Southdown Angling Association East Sussex Angling at its best
Southdown Angling Association East Sussex Angling at its best

MATCH REPORTS 2014/2015

Sunday 8th March 2015, Bill Walder Trophy

Venue: Wallers Haven, Boreham Street

There's a line in a favourite song: "Some days are diamonds, some days are rocks". This one was a very large rock !

With mild spring like weather in charge for the four days leading up to the competition, the expectations of those attending were high. The river looked good with a steady flow and good colour and once again the day was mild with plenty of sunshine. That's where the good news ended though as all competitors struggled for any sort of bite, amazing when you think of the amount and quality of the fish that are in this stretch of the Haven.

Patrick Newman won the match with a small perch and bonus small jack pike for a total of 13oz, caught using a waggler with worm on the hook, the pike being caught with just 5 minutes of the competition still to go. Some sympathy must be shown for second placed Dick Griffin, who missed out on the silverware, finishing just behind with 12oz. Dick chose to fish next to the bridge, also with a waggler and caught several small roach and perch. Tying in third place with just one ounce, were Steve Brown and Chris Copeland.

Competitions at this venue in the past have been won with large weights, so this one was a surprise and a disappointment. The water level had dropped by about 9 inches from the day before, so maybe this had a bearing on why it fished so badly. After a season of good weights throughout the match calendar, apart from the odd blip such as on the Pevensey Haven, it was a shame to end on this one.

However we now look forward to the Annual Prize Giving and Social evening in April, along with several competitions at Curls Farm and Marle Green before the river season starts again in June and our sincere thanks are due to Match Secretary Steve Izzard for all his hard work and dedication in running the matches throughout the season.

 

Sunday 22nd February 2015, Percy Baron Trophy Round 4

Venue: Wallers Haven, Iron Bridge Upstream

On a day when it would have been a struggle to catch at many other venues, this stretch produced again. Another cold and frosty start was quickly followed by a very strong and cold westerly wind, but fortunately it only started to rain as the final competitor weighed in.

After heavy rain on the Thursday afternoon and all day Friday, the Haven was expected to be high and flowing. Pleasingly it was almost perfect, but did have quite a pacy flow which continued throughout the match.

Top dog on the day was Chris Copeland, who fished at peg 7 which is towards the end of the first straight. Chris started by balling in three Jaffa sized balls of groundbait and fished a waggler with big maggot as hook bait to finish with 4lbs 2oz , his catch made up of small roach plus one net sized perch. Graham Shinkfield chose to fish with a whip to secure second by catching small skimmer bream and roach for 2lbs 7oz and Dick Griffin came third with 1lb 7oz of small roach caught using a waggler with pinkie on the hook.

 

Sunday 15th February 2015, Annual Pairs Match

Venue: Wallers Haven, Middle Bridge

On what turned out to be a pleasant winters day, two things slightly spoilt the party, a nagging east wind blowing into ones face coupled with a serious case of very few bites!

The Haven looked fine with plenty of colour, but a lack of any flow certainly didn't help and it was another day when those few lucky competitors positioned nearest the bridge enjoyed most of the action.

Peter Gabbitas at peg 2 was paired with Chris Copeland and they won the match for the third year running, with a combined weight of 6lbs. Peter started to catch small roach from the off using a whip and pinkie on the hook and his weight of 4lbs 2oz was top on the day, with Chris placed third with 1lbs 14oz, having to wait two and a half hours before his waggler slid under to produce his first bite. Fishing at peg 1 was Dick Griffin, who fished with a pole to secure second on the day with 3lbs of roach and perch, while his partner Graham Shrinkfield, had to be very patient and waited three hours for his first bite, eventually finishing with a weight of 1lbs 2oz, enough to give the pair second position overall with 4lbs 2oz.

Just two home matches remain on the calendar for this season, the next one up is the final round of the Percy Baron Trophy at Ironbridge on Sunday 22nd February. This stretch of the Wallers Haven has produced all winter so hopefully weights will be good. The draw takes place as usual at 9am. We then look forward to the final event of the rivers season with the Bill Walder Trophy on March 8th, which this year takes place at Boreham Street.

 

Sunday 8th February 2015, Percy Baron Trophy Round 3

Venue: Pevensey Haven, Sheepwash

With yet another frosty start plus a chilly north wind blowing, those arriving thought they may be in for a hard day, and so it proved. However, it should be noted before reading the following, which could put you off a winter visit to this water, that in previous winters, we have had winning weights of 20lbs plus from this stretch, but sadly today was one to forget. Although the Haven held a reasonable colour and good winter depth, in a word, the fishing was terrible!

Steve Izzard was the hero of the day and fishing with a quivertip and big maggot as bait, actually managed to catch a small roach after a biteless two and a half hours for everyone and to prove it was no fluke, he netted a 10oz hybrid some sixty minutes later, to finish with a winning weight of 12oz. Sadly no one else saw any dip of a float or twitch on the tip whatsoever.

