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Showing posts with the label Match Fishing Scene (MFS)

MFS - Stafford Moor - Silvers Festival, 1st March 2019

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Now the final day of the festival is a leveller for all of our skill groups. We would no longer be fishing our section as we had completed the lake rotation. I had managed to get into the 3rd group, so one up from the numpties. Today was also a special day for Big Ben, it was his 40th birthday so we all sung Happy Birthday and Jo had kindly got him a lovely cake and some balloons... they never went to the peg with him... The Draw Which lake would we be on? Well Clive W drew for us as I had been banned from drawing and we would be back on Beatties. Not too bad I thought and herbie had removed peg 6 as it simply did not fish that well during the week. So I ended up still in the shallow area again, this time on Peg 8! Set-Up Pole at 14.5 metres to the island Pole top two and two on my left Waggler to fish towards the break between Beatties and Tanners Feeder rod as the island was too much a target not to fish All-In Cupped in two balls of groundbait with chopped worm

MFS - Stafford Moor - Silvers Festival, 28th February 2019

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Everyone survived the Curry night with just about everyone on the festival attending. No naan breads on John Beesley’s head, 76 Trombones challenged the chefs to cook him their hottest curry (silly boy) and Darren Fisher (cannot draw for toffee) tried his first cu rry dish! The Draw Beatties today, a lake we have never fished in the silvers festival and it had been throwing up some mixed weights. It was clear though that nobody wanted the shallow end pegs 6 or 7. So, there was no surprise for me to be sat on peg 6, at least I had Alan Mac as my neighbour. Setup I seemed to be following Jamie Howarth around drawing his pegs. He told me not to even bother with the pole as it was just too shallow and to grab my wellies as it would be easier to sit in the water to clear the cast from the trees. So it ended up quite a simple set-up, one waggler rod and one feeder rod. Waggler was plumbed up in the deeper water at around 20 metres. The feeder rod I search around and found dee

MFS - Stafford Moor - Silvers Festival, 27th February 2019

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Now I’m not doing very well in the competition, two days in and I’m most definitely earning my division 4 ranking! Today I’d be on the lake that is my nemesis, Woodpecker and I was hoping for a good draw. The Draw So I decided to take the final peg in the bag today and I ended up with Woodpecker Peg 12 with Big Ben and Richie Farrow for neighbours. The masked bandit Rob A a little further up the way. Set-up The weather was bright sunshine, very little wind and flat calm on the water so perfect for the waggler and pole. Waggler would be fished between 16 and 20 metres, pole lines were: + 8 metre pole lines – groundbait on the left line and pellet on the right line + Margin line on the left – slop worm and groundbait All-in After chatting with Chris Martin who mentioned that he had some proper bream close in towards the end of yesterdays match I decided to drop three balls of groundbait on the left hand line. The right pole line just a small nugget of micro pellets, stead

MFS - Stafford Moor - Silvers Festival, 26th February 2019

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The lake rotation for my section meant that we would be on Pines today. Again the MFS massive gathered in the tackle shop ready for the draw. The Draw Peg 5, the bridge peg for me today. Jamie Howarth won the lake from here yesterday fishing just off the bridge, so no pressure at all ;-) Neighbours for the day, Big Nige on the left side of the bridge and Pete Merce on my right. Set-up Pole lines Across about 2 metres from the bank To the bridge above the middle stanchion To the bridge below the middle stanchion Inside margin line to the bridge The bridge lines where deep at almost a top two and with the wind blowing quite strongly I opted for a 1 gram rig. Bait was Pellets, caster, worm and maggots. All-In Today I decided that negative feeding would be the way forward so kicked off the far bank swim with a small nugget of chopped worm and the bridge swim a small amount of micro pellet starting with a dead red on the hook. The first hour I put a few fish in the

MFS - Stafford Moor - Silvers Festival, 25th February 2019

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With the arrival of 2019 another visit to Stafford Moor for the MFS silvers festival comes around. Organised by Herbie, our intrepid leader supported by Kenfish and Hathers. I had arrived early on the Saturday morning having suffered some sleepless nights in excitement for the week ahead and had some opportunity to practise on both Woodpecker and Pines. Over the weekend the weather report was shaping up for a cracking week considering 2018 we suffered from the “beast from the east” this week promised to be totally the opposite and around a 20-25 degree C difference in temperature! Monday morning soon came around and we all gathered at the JoOp, “the tackle shop with everything” ready for the start of the MFS Stafford Moors Silvers. The Draw Today would be an open draw across all the lakes, Woodpecker, Tanners, Pines and a new addition for this year Beatties (the specimen lake). It would also determine the section we would be fishing in for the next 4 days. Tanners and Pe

