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

Match Reports 2019/2020

ATTENTION MATCH ANGLERS

Due to all the recent heavy rain resulting in high water levels with dangerous river banks and the weather forecast for the weekend, the final round of the Waggler Only Trophy, scheduled for Sunday 1st March 2020 at Middle Bridge on the Wallers Haven has regrettably been cancelled.

Sunday 23rd February 2020, 4th & Final Round Percy Barron Trophy
Venue: Wallers Haven, Iron Bridge Upstream

No storm this weekend but with winds gusting to nearly 50 miles per hour and persistent rain, the brave souls competing endured another tough winters day on the bank. If fact the farmer turned up just before the draw and questioned their sanity! Lets hope the coming weeks bring some much overdue sunshine and dry days.

Tony ‘the machine’ Brown positioned just before the first bend decided that fishing the feeder was the way forward, and it proved to be the perfect decision. With maggot on the hook he tempted a decent bream within the first 30 minutes and that, coupled with several skimmer bream and roach, saw him ease to victory with 3lbs 9oz.

Trying to avoid tangles whilst casting in the wind, Chris Copeland opted for his favourite waggler approach to land a number of roach and a small skimmer bream to claim second with 2lbs 3oz, while meanwhile at peg 1, Patrick Newman also fished the waggler to come third with 1lb 10oz. Although everyone caught it was certainly a challenging day and once again the fishing clothes and gear went home carrying far more mud than they did when they arrived.

Although not necessary cold, the winter since October has been harsh, with flowing rivers, heavy rain and strong winds, but it was with a heavy heart that goodbyes were said and plans were made to meet next weekend, either early on the bank or at a local cafe for breakfast.

Next weekend sees the last river match of the season, the final round of the Waggler Only Trophy at Middle bridge. If you’d like to join the fun regardless of the weather, the draw takes place at 9am with fishing between 10am and 3pm. Hope to see you there.

We just couldn’t work out where the season has gone, it seems to have flown by!

 

Sunday 9th February 2020, Roger Weston Memorial

Venue: House Lake, Wylands International Angling Centre

Steve Izzard wins Roger Weston Memorial Cup despite the attentions of

Storm Ciara.

There is a TV programme with Robson Green called Extreme Fishing, or something like that, where our hero fishes from storm-lashed trawler boats and native canoes seeking to catch the biggest and the best. Well, with all due respect, he wouldn’t have lasted 5 minutes on the bank for this one!

As predicted by forecasters, Saturdays mild and sunny weather gave way to severe gales overnight and torrential rain. Not that deterred the entrants on House Lake at Wylands International Angling Centre on Sunday 9th February 2020, but it would be fair to say that there were a few misgivings expressed at the draw, but these were completely forgotten as competitors literally flew to their pegs. Those on the north bank then had the great joy of facing into the teeth of the strengthening wind; real character building stuff.

Steve’s victory was all the more creditable as the wind cleared his bait tray and glasses into the lake never to be seen again. Undeterred, and ever so slightly damp by then, he reached for his wafters and chucked out his feeder with little hope of any action. BOOM, the tip wanged round and several skimmer bream later, over 7 pounds of fish secured the trophy.

Special mention of Peter Gabbitas and Patrick Newman (aka “bream slayer”) who kept Steve company, offering support and guidance during the match, if not in the pub afterwards.  Also, of Wayne Wilkinson who seems to be the epicentre of wet and wild fishing weather and young Graham Shinkfield who took plumbing the depth to a new dimension. Hopefully everyone has dried out now.

Leading Southdown weights were: Steve Izzard 7-4-0, Wayne Wilkinson 6-13-0,

              Grenville Weston 6-7-0, Peter Gabbitas 4-1-0 and Pat Newman 3-8-0.

The photo shows In depth analysis of proceedings afterwards in the Bull’s Head at Boreham Street.  Left to right: Monty Neville (guest), Pat Newman, Wayne Wilkinson, Peter Gabbitas, and No. 89, Steve Izzard.

What you can’t see is the big puddle of water under the table as they all dripped “dry”.

Sunday 2nd February 2020, 3rd Round Percy Barron Trophy

Venue: Pevensey Haven

Heavy rain in the early hours of Sunday morning had left the river not only dropping in depth by around two feet in the first couple of hours, but flowing very fast too. By the end of the match the river had recovered its depth but still flowed, we couldn't quite understand that.

At least the day itself was mild and presented the odd sunny spell here and there, but a strong wind gave another challenge.

Incredibly “Slab Slayer” Patrick Newman again managed to pull the end peg out of the draw bag, 3 matches and the same peg each time. How the rest of the guys groaned when he drew the peg then looked on enviously as he trotted his trolly to the end of the first field. We are sure he had a smile on his face as wide as the Grand Canyon!

With the bream it seems loving life in this particular section of the river, it was almost certain that Pat would find them and at the end of the match, he had captured 8 bream, several skimmers and an eel for 32lbs 2oz, all falling for feeder tactics cast to the far bank with worm or maggot on the hook. Not quite his 80 odd pounds recorded last August, but impressive none the less.

With only two river matches of the season left our engraver must surely be getting ready to scribe the name Patrick Newman on this years Aggregate Cup.

Sadly it was a totally different story elsewhere, with most guys struggling for a bite. Rod Brown positioned next to Pat did land a bream and several skimmers and roach to finish second with 5lbs 11oz again tempted by feeder tactics, while Peter Stradwick also used the feeder to catch several skimmers and roach to claim third place with 2lbs 14oz.

