Matt McColl wins the Final Fling
Final Fling
Saturday 25 January 2019
Moderate Southerly winds were the order of the day with differing water clarity across the two reservoirs. Reservoir 4 was quite coloured, but this didn’t deter the majority of anglers from targeting this reservoir in the knowledge that this is where the larger fish tend to reside.
Jacek, Matt and Dave Garry would all start fishing Reservoir 4 off the causeway in the hope of attracting one of these specimens. It was slow going at first. Dave and Jacek would both move on after an hour or two in search of fish elsewhere. Matt was undeterred and had come with the plan of staying on reservoir 4 throughout the day in the hope that the fish would have to turn up sooner or later.
Matt thought he was in on a couple of occasions when ferocious takes almost pulled his arm off before his line went slack. He was ruing the missed opportunities when his di 5 went tight at approximately 11am, the fish taking an olive snake booby. It was a decent fish of approximately 3lbs which he netted and kept for the weigh in.
Soon after, Matt was Joined by John Ferguson and Frank Daley. Frank would persist with buzzers on a floating line before changing to a snake pattern on a sinking line. He was quickly into a fish and deeming it not large enough, it was safely returned.
Meanwhile John had also found a method, fishing a black and green snake on an intermediate line, he quickly caught 2 fish that he would keep before losing what he thought was his best fish, close to the net. He would go on to catch a further 2.
Matt then caught a further two fish which he returned before catching a trademark, beautifully conditioned ‘Stow’ fish, one of the ones that make us return again and again, estimated at 3 ½ to 4 lbs on his trusty hot pink / sunburst booby. A keeper!
Further along the causeway to the East, Vinnie and Jim were also into fish, Vinnie had kept two (also on snakes) while Jim had returned one on his trusty Charlie Farley pattern.
Over on Reservoir 5, plenty of fish had been caught; Peter Baker, John O’Regan, Dave Jarvis and Jacek were all catching well on the East and Houses banks but none of these were sizable. Jacek reported catching at least 15 fish and missing just as many. All of the anglers had returned several fish due to size and went for a wonder late on in search of bigger fish.
Andrew Smith had also caught a few on the west bank of Reservoir 5 before trying his luck of the causeway on 4.
With an hour or so to go the wind dropped significantly meaning that it was much easier to cast from the causeway into Reservoir 5. This was possible but not pleasant earlier in the day as it had been ‘blowin a hooley’ all morning. Frank Daley took full advantage of this and caught several fish. Matt reported that Frank was doing so well that he had caught 4 fish in the time it took him to undo a single tangle in his fly line.
Peter Baker also made the most of the changing conditions, catching a beautifully conditioned fish on his last cast with a humungous booby on a DI7 in the East corner of 5 off the causeway.
A great day was had by all and at the weigh in Matt’s fish would take the title followed by John and Jacek in 2nd and 3rd. It was an excellent day out to mark the end of the season.
Our Annual AGM and auction will be held at the Ferry Boat Inn on the 29th February. An opportunity for you all to pick up some new flies and tackle and contribute to the organisation and running of this great club.
An important agenda item will be whether we need to produce a newsletter going forwards. It’s a significant time commitment and if you would like to help with this please offer your services. As discussed last year, to avoid reproducing content that exists on the website we really need members to contribute stories, observations, reports etc. Anything that you think other members would be interested in.
All other comments on the running of the club, the website, competition format and suggestions for additional events to attract new members are welcome.
I look forward to seeing you all at the AGM. Matt
Full results from Final Fling as follows:
1st-Matt McColl 13lb 13oz
2nd-John Ferguson 3lb 3 1/2 oz
3rd-Jacek Klekowski 2lb 12 1/2 oz
4th-Peter Baker 2lb 12 oz
5th-Vince King 2lb 10 1/2 oz
Jacek Klekowski wins the Fur and Feather
Fur & Feather
Saturday 07 December 2019
Westerly winds greeted the anglers for our annual ‘Fur and Feather’ competition and with the gates open at 7am it was a beautiful morning. John Ferguson, Peter Baker and Matt Mccoll were the early risers and spread out across the two reservoirs. John choosing the railway bank of 4, Peter choosing the south west bay of 5 and Matt going to the houses bank of 5.
Matt was into fish quickly with a double hook up on his first cast and realising that these fish were not a match winning size he cast out so that he could reel in and move to a different spot when his 3rd fish took about 7 yards from the bank. He would normally be delighted with 3 fish on his first two casts but as you need to kill your first four fish in this competition, he feared he was done for the day. He pondered moving to 4 in the hope of catching a larger specimen but reports suggested that small fish had been coming out of there too so instead he switched to a team of small size 14 diawl bachs in the hope that he could tempt a bigger fish. This was not the case as a fish even smaller than the first three took his point fly on the drop. Game over before 8.30 for him.
Meanwhile Peter was fishing buzzers and had reported one good pull before he caught his only fish of the day late morning and John was also struggling on 4, it would take him till approx. 1pm to catch his first fish. So, mixed fortunes for the early risers proving that you don’t need to get up at the ‘crack of sparrows’ to have success in this competition.
The full field of anglers had now arrived. The reservoir was buzzing and conversation was flowing, a trademark of these WFFC club competitions.
Andrew Smith had a similar experience to matt, catching 3 small fish very quickly on 5 before moving to reservoir 4. A switch to buzzers would see him bag his fourth and best fish.
Kevin Blackwell, fishing a team of buzzers off the west bank of 4 had found ‘the method’, catching four decent rainbows but nothing overly substantial.
Jacek, fishing off the point near the bouy on the west of reservoir 4 was also having a mixed day on his trusty DI5/DI7. It appeared that we were all competing to catch the smallest fish of the day and Jacek had a great contenderd before catching a lunker on a black snake. This large fish would ultimately be the heaviest fish caught on the day. Great effort Jacek! Jacek would also go on to catch his four fish limit and he was unlucky to lose another sizable fish too.
Tony Fox, fishing on the western bay at the top of reservoir 4 had also caught two small fish and went looking for the big ones far out casting out his full line plus backing under an indicator. He would catch his limit but the second two fish whilst bigger, were not enormous either.
Harry Fox had also moved to the causeway on 4 fishing where he caught his four fish on diawl bachs.
It was a strange day and other anglers that are normally proficient in the dark arts of the ‘Stow’ were finding it tricky.
Jim Dillon went all out on Reservoir 4 and he was rewarded with two rainbows and what we all thought was a brown trout to go with it! Alas, no brown trout but a beautiful golden carp that he should be proud of and will forever be remembered.
At the weigh in it was quickly apparent that there were no really big bags. Jacek’s 5lb fish was by far the biggest of the day but his total weight for 4 fish for a modest 10lbs would guarantee a well deserved victory followed by Kevin with 4 fish for 9lbs 4 ¾ oz who took second and John O’regan who snapped third with 4 fish for 9lb 02 oz. Well done all, we all reflected that Jacek was the worthy winner particularly as he was unlucky to miss out to John Ferguson in both the Summer and Autumn leagues.
Big thanks to John and Jackie Ferguson who prepared the beautifully presented hampers for the top three rods along with further prizes up to tenth place. Excellent work as always guys.
Full results as follows:
Saturday 07 December 2019
Westerly winds greeted the anglers for our annual ‘Fur and Feather’ competition and with the gates open at 7am it was a beautiful morning. John Ferguson, Peter Baker and Matt Mccoll were the early risers and spread out across the two reservoirs. John choosing the railway bank of 4, Peter choosing the south west bay of 5 and Matt going to the houses bank of 5.
Matt was into fish quickly with a double hook up on his first cast and realising that these fish were not a match winning size he cast out so that he could reel in and move to a different spot when his 3rd fish took about 7 yards from the bank. He would normally be delighted with 3 fish on his first two casts but as you need to kill your first four fish in this competition, he feared he was done for the day. He pondered moving to 4 in the hope of catching a larger specimen but reports suggested that small fish had been coming out of there too so instead he switched to a team of small size 14 diawl bachs in the hope that he could tempt a bigger fish. This was not the case as a fish even smaller than the first three took his point fly on the drop. Game over before 8.30 for him.
Meanwhile Peter was fishing buzzers and had reported one good pull before he caught his only fish of the day late morning and John was also struggling on 4, it would take him till approx. 1pm to catch his first fish. So, mixed fortunes for the early risers proving that you don’t need to get up at the ‘crack of sparrows’ to have success in this competition.
The full field of anglers had now arrived. The reservoir was buzzing and conversation was flowing, a trademark of these WFFC club competitions.
Andrew Smith had a similar experience to matt, catching 3 small fish very quickly on 5 before moving to reservoir 4. A switch to buzzers would see him bag his fourth and best fish.
Kevin Blackwell, fishing a team of buzzers off the west bank of 4 had found ‘the method’, catching four decent rainbows but nothing overly substantial.
