Cabin fever

Although I had not planned to go fishing this weekend I was hoping to get out on the River Kenn for a few hours using up bait left over from last week. The weather we had on Friday scuppered that idea. The maggots were put to good use though .....

Any Clevedon Club memebers reading this blog please can you make every effort to attend the Clubs AGM on Thursday night, 24th Jan at the Highcliffe Hotel in Clevedon at 7:30 p.m. There is a lot to discuss and plan for the next 2 years. For those of you who are not aware we have purchased 4 acres of land at Clapton Lane just outside Portishead with the view to develop our own fishery so the more involved the better.

Next weekend I am off to get some winter sun by way of a 7 day cruise out of Dubai and then 2 days in the city itself on the Serenade of the Sea's, might try and get some fishing in as well.



Ave temperature is 23 degrees unlike the current view from my bedroom window.

Normal service will be resumed in a few weeks tight lines and stay warm.

Clevedon Club Match Woodland Lake Trinity Waters

What a cold day it has been but after arriving home at 17:20 I had a cold beer!

Anyway I was really looking forward to this match and had a plan, popped up bread on the straight lead orwith liqqy in a small feeder. It did not produce a bite (for me anyway but read on)!
I drew peg 24, Rich Healtey was on 23 and the rest of the anglers were spread out, it was like being put in the naughty boys corner at school and of course Richard had something to say about it (didn't he ever but he soon shut up, read on)
Apart from the bread I feed micro and small amouts of caster at 13 meters which produced 3 roach all day, iinside on the second shelf zero, inside on the first shelf zero so DNW.
Richard next to me had 10 fish on the second shelf on maggot, 2 or 3 fished at a time. The pic below is hinm landing his last fish at 15:15, I was packing up at the time.

The further pic below is him with his winning catch.

Nick Harvey did catch on popped up bread fished 3/4 the way across as there was no anglers opposite him, here is Nick with his catch and wearing a hat that is no good if the wind is behind you as someone set fire to it when he was at work! and yes I believe he was wearing it at the time!!!!!

Mark Bromsgrove was 3rd with a mixed net for 19lb 8oz, Mark was in the top corner and caught on various methods.
Top Silvers was Dominic Sullivan with and excellent 12lb 12oz on maggot and caster.

As I was packing up Kev (Perry) shouted over to me and made me witness him putting a small skimmer back so.... for the record Kev did not blank.

Press report to North Somerset Times and Anglers mail below.....

Clevedon Freshwater Angling Club held their first competition of 2013 on Woodland Lake Chiltern Trinity near Bridgwater. Temperatures remained just above freezing the night before and did not go much higher during the day despite glorious winter sunshine. Some anglers looked as if they were about to go on army winter training in Norway rather than try and catch fish. It was always going to be a difficult match due to the elements but some anglers did find the right method on the day and were able to put together some decent bags. Drawn on a peg  he didn’t fancy, Richard Heatley soon stopped complaining as he caught ten quality carp at regular intervals on the pole in 5 feet of water just over the nearside shelf on maggot for a winning 45lb 12oz. Not far behind him and on the opposite side of the lake Nick Harvey patiently fished pop up bread at distance for the same number of fish as Richard but a slightly smaller stamp for 40lb 5oz. Third was Mark Bromgrove with a mixed bag for 19lb 8oz. Top Silver Fish weight went to Dominic Sullivan with 12lb 12oz.

1^st R Heatley 45lb 12oz pic attached (RH Woodland jan 13) pic RH Woodland jan 13 showing Richard landing one of his fish

2^nd N Harvey 40lb 5oz pic attached (NH Woodland jan 13)

3^rd M Bromsgrove 19lb 8oz

Silvers Dominic Sullivan 12lb 12oz

The Clubs AGM is on 24th January, 19:30 Highcliffe Hotel Clevedon all members welcome.

I won't be fishing now until prob 2nd week in Feb, off for some winter sun at the end of the month.

Tight lines.

Sunday 6th January - Apex Lake pleasure session

With no Club Match on this week up I was undecided what to do up until the Saturday. During the week I was thinking about fishing the Saturday Open at Acorn as the wife was working or book into Summerhayes for the Sunday Open. I really wanted to fish for some proper Silvers though and finally narrowed my choice down to two venues, Apex Lake in Highbridge or the River Kenn. I bought some caster, maggot and groundbait from Cadbury Angling on the Saturday afternoon, I had some worm and dead reds at home so I was fully armed for a pleasure session.... somewhere.
I fancied the upper reaches of the Kenn up by the Cross Waters and took a look on the way home from the tackle shop. It looked fairly good, nice clour but just a little too pacey with the old River Kenn coming into to it and the ditch opposite also in full flow due to all the water draining off the moors, by Wednesday it would be spot on if it remained dry, I will be back though befor the end of the river season. That was that then, Apex it was.

Alarm went off 06:40, got up 07:50, well no rush today. Even when I was packing the car I was still being drawn to the Kenn! A short trip down the M5, 7.5 degrees and a bit foggy, arrived in the lake car park at 09:00 ish. On arrival there were loads of guys about, car boots open, it looked like there was a match on. Upon further examination it was loads of guys out 'twitching' bird watching. I asked one of them what were they looking at / for, he replied some kind of birds name, he could see I looked puzzled and then said a big f*****g angry gull to you lol.

I decided to fish in the narrow part of the lake nearest the sea, John Wolstencroft and I had done well in this area before. There were only 3 other anglers on the lake, 2 piking (didn't know there were pike in here) and 1 carping, all on the far side and down towards the boating lake end so plenty of room.

I was fishing by 10:15, 1 rig fished at 12:00 and 14:00, same depth approx 5', 4 x 14, with 0.13 main and 0.10 trace with a drennan 18 silver fish, thats as technical as it gets, oh and fished at 14m.

Groundbait mix was Sensas Nore and Greem Stim. 2 cup fulls in on both lines with caster and a few dead reds. Straight out at 12:00 with a live maggot and I was in to a small skimmer straight away, same secon put in, 3rd put in bumped a good bream.

Tried the 14:00 line, nothing and did not get a bite from it alL day.

I re-fed a little more GB and went back out with double caster, skimmer and a few more but bumped another good fish. Trouble was my lightest elastic was Preston Blue Hollow, I left a top 3 at home with  No.5 pure latex.

Anyway I had bites all day on varous baits and all from the one line. Finished the day just after 15:00, managed to persuade a passing youth to take the pic below, he seemed a bit reluctant or was he thinkin of running off with the camera. I ended up with just over 12lb but should have been around 20lb had I had the right elastic.

Club Match next Sunday on Woodlands Lake Trinity Waters.