We all hope for slightly more action at Middle Bridge in the pair’s match next week. If you fancy coming along the draw takes place at 9am, with fishing 10am until 3pm. You don't need to arrive with a partner as these are all sorted out on the day.

 

Sunday 25th January 2015, Percy Baron Trophy Round 2

Venue: Wallers Haven, Iron Bridge Upstream

Another frosty start greeted the competitors, but the Haven looked good and fish were topping all along the first straight. On a very pleasant mainly sunny winters day, the fishing was excellent with plenty of bites for those taking part.

Chris Copeland decided to take a positive approach and kicked off with four Jaffa sized balls of groundbait along with loose fed pinkies. After a slow first 20 minutes his waggler slid under and the first of many roach was placed safely in the keepnet. Chris won the match with 7lbs 4oz, all roach, bar a couple of net sized skimmer bream.

Also choosing to fish with a waggler was Dick Griffin, who claimed second place with roach and ruffe for 2lbs 6oz, with Steve Izzard very close behind with 2lbs 5oz, which was enough for third position.

During the match the most productive periods proved to be when the river flowed slightly, as it stopped from time to time during the day.

This piece of the Wallers Haven is fishing well at the moment, so to enjoy plenty of bites from a variety of species, it's well worth spending some time here.

 

Sunday 18th January 2015, 3rd Round Waggler Only

Venue: Wallers Haven, Iron Bridge Upstream

After a week of almost identical weather during the past fortnight, mild, then rain on Saturday followed by a frost for Sunday the competitors were prepared for this one.

The only difference was a slight rise in temperature early in the morning followed by light rain. The Haven still held a great colour and flowed fairly steadily all day which the roach seemed to enjoy.

Employing similar tactics to his success last week, Chris Copeland won the match with 4lbs 1oz of roach, caught using big maggot on the hook. Peter Gabbitas claimed second place with a mixed bag of roach and small skimmer bream for 2lbs 7oz and Tim Crowdy placed third catching small roach and ruffe for 15oz.

After a cold snap expected for the next few days the forecast improves somewhat, so next weeks action in the second round of the Percy Baron should be fast and furious !

 

Sunday 11th January 2015, Percy Baron Trophy Round 1

Venue: Wallers Haven, Iron Bridge Upstream

Another week of amazing mild weather until the weekend then a sudden change to a frost and sub zero temperatures.

The match was originally scheduled for Middle Bridge, but with competitors greeted by a strong and very cold downstream wind, match secretary Steve Izzard made the decision to change to Ironbridge which is much more sheltered and generally more likely to produce some bites at this time of year. Having suffered a deluge of rain on Thursday, the Haven still held a great colour, flow and winter depth, with the roach certainly in the mood to feed and bites were plentiful.

Chris Copeland introduced two balls of groundbait halfway out and fished over the top with a waggler and pinkie on the hook to win the match with 5lbs 3oz. His catch made up by roach, several small skimmer bream and the odd ruffe, the latter seemingly showing far more this winter than in previous years. Finishing second was Patrick Newman with 1lb 6oz of roach and skimmers caught by alternating between quiver tip and float, and securing third with 1lb 1oz was Trevor Ramsden.

Sunday 4th January 2015,

New Year Challenge & Match versus Clive Vale & Rye

Venue: Wallers Haven,

Iron Bridge Upstream

After the seasonal Happy New Year greetings were over and talk about the awful thought of "back to work tomorrow", the banter got down to a more serious issue, i.e. how good or bad would the fishing be?

After a day of rain on Saturday, the Haven held a good colour with a slight flow and surprisingly the morning was warmer than had been forecast with some sunshine as well. The opinion therefore, was that all pegs could produce and not just those nearest the bridge, which is often the case when it's cold and frosty.

As it turned out this was almost correct, the fishing could best be described as patchy, with some competitors struggling for any sort of bite, but fishing end peg 14, three quarters of the way along the second straight, Tim Crowdy found skimmer bream plus a larger specimen of around the 21/2 lbs mark to win the match with 10lbs 10oz caught using the waggler with big maggot bait and loose feeding pinkies.

Sitting next door at peg 13 was Steve Ramsden fishing for Clive Vale, who also fished the waggler, to connect with some skimmers plus small roach to claim second position with 4lbs 7oz, while Chris Copeland finished third with 3lbs 12oz of small roach and ruffe.

Another day to be grateful for wearing the right clothing.

Sunday 28th December 2014. Holiday Special

Venue: Wallers Haven, Iron Bridge Upstream

A day to be grateful for choosing the right clothing to wear and being the owner of a very good thermos flask! With a thick frost covering the roads and fields and a biting north easterly wind blowing straight into one’s face, conditions were far from ideal.