Jacek, fishing off the point near the bouy on the west of reservoir 4 was also having a mixed day on his trusty DI5/DI7. It appeared that we were all competing to catch the smallest fish of the day and Jacek had a great contenderd before catching a lunker on a black snake. This large fish would ultimately be the heaviest fish caught on the day. Great effort Jacek! Jacek would also go on to catch his four fish limit and he was unlucky to lose another sizable fish too.
Tony Fox, fishing on the western bay at the top of reservoir 4 had also caught two small fish and went looking for the big ones far out casting out his full line plus backing under an indicator. He would catch his limit but the second two fish whilst bigger, were not enormous either.
Harry Fox had also moved to the causeway on 4 fishing where he caught his four fish on diawl bachs.
It was a strange day and other anglers that are normally proficient in the dark arts of the ‘Stow’ were finding it tricky.
Jim Dillon went all out on Reservoir 4 and he was rewarded with two rainbows and what we all thought was a brown trout to go with it! Alas, no brown trout but a beautiful golden carp that he should be proud of and will forever be remembered.
At the weigh in it was quickly apparent that there were no really big bags. Jacek’s 5lb fish was by far the biggest of the day but his total weight for 4 fish for a modest 10lbs would guarantee a well deserved victory followed by Kevin with 4 fish for 9lbs 4 ¾ oz who took second and John O’regan who snapped third with 4 fish for 9lb 02 oz. Well done all, we all reflected that Jacek was the worthy winner particularly as he was unlucky to miss out to John Ferguson in both the Summer and Autumn leagues.
Big thanks to John and Jackie Ferguson who prepared the beautifully presented hampers for the top three rods along with further prizes up to tenth place. Excellent work as always guys.
Full results as follows:
Key upcoming dates for the diary:
Farmoor Fur & Feather is on this Sunday 12th January and there is generally a good showing of WFFC members at this event.
The Walthamstow final fling has been confirmed for Saturday 25th January.
Our AGM and auction will be held on the 29th of February. Please come along and support the club at this event.
Farmoor Fur & Feather is on this Sunday 12th January and there is generally a good showing of WFFC members at this event.
The Walthamstow final fling has been confirmed for Saturday 25th January.
Our AGM and auction will be held on the 29th of February. Please come along and support the club at this event.
John Ferguson Wins the Autumn League
FINAL TABLE
Week 6
30 November
With John Ferguson wrapping up the series on our 5th meeting, the sixth and final meeting of our Autumn league was a jolly affair and great fun was had by all.
Peter Gulliver, Matt Mccoll, John Ferguson, Jacek Klekowski and Peter Baker would all line up on the East bank of 5 and all would find it tricky. Presumably the dropping water levels had affected their appetite.
As a result, Matt and Peter Baker didn’t stay long on Reservoir 4 and moved to the causeway of Reservoir 5. Peter saw a little bit of action on the causeway but matt was struggling however, a move to the East bank saw Matt catch a number of fish before it slowed down again.
Peter Baker then joined him on the East bank and had some great sport on buzzers under an indicator. One of these fish was sizable so he donked it and kept it for the weigh in. There is nothing better than seeing someone strike into a fish using this method.
Seeing how successful Peter’s method was and how much fun he was having, Matt switched to the same but couldn’t buy a fish!! With the last throw of the dice he switched to a team of small snakes on a di3 and had at least a pull on every cast for the last 45 minutes.
Back on reservoir 4, john had caught and returned a few fish on his trusty DI3 and Jacek had bagged 2 decent fish on his DI7 but both reported that it had been hard going and the small stockies had worked their way from Reservoir 5 to reservoir 4.
At the weigh in, Jacek took first place with two fish and Peter Baker took second place with his one. Well done all.
Interestingly, throughout the Autumn League the anglers had reported a good stamp of fish with stockies averaging three to three and a half pounds. This was not the case this week as all anglers reported catching a lot of smaller fish. John remarked that he caught the same 1lb fish 3 times in three casts on the houses bank.
This should shake things up at next week’s fur and feather with smaller fish reported across both reservoirs. A tweak to this year’s rules means that anglers have to dispatch their first four fish and then stop fishing to socialise with other anglers. As such, your game plan will need to be ‘on point’ if you are to seek out the larger specimens.
The spread of smaller fish, coupled with reducing water levels mean that the fur and feather promises to be both exciting and unpredictable. If the water levels have dropped even further you will be fishing from the soft mud at the bottom of the reservoirs so dress accordingly.
Myland has confirmed that he will be opening the gates at 7am on Saturday so put some fresh batteries in your head torch and get there early. See you then.
Full results as follows:
30 November
With John Ferguson wrapping up the series on our 5th meeting, the sixth and final meeting of our Autumn league was a jolly affair and great fun was had by all.
Peter Gulliver, Matt Mccoll, John Ferguson, Jacek Klekowski and Peter Baker would all line up on the East bank of 5 and all would find it tricky. Presumably the dropping water levels had affected their appetite.
As a result, Matt and Peter Baker didn’t stay long on Reservoir 4 and moved to the causeway of Reservoir 5. Peter saw a little bit of action on the causeway but matt was struggling however, a move to the East bank saw Matt catch a number of fish before it slowed down again.
Peter Baker then joined him on the East bank and had some great sport on buzzers under an indicator. One of these fish was sizable so he donked it and kept it for the weigh in. There is nothing better than seeing someone strike into a fish using this method.
Seeing how successful Peter’s method was and how much fun he was having, Matt switched to the same but couldn’t buy a fish!! With the last throw of the dice he switched to a team of small snakes on a di3 and had at least a pull on every cast for the last 45 minutes.
Back on reservoir 4, john had caught and returned a few fish on his trusty DI3 and Jacek had bagged 2 decent fish on his DI7 but both reported that it had been hard going and the small stockies had worked their way from Reservoir 5 to reservoir 4.
At the weigh in, Jacek took first place with two fish and Peter Baker took second place with his one. Well done all.
Interestingly, throughout the Autumn League the anglers had reported a good stamp of fish with stockies averaging three to three and a half pounds. This was not the case this week as all anglers reported catching a lot of smaller fish. John remarked that he caught the same 1lb fish 3 times in three casts on the houses bank.
This should shake things up at next week’s fur and feather with smaller fish reported across both reservoirs. A tweak to this year’s rules means that anglers have to dispatch their first four fish and then stop fishing to socialise with other anglers. As such, your game plan will need to be ‘on point’ if you are to seek out the larger specimens.
The spread of smaller fish, coupled with reducing water levels mean that the fur and feather promises to be both exciting and unpredictable. If the water levels have dropped even further you will be fishing from the soft mud at the bottom of the reservoirs so dress accordingly.
Myland has confirmed that he will be opening the gates at 7am on Saturday so put some fresh batteries in your head torch and get there early. See you then.
Full results as follows:
Week 5
23 November
The fifth instalment of the Autumn league presented the anglers with an Easterly wind and gentle conditions and predictably, following Jacek's success the previous week all anglers would set up on the east bank of reservoir 4.
John was quickly into a couple of fish on the di3, one of which was touching 4lbs, definitely a keeper, the other safely returned.
Matt was also into a fish, which was also released. Then the takes dried up and all were finding it difficult.
Matt persevered near the steps catching and returning a further 2, john went for a wonder to the boil and the northwest corner and released a 3rd fish back where he started, and Jacek moved 50 yards or so along the bank to the south.
At approximately 1.30 Jacek caught and kept his 1st fish and he would persist on 4 for the rest of the day and catch his 2nd fish.
Matt went for a wonder to reservoir 5 at around 2.30pm and news along the causeway suggested fishing had been tougher than recent weeks. He settled by the gate at the western end of the causeway and caught his two fish on a di3. Both over 3 lbs, they were not the biggest but perfectly conditioned hard fighting fish.
With 30mins to go john would also move over to 5, this time the east bank. A familiar situation with john chasing victory in the dying minutes. In this case he managed to catch his 2nd fish with 10mins to go. Well done john who managed to seal both the match and the series with a lovely 2nd rainbow.
Well done John. Great angling!. John is going to need a bigger mantle piece as he adds the Autumn League trophy to Summer league trophy.
Full Results as follows:
23 November
The fifth instalment of the Autumn league presented the anglers with an Easterly wind and gentle conditions and predictably, following Jacek's success the previous week all anglers would set up on the east bank of reservoir 4.
John was quickly into a couple of fish on the di3, one of which was touching 4lbs, definitely a keeper, the other safely returned.
Matt was also into a fish, which was also released. Then the takes dried up and all were finding it difficult.
Matt persevered near the steps catching and returning a further 2, john went for a wonder to the boil and the northwest corner and released a 3rd fish back where he started, and Jacek moved 50 yards or so along the bank to the south.
At approximately 1.30 Jacek caught and kept his 1st fish and he would persist on 4 for the rest of the day and catch his 2nd fish.
Matt went for a wonder to reservoir 5 at around 2.30pm and news along the causeway suggested fishing had been tougher than recent weeks. He settled by the gate at the western end of the causeway and caught his two fish on a di3. Both over 3 lbs, they were not the biggest but perfectly conditioned hard fighting fish.
