Barston Masters, Barston, Saturday 15th August 2020

Good drive up, only one slight moment of stress, opening the restaurant door in the clubhouse to see it deserted and kitted out for a wedding - had I messed up and was going to go hungry - no, panic over, breakfast being served in the bar, so that saved me having a magnum from the ice cream fridge in the pro-shop for breakfast.

Nigel and his misses did the rolling draw and I ended up on 71, on the dam end of the lake and a first for me being that far down the lake.

I had come prepared to fish for the small skimmers should it be necessary, after my experience a couple of weeks ago, but.... there were loads of carp moving, so I managed to convince myself that I would need carp to qualify.  The peg is narrow and the footpath is right behind, so I didn't fancy shipping a pole back across the path and then be stressing about the cyclists and walkers, that meant I had the waggler as my main line of attack, with a method and a bomb to fish the same area as the 8mm pellets were landing.

I saw a couple of fish swirl close in, so I did set a margin pole up, to fish the RH edge and to fish at 6m.

Not much more to say, a big mistake, I never had a bite on the waggler, the bomb or the method, the fish disappeared after the start and never came back.  I managed a F1 and a few skimmers on 6mm pellet when I had a look on the pole, the guy to my right fished GB, squatts and maggots to win the section with 43lb, well done, I was completely turned from my plan by the sight of so many carp....

Didn't get a picture of the weighboard, I was in the van before the scales turned up......  No one to blame except myself, should have fished for skimmers from start to finish.

1st Daz Daz Staley  146.8 lb

2nd Adam Rose 115lb

3rd Rob Upex 87.2lb

sections

1 RobUpex   87.2lb

2 DanCoss and Richie Edmunds 50.14lb

3 DarrenCox 55.4lb

4 Steve Beard 62.6

5 Andy Leathers 71lb

6 Dave Boyle 43.6lb

7 Chris Vandervleit 35lb

8 Daz Stayley 146.8 lb

England Ladies Fundraiser, Barston Lakes, Tuesday 28th July 2020

The annual fund raiser organised by Julie Abbott for the England Ladies team, usually a good match with a raffle and a beer after, but the current situation meant there was no raffle.

Travelled up with Tony, first time travelling since the lockdown started, bit of a palaver in the restaurant at Barston, had to download an app to order breakfast, it was easy enough once the app downloaded and a decent breakfast.

Draw saw me on 101, not many good vibes about it, I had come pretty much prepared to fish for skimmers and this just reinforced the decision.  Got a text asking what peg I was on and then promptly got a reply....

I set up a method feeder and a cage feeder and a couple of pole rigs, one to fish banded pellet and one for corn, soft pellet or worm.  The tow was pretty strong, I had a 0.5g rig on, but was going to step up too 0.8g if required.  I fed the skimmer lines at 13m, didn't go further as the wind was forecast to get heavier.  I chucked a method a bout 60 yards for 10 minutes whist the skimmer lines settled, not even a liner.

Started on the pellet line and it was worryingly inactive, switched to the corn line and had a couple of fish, but they weren't queuing up for it.  I wondered about the presentation and tried the cage feeder with corn/micros and a little bit of GB at 25m.  3 quick skimmers - not big ones and then nothing, that was  pattern emerging.....

I swapped round between the pellet line and the corn, but I was really struggling, with 90 minutes to go, I decided to try and get some bites,  I fed a line at 8m with GB and maggots, it was a like switching a switch on, I had a palm sized skimmer every put in, had I done this earlier, I may well have troubled the section, but it was the right decision, just far too late in the match.

Lets hope the matches can be back to normal next year, with a return to a bigger entry, the raffle and a beer afterwards.

Barston Bowl Saturday 20th June 2020

Barston today for the Barston Bowl, not fished this before and I didn't realise the format when I bought the ticket, its 3 hours on the feeder, three hours on the pole, no catapults.  So in for a penny....

