Match Reports 2018/2019

Sunday 10th March 2019, Bill Walder Trophy

Venue: Wallers Haven, Ironbridge, Upstream

Well, we thought the conditions last weekend were tough courtesy of storm Freya, if anything this day was worse, with less in the way of rain but gale force winds for the duration of the match. At least the Haven look good with a perfect colour and winter level, coupled with a gentle flow and the bigger fish were the order of the day.

Peter Gabbitas put in a sterling performance at his peg just around the second bend, as fishing the feeder to the far bank with worm on the hook, he eased to victory with three decent sized bream, three chunky eels and several net size skimmer bream, his winning weight a commendable 14lbs 9oz, well done Sir!

Positioned just past the willow tree to Peter's left was Phil Tichbon, who secured second using the whip and maggot bait to land a plump tench and several skimmers for 8lbs 9oz, while at a peg on the second bend, Chris Copeland had just enough shelter from the wind to fish the waggler and caught one bream and several skimmers for 6lbs 8oz and third place.

And so the river season ended on a challenging day weather wise, but with all competitors enjoying plenty of bites it was well worth the effort.

During the close season we have a number of matches scheduled on our still waters,  check your club card and our website for details, we look forward to seeing you there.

 

Sunday 3rd March 2019, 3rd & Final Round Waggler Only

Venue: Wallers Haven, Ironbridge, Upstream

A very challenging day to be on the bank as storm Freya whistled along the South Coast giving bursts of heavy rain and strong winds, gusting to 50mph in fact. Never the less, the brave competitors managed to snuggle down under their umbrellas and were rewarded with a good days fishing.

At peg 2 Patrick Newman targeted the bigger fish with worm on the hook and fished a tidy match, two decent size bream, several skimmer bream and plump perch were all tempted and Pat won the match easily with an excellent 11lbs 14oz.

Chris Copeland caught small roach, rudd and ruff from the start with big maggot bait to secure second with 4lbs 8oz. With wins in the previous two rounds, his second place was enough to give him the trophy. Well done Chris. Positioned at peg 6, Wayne Hart fished pinkie on the hook and managed third place with 1lbs 7oz.

On a really challenging day it was pleasing that all competitors enjoyed a good number of bites and we now look forward to the last river match of the season next Sunday, again at Iron Bridge, for the Bill Walder Trophy.

Can't believe it's that time again. Where has the season gone ?

 

Sunday 24th February 2019, 2nd Round Waggler Only

Venue: Wallers Haven, Ironbridge, Upstream

With the season rapidly coming to an end it was great to be fishing on a truly lovely day, clear blue sky, light breeze and bags of sunshine, with the temperature around 14 degrees. Not bad for late February !

Sadly the fish seemed to be enjoying the sunshine and last day of half term and were in no mood to feed, with a number of the 16 anglers participating struggling for a consistent run of bites.

Positioned at peg 14, just around the second bend, Chris Copeland had only landed three small roach and two skimmer bream during the first two hours, but then, out of nowhere, a 4lbs 15oz tench decided to take his red maggot bait and that, coupled with two more roach arriving later on, gave him victory with 5lbs 13oz.

Meanwhile, along the first straight at peg 7, Grenville Weston caught small skimmers and roach to claim second with 4lbs 12oz, with Tim Crowdey at peg 9, landing a similar bag of fish to finish just behind in third, with 4lbs 9oz, while Steve Izzard's 4lbs 4oz at peg 4 was enough for fourth spot.

The third and final round takes place at Middle Bridge next Sunday, the weather forecast for the coming week looks good so we are all hoping for a bumper bag of fish !

 

Sunday 27th January 2019, 3rd Round Percy Baron Trophy

Venue: Wallers Haven, Ironbridge, Downstream

A bitterly cold day to be on the bank, although the temperature was around 6 degrees the biting northerly wind made it feel like just above freezing and that, coupled with heavy showers, gave the competitors a rough 5 hours.

