was prizes all round with Robin getting the traditional ‘special bottle' for finishing fifth. Thanks to Dick for pegging this one, and also to Roger for doing the shopping once again.

Froxfield “A” – 21 st January 2006 :-

Position Name Winning Weights

First Derek Carter 3 - 8 - 0

Second Dick Ortzen 2 - 5 - 8

Third Mick Wright 2 - 4 - 0

A drastic overnight temperature drop, a heavy frost and freezing fog – weather conditions that are not the most conducive for good fishing, still we'd made the trip so we had a go. The first two hours passed with very little to show but then bit by bit, for some of us at least, some fish began to stir – not big ones but what do you expect? Derek finished the match with a succession of roach to punched bread at 9 metres - towards the end he found that the more he fed the quicker the bites were coming. The second two hours proved best for Dick as he found plenty of small perch willing to take his pinkies at 11 metres. Mick included two or three skimmers amongst his bag of bits. A total weight of 10- 3- 0 was brought to the scales by the 11 anglers on the day.

East Towney – 19 th February 2006 :-

Position Name Winning Weights

First Vic Redding 2 - 3 - 0

Second Derek Carter 0 - 5 - 0

Only 7 of us braved the freezing winds and the forecast of heavy rain to fish this one, and I reckon the “stop-at-homes” made a good decision for once. The wind was that bitter it was tearing the stubble off of your chin and then, as this thoroughly unpleasant day progressed, it started to rain just as forecast and by the finish it was chucking it down.. Vic had drawn one of the few pegs with a feature (a bush in the water on the far bank) and in view of the conditions he decided to use a light leger fished tight across – he landed 2 fish, a 2 lbs.+ perch and a gudgeon which had disappeared from his net at the weigh-in. Derek was the only other person to catch on the day, he used pole tactics to take a some bleak on squatt for second place. We ended up looking like a bunch of drowned rats and couldn't get home fast enough.

Colt Hill to Broad Oak – 5 th March 2006

This match was cancelled as the canal was frozen over.

Whistley Mill “D” – 12 th March 2006 :-

Position Name Winning Weights

First Stan Redding 0 - 3 - 11

Second Vic Redding 0 - 2 - 01

Third John Clements 0 - 0 - 12

This was our first outing to the River Loddon, a lovely section full of barbel and chub so we were lead to believe but all we could find on another bitterly cold day were minnows, and plenty of ‘em – hence the bizarre weights. Because they are so small it was decided to give each minnow a mandatory weight of 1dram and Stan caught 59 of them to win the day and clinch the Club Championships. Did we get some strange looks from the “speccie” boys as instead of a weigh-in we staged a count-in – you've got to laugh! In view of this feat, and Vic's second place, from now on the Reddings are to be known as the Minnow Brothers…..

STATS & THANKS

The average attendance for each of our ten match series was 9.8 anglers per match. The total weight for the series was just over 232 lbs. giving an average match weight of 23.2 lbs. and an average weight per angler of 2.36 lbs.

Thanks to those who helped with the pegging and the prizes and to everybody that took part in what was a pretty enjoyable season (sort of…).

CLUB TROPHIES

Members are reminded that in order that they can be prepared for this season's presentation, would all holders of outstanding Club Trophies ensure that they are returned by the April 2006 Annual General Meeting.

NEXT MEETING

Our next meeting will be the A.G.M . and will be held at the Winkfield Social Club on Tuesday 11 th April 2006 commencing 8.30 p.m. - ALL MEMBERS, BOTH FULL AND ASSOCIATE, ARE WELCOME TO ATTEND.

Keep on catchin'.....

NEWSLETTER - NOVEMBER 2005

Get your rods out and have a go – there's plenty of good fishing to be had!

The good form of the lower sections of the River Kennet from Burghfield downstream has continued again this season with most swims producing good consistent silver fish sport despite low flow and water levels (we need more rain) – chub have not been too evident in the warmer months but now that winter has arrived who knows? Few barbel have featured in match results but they are certainly being captured on the Benyons and Theale sections by pleasure and specimen anglers but details of catches are a bit sketchy. Is anyone fishing on the Loddon at Whistley Mill – haven't heard too much from there.

As usual the Thames venues have fished well and once again it's Walllingford that leads the way with excellent sport being enjoyed by all. There have been some superb bags of roach to hemp and tares reported from Sonning river, above the weir, as well as good perch and bream showing making the walk worthwhile – negotiations to improve car-parking are still ongoing here.

