Verulam Angling Club

Match Result

Date :      14th February 2010

Venue : Willow Lake, Tyler's Common

Match : Championship #16

Commentary by Stan: Happy Valentines !

Brian rummages around for something having cleared the ice. The pylons and sewage farm make a pleasant backdrop

For most the day started bad and got worse. 50% of the lake was covered in thin ice and the results from the previous days open match were very disappointing. Just 13lb won on Willow lake with 6lb good enough for 2nd. Oh well, maybe today they'll switch on, we thought. For those not familiar with this lake, it's the classic 'muddy hole' and full of carp plus some rudd and small tench. In the Summer, 200lbs can be needed to win and the fish feed so aggressively they almost climb up the bank to get to your bait. With so many fish in about 2 acres of water, we were bound to catch...we thought. At the draw those with clear water thought their luck was in. As those on the low numbers started to clear wholes in the ice, the high numbers were ready and waiting for the whistle.

I was on peg 5 with about the most ice. I carefully broke a channel out to 14m and was just about ready to sprinkle in a little bait on the 9.30 start. That done, in no hurry to fish, I wandered around to see what the rest had set up to do. By the time I was ready to fish it was gone 10am yet no fish had been caught. First put-in for me at 14m with a single maggot and a little rudd came flying out of the water and, 'cos of the barbless hook, fell off 2m out. Careful scooping with the landing net and I was one fish up.

I ended up with about 35 rudd before the ice moved so, around 12.30, I was able to put out a straight lead to about 40m. Lots of liners suggested that the carp were holed up a little closer and next chuck I had a mirror around 2lb. Plenty more liners followed but no more fish.

By now young Connor to my left had one carp and was catching small rudd on a maggot feeder, Steve Burfoot had one and Nick had a small tench. Then Brian landed one of nearly 4lb and my lead was under threat. Over on the far bank (causeway with Ash Lake) nothing much was happening at all. And that's pretty much how it ended with just one rudd netted, by Malcolm, by the final whistle. I had managed one more carp, around 4lb, but efforts on the pole line with pellet produced nothing and, to my right, Colin had been slowly catching the odd rudd. Turned out that Brian had enough for 2nd and Steve added another small carp near the whistle to make enough for 3rd.

POSITION	NAME	WEIGHT	POINTS	COMMENTS
1	Stan Kiddle	8.13	100	two carp plus 35+ rudd
2	Brian Lakin	4.02	95	one carp plus bits -Silver Peg
3	Steve Burfoot	3.06	90	two carp
4	Connor McGrath (jnr)	3.04	85	one carp plus rudd
5	Nick Darke	1.00	80	one tench
6	Colin Earle	0.13	75
7	Richard Wheatland	0.04	70
8	Josh Blavins	0.02	65
9	Malcolm Jefferies	0.01	60
10	Andy K	DNW	1
11	Alan Thomas	DNW	1	Golden Peg
12	Mike Johnson	DNW	1
13	Matt Young	DNW	1
14	Kevin Laird	DNW	1
15	Allan Bayman	DNW	1
16	Dave McGrath	DNW	1
17	Ivan Coleman	DNW	1
18	Roger Smith	DNW	1
19	Alan Gardener	DNW	1
	Total Weight	21.08