Bishops Waltham Parish Fishing Club
Bishops Waltham Parish Fishing Club
Evening Series
The match season started in June with the Evening series which is fished over four Saturday evenings requiring the angler to catch as many fish as possible over the four matches. The angler with the most weight at the end wins the trophy. All four matches were fished whilst the weather was at its best with perfect conditions for sitting in the evening sun on a Saturday evening and catching a few fish.
Match one was well attended with eight anglers but tailed away to five anglers for the other matches, affected by holidays. Chris Shepherd won the opening match from peg 1 with 34lb 6oz and Roland Palmer in second place with 19lb 4oz from peg 19. Both Chris and Roland caught their fish close to the trees using pellet and meat. Match 2 was won by Paul Collins with 36lb 10oz from peg 19 with Roger Pilling weighing in 21lb 4oz from peg 17. Match 3 saw Chris Shepherd draw peg 1 for the third time in a row but this time he was beaten into third place by Roger Pilling from peg 15 with 29lb 1oz and Paul Collins on peg 19 with 27lb 7oz. The final match was fished in early August with Roger, Paul and Chris all starting the match with just over 60lb accumulated from the earlier matches. At the draw Roger Pilling drew peg one and was almost certain to win the series as peg one had been producing some good fish. Not to disappoint at the weigh-in Roger had 18lb of carp. Liam Crosswell came in second with 15lb 9oz from peg 17. The final weights were low compared with previous years but could be due to the amount of weed that has grown up. It may also be the lack of carp, because many escaped into the North pond during the recent floods.
The final results were:
| Roger Pilling | 81lb |
| Paul Collins | 69lb 4oz |
| Chris Shepherd | 65lb 5oz |
Carp Only Match
The Carp Only match, as its name suggests, requires the angler to catch only carp. Given the recent poor showing of carp, weights were not expected to be high. Favoured pegs for this match were peg 1 and peg 18 where the angler could fish close to the trees and draw the fish away and into open water. Roger Pilling drew the favoured peg 1 and a returning Rod Langthorne drew peg 18. Throughout the match both Roger and Rod could be seen catching, but who would have the most at the end of the match? At the weigh-in Chris Shepherd on peg 3 caught a 2lb 10oz hybrid that did not count in the match but was weighed in as a specimen. Roger on peg 1 won the Carp Only match with 23lb 6oz and Rod came in second with 19lb.
The final results were:
| Roger Pilling | 23lb 6oz |
| Rod Langthorne | 19lb |
| Paul Collins | 15lb 6oz |
Martin Eustace Match
The Martin Eustace match started with a draw at 6:30am and was attended by seven anglers. Unlike the Carp Only match any fish counts so anglers can target the carp and the silvers. With Roger Pilling in France, and so unable to win again, this trophy was likely to be won by the person drawing peg 1. At the draw it was good to see Joey Silvester, one of our previous juniors, back again. After a brief chat, hands went into the draw bag and peg 1 was drawn by our club chairman Roland Palmer. So Roland would be the man to beat.
Roland on peg 1
Fishing started slowly and looking around the pond Roland could be seen catching the odd carp and others catching silvers. Joey was seen catching carp and Paul Collins had a few carp from out by the bales. The sun rose and when the clouds parted it got warm very quickly. Unfortunately Andy Weavil on peg 4 was seated behind a tree and didn't manage to appreciate the warmth of the sun. At the weigh-in Roland had indeed won with 21lb of carp and Paul Collins was second with 15lb of carp. Rod Langthorne on peg 13 weighed in 7lb 2oz of roach and bream, whilst poor Andy had only one perch for four hours effort.
The final results were:
| Roland Palmer | 21lb |
| Paul Collins | 15lb |
| Rod Langthorne | 7lb 2oz |
Straw Bales changed, Dave the goose has a new friend, Life Rings thrown in again
For those of you who visit the pond you will see that the straw bales have been changed, a task made easier thanks to the boat and electric engine purchased by the club after a grant from the Parish Council. Dave the goose now has a friend, another goose, not sure initially if it was Davina or Brian! From subsequent observations the new goose appears to be female, so it is Dave and Davina. The life rings continue to be thrown in by someone who has a total disregard for safety equipment. The pond is not as shallow as it looks, the silt is very deep and once you get stuck in the silt there is no getting out.
Dave and Davina Goose
October and November activities
Leisure fishing continues as usual and there are also many matches during October and November. Although competitive, the matches are always very friendly affairs. Come along and try your luck! The Match Series continues during October and November, all matches are on a Sunday. Match 2 is on 28th September, Match 3 on 12th October, Match 4 on 26th October, Match 5 on 9th November and Match 6 on 23rd November. The draw time gradually gets later in the mornings as sun-up time is later. Draw times are: matches 2 and 3 at 7:00am, matches 4 and 5 at 7:30am, match 6 at 8:30am.
Joining the Club
If you are interested in joining the club please contact our membership secretary Cathy Naylor on 07934-895513, 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. The membership year runs from mid-June.
Membership is open to anyone who lives in Bishops Waltham, plus a number of Associate membership places (for those living outside the Parish). Priority is given to Parish membership (especially juniors), but anyone living outside of the Parish wishing to join should contact Cathy to see if there are Associate Membership spaces remaining for the 2014/15 season.
It is rare for anglers not to catch fish at the pond, which makes it ideal both for more experienced anglers and for youngsters starting out. As a mixed fishery, with fish like carp, roach, rudd, bream, perch and the odd eel - there is something for everyone. There are carp to 10lb plus, many between 6lb and 8lb, lots of roach, bream and also perch over 1lb. If you love your fishing and don’t want to travel far then join us - your local club. Its always nice to see new anglers on the bank and hopefully we will also see you at the matches.
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
Paul Collins and Barry Jerome