Good drive up, the M42 was a joy..... and how often can you say that!!!

Pools paid and peg 13 was drawn for me, no idea if it was good or not, but a couple of locals passed on their wisdom as the trundled their laden trolleys past me and most of it was less than positive, but you never know...

Three feeders set up, one at 30 turns, one at 55 turns and another at 80 turns, all methods of varying description, setting up I dropped a brand new Guru hydrid feeder behind my box and it bounced straight into the lake, no change of getting back at the bottom in front of the peg is rocky.

Some GB and micro pellets prepared and then the pole to set up, in all my years of fishing the pole, I have never lost a section in the lake, to day was a first, the No6 section slid out, into the lake and disappeared, a prod round with my longest landing net handle and couldn't feel it, I carry a spare pole, so took the No6 out of there - an expensive day and the whistle was still best part of an hour away..... 

Three topkits, a shallow rig, one with a band and an identical rig with a plain hook for corn.

Started on the 55 turn feeder and in an hour had one liner and a skimmer, next hour out at 80 turns, with nothing to show for it, a couple of carp caught by peg 12, not on the feeder, he was fishing a bomb and T bag, the guy on 15 also had a carp on that - I couldn't follow suit, I had no T bags or PVA to make any.

Last hour I tried something different, bit the method off the short rod an set up a cage to fish GB/micros and corn on the hook to see if the skimmers were likely to com to the pole line. I had 12lb in the last hour - I should have fished it all three as 38lb won the section.

Onto the pole, 45 minutes before the pole match started I fed the 13m line ( I decided to just fish one line for the three hours) with GB/micros and corn, two rock hard balls so it wouldn't break up immediately.

On the start, I topped it up with a small ball of the same and dropped over it, I was getting indications and a couple of foulers, then I had a couple of decent skimmers and it went quiet, I topped up again and then had 5 decent skimmers in 5 put ins, whilst unhooking the last fish I saw a Crested Grebe diving over my bait, that seemed to put the skimmers off and I struggled to get them back.  I should have probably gone out to 16m, but it was getting windy and I wasn't sure I could.

I had a few small F1's and that was it, I heard there was a 20lb as the scales came up, knew I only had  about 15/16lb so tipped them back.  As it looks I would have improved on my 6th in section on the feeder, to 2nd on the pole, but it didn't matter, as the Bowl winner came from my section, so well done to Graham Wall.

A tough day, the weather treated us to extremes of a chilly wind, clouds, rain and a spell where the apricity was most welcome,  I enjoyed it - apart from the No6 sinking quicker than the titanic.

England Ladies Fund Raiser, Barston, Tuesday 23rd July 2019

How time flies, this annual event seems to come round quicker every year....   A match that is keenly contested, but done in a friendly and social manner.

Nice to get a ride up today with Tony, a nice straight forward drive up and a decent breakfast in the Premier Inn.  The draw queue formed and then another formed and it was the secondary queue that got it right and we had to tag on near the back, I could see most of the 50's still undrawn, so was really hopeful of being there, but no, 16 presented itself to me and Tony opposite on 109, reasonably fair sections, but not, we thought likely to win.  That said, you are only fishing for section money, so no real disadvantage.

I was given plenty of advice by the two Mark's (Poppleton & Wynne) and this had me changing my plan of fishing for skimmers, to fishing for carp. So two wagglers set up, one shallow one at depth, a lead rod to fish the bomb on the line I could ping pellets and a method set up at 55 turns.

3 topkits, a shallow rig, a 0.5g homemade diamond float for skimmers and a Malman Roob set up heavier in case the carp moved in.  Starting on the waggler I gave it nearly an hour without a bite, swapping between shallow and full depth, before trying the bomb where I had been pinging 8mm feed pellets.  Chocolate orange 8mm on the hook and it didn't take long to go round, a 3 1/2lb carp was soon netted, but that was it, not so much as another indication.  The guys to my left had had a carp or two on the method, so out to the clipped up 55 turns it went, this was where I had found a harder patch of lake bed, within 2 minutes it went round and a 7/8lber was welcomed into the net. This again on chocolate orange 8mm, with 50/50 chocolate orange micros and GB on the feeder.

