Match Blog 2008/2009
Hansard Trophy 1
An exceptional turnout for a Rochdale Walton match saw 22 anglers go through the draw for the first match of the season on new pool 6 at Browning Cudmore. Although the venue hadn't shown great form in recent months, most anglers weren't expecting the going to be as tough as it was. Chris Oliver, fishing as a guest, drew one of the pegs which had dominated the matches over winter and he didn't fail to make the most of the advantage by winning with 36lb 8oz of carp mainly caught shallow on expander pellets. Next door to Chris on another fancied peg was 2006 club champion, John McFarland. John also took advantage of his draw with a runner-up weight of 19lb 14oz of carp caught on the deck on expanders over sparsely fed nuggets of dampened micro pellets. Third place went to Chris Woodrup with a very nice 18lb 14oz net of silvers caught down the edge on caster. Unfortunately 13 out of the 22 anglers had such a poor day that they didn't even bother to weigh-in.
Full Result
Evening Sweepstake (1st May 2008)
Eight anglers went through the draw for the first of the evening sweepstakes at Healey Dell. The venue showed cracking form in this three hour contest with a total weight of over 180 lbs and all anglers recording double figures. The top two anglers, Stuart Butterworth and sweepstake organiser Chris Lett, both proved that the ide may not dominate results this season. The matches are run as rovers and Stuart opted for peg 23. His weight of 37lb 2oz was caught down the edge on meat and consisted of a solitary carp along with bream, skimmers and tench. Not far behind on 34lb 2oz and cursing a lost bream, Chris caught Ide shallow on maggot at eight metres before fishing down the edge on pellet for bream, skimmers and tench. Third placed Pete Mottram fished shallow on bronze maggot at about eight metres for
22lb 15oz of ide and good quality roach from peg 2.
Full Result
Evening Sweepstake (8th May 2008)
A brilliant 3 hour match weight of 39lb 15oz gave Pete Mottram the win from peg 2 in tonight's rover. Pete caught a few ide up in the water but couldn't keep them coming so diverted his attentions to his inside pellet line and he never looked back as the skimmers came steadily for the rest of the match. Simon Newsham weighed in 24lb 11oz which included 5 good quality tench along with some smaller tench, skimmers and ide for second spot on pellet and paste from the margins and straight out at 6 metres from peg 29. Martin Kenrick's 19lb 9oz of shallow caught ide on caster was enough to give him 3rd place from peg 6.
Full Result
Hansard Trophy 2
Competitors in the last leg for the Hansard Trophy at Blundells Fishery were greeted by spawning fish crashing about in the bulrushes. With other things on their minds, the fish were not in the mood for feeding. In the early part of the match which was fished in glorious sunshine, anglers suffered line bites and the occasional foul hooker. Late on in the 6 hour contest a few fish did decide to have a munch and some anglers benefited from it. Pete Mottram caught a few small commons on cat meat which together with his earlier foulhooked lump resulted in a winning weight of 26lb 12oz. Pete Fitton and Simon Newsham both fished tight to the far bank on pellet and paste to fill the frame with 24lb 12oz and 18lb 7oz respectively. Five out of the thirteen anglers failed to weigh-in and the overall trophy was taken by Chris Woodrup.
Full Result
Evening Sweepstake (15th May 2008)
Pellet fished in the margins of peg 2 for skimmers and tench was the method in this latest evening sweep that gave Pete Mottram his third win on the bounce. Although his weight of 27lb 6oz wasn't as good as last Thursday it probably could have been if he hadn't lost some good fish in snags. Having last choice in the rover and choosing peg 23, Simon Newsham's 24lb 6oz was once again only good enough for second place. His catch consisted of one bream of about 3lb, a tench of about 2lb, both on meat and the rest was made up of ide and roach caught up in the water on white maggot using a 3 metre whip. Martin Kenrick once again chose peg 6 and fished most of the match for ide on shallow caster. His 17lb 13 oz gave him third spot and three superleague points.