Amazingly though, the roach were hungry and the fishing reasonable, all those taking part having plenty of bites due mainly to the Haven still holding it's colour with a steady downstream flow.

By fishing the waggler just off the bottom with a single pinkie on the hook at peg 4, Chris Copeland won the match with 2lbs 15oz of small roach. Second and fishing at peg 2, was Michael Wood, who also caught small roach but using a pole, to finish with 2lbs 6oz.

Peter Gabbitas secured third position with 2lbs 4oz of roach and close behind in fourth was Patrick Newman with 2lbs 3oz.

Fortunately the long range forecast shows the temperature rising as we head into the New Year, so hopefully next Sundays New Year Challenge will be somewhat more comfortable.

 

Sunday 21st December 2014. Christmas Cup, Round 3

Venue: Wallers Haven, Iron Bridge Upstream

The final round of the Christmas Cup lived up to all expectations and turned out to be a cracker. With the Haven holding a really good colour and gentle flow the fishing was excellent with all competitors enjoying plenty of action.

Chris Copeland drew peg 7, halfway along the first straight and won the match with 8lbs 6oz of roach, caught by fishing with a waggler three quarters of the way across the river.

Next door at peg 8 was Michael Wood, who chose to use a pole, alternating between fishing close in and 11metres out, to land 6lbs 14oz of roach and second place.

The two Trevor's tied for third position, Messrs Hoad and White both netting 6lbs 11oz.

The closest Christmas Cup for a number of years, ended with just three points separating the top four anglers and Trevor White's joint third today was enough to claim the silverware. Well done Trevor.

Many thanks to Steve Izzard for the hard work he puts into running the competitions, and also to Sedley Underdown for arranging the prizes. It was good to see him wearing his festive hat once again !

We have a holiday special at this venue next Sunday, December 28th, when hopefully the sport will be just as good, so if you fancy shaking off the Christmas cabin fever it would be good to see you for a 9am draw. Happy Christmas.

Sunday 14th December 2014. Christmas Cup, Round 2

Venue: Wallers Haven,

Iron Bridge Upstream

The temperature the night before the match had fallen to minus 5 and had left a really chilly and frosty morning.

It was therefore a pleasant surprise for the competitors arriving, to see lots of fish topping both up and downstream of the bridge.

The river looked good too, with a gentle flow and rich colour. After last weeks poor showing at MIddle Bridge, thoughts were far more positive and a good match was anticipated. Pleasingly it turned out that way too.

At this time of year, the pegs nearest to the bridge are generally known as "flyers" and normally produce, so Peter Gabbitas was very happy when he pulled out peg 2. Fishing with a whip and alternating between pinkie and red maggot on the hook, he won the match with 6lbs 12oz of roach. Michael Wood fished with a pole at peg 4 and also found plenty of roach to finish second with 4lbs 9oz. The battle for third and valuable Christmas Cup points was very close, with Peter Easton claiming the position with 3lbs 6oz of roach, just ahead of Chris Copeland with 3lbs 5oz, Trevor White 3lbs 2oz and Dick Griffin 3lbs.

All competitors enjoyed plenty of bites and with just 5 points separating the top four anglers, next week promises to be a right old tussle !

Sunday 7th December 2014. Christmas Cup, Round 1

Venue: Wallers Haven, Middle Bridge Upstream

Every year the Christmas Cup brings out a good attendance and is always keenly contested in perfect spirit for this time of year. Weather conditions certainly play their part and after two very hard frosts and cold days, the pre match banter centred around how hard the fishing could be. Originally the match was scheduled for Ironbridge but ongoing bridge repair work requiring the road closure, necessitated a change of venue.

As it turned out the concerns from those who's hands dipped into the draw bag were sadly spot on, with the fishing being very hard to say the least, with a number of competitors suffering a biteless day. The venue fished much harder than we anticipated, which was a surprise as although the cold wind blowing downstream was unrelenting, the Haven held a good depth, colour and flow and after a grey start, we even enjoyed some afternoon sunshine.

The top three positions came from the nearest pegs to the bridge. Positioned at peg 2 and using a pole with pinkie hook bait, Trevor White had a very enjoyable day and won the match with 7lbs 13oz of roach. At peg 1, Sedley Underdown also chose to fish with a pole to come second with 3lbs 2oz and Dick Griffin fishing at peg 3, landed a small skimmer bream plus several small roach to secure third position with just 14oz.

We now hope for several milder days which should help competitors enjoy some action in round two next weekend.

 

Sunday 30th November 2014. Cuckmere Cup, Round 3

Venue: River Cuckmere, Churchlands Farm, Arlington

The Cuckmere at Arlington must be one of our prettiest venues with twists and turns along the bank, many overhanging bushes and trees and the blackthorn bushes full of sloe drupes.

