Dec 07

‘The North-West Piking Times’
NEWSLETTER OF
REGION 31 P.A.C. G.B.
SOUTH LANCASHIRE
Issue 3 -12/20007
Contents:
Newsletter Standard format Agenda:
Item
1. R/O’s Introduction
2. Meeting & Membership
3. Fish in
4. Members profile
5. Fishing photos & Catch Reports
6. Feature Article/s
7. Funny’s & Other stuff
8. Club Awards
R/O’s Introduction
Festive greetings to you one & all, for this is our Christmas edition its only about half the length of the first two newsletters however its still over 20 pages long so a pat on the back to everyone who has sent me info, much appreciated without your input I couldn’t do a newsletter at all! Our first slideshow at the November meeting was excellent, I expected nothing less from Kev Glover & I had excellent feedback from several members as he treated us to his exploits on fishing in Egypt & the Florida Keys with slide, power-point & video clips of some HUGE fish including various sharks, Goliath Grouper, Tarpon & Nile Perch. The meeting was very well attended with about 40 in total. Thanks again to Kev. I hope that early November has been more productive for you than it has for me, I had some great catches in March & April, I did well in September & did OK in October, however early November (as I write) has been slow with several blanks hopefully things will have picked up for me towards the end of the month (wishful thinking!).
Footnote I am pleased to say that catches have picked up a bit with several reports of nice fish being caught by members from mid month, including one or two caught by myself!
2 Meeting & Membership
2.1 Meeting
As stated above the meeting was very well attended & is was good to see some new faces along with some old faces from the old St Helens Region 31 days.
I will sort out a basic buffet for about 40 for the December meeting for us to enjoy at the break. I am going to start charging none members for attending slideshows, I don’t think £2 is unreasonable. I should have the membership cards ready for the next meeting.
At the next meeting we have Gary Knowles to entertain us with his fishing exploits, as most of you probably already know Gary has had some big fish including some awesome pike. All of the speakers we have lined up for the rest of the season (including myself) will have a hard act to follow from Kev’s talk. In my case going on after Kev Glover, Gary Knowles & Eric Edwards may be a little bit like the local labour club band going on stage after Oasis & the Verve etc!
2.2 Membership
Membership continues to grow & a couple more have now signed up, if you are going to join please pay your subs to Dave Cottrial our treasurer
My mate from Chester John Sands a keen piker & nice guy has confirmed that he will be joining our ranks, welcome aboard mate & I look forward to fishing with you again soon.
Here is a photo of John with a nice Welsh pike
3. Fish-in (Club Outings):
We now have three club outings under our belt as a region with about one a month planned up until March 2008. If you can please try to come along to the club outings, they are a great way to get to know other members & to pick up/share information & to see who uses what & how, how knows you may even catch a few nice fish as well as well as enjoying the social side of things, remember there is also a club outings trophy up for grabs.
Towards the end of the newsletter you will see the leader board for the club outings points table, there are still members who have not yet returned catch (or attendance) returns, please don’t forget to pass your catch return cards from the club outings to Club Outings Liaison Officer Pete Kenrick, details as follows:-
Your name if you fished
Number of fish caught
Weight of each fish (please weigh all doubles & above)
A photo of any doubles or bigger fish would be appreciated for the newsletter & the blog spot.
3RD Club outing Coniston
Coniston is a nice place to fish set in the scenic south lakes, the water is often gin clear & its one of those places the weather can change in what seems like moments. It can own you.
I travelled down on the Friday taking my uncles new boat package with me, so I got to use it before he did I must admit that most of the boats I have had I have had to modify or do up so it was great to be able to use a new (well almost new) boat, engine & trailer for a change. I had picked the boat up for him down past Plymouth the previous week testing out my new sat nav which worked a treat, the boat was owned by an old retired guy & I doubt it had ever seen the water it was all like new. There was a bit of interest in boat fishing for the Coniston event so I had arranged launching early doors before the boating centre opened so thanks to the lads at the yard for that, a tray of tinneys.
Coniston in a wild mood, these photos just don’t show how bad the weather really was!
