Sunday 10th May - Open Match Summerhayes Fishery near Bridgwater

I reached the grand old age of 59 on Saturday... how did that happen? I guess some of the Birthday Cards indicate what my hobby is.

I was undecided where to fish on the Sunday, I did fancy a trip down to Hawkridge Res to try and catch some of those Golden Trout but at around 15:00 I gave Pete a call at Summerhayes and booked myself in for the Sunday Open. Pete informed me it was to be on Longs Lake so I am yet to fish Sellicks Lake. This would be my 3rd trip to the venue this year.
Draw was at 09:45 so had a bit of a lie in after a few sherberts the night before with a couple of friends. I got there about 09:30 and it was rammed so had to double park. There was a club match on Sellecks Lake and 24 were booked in for the Open Match. A few regular faces from the Clevedon Club were also there, Dave Stevenson, Paul Faires, Rod Wootten and Nick Harvey.
I left the gear in the car until after the draw as some would no doubt move to the bottom car park depending on where they drew.
Pete prior to the draw announced he would be paying top 5 overall and top 3 silvers so money was well spread out.
I held back a bit and went into the bucket around the halfway mark and pulled out 15 which is down the bottom end towards the M5. I have never drawn down this end before so something different. Dave Stevenson had 17 and Rod had 11. I drove down to the bottom car park and had a very short walk. For some strange reason there was no Peg 16. Peg 15 was a huge platform commonly known as the helicopter pad.

Home for the day

Elevated part of the M5 directly behind me

I did fancy the peg, there were lots of reeds and carp were constantly moving in them but I have been in this situation before and it can be very fustrating loosing fish and tackle. I had been reading Mike Nicholls Blog ( Silverfox) who has done very well on paste recently so 2 identical rigs were set up to fish at various points in a bay to my left and nearside left margin. I only set up one other rig for open water at 5 meters to fish soft pellet over two lines micro and ground bait nice and simple today.

Dave Stevenson was ready before me and it was his first visit to the water.

Dave just before the 'all in' making that final text to Darren Nudd.

On the all in I fed wetted 4mm pellet on 3 lines for the paste and micro's and ground bait in my 2 open water swims but I never had a look on them all match. I thought the peg was crying out 'carp' so decided to go for it. I fished the paste short first, top 2 plus 2 on the inside and after 10 minutes the float sailed away and fish on, a nice little common of about 2lbs. I fed a little more were I had caught this fish and then tried my 13 meter line into the bay and about a foot out from the reed where it was about 3'. I think the paste must have just hit bottom and a carp grabbed it. This fish was better and I had to add force to keep it out from the jungle. The No.14 elastic soon tamed it and a 4lb common was netted. Fish were moving continuously but did not appear to be getting their heads down. I had another just short of the first hour. Looking around there did not appear to be much happening although the guy on 13 was getting a few on the method. I stuck it out on the paste until about 14:00 but changed one of my paste rigs for fishing banded pellet very shallow in the left hand margin after I saw peg 13 getting a couple down toward the empty pallet on 14. This was the turning point in the match for me and I started to put quite a few in the net for the remainder of the match. It was nerve racking stuff trying to get them out of the snags and reeds and  I did loose a few as well as trash 3 rigs.
In the final hour I was match the angler on 13 fish for fish so it was going to be close altough I had no idea if anything was being caught around the sides and top end of the lake. I was thinking I had around 40lb.
I walked up and met the scales around peg 8, up until then top weight was 39lb 3oz. Alvin Jones was on 8 and put 54lb 2oz on the scales so word was that would be hard to beat. Paul Jackson was the angler on 13 and he had 42lb 10oz so it was going to be tight. My weight of one small tench and carp went 39lb 4oz so 3rd overall at that point and thats the way it remained.

Birthday boy with his catch on reflection I should have won it!

Top 5 as follows then...

1st    Alvin Jones Summerhayes 54lb 2oz

2nd   Paul Jackson Summerhayes 42lb 10oz

3rd    Ivan Currie Maver Cadbury Angling 39lb 4oz

4th    M Addicott Sumerhayes 39lb 3oz

5th    Rod Wootten Clevedon 34lb 14oz

Silvers

1st    Nigel Wickham Summerhayes 15lb 4oz

2nd   Ray Wickham Summerhayes 6lb 15oz

3rd    Glyn Wickham & Roger Russell both 5lb 15oz

Full results below.