With 30mins to go john would also move over to 5, this time the east bank. A familiar situation with john chasing victory in the dying minutes. In this case he managed to catch his 2nd fish with 10mins to go. Well done john who managed to seal both the match and the series with a lovely 2nd rainbow.
Well done John. Great angling!. John is going to need a bigger mantle piece as he adds the Autumn League trophy to Summer league trophy.
Full Results as follows:
Jacek's Whopper
Week 4
16 November
Week 4 provided overcast conditions with a gentle North Easterly wind. The anglers would spread across both reservoirs and report great sport throughout the day. Peter Baker and Matt McColl would focus on reservoir 5, hoping that if they caught in good numbers they would surely pull out a few decent fish throughout the day whilst John Ferguson, Jacek Klekowski and Peter Gulliver would target the trickier larger fish known to be in Reservoir 4, even if they may see less sport throughout the day.
Matt and Peter started strongly and had both caught approximately 10 each by mid-day, Peter on buzzers off the causeway and Matt on small boobies on a DI5 off the East bank. Peter had also missed a lot of fish and stated that the takes had been very tentative. Matt reported that the fish seemed to be moving throughout the depths and a varied retrieved following a change in count down would locate them, you would then need to repeat until the takes dried up before trying a different depth.
Meanwhile John had caught and kept his first two fish pulling on a Di3 on Reservoir 4 and both of these fish were around the 3 ½ pound mark. Jacek on the other hand was deeper, switching between a DI5 and DI7 and had released a few in the hope of a larger one or two. Both John and Jacek remarked that there were spells when if one of them was caching the other wasn’t, suggesting that the fish were also moving throughout the depths on reservoir 4.
Peter G, using more imitative patterns than John and Jacek was struggling to find action on Reservoir 4.
Back on Reservoir 5, Peter was regretting giving up his spot on the causeway and was struggling to locate the fish while Matt had now kept two fish, both approx 3 – 3 ½ lb on his trusty hot pink / sunburst booby.
In this event you generally need to aim for approx. 7lb total weight to be in with a chance, mainly because the anglers are chasing larger fish, often regretting returning 3lb fish as takes dry up later in the day. We have all been there!! As such, John and Matt were both content that they had done well and were both were in with a chance, having kept a couple of nice fish (perfect size for the smoker) to add to the others they had returned to fight another day.
This was when Jacek ‘changed the game’ and caught an absolute behemoth!! A fish so big that the competition was over in a flash, in fact, it could probably have eaten both Matt and Johns fish!
At the weigh in all were convinced that this fish was well over the 7lb mark, probably closer to 8lb. This one fish would ultimately weigh almost as much as Matt and Johns combined two fish bags. A superb fish but surprisingly hollow and not the weight that we were all expecting, imagine if it had been feeding strongly for a couple of weeks! Well done to Jacek, a great effort. Jacek stuck to his game plan and was rewarded handsomely.
We are all hoping he will be fed up eating trout and won’t try so hard next week!!
A great day was had by all and we are all hoping that the amazing fishing will continue for another few weeks to see out the last two fixtures of the Autumn League and then onto the Fur and Feather on 07 December.
Full results as follows:
16 November
Week 4 provided overcast conditions with a gentle North Easterly wind. The anglers would spread across both reservoirs and report great sport throughout the day. Peter Baker and Matt McColl would focus on reservoir 5, hoping that if they caught in good numbers they would surely pull out a few decent fish throughout the day whilst John Ferguson, Jacek Klekowski and Peter Gulliver would target the trickier larger fish known to be in Reservoir 4, even if they may see less sport throughout the day.
Matt and Peter started strongly and had both caught approximately 10 each by mid-day, Peter on buzzers off the causeway and Matt on small boobies on a DI5 off the East bank. Peter had also missed a lot of fish and stated that the takes had been very tentative. Matt reported that the fish seemed to be moving throughout the depths and a varied retrieved following a change in count down would locate them, you would then need to repeat until the takes dried up before trying a different depth.
Meanwhile John had caught and kept his first two fish pulling on a Di3 on Reservoir 4 and both of these fish were around the 3 ½ pound mark. Jacek on the other hand was deeper, switching between a DI5 and DI7 and had released a few in the hope of a larger one or two. Both John and Jacek remarked that there were spells when if one of them was caching the other wasn’t, suggesting that the fish were also moving throughout the depths on reservoir 4.
Peter G, using more imitative patterns than John and Jacek was struggling to find action on Reservoir 4.
Back on Reservoir 5, Peter was regretting giving up his spot on the causeway and was struggling to locate the fish while Matt had now kept two fish, both approx 3 – 3 ½ lb on his trusty hot pink / sunburst booby.
In this event you generally need to aim for approx. 7lb total weight to be in with a chance, mainly because the anglers are chasing larger fish, often regretting returning 3lb fish as takes dry up later in the day. We have all been there!! As such, John and Matt were both content that they had done well and were both were in with a chance, having kept a couple of nice fish (perfect size for the smoker) to add to the others they had returned to fight another day.
This was when Jacek ‘changed the game’ and caught an absolute behemoth!! A fish so big that the competition was over in a flash, in fact, it could probably have eaten both Matt and Johns fish!
At the weigh in all were convinced that this fish was well over the 7lb mark, probably closer to 8lb. This one fish would ultimately weigh almost as much as Matt and Johns combined two fish bags. A superb fish but surprisingly hollow and not the weight that we were all expecting, imagine if it had been feeding strongly for a couple of weeks! Well done to Jacek, a great effort. Jacek stuck to his game plan and was rewarded handsomely.
We are all hoping he will be fed up eating trout and won’t try so hard next week!!
A great day was had by all and we are all hoping that the amazing fishing will continue for another few weeks to see out the last two fixtures of the Autumn League and then onto the Fur and Feather on 07 December.
Full results as follows:
Week 3
Saturday 26 October
Week 3 provided a replica of the weather experienced during week 1 with a strong South Westerly wind and lots of rain. It was perhaps understandable that only 5 anglers had the fishery to themselves.
Jacek Klekowski, who had time for a practice session on the Friday, where he had caught some fantastic fish averaging 4lb’s with his best weighing 5.7 lb. He headed straight for the South West bay of Reservoir 5 in the hope of a repeat performance.
Peter Gulliver and John Ferguson set up on different ends of Reservoir 4, determined to winkle out some better fish.
Peter fished from the platform next to the hut, where from the off he saw lots of fish moving. He hooked and landed a nice fish early on that weighed just shy of 4lbs (3lb 14 oz). Lots of fish would follow but these were released to fatten up and fight another day.
John reported much of the same, keeping his 1st fish then releasing the following 5. He thanked his lucky stars to get 1 more in the last half hour.
Back on Reservoir 5, Jacek was realising that a recce the previous day, can wreck your head at the main event. He had caught lots of fish but these were much smaller than the previous day and averaged approx. 2.5 Lb’s.
We have now reached the half way mark where we have a 2 week break and with the fishing on fire, the second half should be awesome, providing good practice sessions for the Fur and Feather on the 07 December.
Well done John Ferguson who has now taken the top place in all of the Autumn league matches so far to continue his great form from the summer.
Full Results as follows:
Saturday 26 October
Week 3 provided a replica of the weather experienced during week 1 with a strong South Westerly wind and lots of rain. It was perhaps understandable that only 5 anglers had the fishery to themselves.
Jacek Klekowski, who had time for a practice session on the Friday, where he had caught some fantastic fish averaging 4lb’s with his best weighing 5.7 lb. He headed straight for the South West bay of Reservoir 5 in the hope of a repeat performance.
Peter Gulliver and John Ferguson set up on different ends of Reservoir 4, determined to winkle out some better fish.
Peter fished from the platform next to the hut, where from the off he saw lots of fish moving. He hooked and landed a nice fish early on that weighed just shy of 4lbs (3lb 14 oz). Lots of fish would follow but these were released to fatten up and fight another day.
John reported much of the same, keeping his 1st fish then releasing the following 5. He thanked his lucky stars to get 1 more in the last half hour.
Back on Reservoir 5, Jacek was realising that a recce the previous day, can wreck your head at the main event. He had caught lots of fish but these were much smaller than the previous day and averaged approx. 2.5 Lb’s.
We have now reached the half way mark where we have a 2 week break and with the fishing on fire, the second half should be awesome, providing good practice sessions for the Fur and Feather on the 07 December.
Well done John Ferguson who has now taken the top place in all of the Autumn league matches so far to continue his great form from the summer.
Full Results as follows:
Week 2
Saturday 19 October
The conditions were excellent, with a South West wind approx. 8mph, clear skies and clear water. Perfect.
As is often the case, the West bank of Reservoir 5 was packed with anglers taking up every available platform. This was also the case in the South West bay.
John O’ Reagan and Jacek Klekowski had both found spots on the West bank and fishing was prolific. From the off they were into fish and both reported a catch rate in the high twenties!!
