Spring @ Wrightington?

Just a quick post, I fished at Wrightington yesterday in place of Conny who had to go down to Heronbrook. It was a really pleasant day, mild and overcast, superb conditions for a good days' fishing. It was good to see some familiar faces on the bank, Johny Mac, good to hear Joe's doing well, Boz, Scouser, Little Dave and a host of other nutcases :) It would be a laugh even if the fishing didn't live up to expectations, which it didn't, ha!

I drew on the match lake on peg 3, which had some form of late, next to Big Sam, so at least I had someone to natter to. Coyley was opposite alongside Dink then Clarkey before Boz and Scouser on the island flyers!

As you can guess it fished hard, and as I wasn't in the points league I chucked back at the end rather than wait for the weighers but I reckon I had about 8 lb or so. That was made up of three monkey wrench's and a shedfull of roach and small skimmers, I didn't have any carp but did have a brief tussle with a foul hooker which didn't last long. Most of the carp seemed to be boshing down the far end but even those lads only managed an odd one. I had all my fish on the long pole with maggot or bread on the hook, just one tinca fell to my corn on the bomb. Big Sam never had a bite so I'm thinking he probably went for big stuff but Andy Fairhurst on peg 6 landed four carp and word had it he had won the match with double figures. He had nobody to his right so he was chucking his bomb down towards the other end of the island.
All in all it was an enjoyable day and although there were no mega weights my float kept going under for most of the day. I had a brief chat to Paste-'ead today on the phone and he said that Fir Tree had fished hard too for the Sharks lads.
So that was that, if you went somewhere and caught a few drop us a line on 'ere and let us know how you got on.
Don't forget the Sharks meeting next week!
'Till then .... tight lines :)

A sunny day on the Catteries :)

Banksy organised an open today on Catteries lake 3 but it was a case of 'you should have bin 'ere yesterday' as it fished rock hard. Yesterdays' rover fished really well after a fairly mild week and 'handy' Andy Davies, venue expert, pogged it with 35 lb from the top end of the spit. There were a couple of 20's and several in the teens with no blanks but it was a totally different story today.

I'd been really looking forward to it after the mild spell and I'd set to to make up some rigs in the garage yesterday. To be honest the forecast was for a cold night and temperatures were expected to drop just below freezing again so I kinda fancied it to be hard. To that end I made up a couple of 0.08 rigs with 22's B911 hooks and then a couple of 0.10's with 18's Gama's. They would be fine to handle the F1's, skimmers, chub and ide that had been showing but should one of those big berties put in an appearance I would most likely get smashed off. That was a chance I would have to take and I opted to start off fine and look for a bite or two. I always have a few snig rigs hangin' around anyways, hehe :)

On the way down this morning there was evidence of a frosty night and there was quite a lot of ice on the track leading to the car park. It was good to see Cliffy and Ago there but sadly the Porkster and Big Al failed to show, they obviously though the class field out today was just a bit too good for 'em :) Or maybe after Porky's last in section the previous week at Whitmore he was still sulking, hehe, can't possibly say who told me about that one :)
After a nice brekkie in the cafe the money was handed over and the draw was made. I ended up on 38 on 3b which is not the best peg in the world. On the opposite bank was Grizzly and Banksy, either side of the peg from where Andy won it yesterday. After all the build up the match ended up a damp squib. Banksy won it with 9 lb odd which included seven F1's and a couple of bits. Grizzly didn't weigh but he did catch a couple of roach. He even tried chuckin' his bomb in my peg but to no avail. Ago nabbed second with five F1's for 5 lb summat then there was a 3-4-0 which nudged me in to fourth and the bridesmaid spot with a whopping 2-14-0.
I didn't bother with a tip rod but opted to set up four pole rigs. A couple for fishing on the deck on the long line and one for up in the water. I also set up a beefy rig for down the side just in case but I never had a sniff on that.
I started ok with a couple of skimmers early on. Then it died for about two hours before I managed a tiny perch out at 16 mtrs followed almost immediately by a welcome monkey wrench of about 12 oz or so. After another two hours I nicked a decent roach on my 13 mtr line and that was that.
It was harder than a goats' knee but I do like it up there and we know that it's stuffed with fish, it was just that frost I reckon that put the tin hat on it today.

So that was that, a nice sunny day, bit cold but plenty layers a flask helped keep me warm. Banksy's not running one next Sunday 'cos of some footie match or summat but the Sat'day rover will be on as usual and if the temperatures reach the highs they are forecasting it promises to be a cracker. The next few Sundays after that sees many of the Sunday regulars heading off to Lindholme to practice for the ATWL semi so if I don't go along for the ride I'll be on the look out for a match or two.
The blog's bin a bit quiet of late so if you have been out and about dangling a worm or maybe a pellet, let us know!
'Till next time .... tight lines :)

No Fishin'

(Just a word for Damar, if comments go on after the post has bin up for a week then they automatically have to go for moderation)

Any road up, I've not fished since the end of the bloodworm league but it's not for the lack of wanting to. Banksy booked two Sundays down at the Catteries so last Saturday I went down for a ramble to see if owt were afoot. Remember the weather last Sat'day? I got there and Tommy F was sat in his van thawin' out, grown men were crying it was that cold and if it hadn't bin for his wife's undies Danny would have had frostbite all the way up his legs :) The rain was coming down like needles and to be honest I didn't fancy sitting in that for 5 hours. There was a rover match on and there were bits coming out of the old lake, in fact one bloke had a tench first dob but all in all it was hard going. Banksy said the Sunday match would go ahead but I gave End-peg a buzz and we decided it was daft so we ducked.