On the day of the competition the river looked great too, with a good colour, reasonable flow and plenty of depth, up to 10ft in places. Weather wise it was very pleasant for late November with a gentle breeze, the odd sunny spell and a temperature hovering around 11 degrees. All looked set for a cracking bit of sport, but with experience we all know the fish don't always play ball !

Most competitors started with the odd bite here and there, with small roach being the order of the day, however after the first hour, any action for many became few and far between.

Sedley Underdown had another good day though ,fishing the last swim downstream in the first field, he caught consistently to win the match with 6lbs 2oz, his bag made up of over 140 small roach caught using a pole. Michael Wood also used the pole to the far bank to catch roach and secured second place with 3lbs 10oz. Also fishing to the far bank, but with a waggler this time, Chris Copeland landed 3lbs of roach and perch for third. The top 3 used very little in the way of groundbait and concentrated mainly on catapulting in small quantities of pinkies to keep the bites coming.

We now look forward to three weeks of the Christmas Cup. If you fancy coming along, we have a change of venue next week. The match was scheduled for Ironbridge, but due to bridge repairs we will now be fishing at Middle Bridge with a 9am draw.

Sunday 23rd November 2014. K O Cup and 5th Round Marsh Shield

Venue: Wallers Haven, Iron Bridge Upstream

A day when when it seems winter may just be upon us, with heavy rain throughout the day, along with a chilly northerly wind blowing straight downstream. Even the lovely six white geese that have been present here for several weeks didn't venture out, and stayed huddled up under a bush on the far bank.

However, with little in the way of rain during the week, the colour of the Haven was almost perfect and a gentle flow and good level made for plenty of bites.

Fishing the waggler just off bottom with pinkie on the hook half way along the first straight at peg 4, Chris Copeland made himself snug under his umbrella and caught small skimmer bream and roach to win the match with 7lbs 3oz. Just past the first bend at peg 9, Michael Wood used the pole and feeder to land 6lbs 4oz of net sized skimmer bream plus small roach to claim second place. Peter Easton also fishing the pole, secured third with 4lbs 10oz.

The next scheduled match on the Wallers is a Round One of the Christmas Cup and if conditions stay fairly similar, we should have some excellent fishing and plenty of action to report.

Next Sunday is the final round of the Cuckmere Cup at Churchlands, Arlington, now that's a different matter, although the venue has fished well for pleasure anglers through the summer.

Sunday 16th November 2014. 2nd Round Waggler Only

Venue: Wallers Haven, Boreham Street

Having endured another week where rain seemed the order of the day, the competitors were pleased to be greeted with a good looking river. The general thought had been that it would be high and fast flowing and although it did flow all day it wasn't too fast, with a good colour and winter level.

From the start bites were plentiful for all competitors and Sedley Underdown got off to a flyer sliding his landing net under a jack pike of about three and a half pounds within the first 10 minutes. He went to win the match with 12lbs 6oz, consisting of two bream plenty of small roach and of course the bonus pike. Chris Copeland fished over depth with big maggot to catch small roach and perch, finishing with 4lbs 6oz which was enough for second place. Third was secured by Trevor Ramsden who fished opposite the pump house, a brave man as it's a fairly weedy section as he soon discovered, with the loss of several hook lengths! His courage paid off though, catching a nice bream plus small roach, to finish with 2lbs 10oz.

The weather forecast for the coming week looks to hold less in the way of rain and with mild conditions set to remain, next weeks match at Ironbridge could be a cracker. Plenty of colour in the water and a gentle flow could well bring the fish on, fingers crossed !

Sunday 2nd November 2014. Match v Isfield. 4th Round Marsh Shield

Venue: Wallers Haven, Iron Bridge Upstream

The heavy rain which had been forecast arrived just as the start whistle was blown, which coupled with a very strong westerly wind, made things slightly uncomfortable.

Fortunately bites were reasonably plentiful and most competitors were entertained by small roach and skimmer bream. This was somewhat of a surprise really as the river held little in the way of colour, and the pre match banter included talk of the fishing being hard.

The match was won by Isfield angler Alan Parry who landed a cracking perch of 2lb plus roach and smaller perch to finish with 6lb 3oz caught using the pole. Alan fished at peg 8 towards the end of the first straight and hooked the perch fishing with worm close in next to the reeds.

Steve Mack also fishing for Isfield and at the end of the first straight, managed second with 4lb 13oz, while Southdown’s Peter Easton secured third from peg 1 with 3lb 12oz.

By taking the weights from the top four anglers of each club, Isfield won the match with a combined total of 14lbs 15oz to Southdown’s 12lbs 6oz.

