Due to the Covid-19 pandemic latest lockdown, match angling has been prohibited until at least 2 December 2020. This has necessitated the postponement of the next 2 Winter League matches at Wigmore on 15th November and Monkhall on 29th November. Please let anyone that may not have seen this post know about the situation.

Our Match Secretary has managed to re-schedule these matches to the following dates:

Wigmore Pools - 6 December 2020

Monkhall Fishery - 13 December 2020

You will need to book in with Will BEFORE the match.

The remainder of the Winter League calendar is:

10 January 2021 - Spring Lea (Mallard)

24 January 2021 - Monkhall Fishery

7 February 2021 - Melverley (to be confirmed)

21 February 2021 - Spring Lea (Orfe)

7 March 2021 - Melverley (to be confirmed)

21 March 2021 - Wigmore Pools

4 April 2021 - Weston Pools (Canal)

The river is rising and more rain is forecast. The banks are now very dangerous, so our Match Secretary, Will Carr, has switched Sunday's 1st November Winter League match to Melverley Birches Pool. Draw at 0845 Hrs. If any competitors wish to have a breakfast at the Long Lane Cafe, please call Will Carr, our Match Secretary, to book one for you. ‭07903 505123

I have just beeninformed that the Cressage Club has had to shut down because there have been 4 peeople that have tested positive for Covid-19. This will initiate the Track & Trace system, so if you were in the club after last Sunday's match on 25th October, expect to hear from the T&T team. If you did not give your contact details you need to self-isolate for 10 days.

I am informed that as long as social distancing was maintained and that nobody was facing anyone in the club for a continuous period of 15 minutes or more, there is very little chance of the virus being transmitted. But please take heed of the requirement to self-isolate, even if you have no symptoms, to ensure that you don't further spread the thing.

Not sure what effect this will have on the match planned for Sunday 1st November, so watch this website for updates.

The river had been way up during the week prior to this match, but was falling from a level of 1.3m at the start of the match. But this extra water must have included some "Welsh water" from the dams because fish were hard to locate. Eventual winner was league leader Jason Owen from peg 18 with a barbel and a couple of chub for just 12 Lbs 2 Ozs. Second from peg 78 was Graham Jones with 10 Lbs exactly and third was Steve Boyd from peg 114 with 9 Lbs exactly. This means that the winner of the league will come down to the 10th and final match on 25th October, which is also our Pairs match. Jason looks as if he's within touching distance, but either Paul Styche or Paul Harrison could still sneak it. Read the result here! For the current positions, click on the link.

Match 9 - 11 Oct 20.pdf (38.73 kb)

Sunday 27th September dawned bright and sunny. Just a last gasp of summer before the autumn is upon us. This was our second float only match and proved to be an absolute winner for our Match Secretary, Will Carr. Drawing his favorite peg 27 and after losing a "dog" chub at the net, he then proceeded to wipe the floor with the rest of us, putting an all chub catch of 62 Lbs 7 Ozs on the scales; the best match weight so far this year. It just goes to show that the feeder does not always work best. Second was Mike Woolvine from peg 88 with a mixed chub and barbel catch of 28 Lbs and third was Pete Owen from peg 107 with a chub net of 15 Lbs. For the complete result click on the link.

Match 8 - float only - 27 Sep 20.pdf (36.64 kb)

On a windy, dry and sunny day with the river looking a nice colour and at a more normal level, things were looking good for this 7th round of our Summer League. Canny anglers Jason Owen, Paul Stych and Tony Kilmister opted to fish the float and finished in 1st, 2nd and 3rd spots as a result. Bringing up 4th place was Dennis Carr- well done Dennis mate! Jason fished peg 88 for a weight of 22 Lbs 10 Ozs, Paul had 13 Lbs 4 Ozs and Tony exactly 10 Lbs, narrowly pushing Dennis into 4th place with 9 Lbs 10 Ozs. This was a better result than those of late, so it looks like sport is improving. The 8th round is a float only, so should sort the men from the boys and with weights like last time, there's everything to fish for. Click on the link for the full result.

Match - 7 2020.pdf (34.65 kb)

As members of Cressage Club, LAS members must take note of the following urgent message:

Can you let all of the LAS members who use the cressage club after their fishing matches of the following updates please:

With effect from today the following changes have had to be made in accordance with Government advice and policy

• Anyone entering the Cressage club building MUST wear a face mask until they are sitting down at a table
• Anyone entering the building must register their name on the signing in sheet. if they are a non Member (or an LAS member, they must also leave a contact number
• Once seated face masks can be removed, however they must be put back on when using the toilet facilities, when ordering drinks, when leaving the building, playing pool etc
• The Steward will bring ordered drinks to the table rather then have everyone standing by the bar
• No more then 6 people can sit together
• The Club will be open from 5pm Monday to Friday, 12:00 on Saturday and Sunday
• The Club will close at 10pm prompt. Last orders must be placed by 9:30 pm, no further drinks will be served after this time

Many thanks

Dave

The river had been up over 7 feet in the days leading up to the 6th round of the Summer League 2020, but by 30th August had run off nicely and was still dropping. However, the fish didn't seem to know the rules, as weights were low at the end of the day. Steve Oliver showed us the way home with a net of two barbel for 17 Lbs from peg 25 - and he lost another two! Second, with just 6 Lbs 2 Ozs from peg 3, was Ken Arnold and third from peg 118 with a weight of 5 Lbs 8 Ozs was Paul Stych. This means that with 4 matches to go, Paul Harrison now has a nine point lead on 37 over 2nd placed Clive Biddulph on 28 and there is a 3 way tie for third with Jason Owen, Paul Stych and Ken Arnold on 27 points. For the full result, click on the link.

Don't forget, it's the Big One tomorrow and pools are doubled at £20 in the usual envelope please.

Match 6 - 30 Aug 20.pdf (35.39 kb)

Member Vince Pickup always fancied catching a barbel on float tackle. So, he tried his luck on peg 102 this week with just a 4 Lbs hook length under a stick float with a small piece of meat loaded to a size 14 hook. Little did he realise that the fish usually run big here and he connected with this beautiful fish which Vince says weighed in "...at just over 10 Lbs!" Well, probably like many more members out there, I'm still waiting to land my first double figure barbel, so I'm extremely envious of Vince having managed it on very light float tackle! Well done mate, you thoroughly deserved that fish.

Adam Green, a member for over 20 years, finally has caught a "double." Here he tells the story.....

Let me take you back to when I was around 8 years old and my grandad hooked a huge barbel by Cressage bridge on a lump of meat and a drilled bullet, I rushed down the bank with the net and being so keen to land it jabbed at it too early, it turned, stripped the old Mitchell 300 and was never seen again... Well today I can finally say I’ve seen the like again. This fish has took me the best part of 20 years to catch when I rejoined Leighton after grandad died and I’m just absolutely overjoyed. It took me a good 20 minutes battle on quite light tackle, on a single 6mm pellet under a nearside willow and at one point it was stuck fast in weed which by the grace of god it managed to free itself from. One turn by the net and heart in mouth it was there. 10lb 6oz! I’ve always wondered and waited for the feeling of catching that first double figure barbel and now I know!