If it's early summer and it's good quality tench and bream you're after then Sonning Eye is the place to go – several 100 lbs plus nets of fish were reported during the early part of the season, and there's plenty of room on this often overlooked venue. Sad to relate the passing of “Jockey”, Pingewoods noted resident 50 lbs plus carp but specimens to 40 lbs continue to swim here. The stocking programme at Whistley Mill is ongoing, a tench in excess of 11 lbs was banked along with carp to 30 lbs plus.

The Basingstoke Canal maintains it's enigmatic ways, producing good bags of fish to pleasure anglers but apparently switching off after the first hour or two on match days – low flow and water levels have been a problem too.

R&DAA MONTHLY SPECIMEN FISH AWARDS

June - Roach 2 – 6 - 0 Froxfield

July - Crucian Carp 4 – 4 - 0 Hambridge Lake

August - Eel 3 – 4 - 0 Beat 4

September - Chub 5 –13- 0 Upper Benyons

October - Perch 4 – 1- 0 Theale River

CLUB MATCH RESULTS

Sheets Heath / Brookwood - 19 th June 2005 :-

Position Name Winning Weights

First Roger Saunders 14 - 13 - 0

Second Dick Ortzen 9 - 14 - 0

Third Mick Wright 4 - 12 - 0

The first match for us on this section. Roger drew the farthest peg giving him the longest walk on a very hot day, but it was worth it - he had the short pound above Brookwood Bridge to himself and regardless of the bright conditions caught a good mixed bag of tench, bream and bits from the 6 metres line. Dick found his fish at 11 metres and kept them coming all day for second place. The rest of us hardly caught during the second half of the match – the total weight amongst the 11 who fished on the day was 40-4-0, not too bad for the season's opener. Eddie Grayson and Roger Saunders win the Pairs Trophy.

Cottage Lane (4) – 24 th July 2005 :-

Position Name Winning Weights

First Fred Vick 10 - 1 - 0

Second Robin Reynolds 4 - 2 - 0

Third Eddie Grayson 2 - 7 - 0

During the preceding weeks the weather had been fine and warm with plenty of fish showing all over the lake but the weather turned on Saturday and the ensuing rain, which was still falling at the start whistle, changed things a bit. Fred was scratching with a single maggot on a size 18 hook to 2 lbs line when it was unexpectedly snaffled by a 9-5-0 carp – it gave him a fair old scrap and he did well to land it on such light gear. Robin seemed to be the only person catching consistently taking a procession of small tench from amongst the weeds for second spot, whilst Eddie's bag of small rudd was good enough for third. 11 anglers weighed in a total of 21-12-8 – a bit of a struggle for most of us.

Lower Benyons Red – 21 st August 2005 :-

Position Name Winning Weights

First Robin Reynolds 13 - 1 - 8

Second Stan Redding 6 - 5 – 0

Third Derek Carter 5 - 1– 0

This was an afternoon start on a warm bright day and those of us drawn amongst the trees were grateful for some shade. There were plenty of small fish, gudgeon, roach, dace etc. biting so this developed in to a bit of a race to see who could catch quickest. Until the last hour that is, when Robin, pegged at the beginning of the venue, latched on to a 9-4-0 barbel on his stick float set up which was enough to secure victory on its own – like Fred on the previous outing he did well to land it. Stan had a go at bleak bashing for an hour or so from the swim where the river meets the lock – it was enough for second place, and Derek took third with mostly small stuff. All 12 anglers weighed in just before it got dark bringing a total to the scales of 52-8-8

Mapledurham 1 – 18 th September 2005 :-

Position Name Winning Weights

First Eddie Grayson 8 - 9 - 0

Second Roger Saunders 4 – 15 - 0

Third Stan Redding 4 – 14 - 0

Your intrepid reporter wasn't able to make this one but Eddie clearly outstripped everyone to take the 53+ Plate – mostly roach by all accounts. A bit of a tight finish between Roger and Stan also with only an ounce separating second and third. A fairly good day with a 9 members that fished weighing in a total of 35-3-8

Beat 4 (A & B) - 16 th October 2005 :-

Position Name Winning Weights

First Vic Redding 11 - 7 - 0

Second Mick Hill 7 - 2 - 0

Third Mick Wright 5 - 11- 0

The river was low and slow with a tinge of colour for this one. The Beat waters have been fishing well this season and all 11 of us caught on the day. Vic was two pegs downstream of the “ditch”, fishing the feeder to the bushes on the far side, he managed to winkle out a few of the bream that always seem to be around this area to take the win. Mick fished towards the downstream end of the venue amongst the trees – he alternated between pole and stick float to take mainly roach and perch for second place while the other Mick took roach, perch and gudgeon on the float for third. Overall weight on the day was 53-2-0 (an average of just under to 5 lbs per man).