Peter Gulliver – a late arrival, and John Ferguson both tried the harder route on Reservoir 04 and boy was it hard! At approx. 1.30pm they both came to the same conclusion that it was time to move to Reservoir 5. Peter headed to the South West bay while John headed to the houses bank only to find the water was thick like pea soup.
John didn’t stay long before heading over to see if there was any space on the West bank. When he arrived, he met John O’Regan who was positively fatigued and in true Walthamstow FFC fashion offered him both his swim and the fly that he had been doing the damage on. What a sport, testament to the nature of the members in the club!
He would regret his kind gesture quickly however, as with 5minutes to go, John Ferguson caught and absolute beauty of a fish (approx. 4lbs)
In Johns F’s words ‘one man’s joy is another man’s sadness’.
John O’s words couldn’t be repeated and he let his feelings known! Nothing a few pints couldn’t sort out in the ferry boat inn though.
Jacek meanwhile was also regretting letting a few 3lb fish go throughout the day.
Full results as follows:
Saturday 19 October
The conditions were excellent, with a South West wind approx. 8mph, clear skies and clear water. Perfect.
As is often the case, the West bank of Reservoir 5 was packed with anglers taking up every available platform. This was also the case in the South West bay.
John O’ Reagan and Jacek Klekowski had both found spots on the West bank and fishing was prolific. From the off they were into fish and both reported a catch rate in the high twenties!!
Peter Gulliver – a late arrival, and John Ferguson both tried the harder route on Reservoir 04 and boy was it hard! At approx. 1.30pm they both came to the same conclusion that it was time to move to Reservoir 5. Peter headed to the South West bay while John headed to the houses bank only to find the water was thick like pea soup.
John didn’t stay long before heading over to see if there was any space on the West bank. When he arrived, he met John O’Regan who was positively fatigued and in true Walthamstow FFC fashion offered him both his swim and the fly that he had been doing the damage on. What a sport, testament to the nature of the members in the club!
He would regret his kind gesture quickly however, as with 5minutes to go, John Ferguson caught and absolute beauty of a fish (approx. 4lbs)
In Johns F’s words ‘one man’s joy is another man’s sadness’.
John O’s words couldn’t be repeated and he let his feelings known! Nothing a few pints couldn’t sort out in the ferry boat inn though.
Jacek meanwhile was also regretting letting a few 3lb fish go throughout the day.
Full results as follows:
Week 1
Saturday 12 October
Checking the forecast throughout the week, Saturday was not going to be a pleasant days fishing and those involved were drenched to the core. Perhaps the weather is the reason why only 2 hardy fools turned up on the day.
Weirdly, unlike the previous week at the annual WaterAid competition, even with a stocking of 1500 fish for good measure, the fish for the most part chose to avoid the event too.
John started fishing on no 4 and managed 2 fish by approx. 1.30pm but had returned both fish due to size. Jacek was faring no better on no5 and had also released a couple of fish hoping for some larger fish later in the day.
It was not until both anglers arrived at the house bank, at approx. 2.45pm that they realised they were the only 2 fishermen that had turned up for the day.
It was here that they found fish wanting the flies. On his second cast Jacek hooked and lost a really good fish at the net and it turned out that he would only manage to get one further fish to the bag.
John fared slightly better, as he was lucky enough to catch 2 fish.
At the weigh-in, John realised that he had forgotten to take the scales (sums up the day really) and so the pair had to rely on judgement. Not wasting any time, they estimated 3lb a fish and waddled of to the pub like 2 drowned rats.
Here’s hoping (rugby world cup permitting) that there will be a better turnout Saturday
Full results as follows:
Saturday 12 October
Checking the forecast throughout the week, Saturday was not going to be a pleasant days fishing and those involved were drenched to the core. Perhaps the weather is the reason why only 2 hardy fools turned up on the day.
Weirdly, unlike the previous week at the annual WaterAid competition, even with a stocking of 1500 fish for good measure, the fish for the most part chose to avoid the event too.
John started fishing on no 4 and managed 2 fish by approx. 1.30pm but had returned both fish due to size. Jacek was faring no better on no5 and had also released a couple of fish hoping for some larger fish later in the day.
It was not until both anglers arrived at the house bank, at approx. 2.45pm that they realised they were the only 2 fishermen that had turned up for the day.
It was here that they found fish wanting the flies. On his second cast Jacek hooked and lost a really good fish at the net and it turned out that he would only manage to get one further fish to the bag.
John fared slightly better, as he was lucky enough to catch 2 fish.
At the weigh-in, John realised that he had forgotten to take the scales (sums up the day really) and so the pair had to rely on judgement. Not wasting any time, they estimated 3lb a fish and waddled of to the pub like 2 drowned rats.
Here’s hoping (rugby world cup permitting) that there will be a better turnout Saturday
Full results as follows:
Craig Gaffney wins WaterAid
Water Aid
Saturday October 5th 2019
Perfect overcast conditions and a gentle easterly wind greeted the 29 anglers that took part in this years charity WaterAid competition held by Thames Water and it promised to be a great day following reports that both reservoirs have been fishing well. Thames Water kindly waive the fishing fee for the event so that all of the entrance fees are donated to charity. Thames water then also kindly match the total raised from entrance fees and provide all prizes including a season ticket for 2020 and day tickets for Walthamstow / Farmoor respectively. An amazing total £1160 was raised for this great cause this year, thanks to all that organised and took part.
Normally fished in September, when fishing can be quite hard following the hot summer, moving the event to October was a master stroke, with high numbers of fish caught on both reservoirs.
After our usual briefing and the draw for your position for the walk off, anglers then head for their chosen swim for a 10 am start.
Most of these anglers headed to number 5 and were rewarded with good numbers of fish, Jim Dillon in particular, consistently catches good fish on his trusted Charlie Farley, a fly he invented some years ago that has accounted for numerous lumps over the years. Jim had set up on the East bank one pod north of the point and had dispatched his 04no. fish by 12.30pm.
Either side of Jim, Matt Mccoll and Andrew Smith were also catching in good numbers while John O’ Regan, Jacek and Dave Jarvis were also into good numbers of fish on the house bank and the adjacent bay respectively.
10 or so anglers had opted to tempt the larger fish on Reservoir 4. Craig Gaffney and Billy Bridgeworth being 2 of them and they found fish half way along the Railway bank, keeping 2 good Fish each by 11am. John Ferguson meanwhile had managed to get his favourite spot at ‘the boils’ ( an area he had such success during the summer league) but found it hard going. Fishing can be a curious game at times but following little success in his usual hot spot, found fish 10 yards to the west slightly further along the bank.
Lunchtime was a good time for all to take stock and discuss which areas had been productive and it was clear that the Houses and East bank on No5 was producing the most fish but as is often the case, the larger fish were being caught on Reservoir 4.
For the afternoon session the anglers walk of in reverse order and it was no surprise where the majority were heading - the East bank of Reservoir 5. Whilst a number of stockies were being caught some of these were substantial so it often pays to play the numbers. While lots of fish were caught throughout the afternoon on 5 they were just not coming out as consistently as they were in the morning and importantly, the bigger ones were not playing ball either.
The rest of the anglers headed for the East Bank of No4 and true to form, this was where the biggest fish of the day were caught but unfortunately for most, they had already taken their fish for the weigh-in in the morning session. That’s what makes the format of this competition so exciting.
Earl Johnstone landed a 6lb plus fish, from the steps at the outlet and Matt McColl caught two 4lb plus fish. All of these fish were safely returned (hopefully to be caught in the autumn league) before John Ferguson then landed a 4lb 11oz fish which gladly went into the bass bag and turned out to be the largest fish of the day.
With approximately 45 minutes remaining, Craig caught and kept his 4th fish also from the steps at the outlet
The anglers then regrouped at the hut at 6pm for what promised to be an exciting weigh-in. There were some cracking bags weighed before it was announced that Craig Gaffney was the eventual and most worthy of winners. Well done Craig, who won a season ticket for the 2020 season, no doubt he will put it to good use.
Last year’s winner Jim Dillon took second place with Dave Jarvis in 3rd place.
Heaviest Fish of the day went to John Ferguson who was incredibly unlucky not to find his 4th fish. With three quality fish in the bag a large fry would probably have sealed the competition for him!
A big thank you to Thames Water, for this great event, and top prizes and Cliff the Ranger, for all his hard work on the day.
Final scores.