Sunday 26th October 2014. Cuckmere Cup, Round 2

Venue: River Cuckmere, Raylands Farm, Arlington

Heavy rain on Thursday had given the river a gentle flow and good colour. The top 3 all used pole tactics and Trevor White took a giant step to securing the trophy this year with another fine Cuckmere win. Fishing above Sessingham weir, Trevor caught a nice mixed bag of roach and chublets, plus a large dace to finish with 3lbs 13oz. Sedley Underdown also fished above the weir to manage second with 2lbs 10oz, with Steve Izzard very close behind in third place with 2lbs 8oz, his catch including a nice Chub of around 1lb.

Sunday 12th October 2014. Roger Weston Memorial

Venue: Wallers Haven,               Middle Bridge Upstream

A select compliment of Association members lined the bank for the 2014 staging of the annual Roger Weston Memorial match. Leading up to match day, much rain had fallen and rather than colour up the water as one might expect, the Haven was high and gin clear, which is never a good combination.

This match invariably has a few quirky rules to make it more interesting. This year featured a continental style 10 minute pre-baiting period, pre-guessing the weight of your catch before the start, no pike and “blind” pairs to get everyone involved.

In the guess your weight, Fred Clews arrived with his glass half empty and confidently predicted he would catch 8 oz over the five exciting hours! Peter Gabbitas on the other hand, had his glass quite full and opted for 6lb 13oz, a tad optimistic in retrospect. In the end, all were outdone by the skilful Dick Griffin, who predicted he’d catch 1lb 8oz and actually caught 1lb 7oz 4dr, to claim the prize, well done Dick.

It was generally a poor day fishing wise. Trevor Hoad thought he had won when he weighed in over 5lb, only to be knocked back to 2lb 5oz after removal of a pike from the weigh sling, but still managed third place. Winner was Peter Gabbitas with 2lb 9oz, closely followed by Chris Copeland on 2lb 7oz. Peter and Chris were drawn side by side in the second field and, as luck would have it, were also drawn together in the blind pairs to nab that prize! Michael Wood did well to place joint fourth from the end peg nearest the bridge, which is always a tough draw at this time of the year.

Thanks are due to all those that turned out and donated raffle prizes. Money raised from the event has been donated to the Blind Children UK charity.

Sunday 5th October 2014. Match v Clive Vale & Rye. 3rd Round Marsh Shield

Venue: Wallers Haven, Middle Bridge Upstream

The lovely weather we enjoyed for the 5 days leading up to the match suddenly changed and the 18 competitors were greeted by the first frost of the winter, combined with a north wind blowing straight into one’s face along the match length, not ideal for good catches and as it turned out this was reflected in the results.

By using a combination of pole and whip and fishing close in Southdown’s Peter Gabbitas landed small roach and perch for a winning weight of 3lbs 12oz. Similar tactics were used by Clive Vale angler Tim Relf who drew peg 1 next to the bridge, to secure second with 1lb 15oz and in third place with 1lb 2oz, was Peter Easton, again for Southdown, who won the match by having three anglers placed in the top 4 positions.

Sunday 28th September 2014. Cuckmere Cup, Round 1

Venue: River Cuckmere, Shermans Bridge Upstream

On a warm September day, the large fish we know are in the water failed to show, probably as a result of there being very little flow or colour in the river.

Fishing the pole, Trevor White managed a decent net of small roach and chublets to win the match with 4lbs 7oz. In second, also using the pole, was Patrick Newman who finished with 3lbs 6oz and Peter Gabbitas came third with 2lbs 8oz.

Sunday 21st September 2014. R K Izzard Memorial Open

Venue: Wallers Haven, Ironbridge Upstream

Competitors arriving for the open competition in memory of Roger Izzard, the Association’s late President, were faced with a strong easterly breeze which made things slightly difficult and uncomfortable at the start of the match. Fortunately the wind eased during the morning to leave a reasonable day with variable sunshine. With a clear Haven, small fish were the order of the day, although a couple of nice perch and an eel of 1lb 7oz were also caught.

Tim Crowdy drew peg 1 nearest the bridge, fed four or five large balls of groundbait mid river at the start and then fished close in with a whip for the first couple of hours, taking small roach, then moving out to the baited area when the larger fish had moved in, to finish top weight with 8lb 15oz, red maggot being the successful bait.

At the other end of the match length on the last peg and fishing in the teeth of the wind, Grenville Weston alternated between a long pole and feeder, catching small roach and skimmer bream to finish with 5lb 9oz for second place.

Pegged in the middle of the first straight, Trevor Hoad claimed third place with exactly 4lb, his catch including the aforementioned eel.

Sunday 7th September 2014. 1st Round Waggler only

Venue: Wallers Haven, Ironbridge Upstream

A very exciting and close competition took place on a gorgeous September day for the re-arranged first waggler only (i.e. no poles or whips) match. However with a clear blue sky, stacks of sunshine and no breeze, plus only a little colour in the river, conditions were not ideal and a consistent run of bites was hard to generate.