There on after, just ounces were the order of the day.

With the way the positions are scored on the day, in the competition for the Percy Barron Trophy, there's only 4 points between the top three anglers after three rounds, so with a final round still to come, on the 23rd February on the Wallers Haven, it hasn't quite yet found its new home for the coming year.

 

Sunday 26th January 2020, 2nd Round Percy Barron Trophy

Venue: Wallers Haven, Iron Bridge Upstream

After almost a week of frosty mornings, we enjoyed a mild start on match day, with the temperature around 8 degrees and it got warmer as the day wore on, even offering the odd welcome glimpse of sunshine. With just a light breeze and decent colour in the river, confidence of a decent match was high.

"Prophet of doom" Peter Stradwick almost put a dampener of things by suggesting the forecast he'd seen just before leaving home was for biblical proportions of rain falling on the South East around midday, leading to several anglers then packing a brolly on their trolley, but fortunately the rain held off until the homeward journey was well underway. In a word the fishing was excellent and waggler tactics were the order of the day, with the three anglers in the top positions enjoying great sport with rod and line.

Positioned at peg 5, midway along the first straight, Peter Elms claimed third place with mainly roach for 6lbs dead, just enough to edge past Rod Brown who had 5lbs 14oz fishing at peg 15, next to the willow tree. Meanwhile, stationed at peg 7, Chris Copeland enjoyed plenty of bites and a catch of all roach for a decent 9lbs 1oz to secure second place.

However, "End peg woody", a.k.a. Michael Wood, drew peg 1 nearest to the bridge and also went to town on the roach, to plonk a superb 9lbs 8oz on the scales and claim victory.

Earlier in the day before the draw, whilst the guys were loading their gear over the fence, two car mats appeared from Michael's trolley. No one seemed to believe they were to help level his seatbox and platform, someone suggesting they were prayer mats! "Oh Lord please let me catch". The main man above must have been listening as Michael had a great day and we expect to see a number of the other guys using mats next week. Watch out for a lack of stock at Halfords during the coming weeks!

Other back up weights were also impressive for deep into winter, with a 5lbs 4oz catch from Tony Brown only managing fifth place. Let's hope for more of the same at Pevensey Haven next weekend.

 

Sunday 19th January 2020, Roger Izzard Memorial Trophy

Venue: North Farm Pool, Marle Green

With the scheduled match on the Cuckmere at Shermans Bridge regrettably cancelled due to the high water and dangerous bank conditions, the opportunity was taken to fish for the Roger Izzard Memorial Trophy which had been postponed from the original June date as the water was unavailable at that time.

After the long spell of mild and wet weather we were at last blessed with a gorgeous winter’s day offering clear blue sky, a gentle breeze and bags of sunshine, the only downside being a temperature of minus 2 degrees as the competitors dipped frozen hands into the draw bag.

The main topic of conversation amongst those taking part was whether to be brave and fish for carp, or hopefully have something to weigh in by targeting the silverfish and at least attracting a bite or two. With the water being cold and offering only a depth of around 3 feet neither option was a certified winner, but at least after all the recent rain there was plenty of colour in the lake.

As it turned out bites were few and far between on all methods, but the brave option paid dividends and it was rather fitting that Roger’s son Steve Izzard won the trophy by playing the patient game on the method feeder and wafter bait to tempt a lovely 12lbs 4oz mirror carp to win convincingly. Well done Steve.

With no other carp landed, the rest of the lads had nets of silverfish, with second place secured in the last thirty minutes, as Peter Stradwick, who also fished the feeder, landed three decent sized skimmer bream in quick succession to finish with 2lbs 6oz, just ahead of Gary Flint who claimed third place with 2lbs 5oz of mainly small roach caught using the pole.

Peter Gabbitas was not in the best of moods at the end of the match to say the least, as with just twenty minutes or so to go, he unfortunately lost a perch estimated to be near the 3lb mark, a large amount of money would have been raised if we had a swear box at the ready !

Apart from that, not a great deal more to report, a tough day at a picturesque venue. Roll on summer and warmer temperatures.

 

Sunday 12th January 2020, 1st Round Percy Barron Trophy

Venue: Wallers Haven, Middle Bridge

After a wet start the day turned out bright and sunny, however a strong westerly wind made for a frustrating day for most of those competing. Although the Haven looked in good shape, the fishing was patchy to say the least and sadly a couple of blanks were recorded, surprisingly these were from the guys pegged closest to the bridge.

At peg 6, just before the post in the first field, Gary Flint started on the feeder and was rewarded with a decent bream and several small skimmer bream caught fairly early on, these, coupled with several pole caught roach, gave him victory with 4lbs 4oz.

Towards the end of the first field Tony Brown fishing the short pole, landed small skimmers and roach to finish second with 3lbs 14oz, while slab slayer Patrick Newman secured third with 3lbs 6oz.

With another three rounds to go it's all to play for and those with a dodgy peg this time round will hopefully be rewarded with a better one next time.

Apparently storm Brendan is set to batter the UK bringing strong winds and heavy rain, let's hope the weather has settled down by next weekend so that we can have a decent match on the Cuckmere at Shermans bridge next Sunday.

 

Sunday 5th January 2020, 3rd Round Christmas Cup & New Year Challenge

Venue: Wallers Haven, Ironbridge Upstream

Having been postponed from a couple of weeks ago due to high river levels and gales, it was pleasing to be able to fish the final round of the Christmas Cup on a half decent day, although it still rained from time to time! At least the banks were less muddy than recent weeks, the river held a good colour and winter level and after Happy New Year greetings and talk of Christmas had taken place, it was time to get down to the serious stuff of trying to draw a decent peg.