 The next day I did set the alarm and got up bright and early at 7.00 am but my front drive was like an ice rink so I climbed back in and warmed the old feet up on 'er indoors, hehe :) Later on that morning after I'd cleared the drive and gritted it for the umpteenth time that weekend I wandered down to the Catteries to see what was happening. There were 6 diehards, or loonies, who had turned up, one of 'em had a bite first chuck which resulted in a carp of 3 lb and that was that. Not another fish was caught, one or two reckoned they'd had a bite or two but I reckon they were hallucinating :) The weather was actually pretty good, the wind had dropped, the rain had stopped and the sun was coming out, it was turning in to a nice day. But the fishes had other ideas and definitely weren't coming out to play today. Banksy said he would see what the weather was like during the week before deciding on what to do for this weekend.

 Well, I was working way down south all week, hence the Isle-of-White ferry, hehe :) It was nice down there, very dry but very cold too and every stillwater I came across was frozen solid. The outlook was gloomy to say the least. I'd had a text from Banksy saying that the match wasn't going ahead tomorrow because the weather forecast was for more freezing temperatures and everyone was crying off, so it's another weekend without dangling a line. There's summat to be said for giving January's a miss, even the Wigan DAA matches on t'cut have been cancelled for the last two weekends and the Liverpool ones too. It must be bad, ha!

 So to today and when I got up first thing lo and behold we had a power cut. It must have gone off during the night and it only came back on at 6.30 pm, had to go and watch the footie at a mate's house! After that I drove down to the Catteries again and there were the usual faces just loading their gear into their cars. They'd had the usual Saturday rover, Banksy, MarkE, Grizzly, CarlR and Ditch were there and they'd all opted to fish the old lake. They'd all had bites and I think they said just over 4 lb had won it, mainly small roach, not bad though if the old quill is going under. I was quite surprised how little ice there was over all three pools, I was expecting them to all be solid. I bobbed in at Orcheton after that and had a quick chat with Richard. There was no ice at all there and they'd just had a match too. Single figures had won it but Richard didn't have the exact weights.

So that's all I have to tell you. A disappointing couple of weeks but it is February when all's said and done and it certainly ain't as bad as last year by a long chalk. I heard Tabbers is running a match on t'Rufford arm at Solom in the morn and the Sharks are up at Fir Tree so good luck to all who take part. Take a big flask!
I also heard that the Teams-of-4 due to start soon is a bit slow on the uptake and if there are less than 6 teams eneterd it may be scrapped? It's too bleedin' cold !!!
Anyhow, if you're going dangling a line I wish you very good luck, 'till next time .... tight, if frosty, lines :)

Mossela NW league, final round :)

Another one bites the dust. The end of a short, but well run and close mini-league, big thanks to Tabbers who took on this task, hopefully he will get the support he needs for next year too, he does a cracking job, cheers matey! Intoducing bloodworm to the Rufford canal certainly seemed to do the trick and although it fished harder today, everybody had bites and caught fish.
Our Standish Black team only had to turn up today, finish better than 7th out of the 10 teams, and the title would be theirs. Oooops, fishing can be very unpredictable sometimes and on the day they bombed. If you're going to bomb you might as well do it in style and they certainly did that. They ended up plum bottom on the day and their nearest rivals, Rochdale Black, pogged it with an awesome 10 points meaning that it was the Rochdale cowboys who ended up top of the pile with a total score of 11 and our Standish Blacks secured a creditable runner up spot with 14. Highfield Gold were third overall with 15 and fourth spot went to Rochdale Gold with 18. Our Standish Red team came somewhere below these four, hehe :)
Individual on the day went to good old Colin 'Man U forever and come back all is forgiven' Cliffe with an excellent 4-10-0 of little roach and perch, he cartainly worked hard all day for that, I know 'cos I was next to him! Talk about stiff neck :)

