Wingham Fish-In Catch Report

[Si...]

Firstly I have to say a massive thanks to Steve, Peggy, Glyn, Terry and Tom, plus anyone else who made the Fish-in possible.

 

Secondly, here's my PB common of 28lb which broke the carp lake duck.

 

Was caught on a single boilie at about 100 yards range, screamed off at 4pm on Monday.

 

[Guest tigger]

That is one helluva tench - just look at the size of that rear paddle.Lutra will be as green as a tench

Speaking of Lutra Dave, have you heard off him he seems to have vanished ?

Firstly I have to say a massive thanks to Steve, Peggy, Glyn, Terry and Tom, plus anyone else who made the Fish-in possible.Secondly, here's my PB common of 28lb which broke the carp lake duck.Was caught on a single boilie at about 100 yards range, screamed off at 4pm on Monday.

Crackin fish Si I bet your made up !

[rabram]

Speaking of Lutra Dave, have you heard off him he seems to have vanished ?Crackin fish Si I bet your made up !

hi steve just to say a big thanks to everybody for there help and advise on the fishing and the barbacue,me and kevin really enjoyed our selves and would love to come again but will see what your list is like next year,would have loved to have got a tench like tigger but was not to be so will not hear the last of it from him ( ha ha ) go on tigger

 

see you soon i hope rab and kevin

[Anderoo]

Apologies for the late reply!

 

Firstly, as usual I must extend huge thanks to Steve for letting me loose on the pike, sorry carp lake , Peggy for the brilliant BBQs (especially the first one when it was chucking it down), Terry and Glyn for all their work beforehand and the lifts to swims, and everyone I talked to - the Anglers Net folk are a great bunch of people, I learned an awful lot from you all as usual. Not enough to actually catch anything, but hey

 

The banter was great too. At one of the BBqs I said to someone that I'm not much of a carp angler and Steve piped up 'He's not much of a tench angler either!'. Thanks Steve When I left the BBQ I wished Budgie luck with catching yet more eels and he immediately replied with, 'So have you caught any carp?'. Touche!

 

Sharkbyte, your footage is VERY interesting. The tench ignoring certain baits, spitting out hookbaits, and most of all the massive undertow down there - lots to think about there. It was good to talk to you too.

 

It was also really valuable to talk to/listen to Alex, one of the Wingham members. If you look in, thanks for coming Alex, you've given me plenty to think about when it comes to the bream.

 

Too many names to mention, but I really enjoyed meeting all the people I talked to.

 

Well, that's the interesting bit done, onto the fishing

 

I had some nice company on the carp lake:

 

 

I'm not much of a carp angler (quiet at the back, Steve) but I really felt that I did everything I could. In retrospect there are a couple of little things I'd do differently, but I think the main problem was that the conditions weren't right. On the second night the wind dropped and the carp were boshing out in the middle of the lake, a very impressive sight. I changed my rig and fizzed out a single bait with a PVA bag as far as I could, which went further than I was expecting! But nothing picked it up.

 

Dusk at the carp lake:

 

 

Everything ended up coated in Willow seed:

 

 

I had a furious run on my margin rod on the second day with nothing on the end, so I got some advice from Si and Budgie and made a few little changes. The result was another furious run with an angry 8lb pike on the end, so that solved that! At least I hadn't missed a run from a carp.

 

The pike in there must be fairly hungry. I was in my swim with Dant and put my rod on the platform with the unbaited rig hanging in the water - the rod tip started knocking, and I'm soon playing a pike which had taken the unbaited hook

 

 

 

I also managed to land a PB coot which had somehow managed to get my hook caught in it's leg (returned safely and without injury, I should add). Quite a shock at 6am...

 

The coarse lake was clearly the place to be though! Medwaygreen's perch looks massive, what a long and lean fish, well done mate! Congratulations to Tigger who was rewarded for his long journey with that huge tench, and Den for tackling the Eggbox with such amazing results. I'm really gutted you lost that big one. Well done to Si too, who finally managed to catch a carp, and a PB common at that! Well done to everyone who caught and to those who didn't, I hope the company and wildlife made the trip worthwhile. It certainly did for me. I would have dearly loved to have caught one of the huge carp, but it wasn't to be.

 

Steve Campbell's speech was very moving, thanks for that Steve. A fitting tribute I think that the Meatballs swim fished so well.

 

As I was leaving I saw a grass snake swimming along the margins, which was a perfect end to another great Wingham fish-in.

[poledark]

Well I am glad to see that at least one person noticed the fierce undertow. One of the reasons (actually the main reason) I fished where I did, was that as far as I could tell, it was out of the 'tow. This time of the year, most of the fish will be feeding on the emerging fly nymphs and other larvae. They would get swept away (if they ever lived there in the first place) by those strong currents.

 

I found plenty of leaf debri in the area I fished, this indicated to me that debri settled there.......no strong 'tow............plenty of natural food..........natural feeding area..................maggots......................fish.

 

Now you may argue with my conclusions, but you can't argue with the result I caught steadily over the 3 days.

 

John Bailey once wrote, that if you can read the undertows, then you can find the fish. A statement I fully agree with.