I stuck this out for another hour, timing casts at 5 mins and increasing to 10 minutes, but never had so much as a liner.  Back onto the waggler and whilst there was surface tow taking the float from L to R I managed to get the depth waggler to sit reasonably still, by putting 12" of line on the deck along with the 8m pellet, I was switching between plain feed pellets and chocolate orange, both on the hook and feeding, just to try and get a reaction.  The float never moved, to have a waggler sat in the 'pnging zone' and not get so much as a liner would suggest there aren't any fish there.

I finally succumbed to the boredom of not getting any bites and had a look on the pole line, with about 2 hours to go, I'd been feeding chocolate orange micros, 6mm choc orange pellets and corn at 7 joints.  Going in with a 6mm pellet on the hook, I was getting lots of indication, but with nothing to show for it, I then had a roach and after, a razorblade skimmer, so I think the indications were small fish pecking at the pellet.  I switched to corn on the hook and waited longer for a bite, but when it cam there was a better fish on the end.

I had to keep topping up to get bites and had an enjoyable last 90 minutes catching skimmers, although it was too little too late, had I fished 'properly' for them and fished two lines, I am sure I would have been in with a chance of some section coin.  Frustrating, but I would rather understand where I went wrong, unlike some matches earlier this year when I was no wiser after as to why I hadn't caught.  If only this were available in tackle shops....

So 33lb and thanks for coming, that doesn't detract from the enjoyable day, beautiful weather, I find the while Barston experience to be fairly unique and much prefer these big lakes to snake lakes.  The main point of the day was to raise some money to help the England Ladies get to this years World Champs and that was done, there was a match at the Glebe the day before and I believe it was about £1600 over the two days.  Well done to Julie Abbott for the organisation and administration of the event, there was a raffle at the end and my luck - or lack of it - continued in the raffle, although Tony won a tin of hemp and snails....   I guess we had one bit of luck, we managed to get an ice cream from the club shop before they sold out.

Well done to Pete Bailey on taking it out with 242.04 from 54, there was also a 140 and a 132 from the 50's so it appears the fish had followed the wind down the lake.

England Ladies Fundraiser, Barston, Tuesday 17th July 2018

Was supposed to be travelling up to this one with Tony Rixon, but he couldn't make it at the last minute, a poorly dog at home, so I can empathise with that.

A decent drive up, apart from that bloody bizarre M42 where you do 60mph, come to a stop, get to 60 again, stop again and so on.... never see a reason for the bunching, except perhaps the variable speed gantry signs.

It was a shame to see the numbers supporting this match down on previous years, its a good cause as the ladies have to fund themselves in the World Championships and it's a good match, well run by Julie Abbott.

I was early into the big silver trophy that is used for the draw and wasn't too disappointed to see 56 on the ticket  It's and area that usually throws up a few fish, so hopefully I'd have a few.

Four rods set up and 2 topkits.  The rods were a 12' Titan 2000 with a 2SSG waggler, a 13' Maver Reactorlite 2 with a 4G Drennan pellet waggler, both with 6lb TDR line, to 0.17 hooklengths and a 16 PR36.  Two Daiwa Tournaments, an 11' with a Guru elasticated bomb and a 12' with an elasticated Guru hybrid feeder.  Hooklengths were 12" on the bomb and 3" on the method, both 0.20 and a 14 QM1.  Topkits had two similar rigs, one on 0.16 and a 0.14 hooklength, with a 18 LWG and a band for skimmers, the other on 0.20/0.16 with a 16 B960, again with a band, this was in case the carp moved in.

