Wingham Fish-In Catch Reports 2013

[Andrew Burgess]

Hi everyone - just got in and I am totally shattered after an 4 hours drive on the motorway to write out a report and will do it sometime tomorrow after when I have clean and wipe down the fishing tackle.

[John Weddup]

It started raining soon after midnight and it rained for much of the day. Couple this with a maximum temperature of just 12C (54F) and a N wind, thankfully mainly light, and you have the recipe for a struggle. That's exactly what we got - in fact this has been by far the worst Wingham Fish-In for many years. As John Weddup pointed out above, it wasn't just Wingham that fished poorly. However we really feel sorry for guests - we can fish anytime, you've got to wait until next year.

 

In the past we'd got used to year after year of personal bests and had come to expect good fishing. Now we've just had our come-uppance!

 

Having said that 1 angler, Maddog, bucked the trend and landed 7 tench. He had males of 4-05 and 5-12, plus females of 6-11, 6-13, 7-04, 7-11 and 8-02. Well done, Colin!

 

And of course Errmm had a very big PB 10-02 tench and a grin as big! I'll post pictures tomorrow - I'm shattered now.

 

On the Carp Lake 5 eels were caught last night but all of a good size. Dales had eels of 3-13 and 4-02, Andrew Burgess had 2 around 3lbs plus a specimen of 4-03.

 

On the Main Lake Cliff63 had the best eel, a 3-06 that's a new PB.

 

KAYC was very unlucky as he almost certainly hooked a big bream on the first night only to lose it in a tangle of some carp angler's old line. He did all the right things after he hooked the bream and lost it through no fault of his own. Bad luck, Kevin!

 

Here's the provisional scorecard, that I'll update if need be:

 

Main Lake

 

Errmm - 10-02 PB tench

Cliff63 - 6-09 tench, 3-06 PB eel

Anthony78 - 4-06 and 5-12 tench

Maddog - male tench of 4-05 & 5-12, female tench of 6-11, 6-13, 7-04, 7-11 and 8-02

3DoorsDown - 2 jacks

JK - 6-04 tench and a jack

Lenx - 2-04 eel

Sharkbyte - 2 eels of about 1 to 1 1/2lbs + a jack

Russ McCulley - a jack

Addicted to Scopex - 5 pike, 1 of 8lbs and 4 jacks

Mat Hillman - an eel of about 2lbs

Dave H - 2-06 eel

 

Carp Lake

 

Andrew Burgess - 4-03 eel plus another 2 of around 3lbs

Dales - eels of 3-13 and 4-02

Steve White - pike of 8lbs and 14lbs

 

Interestingly, nearly all the tench came in the afternoon, something that's very unusual at Wingham.

 

One change we discussed at lunchtime today is that we skip the Saturday BBQ and have BBQs just on the Sunday and Monday. This will mean that staff and I can help more guests with finding hot spots in the swims etc. At present no sooner than we've dropped all the guests off we have to start picking them for the BBQ.

 

Any comments on this idea?

 

 

Steve if wingham was a venue that guaranteed huge catches in numbers and size none of the anglers that attended, or indeed your syndicate members, or me certainly, would be very interested.

 

Oh yes you would get many PB followers but to me, on one visit, but fishing similar waters and reading between the lines of all the anglers that fish there regularly you have something that is very special.

 

I love hard venues because the rewards are immense. Even if its a few roach on a winters day.

 

I dearly dearly Dearly wish Wingham was 40 miles away.

 

Thank you for at least giving AN members a good post or two too read about with proper angling done on the bank and not internet angling.

 

The weather does not deter me as I fish all year mostly all weekend for many species. I love the rainy dull days as the bright hot sunny ones are not so good but this year is so different to the previous 40 plus I have fished. It just means to me I have to adapt my expectations and keep at it with full confidence at the start of a session and when it doesn't go to plan think hard for the next few days to make it work next time.

 

I have already formulated a plan for next weekend where I spotted the tench last weekend. I will be baiting Friday night and fishing for the little tincas from first light Saturday.

 

If they don't feed I will be at it again sunday and Monday until they give in.

 

John

[Tony U]

Errm

Well done with that Tench, I'll bet it was a darned side colder than fishing in Cuba though.

Tony

[Errrm]

Errm

Well done with that Tench, I'll bet it was a darned side colder than fishing in Cuba though.

Tony

Thanks, Cuba was quite a bit warmer...... But the tench pulled almost as hard as a Wahoo :-).

 

If only I could find a lake like Wingham in a climate like Cuba...... I'd move there now :-)

[Vagabond]

Scanned the reports for perch........None !

 

Couldn't see any in the book when I was there in April.

 

Has anyone had any at Wingham in 2013 ?

 

But well done those who winkled out some tench against the odds.

[Dales]

Has anyone had any at Wingham in 2013 ? .

None for me yet and I have had a go for them on the float with worm in swims that have produced some nice Perch for me in previous years.

[Vagabond]

None for me yet and I have had a go for them on the float with worm in swims that have produced some nice Perch for me in previous years.

Yeh, me too. Thanks Dales

[Mat Hillman]

I spent several hours early Saturday morning with a float rod and a nice juicy lob casting to "perchy" looking spots in my swim with not a sniff. Even set an alarm for 4am to be up and fishing at dawn!

 

Mat

[Dales]

Mat, sounds like you done the right thing. I find dawn the best time for Perch at Wingham, just a shame you where not rewarded for getting up early.

[Dave H]

 

 

Well i was certainly not going home because of rain. Fishing in -6 a month back and although i had caught nothing i was in no way going anywhere

On the coarse lake this year i was glad i didn’t as an Eel graced my net. A jack pike of 8lb 3oz (sorry Steve forget to have told you about that one) and one of the strongest fastest runs i have had at wingham. It was one of the biggy carp . With only a 1-3/4 TC rod and 6lb line i stood at 2 am in the morning in drenching rain. It decided after 20 minutes it would make for the reeds next to me and there really was nothing i could do to stop it. On this gear i just had to sit it out. By now i felt like a fish myself and wondered who was hooking who. You know when the water gets in a part of anatomy you know 'I am nuts'!

Another 20 minutes and now my vision was somewhere but not sure where. Then out it came with so much velocity that somehow the hook came out. I walked back to the club house changed into dry clothes and went back. Exhausted and cold i reeled them all in and went to sleep.

Waking up i found as i reached down to see what time it was my phone was not there. Yep! It had moved by the Tsunami during the night. My whole bivvy was flooded. It was 3 inches up on my bed chair and my clothes where floating around. What was worse was the worms had got out and i found them floating around. Also the ultimate sin one had moved into my Kettle! so you can imagine who was hook bait next ! :)Still, i have been in much much worse and its only fishing.

I came home yesterday evening and left my gear. This morning as i type i am off for another at least 4 days in a moment washed and clean and refreshed for another holiday at wingham. The only decent hall i have had this year was in a swim nobody fishes and that’s where i am going now. I have a choice of all the lake but i am going where ‘No angler has been before’ or a few. It’s a gamble but who cares as rain or rain fish or fish it’s good to be there.

I just got a gut feeling about this un fished swim with the weather and all.

Thanks to Steve and Peggy and all the bailiffs . They were drenched on the last day. Well done boys

Good to meet most of you AN guys. It was a pleasure

Time for another Bivvy for sure. My old 25 year old bivvy cypry dome of £40 has now meet its end. So in 5 days i am back from wingham on the look out for a good bivvy. The 2 man nash top looks interesting