Michael Wood fished the pole at peg 3 with pinkie on the hook and tempted all roach to win the match with 2lbs 3oz, while next door at peg 4, Chris Copeland favoured the waggler and pinkie approach and also caught roach, to claim second position with 1lb 8oz, with just behind in third place, with 1lb 7oz, was Rod Brown, positioned at peg 3.

On a very chilly day it was pleasing that everyone caught, as this stretch of water in the winter can certainly be a challenge.

With only 5 points separating the top four anglers after 3 rounds, the fourth and final round should be an exciting affair at Middle Bridge next Sunday.

 

Sunday 20th January 2019, Away Match v Isfield

Venue: Wilderness Lake

After the early morning chill has succumbed to a slightly warmer 6 degrees with plenty of sunshine, the carp finally woke up and were in the mood to feed.

Southdown Match Secretary Steve Izzard has this lake all figured out, as having won the same fixture last season, Steve followed up with another impressive win. Fishing the method feeder with a wafter bait he caught 9 Carp to win the match with 21lbs 10oz.

Peter Gabbitas, also fishing for Southdown, used the same tactic and was close behind in second place with 8 Carp for 20lbs 9oz, with Isfield angler Alan Stevens claiming third place on the podium by finishing with 16lbs.

We now look forward to a return to the Wallers Haven next Sunday for the third round of the Percy Baron Trophy.

 

Sunday 13th January 2019, 2nd Round Percy Baron Trophy

Venue: Wallers Haven, Ironbridge, Upstream

A very mild day with the temperature a pleasant 10 degrees, cloudy with a fairly brisk downstream wind, so perfect really, but again the going for many was tough.

Gary Mason drew the same peg 2 as last week and claimed victory once more by fishing the same short pole close in tactics, he landed small roach and perch for a winning weight of 3lbs 14oz, well done Gary.

Chris Copeland drew peg 4 this week and followed up last weekend’s second place with another second. Also fishing the same tactics as before, i.e. waggler with pinkie hookbait, he finished with 3lbs 1oz, unlucky for a Rod Brown, who fished a whip close in at peg 5 and came third, just 1oz behind, with 3lbs exactly, while Dick Griffin, fishing nearest the bridge at peg 1, caught several decent perch and a number of small roach to secure 4th with 2lbs 14oz. Although all 14 competitors caught, it was a struggle to get a constant run of bites and the river continues to be hard going.

With an away match scheduled against Isfield at Wilderness Lake next weekend, we rest the Haven until January 27th, when more valuable Percy Baron points are up for grabs in the 3rd and penultimate round at Ironbridge downstream.

Fancy a go? If so the draw takes place at 9am with fishing 10am -3pm.

 

Sunday 6th January 2019, 1st Round Percy Baron Trophy

Venue: Wallers Haven, Ironbridge, Upstream

After several days of chilly weather then a sudden switch overnight to milder conditions, the 14 anglers attending were confident of a good days sport. It was slightly worrying though, that even with overcast skies, a light wind and gentle flow on the river, very few fish were to be seen " topping" and as the competition wore on, it was plainly obvious that another tough day was to be had. Even several pike anglers who had started out in the early January dawn, returned to their car without the merest sniff of a run.

At peg 2, Gary Mason fishing close in with two sections of a pole, managed to tempt some small roach and perch with his pinkie bait to claim victory with 3lbs 12oz.

Meanwhile at peg 6, Chris Copeland favoured his usual tactic of waggler and pinkie and secured second place with 2lbs 12oz of small roach, while positioned around the second bend upstream at peg 14 was Peter Easton who suffered a biteless first two hours, but his patience on the short pole fishing close in finally paid off as he went on to land 2lbs 8oz of decent sized roach and grasp third place.

Three other anglers tied for fourth, each with 2lbs 2oz.

The weather for the week ahead shows little in the way of rain and apart from Wednesday, the temperature is forecast to remain mild for the time of year, therefore we should have at least the chance of a decent days fishing in the second round next Sunday.

 

Sunday 30th December 2018, New Years Challenge

Venue: Wallers Haven, Middle Bridge

After a very settled Christmas week with no rain the Haven held a good colour and winter level and on a misty mild day great things were expected. How wrong we were!