1st Craig Gaffney 4 Fish 12lb 12.5 oz
2nd Jim Dillon 4 Fish 12lb 8 3/4 oz
3rd Dave Jarvis 4 Fish 12lb 2 3/4 oz
4th John Ferguson 3 Fish 11lb 13.5 oz
5th John O’ Regan 4 Fish 11lb 6oz
6th Billy Bridgeworth 4 Fish 11lb 3oz
7th Jacek Klekowski 4 Fish 10lb 15 3/4 oz
8th Matt McColl 4 Fish 10lb 3.5 oz
9th Tony Fox 4 Fish 10lb 1oz
10th Earl Johnstone 4 fish 9lb 9 1/4 oz
11th Alan Blake 4 Fish 9lb 7.5 oz
12th Peter Costin 4 Fish 8lb 14oz
13th Andrew Smith 3 Fish 8lb 9oz
14th Frank Daley 2 Fish 6lb 9oz
15th Donald McColl 2 Fish 6lb 8 3/4 oz
Did not weigh;
Pat O’Neill, Vince King, Louis Russell, Sam Emansi, John Hayward, Kil Hamilton, Micheal Robinson, Justin Laskin, Sam Hawkins, Richard Wiggin, Bill Northcote, Romesh, Erol Canavan, and Gary King
John Ferguson wins the Summer League
John Ferguson (left) being presented with the trophy by last years winner Frank Daley
FINAL TABLE
WEEK BY WEEK REPORTS
Week 8
24 July
A south wind and the prequal to the hottest day on record did not provide a great prospect for an evening’s fly fishing but as always, the anglers were jolly and hopeful that they had a method that would tempt the fish.
Whilst a few turned up for pre match drinks in the Ferry Boat Inn, there were no beers for John as he was so keen to get started it seemed that he had been camping near the boils of Reservoir 4 since the previous Sunday, such was his desire to replicate the form that has ensured he has been top of the leader board for the majority of the competition.
John was flying solo on Reservoir 4 whilst the majority of the anglers focussed their attention on number 5 with Dave, Frank, Peter Gulliver and Tony setting up on the West bank, Matt and Jacek in the south west bay and Peter Baker on the houses bank.
Fish could be seen all over the Reservoir but the majority of rises were approximately two full line lengths out, presumably the fish were enjoying the cooler water away from the banks.
Dave and John were in pole position but Matt and Jacek had an outside chance if the two leaders were to struggle. However, hoping that others have a bad evening just simply isn’t the spirit of the club or the competition and Matt and Jacek were delighted to see Dave’s rod arch over in the distance on what must have been his first or second cast. Matt’s prospects were over before his line had even hit the water!
Dave was then into his second fish approximately 10 minutes later. He had chosen the right tactics on the night to fish deep with a team of buzzers on a long 20 plus foot leader. For the first half hour anyway, he also reported that he didn’t have a touch after that.
Jacek was also soon into a smaller fish on a floating line with small diawl bachs. During these summer months the fish can struggle with the heat of the water around the edges and with a thick blanket of algae around the edge it can make it difficult to release the fish unharmed. Jacek was contemplating releasing his fish but despite the size chose the only option available and dispatched it for the weigh in.
Meanwhile, John was into some better fish on the boil with his trademark stinger minkie on a di 3. This spot has been good to him throughout the competition and after a few nights prospecting before the final match he reported “I can’t buy a fish on 5” and did well to stick to his guns on reservoir 4.
Whilst others reported tentative takes, no further fish were recorded. It’s always tough during the summer league, but the sunshine and banter more than make up for it. All reading should get involved next year.
At the weigh in at the Ferryboat, Dave was eager to get the weigh in over and done with and following the recording of his fish John then went to his van and pulled out his lunkers. There was no debating who would be the winner in the end!!
Well done to John, Dave and Jacek for 1st, 2nd and 3rd respectively and also for all anglers who have made this a great (if challenging) competition.
Note: We are looking to change the date for the Water Aid charity match due to unavailability of a number of club stalwarts so the suggested date is now the 05 October. Keep an eye out on the website for more details.
The Water Aid match will be ideal preparation for the Autumn league that starts on the 12 October. By then the reservoirs will be on top form again and is guaranteed to produce some amazing sport and the trademark hard fighting fish will be waiting!
Full results as follows:
Week 8
24 July
A south wind and the prequal to the hottest day on record did not provide a great prospect for an evening’s fly fishing but as always, the anglers were jolly and hopeful that they had a method that would tempt the fish.
Whilst a few turned up for pre match drinks in the Ferry Boat Inn, there were no beers for John as he was so keen to get started it seemed that he had been camping near the boils of Reservoir 4 since the previous Sunday, such was his desire to replicate the form that has ensured he has been top of the leader board for the majority of the competition.
John was flying solo on Reservoir 4 whilst the majority of the anglers focussed their attention on number 5 with Dave, Frank, Peter Gulliver and Tony setting up on the West bank, Matt and Jacek in the south west bay and Peter Baker on the houses bank.
Fish could be seen all over the Reservoir but the majority of rises were approximately two full line lengths out, presumably the fish were enjoying the cooler water away from the banks.
Dave and John were in pole position but Matt and Jacek had an outside chance if the two leaders were to struggle. However, hoping that others have a bad evening just simply isn’t the spirit of the club or the competition and Matt and Jacek were delighted to see Dave’s rod arch over in the distance on what must have been his first or second cast. Matt’s prospects were over before his line had even hit the water!
Dave was then into his second fish approximately 10 minutes later. He had chosen the right tactics on the night to fish deep with a team of buzzers on a long 20 plus foot leader. For the first half hour anyway, he also reported that he didn’t have a touch after that.
Jacek was also soon into a smaller fish on a floating line with small diawl bachs. During these summer months the fish can struggle with the heat of the water around the edges and with a thick blanket of algae around the edge it can make it difficult to release the fish unharmed. Jacek was contemplating releasing his fish but despite the size chose the only option available and dispatched it for the weigh in.
Meanwhile, John was into some better fish on the boil with his trademark stinger minkie on a di 3. This spot has been good to him throughout the competition and after a few nights prospecting before the final match he reported “I can’t buy a fish on 5” and did well to stick to his guns on reservoir 4.
Whilst others reported tentative takes, no further fish were recorded. It’s always tough during the summer league, but the sunshine and banter more than make up for it. All reading should get involved next year.
At the weigh in at the Ferryboat, Dave was eager to get the weigh in over and done with and following the recording of his fish John then went to his van and pulled out his lunkers. There was no debating who would be the winner in the end!!
Well done to John, Dave and Jacek for 1st, 2nd and 3rd respectively and also for all anglers who have made this a great (if challenging) competition.
Note: We are looking to change the date for the Water Aid charity match due to unavailability of a number of club stalwarts so the suggested date is now the 05 October. Keep an eye out on the website for more details.
The Water Aid match will be ideal preparation for the Autumn league that starts on the 12 October. By then the reservoirs will be on top form again and is guaranteed to produce some amazing sport and the trademark hard fighting fish will be waiting!
Full results as follows:
Week 7
17 July
North westerly winds and high temperatures met the anglers along with reports of difficult fishing. Difficult was perhaps an understatement and with all anglers blanking ensures that this report is brief.
All methods were tried, with little success. A combined 1470 minutes of fishing would result in a pull for both Matt and Frank and a rise to a dry fly for Peter Baker.
The result has made a significant impact on the leader board as only 4 anglers are now in with a chance of claiming the trophy with John Ferguson and Dave Gary in prime position.
That’s assuming that the fish are cooperative next week and with 33 degree temperatures forecast it may be a similar story and an early night at the Ferryboat.
Full results as follows:
17 July
North westerly winds and high temperatures met the anglers along with reports of difficult fishing. Difficult was perhaps an understatement and with all anglers blanking ensures that this report is brief.
All methods were tried, with little success. A combined 1470 minutes of fishing would result in a pull for both Matt and Frank and a rise to a dry fly for Peter Baker.
The result has made a significant impact on the leader board as only 4 anglers are now in with a chance of claiming the trophy with John Ferguson and Dave Gary in prime position.
That’s assuming that the fish are cooperative next week and with 33 degree temperatures forecast it may be a similar story and an early night at the Ferryboat.