With the aid of a couple of net sized skimmer Bream plus small Roach, Peter Stradwick won the match with 3lbs 3oz 0drm. Fishing pinkie hookbait, Chris Copeland caught small Roach and Perch to secure second with 3lbs 2oz 8drms. In third with 3lbs 2oz 0drm was Peter Gabbitas and just 2oz behind him, Trevor White claimed fourth with 3lbs exactly.

With just 1oz separating the top three, the closest match of the season leaves it all to fish for in round two at Boreham Street in a couple of months time.

 

Sunday 24th August 2014. Club Match

Venue: Curls Farm

On a lovely warm August day, the Carp were active and feeding and most competitors enjoyed plenty if action. Michael Wood caught 12 Carp to secure victory with 62lbs 12oz, by fishing the method feeder cast to the far bank, while Graham Shinkfield fished close in with a pole to catch 9 Carp for 60lbs dead and in third with 46lbs 13oz was Peter Gabbitas who also fished the method feeder to the far bank.

 

Sunday 17th August 2014. 2nd Round Marsh Shield & K O Cup

Venue: Wallers Haven, Ironbridge Upstream

Alternating between the waggler and pole, Peter Gabbitas topped the results by finishing with 8lbs 6oz of roach and net sized skimmer bream. In second place was Tim Crowdy who started catching from the off, but slowed in the last hour to end with 6lbs 10oz. Dick Griffin placed third, a fair way back, with 1lb 8oz.

 

Sunday 10th August 2014. Versus Haywards Heath

Venue: Wallers Haven, Ironbridge Upstream

With an away match versus Isfield and Banstead at Wilderness Lakes arranged for the same day, unfortunately only one Southdown and two Haywards Heath anglers turned up, so the match was sadly abandoned.

Sunday 3rd August 2014.

Roy Andrews Memorial

Venue: North Farm Pool,

Marle Green

Fishing with a pole, Grenville Weston managed to connect with a couple of decent carp and some net sized skimmer bream to win the match with 14lbs 14oz.

Second place went to Graham Shinkfield who also chose to fish the pole, finishing with 13lbs 1oz comprising three smaller carp and several skimmers.

Sedley Underdown placed third with 6lbs 9oz.

Sunday 27th July 2014.

Versus Hastings and Bexhill

Venue: Shepham Lake

Although classed as an away match, Shepham Lake lies between Stone Cross and Hailsham, so it’s in our patch so to speak. Although a relatively new fishery, it’s a very pretty venue with depths ranging from about 4 to 7 feet, full of small silver fish plus some good sized carp, tench and eels.

The competition was fished on a warm day with sunshine and some really heavy showers.

Southdown did well, with two anglers in the top two positions, Graham Shinkfield winning the match, fishing with the pole, to catch an 8lb carp, plus other small roach and rudd to finish with 11lbs 14oz. In second place, also aided by carp, two in fact, was Ian Wicks with 11lbs 4oz. Chris Hitchins for Hastings and Bexhill claimed third position with 10lbs, his catch also including a small carp.

Monday 21st July 2014. Evening Cup, Round 6

Venue: Curls Farm, Ripe

Trevor Hoad stamped his name on the Evening Cup with another fine performance on yet another gorgeous evening. Six Carp for 35lbs 10oz gave Trevor victory, all caught using the method feeder with either pellet or small boilie hook bait. With an hour remaining Trevor had just two Carp, but with a change from the method to the far bank to a close in baited area, his peg suddenly came to life. In second place, again with six Carp, was Patrick Newman, also employing method feeder tactics with boilies on the hook, to finish on 31lbs 2oz. Malcolm Faulkner claimed third spot, with three more method caught Carp, with a weight of 23lbs 1oz.

 

Sunday 20th July 2014. Versus Clive Vale and Rye

Venue: Kent Rother, Blackwall

The competitors were greeted with a surprisingly high Rother holding just about the right amount of colour with gentle flow, however within two hours of the start whistle the gates were opened and the river then flowed at a fair pace for the rest of the match. Never the less, the river fished well with all 19 anglers enjoying plenty of bites.

Southdown’s Grenville Weston alternated between pole and feeder to catch a combination of large skimmer bream, small roach and eels, to secure victory with 15lbs 5oz 8drms. Michael Wood, also from Southdown, finished second with 14lbs 9oz, again catching large skimmers and roach. Michael was a bit unlucky, as having caught consistently on the feeder throughout the six hours of the match, he was just pipped by Grenville who netted his last and deciding fish with just a minute remaining. Peter Gabbitas wrapped up a good day for Southdown, a busy last hour helping him snatch third place with 11lbs 3oz.