At peg 7, Chris Copeland enjoyed himself though, winning the trophy with 5lbs 15oz of small skimmer bream and roach, all caught using a waggler with pinkie on the hook. Well done Chris. Meanwhile, Rod Brown at peg 4, used a combination of pole and whip to land small roach for second place with just 15oz, while brother Tony at peg 5 was close behind in third with 14oz. Everyone else struggled for any sort of bite, with no one really knowing why the river fished so badly.

So that's it for 2018, we now look forward to the first round of the Percy Baron Trophy next Sunday. If you like the idea of starting or possibly re-joining the local match scene,

it would be good to see you. Please check your club card for match venues and times.

 

Sunday 23rd December 2018, 3rd & Final Round Christmas Cup

Venue: Wallers Haven, Ironbridge, Upstream

The competitors were greeted with rain for the first hour and then the skies cleared and a decent sunny day followed, however, the Haven continued to flow and bait presentation was a problem.

Patrick Newman foresook his usual feeder and worm tactics for a pole and was rewarded with a good match win consisting of a tench and several skimmer bream for 7lbs 2oz.

Congratulations are due to Grenville Weston who’s 5lbs of roach and skimmers for second place was enough to secure the Christmas Cup this year. Well done Grenville with a very consistent 3rd, 2nd and  2nd placings in the three rounds. Steve Izzard came third with 3lbs 12oz.

After prizes consisting of chocolates, biscuits, wine, vodka, whisky etc were given out, the anglers drove home for Christmas just as the mist was rolling along the river with a gorgeous pink / orange sunset visible above Eastbourne in the distance, it was lovely!

Many thanks are due to Steve Izzard for his hard work this year and for organising the many prizes.

 

Sunday 16th December 2018, 2nd Round Christmas Cup

Venue: Wallers Haven, Ironbridge, Upstream

Another Sunday, another flowing river after heavy rain and yet another challenging day, with hopes for some of a Christmas Cup win this year dashed after just the second round!

The recent good form of Phil Tichbon continued and he cruised to victory at peg 7 as using a pole and maggot bait, he snared roach and skimmer bream for a winning weight of 3lbs 4oz. Grenville Weston at peg 4 grabbed second place with 1lb 1oz again using a pole and Peter Gabbitas on peg 13 caught an eel and two roach to claim third with 12oz.

The rest of the field all struggled for a roach or two, a most gruelling 5 hours.

 

Sunday 9th December 2018, 1st Round Christmas Cup

Venue: Pevensey Haven

The curtain raiser for one of the most popular series of matches in the calendar was fished on a lovely sunny and mild winter day. However, once again due to heavy rain the day before, the river flowed all day, first downstream and then up!

The favoured peg on the day (end peg 16 in the first field) was drawn by Wayne Hart and he certainly fished well and made the most of it. Using a pole and maggot bait he eased to victory with 6lbs 4oz of roach and skimmer bream. Second place went to Michael Wood at peg 14 with 4lbs 1oz, all fish again tempted with a pole and maggot bait, while positioned at peg 3, Grenville Weston used similar tactics to claim third with 3lbs 8oz.

 

Sunday 2nd December 2018, Match versus Seaford

Venue: Wallers Haven, Ironbridge, Upstream

After a cold snap during the week the heavens opened with heavy rain in the south east for most of the day on Saturday, resulting in the Haven flowing hard all day on the Sunday, giving challenging conditions for all.

Phil Tichbon impressed on peg 1, as after a very slow start, opting to use a pole feeder rig and big maggot bait, he captured a nice bream and several small skimmers for a winning weight of 6lbs 15oz. Meanwhile Steve Izzard, fishing a waggler, caught small skimmers and roach from the off at peg 12, to land second place with 5lbs 8oz, while Wayne Hart, using a pole, was third with a similar bag of fish for 4lbs 14oz.

 

Sunday 25th November 2018, 1st Round Waggler Only

Venue: Wallers Haven, Ironbridge, Upstream

A grim days fishing on a grim day!

