My Wingham Fish-In started with a surprise call on my mobile late Friday evening from Steve Burke himself, who had just seen me post that I'd be leaving early to arrive before 7am, and wanted to brief me on my swim, apparently one of his favourites for the perch that I'd listed as one of my target species on the questionnaire we were all sent. After the initial shock (Steve Burke phoning little old insignificant me) wore off, I realised I was now under pressure to catch!
Due to my over enthusiasm, adding an hours journey time for luck ('just in case'), and relying on Multimap daytime traffic journey times, I arrived at Wingham at 5am, so settled down for a nap in the car. It wasn't too long before I heard movement and realised that others were already about, so managed a quick cuppa in the clubhouse before Terry T-Shirt arrived and lent me his spare 2lb TC rods as previously arranged. As luck would have it, the bailiffs were keen to get anglers to the lake, so with my gear in the trailer and myself in the 4x4 with Glyn, I was in my designated swim before 7am.
I spodded out some groundbait (equal quantities crushed hemp, molasses meal, pellet powder, and brown crumb) next to a visible gravel bar as per Steve’s instructions, cast out my two rods and sat back to await the action. Meanwhile I set up a slider float for the evening and morning perch sessions, but was dismayed to find my plan thwarted at the start because my rod’s tip ring was too small to pass a powergum stop-knot! Luckily the depth was around 9ft, so it was just possible to cast with the stop-knot about a foot down from the rod’s tip, but the facing wind was making mincemeat of my wimpy 4AAA loaded waggler.
Shortly Steve popped in to see how I was doing, and very politely informed me I wasn’t fishing in the right area, I’d actually misunderstood his instructions and chosen the wrong gravel bar (a bar on my left leading away from me), when I should be fishing against the bar in front of me running diagonally across my swim. Oh well, another round of spodding, and my baits were now cast to the correct spot. I’d been informed by many that there was a hot area to the right of my swim, but I’d already earmarked that area (well OK Steve had) as my perch swim, and Steve was kind enough to lend me a far heavier loaded bodied waggler float to cope with the brisk facing wind.
At the lunchtime BBQ quietly and efficiently served up by Peggy to a seemingly never ended queue of ravenous anglers, Budgie sorted me out with a bedchair, a brand new item no less that he had bought for a spare. Lifts to and from the BBQ were kindly provided by Will in his Defender, who was fishing just up from myself and Steve Campbell who was next to me.
Evening eventually fell, the wind dropped off completely, and I started the perch fishing in near mill pond conditions. Damn, one missed bite just as I was feeding the chopped worm caster maggot mix. Damn, and again! Now night was falling fast, and bang, I’m into a fish! Was it a perch? Argh, nope, an eel. I guess about 2lbs, the first eel I’ve seen for about 20 years, and probably a PB, although I didn’t weigh it.
The eel signalled the end of meat baits for the day, and I carried on float fishing using a chemical nightlight on Steve’s float trying a variety of baits for about another hour. Then I settled down for a light nap. Stupidly, I’d not actually planned out my sleep pattern, and I hadn’t yet slept since Thursday night! I was soon dead to the world.
00:30 and I’m awoken by one of my alarms…fish on! Obviously of medium size, it didn’t really put up too much of a fight until it came to the margins, trying not to be too rough with my possibly gravel damaged 8lb line, I gently persuaded what I could now see was a huge (for me) tench into the net. What a gorgeous fish, and she went 7lb 9oz on the scale. My face in the photo says it all, I was chuffed to bits. I wanted a specimen tench, and here she was, a new PB by quite some margin.
I slept through Sunday morning first light, the best perching hours, an oversight I would later kick myself for, especially as by all accounts the conditions were perfect.
My next action was at 5:30pm, the alarm waking me from an after BBQ nap, and luckily witnessed by Will who kindly took the photo for me. Another tench, but this time ‘only’ 6lb 10oz. And again, a gorgeous looking fish.
Sunday evening and the wind was up again, nothing to the float rod.
2:15 am and I’m woken by my alarm, I lift into something noticeably more solid than my last two fish. As is my usual night practice, I only turn my headlight on when the fish is in netting range, but I’d messed up, and putting pressure on the fish I was gutted to hear my lead come whistling out the water past my ear…the fish was just underfoot and I’d not noticed, I thought it was still some way out. That’s never happened to me before…I swore loudly. The hook had been ejected or pulled out.
Monday morning up at 3:30 am to catch that perch magic first light, but conditions were awful, heavy rain, strong wind, and slippery underfoot, I slipped and almost went it! Float fishing was a no go, I’d have to try quivertipping, although not sure if the perch would put up with the resistance. Again, I missed two good bites, and then morning was over. I’d fallen short, and I was pretty angry with myself. More so when I realised that during the course of the morning I’d somehow snapped the tip of the float that Steve had lent me!
I packed up just in time for the 1pm BBQ, after which I said my goodbyes and made my way home, grinning from ear to ear the whole way.
Both my tench came to two 10mm boilies on a 3” braid hooklength from a semi-fixed 2oz bomb, not an inline one mind, so you’d think tangle city, but a part boilie PVA bag or stringer seemed to keep things inline.
Some firsts for me including: First time on a gravel pit, first time on a water as large as Wingham, first time being woken by a bite alarm (I normally fish OR sleep), first use of braid hooklength, first try at slider float fishing, first go with the marker float, first spodding.
At no point during the Fish-In did I forget what a huge privilege it is to get a chance to fish Wingham as a non-member.
Highlights
The gorgeous lake
Steve’s obvious (and well justified) pride, enthusiasm, energy, and knowledge, coupled with his ability to make everyone feel so very welcome.
The obvious amount of hard work and preparation that goes into the Fish-In which ultimately culminates in the weekend running with near military precision.
Peggy’s cooking!
Having expert advice on hand
Meeting some more forum members and putting faces to names
Low points
That weather!
Losing that fish, no one to blame but me
Failing to catch a perch, again, all my fault
Breaking Steve’s float!
Once again, a huge thank you and round of applause for all those that made the Angler’s Net Wingham Fish-In possible, including (but possibly not limited to) Steve Burke, Elton (congrats on the new PB carp!), Peggy, Terry, Glyn and Tom, and lets not forget the forum members themselves, who whether by lending out gear, offering advice, or just ‘being there’ make the Fish-In what it is.
Also a special thank you to those who helped me out in other ways (tackle loan, taxi service, or just plain old good company) including (but possibly not limited to) and in no particular order: Budgie, Terry T-Shirt, Will, Steve Campbell. Cheers lads.
And let’s not forget those forum members who give their thoughts and advice so freely, and because of whom I was ready with the correct baits tackle and methods to allow me to catch my PB tench.
One way or another, I hope to return to Wingham one day to do justice to the perch population.
P.S. Sorry for the novel!
