Wingham Fish-In Catch Reports 2013

[Leon Roskilly]

This is probably the most important thing to remember about the Wingham Fish-in - except of course you'll have a great time whether or not you catch.

 

If I want to catch fish, then it's an easy 15 minute drive to my local syndicate trout water.

 

A very naturalised water in pleasant surroundings, full of life both in the water, on the banks and in the vegetation behind.

 

Every trip is different, with different things to see.

 

On a scale where Wingham is a 10, and most waters struggling to reach 3, I'd give it at least 8.

 

But then actually being at Wingham I realise that would have to be a logarithmic scale!

 

Perhaps it's because I only get to Wingham occasionally, I often have the feeling there that I'm where I really want to be.

 

Being an 'active' angler, always having to be doing something and totally unsuited to sitting behind a pod of rods, I've always chosen to float-fish the margins 'roving'.

 

The trouble in previous years is that I've not been disciplined enough in leaving things out of my tackle bag.

 

You know, in taking some ground-bait, I also back a mixing bowl and catapault, then I have to pack clothing to suit a variety of weathers, and food, and......... Well soon I'm carting one or two bags, spare rods and reels etc etc and reluctant to re-pack and leave a swim I've invested in baiting, so my 'roving' has been confined to 2 or 3 swims at the most.

 

This year I resolved to be ruthless (though I did pack stuff into my boot that might just be needed, such as a spare rod and reel, my bits and pieces box, my collection of waggler floats), and just wandered off with one rod set up, a landing net and unhooking mat, one small bag, one packet of hooks, weights and some floats, determined to fish only for what was in the swim, and not sit there waiting for something to come along.

 

In that I was successful, and managed to rove the entire lake on Sunday morning, exploring most vacant likely looking swims with a worm fished through the margins and into the depths a little further out.

 

Although I didn't have a touch anywhere, I found that I really enjoyed the day, watching the water, listening to the sounds, talking to folk as I made my way around.

 

Lunchtime came and the most important part of the day at peggy's BBQ feast, catching up with those I'd missed as I went around.

 

After lunch, I worked my way back to sheltered water at Bramble Point, and had a break there just staring down into the water at the end of the platform.

 

Clearer than I've ever seen the water at Wingham, through my polaroids I was soon lost in the underwater world.

 

Watching nymphs crawling up the wooden platform stanchions, and quite a few baby water snails (I've often found that once weed starts to grow and the snail population expands rapidly, it becomes difficult to tempt tench with other unnatural food), and a solitary huge swan mussel, strange in it's solitariness (usually when a water has swan mussels, where there's one there's a good number of different sized mussels close by.

 

Steve confirmed that Wingham seems to have a static population of just a few large mussels (I must read more about them, there's something going on there).

 

I was looking forward to the end of the day and the last hour of light, but now knackered and with no sign of fizziness I left slightly earlier than I intended, cadging a lift back to the clubhouse from an equally knackered Steve.

 

I really enjoyed my day and can't really express my thanks enough for all the hard work put in by Steve, Peggy, the Bailiffs and their helpers for making such a great weekend.

 

Oh! and though Newt wasn't there, it was as though he was, somewhere amongst the bankside sights and sounds.

 

[Steve Burke]

One thing I haven't mentioned yet is that Arbocop took some time out to tour the complex with me looking for sites for the trees he kindly donated to us. I wanted them to go close to spots where Jan Vail fished when she and Newt attended the Fish-In in 2006 (is it really that long ago?).

 

I had in mind the swim they fished on the Main Lake that we now call "Newt and Jan's" for the rare female black poplar, and to my delight Mike said that not only would a spot on the path behind the swim be ideal, but there were also black poplars there already, although probably hybrids (it's apparently a bit too early to tell with the incredibly late spring).

 

The chestnut I wanted to go near "The Helipad" on the Carp Lake where Jan had her first pike, and again Mike found a suitable spot.

 

So many thanks, Mike!

 

When we've planted the trees in a few weeks I'll post pics.

[Steve Burke]

I forgot to mention that the wisteria that we planted last year in honour of Jan have just, and only just with the very late spring, started to show some greenery. In a normal spring many varieties of wisteria would fittingly be in flower for the Fish-In.

[Newt]

Leon - every year when I start following the Wingham topics I am there again in my memory. Sometimes the mental pictures are so vivid that I would not be surprised if someone over there noticed.

 

Steve/Mike - thanks for the work with the trees and Steve, double thanks for making Wingham a place that hasn't faded for me in seven years and probably won't at seventeen or twenty seven years. Truly a magical venue.

[gozzer]

Thanks for all the reports and photos, I look forward to them every year.

It's a shame that it didn't live up to it's usual standard, but well done to those that caught, especially Errm for the fantastic tench, Maddog for his catch of tench, and those who fished for and caught some good eels. Oh, and commiserations to KayC for the lost bream, it must have been sickening.

I know I'll never get down there, but the next best thing is reading about it from you lot.

Thanks to Steve and crew for making it happen as well.

 

John.

[Dales]

Oops, I missed out Steve C in my thanks. The freshly made bacon sandwich was just the ticket to get the day started and Kim's cakes on the last day where also delicious. Some times I think we do more eating then fishing at the Fish-In :-)

[JV44]

Quote dales

Some times I think we do more eating then fishing at the Fish ins

That is why Rusty likes them so much mmmmn food

[Vagabond]

I've not had reports of any perch yet, Dave. It's almost as though we're still in late winter mode when the perch are very localised.

Thanks Steve, and thanks for the rest of you who reported trying (unsuccessfully) a bit of float fishing with worm. The fact that so many anglers have tried and failed this year seems pretty significant.

 

As you say, the perch are probably tucked away in a few deep spots still - (remember Dick Walker and Arlesey lake in "Stillwater angling" ?)

 

Will wait for a bit more warming-up of the weather before trying again.

[Anderoo]

From the pics of the tench, it seems pretty clear that they haven't just been hiding away and waiting for warm weather - they look pretty fat to me, probably full of snails, nymphs and daphnia! Maybe the perch are the same?

 

I think they're not feeding hard because they're not hungry, rather than because of the cold spring...

[Anderoo]

An additional thought - perhaps the tench have now been caught enough that they are beginning to get cute. Tench on hard fished waters can be infuriating at times. Thoughts?