After a very cold week then steady rain all day on Saturday, the competitors arriving in the late November dawn were greeted with a river that looked anything but inviting, which. along with a chilly easterly wind did little to lift the spirits. At least the river level is now just about at its normal winter depth, but bites were hard to come by for all and sadly several blanks were recorded.

Fishing the peg at the end of the first straight, Chris Copeland caught 6 small perch and 3 small roach to win the match with a mere 6oz, with Rod Brown, positioned along the second straight just before the bend, close behind with 8 fish for 5oz, while Steve Izzard tempted three fish for just one ounce! Peter Stradwick also managed one small perch for fourth place.

With a changeable weather forecast for the coming week being wet and windy although warmer, we could be in for the same medicine next week. Let's hope not.

 

Sunday 18th November 2018, 5th Round Marsh Shield

Venue: Wallers Haven, Ironbridge, Upstream

After a lovely mild week then a sudden drop in the temperature into the weekend, along with a very chilly easterly wind, the pre match banter focused on how hard the fishing could be and as it turned out those thoughts were spot on as a tough day was had by many.

Generally on a chilly winters day the first straight at Ironbridge often produces the goods, but that was not the case on this occasion, as positioned at peg 11 towards the end of the second straight, fishing the waggler with big maggot bait, Steve Izzard had a good day, tempting a bream around the 3lb mark, along with a number of small skimmer bream and roach, to win the match with a commendable 7lbs 4oz.

Next door at peg 10, Gary Flint used a pole to claim second place with 6lbs 14oz of skimmers and roach, while Rod Brown at peg 8 secured third with 3lbs 9oz again using a pole.

At peg 3 Chris Copeland's 2lbs 12oz and fourth place was enough to secure him the trophy after 5 rounds, well done Chris.

We now look forward to the first round of the Waggler Only trophy at Middle bridge on Sunday 25th and with the long range forecast suggesting a cold and damp week, the fishing could again be tough. That's winter fishing on rivers though, and we love the challenge !

 

Sunday 21st October 2018, Away Match v Hastings & Bexhill

Venue: Wishing Tree Reservoir, St Leonards

1st; C Hitchins 15lbs 4oz, 2nd; C Pagan 12lbs 7oz, 3rd; S Marchant 10lbs 8oz, all Hastings & Bexhill members.

 

Sunday 21st October 2018, Away Match v Haywards Heath

Venue: Vale Bridge Mill Pond

Southdown members enjoyed a good day in the West Sussex countryside with three anglers placed in the top four, Peter Gabbitas winning the match with 14lbs 7oz, Haywards Heath’s Lou Nightingale secured second with 10lbs 12oz, while close behind in third was Wayne Hart with 10lbs 5oz, with fourth place going to Pat Newman who finished with 9lbs 14oz.

 

Sunday 14th October 2018, Match v Clive Vale

Venue: Wallers Haven, Ironbridge, Upstream

Its always good to see a new face at the draw bag and after a long absence from the match scene, we welcomed Wayne Hart, who obviously enjoyed himself, as he went on to win the match with a couple of bream plus an eel and several roach to finish with 5lbs 13oz, all caught using a pole. Clive Vale angler Dennis Ramsden secured second place with 5lbs 12oz, while third place was claimed by Southdown Match Secretary Steve Izzard with 4lbs 8oz.

Although everyone enjoyed bites, there were long periods of inactivity for all at times, a surprise on a decent day for fishing, with a light breeze, warm and overcast. We can only assume this is something to do with the very low water level, it being only 4 feet deep at the most, the lowest it has been for many a year !

 

Sunday 7th October 2018, Match v Isfield & 4th Round Marsh Shield

Venue: Wallers Haven, Middle Bridge

Although plenty of sunshine was on offer, an easterly breeze kept the temperature down and that, coupled with the very low water level and little colour, meant it was a tough day for most of those fishing.

Isfield angler Steve Davey won the match at peg 3 with 5lbs 7oz, while Southdown’s Trevor Ramsden at peg 1, fished a combination of pole and whip to claim second place with a respectable 3lbs 5oz, just ahead of Isfield’s Wayne Walters, fishing at peg 12, who finished third with 3lbs.