 

Den

[nursejudy]

great reading.looks a lovely place.

judy

[Guest Jan V]

Judy, it is a place where one loves to catch but blanking isn't all bad, either. Serene and beautiful with the best of hosts.

[dant]

I see an unfortunate pattern emerging here. Last to arrive, last to leave and last to report.. Erm, un-organised, moi?

 

I eventually arrived at around 6 or 7 p.m'ish on the Saturday evening in a state of complete disarray and made my first mistake of the weekend, more of which later.

 

Steve whizzed down to the car park, flush with reports of Tench coming out all over the lake which buoyed the spirits after a rain lashed trip round the M25 and down the M2.

 

After I'd got a reasonable bit of kit organising done, Steve taxied me round the lake dropping me in the far corner in a swim called, I think, 'The Lookout Tree'. Number 26.

 

To say that I felt like a fish-out-of-water would be understated as I've not fished a gravel pit for at least a couple of years. It was also un-fortunately not a theme that was to continue over the course of the next couple of days.

 

As the rest of the lake was being streaked by the N/East winds I felt quite privileged to have an area of calm, it was an exceedingly comfortable spot.

I strated to do a bit of fish thinking whilst setting up and figured it might not be such a good thing but by this time it was 9p.m'ish and my mind was prematurely wandering to my hastly set up and completely in-appropriately coloured tent which I'd bought on the way down.

I was asleep by 11 p.m. Fast asleep too.

 

The following couple of days have blurred in a seemless memory of no fish, abundant wildlife and peace and quiet.

 

I did manage a whopping 5oz Perch on the Sunday I think. I have a witness in tincatinca too, if anyone doubts the weight.

I also had a pet Pike for the weekend too. A fish of around 2 or 3lb's spent the whole couple of days no more than 6 or 7 feet from the bank and indifferently accepted all manner of freebies thrown his or her way. Sweetcorn, Luncheon Meat and especially Lobworms. Little did I somehow not manage to realise, was that in doing so, what I was actually doing was making it increasingly likely that I'd hook the little devil before long which I didn't want to do. But did twice without intention, once on Sweetcorn and again on a lob.

 

The wildlife is quite something at Wingham. One morning I was woken by a Cuckoo that was so close to my tent I did wonder if it was going to undo the zip, turf me out and lay an egg on my bedchair.

I had a near run-in with a hungry Bader that was making a beeline for my bait bucket, saw the Hobbys at work chasing the Dragonflies and much more.

 

It's by far the least I've ever minded staring at a moitionless bobbin for over two days.

 

I need cast off my fishing blinkers a little and fish more stillwaters in the next season as I havn't done for quite some time. I've got a lot to learn about fishing gravel pits.

The wind was a shame for me in particular as I think a fresh Southerly or S/W would of had me on a flyer.

 

Great to meet everyone all good guys bar none. I particularly enjoyed listening to Dens brand of straight talking, especially as it was backed by those splendid Tench. Den invited me to fish next door to him on the final knockings on Monday as I attempted to try and poach one of his fish and disturb Anderoo's next swim. I was unsuccessful on the first count and hopefully on the second.

 

Thanks to Steve for the invite to fish his wonderful fishery. It was heart warming to see Steve's genuine desire for everyone to catch and the time and effort he'd put in. The same applys to Peggy for the BBQ, which due to my inpet preparation was even more gratefully received and the Baliffs, Glyn and Terry.

 

I particulary liked Glyns tactics for my swim. Me - "Glyn what do you reckon I should do in my swim up there in the corner", Glyn - "Move". The friendly banter was real good value over the two days....

 

Extra special thanks to Glyn though which relates to my first mistake. In my hurry to get ready and get fishing I had managed to leave the rear interior light on for the duration which resulted in a terribly flat battery. There was not enough power to sound the horn.

So Glyns poor old little jeep finished the weekend towing/bump starting my great big pedunkle van..

 

Cheers mate!!

 

Mat Hilman sorry we didn't get to say hello over the weekend as I was fishing next door to you. I popped round a couple of times in the afternoon but you were pushing up the zzzz'ss. Glad you a Tench..

I wasn't sure if I should mention this on the forum but was prompted into it by others.

Just after you left on the Sunday evening probably by the time you got back to the car park, all hell broke loose in your swim, there was tail slapping and porpoising all over the place.

It was like they had a sentry out 'right boys and girls he's off, lets have a party'. The party eventually moved across to my swim but with less fever.

It was incredibly frustrating, there was enough intermittent activity after a two days of none to keep me interested until 2 a.m but without a line bite to show for my troubles. It's strange but I didn't mind in the least..

 

I had great weekend which has served me well all through the week..

 

Thanks all!!

Edited May 23, 2008 by dant

[Mat Hillman]

Cheers Dan, makes me feel better

 

Sorry I wasn't more sociable, but I was feeling rough all weekend, had it been anywhere but Wingham I'd have stayed at home!

 

Mat

[dant]

Sorry about that Mat.

 

But it was incedible timing. I doubt you were loading your car by the time they started. I thought about shifting along for an hour or two but I've done the chasing shadows thin before with very little success.

 

I heard you were so well all weekend. That must of put a bit of a damper on proceedings. Hope you feel better now mate.