Burghfield River – 13 th November 2005 :-

Position Name Winning Weights

First Eddie Grayson 2 - 8 - 0

Second Stan Redding 1 – 15 – 0

Third Robin Reynolds 1 – 11 – 0

There was some rain in midweek that had put some colour in to the water but a big drop in temperature on Saturday night put paid to our prospects. Pegged along the “boats” the hoped for chub didn't show so it was all down to bits. Fishing tight to one of the barges, Eddie used his pole to good effect and scratched out some gudgeon and small roach to take his second win of the series It was mostly gudgeon too for Stan and Robin in second and third places. It's difficult to know what effect some of the more active boat owners had on the result but despite disturbances all 10 members caught for a total weight of 12-8-0 - shame the better fish weren't having it.

THE CHARLIE JOHNSON CHRISTMAS MATCH 3

Our Christmas Match is on 11th December at Padworth Canal. The Club is once again donating prizes, and if you come along it's unlikely that you'll go home empty-handed whether you catch something, or not. Just give Eddie a call on 01344-304203 to book in for the festivities - remember only members that are booked in are eligible to fish.

NEWSLETTER - MARCH 2005

From this Clubs point of view, the 2004/5 season petered out in pretty much the same way as 2003/4, once again we failed to register a bite between us on our last 2 outings. Fishing during the past 3 months on both R&DAA and BCAA waters has been mostly tough and unrewarding. A combination of unseasonably low rainfall together with low temperatures may have been to blame. Returns from canal winter banker venues such as Froxfield and Ash Wharf have been disappointing with just the odd good weight - unless you actually sat on fish you struggled. On the lakes it has been a similar story. Clear water conditions and low flow badly affected sport on the rivers although some good weights of bream were reported from Beat 4 and Wallingford at the very tail end.

Looking back, January to March has always been a hard time for angling – maybe we should re-arrange the “close season” by a month or three.

VENUE NEWS

Following a succession of letdowns by various suppliers and sources, the stocking programme Cottage Lane lakes has now more or less been completed. Around 400 carp to 6 inches have recently been placed in to Lake 1, and over 1000 crucians, bream and tench stocked in to Lakes 3 & 4 – it will be interesting to see how this venue performs next season.

Access improvements at Whistley Mill are now finished. The lake has been stocked with a number of specimen sized carp along with some 5000 silver fish and negotiations are underway with the electricity company to remove or bury power-lines in order to open up more bank.

Night fishing is to be allowed at Wallingford from the start of next season.

CLUB MATCH RESULTS

Beat 5 - 12 th December 2005 :-

Position Name Winning Weights

First Derek Carter 27 - 14 - 8

Second Mick Wright 14 - 5 - 0

Third Bill Large 4 - 9 - 0

NEWSLETTER - NOVEMBER 2004

Time for a review of the season so far, and for the second year running it’s the lower sections of the River Kennet that are generally showing the best form with consistent sport from Burghfield downstream and notable bags of roach and chub from Beats 4 and 5 below Rose Kiln Lane. The upper sections on the other hand have proved very difficult although some good specimens have been banked including an 11oz dace from Ufton in October, big barbel have been hard to find.

The Thames has shown good returns of roach, chub, bream and perch, particularly at Walllingford (unfortunately we caught it on a bad day as you will see below) – there were reports of good bags from Sonning in the summer as well. A lot of work has been carried out at Mapledurham to make the whole fishery more accessible with improved car parking to the lower beat and this should now be worth a trip.

Carp to 40lbs have been reported from both Pingewood and Whistley Mill. A bream of 16lbs and 2 tench in excess of 10lbs were accounted for at Englefield. Good sport has been enjoyed at all of the other lakes especially Longwater where some terrific catches of bream have been taken (remember there is a currently a keepnet ban on this venue, but don’t let that put you off). By the time you read this the silver fish stocking programme at Whistley Mill Lake along with improved access works should be complete.