The one thing that you cant control on such events is the weather & the weather unfortunately got the upper hand, I arrived Friday as did Ian & Mark, out in the boat I braved upto 4ft waves which were I think as much as the open-topped Shetland Dolphin of my uncles could handle. The water was well up, one of the highest I’ve ever seen the lake, this made bank access difficult with some of the favoured swims under water. Out in the boat the wind & waves had uprooted lots of weed & lots of branches off trees had come down too, these combined with the wind, rain & large waves made boat fishing a right pain in the arse at best! There were remarks that I was mad for venturing out in the boat in such foul weather however I had on both a floatation suit & life jacket & I know the lake very well so I was OK. Some of the other lads who were thinking of bringing boats decided against making the trip. Mark & Ian ventured over the East side & settled on a likely looking swim. Carl & Shaun came up from St. Helens & managed to get on one of their favourite swims unfortunately their bivvy blew in & to add insult to injury their car broke down on the way home! My sympathies to you lads. Paul Haughton joined my Friday afternoon & after dark we retired to the pub for a nice meal & a few pints. Geoff Gauton from the Cheshire region came up & boat fished Saturday. Saturday started a little better but the weather soon turned for the worse again & we got a rite good soaking in the boat. We tried all the usual good spots & a couple of the back-up ones to no avail, all I managed was to loose a fish at the boat on Friday & one dropped run on Saturday. Cookey turned up Saturday & fished the East Bank with the other lads. I had to leave Saturday night as it was the one night of the year me & the misses went out & John Woods took over from me. Mick from Ulverston came up & had a chat with the lads on the Sunday. Saturday morning head torches were out as other lads not in our gang in boats ventured out & others bank fished, two of the lads we saw early on walked round & on realising how high the water was & how open to the elements their chosen swims were decided against it & left.
The rods are out on the boat & the weather does its best to defer us!
Much as I would like to say that we all bagged up we didn’t to the best of my knowledge no one caught. The lads who decided against it & fished elsewhere by all accounts didn’t do much better with just the odd fish caught here & there. My thanks to those who turned up & braved the weather, everyone who turned up well & truly earned their 10 vital points towards the club outings league table the winner of which will pick up the club outings trophy in April at the end of this season.
My uncles 14ft Shetland Dolphin moored up with the ranger boat in the background, at a brief break in the storm, most of the jetties were under water by then!
Day out in the lakes with the PAC North lakes Region/festive fishing trip?
I have e mailed Russ from the North-Lakes region (again!) but I have heard nothing more on this as yet, so I don’t intend chasing this up again, so I suggest to anyone who is interested that we have a day somewhere localish, my suggestion would be Wyreside Lakes maybe for a bit of a social say a day on Wyreside lakes on 27TH December, if we can get 12 or more then we can negotiate a discount please let me know if you are interested & I will book us on I for one will be stuffed with turkey & mice pies by then & ready for a days fishing. The complex is a decent pike fishery & it does some nice pike to well over 20+ & it’s a convenient place to fish, swims can be booked in advance & there are facilities including a food delivery service etc. if anyone wants to overnight that can be arranged although I will only be fishing for the day. I will take names at the meeting for who wants to come along to Wireside so that I can book us one. Its not somewhere I’ve fished before so I’m looking forward to it already. To make this one a little more fun, the usual points system for club outings will apply & points will count towards your final tally on the leader-board.
Jan outing
6th JAN 08 (08:00-16:00) Market Weighton is a top venue for BIG pike so come on lads! I stole 3 of Wakefield’s trophies last year so I think the Yorkshire lads are going all guns blazing to nab the Pennines challenge trophy, there are some good anglers in the Wakey region so we have a challenge on our hands! I will issue directions etc at the December meeting. A good turnout would be appreciated.
Feb additional outing
Pete Green Wakefield R/O has laid down the gauntlet & slapped me in the face with his glove (a wet kipper) & challenged us to another lancs ‘V’ Yorks for cancer research £5 an angler to be donated to Cancer research, we are going to promote this in the press & Pikelines etc. so I would appreciate an excellent turnout from the region the venue will be Mr Kosh’s syndicate water Under bank reservoir, more details times & date to follow in due course. I’m going to invite the Manchester & Cheshire regions along for this one to fish on our side!
March outing
As previous this will be on the Leeds Liverpool Canal close to where I live in Abram, more details nearer the time.
Irish Excursion
One of the region members Ian is going to arrange this, he has Lough Ree in mind as our base, we will be going in April for a week, anyone who is genuinely interested please contact me or Ian directly. Ian is already underway with planning the trip, deposits (none returnable) will be taken at an early stage.
Next Seasons Outings
Please keep the suggestions coming in, so that by the April meeting I have something to present to you, either a list of options or venue names to draw out of the hat. If you suggest the venue I’d like you to help us co-ordinate the event.