We were up at Solom and I finally drew the best section on the day but didn't make it pay. Trouble is in a match like this you just have to get your head down and catch them titchy fishes for as long as you can and if your peg is solid, which ours were, that means all day. I was havin' a blether after the match with Col and we both agreed that you just can't fish your peg how you would like to because the minute you come off the bits you start slipping behind. Col stuck to his task today and did the biz, I admit I get fed up catching tiny fish and I always want to try for something that might just tug your lacky. I reckon in the warmer months it would be different and the bigger stampers will be 'avin' a go but today they weren't and although I had quite a few billies on the worm and a few small roach on the shell I wasted too much time going for it and ended up with 3-6-0 and nowhere in the section. The lad on my right had a pound odd and there were one or two others who didn't break the 2 lb mark but there were three with over 4 lb and several three's. But at the end of the day it is winter and if you're getting bites all day then it can't be bad.
The other sections did fish much harder than previous weeks but the Rufford arm is only a short ratch and although Tabbers did his level best to put everybody on fish each week I reckon even the best stretches can't take a match three weeks on the bounce. Word has it that Southport DAA are arranging working parties during the coming months to make more towpath accessible to anglers and even building platforms in areas that need them. They are also in constant dialogue with local farmers and land owners to negotiate for anglers car parking which will make access much better. To top it all they also re-stock the cut regularly! It certainly bodes well for the future and I can see myself thinking seriously about investing in a Southport card for next season, they have some crackin' waters as well as the Rufford arm. Makes you think don't it :)
Just a word on this weeks' poll, I reckon if I run the same one in the summer the commercials will take it by storm but they're all in hibernation at the minute according to Paste-'ead. It was still split with almost half voting for canals and half voting for commercials or lakes.
What's next? Well there's the teams-of-4 on our cut coming soon but I'm not planning on fishing it unless needed. I'm headed to the Catteries next Sunday where Banksy's running a few Sunday opens. It's fishing as well as anywhere at the minute and there's been a load more fish stocked recently so I'm looking forward to it. But it is winter so I expect it to be peggy nevertheless. Draw 9.00 am, fish 10.00 'till 3.00 and the cafe's open at 8.00 in t'morn. Not sure how much but maybe Banksy will let us know on 'ere.
So that's that for another week, days are gettin' longer, current bun will be up soon, summer's on it's way!
'Till next time .... tight lines :)

Mossela NW League, round 3 :)

Interesting poll, as I write this there's about 45 minutes left to play and the cut has it by over 50% so it looks like Sam's friends and family have been voting all week :) I haven't heard anything on the bank today so I suppose we'll have to wait and see what the powers that be decide.
I don't have the full result of today's match just yet but I'm sure Tabbers will email it during the week so I'll do my best to post it up when it arrives.
Our Standish Black lads had another good match though coming joint second so they are still top of the league going in to next weeks' final match of this well organised mini series.
I have to admit I haven't really got to grips with this bloodworm thingy yet and although it's not rocket science there are certain things you have to get right to keep them fishes coming. I drew next to Spark bridge today on the Solom side and I had a busy day catching little fish pretty much all day, a few on the butty but the majority on the little red men. I weighed just over 2 lb but I was way down in the section. I guess it's also down to what's in front of you, the stamp of my fish was titchy and I just couldn't find better stamp whatever I did. Even on 5, 6 or even 7 ml punch I was still catchin' tiny fish. I reckon I had as many if not more fish than most in the section, it's just that they were really small. The Rochdale lad on my right had a similar net to me and weighed 2-2-2 so maybe there just weren't any bigger fish there today.
I did try the old chop down the track 'cos there are some decent billies on the Rufford arm but I could only muster a couple of small ones. White-van-Mick Charnley a couple of pegs up had a couple of good 'uns in his weight of 2-10-0. One lad in the Warrior's section fished top 3 all day with chop and weighed over 5 lb of mainly billies. Work that one out.
My section was won the other side of Spark bridge with a good 5 lb plus which included some good skimmers, and he only fished bread!
So I have to say that it really has fished very well throughout and you need a good 3 or 4 lb in every section for good points which can't be bad.

And, it's lifting with pike! Only little jackies in the main but it's stuffed with 'em. Me and the Warrior were chattin' on the way home about maybe going down there sometime on the Wigan DAA length and cloddin' a spinner around, I bet you'd have some great sport.

So next week is the last round, it's gone quick, after that I'm not sure what's going on. There's a Wigan teams-of-4 event starting early February but I doubt I'll bother with that. If anybody knows of 'owt let us know on t'blog. Seems like the gremlins have gone now and you can put comments up again. Wonder if Banksy's runnin' 'owt?

Have a good week, let us know if you've bin catchin', 'till next time .... tight lines :)

Mossela NW League, round 2 :)

And so it came to pass that we found ourselves a bit further up the Rufford Arm for today's second round of the Mossela 'Little Red Men' league. The day kicked off with one of Graham's top brekkies at the Slipway in Burscough, for four quid it must be the best around 'ere. The draw was done and off we trudged to our pegs. Considering how cold it had been for two nights on the trot, surprisingly there was no lid on t'cut and as the day wore on the sun bobbed in and out and a breeze got up so I doubt there'll be any ice breakin' to be done just yet. I nipped up to Lock Lane to drop off the Warrior then I headed back to Spark Bridge to suss out C section where I would be for the next few hours. The picture below was taken a couple of years back in the summer months but the canal never changes and I was on C3 which was past the boat and beyond the wires.