Michael Wood who was leading the pack by 3 points after the first two rounds drew end peg 13, just past the second bend towards the willow tree. Not really fancied by many on the day, he produced a sterling performance fishing the waggler with pinkie as bait, to win the match with a weight of 3lbs 15oz, made up of small roach and a couple of small skimmer bream, therefore winning both the Christmas Cup and New Year Challenge Trophy. Well done Michael, not bad going in the three rounds, with two first places and a second.

At peg 5, Patrick Newman can count himself unlucky, just missing out on top spot with 3lbs 14oz, his bag consisting of a decent perch around the 12oz mark plus plenty of small roach tempted on the waggler and feeder, while just past the first bend at peg, 9 Chris Copeland fished the waggler to claim third place with 3lbs 8oz of roach.

After the three rounds the final Christmas Cup places were first Michael Wood, second Chris Copeland, with a tie for third place between Patrick Newman and Gary Flint.

Once all the muddy gear had been packed away the prizes consisting of beer / wines and spirits, plus the odd tin of chocolates, were given out by Match Secretary Steve Izzard.

A collection on the day raised some cash which was then presented to Steve to show appreciation for all his hard work, enthusiasm and dedication.

You do a fantastic job Steve. Many thanks.

 

Sunday 15th December 2019, 2nd Round Xmas Cup

Venue: Wallers Haven, Ironbridge Upstream

Welcome to winter fishing 2019 style ! Heavy rain showers mixed in with hail, a howling wind gusting to 45mph, a rising and flowing river and slippery and incredibly muddy banks.

However, even with such grim conditions there was plenty of humorous banter, including talk of the Strictly Come Dancing Final the night before and the Christmas to come.

The Christmas Cup is always one of the most looked forward to and competitive series of matches that the club hold, however today was a challenge of the highest order and for many not that enjoyable. On the positive side, everyone enjoyed bites and no one fell in, albeit several had a tumble or two.

Having plucked peg 9 out of the draw bag, positioned just past the first bend, Michael Wood was less than impressed to say the least, but having settled down and made himself comfortable, he chose to fish the waggler and tempted a number of roach on and off throughout the day and with several net sized skimmer bream late on, he won the match with 3lbs 11oz. Very impressive on such a tough day.

Meanwhile at peg 2, Chris Copeland, who's nearly always a waggler man, chose the same tactic and caught small roach from time to time plus a net sized skimmer with 40 minutes or so to go, to sneak into second place with 3lbs 1oz, while Peter Gabbitas, fishing with a pole at peg 3, was unlucky finishing just an ounce behind with 3lbs dead.

After two rounds Michael Wood has a slender lead, however, with just one more round to go, can he hold his nerve with a chasing pack just a couple of points behind, to win the Southdown Angling Association version of the Glitterball trophy this year. We shall find out next week.

 

Sunday 8th December 2019, 1st Round Xmas Cup

Venue: Wallers Haven, Ironbridge Upstream

No sign of snow or Santa for the start of this years battle to win the Christmas cup, just a howling wind and mud, mud, glorious mud !

After heavy rain on Saturday night the Haven once again held a decent colour and depth, it did flow all day though which made things a tad difficult and bank conditions were not ideal due to the thick mud and a number of anglers either fell on their backside or slipped delicately into the river, fortunately only up to a level that didn't quite fill the wellies !

At peg 3 Gary Flint chose to fish a pole all day and managed to bag several chunky skimmer bream, an eel and plenty of roach to win the match with a commendable 6lbs 9oz.

Fishing the waggler at peg 8, Michael Wood can count himself unlucky as he also caught several small skimmers and roach to finish with 6lbs 8oz, missing out on top spot by just one ounce, while meanwhile, fishing at peg 5, Phil Tichbon settled for whip tactics to claim third spot with a very decent 5lbs 11oz.

With a number of weights over 3 and 4lbs it’s all to play for in the next two rounds, the second being due to take place at the same venue next Sunday, let's just hope the mud has dried out somewhat by then, however, looking at the long range forecast it looks like we may be out of luck.

 

Sunday 1st December 2019, Match v Seaford

Venue: Wallers Haven, Ironbridge Upstream

Overall a lovely day to be on the bank with bags of sunshine and the river holding a good colour and depth. However, a very keen North Easterly wind took the edge off things and if a balaclava was still in fashion, we’re sure some would have been worn, possibly making things slightly unnerving for any passing dog walkers !

Having wished for peg 8 before the draw, lucky boy Chris Copeland actually drew it and sped off to the corner of the first straight just before the bush. Fishing a waggler with either big maggot or pinkie as bait, he caught small skimmer bream and roach to finish with 4lbs 15oz and top spot. At peg 4 Rod Brown used similar tactics to secure second place with 3lbs 7oz, while Seaford angler Peter Easton used the short pole and whip for third with 3lbs dead. Southdown won the local derby by having 3 members in the top 5 positions.

Although it was extremely cold with the wind often pounding one’s face, the river actually fished quite well with a number of the 16 competitors weighing in just under the 3lb mark.

A special mention for Peter Elms, who very kindly gave chocolates and beers to the guys who helped push his campervan out of the mud last weekend. A lovely pre Christmas surprise, thanks Pete, we understand you've purchased a smaller car now so we shall reserve a space for you !