Current results on the Basingstoke Canal indicate that it is now running in to some serious form with a 5-10-0 average weight per man being returned in the 36 peg open held on the Ash Wharf to Heathvale Bridge length the weekend before last.

CLUB MATCH RESULTS

Froxfield ‘A’ - 27th June 2004:-

Position Name Winning Weights
First Derek Carter 9 - 2 - 0
Second Mick Hill 6 - 2 - 0
Third Mick Wright 5 - 2 - 0
This was the start of Derek’s purple patch, we all know he’s a bit of a canal specialist and he showed us all a clean pair of heels with a good bag, including a couple of decent bream, from his peg just below the lock on the top section. The 2 Micks both had mixed bags as well but could not compete against those bream. The traditional Froxfield rain started at 2 pm just as the 11 of us who fished began weighing-in a total of 34-3-8. Derek Carter & Charles Hill win the Pairs Trophy.
Ash Wharf / Heathvale Bridge – 25th July 2004:-

Position Name Winning Weights
First Derek Carter 1 - 6 - 0
Second Mick Wright 0 - 12 - 0
Third Bob Parr 0 - 10 - 8
Another new venue for us and you will see from the notes above what a good venue this can be but not when we visited – the canal had totally switched off after the Division 2 National two weeks previously. Only the crayfish seemed to be feeding as we all struggled. That man Carter stuck to his task best though still catching small roach to win the Roach Trophy when most of us wanted to call it a day. 9 members fished for a very disappointing return of 4-13-8.

Beat 3 ‘A’ – 15th August 2004:-

Position Name Winning Weights
First Derek Carter 5 - 0 - 0
Second John Clements 4 - 14 – 0
Third Fred Vick 4 - 13 – 0
This was a much tighter affair, with the top three anglers separated by mere ounces. The venue looked in good nick and we could see some good chub amongst the bushes on the opposite bank, but it was Derek who made it a hat-trick, persevering all day to take goer roach and perch on the stick float. John and Fred were at adjacent pegs and had something of a perch for perch battle – Fred lost a decent one in the last quarter of an hour which may have cost him the match. Terry Rance caught the best chub of the day - 3-8-0 for fourth place. 31-11-0 was the total weighed in by the 9 of us that fished and Derek Carter secured the Prince of Wales Trophy with this victory.

Ash Wharf / Heathvale Bridge – 26th September 2004:-

Position Name Winning Weights
First Derek Carter 10 - 13 - 0
Second Robin Reynolds 4 - 2 - 8
Third Mick Wright 3 – 15 - 0
Are we gluttons for punishment? Will it fish better? Will Derek win again? Well the answer is yes to all three. Dick and Terry pegged this one and positioned them more towards the Wharf, don’t know if this helped, we still caught crayfish and our swims were bombarded by acorns and chestnuts as they fell from the trees. Derek drew the end peg and proceeded to empty the canal of its fish population (again) – using squats he kept the fish interested catching roach, skimmers and perch consistently all day. Be warned, the narrow towpath here can be a big problem. Poles and people sometimes don’t mix as Robin will testify, a not-too-bright member of the public (could think of a better name but…) tried to hop over his pole only to succeed in smashing it’s number 5 section to smithereens. Robin fished on ‘down the track’, in what can only be described as a very restrained manner, to take a creditable second place. Mick also included roach, perch and skimmers in his net for third. This was an unprecedented fourth consecutive win for Derek and takes the 53+ Plate to add to his silverware collection. What have the rest of us got to do?
7 fished for a total on the day of 26-14-8.
Wallingford ‘B’- 24th October 2004:-

Position Name Winning Weights
First Eddie Grayson 3 - 3 - 8
Second Mick Wright 3 - 1 - 0
Third Roger Saunders 2 - 3 - 8
Eddie wins it from an eddy. This venue has been fishing really well, just our luck to have it on a damp Sunday that had been preceded by two days of more or less solid rain, barely fishable the river was ‘brown and pushing’. Still the 9 of us that fished weighed in a total of 17-10-0 (just under 2lbs per man) given the conditions this wasn’t too bad a result. Eddie float fished for most of the day and found a small fish hot spot in a slack by his feet to take the win and the Founders Cup (at last a new name on this seasons honours list!). Mick persisted with ground-bait feeder in the faster water to take a bream and three roach for second spot - Roger had a mixed bag of bits from an apparently featureless inside line for third.