A mountain goat would have struggled to get down to the tow path but I managed it unscathed and trolley intact then walked towards my peg. I passed End-peg, El Nino and George Doors, all of whom were happy with their draw. The canal looked sock on but as I walked on the features became less and less and the canal opened up a bit but still looked as though we would be in for a good day. You can't fail to catch with the little red men can you?
When I got to my peg I had Damo on my right then Mark 'Grizzly' Adams on the end peg. I set up half a dozen rigs to cater for bloodworm, bread, shell and wazzum, the 'all-in' sounded and we're off.
That was at 10.00 am and at 1.15 pm I hadn't had a sniff. Grizzly had somehow snaffled one small roach and Damo hadn't had a bite either. Leesy on my left had caught one or two see-through roach. Yep, it was harder than a herd of billy goats knees :)
Well, what can you do? I just kept going round my lines in the hope that eventually summat would happen and lo and behold at bang on 1.15 my float dipped and I was into a fish. It was a roach of about an ounce and it fell for a single tiny bloodworm. For the next five or six chucks I bagged. I managed five of the little blighters, then as soon as they'd arrived they'd gone again. I have to admit I gave Damo a bit of stick, hehe :) It was lookin' like I wouldn't be last in section after all. After that few minutes of action I ran a single red man over my far line and would you believe it the old quill went under again. This time however I'm attached to a zoo creature. Up and down the cut it swam, never really coming up off the bottom, it bottomed out my 3's lacky and I wondered how long my tiny hook and pound bottom would last. Was it a pit-bull-billy, was it a pike or could it be a big bream or hybrid. Oh dear me, I cried, the line went slack and I'll never know what it was 'cos it had broke me. 'Bother' I said quietly :) I think it was probably a pike 'cos Leesy had landed one earlier and I know there are lots about in the whole of the Rufford arm. I would have been pig sick had I seen it and it had been a big billy or something else other than a pike, but as I said, I'll never know.
So that was that, Mark weighed 3 oz odd and just drammed Damo who miraculously winkled out two little roach at the death. I weighed 0-5-10 to just do Leesy who had 0-5-4 so I rescued a plumb last in section to finish with seven points. We simply drew at the wrong end, every body up the other end bagged and the section was won by George Doors with a good 4 lb plus. Funny 'cos the Warrior weighed almost 4 lb in his section and ended up with 7 points same as me so you can see how well that section fished too. Twirler was up in that section and won it and the match with 7-10-0 with Dave Wells in second with 5-7-0. There were a couple more 5's then lots of 4's and 3's. Overall it fished really well, unless you were at the back end of C section!
Team wise our Standish Black did the biz once again and stormed it with 12 points and now sit firmly on top of the league. I've not got last weeks' result yet but when I do I'll put the league table up. I won't mention Standish Red this week, hehe :)
Just finally before I sign off there was quite a bit of chat going on today about winter leagues and stuff for next year. As we know the canal leagues are dwindling but the commercial leagues round our area aren't really taking off as expected either. There are loads of good teams in the NW so someone suggested we all get together and think about having one big league and stage three matches on t'cut and three on a commercial. Now that's something to consider which may appeal to all? What do you think? I'll put a poll up.
So 'till next time .... tight lines :)

Mossela NW Bloodworm League :)

Well after all that hype I couldn't make it so grumpy Damar stepped in, hehe :)
I haven't had the results yet but if fished ok in some areas and not so good in others. Our venue expert blanked! Our two Standish teams did ok though finishing first and third on the day. I'll let you have the full results when I can.
Tight lines for now .... :)

Sharks F & F and a Happy New Year :)

We had our Sharks Fur & Feather yesterday at Fir Tree fishery in Appley Waz, the weather is certainly a lot better this year than last. There were about 16 of us altogether so half fished Bensons and the other half were on Nookey Hollow.

I drew Benson's peg 5 and had Tk on my left amd The Baguette on my right for company. Tk reckoned he'd fished my peg during the week and had over 20 lb off it but it was a different kettle of fish today. The banter was good though and it was great just bein' out on the bank with the Sharks and not having to break the ice for a change at Christmas time.

Sat-nav-Dave took the honours on Nookey with 20 lb of carp from the bridge peg, Cat-meat-Col was second with 14 lb odd then Daktari-Martin third off next peg 14.

Down on Benson's Paste-'ead drew 13 so we all knew we were up against it and he did the biz to win the lake with 22 lb of silvers plus a couple of carp and one monkey wrench. BRy drew peg 1 in the corner and took second with 13 lb odd then I nicked third with 9 lb odd, all silvers including some proper prime redfins :)

All in all it was a good day out, good crack and plenty fish to be caught. You can't beat it really.

Apparently this bloodworm league starts next Sunday at Rufford so that should be interesting, we're pretty much going blind with no time to have a practice chuck but I don't suppose many of them will have fished with the little red men for quite some time. I'm quite lookin' forward to it.