We can't quite believe its here already, but the Christmas Cup gets underway next Sunday with a change of venue, as due to an issue with floating pennywort on the Pevensey Haven, we will be back here at Ironbridge for round one, with the draw for pegs at 9am and fishing 10am to 3pm.

 

Sunday 1st December 2019, Match v Seaford

Venue: Wallers Haven, Ironbridge Upstream

Overall a lovely day to be on the bank with bags of sunshine and the river holding a good colour and depth. However, a very keen North Easterly wind took the edge off things and if a balaclava was still in fashion, we’re sure some would have been worn, possibly making things slightly unnerving for any passing dog walkers !

Having wished for peg 8 before the draw, lucky boy Chris Copeland actually drew it and sped off to the corner of the first straight just before the bush. Fishing a waggler with either big maggot or pinkie as bait, he caught small skimmer bream and roach to finish with 4lbs 15oz and top spot. At peg 4 Rod Brown used similar tactics to secure second place with 3lbs 7oz, while Seaford angler Peter Easton used the short pole and whip for third with 3lbs dead. Southdown won the local derby by having 3 members in the top 5 positions.

Although it was extremely cold with the wind often pounding one’s face, the river actually fished quite well with a number of the 16 competitors weighing in just under the 3lb mark.

A special mention for Peter Elms, who very kindly gave chocolates and beers to the guys who helped push his campervan out of the mud last weekend. A lovely pre Christmas surprise, thanks Pete, we understand you've purchased a smaller car now so we shall reserve a space for you !

We can't quite believe its here already, but the Christmas Cup gets underway next Sunday with a change of venue, as due to an issue with floating pennywort on the Pevensey Haven, we will be back here for round one with the draw for pegs at 9am with fishing 10am to 3pm.

 

Sunday 24th November 2019, 2nd Round Waggler Only

Venue: Wallers Haven, Ironbridge Upstream

After yet another week of almost non stop rain, some of it heavy on the Saturday, early arrivals were barely brave enough to peek over the bridge to view the river conditions!

However, as the early morning gloom gave way to daylight, oh how they thanked the Lord as quite surprisingly, the Haven looked great, with a gentle flow, if a little high with slippery banks. The colour was also fine and with a light breeze and being mild, the confidence grew, it was still raining however.

After the competitors had managed to push Peter Elms stuck campervan out of the mud and to safely, they drew for pegs and settled down for the match, many exhausted by their earlier efforts (thanks Pete, please don't do it again !)

Fishing at peg 6, three quarters of the way along the first straight, Chris Copeland used big maggot on the hook and loose fed pinkie and pellet to land several small skimmer bream and roach and cruised to victory with 7lbs 4oz.

Meanwhile at peg 2, Pete Stradwick snared a decent bream and a number of small roach to finish second with 4lbs 12oz, just enough to pip neighbour for the day, Pete Elms at peg 3, who popped 4lbs 11oz on the scales to snatch third.

The mud bath endured by the anglers taking part was well worth it, as bites for all were plentiful with decent back up weights also recorded. We’re not so sure however that the wives and partners at home would feel the same after slamming the wet and muddy clothes in the washing machine !

Considering the recent weather the fishing was good for deep into the winter months, let's hope it's the same when Seaford Angling club visit for next weekends local derby at the same venue.

 

Sunday 17th November 2019, Away match v Hastings & Bexhill

Venue: Wishing Tree Reservoir, St Leonards

Results only we’re afraid.

1st  Steve Izzard, Southdown, 47lbs 4oz (8 Carp)

2nd  Chris Hitchins, Hastings and Bexhill, 43lbs 6oz (All Carp)

3rd  Pat Newman, Southdown, 36lbs 2oz (All Carp)

 

Sunday 10th November 2019, Match v Isfield & Lewes

Venue: Wallers Haven, Ironbridge Upstream

Amazingly a day featuring no rain! In fact it was quite pleasant with just a light breeze, a smattering of sunshine and temperature around 10 degrees.

Sadly however, after almost a week of rain and with heavy downpours on the Saturday, the Haven was left high, wide and not so handsome! With the river flowing hard all day and swirling around the edges, the fishing was tough, resulting in a number of blanks.

Southdown angler Bill Snow chose the tactic of patience on the feeder, alternating between worm and maggot on the hook and after a biteless couple of hours, he managed to tempt a decent bream and an eel to canter to victory with 4lbs 3oz.

Meanwhile at peg 16, Peter Nest fishing for Southdown, also played the waiting game on the feeder and landed several skimmer bream and an eel to claim second place with 3lbs 5oz, while Isfield angler Wayne Walters secured third with a bream and an eel for 2lbs 11oz. Southdown won the match with three anglers in the top 4 positions.

 

Sunday 27th October 2019, Club Match

Venue: Wallers Haven, Ironbridge Upstream

Originally scheduled as the 2nd Round of the Cuckmere Cup with Arlington as the venue, sadly the weather gods decided to spoil the party and sent at least 6 hours of heavy rain to the South East during Saturday afternoon, which resulted in the Cuckmere being several feet higher than normal, the colour of coffee and moving like a train !

After an inspection by the anglers on the Sunday it was decided that the river was not only unfishable but dangerous too, therefore the match was duly cancelled and instead a club match took place at Ironbridge upstream, the Wallers Haven always being a winner whether it's rained hard or cold and frosty.

After a quick journey east. the competitors were overjoyed on arrival to see the Haven looking perfect, with good depth, loads of colour and a gentle flow and at last we enjoyed some sunshine too, a lovely day.