Match organiser Julie rocked up on the next peg and I was ready before she called the all-in.  I started on the pellet waggler but it took 20 minutes to get a bite, which turned out to be an F1.  In the next 40 minutes I had 2 small carp and anther F1, it wasn't hectic and Julie wasn't catching either, she'd started on the method long.

The next 3 hours were spent scratching around for bites, I kept feeding the 8mm pellets and had the occasional look on the bomb and waggler, with nothing to show for it.  I fed the pole line (I only had 7 sections out of the bag) and left it for 30 minutes, dropping in with 8mm banded pellet, I hooked a fish that took off for the middle of the lake, obviously not a skimmer, the 10 solid bottomed out and next the 0.14 hooklength parted - bugger!!   I had a 4lb bream and then a run of smaller fish, it died off pretty quickly though, so I refed and had another fish straight away, but felt that if I wanted to catch skimmers, I'd need to add sections, so back on the rod and line it was.

I started up the feed and went on the straight lead and with 90 minutes left, started to catch fish, with 40 minutes left the bites had slowed and the fish were evident on the surface, so back on the waggler and I had a few more F1's and carp - not sure if the run at the end was 100% down to me upping the feed or a combination of that and the time of day. as Julie had started catching now, including one that brought a few comments on its size (22.08 when weighed).

The match ended all too soon, as I was catching well at the end, especially given the fairly barren middle, a couple of lost fish cost me, the one on the pole and frustratingly one on the bomb, I had forgotten to move my pole from across the footpath and was playing a double figure fish under the rodtip, when an impatient looking couple were on the path, very near my pole, as I juggled to move the pole and keep in touch with the fish, it lunged and snapped the 0.20 hooklength - convinced I would have landed it had I not had to move the pole.  As it was my 121.08 was joint 3rd in section, with Julie taking second spot with 127.12, if my negative feeding was why I struggled in the middle, maybe I could have pushed section winner Mark Poppleton who had 175lb - a lot more than he admitted to!!

A couple of 200lb+ weights took first and second overall, well done to Mark Wynne and Pete Bailey, already looking forward to my next trip to Barston - whenever that will be.  Hopefully Julie raised a decent sum from the match and raffle.

England Ladies Team Fundraiser, Barston, Tuesday 25th July 2017

I had booked myself and Tony Rixon into this match ages ago and was looking forward to it, makes a nice change to get to Barston and the great fishing it can offer.

Months of anticipation were pretty much dashed at the draw, peg 95, one of the least favoured areas, but there was the section to fish for and why not try and create an upset from here.  Ages to set up, so I set up loads of kit to try and cover all the options. A 12/13' at 12' Tournament to chuck a method feeder as near to halfway as I could - I had tried to find a gravel bar, but there didn't appear to be one in any sort of reasonable casting difference.  A 10' Tournament to fish the bomb and pellet and another to fish a method shorter - no idea why, I just had the time....  I think I must have the most unused feeder and lead rods in the country, the often stay in the bag and if they do get set up, rarely do more than a few minutes work!

Two wagglers set up, one at depth (which wasn't much - less than 3') and one shallow.  3 topkits, one with 10 solid, 0.16 rig with a 0.14 hooklength and a 18 Kaizen hook, this was a wire stemmed 0.3g NG Gimp.  Another Gimp with same line and hooklength, this time with a 18 LWG tied with a band, finally, feeling optimistic, another pellet rig with 0.20 mainline and 0.16 hooklength, in case the carp moved in.

Bait tray was simple, pellets and corn, with 1kg of groundbait.  I had thought about bringing worm and caster, but decided against it. On the all-in I fed a line at 13m with GB, pellets and corn, then launched a 45g method into the middle of the lake. 5 minutes with no signs and I refilled it and had another chuck. 5 more minutes and I just had a feeling it wasn't going to go round.  I switched to the waggler at about 30m and all that brought was a missed bite and a skimmer.  Another switch, this time to the pole and corn, I had 4 or 5 skimmers on this, but then they disappeared.  I refed and went back in, it took a while, but I then had some indication that they'd come back, I finally caught another and they promptly disappeared again - this set the pattern for the rest of the match, they wouldn't settle in less than 3' of water and bright sun didn't help.