Ufton River – 21st November 2004:-

Position Name Winning Weights
First Mick Wright 4 - 9 - 0
Second Bill Large 0 - 1 – 0
Frost on Friday night, snow and rain on Saturday – our prospects did not bode well and although the river itself did not look too bad on what was a very dull damp day most of the fish in the area were not going to play ball. One peg up from the Tyle Mill back-stream Mick continued with his ground-bait feeder tactics fished across to the far bank to tempt a 4 – 9- 0 chub in the last half hour and win the Handicap Trophy. Fishing his first match this season, good to see you, Bill Large was the only other member to catch with a roach for second place. There was only one tale of a squashed maggot amongst the other six members who’s nets remained dry.

THE CHARLIE JOHNSON CHRISTMAS MATCH 2
Our next outing will be the Christmas Match on 12th December at Beat 5 and as the Club will once again be donating prizes, it is unlikely that anyone will go home empty-handed. It’d be good to see some of you out on the bank so why not call Eddie on 01344-304203 to book in for the festivities - remember only members that are booked in are eligible to fish.

WEBSITE
Yes we are on the Internet! Find us on www.newtownac.co.uk and keep up to date as well as see our ugly mugs.

CLUB DAY
We are currently hoping to organise an ‘open to all members’ Club Day on a lake venue during May 2005 – we’ll advise more details as soon as available…

Keep on catchin’....

Mick Wright - Secretary

NEWSLETTER - MAY 2004

The permits have just arrived from both R&DAA and BCAA and enclosed is your membership application form for the forthcoming season. R&DAA permits are annualised which means that they are valid from 16th June 2004 until 15th June 2005 (inclusive) giving you all year fishing on all venues except rivers, where the “close season rule” still applies, also look out for revised winter curfew hours on some venues. Due to its status as a SSSI the Basingstoke Canal is still subject to seasonal closure and will remain so for the foreseeable future.

Inevitably prices have risen, and we have had to increase Club subscriptions by 50p to cover our administration costs – but since these permits allow you to fish such a superb range of waters they still represent truly excellent value for money, and you’ll have to look hard elsewhere to beat our prices.

TAKE A YOUNGSTER TOO
In an effort to encourage more youngsters on to the banks R&DAA have slashed the cost of their 2004/5 Junior permit in half – this is a wonderful move by their Executive Committee and offers parents a great opportunity to introduce their children to the joys of our sport – over to you mums and dads..

VENUE NEWS
The planned mixed re-stocking at Cottage Lane Fishery by R&DAA has been temporarily delayed due to problems with the suppliers, however on 14th March approximately 10,000 small roach and perch were placed in to Lakes 3 & 4 from an alternate source – the promised crucians, orfe, rudd and bream will follow in due course. BCAA have also set aside £4000 for proposed re-stockings and we’ll keep you posted.

TERRY RUSSELL
On Easter Monday, Terry Russell gave in to his personal battle against cancer and took his rods off to try his luck on the big lake in the sky, knowing him he’ll do all right. He is the only member ever to be awarded the coveted Dennis Read Trophy for outstanding services to the Club more than once and will be sorely missed.

CLUB OFFICERS
At the recent AGM, Eddie Grayson agreed to take over as Match Secretary and Roger Saunders offered his services as Club Treasurer once again – thanks gentlemen. Meanwhile, after a little persuasion, Robin Reynolds also agreed to join the management committee.

WORK PARTIES
As usual, the Club has been mandated by both R&DAA and BCAA to carry out work parties to prepare the bankside for the year ahead – these will be as follows:-

Wednesday, 2nd June 2004 – Basingstoke Canal (Chequers to Poulters) meet 7.00 pm.
Sunday, 6th June 2004 – Sonning Weir and River – meet 10.00 am.

Please make a note in your diaries now – the more that turn out the easier the workload all round - look forward to seeing you there.

Mick Wright - Secretary

NEWSLETTER - MARCH 2004

INTRODUCTION
It would be fair to say that 2003/4 was not one of the best years from this Clubs point of view – on the plus side the steady decline in membership numbers was halted but on the minus side the number of active full members continues to slide and where have the junior anglers gone? Sport on the River Kennett during the latter half of the season was hard with not a single bite being registered amongst those members that attended our last 2 Club matches – very disappointing. Still spring is sprung and we look forward to the prospect of the season to come with the usual optimism – that’s fishing!