Full results as follows:
|
Week 6
10 July After our customary pre-drink in the Ferry Boat, we headed in for our 6th instalment of the Wednesday evening league. Everyone’s hopes were high, with the water gin clear, and a gentle 7mph s/w wind, rods laced up, off we went. Tony Fox, and Peter Baker decided on a good long walk, and headed for the houses bank on no5, to have it all to them-selves. From the off they could see fish moving in the distance. Also feeling his legs needed a good stretch, Peter Gulliver headed to the top bay of no5. Joining up with some of the pleasure anglers already there, Dave Gary settled for the East bank of 5 and Frank and John on the railway bank . With everyone in their place, fishing started. Dave fishing the washing line with two buzzers got of to a good start, landing a nice fish early on, with Peter Gulliver soon also into a cracker on nymphs, fish were moving freely all along the west bank of 5, a lot of last weeks stocking. Now the same could not be said for Frank and John down on no4 , not a fish to be seen anywhere , unlike the previous week where fish were popping up along all banks, after 3hrs fishing between them and just one fish caught, they decided it was time to move. Also on the move were Tony and peter who were fairing no better on the houses with 4hrs combined fishing and not a touch for either. Peter headed for the cause-way of 4 and Tony headed for the west bank of 5, where he started catching from the off on his thrusted dries but not happy with the size, he returned them all. Dave had by now caught his second keeper and was laying back pretty relaxed, only to be disturbed by frank charging in and throwing out what looked like half a rabbit, whatever it was, it worked, Frank was soon into his first fish of the evening and with time running out he had his second. For some it was a night of frustration, lots of fish but few takers and with time up it was the long trudge back to the Ferry Boat where we started. After the weigh in Frank came out on top with Dave a good 2nd. Looking at the table the league is wide open. Full results as follows: |
Franks Fly
|
|
Week 5
03 July The hot weather finally arrived and with it came a fresh stocking of fit, hard fighting rainbows. Whilst the freshly stocked fish could be seen tight against the concrete on the margins of reservoir 5, all anglers chose to ignore these in favour of chasing some larger resident fish. With Tony Fox and Peter Baker away representing Bewl in a club match on Grafham there was a chance to add some decent points to the leader board for those who could make it. Dave, John and Peter again focussed on reservoir 4, where they would catch a fish each on minkies before john caught his 2nd, a nice 3lb fish that he would later regret returning. Matt, Jacek and Frank would all start on the house bank and the adjacent bay on reservoir 5. Frank didn’t fancy sharing the fishing with a couple of resident cormorants though so quickly moved to the point on the East bank where he caught and kept a fish before heading to number 4. It was quiet for Jacek and Matt but a short move 20yards along the bank saw Jacek into fish where he too kept his 1st on a black lure. Matt had hooked into a number of fish but takes were either savage, leaving his leader in pieces or super tentative leading to missed or lost fish. At around 8pm all anglers would around the reservoirs in search of fish for the weigh in. Frank ended up on the East bank of Reservoir 4 where he was having good sport on dries and landed his 2nd keeper. Dave would stop on the causeway of 4 where he reported hooking a large carp (or a huge trout) that would take him to his backing at ludicrous speed before everything went slack. Jacek, Matt and John all ended up in the corner of reservoir 5 near the hut with Jacek tight in the corner. Matt had the pleasure of watching Jacek pull in approx 10 rainbows in a 30min period and not knowing if one of these would be his last Jacek kept rolling the dice before keeping one of the smallest fish ever recorded in the summer league (1lb 12oz). Frustratingly, Jacek would go on to catch a further 3 much larger fish soon after. Either side of Jacek, Matt and John were struggling in comparison. Matt eventually managed to land his only fish of the night and John also couldn’t add to the one fish he had kept early on. Many had small regrets when it came to the weigh in: either missed opportunities, lost fish or returning fish they perhaps should have kept but this is what makes the Summer and Autumn leagues so exciting. Whilst all anglers chose to go in pursuit of larger resident fish, 2 newly stocked fish would have given the angler a minimum of 8 points and an early night at the Ferryboat. Well done Frank with two solid fish and a bag just shy of 7lb. With three weeks remaining frank is cruising up the outside looking to topple one of the early leaders. Full results as follows: |
|
|
Week 4
26 June The scorching hot weather never materialised for the 4th evening of our summer league and from 6pm fish could be seen crashing at the surface about 6-10 yards off the causeway of Reservoir 5. Peter Gulliver was the only angler to target them though as a fierce North Easterly would make it difficult to keep your patterns in the zone for long enough. Instead Matt and Jacek fished the East bank of reservoir 5 whilst Dave, John and Tony would focus around the boil on Reservoir 4. Tony and Dave chose to use a selection of minkies and fry patterns on a floating line while John preferred to pull a bit faster on an intermediate with a larger minkie. Crucially, John’s minkie had a pincer hook at the tail to convert the nips into takes. The action on 4 was intense and all 3 anglers had soon caught and kept their two fish limit. John reported that he would have a pull on almost every cast between 6 and 7pm before things started to slow down. Meanwhile, Matt and Jacek were both using small boobies on DI5s but whilst they were getting lots of attention, this could not be converted into solid takes. Then came the classic 'angler shuffle' at about 8.15pm when all anglers simultaneously went for a wander in an attempt to find fish and catch the two 'keepers' required. Peter Gulliver moved to the North East corner of 5 where he hooked and lost a decent fish on diawl bachs. Jacek moved around to the bay adjacent the house bank where he was quickly into fish and landed his two for the weigh in. Matt however, worked his way along almost every platform on the causeway. With no joy he was seriously considering calling it a day and he was regretting not trying buzzers due to the sheer volume of hatches he had noticed along the way when he finally caught his first fish at 9.16pm, followed by a larger second fish that took him to his backing at 9.23pm. His fish were caught tight in the corner near the hut on his favourite booby on a DI 5 and proved that its worth persevering until the end as the bigger fish are often caught later on in the evening. It was a great nights sport, with all anglers seeing some action. A tight weigh in followed where Matt just edged ahead of a jet lagged Tony to take the full 10 points. I don’t think Tony will mind after catching a 100lb + tarpon earlier in the week!! We are now halfway through this years fixtures and four different anglers have taken the full 10 points so far but as only the top 5 results will be counted in the final table it promises to come to an exciting conclusion at the end of July. Well done all. Full results as follows: |
Matts lovely 4lb rainbow.
|
|
Week 3
19 June Westerly winds, heavy showers and poor water clarity greeted the anglers for round 3 of the summer league. The majority chose to fish the West bank of no. 5 where the wind was more favourable, but John Ferguson set up near the boil on the railway bank of no.4 and Matt Mccoll chose to fish the houses bank. Both John and Matt would benefit from this separation from the crowd. On the West bank and causeway the anglers fished various methods with little success. Nymphs, lures, dries and Peter Baker’s sink, all fished at a variety of depths could not tempt them. This was surprising as conditions appeared great and the reservoirs have been fishing so well recently. On the railway bank John had started well and using a snake to great effect had bagged two nice rainbows. His experience would tell him that the poor water clarity would make things difficult on the night and he chose to keep his first two fish before later releasing a much larger fish. Meanwhile, Matt was into a good number of fish on the houses bank but just couldn’t get them to the net. Five fished hooked – Four snapped leaders and one fish lost - all on small boobies on a di 5. If you hook a fish with a small hot coral / sunburst booby in its pincers please feel free to return the flies to him! He thought he had blown it and used the time to invest in some new leader in advance of next Wednesdays match before heading round to the causeway expecting to find the rest of the anglers with full bags. It was here that he learnt that it had been a tough night for all and with 9 minutes remaining finally managed to land a nice fish by creating a disturbance with small booby on the surface. A tough night indeed, we normally save the ‘blanks’ for later in the competition when temperatures increase but the evenings results have certainly tightened things up at the top of the leader board. A special mention to John, his solid performance and sound judgement catapults him to the top of the leader board. It is all to play for next week and with temperatures forecast in excess of 25 degrees, it might well be even more challenging… Full results as follows: |
Peter joins John for a spell on the railway bank
|
|
Week 2
12 June Apologies, short report this week and we will resume full service next week for round three. With fish visible on the surface of number 5 lots of anglers chose to use dries. Tony and Peter were both in the mix again but Jacek Klekowski won on the evening with an excellent bag – 2 fish for 7lb 04oz. Well done Jacek. Full results as follows: |
|
|
Week 1
05 June A lovely evening and a South Westerly wind met the anglers on the first tie of our summer league and following reports of great fishing on no.5 the anglers spread across this reservoir in lieu of chasing some of the larger fish rumoured to inhabit No.4. Many favoured the West bank but Matt McColl, John Ferguson and Peter Baker settled on the houses bank and it wasn’t long before new member Neil Cohen (not in the competition on the evening) hooked into a fish, followed by Peter and a missed fish for both John and Matt. Early on Matt was catching in higher numbers but a 2 bag limit makes the format exciting and choosing to keep his first two fish would later regret not persevering to catch a couple of larger ones. Peter on the other hand kept an early 4lb rainbow and chose to release a number of fish in search of a larger bag. An admin error on the website (apologies now corrected) meant that Peter had packed up believing the competition ended at 9pm and was regretting not keeping one of his earlier fish. John shouted over that it was 9.30 and as it happened the fish really came on at this time. Peter still had enough time to set up his rod and following some great sport caught his second ‘keeper’ at the death. You will not find many anglers that can rival Tony Fox on dry flies and he had also caught two good fish meaning that the resultant weigh in at the Ferry Boat would be tense. Well done Peter Baker who took the lead with two fish for 6lb 11 ½ oz, just edging past Tony Fox with two fish for 6lb 9 ½ oz. Full results as follows: |
|
Vince King wins Haven House charity event.
£1319 raised for great charity
The club turned out in high numbers to take part in our annual event supporting Haven House – a charity that provides care for young children and their families.