I rested the skimmer line by looking back on the waggler and had a big F1, but it was a lonesome fellow and no more bites on that.  Back on the skimmer line and by now I was reaching for some dead maggots that I had in my bag, hoping this might hold them better than pellet and corn.

I could see the odd fish moving, but a long way out, so on with the biggest pellet waggler I had and 11mm pellets fed as far as I could ping them.  First chuck and fish on, another big F1, frustratingly it was the only one, even with another 30 minutes of trying.  Back on the skimmer line and this was getting harder and harder, still giving up an odd fish, but not many.  Time to try the bomb and pellet where I had been feeding the 11mm pellets.  This brought an immediate bite and a low double was soon netted, once again, it was a false dawn, as that was the one and only bite on the lead.

I managed another couple of smaller skimmers towards the end, on the pole line, but it was hard going.  I was slightly surprised when my skimmers went 19lb and even more surprised when the 3 fish n the carp net went 20lb.  The 39lb total was enough for joint second in section, the lowest weight section - something I have grown used to!!

As the match was being paid as top two in sections, that meant I was splitting the £50 for second, so break even on the match cost, winning £25... better than a poke in the eye I suppose.  Already looking forward to next year!!

Weigh sheets below:

England Disabled Team Fund Raiser, Barston Lake, 2nd April 2017

I had been looking forward to getting back up to Barston, this time a fund raiser organised by Terry Swan, in aid of the England disabled team.  Decent run up with Tony Rixon and good breakfast at the Premier Inn.

I drew peg 45, it is on a little point where the lake overflow into the stream is, so does put you out slightly further in the lake.  Whilst I was tackling up I could see a carper on the opposite bank casting a big white thing out, then winding back in what looked like a dead seagull - I found out later that was a Spomb - I'm still none the wiser really........

I set up a method to fish about 65 yards and a bomb to fish at 30yards, a pellet waggler and two rigs, one for 14m and banded 4mm's and finally off to the LH side at 11m with GB, worm and caster.

To cut a long story short I had one roach after about 2 1/2 hours and had to walk back to the golf clubhouse to take advantage of the facilities, this let me know it was fishing hard,  when I got back I had on skimmer on a hybrid pellet feeder and a chocolate orange wafter, that was it, nothing else - an awful days fishing.

Not much else to add, a decent run back, after checking the lottery and finding that our luck was out as well, so a barren day in the van today,

Upwards and onwards, I'll try and find a match I fancy next Sunday.

England Ladies Team Fundraiser, Barston Lakes, Tuesday 26th July 2016

This was originally planned for the Glebe, but due to KHV and the Glebe being closed, Nigel at Barston stepped in and we had the whole lake for the 60 booked in, so plenty of room.  I have only been a couple of times before, but was keen to return, circumstance and opportunity stopping me getting there rather than choice.

A decent breakfast at the nearby Premier Inn and onto the draw, 53 stuck to my hand, I was advised that this was a good draw, so hopeful of a good days fishing.  We went back to the van discovered that some 'pranksters' had given it a liberal coating of Old Ghost....

Although I wasn't sure that Ken and Tony didn't have the rolled up £20 outs........

53 is a longish walk, but you can't complain about that if it's decent, so after sorting out a rod, reel and some method feeders for Tony, I was on my way.

That's the view I had for the day and the information was that there would be carp to be caught on the bomb and waggler, without chucking too far.  I set up a pellet waggler, a full depth waggler and a bomb.  A couple of topkits, one for down the edge and another with a 4x16 wire stemmed float to fish pellet at 11m.  Bait tray was simple, pellets and corn, dead maggot.  I did mix two groundbaits, one for down the edge and another for putting in with the pellets at 11m.