Full Result
Evening Sweepstake (22nd May 2008)
A long awaited and well overdue win was had by sweepstake organiser, Chris Lett in this week's rover. Ten anglers went through the draw and Chris took advantage of first choice and opted for in-form peg 2. His winning weight of 27lb 4oz was a mixed bag of around 10lb of shallow caught ide and the rest, mainly skimmers from the margins on pellet. Runner up and in the top three for the third week running was Martin Kenrick with another mixed net. Once again ide caught early on made up a big part of his 24lb 12oz before he switched his attentions to the left hand margin of peg 27 where he alternated between corn, meat and pellet for a couple of big tench and skimmers. Pete Mottram made up the frame with 24lb of pellet caught skimmers from the margins of peg 4.
Full Result
Evening Sweepstake (29th May 2008)
With his 3rd win of the series so far, Pete Mottram once again showed the rest of the field how it should be done with another cracking 3 hour match weight of 37lb 9oz. Fishing peg 4 on the road side, Pete caught a few ide in the first half hour before going on his inside lines where he picked up the occasional skimmer and tench. It was only in the last hour that the skimmers really turned on and were literally queueing up for his pellet hookbait. Always the bridesmaid, Martin Kenrick put in another good performance from peg 27 with 18lb 3oz and although he lost four good tench, they probably wouldn't have changed the result. Chris Lett made up the top three with 16lb 13oz from peg 3.
Full Result
Evening Sweepstake (5th June 2008)
Newcomer to the match scene, Daz Armstrong smashed the forty pound mark and in the process the 3 hour sweepstake match record with a fantastic weight of 43lb 9oz. Daz caught ide up in the water before changing tactics and ending up with a cracking net of pellet caught skimmers, bream and tench from the margins of peg 5 for his first match win. Next door on peg 4 with another excellent weight of 31lb 14oz was Pete Mottram who fished similar tactics but couldn't match Daz's superior skills on the night. Taking third spot was Martin Kenrick on peg 27 with 25lb 14oz which included a lot of smaller tench.
Full Result
Liberty Cup 1
Yet another dire away match was had by the 12 members who fished the club canal at Whitmore Fisheries. Weather conditions were perfect for sunbathing but not for catching fish as other anglers proved by not faring much better on the favoured pools on the complex. Jon Kershaw (right) came out on top with 10lb 4oz which included a huge perch of exactly 4lb caught on worm along with a few skimmers and other silvers. Runner up was Pete Fitton with a few small carp on worm over paste for 9lb 10oz. Third spot was taken by John McFarland with 8lb 10oz of paste caught carp. Let's hope the last away match in September can put an end to the disastrous run we have had at so called prolific commercial venues this season.
Full Result
Evening Sweepstake (12th June 2008)
Top spot and a further five superleague points was once again taken by the ever improving Daz Armstrong in tonight's rover. Daz chose peg 25 on the opposite bank to last week and caught the majority of his 28lb 9oz winning weight of skimmers and tench on pellet from the margin to his right. In second place with 17lb 10oz and still knocking on the door for his first win was Martin Kenrick who picked his favoured peg 27. Simon Newsham who hasn't made any impact on these matches yet was third with 15lb of ide and roach caught shallow on bronze maggot from peg 6 at around 10 metres.
Full Result
Evening Sweepstake (19th June 2008)
Daz Armstrong has definitely got a method sorted on the Dell and is in danger of becoming the venue expert by taking his third win on the bounce in the club's evening rovers. The winning method, once again was pellet over a "secret" groundbait for a mix of skimmers and tench for a weight of 27lb 15oz from the margins of peg 5. Second and third were also the same as last week with Martin Kenrick on peg 27 with 21lb 8oz and Simon Newsham weighing 17lb 4oz from peg 14. Hanging on to his lead at the top of the superleague table was fourth placed Pete Mottram with 15lb 12oz on peg 4.
Full Result
John Kirkland Memorial Trophy
An influx of cold water due to torrential rain the previous night combined with high winds throughout the match made the fishing difficult and not as most of the eighteen anglers had anticipated for the first home match of the season. Jon Kershaw was the only angler to break the twenty pound mark. Jon fished maggot at full depth over groundbait at around 11 metres from peg 13 to take skimmers, small silvers and a couple of small tench for a winning weight of 23lb 5oz. Runner up spot was taken at peg 20 by Pete Fitton who caught silvers on chopped worm and five decent skimmers on pellet. Making up the frame was Johnny Mac with a net of maggot caught silvers weighing 14lb 6oz.