The format was exciting and a bit different. At start of the day, numbers were drawn from a hat to decide the order in which competitors were to head to the water to pick their spots. High or low numbers were favoured as the order was reversed at the start of the afternoon’s session - a middle number could mean losing out on a favourite fishing area in both sessions, either side of lunch provided by our friends at the Ferry Boat Inn. https://www.classicinns.co.uk/theferryboatlondon
Following the draw and a briefing by club chairman Dave Jarvis, the group quickly dispersed across the two reservoirs. The majority heading off to fish no 5, whilst a small group lined up along the railway bank of number 4,
Committee members Vince King and John Ferguson both kindly provided reports for the day that tell the tale of their different fortunes. A light North Easterly wind meant that all banks were accessible - all was to play for.
Vince King.
Vince’s high draw meant that he was one of the last to depart and he made his way towards the causeway and West bank of number 5. He found the first half hour quiet. Noticing that the other anglers were experiencing similar lack of action, he decided to walk up to the bay on the east bank of 5, adjacent to the houses bank. On the way, however, he stopped half-way along the causeway where regular Earl had hooked into a nice fish far out using a floater and a single buzzer, proving that sometimes less is more.
When Vince got to the bay, he saw new club member Jacek into a fish. Jacek fishes the reservoirs regularly and informed him that the water had been fishing very well recently. Jacek was soon into his better, second fish.
Vince went natural, fishing a team of buzzers under a bung (not so natural) but this meant that he could control the depth of his flies. He soon missed a fish and then started to catch in good numbers, however he noticed from the off that the size of his fish were much smaller in comparison to Jacek’s and returned all of his early fish safely back to the water in the hope that he could tempt a few larger fish to the net. Vince’s strategy worked and by lunchtime he had managed to land two solid fish that he kept for the weigh in.
A stop for lunch provided an opportunity to discuss the morning and assess the most successful techniques and areas of the reservoirs.
Not forgetting Vince’s high draw, he was one of the first off after lunch meaning that he could go straight back to the spot in the North East of 5 where he had good success in the morning. Vince continued to catch on buzzers and watched Jacek catch another two ‘keepers’ taking his total to four fish. Vince also noted that whilst three of Jacek’s fish were large, one of them was considerably smaller and knew that there was an opportunity if he could tempt some larger fish throughout the afternoon.
Vince went for broke, changing tactics to a large white snake fly and as soon as he did, the action hotted up. He was getting a take nearly every other cast and with two hours to go, he had totalled three good fish. He knew he would need to beat Jacek at the very least, so worked on his fourth ‘keeper’. This finally came at approximately 5pm.
With a full bag, Vince then moved on to the point at the edge of the bay and on his first cast he connected with a lunker of at least 6lb. The strong fish swam off to the island and fought like a demon. Vince was sure the fish was fowl hooked and was left with no backing on his reel on a number of occasions, but sometime later found that it was an impressive 6lb specimen in excellent condition. The fish was photographed and quickly released marking the end of a fantastic day’s sport for Vince.
John Ferguson
John was part of a group of 5 anglers that settled along the railway bank of reservoir 4 and things got off to a cracking start.
John and Tony Fox had both bagged a brace of decent fish by 10.30am, whilst Peter Baker had hooked, played and lost as decent fish too.
Frank Daly and Barry Sheddon, who had travelled down from Rutland for the event, had settled in up near the inlet, with Frank taking a good fish on the buzzers.
Despite an incredibly positive start, the initial action soon dwindled, presumably due to angling pressure pushing the fish out of reach.
With the half time scores as follows, the group all headed off for lunch at the hut on the causeway between 4 & 5 and timed their journey just right. Intercepting Cliff the ranger coming in with the food, giving the group a lift. Bonus!
Frank Daley 3
Tony Fox 2
John Ferguson 2
Peter Baker 1
When they arrived at the hut, most of the anglers had already gathered, telling great tales of fish caught and lost, and it became apparent that reservoir 5 was the prime water on the day. In particular, the bay by the houses and the causeway.
John set off for the afternoon session, deciding to move around and cover as much water as possible, but unfortunately, after such a promising start had to settle for his two fish caught early in the morning on the Railway bank.
The weigh in.
At the weigh in, lots of anglers were coming in with their full quota of excellent quality rainbows and it is worth noting that these were caught all over both reservoirs. All bays seem to be holding quality fish.
With some great weights recorded, the scores were close until Vince (second last to weigh in) stepped up to the scales with 4 whoppers, beating second place Jacek by almost a pound. Barry Sheddon took third place along with the best fish of the day at 4 ½ lbs.
Full scores as follows:
1st Vince king 14lb 4 fish
2nd Jacek klekowski 13lb 2.5 ounce 4 fish
3rd Barry Sheddon 12LB 13.5 ounce 4 fish
4th Frank Daly 11lb 3oz 4 fish
5th Jim Dillon 10lb 10 oz 4 fish
6th Earl Johnstone 10lb 8.5 ounce 4 fish
7th John o’ Reagan 10lb4 fish
8th Tony Fox 10lb 4.5oz 3 fish
9th Gorka Fernandez 9lb 8.5 oz 3 fish
10th Andrew Smith 8lb 0.5 oz 3 fish
11th john Ferguson 7lb 3.5 oz 2 Fish
12th Dave Jarvis 6lb 2.5 oz 2 fish
13th Bob Dalton 5lb 1oz 2 Fish
14th Mike shepherd 4lb 10oz 2 fish
15th Peter Baker 3lb 1 fish
16th Pat O’Neil , Dave Garry, Steve Ball, Billy Northcote, and Alastair Brown Nil.
After the prize giving Ginny from Haven House gave a wonderful speech about the charity and how the money raised helps with the day to day running of the Hospice. It really put the significance of this event into perspective.
A big thanks to Thames Water and the individual contributions of Cliff and Myland. Thames Water waived the price of the fish ticket for the day and also provided the excellent food at half time.
Also a big thank you to Billy Northcote for generously donating 2 framed rainbow trout displays that were auctioned online. This, combined with money raised on the day and a generous contribution of £500 from Dave Jarvis’s company meant that the total sum raised for the day was £1319.
Thank you to everybody who participated on the day and helped to organise and those that travelled a long way for the event - Frank Daley and Barry Sheddon who travelled down from Rutland and Mike Shepherd who travelled from Bewl.
Don’t forget that the Summer league starts at 6pm on Wednesday 05 June. Fish till 9pm, 2 fish bags and weigh in / drinks in the Ferry Boat Inn at 9.30pm.
The format was exciting and a bit different. At start of the day, numbers were drawn from a hat to decide the order in which competitors were to head to the water to pick their spots. High or low numbers were favoured as the order was reversed at the start of the afternoon’s session - a middle number could mean losing out on a favourite fishing area in both sessions, either side of lunch provided by our friends at the Ferry Boat Inn. https://www.classicinns.co.uk/theferryboatlondon
Following the draw and a briefing by club chairman Dave Jarvis, the group quickly dispersed across the two reservoirs. The majority heading off to fish no 5, whilst a small group lined up along the railway bank of number 4,
Committee members Vince King and John Ferguson both kindly provided reports for the day that tell the tale of their different fortunes. A light North Easterly wind meant that all banks were accessible - all was to play for.
Vince King.
Vince’s high draw meant that he was one of the last to depart and he made his way towards the causeway and West bank of number 5. He found the first half hour quiet. Noticing that the other anglers were experiencing similar lack of action, he decided to walk up to the bay on the east bank of 5, adjacent to the houses bank. On the way, however, he stopped half-way along the causeway where regular Earl had hooked into a nice fish far out using a floater and a single buzzer, proving that sometimes less is more.
When Vince got to the bay, he saw new club member Jacek into a fish. Jacek fishes the reservoirs regularly and informed him that the water had been fishing very well recently. Jacek was soon into his better, second fish.
Vince went natural, fishing a team of buzzers under a bung (not so natural) but this meant that he could control the depth of his flies. He soon missed a fish and then started to catch in good numbers, however he noticed from the off that the size of his fish were much smaller in comparison to Jacek’s and returned all of his early fish safely back to the water in the hope that he could tempt a few larger fish to the net. Vince’s strategy worked and by lunchtime he had managed to land two solid fish that he kept for the weigh in.
A stop for lunch provided an opportunity to discuss the morning and assess the most successful techniques and areas of the reservoirs.
Not forgetting Vince’s high draw, he was one of the first off after lunch meaning that he could go straight back to the spot in the North East of 5 where he had good success in the morning. Vince continued to catch on buzzers and watched Jacek catch another two ‘keepers’ taking his total to four fish. Vince also noted that whilst three of Jacek’s fish were large, one of them was considerably smaller and knew that there was an opportunity if he could tempt some larger fish throughout the afternoon.
Vince went for broke, changing tactics to a large white snake fly and as soon as he did, the action hotted up. He was getting a take nearly every other cast and with two hours to go, he had totalled three good fish. He knew he would need to beat Jacek at the very least, so worked on his fourth ‘keeper’. This finally came at approximately 5pm.
With a full bag, Vince then moved on to the point at the edge of the bay and on his first cast he connected with a lunker of at least 6lb. The strong fish swam off to the island and fought like a demon. Vince was sure the fish was fowl hooked and was left with no backing on his reel on a number of occasions, but sometime later found that it was an impressive 6lb specimen in excellent condition. The fish was photographed and quickly released marking the end of a fantastic day’s sport for Vince.
