Kendall leads the way in big memorial match

ARE we ever going to get any decent weather so that we can really enjoy our sport?

It’s no pleasure fishing in freezing conditions like we had to endure at the weekend again and then to top it off we had a strong wind and driving rain once again.

Thankfully weights held up quite well at just about all of our local waters but it would be a pleasant change to fish in a tee-shirt instead of continually having to get the wetweather, winter clothing out.

It’s hard to believe we are still in a state of semi drought when for over a month now I don’t think we have had more than a handful of dry days. April showers should surely give way to a least a few reasonable weekends, hopefully starting this Saturday!

Without doubt one of the biggest matches of the weekend was the second annual Martin Howard Memorial event which saw Helpston angler Lee Kendall emerge as a popular winner at Six Islands Lake, Decoy.

Held in memory of one of the area’s leading match anglers who died suddenly two years ago, the competition was fished by Martin’s friends and family and Kendall triumphed with an impressive catch weighing 133lb 10oz.

He used pole and 4mm cubes of luncheon meat from peg 15, switching between three areas of the swim to keep carp and F1s coming throughout the six-hour event. His biggest fish went over 10lb.

“I fancied the peg when I drew as I knew this had won a match on the lake the previous day. The wind was blowing into my corner and I just knew there would be a lot of fish there” said Kendall, who fed just a tin of meat and half a pint of 2mm pellets to keep the fish happy.

Way behind on 98lb 11oz was runner-up Martyn Freeman, who used pole and pellet from peg six.

Result: 1 Lee Kendall, 133lb 10oz; 2 Martyn Freeman, 98lb 11oz; 3 Dale Stones, 92lb 4oz.

IT was a difficult day for the Conservative Club anglers on their trip out into the fens last Saturday to fish the Willowcroft Fishery.

They were on the Horseshoe Pool which by the looks of the result has still to recover from this wet and cold spell.

With no big fish showing in any numbers those targeting the small samples had the best of the action with just about all the winners catching on red maggot.

Top rod with a modest 27lb 5oz was Bill Ringer followed by Bob Walker with 24lb 7oz and Graham Rootham on 20lb 14oz.

ON Sunday the Cock Inn AC club were on the Cedar Canal Lake at Decoy and a good day’s sport was had by most anglers.

All were keen to do well in round four. There’s been a good variation of winners so far in this year’s competition and Sunday was no different, with another new name on the winners’ list.

ET ANGLING CORRESPONDENT

Top rod on the day went to Tom Depair with 55lb 10oz from peg seven - mostly barbel, caught on maggot close in on the pole.

Depair fed heavy from the start and it certainly paid off, with fish coming thick and fast during the second half of the match. He has had a great start to this year’s campaign, with two third places and a first, keeping him up there near the top of the leader board.

Second place went to Dave Taylor with 45lb 14oz of mainly carp caught on pellet on the pole, followed by Steve Smith with 45lb 7oz of carp, caught on the feeder from the far bank, on corn.

JVAC were on the in-form Six Island Pool on the Decoy complex on Sunday and the lake produced a cracking match.

Top rod from hot peg 15 was Mike Mitchell, who fished the pole with luncheon meat to put a fine 115lb 1oz to the scales.

Andy Gausden came in second from peg two. He fished the pole and pellet approach and also took fish in the margins on sweetcorn for 94lb 10oz.

Third place went to Paul Wright on 89lb 3oz followed by Alan Warren with 88lb 9oz.

This coming weekend JVAC take on Headfen Lakes AC in round two of the Angling Times VDE Knockout event.

The match takes place on Sunday at Decoy Lakes on one of the strips at the bottom end of the fishery. It promises to be a tight affair.

Headfen have been practicing hard but JVAC are the local lads and know the waters really well which should be enough to see them through to the national stages.

LOCAL clubs have seen attendances at most of their matches suffering because of the weather conditions but Ramsey AS seem to be one of the clubs bucking the trend with club match secretary Keith Rayment having to use both the Lou’s and Four Island Pools at the weekend.

Top individual with 102lb 14oz was Josh Pace. He took 80lb plus of fish on a pellet feeder fished tight across topping up with carp to 4lb in the margins from peg 12 on Lou’s.

Runner-up was Pete Holland with 98lb 12oz all taken on pellet up in the water followed by Andrew Rayment on the same lake with 94lb 11oz.

The pairs event went to Pace and Terry Mote with a combined weight of 166lb 5oz followed by Andrew Rayment and Malc Shaw with 120lb 15oz.

KINGSLAND Fishery near Turves is starting to fish well with lots of the big fish showing so it will not be long before we can all get some floating bait action going there.

Sunday’s Fenland Rods match was at the venue and as the water is well known these days for big fish catches it was no surprise to hear of several catching some of them.

Kev Lee is a top rod at this kind of fishing and took the field apart even though he found it tough going in the early stages of the match. He was straight out on meat right from the off but had only the odd bite, but a switch to a pellet and paste approach close in saw a complete turn-around as fish after fish came to the net.

By the final whistle he had taken carp well into double figures to finish with 129lb 9½oz. Runner-up was John Garner, who fished similar tactics weighing in 87lb 8oz followed by Mac Campbell with 64lb 9oz.

This weekend Fenland Rods AC will be fishing the Willows at Decoy Lakes on the early numbers.

HADDON Lodge Fishery continues to fish well and in the latest sweepstake on the venue Stamford’s George Bates took the honours last Sunday with an 18lb 10oz pellet caught catch from the lakes peg seven.

Martin Harwood fished similar tactics from peg 12 for the runnerup spot with 15lb 7oz followed by Lee Annis on 12lb 7oz from peg 13.

THE Decoy 55+ Summer League has already proved a big hit with local rods and after taking round five on the strips, ‘Mr Consistency’ Mick King made it back to back wins with another three-figure bag of carp in this latest match fished on the Willows.

Drawn on the unfancied peg 21 in the bay, King consolidated his lead in the league by making good use of vacant pegs either side by feeding and fishing pellets close to the margins for carp to a 4lb best in a winning 109lb.

Jay Richardson was runner-up again taking mainly carp and some quality barbel for 91lb 6oz to pellet and paste tactics from peg 11, with Gus Gausden third on 88lb 4oz.

THE HAJAC annual meeting will be held tomorrow at the Five Alls Pub, Benwick.

Over the past few years Roy Whincup, along with several others, have worked wonders with HAJAC, particularly on the match fishing front which has seen the winter league become one of the most popular winter events in the local angling calendar.

There are several things to discuss on the agenda including, fees for 2012/13, konoraria and the election of officers. Then they will get down to the serious stuff - fixtures and venues for next season, match rules and finally pools for the events.

Whincup would like as many clubs represented as possible. It could be a very important season as this winter league could well be the only one running if the worrying rumours about the Angling Trust League not going ahead are proved true.