VENUE NEWS
In line with the agreed fishery improvement scheme netting and fish transfers were completed at Cottage Lane lakes during February along with undergrowth clearance that should help re-instate the boundaries of this venue. Also, as a security measure, the entrance gate will now be kept ‘locked’ as well as the lane gate. A mixed re-stocking of fish including crucians, orfe, roach, rudd and bream is proposed for lakes 3 & 4, and an additional stocking of 500 or so 3-4 inch carp into lakes 1 & 2.

Changes to access and car parking at Mapledurham and Chazey Farm are currently being agreed which combined with some bank clearance should open up many more fishable pegs at this popular Thames venue.

Despite planning permission being granted for the car park at Sonning a year ago it seems completion is no further forward although construction of the new yacht club pavilion is underway – we’ll keep you posted of any developments here.

CLUB MATCH RESULTS

Froxfield ‘A’ - 14th December 2003 :-
Position Name Winning Weights
First Mick Hill 6 - 3 - 0
Second Dick Ortzen 5 - 7 - 0
Third Derek Carter 4 - 14 - 0

This was the inaugural Charlie Johnson Christmas Match and a good time was had by all – prizes and mince pies all round. This venue continues to fish well with all 13 anglers bringing fish to the scales for a total weight of 39-15-0. Mick, who brought his dad along to share in the fun, caught small fish consistently all day from his peg by the car park for first blag at the prizes. Dick fishing further down towards the lock reported the loss of a ‘lump’ but also found plenty of small fish for his second place. What can you say about Derek and long walks, for the third year running at this venue he drew the furthest peg from the draw, after a slow start from his peg below the lock but he built up another mixed bag for third spot. Eddie Grayson went home happy from Froxfield once again - he took the ‘special bottle’ prize for his fifth place finish. Thanks go to Roger Saunders for doing the Christmas shopping.

Midgham ‘A’ - 18th January 2004 :-
Position Name Winning Weights
First Derek Carter 0 - 4 - 0
Second Terry Russell 0 - 3 - 0
Third Mick Wright 0 - 2 - 0

With a heavy overnight frost the 7 anglers that turned out for this one didn’t hold out much hope, and so it proved. All colour had dropped out of the water and a biting cold breeze made fishing conditions pretty difficult. Derek who had had plenty of fish from the venue during the previous week could only manage a single roach today but it was enough to take the win and secure the Club Championship – there was also some excitement when he hooked but eventually lost an estimated 3-pound plus trout on his sqatt rig as it tail-walked all over the canal. Terry found some small fish under the far side brambles during the last hour for second and Mick had 5 tiny roach. That was it no one else caught.

Lower Benyons - 22nd February, and Ufton River – 14th March 2004
As reported above not a single fish was caught on either of these outings, weather conditions on both days didn’t help with freezing temperatures and gale-force winds – it would have good to end the season on a high note but…..

SUPERCUP
15TH February saw 6 of our intrepid lads take on Basingstoke AS and Remenham AS at Bow Saw Lake Odiham in the SuperCup competition – despite our early confidence with all men weighing in, our small fish tactics were beaten on the day by the odd ‘lump’. Thanks to all for their efforts maybe we’ll have better luck next year.

MATCH SECRETARY
As many of you probably know, ill-health has forced Terry Russell to stand down as Club Match Secretary. During the past few years his dedication, ever-present wit and general enthusiasm for all things fishing have made our match series a pleasure to take part in – what more can we say – THANKS MATE.

FINALLY
The usual call - in order that they can be prepared for this season’s presentation, would all holders of outstanding Club Trophies ensure that they are returned by the April 2004 Annual General Meeting.

NEXT MEETING
Our next meeting will be the A.G.M. and will be held at the Winkfield Social Club on Tuesday 13th April 2004 commencing 8.30 p.m. - ALL MEMBERS, BOTH FULL AND ASSOCIATE, ARE WELCOME TO ATTEND.

Keep on catchin’.....

Mick Wright - Secretary

NEWSLETTER - NOVEMBER 2003

Up until a month, or so, ago we had been experiencing one of the warmest and driest spells on record. Despite this, water levels in the canals, lakes and rivers have been maintained surprising well with most enjoying sport on the better side of average. The form on the Kennet appears to have been turned upside down this season with good returns of silver fish coming from the lower sections, particularly Beat 5, whilst the usually more prolific upstream waters at the Benyons have struggled by comparison, and now that the rain has arrived good bags of chub been reported from Burghfield and the Beats. As last year, the Thames at Wallingford and the Kennet & Avon canal at Froxfield have fished well. There have been some good barbel landed at Whistley Mill fishery, although, as with the lakes, specific catch details have not been too forthcoming. Having studied the Basingstoke Canal website, fishing there has been steady considering the reduced flow and low levels but the recent rain appears to have perked things up.