John Ferguson
John was part of a group of 5 anglers that settled along the railway bank of reservoir 4 and things got off to a cracking start.
John and Tony Fox had both bagged a brace of decent fish by 10.30am, whilst Peter Baker had hooked, played and lost as decent fish too.
Frank Daly and Barry Sheddon, who had travelled down from Rutland for the event, had settled in up near the inlet, with Frank taking a good fish on the buzzers.
Despite an incredibly positive start, the initial action soon dwindled, presumably due to angling pressure pushing the fish out of reach.
With the half time scores as follows, the group all headed off for lunch at the hut on the causeway between 4 & 5 and timed their journey just right. Intercepting Cliff the ranger coming in with the food, giving the group a lift. Bonus!
Frank Daley 3
Tony Fox 2
John Ferguson 2
Peter Baker 1
When they arrived at the hut, most of the anglers had already gathered, telling great tales of fish caught and lost, and it became apparent that reservoir 5 was the prime water on the day. In particular, the bay by the houses and the causeway.
John set off for the afternoon session, deciding to move around and cover as much water as possible, but unfortunately, after such a promising start had to settle for his two fish caught early in the morning on the Railway bank.
The weigh in.
At the weigh in, lots of anglers were coming in with their full quota of excellent quality rainbows and it is worth noting that these were caught all over both reservoirs. All bays seem to be holding quality fish.
With some great weights recorded, the scores were close until Vince (second last to weigh in) stepped up to the scales with 4 whoppers, beating second place Jacek by almost a pound. Barry Sheddon took third place along with the best fish of the day at 4 ½ lbs.
Full scores as follows:
1st Vince king 14lb 4 fish
2nd Jacek klekowski 13lb 2.5 ounce 4 fish
3rd Barry Sheddon 12LB 13.5 ounce 4 fish
4th Frank Daly 11lb 3oz 4 fish
5th Jim Dillon 10lb 10 oz 4 fish
6th Earl Johnstone 10lb 8.5 ounce 4 fish
7th John o’ Reagan 10lb4 fish
8th Tony Fox 10lb 4.5oz 3 fish
9th Gorka Fernandez 9lb 8.5 oz 3 fish
10th Andrew Smith 8lb 0.5 oz 3 fish
11th john Ferguson 7lb 3.5 oz 2 Fish
12th Dave Jarvis 6lb 2.5 oz 2 fish
13th Bob Dalton 5lb 1oz 2 Fish
14th Mike shepherd 4lb 10oz 2 fish
15th Peter Baker 3lb 1 fish
16th Pat O’Neil , Dave Garry, Steve Ball, Billy Northcote, and Alastair Brown Nil.
After the prize giving Ginny from Haven House gave a wonderful speech about the charity and how the money raised helps with the day to day running of the Hospice. It really put the significance of this event into perspective.
A big thanks to Thames Water and the individual contributions of Cliff and Myland. Thames Water waived the price of the fish ticket for the day and also provided the excellent food at half time.
Also a big thank you to Billy Northcote for generously donating 2 framed rainbow trout displays that were auctioned online. This, combined with money raised on the day and a generous contribution of £500 from Dave Jarvis’s company meant that the total sum raised for the day was £1319.
Thank you to everybody who participated on the day and helped to organise and those that travelled a long way for the event - Frank Daley and Barry Sheddon who travelled down from Rutland and Mike Shepherd who travelled from Bewl.
Don’t forget that the Summer league starts at 6pm on Wednesday 05 June. Fish till 9pm, 2 fish bags and weigh in / drinks in the Ferry Boat Inn at 9.30pm.
Troutmaster's Fish-off
Saturday 27th April 2019
Following the unseasonal hot weather at the start of April, the day chosen for the fish off would see two club stalwarts battle it out in difficult conditions to decide who would represent Walthamstow in the final at Draycote Reservoir on 07 October.
Reports and whispers suggest that many large fish were caught throughout 2018 but only 3 fishermen officially registered their catch to be eligible for the Trout-masters competition. This was ultimately reduced to two for the official fish off. Jim Dillon, a regular in this competition presumably preoccupied by his love of river trout.
Eager to get on with it, in 45mph winds John Ferguson and John O’Regan set off from the pre-arranged spot ( the car park on the edge of reservoir number 4).
The two Johns were hoping to find a spot on the West bank of Reservoir 5, only to find that no one else was brave enough for the terrible conditions. This included the public who despite their love of cormorant photography kindly avoided the west bank for the day to let the two brave warriors get on with it.
It took an hour before the first fish was landed by John F, quickly followed by a second 30 minutes later. John O then entered the race with his first fish after a series of takes and misses.
This set the tempo for the rest of the day. Lots of fish were hooked and lost by both skilled anglers.
“Oh boy do these fish fight hard” John Ferguson, April 2019
“F**$%%” John O’Regan, April 2019.
The sodden wind beaten pair headed for the weigh in and a well-earned ale in the Ferry Boat Inn. John F just managed to beat John O however, John F was the first to admit that if John O had caught what he had lost, there would have been a very different outcome..
Well done both!
The Fishery has been on top form for the last 3 or 4 months. If you haven’t tried Walthamstow please do and don’t be afraid to ask for advice from regulars and Walthamstow Fly Fishing Club members. A great water where many are happy to help and encourage along the way. Don’t forget to register those catches so you don't miss the opportunity to get involved in this great competition at the same time next year.
Water quality is Gin clear, the reservoirs are full of quality rainbows feeding hard, and with the Haven house charity event taking place this Saturday 11 May it should be a great day for all
February's Fly Tying Evening
|
Back in the Ferry Boat Inn was well attended. Tony Fox, who recently won the Final Fling with a stunning 5-11-0 rainbow, is here tying up one of his killer patterns, along with Harry Fox and Kevin Blackwell. Don’t forget, there’s another Fly Tying Evening on Wednesday 6th March, also in the Ferry Boat Inn, beginning at 7.00pm.
|
|
Farmoor Fur & Feather
|
Farmoor 2 fished extremely well for its regular Fur & Feather event, sponsored by Craig Barr’s Flash Attack Flies, given the time of year. Under rather more comfortable conditions than last year, 39 anglers achieved a rod average of 1.4, with a top bag of 9 fish for 17-10-0 (inc time bonus) to Mark Haycock. 2nd was Gary Morris with 8 fish for 15-15-0, with Harry Fox (right) 3rd with 7 fish for 14-10-0. Harry has also been selected for this year’s AT TEFF team in the European Championships in Montenegro, so has obviously hit form at the right time! Well done Harry!
|
|
The AT TEFF Bank Qualifier
Saturday 16th December 2018
|
Participants enjoyed better conditions than the previous day, which saw driving rain in the afternoon. With a close-to-capacity field, which included several internationals, fish were being caught right from the start, with no areas really being quiet. Winner Andrew Scott landed 13 fish, blanking on just one peg, to finish with 20 points, but WFFC member Billy Bridgeworth made the most of a good start on the Houses Bank to pick up 7 fish and finish a good 5th out of a field of 18. He now goes through to the Southern Semi-final at Elinor in March
|
|
Fur & Feather
Saturday 1st December 2018
|
A wet, miserable morning awaited the anglers who braved the 2018 Fur & Feather. With winds blowing from the S/SW, most anglers opted for the Causeway, fishing into No4, with others trying their luck in the Bay by the Car Park. Barry Shedden, who was fishing halfway along the Causeway, had his four fish by 9 o’clock, fishing a DI7 with a short leader and a single Booby. Peter Baker, fishing next to Barry, also caught early on.
Meanwhile, John O’Regan and Dave Jarvis had started fishing on the Houses Bank, where the fishing had been phenomenal, and the trend continued today, with John catching his limit quickly, with an absolute cracker that hit the scales at 3lb 13ozs. Back on No4, late arrival Frank Daley had started fishing along the East Bank, where he was rewarded with a nice 2lb 14ozs rainbow, up from the Steps. The method with the lads on No4 was hopefully to get a few good fish, with the backdrop of No5 fishing so well, then pop over there for the last hour and hopefully get your limit. And this is what happened with most of them. The Houses Bank had been the chosen location, where Jim Dillon, Andrew Smith and John Ferguson managed to get their limits, but with so many now on the Houses Bank, the last hour with the fish probably pushed them further out, and things started to get hard. Like last year, Andrew Smith did a tour of the lakes, getting names and addresses, as well as the whip for the biggest fish, and ‘guess the total weight’. Later back at the Ferry Boat, when everyone had got their drink, we had our usual weigh-in outside. After that, with the scores added up, Dave Jarvis did the formalities, and crowned John O’Regan the 2018 winner, followed by new Rutland resident Frank Daley, with Jim Dillon finishing in 3td place. Well done to everyone for making this our best day of the year. Happy Christmas to you all! |
|