Wingham Fish-In Sat May 19th to Mon May 21st

[Steve Burke]

A couple of cancellations unfortunately. List duly amended.

 

I've just finalised the swim allocations having played around with the combinations for hours. Thank goodness for spreadsheets otherwise it would have taken days! I'm pleased to say that everyone has got more or less what they wanted.

 

I've just given all the details to Peggy who'll shortly be making badges so that we don't have Rob Ward calling everyone "chief"! She's just finished putting the swim markers through the laminator and is now printing out and laminating the aerial photos. Then I'll might even let her do her own work.

 

Not that I'm going to let her slack after that you understand. Oh no, sirree! She's got to go off to the shops tomorrow morning to buy everything we need for the BBQ and to pick up the bait orders. Of course once she gets to Wingham she's got the clubhouse to spring clean - she says it'll be only "man clean"!

 

Terry's busy mowing today, and finishing off a number of small jobs including repairing one of the trailers plus making dogproof a new five bar gate that he and Glyn have just finished putting in. The three of us finished all the trimming and strimming yesterday, having broken the back of it at the weekend.

 

Me? Well apart from answering lots of e-mails, I'm having the afternoon off, hence this post. Tomorrow I've got to do a final reed cut, peg out the swims, and renew the photoboard. Then an early night followed by an early start on Saturday.

 

And of course I'll be thinking of you lot slogging away at work for a boss who probably doesn't appreciate you anyway!

[chesters1]

i hope they appreciate it ,and good luck to all

[Steve Burke]

I've just had an absultely disastrous afternoon with one thing after another going wrong - just don't ask!

 

The only thing relevant to the Fish-In is that the lake has risen many inches. It appears not to be surface water but rather the water table itself rising after thunderstorms earlier in the week.

 

The track at the downstream end on the far side is impassable, and what's worse the swim we now call Newt & Jan's (because that's where they fished last year) is under 4 inches of water!

 

It means that I've got to spend absolutely ages reworking all the swim choices as I'd given this and the adjoining swim to 2 members who need to have just a short walk. They'll then be a knock on effect all round the lake.

 

I'll get there in the end, but I'm afraid a few of you may not get exactly what you requested.

 

So much for a nice quiet day!

[Newt]

Good grief!! From memory, that would take at least a 1 foot rise and a bit more.

 

Can you make a guess about the effect on fishing Steve? I've seen times when a fairly sudden flood-style rise seems to put the fish on a feeding spree and I've always suspected it was the abundance of food from previously dry ground.

 

My sympathy for the extra work though. It will be substantial. Can you mount dual wheels on the tractors or is there a danger of a tractor, trailer, and balif sinking out of sight while hauling gear?

[Leon Roskilly]

Oh Dear!

 

Sorry to hear that Steve

[Steve Burke]

As promised here's a picture of one of my bobbins so you can make something similar.

 

The line clip is a Gardner one, although there are cheap copies now for about 60p. The red tubing is made from catapult elastic, whilst the other end of the Betalight is attached with some clear silicon tubing. Alternatively you could use a Starlite or a battery-powered light instead of the Betalight. The SSG shot are clipped to a piece of wire equal in length to the size of the bankstick when closed. I prefer wire as it doesn't tangle but some stiff flourocarbon or thick mono will do almost as well. At the other end of the wire is a bulldog clip (£1.99 for 5 in W.H. Smith or Staples).

 

They're cheap, quick to make, and above all very effective. On windy days you simply rest some of the SSG shot on the ground.

 

 

I've 4 of these, and can probably quickly make another up on the bank as I've some spare components.

 

If anyone wants to borrow some of these bobbins it's first come, first served.

Edited May 17, 2007 by Steve Burke

[chesters1]

I've just had an absultely disastrous afternoon with one thing after another going wrong - just don't ask!

 

The only thing relevant to the Fish-In is that the lake has risen many inches. It appears not to be surface water but rather the water table itself rising after thunderstorms earlier in the week.

 

The track at the downstream end on the far side is impassable, and what's worse the swim we now call Newt & Jan's (because that's where they fished last year) is under 4 inches of water!

 

It means that I've got to spend absolutely ages reworking all the swim choices as I'd given this and the adjoining swim to 2 members who need to have just a short walk. They'll then be a knock on effect all round the lake.

 

I'll get there in the end, but I'm afraid a few of you may not get exactly what you requested.

 

So much for a nice quiet day!

can't you make it a 70's weekend ,those 6" platform boots will save all the effort

[Steve Burke]

Don't worry, having spoken to Terry again it's not as bad as I feared. "Newt & Jan's" is the only badly affected swim I believe, and the flooding has occured because the water has got in from behind and to the side. It seems as though the swim itself is at a different level than the adjacent land. It'll be a lot of work though putting it right once the level drops, which shouldn't be too long at this time of year.

 

Other than having to redo the swim allocations as previously mentioned, the only other effect on the fish-in is that we'll have to turn the tractors round where the flooding begins rather than doing a circular tour.

 

Because it's the water table that's risen, the extra water has seeped though the gravel from underneath. As a result the lake is still clear.

 

There's only 1 angler on the Coarse Lake today and he's reported tench rolling and he's been smashed by a big carp. So the fish are still feeding!

 

I'll know more tomorrow, but it's more of an inconvenience than anything else.

Edited May 17, 2007 by Steve Burke

[lyn]

I am sure that everyone will have a great weekend whatever the weather and whatever the fishing is like good luck to you all, it seems everyone catches when I'm not there!

 

Have a great weekend I will be watching for the catch reports and wishing I was there

 

lyn

[Guest tigger]

Hope everyone has a top time and get plenty new PB'sts.

 

In this day and age it's quite unusual to find someone prepared to put themselves out to please others (Good on ya Steve!)

I hope everyone appreciates your hospitality, I've no doubt they all do!