So that's it for this first post of 2012, bit of a thick head this morning after a crackin' New Years' Eve do last night.

I wish all you bloggers out there a very happy, healthy and prosperous New Year and 'till next time, as always .... tight lines :)

Wigan & DAA Fur & Feather, 60 pegs :)

Well, probably my last outing of the year and the last trip to t'cut for a while too. Today saw us head to the Slipway for brekkie before the draw for this years' Wigan DAA fur and feather match up at Bursco'. The banter was festive and the turn out was good for what was the expected grueller but a close fought contest. The usual super stars were out in force, Sir John 'that's me done on t'cut for ever' Hall decided to give it a go and the suntanned god that is 'Gorgeous George' was also on the bank. Tony Prescott was there and also good to see 'owd Bob Platty putting in an appearance. All in all it was the same old friendly faces, smiling even in that crappy weather.

 It rained and it rained but eventually it did dry out and as per usual it was quite fine at the all out, typical. Dave Wells, Rochdale, took top spot weighing a creditable 6-15-8 from Gorst Lane. He had a couple of good billies backed up with roach on the butty. Then we had a tie for second between the Warrior and Ant who both had 4-6-8, the Warrior had a shed full of roach plus one big billy while Ant nabbed a pike of about 3 lb plus some bits and bats. Kev North was fourth with 3-12-8 and last in the money was Dave the Mass with 3-10-8. Well done you lot on a tough day.
I will just say that Ant got his essox on the caster and I reckon he did a good job getting in and deserved it. There were the usual cries of 'they should be banned' but isn't it the same as flukin' a 3 lb bream? Well done matey! They'll be after banning snig next, hehe :)

I was once again in the hardest section on the boats at the Slip but turned in a captain's performance to win the section and a bottle of whisky with 1-14-0. I decided to just go for it with big butty and shell across and the obligatory wazzum line down the track. I managed a couple of good roach across on the shell and a good late billy down the middle plus some bits to just tuttle big Sean on my left who had 1-12-0. Good job he's a gentle giant else he might have clod me in! Sean reckons 'owt wi' stripes should be barred', hehe :) It was quite an enjoyable day, good banter with Big Sean and I've not had as many bites on the caster for a good while. I missed a lot but then got a gudgeon so that was probably the reason why.
So that was that, we left with some nice envelopes, most from the Warrior, and bid everyone a fond farewell.
It's bin an up and down kind of year, the weather hasn't helped but at least we've not had to cancel 'owt just yet 'cos of frost and ice. There's time yet!
Finally I'd like to wish all the readers of the blog a very Merry Christmas and a Happy and Prosperous New Year, may your lacky get stretched to the limit loads in 2012.
'Till next time .... festive tight lines one and all :)

ATWL Final Round, Heaton's Bridge, phew!

Well that's that for another year, or maybe forever? Who knows? The final match of this years' ATWL saw us up at Heaton's Bridge. It rained, it blew a chuff and it was freezin' but apart from that it was a great day out for all :) Congratulations to Sams and TCP as they were first and second respectively so march on to the semi finals, or is that semi final? There has been such a drop in the number of teams this year that rumour has it there may just be one semi in the North and one in the South. Time will tell.

Bit of a disappointing series for our Standish mob ending up fifth in the AT league but fourth in the 'money' league so we did pick up a brownie at the end of the day! Work it out for yourselves.

I drew J section up at the Woodyard swing bridge and had Sir John Hall on my right for company. He's one of the motley bunch above :) After the match Sir John told me that he's hanging up his pole now as far as Winter leagues are concerned so a pretty sad end to the day all in all. I'll miss Sir John and hope our paths cross again many times in the future on some commercial bank somewhere. Good luck matey!
I can't say I blame him, winter is a tough time for fishing, especially when you're scratchin' around for a pound or two on t'cut. It seems to be a general thing around the country, canal leagues are dwindling and we all know why. Smiffy assures us there will be a Wigan League next term so watch this space. By the way, a big thanks to Smiffy for running the league again. It's a tough ask but he gets on with it and makes sure it happens year after year. Well done mate!
Individually today S. Crossley from maver was top dog with 5-5-2 from the narrow behind the bungalow down Gorst Lane. He had a few good billies backed up with roach on the butty. 'Our Albert' was second from A1 with 4-15-7 of silvers down towards the narrows past the caravans. Daz Shaw, Maver, nabbed third with 3-15-0 and Big Rob was fourth with 3-13-13. Well done to you lot on a tough day!
So that's your lot from the Winter League for this year. We are planning to go ahead and fish the bloodworm league up on the Rufford arm after Christmas, should be fun, certainly be a change.
I'll see some of you at the Sharks meeting Tuesday for a bit of banter :)
'Till next time .... tight lines :)

ATWL 5th round, Appley Bridge, 80 pegs

And so to the penultimate round, that means next to last, of this years' Angling Trust Winter League, Wigan Division. I missed last week due to being somewhere else but I managed to get back in the team this week. Beggars can't be choosers :) Appley Waz was today's venue and the day started off down at the Water's Edge for a bit of Carol's warm hospitality. It turned out to be a half decent match despite the very windy conditions and even the parking seemed to go smoothly. I suppose 80 pegs ain't too bad but any more and you'd really struggle to squeeze all those cars in.

