Bob Nudd . Com

Mick Kelly was 1st overall with 15lbs 13ozs

The HAJAC League is always a popular winter match series. This year 11 teams of 6 anglers are competing over 4 rounds. The first round was held on 3 different zones: Raveley Drain, Ramsey St Mary’s and Ramsey Narrows. Strong winds made fishing difficult in some areas, but apart from a few pegs most anglers caught well.

Mick Kelly (Stanjay Silver) was on the left of the bridge at Raveley and fished a brilliant match catching 500 rudd with a pole and small waggler up in the water for 15lbs 13ozs and 1st overall.

view from my peg at Raveley Drain

view from my peg looking down the Drain

I was drawn on the other side of the bridge and for the first hour I fished near the bottom in 9ft of water catching 70 fish, a 4lb pike that did not count and thought I was doing OK until I asked Mick how many fish he had and he answered about 130. I then switched to my up in the water rig a .2gram bleak float, set .7 mtr deep on a 4 mtr whip. The next 3 hours were fantastic, I was catching really quick sometimes 3 fish a minute, mainly rudd but also bleak. I had to switch to fishing on the bottom again in the last hour as the surface action had slowed. I finished with 549 fish for 15lbs 6ozs enough for 2nd place.

not quite enough to win but I am still smiling

Ben Jackson (Stanjay Bronze) was on peg 4 at Ramsey St Marys. He also fished for small fish catching 437 for 13lbs 6ozs to finish 3rd overall. Alex Bates (Maver Bait Tech) was at the next peg and finished 4th with 12lbs 14ozs.

my catch 549 fish for 15lbs 6ozs

Stanjay Tackle silver won the team honours with 28 points.

Bob

 Wayne Swinscoe was first with over 53lbs 

This was an incredible match – switched at the last minute from the River Glen to the Town Welland – and it took a brilliant angler to win it. Wayne Swinscoe (Maver Bait Tech) showed his class catching well over 300 roach at 4mts to hand feeding punch crumb with 3mm punched bread on the hook, for a massive 53lbs 4ozs.

Dave Powell was 4th overall with 40lbs 11ozs 

Dave Burns (Lincs County) was 2nd with 45lbs 4ozs. Dave also fished punch at 4 and 5 mts. Maver Bait Tech angler Phil Chesterton was 3rd with 42lbs 7ozs. Dave Rowell (Peterborough) was 4th with 40lbs 11ozs. 

view from my peg looking up the river 

my setup for the match 

I drew in a section where it was big fish only and guess I caught about 12lbs in the first 40 minutes, cupping in loose breadpunch in 3ft of water, fishing punched bread on the drop with a light float, but the fish didn’t last and I only caught a few fish in the last 4 hours of the match to finish with just over 16lbs for 3rd in the section.

my catch just over 16lbs 

There was a tie between Maver Bait Tech and Peterborough for the team honours both teams having 16 points each.  

Bob

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Bob

just over 9lbs of roach for 2nd overall

As usual there was a really good turnout for this popular match with about 80 anglers booking tickets, but with the water low and clear and hardly any flow meant it was going to be really tough and so it proved with only one angler breaking double figures.

Maver Bait Tech angler Alistair Ogilvie drew peg 18 just above Wigstons bridge and fished bread punch catching good quality roach at 6mts for 11lbs 4 ozs for 1st overall.

view from my peg

I drew peg 38 on Nene parade. The water was so clear I could see my punch crumb on the bottom after I had cupped in. I could even see the fish moving over my bait. I had an easy match fishing a small 2mm punch of bread over Van Den Eynde punch crumb at about 5 mts out catching 205 small roach for 9lbs 2ozs and 2nd place on the day.

my tackle set up

3rd overall with 8lbs 12ozs was J Foreman (J&P Tackle); Steve Clarke (Maver Image) was 4th with 8lbs 2ozs.

