Wingham Fish-In Catch Reports

[The Flying Tench]

Excuse a late report from me. I could only arrive on Sunday eve, but carried on till Tuesday lunchtime with kind permission from Steve. My first aim was to catch a pb eel, not too hard as previously it was only 1lb. Aim 2: I hoped for a tench, but didn't rate my chances as all that high, partly because I am completely new to this kind of fishing (bite alarms etc) and I had that nagging suspicion that a certain skill might be required. Aim 3 was to SURVIVE nearly 2 days in a tent with none of my creature comforts. My fourth was to learn something from the kind of lunatics who do this kind of thing regularly.

 

Aim 1 achieved. 2 pb eels, each 2lbs 3 oz. Each carefully weighed, but when I got home I think i understood what Steve W was talking about. The pong of eel slime on my landing net was unbelievable!

 

Aim 2 was unmet, I think, because the red-eyes were jealous of my Flying Tench soubriquet and stayed well clear. That was despite moving into Terry T-shirt's swim after he left, where he had been catching steadily. I think a bit of casting practice by me may be called for.

 

Aim 3 was achieved, just!

 

Aim 4 was well and truly achieved. Sincere thanks to Steve, and also Budgie and Andrew for all the help and advice.

 

I don't know if others find this the first time they bivvy up - I still haven't quite got my mind round it. The fact that you might wait hours for a bite. The fact that someone fishing 3 days, including the nights, will have baits in the water for as long as I do in 6 months. The fact that some people don't seem to sleep at all! It seems to me to be a different mentality from fishing as I have known it, though I realise that many of those on the fish-in were general anglers who do all sorts of fishing. I can't say I've quite 'caught the bug' yet, but I certainly learned stuff - attitudes as well as techniques - which will help a lot in my normal fishing. Thanks to Steve and Peggy and all concerned for a great experience.

[Will Wilkinson]

I think I am noticing a pattern here with a few exceptions, not many people are trying to put their eels on the scales. Even a few suspected PBs went back without wieghing, and Tigger doesn't even want to keep exact count of them, let alone what they weighed!

 

I caught two. The first one weighed "Nnnnnnngg get back in the water you spawn of Hell" and the second weighed "No NO NO NO please don't do that - Oh you little monster not all over my landing net".

 

Or words to that effect, possibly slightly fruitier.

 

I used to do a lot of eel fishing (PB is 7lb 2oz) and don't usually bother weighing anything under 4lb - similarly with the Tench I only usually weigh fish over 6lb, anything smaller just gets an estimate.

 

I actually rather enjoy fishing for eels as long as there's a good chance of fish over 5lb and intend to have a couple of nights targeting them at Wingham later this year as I feel that there could be a few 6lb+ specimens in the lake.

 

Will

[Anderoo]

Excuse a late report from me. I could only arrive on Sunday eve, but carried on till Tuesday lunchtime with kind permission from Steve. My first aim was to catch a pb eel, not too hard as previously it was only 1lb. Aim 2: I hoped for a tench, but didn't rate my chances as all that high, partly because I am completely new to this kind of fishing (bite alarms etc) and I had that nagging suspicion that a certain skill might be required. Aim 3 was to SURVIVE nearly 2 days in a tent with none of my creature comforts. My fourth was to learn something from the kind of lunatics who do this kind of thing regularly.

 

Aim 1 achieved. 2 pb eels, each 2lbs 3 oz. Each carefully weighed, but when I got home I think i understood what Steve W was talking about. The pong of eel slime on my landing net was unbelievable!

 

Aim 2 was unmet, I think, because the red-eyes were jealous of my Flying Tench soubriquet and stayed well clear. That was despite moving into Terry T-shirt's swim after he left, where he had been catching steadily. I think a bit of casting practice by me may be called for.

 

Aim 3 was achieved, just!

 

Aim 4 was well and truly achieved. Sincere thanks to Steve, and also Budgie and Andrew for all the help and advice.

 

I don't know if others find this the first time they bivvy up - I still haven't quite got my mind round it. The fact that you might wait hours for a bite. The fact that someone fishing 3 days, including the nights, will have baits in the water for as long as I do in 6 months. The fact that some people don't seem to sleep at all! It seems to me to be a different mentality from fishing as I have known it, though I realise that many of those on the fish-in were general anglers who do all sorts of fishing. I can't say I've quite 'caught the bug' yet, but I certainly learned stuff - attitudes as well as techniques - which will help a lot in my normal fishing. Thanks to Steve and Peggy and all concerned for a great experience.