Before the draw for pegs, mister positive, Chris Copeland, predicted a top weight of 12lbs. He didn't quite manage that but did manage a win with 8lbs 7oz after pulling out peg 4 from the draw bag, half way along the first straight, by concentrating on the waggler fished with big maggot bait two thirds across, to catch roach and small skimmer bream.

At peg 5 Tony "the machine" Brown, landed a similar bag of fish using a pole and just missed out of first place by coming second with 8lbs 6oz, with brother Rod claiming third from peg 2 finishing on 6lbs 11oz. Also weighing in over 6lbs was Phil Tichbon in fourth place, while other good back up weights were also recorded by the other anglers present.

 

Sunday 20th October 2019, Away match v Hassocks & Haywards Heath

Venue: Valebridge Lake

Results only we’re afraid, unfortunately no Southdown members featured in the top places

1st: Steve Pead 13lbs 12oz.

2nd: Chris Humphrey-Smart 12lbs 3oz.

3rd: Roly Smith 11lbs 4oz.

4th: Dave Harper 9lbs.

 

Sunday 13th October 2019, Match v Isfield & Lewes

Venue: Wallers Haven, Ironbridge Upstream

With a fair bit of rain and a strong wind coupled with a serious lack of bites, we’re sure some of the 24 competitors were thinking of the song "Heaven knows I'm miserable now". (For the younger generation that was a big hit for The Smiths in the summer of 1984!)

Similar to last week the Haven had little colour, was high and didn't flow. As the wind blew some anglers gripped their umbrellas whilst trying to fish, just to make sure the brolly didn't end up in heaven under the section of "fisherman’s umbrellas not secured properly"

In a word, the only way to describe the day was grim, however Rod Brown seemed to enjoy himself. Having drawn peg 3 for the second week running, he popped in a sterling performance on the waggler and whip and won again with 4lbs 14oz of small skimmer bream and roach. Lewes angler Mark Sains came second with 4lbs 2oz and Isfield’s Wayne Walters secured third with 4lbs dead.

Several anglers did not weigh-in, with many others scrambling for ounces. Unless you were in the top three it was a day to forget fairly quickly.

Let's hope the unsettled Autumn weather settles down soon and the fishing improves.

 

Sunday 6th October 2019, 5th Round Marsh Shield

Venue: Wallers Haven, Ironbridge Upstream

Surprisingly after all the rain we've endured during the past week the Haven held little in the way of colour and didn't flow. The level however was higher than is normal for this time of year and although the day itself was mainly cloudy and windy it was mild and thankfully did not rain.

The fishing along the whole match length was patchy to say the least, with a couple of anglers struggling to make 1lb.

At peg 3, Rod Brown fished a combination of whip and waggler to put together a decent net of small skimmer bream and roach to cruise to victory with 5lbs 8oz. It was a Brown brothers 1-2 as Tony, who was positioned at peg 5 and fished with a pole, secured second place with 4lbs 4oz, and Michael Wood at peg 7, near the end of the first straight, also fished a pole to claim third with 3lbs 11oz,  Michael cursing his luck as he missed the first thirty minutes of the match due to returning home to collect the bait he forgot. He has history though, we remember him doing the same thing a year or two ago, that time to collect his wellies !

After Match Secretary Steve Izzard had finished adding up the points after the five rounds, Chris Copeland was confirmed as having won the Marsh Shield this season.

Well done Chris.

 

Sunday 29th September 2019, Away match v Isfield & Lewes

Venue: Wilderness Lakes

Again, results only we’re afraid, no Southdown anglers featured in the top three.

1st Alan S: 62lbs 6oz

2nd Adam P: 54lbs 8oz

3rd Adam S: 50lbs 4oz

 

Sunday 22nd September 2019, Away match v Hassocks & Haywards Heath

Venue: Decoy Lake

Results only we're afraid.

1st Chris Humphrey-Smart, Hassocks, 50lbs 8oz

2nd Pat Newman, Southdown, 39lbs 14oz

3rd Colin Skeel, Hassocks, 34lbs 8oz

4th Steve Pead, Hassocks, 32lbs 14oz

Combined weights from the top six anglers of each club:

Hassocks: 179lbs 14oz,  Southdown: 81lbs 5oz,  Haywards Heath: 73lbs 10oz

 

Sunday 15th September 2019, 4th Round Marsh Shield

Venue: Wallers Haven, Ironbridge Upstream

Another Sunday and another roasting hot day, up to 24 degrees with just a slight breeze. Although we still require a decent amount of rain, unlike last week at Boreham Street, at least the Haven gifted the anglers a reasonable colour in the river at Ironbridge.

Top dog on the day was Chris Copeland who was pegged two along from the willow tree, where he fished a waggler with big maggot bait to tempt plenty of rudd, roach and a bonus tench to finish with 7lb 4oz.

Tony " The Machine" Brown followed up last weeks victory with second place, catching small skimmer bream, rudd and roach for 4lb 13oz, just ahead of brother Rod who came third with 4lb 5oz. As they share the car to matches, that would have been an interesting journey on the way home, especially as they were pegged next to each other too. Certainly some good humoured brotherly banter !

Plenty of bites were enjoyed by most of those fishing, courtesy of the rudd which were feeding just off the surface, at least they certainly seemed to like the hot weather.

 

Sunday 8th September 2019, Match versus Hassocks & Haywards Heath

Venue: Wallers Haven, Boreham Street

The gorgeous summer continued with another day of blazing hot sunshine, which coupled with a gusty wind and almost no colour in the water, made for a very hard day for many of the 18 anglers competing, with the top weights on the day all coming from the furthest downstream pegs where there was more colour in the Haven.