It’s pleasing to note that, for the first time for a number of years, Club numbers are around the same as last year, with associate take up increasing against a slight fall in full memberships – Club match attendances appear to be falling however, which mirrors the trend being experienced by both the R&DAA and BCAA.

CLUB MATCH RESULTS

Hambridge Lake - 29th June 2003:-

Position Name Winning Weights
First John Clements 17 - 1 - 0
Second Mick Hill 10 - 5 - 0
Third Robin Reynolds 7 – 15– 8

For the second year running the Club held its season opener at this delightful venue. Due to holiday commitments your intrepid reporter didn’t attend (gutted) so the exact details of where and how the above weights were put together elude me. During the week preceding the match there had been some colour in the water resulting in some huge bags of tench, but by match day this had dropped out. Looking back over previous seasons it does seem that John has a way with the tincas and whilst some members struggled he found plenty of willing takers to romp home the clear victor. Evidently Mick was in amongst them too and a good effort from Robin to take third spot. 13 anglers fished for a total of 65-14-8, better than 5 pounds a man. John and Robin paired up for this to wrestle the Pairs Trophy from last years winners, Mick Hill and Dave Day.

Wallingford “B” – 20th July 2003:-

Position Name Winning Weights
First Dick Ortzen 8 - 3 - 0
Second Terry Russell 5 - 14 - 0
Third Ashley Day 5 - 11 - 8
Like most days so far this season this was a beauty, clear blue skies and plenty of sunshine. A pair of red kites circled overhead as we started at 7 o’clock hoping that we might have at least an hour before the boat traffic got into full swing but no - the first of many came through as we were tackling up. Water conditions were clear with plenty of cabbage in evidence providing cover for on the inside. The fish seemed to feed in intermittent spells between each boat and it was a case of keeping the bites coming – plenty of pike chasing in hooked fish too. Dick float-fished most of the day for a good mixed bag of silver fish, mostly roach to win the match. Both Terry and Ashley used similar tactics to secure second and third respectively. This venue is so consistent, the 11 members that fished once again averaging well in excess of 4 pounds a man, bringing a total of 50-9-8 to the scales.

Theale River – 17th August 2003:-

Position Name Winning Weights
First Derek Carter 5 - 10 - 0
Second Dick Ortzen 5 - 8 – 0
Third Mick Wright 4 - 12 – 8
We approached this afternoon match with some trepidation - when the venue had been included in a recent R&DAA match it showed really poor form producing an overall total section weight of only 3-8-8 ! Fortunately for us the perch population were in obliging mood for the first half of the match at least. This was the start of a good run for Derek with a net of healthy float caught stripys from upstream in the trees. Dick pegged one above the outlet alternated between float and feeder and but for a couple of ounces almost made it 2 on trot, Mick was on the straight bit above Bonsals point and used the feeder all afternoon. We finished at 8 pm with 9 anglers weighing in a respectable total of 24-11-0. There was a fly past by the Red Arrows as well as a massive honking squadron of Canada geese, and I don’t think those involved will forget the fencing incident in a hurry - all in all not a bad day.

Upper Benyons “B” – 21st September 2003:-

Position Name Winning Weights
First Derek Carter 2 - 6 - 0
Second Fred Vick 2 - 1 - 0
Third Mick Wright 1 - 14 - 0
As mentioned previously, the form on the more upstream venues has been a bit hit and miss this season, and so it was for us. Although the weather was fine, there was good flow with a tinge of colour in the water but we all struggled. Derek was drawn on “the Stump” - there wasn’t a sign of its renowned big fish population, but he managed to put together enough bits for the win, Fred was in the trees by Ufton bridge and used the feeder to take a few perch, while Mick whipped out some bleak in the last hour from “the Stile”. A total of 11-5-0 was weighed in between the 8 of us that fished. Ironically, our chairman, Alan Buckland who had blanked in the match proper decided to fish on after the weigh-in and within minutes landed a 9 pound barbel using free-lined luncheon – just proves the big’uns are still there just may be feeding later in the day.