 

Friday 18th July 2014. Night Match

Venue: Wallers Haven, Middle Bridge

Although the day and early evening weather was glorious, the weathermen were predicting severe storms overnight and as the middle of the Pevensey Levels is no place to be when lightning is around, especially if waving a carbon fibre fishing rod in the air, the match was unfortunately cancelled. This decision was justified, as true to forecast, the storms duly arrived in the night, with thunder, lightning and heavy rain, not ideal conditions in which to be fishing.

 

Monday 14th July 2014. Evening Cup, Round 5

Venue: Pevensey Haven

We have been very lucky this season with the weather for the series of Evening Cup Matches, and once again the sun had his hat firmly placed in position to give a glorious evening with just a light breeze, plenty of colour and good depth in the river, just about perfect, although the weed in some pegs presented a slight problem but nothing too serious.

Fishing on peg 1 with a pole, Graham Shinkfield managed two tench and some small roach to win the match with 6lbs 15oz. Three quarters of the way upstream in the first field, on peg 11, Chris Copeland fished the waggler with big maggot bait, his weight of 1lbs 15oz of small roach and rudd being enough to secure second spot, while Trevor Hoad produced another evening cup top three position, again using the pole, to finish with 1lb 11oz 8drms for third place.

 

Monday 7th July 2014. Evening Cup, Round 4

Venue: Wallers Haven, Middle Bridge

Considering that the Haven was still a good couple of feet below its normal summer level, the colour had held up well, but although the weather had perked up from the day before, giving us a warm sunny evening, the fishing was poor.

Winning the match with 1lb 4oz 8drms was Grenville Weston fishing the pole at peg 3, catching small roach and skimmer bream fairly late on in the match. Tim Crowdy also used the pole to secure second with 1lb 2oz. The battle for third was very close with Malcolm Faulkner claiming the points with 5oz 8drms just ahead of Trevor Hoad and Chris Copeland who both finished with 4oz 8drms.

 

Sunday 6th July 2014. R K Izzard Memorial

Venue: North Farm Pool, Marle Green

There was a good turnout for the annual club match in memory of the late Association President, but after the recent spell of good weather the change to cooler temperatures and heavy showers would seem to have had a negative effect on the fishing as bites for many competitors were few and far between.

Trevor Hoad fishing the pole managed to connect with some good sized hybrids and a carp to win the match with 8lbs exactly. In second place and also choosing to fish with the pole, was Tim Crowdy who landed hybrids and small Roach to finish with 5lbs 8oz, and securing third with 4lbs 1oz was Grenville Weston. Trevor generously donated £50 to Cancer Research.

 

Monday 30th June 2014. Evening Cup, Round 3

Venue: Wallers Haven, Ironbridge Downstream

The Haven had a reasonable colour but was certainly low due to recent lack of rain, the wind was an easterly and often blowing in the face. Fortunately the large herd of cows which made a sudden appearance in the field 45 minutes before the draw and startled some of us, trotted back to where they came from and left the competitors in peace! Overall conditions were good, apart that is from the odd cow pat to be aware of.

Winner on the evening was Trevor Hoad who landed 60 plus small roach and skimmer bream on the whip, then finished off with a tench caught using the pole with just ten minutes to go before the final whistle, for a total weight of 8lbs 12oz.

Steve Izzard also found a tench willing to take his maggot bait, plus some small roach to finish second with 4lbs 13oz and Chris Copeland fished the waggler, catching small skimmer bream to claim third with 3lbs 1oz.

With three rounds remaining only 10 points separate the top 5 anglers so it's still very tight.

 

Sunday 29th June 2014. 1st Round Marsh Shield & K O Cup

Venue: Pevensey Haven, Sheepwash

On a gorgeous late June day the fishing at Pevensey Haven turned out to be as good as the weather, the fringe lilly and weed growth making conditions somewhat tricky, but plenty of fish were caught.

Tim Crowdy won with 7lbs 14oz from peg 1, his bag consisting of small roach and skimmer bream caught using a whip, plus a bonus tench which fell for maggots fished on the pole.

The battle for second was very close with Peter Gabbitas, also choosing to fish the whip, securing the position with 5lbs 3oz, his catch made up of small roach and an eel of over 1lb caught late on. Third went to Grenville Weston who finished with 5lbs exactly, with Chris Copeland close behind on 4lbs 14oz.

Monday 23rd June 2014. Evening Cup, Round 2

Venue: Wallers Haven, Boreham Street

Round two of the evening cup took place on a stunning evening at Boreham Street, very warm and sunny with just a gentle breeze, there was barely a ripple on the water surface. As a result of some hard work earlier in the day by Tim Crowdy, aided by rake and strimmer, all anglers were able to fish pegs along the pump house straight. Our thanks to Tim for all his efforts.