Southdown’s Tony Brown had a decent day fishing the long pole to catch consistently and romped to victory with 7lb 14oz of small skimmer bream and roach.

Peter Gabbitas for Southdown claimed second place with 4lb 15oz with a similar bag of fish tempted on the waggler and feeder, with Haywards Heath angler Roly Smith placing third with 2lb 14oz, and David Harper from Hassocks fourth with 1lb 10oz.

Southdown won the match with a total weight of 13lb 3oz, Hassocks were second with 3lbs 2oz and Haywards Heath third with 2lb 14oz, the total weights reflecting just how hard a day it was for most.

 

Sunday 1st September 2019, Match versus Hastings and Bexhill

Venue: Wallers Haven, Ironbridge Upstream

1st: Grenville Weston (Southdown) 6lb 8oz

2nd: Lewis Leonard (Hastings & Bexhill) 3lb 8oz

Joint 3rd: Tony Brown & Peter Nest (both Southdown) 3lbs 4oz

With three members placed in the top four, Southdown won the match.

 

Sunday 25th August 2019, 1st Round Waggler Only

Venue: Wallers Haven, Middle Bridge

The summer sunshine shone gloriously on the Haven and the heat was stifling, with the temperature up to 26 degrees and just a light breeze. There was very little colour in the water and coupled with the clear skies, the fishing was never going to be easy.

At peg 9, just past the wooden post in the first field, Chris Copeland decided to fish on the bottom rather than up in the water and after introducing four balls of groundbait and a handful of pinkies he began to catch. Bites slowed somewhat around midday as the heat built, but his bag of small skimmer bream and roach weighing 7lbs 1oz was enough to win him the match. Second place went to Patrick Newman who landed a similiar mixed bag for 6lbs 7oz, while 4lbs 1oz gave Peter Nest third place.

Many others struggled for a decent run of bites but on such a lovely day we didn't moan about the weather, with autumn and winter rapidly approaching we were most grateful.

Sunday 18th August 2019,

3rd Round Marsh Shield & Knock Out Cup Final

Venue: Pevensey Haven

A day when history was made ! The best ever weight on the marshes in a Southdown Angling Association match.

After a couple of days of rain with gusty winds the Haven looked perfect with a decent colour and good summer level, with 7 to 8 feet depth in most swims, the day itself being warm with sunny spells

History maker was the man we now call "The Slab Slayer" Mr Patrick Newman.

Patrick drew a decent peg, the last swim before the gate at the end of the first field and decided to fish the feeder with worm on the hook three quarters of the way across. The first twenty minutes were biteless, but there on after, his quiver tip hardly kept still, with 10 bream arriving in the first hour and a half. Amazingly at the end of the five hour match, Pat had landed 24 bream to around four pounds, plus a tench a perch and a rudd. His total match winning weight was an incredible 80lbs14oz. Great angling fella!

A fabulous result and well done, we may never see that weight recorded again anywhere on the marshes.

Peter Gabbitas came second with 3 bream and a tench plus several bits tempted on the pole to finish with 12lbs 10oz, while third place on the day went to Grenville Weston who also fished a pole to land 2 bream and bits for 10lbs 14oz, just enough to win the Knock Out Cup ahead of Chris Copeland who also tempted 2 bream, several roach and a perch for 9lbs 10oz and fourth place. Very well done Grenville and hard luck Chris.

An interesting venue that is often over looked which is a pity. The river holds large carp, bream, tench, roach, rudd, eels, pike and perch, and now boasts the top river match weight plus the club flounder record !

If you've not fished it for a while it's worth a go, pleasingly, the fringe lilly still features in most swims, and the weed on the bottom that used to be a problem has now gone.

We must thank Michael Wood once again for more sterling work clearing the swims, many thanks. Sunday was a day that will live long in the memory..

Sunday 11th August 2019, 1st Round Cuckmere Cup

Venue: River Cuckmere, Shermans Bridge

With the tail end of a recent storm brushing the South Coast the day was always going to be difficult as although the rain showers were few and far between, the wind gusting at 30mph, coupled with some pegs on a high bank, while others were tucked away in the reeds, made things hard for those taking part.

Winner on the day was Chris Copeland, who put together a nice bag of small roach and one chublet for 4lbs 6oz, tempted on big maggot bait using a whip at 8mtrs.

Peter Stradwick fished a small cage feeder cast to the far bank to catch a large eel and several roach to claim second with 2lbs 13oz, with third place being shared between Patrick Newman and Peter Gabbitas, each with 1lb 13oz apiece, Peter cursing his luck as a tench hooked late on managed to evade capture and most probably cost him first place. That's fishing for you!

Eagerly awaited is next weekend’s trip to the Pevensey Haven for the third round of the Marsh Shield and the final of this years Knockout Cup. We imagine those involved will not sleep on Saturday night due to the excitement!

 

Sunday 4th August 2019, Roy Andrews Memorial

Venue: Marle Green

Carp were the order of the day on a glorious summer day with bags of sunshine and a light breeze.

Plenty of carp showed themselves on the surface and some were in the mood to feed as Peter Gabbitas it seemed, tempted most of them with his wafter bait kindly supplied by his mate Patrick Newman as Peter had only bothered to pack corn, maggots and meat! Fishing the method feeder close to the lilies at the dam end, Peter caught ten carp and sailed to victory with an impressive 38lbs to claim the trophy, well done matey.