Sunday 12th April - Summerhayes Open

Following release from House Arrest after the Easter Weekend I was keen to get back on the bank. I was drawn to Summerhayes again despite a 60 pegger planned for the Saturday. I booked in for the Sunday Match on the Wednesday and at that point only 6 had booked in but was assured more were likely to book in later. The draw was to be at 09:45 with fishing 11:00 - 16:00, Sellicks was to be the lake but Lilly included if over 17 attended. I arrived at the venue around 09:20 and there was already a full car park and others still arriving as there was nothing else on around. I think the final total was 25 so Lilly would definetly be in. Speaking to Kev Perry in the car park he was keen to show me some a picture of some nice golden trout he caught down at Hawkridge Res best one at over 7lb. Like me Kev enjoys a bit of fluff chucking for a change so I must get back down there soon.

So .... on to the draw and it appeared most were hoping to avoid Lilly Lake. I have never seen it let alone fished it but anglers who had already drawn it were on a downer before they started. I drew Lilly, so did Kev and fellow blogger Jamie Rich. 8 pegs were put in on this lake and to be fair they were well spread out. Jamie did inform me there had been some big bream stocked in the lake recently and the numbers varied between 7 and 17 depending on who you asked. Jamie was a couple of pegs to my left and round a corner whilst Kev was on the other bank at 13:00, most anglers could see what would be going on. My peg (5) looked ok with some reeds to the left and they were twitching on a regular basis but I have been tempted here before and lost gear and became very fustrated. So the plan was margin to the left and two lines at 13 meters at 10:00 and 12:00 where the depth was pretty even and about 5 feet.

 Lilly peg 5 my Office for the day

On the all in I cupped in some meat and 4 mm pellet down on the margin in 2 places, some mirco on the 10:00 line and started on banded 6mm feeding hard 4's straight out in front. At this point the wind was blowing straight in my face and very strong at times making presentation difficult. I had a couple of dips but not resistance at all on the strike but I stuck at it for 40 mins or so as the angler to my right was fishing a waggler and managed a small carp. I kept the feed going in and was still continuing to get small dips. I had a similar top kit set up but with a straight no 16 drennan carp for fishing soft pellet so gave it a go still feeding hard 4's. Within 10 mins the float dipped and te no. 10 elastic came out but the fish did not race off, it soon became apparent it was a decent bream of about 4lbs, happy days. Another 20 mins or so passed and I had a slightly smaller sample. I think by this point Jamie had one as well along with a few bits. I decided to rest the line now and have a look in the margins with meat, again a couple of odd dips and then the float sailed away and the culprit snagged me, should have seen it coming. I lost the rig but set up again and had another look. With 10 mins I had a carp on but it was foul hooked and all I landed was a scale. I tried the 10 o'clock line for the first time around 2 o'clock I had been topping it up all day and was expecting to get a few fish after they gained some confidence but it just did not happen. Kev had started to put a few fish in the net mainly sticking to the banded pellet approach straight out in front of him, he had a couple of bream as well. The angler to my right was concentrating on his right hand margin and was also starting to put a few carp together.
I fed a new line short at 8 meters as I saw Jamie had a few silvers short including another bream and fished soft 4mm for the majority of the remaining 2 hours were I managed a few carp (small) and some bits. Although it was a difficult day in many respects and a poor draw I did get my head down and enjoyed it.
On Lilly the results were as follows by peg.

2    33lb 12oz
4    29lb 6oz
5    20lb 2oz    (me)
7    22lb 14oz  (Jamie)
8    21lb
10   DNW
12   33lb 8oz (Kev)
14   DNW

So not a awful let in it.

Jamie has the full results results on his blog http://againstmenandfish.blogspot.co.uk/ and as you will see Sellicks fished much much better and the winner also had the Golden Peg!
Team mate Dom Sullivan also had a good day coming 2nd so check his blog out as well http://caughtshortsullivan.blogspot.co.uk/

Next up is a working party on Acorn on Saturday followed my a Clevedon Club Match on the venue on Sunday.