Full Result
Evening Sweepstake (26th June 2008)
Seven anglers braved the torrential rain to contest the latest sweepstake, Pete Mottram with first choice of peg opted for peg 5 which proved to be the right choice, fishing pellet in the margins he netted 21lb 14oz of skimmers and bream, second was the very consistent Martin Kenrick with 18lb 15oz, keeping the pressure on Pete at the top of the superleague.
Full Result
Evening Sweepstake (3rd July 2008)
With his second win of the series and a further five points added to his superleague tally, Chris Lett took the honours in the latest rover contested by only six anglers, unbelievable considering the fantastic weights Healey Dell has produced in these three hour sprints. Chris chose one of the favoured pegs, 25 on the far bank and went against the grain by fishing sweetcorn in both margins for a good net of skimmers, bream and tench weighing 29lb 11oz. A level 6lb behind Chris and taking his sixth runner up spot was Martin Kenrick with plenty of ide and six pellet caught skimmers from peg 3. Regular framer Pete Mottram was third from peg 4 with a weight of 19lb 14oz which consisted of a good net of ide and a solitary skimmer.
Full Result
Evening Sweepstake (10th July 2008)
Pete Mottram took his fifth win of the series and a healthy five point lead in the superleague in tonight's sweepstake. Although the win was taken with the lowest winning weight so far, it was still over 20lb, not bad for a three hour session. Pete chose peg 5 in the trees and the majority of his 20lb 4oz came from his inside line on pellet. Only one ounce separated second and third with the verdict going to sweepstake organiser, Chris Lett (15lb 1oz) on peg 26 over Martin Kenrick (15lb), next door on peg 27.
Full Result
Adrian Griffiths Night Match Shield
Thirteen anglers took part in the longest match of the season. At the end of a long eight hours it was John McFarland who took the honours from peg 2 with a mainly ide catch of 26lb 8oz. John caught on maggot up in the water in the early part of the match before switching to pinkie over grounbait later on. Simon Newsham (right) landed a cracking 13lb 15oz mirror carp on light tackle (.08 line, No 8 elastic and an 18's hook!)from peg 21. This boosted his otherwise poor catch of five skimmers and a few bits to 25lb 1oz for second place. Pete Fitton made up the frame from peg 12 with a mixed bag of ide, roach and skimmers on chopped worm in open water and three tench on pellet in the margins for 19lb 8oz. I would also like to thank Daz Wright for entertaining us during this event by showing us all how to do a forward double somersault with tuck from the seated position. Nice dive! Cheers Daz.
Full Result
Evening Sweepstake (17th July 2008)
Chris Lett went one place better than in last week's sweepstake with a win from his favourite area. Chris once again opted for peg 26 and had a mixed net on sweetcorn for a decent three hour weight of 26lb 9oz. Still battling for his first win of the series and with his seventh runner up place was Martin Kenrick on peg 3 with a level 19lb. Due to his consistency, Martin is now only four points behind superleague leader Pete Mottram with six matches remaining. Third place was taken by Graydon Bradbury. Fishing his first sweep this season, Graydon chose peg 2 and caught the majority of his 15lb 10oz silver fish net at around six metres.
Full Result
Brian Morley/Kevin Nortley Pairs Match
The pairing of Chris Woodrup (peg 29) and Graydon Bradbury (peg 2) were the victors in this season's pairs match with a combined total of four penalty points. Chris Woodrup (right) took the individual honours with a good net of skimmers and silver fish weighing 29lb 8oz. All his fish were taken on single red maggot over a tiny bit of groundbait and chopped worm. Second place was taken by the ever consistent Pete Mottram with an all silver fish net of 22lb taken from peg 3 in his favoured area of the lodge. Alan Wright filled the frame from peg 15 in the shallows with 19lb 08oz. Peter Dowsing took fourth spot, but much more importantly, beat ex club champ Johnny Mac off the next peg! Peter nailed John's cap on with a weight of 18lb 08oz which included a nice double figure common carp.
