Bishops Waltham Parish Fishing Club
Bishops Waltham Parish Fishing Club
Final match of the series fished in dry cold conditions
Match 8 was the final match of the Match Series and like most of the winter matches it was fished in dry cold conditions with a North wind blowing. The South Pond was flooded with water pouring in from the North Pond and many of the swims were under water. The grill for the run off under Station Road by the roundabout was clogged with debris which raises the water level and during the wetter months needs cleaning out on a regular basis.
On the North bank only three swims could be reached without wellies and fortunately only three anglers turned up without wellies. Steve Edge and Roger Pilling had wellies so they were given the option to fish pegs 9 and 7 which could be fished in the dry but not without passing through some deeper water. At the draw Steve drew peg 9 and Roger peg 7. Andy Weavil drew peg 3 which meant he could fish to the trees or towards the pump in the centre of the pond. Paul Collins drew peg 4 and Paul Moriarty (Prof) drew peg 5.
Whilst the anglers were setting up a friendly Robin landed on the Prof’s bait table, hopped onto the edge of his bait box containing maggots and continued to help himself and was not bothered by the coming and going of Prof as he set up.
Roger and Andy were seen ledgering with bread and also fishing closer on the float. Paul and the Prof fished the whip out to four metres and both caught a steady stream of silvers such as Roach and Rudd throughout the match. The Prof also tried to catch larger Perch down the inside. A couple of times both Paul and the Prof hooked bigger fish but soon lost them and Paul even lost an entire rig from the end of his pole. The Prof managed to land one big Perch of 13 ounces. On the other side of the tree on peg 3 Andy hooked two large Carp and a few small silvers, while both Steve and Roger only managed to land the small silvers and did not see any Carp.
At the weigh-in the final results were:
With all of the Match Series matches completed it was Roger Pilling who came out on top for the season, narrowly beating Paul Collins by one point. The final results of the best 6 from 8 matches were:
For the Associate Cup, it was Chris who beat Rod:
Junior EA fishing licences free from 2017 onwards
The EA is introducing changes to the cost of fishing licences for the 2017-18 season onwards. The main one is that Junior licences will be free from 2017. This will be an extra incentive for juniors to take up fishing. So that the EA do not lose revenue, which is spent on projects to improve fishing, there will be corresponding increases for adults. Other changes to be introduced are that licences will run for 12 months from date of purchase, rather than from 1st April each year, and that a three-rod licence will be available as well as the two-rod licence. Fishing continues to be a very popular sport and latest statistics from the EA show that 1.2m rod licences were purchased in the 2014-15 season.
Carp of about 10lbs seen in the North Pond
The annual migration of fish from the South Pond into the North Pond has happened again. The number of Carp and specimen Roach and Bream caught in the 2015-16 season were lower than usual, probably as a result of last years migration when few fish could be rescued. A Carp of nearly 10lbs was seen near the footbridge recently. Carp, Bream and Roach have all been seen in the North Pond which will cause a problem when the water goes from the North Pond in the summer and they are stranded. Hopefully this may be the last year when it is a problem if the North Pond Conservation Group is able to raise sufficient funding to create an area of permanent water next Autumn, which the fish can collect in for rescue.
Dave the goose has gone to a retirement home
After loosing her mate to a dog attack, "Dave" the goose had become a hazard on the roundabout. Instead of crossing once to eat the grass and return later, it had taken to crossing back and forth causing traffic chaos. It became such a nuisance that the local MP became involved and a new home was found in Denmead with other geese. Catching Dave was not easy and involved nets and the boat on the South Pond but was eventually successful.
No increase in subs for 2016-17 season
As mentioned last month, after assessing forthcoming expenditure for pond maintenance and restocking it has been decided to keep the subscriptions the same for the third year running. There will be a membership renewal session prior to the AGM on Friday 22nd April at 7pm at the Priory (room at the back).
April and May activities
The main activity in April will be the Club's AGM and annual prizegiving when cups and trophies are presented. The date has been set for Friday 22nd April at 7:45pm at the Priory. Some buffet food will be served. Come along to see who has been winning the trophies and catch up on the latest tips for catching fish in the pond. It will also be possible to renew membership before the meeting from 7pm. Roger Pilling has won the Match Series and Chris Shepherd the Associate Cup. Come along to see who has won the other cups and trophies and find out what techniques they used.
The new version of the Match Calendar for the 2016-2017 season is being created and will be downloadable from the website when membership renewals start for the new season.
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, or download one from our website. The membership year runs from mid-June. Membership will be open for renewals at the pre-AGM session on Friday 22nd April. Alternatively, applications can be done by downloading a membership form from the website and sending, with an SAE, to our membership secretary (details above and on the web site).
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 for an Associate Membership space. Membership is now closed for the 2015-16 season but will open again for the new (2016-17) season in April.
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