So the draw was made and I was in A section, down towards Hand's Lane Bridge and a bit of a camel ride. End-peg was in B and the Warrior was in D so we were pretty close to each other. I quite fancied it down there to produce a few fish but once again I reckon I was in the hardest section. It was eventually won with 1-14-0 from Joe Pilling through the bridge, Carl Robby was in the bridge 'ole on the same side and got second with 1-12-0. Then came a right peg to peg tussle between me and Gary 'jolly nice chap' Marchant on my right. We were pegs A6 and A7 respectively and although Gaz got off to a flyer I pegged him back slowly but surely and at the weigh in he put 1-11-13 on the scales and I then weighed 1-11-12. He did me by a chuffin' dram! I ask you, how can those friggin' beam scales be that accurate in that wind? I reckon Gary slipped the scalesman a few casters or a bit of bread or maybe 50p. We'll never know, all that is for sure is that Gazza did me so I had to settle for 4th :) Well done Gary! (crabby git).

It was the same old story, bread or squatt for bits and if you're lucky you might just nick a bonus of some description. My bonus today was a billy of about 2 ounce!

 So that was that and back at the pub we had pretty much our same pattern of results. End-peg won his section with the help of a last ditch snig which he was fishing for and he definitely knew it was on! :) Damar won his section and George Doors was second in his. We then had a few 4 pointers but then a couple of 7's and a solitary 8, can't possibly say who that was, hehe :) Our score of 44 put us a poxy 5th on the day and with Maver bombing the overall league table is tighter than cramp. You can see it over yonder but Sams and TCP will fight it out for top slot next week while three of us, Standish, Rochdale and Lostock are all on 21 so lots to play for as Smiffy is paying the top four teams. Mathematically it's now not possible for us to qualify this year which is a shame but that's fishin'.

Dave Massey, Sam's, was top individual on the day with an impressive 7-6-0 from the last peg in the match near the little basin heading towards the third swing bridge. Ditch, TCP, was second with 6-12-0 with D. Turner, Rochdale, coming in third with 6-7-6. Matty Glover, Sam's, was fourth with 5 lb odd so a big well done to that lot today! There's not a lot to say really about methods, I was chatting to Ant in the pub after the match and we both agreed that it's the same sketch as always. Bread, bread and more bread, maybe a few squatts and a bit of worm, if you're really lucky you might get an odd caster fish.
Before I go I want to express some slight concern over the behaviour of Gorgeous George, not only does he wear fake tan and get himself regularly waxed but he's now started creeping up behind you in the pub, pretending to be a dog and grabbing a quick fondle. He needs a month in t'Egypt :)
So that's it for this week, next week sees the final match up at Heaton's Bridge with the draw in the pub there. The good thing is we look like getting away without having to break any ice this year :)
'Till next time .... tight lines one and all :)
PS, on behalf of everyone who reads the blog I 'd like to wish Gary Kelly a speedy recovery, get well soon mate!

ATWL 3rd round, Parbold :)

So to the third round and we're off to sample Carol's bacon butties down at the Water's Edge in Appley Bridge. Today's match was down as Parbold and would you Adam and Eve it, it was at Parbold! The weather was ok but the wind was set to be quite strong which would make presentation across a bit tricky.

I suppose all in all it didn't fish too bad, either that or we're all gettin' used to strugglin' for a pound.

The very popular individual on the day was good old Wompy, Sam's Tackle, who weighed a creditable 4-5-6 from down the dog kennels end of the match length. Ste Wilson, TCP, and S. Crossley, Maver, tied for second with 3-15-9 with superstar and all round good egg Sir Gary Marchant strolling in to fourth spot with 3-14-7, must have bin an aquarium, hehe :) Well done to you lot on the day!