 

Sunday 23rd September 2018, Away match v Hassocks & Haywards Heath

Venue: Decoy Pond

1st: T Brightley, Hasssocks, 51lbs 1oz

2nd: L Nightinggale, Hassocks, 31lbs 6oz

3rd: N Cragg, Haywards Heath, 28lbs 4oz

 

Sunday 9th September 2018, Match v Isfield, Lewes, Hassocks, Horsted Keynes & Haywards Heath. 3rd Round Marsh Shield

Venue: Wallers Haven, Ironbridge, Upstream & Downstream

Southdown’s Tony Brown won the match with 8lbs 15oz of small skimmers and  roach, tempted by big maggot fished with a pole. Second place went to Hassocks angler Paul Gibson who landed 7lbs 10oz of mainly roach plus several skimmer bream, with Haywards Heath's Rod Smith placing third with 6lbs 12oz, while fourth place was secured by Southdown’s Pat Newman, who finished with 6lbs 5oz.

Southdown anglers Gary Flint and Chris Copeland were section winners.

 

Sunday 2nd September 2018, Match v Hastings & Bexhill

Venue: Marle Green

The top 3 places were all taken by the visitors.

1st: C Hitchins, 14lbs 10oz

2nd: D Brown, 7lbs 15oz

3rd: P Bailey, 6lbs 5oz

 

Sunday 19th August 2018, 1st Round Cuckmere Cup

Venue: River Cuckmere, Raylands (Sessingham) Farm

A fascinating stretch of water this, not everyone's favourite but a venue where you’re never too sure of what species of fish you'll catch. With a decent colour and slight flow the river looked good, although even after the recent rain it's still slightly lower than normal. A number of small carp have been landed here recently and they became the focus of several competitors who fished the match, sadly however, none showed in the catches on the day. The weather was much as the forecasters predicted, very muggy, grey and overcast with light drizzle from time to time. Not great for the Airbourne crowds on Eastbourne Seafront but good for fishing.

The Brown brothers "Rod and Tony" fished downstream of the footbridge and put on a masterclass, Rod winning the match with 11lbs 15oz, all roach bar one bream of exactly 3lbs 15oz and all tempted by big maggot bait fished with a pole.

Tony also used a pole to claim second place with 9lbs 3oz of roach, a very nice days fishing indeed. In third was Peter Gabbitas who was positioned upstream at the end of the club water, again using a pole to land 6lbs 10oz of mainly roach with the occasional rudd, perch and gudgeon thrown in for good measure.

Plenty of bites were enjoyed by all the competitors targeting the silverfish, it was just a pity no carp or tench came to the party.

Just a reminder, if you've not fished the Cuckmere before, please be wary of deep water close in and the occasional undercut piece of bank. Best to have a cautious poke around with a bank stick before settling down to hopefully enjoy a decent days sport in glorious and peaceful countryside.

 

Sunday 12th August 2018, 2nd Round Marsh Shield & KO Cup

Venue: Pevensey Haven

The day itself wasn't quite the scorcher of recent weeks but pleasant enough, and at least the heavy showers that had been forecast didn't materialise.

Although the water level was still lower than normal for this time of year the Haven still held a decent depth with a tinge of colour and good fishing was expected.

Fishing half way along the first field a peg 7, Peter Gabbitas, fishing with a pole, alternated between silverfish and tench lines and was rewarded with a fine tench within the first hour which fell for worm hookbait. He managed to add another red eyed beauty later on, which, coupled with several roach and rudd, went on to win the match with a weight of 8lbs 8oz.

Meanwhile at the favoured peg at the end of the first straight, Chris Copeland, fishing the waggler, struggled for a consistent run of bites early on but managed to turn things around in the last two hours. By fishing big maggot on the drop, he came second with 6lbs 10oz of roach and rudd, his second place being enough to land him the Knockout Cup for this for this year, well done Chris.

Meanwhile, at the peg next door, Tony Brown fishing with a pole, also had slow start, but then raced into third place by catching consistently during the last two hours to claim third with 5lbs 14oz of roach, rudd and a bonus eel.

All in all a decent day for the competitors with everyone enjoying plenty of bites.