Full Result
Evening Sweepstake (24th July 2008)
Pete Mottram extended his lead in the superleague by taking another win, this time from peg 6 yet using the same tactics as usual, catching ide up in the water on maggot before fishing short on pellet and corn for skimmers. His weight of 29lb 03oz was almost double that of second placed angler John McFarland who had an all ide and roach catch on caster for 14lb 12oz from peg 4. Daz Armstrong had a bream of 3-4lb in the last minute of the match to pip Martin Kenrick by only one ounce for third place.
Full Result
Ralph Leach Trophy
Bright sunshine and high temperatures made the fishing difficult for the eight anglers who went through the draw in the latest match at Syke. Many of the bigger fish were not in feeding mood and seemed happy to be sunbathing in the upper layers for the duration of the match. John McFarland took advantage of his good draw at peg 1 and 21lb 13oz was enough to give him his second trophy of the season. John caught the majority of his mixed fish net on sweetcorn. Chris Woodrup took the runner up position with an 18lb 4oz mixed net of silvers and small carp on caster from peg 22. Only one point splits the two anglers in the battle for the club championship. Third place was taken by Pete Mottram who fished worm at 13 metres on peg 6 for most of the match for another mixed net weighing 16lb 3oz.
Full Result
Evening Sweepstake (31st July 2008)
In only his second season with the club, Pete Mottram is proving to be the new Healey Dell venue expert. Pete's method of fishing pellet and corn for skimmers once again gave him first place from peg seven with 30lb 15oz and an almost unassailable lead at the top of the superleague table. The best of the other seven anglers was John McFarland who fished caster up in the water on peg five for most of the match and brought a good net of silvers to the scales for 24lb 1oz. Simon Newsham had his cap well and truly nailed on by the pair as he was sandwiched in between on peg six with a D.N.W. (Hope you're happy lads!). Martin Kenrick's 18lb 2oz was good enough for third place from peg three.
Full Result
Evening Sweepstake (7th August 2008)
The worst turnout of the series saw only four anglers go through the draw for the fifteenth sweepstake of the season. Martin Kenrick's consistency has seen him in the top three in all but two of the matches but this was his very first win of the season. Martin's approach has been to fish shallow on maggot or caster to catch ide and then switch his attentions to an inside line for better quality fish on pellet or corn. The same approach worked again for a well deserved win from peg 3 with 24lb 6oz. Simon Newsham took second place using similar tactics on peg 5 for a weight of 21lb 12oz which included a bream of about 4lb and a good tench around the three pound mark. Third place went to Pete Mottram on peg 7 with 17lb 15oz.
Full Result
Evening Sweepstake (14th August 2008)
Martin Kenrick's efforts gave him his second win in tonight's four peg rover with 25lb 10oz which included a chub of around two pound. Same peg and same method as last week brought Martin within four points of superleague leader Pete Mottram and an almost certain superleague runner up spot with only two matches to go. Chris Lett can upset this if he wins both of the last two matches, a points draw would then be decided on weight. Pellet fished close in on peg 5 gave Daz Armstrong second place with 14lb 7oz.
Full Result
Evening Sweepstake (28th August 2008)
Martin Kenrick was the only angler to turn out last week and therefore no match was fished. This week was the last sweep of the season and it was only the top three in the superleague that braved the miserable evening weather. Martin Kenrick put 15lb 3oz on the scales from peg 3 and Chris Lett wasn't far behind on with 15lb 1oz from peg 5. Pete Mottram packed up with about half an hour to go but was crowned superleague champion for 2008 with 46 points. Martin Kenrick took runner up spot with 42 points. Congratulations to both anglers who fished consistently well throughout the series. Thankyou to Chris Lett for running the series and thanks to all the anglers who took part.
Full Result
Club Cup (Syke)
Of the eleven anglers who went through the draw for the latest match at Syke, only five anglers weighed-in. Pete Mottram took the trophy with three decent carp and a small chub for a total of 15lb 7oz from peg 10. This result took Pete into second spot in the club championship with only three points separating the top three. Only half an ounce separated second and third with Simon Newsham taking the verdict with 11lb 3oz from peg 3 over Daz Wright on peg 24. Simon caught around fifty small roach and perch on maggot and pinkie before adding two small carp on double caster and a fish of about 3 or 4 pound on corn. Daz had an all carp net from next to the reeds on peg 24 with his best fish around the 6lb mark.
Full Result