Theale Canal- 19th October 2003:-

Position Name Winning Weights
First Derek Carter 4 - 11 - 0
Second Mick Hill 2 - 7 - 0
Third Fred Vick 0 - 5 - 8
Although most of October was relatively warm, this was a cold day and turned out to be a bit of a grueller for most of us. In hindsight, perhaps we should have put the pegs further down stream - of the 8 of us that fished, 6 of us were between Sheffield lock and the pylons and were virtually fishless. Derek, as he so often does, drew the longest walk and pole fished squatt to good effect, taking small fish all day to make it a hat-trick of victories – WELL DONE. Mick, drawn to one side of the turning bay, fished pinkie on the pole and also found small roach and bits. Fred took one perch on the ledger from the first peg below the lock for third place. Total weight brought to the scales by the intrepid members was 8-0-0. Derek wins the 53+ Plate for his efforts.

Claycart to Farnborough Road – 9th November 2003:-

Position Name Winning Weights
First Dick Ortzen 2 - 10 - 0
Second Derek Carter 1 - 5 - 0
Third Fred Vick 0 - 12 - 0
First time on this section and unfortunately it was hard day for the six hardy souls that turned out. With soft rain falling and being faced with bank to bank leaves on the surface throughout most of the match-length due to the high winds the previous day, we weren’t able to peg the noted “nature reserve” swims. Fishing was really frustrating trying to get a bait into the water without fouling leaves and getting tangled as the breeze moved them about – we could have done with some boat traffic but we only saw one all morning. Dick faired best given the conditions using bloodworm to pick out roach, perch and skimmers to finish over a pound clear of Derek who caught most of his fish in the last hour or so on pole fished pinkie. Once again, Fred found a perch on ledgered worm to frame (didn’t bring it in your flask did you mate?). Total weight for the day was 6-3-0 with Dick’s win securing the Handicap Trophy.

FRIENDLIES

The following report appeared in the Reading Chronicle on 4th September :-
Lake 1 at Cottage Lane had a total match weight of 53-2-0 between the 3 members of Newtown who arrived to fish. It could have been a lot more if Terry Russell had landed the 7 carp he lost! He finished with only 2-1-0 for third place, with Derek Carter landing 2 carp plus bits for second with 20-9-0. Match winner was Eddie Grayson with 6 carp plus bits for 30-8-0

THE CHARLIE JOHNSON CHRISTMAS MATCH

Our next outing will be the Christmas Match on 14th December at Froxfield “A” – the Club will be donating prizes (including something special for fifth place) - no one usually goes home empty handed, so why not come along. Since Terry is not too fit at the moment (get well soon) I‘ll be taking the names for this one, so call me on 01344-456876 to book in - remember only members that are booked in are eligible to fish.

R&DAA NEWS

The R&DAA executive are disappointed to report that they have not managed to secure the lease from the farmer at Cleeve Lock on the Thames for a further season – they had hoped to use the venue for at least one of their match series next season and we had also tentatively included it in our match bookings request as well.

A new lake for 2004/5 has just been leased though. Situated in the middle of Green Park Estate the Longwater Lake has 20 pegs and contains a good head of carp and silver fish – to fish pre-booking will be required as this a secure venue with good parking and toilets available – details of exact location, contact numbers, allowed fishing times and so on will be included in next years permits.

Cottage Lane will be closed for three weeks during February in order to complete nettings and fish transfers in keeping with the ongoing management plan.

The October Fish of the Month Award was won by 15-14-0 barbel from Lower Benyons – snared by a member from Newcastle would you believe !

Finally there have been a number of instances of illegal night-fishing and poaching at various venues. It’s fair to say that the R&DAA bailiffs can’t be everywhere, so if you should spot anything suspicious or notice anyone arriving to fish as you are packing up please contact the Bailiff Hotline using the number published in your permits.

IN OUR THOUGHTS

As many of you know our Treasurer, one of our most stalwart and active members, Dave Day suffered a severe heart attack at the beginning of July and is now on a slow road back to recovery - our thoughts and best wishes are with him and his family during this most trying of times.

CLUB MEETINGS

Club meetings are held on the second Tuesday of every month at the Winkfield Club, Winkfield Row commencing 8.30 p.m. - ALL MEMBERS ARE WELCOME.

Keep on catchin’.....oh and Merry Christmas

Mick Wright - Secretary

Affiliated to

Reading & District Angling Association (R&DAA)

and

Basingstoke Canal Angling Association (BCAA)