Our thanks go to Michael Wood who had worked seriously hard at the venue during the last fortnight and has cleared some 14 swims which are now in perfect condition.

Thanks again Michael.

The Haven has been fishing well this year for both tench and silverfish and is well worth a visit.

 

Sunday 5th August 2018, Roy Andrews Memorial Trophy

Venue: Marle Green

The sun had his hat on once more and the venue looked perfect, albeit with the water level rather lower than we would like, a few days of heavy rain would be most welcome.

The last match here several weeks ago was won with a decent bag of skimmer bream but the anglers targeting them on this occasion had a poor day, meanwhile however the carp were in the mood to feed.

Positioned at peg 8 which in the woods on the brick hut side of the lake, Steve Izzard fished the method feeder alternating between wafter and pellet on the hook, and landed 5 carp plus several silverfish to win the match and trophy with 21lb 1oz. Well done Steve.

At peg 9 on the opposite bank near the dam wall, Peter Gabbitas took a similar approach to catch 3 carp plus silverfish to secure second position with 19lb 3oz, while Graham Shinkfield at peg 3, claimed third, finishing with 3 carp and a tench for 15lb 13oz.

At 32 degrees it was certainly a warm day to be on the bank and whilst loading the gear away back into their cars, several anglers talked about the recent hot spell. None were complaining, but it was suggested that in several months time, when fishing in a biting east wind or heavy rain, we shall reflect on what a gorgeous summer were having.

We now look forward to Pevensey Haven next Sunday. The forecast at the moment suggests cooler conditions and RAIN !

 

Monday 23rd July 2018, Pole Shield

Venue: Pevensey Haven

Following his previous Monday evening victory, Michael Wood again showed the way home to secure the Pole Shield this year with a fine weight of 5lbs 6oz, his catch consisting of roach and rudd plus a bonus small tench. Well done Michael.

In second place was Pat Newman with 3lbs 11oz whilst Peter Gabbitas secured third by finishing with 1lb 7oz.

Amazingly that's it for this summers Monday evening matches, every one of them fished on a gorgeous summers evening. Where does the time go ?

 

Monday 16th July 2018, 6th & Final Round Evening Cup

Venue: Wallers Haven, Boreham Street

Using a combination of whip and pole with big maggot on the hook to catch roach, rudd and skimmer bream, Michael Wood stormed to victory with 9lbs 8oz.

Second with 7lbs 10oz was Peter Gabbitas, while Steve Izzard came third with 2lbs 8oz. Peter’s second place was enough to secure him the Evening Cup for this year, well done.

Sunday 22nd July 2018, Roger Weston Memorial

Venue: Wallers Haven, Middle Bridge

Because of the low water levels in the Haven, the match was switched to Middle Bridge instead of the published venue of Boreham Street and once again we had a big turn out of 28 anglers, made up of competitors from Southdown, Clive Vale and Seaford, this year’s match proving eventful for some but not for others, the low water level, with the Haven not carrying much colour making for hard fishing, although there was a strong breeze and that helped a bit. Pictured are most of the competitors doing their best to look like they enjoyed themselves.

Sunday 15th July 2018, Match v Seaford

Venue: Piddinghoe Pond

The match was won by Seaford angler Dave Hughes with a weight of 40lbs 6oz.

Peter Gabbitas fishing for Southdown claimed second place with 32lbs, and Southdown's Tim Crowdey was close behind in third with 31lbs 4oz, his catch including a lovely common carp weighing 17lbs 8oz which fell for paste fished "down the edge"

 

Monday 9th July 2018, 5th Round Evening Cup

Venue: Wallers Haven, Middle Bridge

With just one more round to go Peter Gabbitas placed one hand on to the Evening Cup with another fine performance to win the match with a weight of 4lbs 6oz. Second place went to Gary Flint with 2lbs 5oz, while Tim Crowdey’s 1lb 13oz was enough for third.

 

Sunday 8th July 2018, 1st Round Marsh Shield & KO Cup

Venue: Wallers Haven, Boreham Street

Considering the match was fished on just about the hottest day of the summer so far, coupled with a river at least three feet lower than normal for this time of the year, the fishing was really quite good.