Also on the method and fishing on his lonesome in the woods, Steve Izzard landed seven carp to claim second with 17lbs 12oz, while meanwhile, Chris Copeland at peg 4 near the brick hut, caught two carp and two skimmer bream for 12lb 6oz and third place.

 

Sunday 28th July 2019, Away Match v PACES

Venue: Hydneye Lake, Eastbourne

After heavy rain on Friday and Saturday, many platforms swims were under water and a serious weed problem in others made for a challenging day. However the day itself was lovely, with plenty of sunshine and a gentle westerly wind.

The Southdown anglers in general enjoyed themselves and took the top three places, Patrick Newman fishing at peg 8 showing everyone how to catch the bream on the feeder, to put an impressive 48lbs 6oz on the scales to claim victory.

At peg 15, Peter Stradwick again fishing the feeder, also tempted a nice bag of bream to finish in second place with 30lbs 2oz, with Peter Gabbitas following close behind in third with 29lbs.

 

Monday 22nd July 2019, Pole Cup

Venue: Pevensey Haven

It’s always a pity when the last evening match of the summer is over but what a beautiful evening. Clear blue sky, 24 degrees and a gentle breeze, with long shadows cast as the sun went down and the sound of the local church bells peeling, perfect. The river looked great too with a decent colour, little in the way of flow and good summer depth.

Usually a waggler man, at peg 6, half way along the first field, Chris Copeland used a whip at 8 metres with big maggot bait and caught small roach, rudd and skimmer bream to claim the trophy this year with 4lbs 11oz. Well done Chris.

Michael Wood at peg 11 used a pole to land a similar bag but finished just behind on 4lbs 4oz, while Gary Flint at peg 12 placed third with 3lbs 12oz.

Some competitors fished for the tench which have been showing in numbers here this summer. Two were hooked and lost, likewise a big carp also put in an appearance but not for long !

Yet another new face has joined our match scene, welcome to Bill Snow, good luck in the forthcoming competitions.

So that's it for the evenings this season, but there is still a full calendar of Sunday matches to look forward to, starting with a trip to the Hydneye this coming weekend. Places are limited and the match is already fully booked.

 

Monday 15th July 2019, 6th Round Evening Cup

Venue: Wallers Haven, Boreham Street

The match was fished in the first field thanks to excellent work carried out by Michael Wood, Steve Izzard and Peter Gabbitas who between them cleared 13 swims, Many thanks guys, a great job.

Perfect then that the13 anglers attending enjoyed the evening sunshine and most were rewarded with a good number of bites.

Positioned towards the end of the field between the rushes, Patrick Newman fished a waggler down the middle with treble maggot and gave a great performance to win the match convincingly with a number of bream for 20lbs 13oz, not bad going in just two and a half hours!

Meanwhile, half way along the field, Tony Brown used a pole and maggot to claim second place with a bream and several skimmers for 7lbs 4oz and at peg 3, Chris Copeland, fishing the waggler, placed third with 5lbs, consisting of a decent bream caught late on and several skimmers.

Patrick’s victory in this match secured his win over the six rounds of the competition and he was duly presented with the Evening Cup for this year, well done that man.

We welcome another new face to the competition scene in the form of Les Wicks, good to see you Les and tight lines in the forthcoming matches.

 

Sunday 14th July 2019, Bill Walder Trophy

Venue: Wallers Haven, Ironbridge Upstream, 2nd Field

Due to a serious weed problem the scheduled away match against Seaford at Piddinghoe Pond was cancelled, so it was therefore decided to fish for the Bill Walder trophy at Ironbridge and for a change, the match would be held in the second field, requiring a bit more of a walk to reach the swims.  

This stretch of the Wallers has been fishing really well recently, with big catches of bream and tench, so all 16 competitors were full of joy and optimism before the start.

However, five hours later as the final whistle blew, some were full of a big fat dollop of doom and gloom, possibly something to do with very few bites and a rather long hike back to the car in the blazing sunshine.

Steve Izzard drew the peg everyone wanted positioned just before the end of the second field and made the most of it. Fishing the feeder with worm or maggot bait, Steve landed a couple of bream and several skimmers to canter into first place with 14lbs 10oz.

Well done Steve !

We welcomed a new face in Wayne Wilkinson who came second, using a pole, to catch 7lbs 7oz of roach and skimmer bream. Good to meet you Wayne, you can come again.

Rod Brown snatched third with a small tench and a number of roach and skimmers for 3lbs 14oz.

Many thanks are due to Steve Izzard and Peter Gabbitas, who put in some sterling work clearing the swims several days before the match.

 

Monday 8th July 2019, 5th Round Evening Cup

Venue: Wallers Haven, Middle Bridge

Another lovely warm evening to enjoy if you like the sun, but for some reason the fish seemed to be hiding and the competitors toiled away in the heat.

Positioned half way along the first straight, Peter Stradwick choose to fish a feeder to the middle and using either worm or corn hookbait, caught a number of small skimmer bream and roach to win the match with 3lbs. Also using the feeder but with wafter bait, Chris Copeland landed several skimmers to claim second with 2lbs 1oz, while Gary Flint managed third with 1lb 5oz, consisting of an eel and several small roach and perch.

 

Sunday 7th July 2019, 1st Round Marsh Shield & Knock Out Cup

Venue: Wallers Haven, Boreham Street

An amazing match! Having pulled out peg 1 again, Rod Brown raced off to the culvert swim which produced for him a fortnight ago and he gave another stunning repeat performance. Fishing the waggler down the middle with either corn or worm as bait, he landed 45lbs 5oz of bream and cruised to victory.

