Weather extremes experienced in February matches, AGM & Awards evening on 15th April
Wind & rain in the first February match
The match on 13th February was fished in atrocious weather with both wind and rain. It was the sixth match of eight of the Match Series. The usual bunch turned up at 0900 and the weather at that point was accommodating, as in overcast, but not raining. Once the match got underway the heavens opened and stayed open. Rod Langthorne, fishing peg 18 close to the trees, won with 14lb 12oz of carp and a few small fish, second was Paul Collins with 12lb of carp and third was Chris Shepherd with 5lb 13oz of carp plus a few small fish. It was certainly an endurance match.
Second match fished in warm sunshine!
In contrast, the second match on the 27th February was fished in glorious weather, much drier and milder than of late. The same six faces fished and another good draw by Rod Langthorne meant that he'd be fishing peg 3. The other anglers knew it was a good draw and that Rod would catch fish. Not to disappoint he finished 1st with 50lb of carp, feeder fishing close to the trees. Second with another excellent draw was our club Chairman Roland Palmer on peg 18. Roland started catching late into the match and finished with 20lb 4oz of carp, feeder fishing close to the bank. Third was Paul Collins with 11lb 2oz from peg 16. Those anglers that were fishing in open water struggled and only saw small carp for low weights.
Our club Secretary, Steve Edge, caught our resident goldfish who must weigh over the pound mark by now. It's a lovely fish and we hope it continues to grow. A few photos were taken and the goldfish returned safely to the water.
Following the results from those matches, the top three positions in the Match Series (best 6 results from 8) are:
| Senior Match Cup |
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| Associate Cup |
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At the time of writing, our next match is Sunday 6th March, the Points Only match. One point is awarded for each fish caught. Everyone will either fish maggot or bread punch close in and try and catch as many small fish as possible in three hours. Once they have been counted, they will be returned safely to the water. By the time you read this we will know the winner.
AGM & Awards Evening set for April 15th
The main event in April will be the club's Annual General Meeting and Awards Evening. This will be held on Friday 15th April at the Priory Inn on Winchester Road.
It will start at 7:30pm with the Junior Prize presentation. Juniors will be invited to collect prizes won during the Junior Match Series. Food will be served at 8pm and this will be followed by the AGM from 8:30pm until (approximately) 9:15pm. After this will be the Senior presentations and awards. It is a good opportunity for a chat with fellow anglers, to meet your committee and to put forward your opinions. If you are not yet a member but interested in joining then why not come along and learn more about the club.
April & May activities
March saw the last of the competitions for this season. For the first time there will be no Close Season on the pond this Spring, so individual pleasure angling will continue. Next season's competitions will start in June.
Apart from the AGM, the main activities in April and May will be work parties. Paul has been working hard during the season on pond maintenance and bailiffing, but more hands are needed to tackle some of the jobs. When work parties are taking place it will be necessary to close the pond.
Joining the Club
If you are interested in joining the club please contact our membership secretary Cathy Naylor on 01489-890086, or contact our chairman Roland Palmer (after 6pm) on 01489-894063 for an application form. More information is available, and a form can be downloaded, from our web site. There is a reduced subscription from January to the end of the season.
Subscription amounts for the new season, which starts in June, have been kept the same as for the current season. This recognises the financial pressures on our members in the current environment. Membership is open to anyone who lives in Bishops Waltham, plus a small number of Associate membership places (for those living outside the Parish). Priority is always given to Parish membership, especially juniors. All of the Associate membership places were taken up for the 2010-2011 season and there is a waiting list for places for next season. Anyone living outside of the Parish wishing to join should contact Cathy to put their name on the waiting list.
Two mornings allocated for renewing membership at the pond
As an experiment this year, two mornings have been allocated for renewing/joining at the pond. Parish members can renew on Sat 21st May 10am-1pm at the Club's lock-up. (This is on the corner of Station Road near the large tree). Associate members can renew/join on Sat 18th June 10am-1pm. This is during the Ponds Event, being organised by the North Pond Conservation Group. The Fishing Club will have a stand at the event.
Club web site
For more information about the club and its activities, the club's web site can be found at:
www.bwpfc.org.uk