At the second peg just inside the second field, Chris Copeland concentrated on the waggler all day and fished on the bottom with big maggot bait to win the match with 7lbs 11oz, his catch consisting of small roach and skimmer bream. Steve Izzard's fine recent form continued as he claimed second place very close behind, by finishing on 7lbs 10oz, all his fish also falling for big maggot bait but presented with a whip. There was a tie for third place as Peter Gabbitas and Peter Stradwick both managed to land 6lbs 10oz of silverfish, Peter G using a pole and Peter S fishing the waggler, with fourth place going to Neil Post with 6lbs 4oz. There were also a number of other decent weights recorded along the whole match length.

 

Monday 2nd July 2018, 4th Round Evening Cup

Venue: Wallers Haven, Iron Bridge Upstream

You've guessed it, yet another baking hot day with almost every angler competing deciding to fish for tench on such a lovely evening and for some the tactic paid off.

By fishing in the margins with a pole and worm as bait, Peter Gabbitas landed a tench and several eels to secure victory with 6lbs 3oz, while second place went to Tim Crowdey who also netted a tench and several bits to end up with 4lbs 15oz 8drms, with, in third place, Gary Flint, another angler with a tench, his catch of 3lbs 10oz also including a couple of eels.

Plenty of small fish gave everyone a decent amount of bites but the tench and eels made the difference for the top placers.

 

Sunday 1st July 2018, Interclub Match v PACES

Venue: Hydneye Lake, Eastbourne

The eagerly awaited local derby took place at the very pleasant Hydneye lake in glorious summer weather, what a summer we've had so far, long may it continue.

Pre-match talk centred around the amount of weed which has grown in the lake during the recent hot weather, several pegs being deemed unfishable and on the day it became quite apparent early on, that the pegs on the east bank would be far more favourable than those on the west bank, the depth being at least two feet deeper resulting in very little weed growth.

Southdown angler Steve Izzard tempted several tench and bream with his method feeder fished with worm hookbait to win the match with 20lbs 9oz, with second place going to Southdown's Peter Gabbitas, who, by fishing with a feeder, also caught tench and bream to finish with 18lbs 13oz, while PACES angler Peter Nest caught skimmer bream and two tench for 17lbs 4oz and third place.

All the top three anglers fished pegs on the east bank, with a number of those fishing the west bank hooking but unfortunately losing decent bream and tench in the weed.

Southdown won the interclub match by virtue of having four anglers in the top five places.

 

Monday 25th June 2018, 3rd Round Evening Cup

Venue: Wallers Haven, Iron Bridge Downstream

With almost no rain during the last fortnight the Haven is lacking in colour and depth and the hot weather, although great for a suntan, is sometimes not ideal for fishing and on possibly the hottest evening of the year so far, bites for some were hard to come by.

Winner on the night was Gary Flint with 5lbs 9oz, second place going to Peter Gabbitas with 3lbs 3oz and 1lb 2oz was enough for Nigel Parks to secure third. Just a handful of points now separate the top 5 anglers, so with three more rounds to go, it’s all to play for.

 

Sunday 24th June 2018, Roger Izzard Memorial Trophy

Venue: Marle Green

Although the weather was hot the fishing for half of the anglers competing sadly was not, as with clear blue sky, light breeze and bags of sunshine the larger fish were in no mood to feed and those targeting the carp had very few bites, wishing that they should have packed up early and gone home to watch England demolish Panama in the World Cup.

Grenville Weston managed to draw his favourite peg at this venue and once again showed everyone the way home, as catching hybrids and skimmer bream on the pole with big maggot bait, he eased to victory with 15lbs 7oz, well done Grenville. A carp caught late into the match to add to several bits caught earlier helped Peter Gabbitas to second place with 9lbs 2oz, while Michael Wood claimed third, finishing with 8lbs 6oz.

 

Monday 18th June 2018, 2nd Round Evening Cup

Venue: Pevensey Haven

Summer 2018 continued with a very hot evening, although thankfully a brisk wind kept the temperature down slightly, however it also meant that bait presentation became somewhat tricky.