Man in form Peter Gabbitas drew peg 4, which was not really fancied by anyone but Peter gave it a go using the whip, catching small roach and skimmers steadily throughout the two and a half hours, winning the match with 4lbs 3oz 8drms. In second place and very close behind, also using the whip and fishing up in the water with pinkie on the hook, was Trevor Hoad with 4lbs 0oz 8drms. Steve Izzard drew peg 1 which had very little in the way of depth or clear water, but did well to finish third with 2lbs 12oz. With four rounds still to go, it's all to play for, and we look forward to next weeks action at Ironbridge downstream.

 

Sunday 22nd June 2014. Southdown Challenge

Venue: Wallers Haven, Boreham Street

The annual curtain raiser for the river season, "The Southdown Challenge Trophy" was held on the Wallers Haven at Boreham Street. On a gorgeous June day, the river held plenty of colour with a good summer level and as a result, the fishing was excellent.

Rather than being pegged down, this competition is fished as a walk off, so Peter Gabbitas and Trevor Hoad decided to walk towards the famous Hog Trough straight and this decision turned out to be a good one. Fishing with the waggler and big maggot as bait Peter, won the match with 20lbs 8oz, his catch made up of skimmers, small roach and a bream of around three and a half pounds. Trevor Hoad employed the same tactics to finish second with 14lbs 14oz, with Peter Easton claiming third using the pole for 8lbs 9oz, although his walk was not quite so far, fishing on the bend just after the pump house.

It was good to welcome back both Nigel Parks and Peter Strudwick who have been absent from the competition scene for several years.

If you've not fished this particular section of the Wallers Haven before please give it a try. A bit of a walk is involved and the river is not quite as deep as either Middle Bridge or Ironbridge, but the fishing is generally very good. The club record carp was captured here, the bream grow large and so do the tench, in fact whilst writing this report, we have heard reports of a new club record fish of this species.

 

Monday 16th June 2014. Evening Cup, Round 1

Venue: North Farm Pool, Marle Green

The first match of the new season was held on a rather gloomy and chilly June evening and the fishing didn't exactly brighten things up either with many competitors struggling for any sort of bite.

Tim Crowdy enjoyed some excitement in the last fifteen minutes by landing a Carp of 5lbs to add to the skimmer bream already in his net, to finish with a winning weight of 9lbs 2oz caught at peg 4. A rather unlucky Trevor Hoad came second with 6lbs exactly, made up by small roach and net sized skimmers. Claiming third with 4lbs 13oz was Grenville Weston. The top 3 all fished the pole with either sweetcorn or maggot hookbait.

It was also great to see Peter Griffin back again fishing the evening matches this season. Good luck Peter.

Patrick Newman

 

Sunday 8th June 2014. Versus Isfield

Venue: Weirwood Reservoir

A cracking match on a cracking day, warm dry and sunny with plenty of bites to be had.

Southdown’s Patrick Newman fished an open end feeder at 40 yards with worm and corn hook bait and won the match with 32lbs 2oz of Bream and Roach. Also fishing for Southdown, Michael Wood clinched second with 27lbs 2oz using similar tactics.

Third place went to Isfield angler Adam Parry with a weight of 18lbs.

Trevor Hoad, 10lb 2oz Carp

Sunday 1st June 2014. Club Match

Venue: Curls Farm

Trevor Hoad had a fantastic day at Curls Farm winning the match with 16 Carp for a weight of exactly 90lbs. Catching from the off, using method feeder to the far bank and alternating between boilie and pellet on the hook, Trevor not only ended up with the best weight, he also caught the largest fish of the day as well, a lovely Carp weighing 10lbs 2oz.
Peter Gabbitas claimed second with 11 Carp for 54lbs 8oz, again caught using method feeder and pellet tactics. Michael Wood was third catching 5 Carp to finish with 29lbs 2oz.

Sunday 4th May 2014. Club Match

Venue: Curls Farm

With the lake looking lovely on a warm and sunny day, it was pleasing that the fishing was good too. Michael Wood fished the method feeder with Sweetcorn bait to catch 10 Carp to win the match with 44lbs 2oz. From the peg next door Peter Gabbitas landed 8 Carp caught on pellet to finish second with 38lbs 8oz and in third close behind, was John Cole with 7 Carp for 36lbs 8oz.

 

Sunday 20th April 2014. Club Match

Venue: North Farm Pool, Marle Green

The first of the four river close season sweepstake matches was held at Marle Green on a cool and wet day. Winning the match with 14lbs 2oz was Grenville Weston fishing with the pole to catch a Carp of 5lbs 15oz plus small skimmers and hybrids. Claiming second with 5lbs 12oz was Graham Shinkfield who's catch included a small Carp, Skimmers and Roach. Malcolm Faulkner secured third place with 4lbs 12oz.
 

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