On the team front you have to hand it to Sam's Tackle who put in a crackin' effort to win on the day with 27 points. That was just one point too good for TCP who also had a good day coming second with 28 points. Rochdale were third with 39 then came our Octoplus Standish mob with 41, our best score of the series but not good enough to pick up any dosh. The league so far therefore shows that Sam's are once again the team to beat and their running score of 6 points is looking pretty good for a semi final place just now. It's never over 'till Big Sammy sings and you all know that I'm the eternal optimist but pulling back that kind of a lead is a fairly tall order. But you never know and stranger things have happened in the past so we'll keep going wi' y'eads down as they say in Wiggin :)
I've had a 4 and two 2's so far in the three matches so I'm doin' ok. Today I drew first peg through the narrow going towards Culvert and it's a peg I've fished plenty times before. It was pegged a bit closer to the narrow than usual but I still fancied it for a few. First dob on the big butty and it sailed away and I bumped a good fish. Chuffin' typical. Couldn't buy a bite then on the bread line for a while but slowly but surely they came back and I nicked a few. It was hard going and I ended up catchin' on bread, squatt, shell and of course wazzum. That's what I like to do, try everything and keep four or five lines going all day long. You have to keep busy and every bite is crucial so concentration is vitally important. If you miss a bite it can cost you points, it's such a tight league. I ended up with 2-5-0 and second in section. Oh, and I should just mention that I had a sniggery on the old worm line down the track, it gave me a bit of a tussle as I got it on a very light rig aimed at billies and tommies but I managed to get it in and at about 12 oz it was a welcome bonus on the day. I think Derek was proud of me, hehe :)
So that's it for me for a couple of weeks. Can't fish next week on my favourite venue, Burscough! Such is life, so if I get back in the team I think it's Appley Waz the week after. Hopefully I'll get the result up here for you next week as usual.
'Till next time .... tight lines :)

ATWL Second Round, Chorley? :)

So to the second round of the ATWL Wigan Division and just about everything that's wrong with team match fishing on t'cut these days. This was billed as Chorley but in fact the first peg was just after the bridge at Cowling going through to Bond's Bridge at Adlington. Access is crap for most, the sunshine brought out the boats, the bikes and the walkers complete with dogs and prams. There was dog sh*te everywhere! Oh, and the fishing was naff too. I suppose it was down to that first proper frost of the year and temperatures plummeted overnight which definitely put paid to big weights. Anglers who parked up at Rawlinson Lane returned to their cars to find they'd been issued with 'warning' parking tickets, reg numbers have been recorded so park there again and you're done! It had to happen one day so tot it all up and you can see why anglers are leaving t'cut in droves and heading for commercials. I just wish somebody would open up a canal-like water stuffed with billies, tommies and snig, maybe a few skimmers and roach chucked in for good measure. I reckon there'll be more than four teams in Banksy's league next year, hint, hint :)

 Any road up, we were there early for brekkie, good job too, and soon heading to our pegs. I was lucky and drew a short walk to A4, End-peg was in B section then the Warrior was in C. I was happy with my draw and set out my stall as I always do. After half an hour it was obviously going to be harder than a goat's knee cap and it was a case of scratchin' around for owt you could get. After a gruelling four and a half hours I weighed 0-12-14 for fourth in section which a was fairly happy with. The section was won with 1-7-0 followed by 1-6-0, these were the Bolton and Hindley lads who's points don't count for the AT league. Ant was on A1 and weighed just over the pound then it was me. End-peg and the Warrior both scored section seconds so it was looking pretty good. However when the results started rolling in we had three 7's and an 8 so our 47 was worse than last week. The good news though was that all teams had suffered a few blow outs and we ended up third equal on the day with Rochdale, our overall better weight didn't count for owt and we split the envelope. Sam's won on the day with maver NW in second, check out the comments for the full team result.

The overall individual winner was 'our Albert', Octoplus Standish MG, with a fine 4-13-2 on the butty from the boats down Rawlinson Lane. In second was S. Crossley, Maver, with 3-14-6 followed in third by A. Jagger, Rochdale, with 3-6-0. Dave Trafford of Mosella was fourth with 2-3-11. A big 'well done' to you lot on what was a right tough day.
Next week sees us head to Parbold but to be honest we could be pegged anywhere from Red Rock to Saracen's y-'ead! Just watch where you park and be considerate to the locals.
Finally Gorgeous George is adamant that he uses only the most natural of beauty and anti-aging products. He was going to explain to us all just how he does it but he had to dash off and collect his Avon delivery of fake tan .... ooops!
See you next week for more thrills and spills and doggy do! 'Till then .... tight lines :)