Grenville Weston also fished the same peg as last time, right next to the gate at the end of the first field, catching a tench and bits on the pole for 10lbs and second place.

In third was Chris Copeland who also caught a fine tench and several skimmer bream fishing the feeder, to finish with 9lbs 4oz.

 

Monday 1st July 2019, 4th Round Evening Cup

Venue: Wallers Haven, Ironbridge Upstream

On a truly gorgeous summer evening, the fish were in the mood to play and bites plentiful.

At a peg just along from the willow tree, Chris Copeland fished a feeder to the far side lilies with wafter on the hook and after a bite less first hour, was rewarded with 5 bream for a winning weight of 15lbs 14oz.

Meanwhile, at a peg along the second straight, Phil Tichbon fished with a pole and worm on the hook to claim second place with 8lbs 5oz, his catch including a fine tench and several skimmer bream. Third place was a tie, with both Rod Brown and Peter Gabbitas weighing in 6lbs 8oz.

 

Monday 24th June 2019, 3rd Round Evening Cup

Venue: River Cuckmere, Shermans Bridge

On a rather damp and dull evening, in general the fishing matched the weather with very little in the way of excitement and competitors struggling for a consistent run of bites.

Rod Brown romped to victory with one tench and several roach and perch caught using a pole to finish with 7lbs 6oz, while brother Tony Brown snatched second place, also using a pole, to land to 2lbs 10oz of bits, just ahead of Peter Gabbitas in third with 2lbs 8oz.

The long range forecast is for a return to summer weather, so we look forward to the match at the Hydneye next Sunday and the next evening cup match at Ironbridge in a weeks time.

 

Monday 17th June 2019, 2nd Round Evening Cup

Venue: Pevensey Haven

On a glorious summers evening, it being warm with blue sky and a light breeze the fish were in the mood to feed.

Steve Izzard's recent good form continued with victory coming late on as with just half an hour to go and only several small fish in the net, his pole float shot under twice in quick succession, resulting in two tench landed and a winning weight of 8lbs 8oz.

In second place was Tony Brown who also fished with a pole and finished with a nice bag of skimmer bream, roach and perch for 5lbs. The battle for third was very close with Michael Wood just edging it by weighing in 4lbs 12oz to Patrick Newman’s 4lbs 11oz. Pat actually cursing his luck as he lost a tench late on and having landed a decent eel, found out just how slippery the blighters can be as after unhooking, it managed to wriggle free and promptly jumped back home and not into Pat's net which most probably cost him a podium position. That's eels for you.

 

Sunday 16th June 2019, Southdown Challenge Trophy

Venue: Wallers Haven, Boreham Street

The first match of the new river season kicked off in style with Rod Brown defending and retaining the trophy he won last year.

Fishing from a swim near the culvert in the second field, Rod had a great day fishing the waggler, alternating between worm and maggot on the hook and landed 8 bream and two tench to cruise to victory with 34lbs 4oz, well done Rod.

Meanwhile, positioned near the willow tree, Peter Gabbitas, fishing a feeder with worm, tempted three tench and several small roach and skimmers to claim second with 16lbs exactly and Grenville Weston positioned next to the fence just inside the second field and using a pole, caught a tench, a bream, two chunky eels and several bits to finish third with 11lbs 11oz.

All 14 competitors enjoyed plenty of bites and the weather was reasonable too, overcast, mild and breezy, perfect for bream and tench really. A great day to start the season.

 

Monday 10th June 2019, 1st Round Evening Cup

Venue: Curls Farm

Just two competitors took part in round one of this years Evening Cup and they must be commended for their gallantry.

Match Secretary Steve Izzard and Patrick (“Gripper”) Newman braved terrible conditions as the rain continued to pour down, in fact it rained all day and evening.

Special mention must go to Pat who travelled from Kent and to Steve for carrying out his duty professionally, possibly fearing (or hoping!) that no one else would show up. Well done guys.

Both anglers were rewarded with three carp apiece and tied with 21lbs each, rather fitting that no one won outright. All the fish fell for wafters fished with a method feeder.

After what seems like an eternity the start of the river season on the glorious 16th June is almost here, great news, The first match of the new season taking place on Sunday 16th June on the Wallers Haven at Boreham street as we compete for the Southdown Challenge Trophy. Over the years this match has fished well with bream being the order of the day, let's hope it's the same this year.

If you are planning on entering, the draw takes place at 8am, with fishing from 9am to 2pm and it’s highly likely to be a "walk off". We look forward to seeing you there.

 

Sunday 19th May 2019, Club Match

Venue: Marle Green

Again just the results, no other details given.

1st S Izzard, 27lbs

2nd T Crowdey, 25lbs

3rd P Elms, 22lbs

 

Sunday 5th May 2019, Ron Allchin Memorial

Venue: Curls Farm

Again just the results, no other details given.

1st M Wood, 52lbs

2nd R Brown, 46lbs

3rd P Gabbitas, 32lbs

 

Sunday 21st April 2019, Club Match

Venue: Marle Green

Again just the results, no other details given.

1st S Izzard, 25lb 12oz

2nd P Newman, 16lb 6oz

3rd P Elms, 9lb 13oz

 

Sunday 7th April 2019, Club Match

Venue: Curls Farm

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

1st S Izzard 51lb

2nd M Wood 32lb

3rd P Gabbitas 29lb

 

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