Starting on the bomb and pellet, I had two liners in the first half an hour (I had fed 3 balls of GB and pellet at 11m), switching to the waggler for another 20 minutes, I remained biteless and fishless - that certainly wasn't the plan.

A switch to the pole and with corn on the hook I had a few skimmers, but it wasn't hectic, a switch to banded 6mm saw the catch rate increase, but after a while I started to lose fish, not just the odd one, i was losing 3 to 1 landed at one stage.  I changed hook size, hook pattern, laid line on the deck, fished dead depth, off bottom and all to no avail.  It wasn't foulers, the fish I was landing were only just hooked in the outside edge of the top lip.

The skimmer line died off a bit and I went back onto the the waggler and had a 2lb F1, but that was a lone bite until I saw a fish roll about 10yards further out, I cast to it and soon had another F1, but that was it, no real sign of fish in the feed area.  Back on the pole and more skimmers, more hair pulling frustration at lost fish.  Going into the last couple of hours, a few carp were being caught and I remained carpless, the edge line gave me 2 perch and two big skimmers, but no carp and now the guy on 55 was catching on the pellet wag, whilst I had struggled.

With an hour to go I went back on the waggler and hooked a big fish, played it for 10 minutes and had it nearly to the net, I estimate it to be 17lb, a proper angry common, I had a few passers-by stop to watch and on the way to the net the hook pulled.........  the torrid time with losing fish continued.

A few more chucks on the waggler and nothing to show for it, when I saw a couple of big vortexes down the edge. Dropping in with 10 maggots on a 12 Guru XS - a hook I have been using for a couple of years with no problems - the float buried and I was attached to another Barston lump, this time a mirror in the high teens, when that shed the hook at the net I was completely numb, why, how?  could I lose so many fish in one match, 3 different hook patterns, two different methods.....

I managed three more from the edge before the all out and put 38lb of skimmers on the scales and 37lb of carp which was 3 F1's and 3 proper carp.  A nice days fishing, but a torrid days match fishing, I have lost enough to frame and with hindsight, I don't think I fed enough on any of my lines, although I am sure that that didn't contribute to the lost fish.  Being too negative has cost me, especially down the edge, I was trying to feed for one fish at a time, but once I upped the amount of bait, I had more fish in the edge, by then I ran out of time......

All in all a good day out, hopefully a few quid raised and I really must get back there before too long.

UK Angling Champs Qualifier, Barston, Wednesday 30th April 2013

I had booked into this match, with the thought that qualifying would be a great learning curve.  It's certainly a different venue than those I usually fish and I had to have a crash course in method feeder fishing, as this plays a big part in catches up there.

Andy Kinder had kindly given me loads of imformation on the lake and I rang him when I drew, peg 37, he tried not to be too negative as he spoke to me on the phone.  It is on the end of the island, but is a shallow peg.  I set up two method feeder rods, one to chuck to the end of the island and one to fish shorter at about 30 yards.

Two pole rigs completed the set up, one to fish pellet at 13m, another for paste.

Starting on the island feeder, it took 90 mins or so to get my first fish, a skimmer, I had a look on the short feeder line and that was totally non productive.  The 13m pole line produced a couple of small skimmers and that was going to get me nowhere (I thought) so,back onto the method by the island. At last a steady pull round and picking up the rod, I immediately knew it was a big fish, it started to move away from the island and then snagged in several lines which were hanging from the island, next thing the fish was off and the feeder was snagged into the lines.

The day didn't get much better, with no more fish on the feeder, the skimmers had gone from the pole line, so I spent the last hour fishing paste, which resulted in one 4lb bream. My 11lb odd was not last in section, but not enough to qualify..... At least thats saved a few quid and hundreds of miles going on the van odometer.

I didn't get the results, but suffice to say none of the framers were anywhere near me.