ATWL 1st Round, Saracen's Head, 80 pegs

Sorry for the delay Kenny, nowt to get excited about though. By the way, when you see your line tighten up to your tip try strikin', hehe :)
Yep, round 1 of this years' Angling Trust Winter League kicked off today up at Sarry's y'ead. A little birdie told me there were about ten teams registered for the Wigan Division, in fact there are six! There's actually eight in the match but Bolton Bread Baskets and Hindley Midgets Group are only making up the numbers and don't go to press. Work that one out. Also another strong rumour was going around that there's a league at the Catteries with only four teams in, and the top two go through. Before Mark jumps up and down, we know the rules but usually there's no smoke without fire. Anyhow, I'm sure Banksy will put the record straight and tell us it's all a load of botox seeing as it's his league :) I guess it's a sign of the times, why sit there and struggle for four and a half hours dodging bikes, boats and walkers when you can go and bag up on a carp puddle? Paste-'ead told me the weights from their match yesterday, he had 20 odd pound and came nowhere. Ho hum :)
But back to our match and some proper fishin', hehe :) With relatively small sections of eight, in fact six 'cos you don't have to bother about the Bolton or the Hindley mon, it's easy to have a complete mare and come last in your section. I suppose you could argue it's also easier to win it.
Well, we had some decent scores and one or two not so decent and came back with 43 points and an average of 4.3 per man. Pretty damn good if there were fifteen teams in it but there's not so we slumped to 5th on the day, just a couple of points behind Sams.
I drew half way down the short ratch between Pinfold and North Moor Lane. I was happy with the draw but it soon became clear it was to be a struggle. Although the weights were low it made for a real close match and my E section was won by the Lostock lad with 2-3-14. I winkled away all day catching bits, not a snig in sight, at 14 mtrs to weigh 2-2-4 and nab second in section just ahead of Boyden on my left who weighed a level 2 lb. I was fairly happy with that and when the Warrior told me he'd had a snig which helped him to third, our Albert was second, Scouser and George Doors both had 3 points, I was thinking about brown envelopes. However it wasn't to be and we slumped to 5th on the day. But as I always say, it's a marathon not a sprint and it's very early days yet. Trouble is, the way the points work it's 1 for a win and 2 for second and so on, so in a league of only six teams it's tough to claw the points back. But we'll be giving it our best shot and it's never over 'till the fat lady sings!
Well done to maver NW who scored 32 points on the day, they had five section winners which was a pretty neat achievement then came TCP 'and gargle every day' with 32 points also but due to the complex points system, deducting Bolton and Hindley, they ended up second and therefore 2 points. Hmmm .....
Individually Stu Bird, TCP, won it with 3-15-0 from D section on Pinfold with Old Father Time himself, Dad Whalley, Mosella Lostock, coming second with 3-11-10. Dave Edgerley, Sams, was third with 3-11-0 while our very own Albert, Octoplus Standish, nabbed fourth with 3-9-15 next to Dad Whalley. He gave our Albert 'the eyes' and tuttled him good style, hehe :) Well done you lot!
So to the second round and we're off to Chorley, yes Chorley, can't wait. I doubt the canal record will be smashed but you never know and it should be another close one. Not many snigs up there but when you get one it's usually a crumper!
See y'all at the Lock and Quays Sunday!
'Till then .... tight lines :)
PS Is it true that Gorgeous George wears fake tan and has a secret stash of it hidden in his trusty Reliant Robin? I think so .... :)

Wigan DAA, Infirmary Cup, 80 pegs

It was back down to earth with a bump today as we headed back to t'cut for a bit of a warm up match in readiness for the impending Winter League. I must admit it was hard to get motivated after another great season with the Sharks fishing all kinds of different venues and all kinds of different methods but once I arrived at Bramble Way I was up for it. It was good to see all the old faces, some uglier than others, and a few new ones too. Pearl's back on the scene, the legend that is Kev Stothers, Little Les, the Bolton bread y'eads and Tony '10 arnce' Prescott to name but a few.

There is something extra special fishing a big match on the canal, 20 peg knock ups are all well and good on a carp puddle but you can't beat the atmosphere of a big 'un. There were 80 pegs down today but in fact nearer 70 anglers graced the bank, still a good turn out, and plenty 'names' not even on show. Proper fishing in a proper match!

Me and the Warrior along with 5 or 6 other members of the new Standish Match squad turned up today which meant that almost the whole team for next week was out for a chuck. The match length was billed as Parbold but it was more like Newburgh and my sticky mitt pulled out peg 31 which was 5 to the right of Culvert Lane bridge. You can't park down Culvert anymore 'cos of Little Lord Fontleroy so I parked up at Dean's, I walked left and the Warrior headed right. No more parking behind your peg and short walks for a bit :) When I got there the water was unusually clear which don't bode well for bigs weights, hmmm .... ?

So to the match and not a right lot to tell. Dave 'I've 2 lb odd' Massey won it from the sticks to the left of Dean's lane bridge with 4 lb odd, mainly small roach and perch while Kevin Garry took second with a big 3 lb made up of 2 big skimmers from a peg about half way between the banana bridge and Maggie's Nest. After that it was the usual struggle with a few 2's plenty 1's and a lot with just ounces. The Warrior won his section with 1-10-0 but my 1-2-4 did nowt at all. I had plenty fish, probably gettin' on for about 30 but as you can gather they were bits, little roach, perch and tommie's. I fished for a big fish but it wasn't to be but at least I got the dust of my canal rigs and I'm all set for next week. Highlight of the day was definitely Gorgeous George having a walk up the bank fresh from his 6 month's holiday in his caravan on the Norfolk Broads. Even the fishing there's been crap this year so George tells me :)
So we're off and running, next week is the first round of the Angling Trust Winter League and apparently the Wigan Division has eight teams in it so decent sized 80 peggers for the next six weeks. Sary's y'ead is the venue for the first match, draw at the Slipway at 8.30 am. Get there early if you want one of Graham's crackin' brekkies :)
That's that, 'till next time .... tight lines :)