Sunday 22nd April Summerhayes open

This was my second visit to Summerhayes, the draw was 10:00 fishing 11- 5. Personally I much prefer an earlier start as I wake up about 0630 so I found myself taking the dog for a walk and then cooked a breakfast before heading down the M5 at about 0830. On arrival at the fishery a mug of tea was thrustin my hand and had a bit of banter with the locals before the draw. Longs Lake was pretty calm and there were a few fish showing, into the draw box and out comes ping pong ball 35 which is a reasonable draw but with 28 fishing today it was going to be tight. On peg 34 I had venue expert Bruce Hunt who I remember from my days on the Grand Western Canal at Tiverton, I think they had 0500 draws then and fished 7 - 12 to avoid the horsedrawn barge. Peg 36 was also occupied with a local angler called Jim I think. I set up a banded pellet shallow for 14 meters across, banded pellet for the bottom of the far shelf, a rig for fishing in the deep water 11 meters straight in front with soft pellet or worm and a paste rig for the inside (very limited margins).
On the whistle I fired over about 12 fishmeal 4mm pellets and went straight over on the shallow rig with banded 6 mm, second lift and drop I had a pasty carp about 2lb, the reeds were twitching all the time. Soon I had another but hooked in the tail then lost 3 on the trot so I left it for a while. Out on the 11 meter rig with soft pellet and kindercupped in some mirco's, 2 skimmers about 1lb and 2lb came within 10 mins of each other. The wind got up, the rain came and I was unable to fish the far bank all day, nothing in the margins on paste or worm then I had a small tench towards the end. All in all a nightmare day, peg 36 weighed in approx 23lb on paste mainly down the edge, pegs 38 and 39 blanked, Bruce to my right had 6 carp all on paste, quite a few others DNW. Bruce actually packed up 20 mins before the end. Not sure what the winning weight was as I left for home once I had packed up. I did speak to John Dursley at then end who I hadn't seen for years, he now owns and runs Enterprize Angling in Taunton, John was admitting to 10lb of silvers. The far end of the lake towards the motorway apparently had fished better which was also out of the wind.
Not the day I had hoped for but I will be back.
http://www.summerhayesfisheries.com/
Next week we have a Clevedon Club Match on Rushcombe Lake 'Bullocks Farm' (lets hope it's not), I really need a few fish and a bit of luck.

Sunday 24th March Summerhayes Fishery Open

I was in two minds what to do as the week progressed, there was nothing on locally and I didn't really fancy a days pleasure fishing. I had thought about doing a bit of fluff chucking on Barrow Tanks which is part of the Bristol Water Resovoirs complex for some trout but talked myself out of that (its hard work and can be very fustrating). The wife has also gone to Eygpt with her mum as part of a cruise, I did suggest they consider Somalia but the look said it all. I had the whole weekend to myself but gave fishing on Saturday a rest and decided to book into the Sunday Open at Summerhayes Fishery just off junct ion 25 of the M5, I have glanced over at it many times while heading north towards home but never fished it. Pete the owner gave me the heads up when I booked in and was really helpful. The fishery has a website as well but could do with updating. So with the directions written down I was ready to go.
Heading down the M5 it was really nice, off at junct 24, right at BMW Garage, left into Marsh Lane and then it appeared I entered war torn Afganistan, the road (well it was a road at some point in time) was full of holes and the surface all broken up, next I had to go under the railway line and its the smallest tunnel I have ever driven through (had to breathe in), came out the other side and thought it didn't look right. Fortunetly a lady was out doing some gardening and when spoke to assured me I was going the correct way. Sure enough on the right hand side was the fishery, I was surprised how many ponds etc there was.
Quite a few anglers were already there some from Exeter, some faces I had seen before but cannot remember where or when. I did however recognise Jamie Rich whose blog I follow and enjoy, introduced myself and had a chat with him, I also recognised some anglers from the photo's he publishes. Into the Fishery Hut and paid my £18 (smell of bacon was fantastic).
Draw at 09:00 and I pulled peg 38 right in front of the car par and I had 2 empty pallets to my left and one to my right, in fact I was billy no mates which would suggest if the other pegs wer not in its pretty crap this end! Anyway there were a few fish showing. I set up one rig for 10:00 and 14:00 right across on the lower shelf where I had about 3', 4 x 12 Sensas CCX to 0.13 and 0.10 hook length to a 16 Maver MT6 for banded pellet, Another rig similar set up to fish the middle (it was about 4' deep) but for fishing soft pellet and finally the nearside pallet rig, which was 0.15 with a 4 x 12 straight to a Maver MT5 for fishing paste. Wetted micro and 4 mm hard to be the feed, I also had some green swim stim made up for the middle line.
Whistle went at 09:00 and I fed all my lines, it only took about 10 mins to get my first fish on the banded pellet at 14:00, a small stockie about 1lb, I then had a run of crucians then a skimmer about 2lb and so it continued. I was doing OK and keeping up with the anglers I could see. At the end of the 2nd hour the lake just seemed to switch off. Down to the left hand pallet with paste, float buried and a small carp was soon mine, back again and another, then a load of missed bites. I could see Bod Gullick on Peg 1 catching regularly from some sort of timber construction just past a disabled platform, that appeared to be the only place he could get a bite (in the shade).
I was first to weigh and had 7lb odd of silvers and 8lb of carp, total weight 15-09, rubbish I thought, next angler to weigh had 23lb, then a DNW, then 8lb, then a 52lb ish then Tom Thick with 60lb odd then hardly anything. I walked around a bit and it would appear others had definetly struggled as well.
I have to say the guys that fish here are really friendly and make you very welcome. Jamie done well setting out what he wanted to achieve by winning the silvers (must have been the irish handshake that brought him good luck), see his blog (link below) for the full result.

http://againstmenandfish.blogspot.co.uk/

I will definetly return as they have Wed and Sun opens every week. I can still hear the motorway traffic though. No pics this week left camera at home.