MFS - HillBilly Pairs, The Glebe, 23rd June 2018

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A very quite night in Bosworth and a cheeky curry with the lads.  The sunshine had definitely taken its toll on me.  A couple of pints and that was me done for the night and my lovely windowless room in the Bosworth Hotel beckoned. The Draw Peg 2 on Pool 1.  I've been here before last year on the Munkees vs Shandies match.  Very pleased with the draw. Set-up Even though I'd been on the peg before I decided not to fish the feeder across, instead I opted for a bomb rod to fish 3/4 over pinging pellets and to back it up the pellet waggler. Pole lines as yesterday, 5 metre corn line and right hand margin line. All-In Given Neil's start yesterday on Pool 6 on the 5 metre line I decided to drop on that line first to try to snare an early few fish meantime pinging a couple of 8mm pellets over my pellet waggler and bomb line. Well after 20 minutes nothing at all was happening, so it was onto the bomb and pellet line where I started to catch from the first put it.  Bi

MFS - HillBilly Pairs, The Glebe, 22nd June 2018

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Peg 90, Pool 6 Neil, owner and general great bloke from Hillbilly Floats , very kindly sponsors the aptly named HillBilly Pairs event at Roy Marlow's Glebe fishery in Peckleton. 48 anglers descend for the two day event where mystery pairs partners are picked at random to battle it out for the title. The draw for the pairs is always full of banter.  My partner for the weekend would be Herbie, our great leader of MFS! The Draw Pool 6, Peg 90 with Ruddy and Neil as neighbours, it would be a battle for the golden nuggets.  Not forgetting Les H who was further down Pool 6 on the end peg.  Today could turn out quite expensive! Set-up Very simple today. Feeder clipped up to the far bank which could if required be changed to bomb / pellet Pellet waggler clipped up to the far bank also Pole line at 5 metres Pole line on the right hand margin  The sausage roll king! On the menu for the fish, sweetcorn, hemp, dead red maggots, 6mm and 8mm pellets together with some do

MFS - Boddingtons Reservoir - Silvers, 15th April 2018

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Back to Boddingtons Reservoir after the success of last year’s match here. The weather had taken a turn for the better on the Saturday with lovely sunshine, could spring actually be springing? Well, we all arrived to grey skies a high water level and quite windy conditions. This year’s match was already looking decidedly different to the sunshine, sunscreen and sunburn of 2017. The Draw Brian was our match organiser today as Hathers hadn’t confirmed his calendar with number 1 wife and couldn’t risk the long journey time. Good job you did mate as the car journey home was a nightmare! Out of the hat came peg 44. Last year I was on peg 43! Again it’s the higher numbers you really want however I had a good group of neighbours with Herbie, Shedders and a little bit further away Rick, Les and Jaapster. Set-up Did I mention it was pretty windy? Well the first item out of the rod bag was my mini bomb/feeder rod setup helicopter style followed by the waggler rod. Depth on the w

MFS - Stafford Moor - Silvers Festival, 28th February 2018

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The third day of the festival and the beast from the east was closing in on us fast.  Herbie had taken a measured decision that today would be our final day as the weather forecast for tomorrow could see us snowed in at Stafford Moor.  Now we had plenty of beer and food to last but it was definitely the right decision given the conditions.  After all we still had curry night to enjoy too. Today I'd be on Tanners and was really hoping for a draw on the lawns, not too far from the comfort of the lodge. Again the lakes had frozen lids on them so it was going to be a tough one. The Draw Peg 17 on Tanner would be my home for the day.  This is directly opposite the lodge, not quite next to it as I'd hoped.  I'd have Rob A and Silvers for company. Pete Bailey had drawn 18 and once he saw the lake he quite rightly said he was off home! Set-up The wind was really gusting so today was most definitely a rod only day.  The bonus of the wind was that it would shift the ice

MFS - Stafford Moor - Silvers Festival, 27th February 2018

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Ice, ice baby! We were greeted to the second day with ice on the lakes and a very cold easterly wind.  The beast from the east was heading our way that was for sure. Animal was heading down for the night and he was cooking for us too, bonus!  Yesterday was a tough day for all with Captain and Col Merce leading the festival so far. Today it was our turn for Pines that mostly had a thick ice lid on top of it!  Negative feeding would be the order of the day.  I was also up against Big Nige in today's knock out. The Draw Well at least I'm not on Woodpeckers!  Peg 3 would be my home for the day however before I could even set up it was time to break out the ice breaker.  Luckily Peg 3 I was able to access from both banks so could break the ice across the lake. It took an hour of effort however I was rewarded with a lovely clear wide channel to fish.  My neighbour was John Nugent one of the new ASBO's. Set-up Pole setup today as I was guarded from the wind by the

MFS - Stafford Moor - Silvers Festival, 26th February 2018

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Day 1 of the festival and a great night in the Lodge of Plenty with spirits high even though the weather wasn't looking it's best and set to get worse! Everyone gathered at the Tackle shop, Kenfish doing a great job of collecting the pools money and organising the rabble, then it was our leaders turn, Herbie.  But of course before he could speak a rousing welcome of, "Herbie is our leader, la, la, la, la" was sung in his honour. The Draw Please not Woodpecker was my thought having spent two very fruitless days on there already.  The peg came out of the bag, it was red which meant Woodpecker again!  This time I'd be again on the high back although peg 17 in the corner which was a bit more sheltered from the wind. Neighbours for the day, Chris Martin and Pete Bailey.  I mentioned to Pete I don't mind seeing him, but not on the next peg!  At least I could observe his angling approach I thought to myself. Set-up I was not going to make yesterdays mista