Steve Hills drew favoured peg 1 and went to action with the whip and big maggot bait to cruise to victory with 11lbs 2oz, very impressive in two and a half hours, his catch consisting of roach, rudd, skimmers and perch. Tim Crowdey used similar tactics to claim second place with 7lbs 13oz whilst Gary Flint’s 6lbs 15oz was enough for third. The Haven fished very well indeed with plenty of other back up weights of 5lbs or more.

 

Sunday 17th June 2018, Southdown Challenge Trophy

Venue: Wallers Haven, Boreham Street

After the eager anticipation of the past few days, rather surprisingly the curtain raiser for the new river season turned into being one long hard slog.

In recent years the early season catches at this venue have gone down as some of the best from our waters. Sadly, it was not the case on this one though, as several blanks were recorded and everyone struggled for a consistent run of bites.

Just to make matters worse, it rained before the draw and the wind got stronger as the day wore on. So much for flaming June!

Congratulations go to Rod Brown, positioned in a swim near the willow tree, who won the trophy by landing 4lbs 1oz of small roach, skimmer bream and perch which fell for pinkie bait fished with a pole. Fred Clews claimed second position with 2lbs 12oz, catching a similar bag of fish using a waggler, while third spot went to Michael Beale who used a combination of whip and waggler to finish close behind on 2lbs 10oz. Peter Gabbitas and Chris Copeland placed joint fourth with 1lb 13oz apiece.

On a day where the bigger fish just didn't show, it was had to fathom why this stretch fished so badly. However the level was at least 2 feet lower than recent weeks so let's hope for some more rain in the coming days to add depth and colour to the water.

Never the less, the new season marches on, with a trip to Pevensey Haven on Monday evening for the second round of the Evening Cup, then on to Marle Green on Sunday the 24th for the Roger Izzard Memorial Trophy.

 

Monday 11th June 2018, 1st Round Evening Cup

Venue: Curls Farm

On a lovely summer evening , warm, with a clear blue sky and a light breeze, the carp were in the mood to feed.

Steve Izzard fished a method feeder with wafter bait and landed an impressive 7 carp in the two and a half hours and romped to victory with 44lbs. Second place went to Peter Gabbitas who used similar tactics to tempt 5 carp for 22lb 8oz, with Gary Mason catching 2 carp and several rudd to finish on 15lbs 12oz for third.

We now look ahead to the first of the new river season matches which will be held on the Wallers Haven at Boreham street on Sunday 17th June, with an 8am draw. At the moment the Haven holds a good colour and level and the general feeling is that we should see some good weights being recorded. Hopefully we’ll see you there.

 

Sunday 27th May 2018, Club Match

Venue: Curls Farm

For a change, the match was fished rudd only, i.e. carp didn’t count and on a lovely summers day the fish were certainly in the mood to feed with all the competitors enjoying plenty of bites.

Peter Stradwick won the match with 11lbs 6oz, all caught using a whip to hand with big maggot bait. Very close behind in second place was Steve Izzard who finished with 11lbs 5oz, while Tony Brown secured third with 9lbs 3oz. Biggest rudd of the day was a fine specimen of 13oz captured by Peter Gabbitas.

 

Sunday 13th May 2018, Club Match

Venue: Curls Farm

Just the results we’re afraid, no other details given.

1st: G Shinkfield 77lb 12oz

2nd: M Stafaniko 66lb 12oz

3rd: P Gabbitas 58lb

Total weight of fish caught on the day a very respectable 333lb 4oz

 

Sunday 22nd April 2018, Ron Allchin Memorial

Venue: Curls Farm

Again just the results, no other details given.

1st: A Law 63lb 12oz

2nd: S Izzard 42lb

3rd: P Gabbitas 41lb 8oz

4th: M Wood 35lb 4oz

 

Sunday 8th April 2018, Club Match

Venue: Marle Green

Just the results, no other details given.

1st: Peter Gabbitas, 6lb 15oz, including a fine perch of 1lb 14oz.

2nd: Tim Crowdey, 4lb 13oz.