Lewy's Lines

After signing up for a match through the Matchfishing Scene web forum  at Tunnel Barn Farm Fisheries  and having never been to Tunnel Barn Farm I decided that I needed to have some practise there. So I booked in for the weekend of April 16th and 17th, gave Mark a call to see if he wanted come along too. We both arrived on Saturday morning at around 6:45am and had a stroll around House Pool, the first pool you come across when you arrive. The complex at first seemed smaller than I first imagined.  So off to the tackle shop where we met Les.  He recommended that we fish House Pool of Pegs 29, 30 or 31.  So we selected Pegs 30 and 31. Bait consisted of Tunnel Barn Farm own feed pellets, red and white maggots, corn, hemp, luncheon meat and the trusty worm, together with hooker jelly pellets. This weekend was a chance for Mark to really try out Pole fishing. The Saturday Session I selected a long line in front of a patch of lush reeds, a 5m line in the channel and a margin li

Heading back to Rookery Waters we decided to fish Rook Water after Mark had previous success with some early season Tench. We both decided to fish on the right hand side of the lake at pegs 24 & 25 . The weather was pretty cold and a chilled wind soon started to blow across our pegs.  I hooked a nice ghost carp of about 2lb from the off, followed by a roach. Mark was having trouble keeping his waggler in the swim and took an early decision to move to the opposite corner of the lake, peg 16.  I decided to try and fish out my chosen swim and soon switched to the feeder.  The fish turned on and I landed three carp in quick sucession.  The action died, and now Mark was consistently getting fish on the feeder.  His choice to move was a good one! I was landing one fish to every couple that Mark was getting.  Our banter/abuse continued via mobile phone. I decided to drop in my margin rig with a piece of corn.  The float bobbed and I landed a nice roach of around 10o

Second visit to Lawn Farm Fisheries .  After reviewing the match results Mark and I decided to fish Cherry Tree lake that we had fished before, but different swims. Basically another action packed day.  This fishery is alive with chub, carp and roach.  Mark managed to winkle out the better quality carp by fishing tight to the island with a feeder, while my session consisted of two decent carp and the rest chub and roach. The weather was really good, cold start, but it soon warmed up. All baits were catching, dead maggots, worm, pellets and hair rigged paste. I started on the pole and Mark on the waggler.  We both soon switched to the feeder as the bites were fast and furious.  It was that mad that we even had fish on before the feeder had chance to settle.  It's an amazing feeling to cast the feeder out and as the rod tip is submerged to sink the line the tip just pulls round... fish on! Again it seemed as if we were dominating the pond, with other anglers catching, but

I had been watching a Bob Nudd video and at the same time, Mark had heard about Rookery Waters in the village of Pidley.  So we decided to fish Magpie Lake at Rookery Waters . There are three lakes at Rookery Waters, Rook, Magpie and Jay.  After speaking to the owner the night before we were told there was a small match on Magpie but we could still fish it, so pegs 9 & 10 were selected, again with an island to fish to. We arrived at first light, paid for our ticket in the honesty box and set off to the pegs.  It was pretty cold and the pegs we had selected were facing the wind, which was not the best omen... Again, I chose to use the pole as my main line of attack and Mark went for the two rod option, Carp Rod on buzzer and waggler approach. The going was very slow to start with very little coming on the short pole line.  Infact it took about an hour to get the first fish, a little roach.  Mark wasn't having much luck either... that was until his carp road went of

For Satuday, Mark and I decided to try Weston Lakes just outside Peakirk in Peterborough. We arrived at around first light, but had difficulty finding the lake.  Turns out it is behind a large house on Thorney Road, just as your leaving the village of Peakirk, indicated by the red circle.  What a great looking lake/large pond, would love to have this behind my house. We fished adjacent swims indicate on the map.  My swim had an underwater hazard of a lilly bed which wasn't showing yet!!! Approach for the day for me was pole, Mark went for waggler and method feeder. It was a beautiful day and the big winter jackets came off, I even got a bit of sun burn to boot.  I never took the camera out which was a mistake, sorry. Very early in the session I opted to use Daiwa Hydro Blue (5-8 rating)... big mistake!  I hooked a couple of roach on pellet and then the float buried and I was into something decent.  This is where my lack of local knowledge and the submerged lilly bed c

Took the day off work and decided to head up to Cambridge from London for a weekend fishing with matey (Mark). On the way up I chose to visit Manor Farm Fisheries in Biggleswade and tackle the Blunham Lake, one that I've not tried before. Choice of attack for the session was the Pole and Feeder, here is the set up. The lake was pretty still, wind wasn't up and it kept on threatening to rain.  The pole line was 10 metres out where the depth was around 6 feet. The pole line didn't produce anything other than roach.  While fishing I noticed that there was bigger fish crashing out towards the middle of the lake. I was the only person fishing the lake all day, so after spotting this activity I took out the feeder rod, 6lb mainline with 4lb hooklength of about 18" to a size 14 and put a nice juicey worm on the hook. Casting to the commotion it took around 20 minutes before the tip wrapped round and I connected with something a little larger than the roach I&

Although Manor Farm in Biggleswade could be classed as a commercial fishery, the lakes we fished were a lot bigger and more natural in appearance. A fishery that my mate Mark had heard a lot about was Lawn Farm Fisheries  near Cambourne, Cambridge, which is more like your typical commercial fishery. Mark and I flip a coin for swim choice, I win and pick the swim indicated on the map.  We fished Cherry Tree lake, the smaller lake on the right handside. Mark picks the swim to my right, we do like our sociable fishing and mickey taking, so here are our two respective swims in a bit more detail.. I decide to again use the pole as I can reach the island and the ledge.  In fact since buying the pole I hardly ever get the waggler rod out, which I must sort out as I do miss launching a float with a rod and reel. Baits for the day, hemp as feed, micro pellet, white and red maggots, corn and new to me, banded pellets. Mark's swim to the right of me took advantage of the island to