Bob

brilliant catch Pat

Pat had booked me for the day. He has been out with me before and is a very good angler. He just wanted to improve his skills at catching silver fish on maggots in winter. The very popular Cuton Lakes near Chelmsford in Essex was the chosen venue. The owner Neil Copeland has worked tirelessly over the last few years to turn it into the beautiful fishery it is today. Check out the fishery on www.a12lakes.co.uk.

an early skimmer for Pat

It was a cold autumn morning with the first frost of the year and I thought Pat would be in for a tough day. After cupping in some really sloppy Van Den Eynde Supercup with a few pinkies and 2mm hard feed carp pellets at 11mts, with a single red maggot on the hook Pat was soon catching fish mainly small roach and then a skimmer. Then the bites slowed. Cupping in again and also loose feeding just a about 6 or 7 big maggots over the top helped keep the fish feeding. In the last 2 hours the fish really came on as a succession of skimmers, bream, perch, carp and roach came to the net. Soft pellet on the hook fooled the last fish of the day which was a 3lb tench.

the perch started to feed in the afternoon

We left the bank just as the light was fading Pat having caught almost 50lbs of fish. What a fantastic catch of mainly silver fish!

Bob

Some more pictures:

a bream almost 2lbs

Pat was using a puller bung with light elastic

a beautiful roach almost 1lb

another good fish in the net

it’s mine

biggest bream of the day

this mirror carp took a single red maggot

last fish of the day a 3lb tench

we both admire the fish

almost 50lbs of fish

a big barbel

I spent a great day on the Warwickshire Avon last week with Kevin and Pat from Total Coarse Fishing magazine, read all about it in the January issue on sale December 12th.

Bob

brilliant catch Per-Eric

Per-Eric had arranged for me to take him fishing for the day. He is a Browning sponsored angler from Sweden and was combining a business trip with the chance to experience fishing a commercial water in the UK. The brilliant Decoy Lakes near Whittlesey in Cambridgeshire was the chosen venue. It was dry, but a strong cool south easterly wind was blowing. I decided one of the more sheltered lakes, 6 Islands would be a good choice.

Van Den Eynde hard feed pellets and Halibut Jellets

Initial feed was 1 big pot of 4mm and 6mm Van Den Eynde hard feed carp pellets at 10mts with a 6mm Halibut jellet on the hook, loose feeding a few 4mm pellets over the top just to keep the fish coming into the swim. It took a few minutes for the first fish an F1 about 12ozs. After that it was non stop as F1’s and carp came to the net. A switch to a piece of worm on the hook always works well as water temperatures drop in the Autumn and so it proved as Per-Eric continued to catch really well.

Per-Eric with his first fish

We left the bank at about 4.30 pm Per-Eric having had a fantastic day. I guess he caught close to 80lbs of fish.

Bob

Some more pictures:

the double 8 latex was working well

a 4lb mirror carp in perfect condition

think I will stand to net this one

it’s in the net

a beautiful common carp just over 4lbs

I need some longer arms

a 3lb tench on halibut Jellets

Per-Eric never stopped smiling

a 3lb mirror carp

two great friends together

John and Dave had booked me for the day. They have both been out with me before and are very good anglers, so I knew I was in for an easy day.

Dave with his first fish

The wonderful Decoy lakes near Whittlesey in Cambridgeshire was the chosen venue. It was a sunny day, but there was a cold South easterly wind, so I decided we would go on one of the strips lakes, Elm, with the wind on our backs.

John with a big F1

Pole at 10 metres was the chosen method, cupping in 2 big pots of 6mm and 4mm Van Den Eynde hard feed carp pellets, with a 6mm Halibut Jellet on the hook. Dave was soon into fish. John also started to catch but was missing bites. A switch to worm on the hook seemed to be better, loose feeding over the top with 6mm pelets helped to keep the fish interested and the action was nonstop. Dave found pellets the best hookbait, while John was bagging with worm.

a beautiful 5lb koy

We left the bank at about 4.30 (a promise of a beer in the clubhouse helped). I guess John had topped the 100lbs with 110lbs while Dave had caught about 75lbs. Fantastic weights on a cool Autumn day.