 

It was a pleasure to meet you John, I'm glad most of your aims were met! I know what you mean about the mentality of it. I really love it, but I definitely couldn't do it all year. By the time September comes around I breathe a huge sigh of relief! Fishing then becomes very short trips with a rod, net and bag rather than barrow, bivvy and cooking gear.

 

As we said at the BBQ, you'll have to join Rich and I for some trotting later in the year.

[Steve Burke]

The catches were well down on the last 3 years due to the drop in water temperature. Nevertheless there were some happy, smiling faces. Here's a summary again.

 

Elton (Murphy) PB carp of 35-12

Richard Capper PB eel of c4lbs

Rob Ward 2 pike c10lbs

Poledark (Den Darkin) 2 tench c6lbs plus a perch of c1 3/4lbs.

Errrm (Neil Jones) perch c1lb + pike c1 1/2lb

Flying Tench (John Clarke) 2 PB eels, each of 2-03

Terry T-Shirt (Terry Read) tench of 8-12, 8-08, 3 at 8-02, 7-13, 6-02, 5-12 & 3-06. A small perch, and an eel of about 1 1/2lbs.

KAYC (Kevin Clarkson) PB tench of 8-01

Cliff 63 (Cliff Townsend) PB perch of 2-15, plus eel c2lbs

Anthony78 (Ant Chance) eel c2lbs

Miroku (Steve Blackburn) 20+ roach to 12ozs plus PB eel of 4-02

Tigger (Ian Woods) roach c1 1/4lbs, plus c10 eels

Budgie (Burgess) 3 pike c5-8lbs

Jeffwill (Jeff Williams) eel c1 1/2lbs

Tony U (Tony Urwin) c3-08 eel

3 Doors Down (Nic Horne) tench of 7-10

Tinca Tinca (Paul Westcott) tench (all males) of 7-02. 6-11 & 5-11

Maddog (Colin Rennison) PB male tench of 6-08, PB female tench of 8-03 Colin hasn't claimed a PB male but a look at the pics on the camera suggested one.

Angly (Geoff Brown) PB tench of 7-09 plus another of 6-10, PB eel c2lbs

Steve Campbell 14-08 pike

Will Wilkinson 7-12 tench, eel c2lbs

Glyn (Llewellyn) 7-07 tench

Anderoo (Andrew Walker) a PB tench of 9-08 1/2 plus others of 9-03, 8-01, 7-07 & 6-0, a male tench of 5-03, plus a small perch

Steve Walker PB female tench of 7-08, perch of 2-01 plus 2 eels

Lyn (Hurst) pike of 5-6lbs and 3lbs

Jedibond (Ian Shiels) eels of c2lbs & 2 1/2lbs

Leon Roskilly 6-12 pike

Edited May 21, 2009 by Steve Burke

[Steve Walker]

I make that approximately 325lb of fish from the coarse lake, caught by 25 anglers between, what, 28 anglers in total?

[Steve Burke]

Just added tench of 8-01 and 6-00 to Anderoo's catch.

[Kappa]

Nevertheless there were some happy, smiling faces.

 

Richard Capper PB eel of c4lbs

[Kappa]

I think I am noticing a pattern here with a few exceptions, not many people are trying to put their eels on the scales. Even a few suspected PBs went back without wieghing, and Tigger doesn't even want to keep exact count of them, let alone what they weighed!

 

I caught two. The first one weighed "Nnnnnnngg get back in the water you spawn of Hell" and the second weighed "No NO NO NO please don't do that - Oh you little monster not all over my landing net".

 

Or words to that effect, possibly slightly fruitier.

 

Mine was definately:

 

"No NO NO NO please don't do that - Oh you monster spawn of Hell not all over my landing net"

 

Apparently some people like catching them, I would suggest prescription medication and extensive counselling / psychotherapy.

 

Rich

[Kappa]

Just realised my thank you post seems to have disappered into the internet ether!

 

Massive thanks to Steve, Glyn, Terry and of course Tom.

 

Also massive massive thanks to Peggy putting up with us all and cooking soe much lovely food in such horrible conditions, a true gem!

 

Thanks!

 

Rich

[Steve Walker]

When I was a kid, I once caught an eel on fish in batter, with one of those orange dacron handlines. It was the boating lake at the holiday camp at Pwlleli, and the eels were visibly scavenging leftovers chucked in the lake. I had a handline in my pocket and some suitable bait....It not only covered me in slime, it barfed up half digested fish and chips all over me too. That was the first and last eel I ever caught on purpose.