Bob

Some more pictures:

concentration

Dave’s first ever barbel

some serious elastic stretching

a rare fully scaled mirror carp

a 3lb mirror carp in perfect condition

a big fish boils on the surface

another barbel for Dave

a 4lb barbel in perfect condition

another beautiful koy

another big barbel for John

the F1’s were feeding well

fantastic catch John

brilliant catch Dave

well over 30lbs great catch Brian

This was a special 60th birthday present from Brian’s wife Bev, his daughter Shelley and son Owen. The wonderful Bishops Bowl Fishery at Bishops Itchington Warwickshire was the chosen venue (check out their website www.bishopsbowlfishery.co.uk). The owner Sean Smart had kindly reserved 2 pegs on Walworth lake.

Brian with his first fish a small skimmer

Brian loves to catch silver fish on waggler so this was the chosen method, feeding small balls of fishmeal, groundbait and also loose feeding maggots over the top with single and double red maggots on the hook. It only took about 10 minutes and Brian was into his first skimmer. More skimmers and small carp followed, then the rod arched over as a big fish took the single maggot. After about 5 minutes it was in the net, a beautiful tench about 4lbs, some big bream followed. The action was nonstop.

a beautiful tench over 4lbs

I took the catch shot at about 4pm. I guess Brian had caught somewhere about 35lbs.

Bob

Some more pictures:

concentration

the skimmers were in perfect condition

Brian hooks into a big fish

it’s in the net

this bream must have been at least 4lbs

a small mirror carp

a big bream over 3lbs

John potters has had a brilliant year on the Irish festivals and made no mistake this week winning with 28,94 kg to take the 1000 euro first prize. Dutch angler M. Snyders was 2nd with 26,34 kg, with Paul Lee coming 3rd only 20 grams behind with 26,32 kg. I was just out of the main list finishing 9th overall with 22,32 kg.

The Carrigallen festival is fished over 4 days on the lakes around the town of Carrigallen in County Cavan. My first day rotation was Rockfield lake. It was a windy day and I decided to fish the pole at 10 mts. It was really difficult but I managed to win the section with 120 roach and perch for 6,34 kg which was also 4th overall on the day which was won by J Wall with 10,600 kg.

My day 2 draw was Tully lake again. I opted for the pole but conditions were really awful with a very strong South Westerly wind. Still I struggled on with the pole at 10mts as the tip was not producing much. I still managed to win the section with 60 roach for 4,1 kg. Paul lee won the day with 10,92 kg.

A poor performance by myself on day 3 on what was really the best section, really cost me from getting into the main list. It was again a wild windy day and pole was out of the question. I managed only 2,94kg, Barry Smith won the day with 10,1 kg.

Conditions had changed on day 4 with much lighter winds and some welcome sunshine. My section was lower Gulladoo. I had finished 2nd overall here in the open on Monday so was really confident that I would catch well on the pole. I fished at 13 mts with a 1 gram float and single red maggot on a 16 hook, balling in 6 balls of Van Den Eynde Superlake at the start and then loose feeding casters and maggots over the top catching 140 roach and hybrids on the drop to win the day with just under 9 kg.

Bob

Here are some pictures of these 4 days:

Day 1:

view from my peg at Rockfield

balling in

I cupped 2 balls over the top as well

a small roach comes to hand

loose feeding as well

this 3 lb pike did not count

my day 1 catch 6,34 kg

Day 2:

day 2 at Tully lake was really wild

view looking along the section a Tully

a rare net fish

cold and wet

it calmed down a little in the last hour

my day 2 catch: 4,1 kg

Day 3:

view from my peg at Houghtons shore

day 3 was another wild day

Day 4:

view from my peg at Lower Gulladoo

balling in at the start

it was a perfect day for fishing the pole

loose feeding over the top

a good fish coming to hand

swinging in a roach

a good quality roach

my winning catch just under 9 kg