Club Outings points system
I gave a bit of a briefing at the last meeting, the sooner you can get your pints into Pete Kendrick after the event the better, then we can publish the league table in the newsletter. I’ve printed the catch return card below for you again just incase:
Name
Venue & Date
Number of jacks (under 10lb) & aprox weight
Number of doubles 10-15lb (& weight)
Number of doubles 15.01-19.15 ( & weight)
20+ (& weight)
25+ (& weight)
30+ (& weight)
Name
Venue & Date
Number of jacks (under 10lb) & aprox weight
Number of doubles 10-15lb (& weight)
Number of doubles 15.01-19.15 ( & weight)
20+ (& weight)
25+ (& weight)
30+ (& weight)
4. Members Profile:
Name
James Dean – Assistant Regional Organiser
Age
25
Family
Girlfriend, Helen. no kids
Job
Medical engineer
Angling experience
Always been obsessed with all things fishy and have fished for most uk species , with varying degrees of success.dabbled a bit with sea fishing.
Favourite method
and venue types
Lure trolling on large windswept stillwaters.
Favourite species
and best fish
Pike of course! Best fish is a pike of 25lb. or a 40lb blue shark on 12lb line 2lb tc rod in cornwall!
‘x’ factor
No im crap at singing
Angling targets
No question a 30lb’er
Favourite drink
Brandy & coke
Favourite food
Rare sirloin steak. Or if fishing cornbeef and piccalilli butties.
Fishing vehicle
Volkswagon transporter (work van) free diesel which helps.
Interests other than fishing
Shooting , football
dislikes
All the stupid rules that govern my hobbies.
Thanks for that James & thanks for your help in running the club, much appreciated.
Introduction to your committee
As I said in last months newsletter I am getting the committee to fill in the members profile section as way of a bit of an introduction, after that I’d like members to volunteer a few details for this section.
5. Fishing Photo’s & Catch Reports:
A
Region 31 member Stu from St. Helens with a nice double from the ‘lake of Dreams’ that is Menteith. Who says all trout water pike are just short fat pigs? This one most certainly isn’t!s stated in the R/O’s introduction early November failed to produce much for me, I had a day on a Yorkshire lake where last November I had good fish to 20+, unfortunately this time round I blanked. My mate fire fighter Matt Keoh invited me upto Coniston on his boat (my old boat), we had a nice meal & a couple of pints in the pub & a half days blanking, Matt caught one jack the day before. The EA checked us & told us the water was a good 10ft up on the previous week so maybe the influx of cold water en-masse had put them off, who knows, all my usual rouses failed miserable with not a single take. Myself & Paul Houghton visited one of the big pits where we had caught a couple of fish in October, Paul managed 2 fish the best going 10, all I managed to do was miss a run, the Eel’s were still feeding I think but that’s another story. I had a half day on another big pit where I seldom fail to catch, but fail miserably this time I did! I had a day on Menteith on the lure only day (barbless lures) with the PAAS I had kinda figured on trolling lures but my boat partner was a casting lure man & I’m by no means the worlds best casting lure man, we mainly casted lures with a little trolling, my boat partner managed 5 jacks & one about 10, I managed one jack & lost 2 (one a good fish) other boats did better with many good fish caught. I hope I get another chance at the place. Menteith produced equally as well for the PAC bait & lure event which a few Region 31 members attended taking some nice fish.
Things picked up a little for me when I did a little fishing whilst on a family holiday & managed to bag 4 pike in one short afternoon session the best going 12, with others of 10+ & two both around 8-9, following it up two days after with another short session with fish of 9, 10.15 & 15, these fish were caught using a mobile approach of finding the preyfish & features with my BIC dinghy & then bank fishing said areas, enjoyable but hard work having to move around a lot & squeezing into gaps in the trees to get the rods in. I did loose what felt like a very big fish on a big bait however I guess that’s the typical fisherman’s tale of the ‘one that got away’. Paul Houghton joined me on the pit for the only full days fishing that I did & we both blanked spectacularly neither of us managing a run however we were fishing one of the more accessible areas. Some of the big pit’s I’m on are getting a right battering at the moment with pike anglers fishing them every single day of the week with some right ‘shenanigans’ & stroke pulling going on, time for pastures new (again) shortly I think. However with another 4 doubles under my belt from two short sessions I’m already over my own tally of last season’s tally of doubles (which incidentally set a new club record for the Wakefield region), but I guess comparables will only really be made on this when all entries for the Regions most doubles caught trophy come in.
R/O Jon Neafcy with a modest mid November doubles from a big pit
Personally I don’t think it has was cold enough in early November for the prey fish to shoal up tightly on some of the waters I fish, meaning you only get the odd run in each area before either another long wait or a move. At least one water I fish I am sure that the Polish taking fish (including double figure pike) has had a serious detrimental effect, the aforementioned angling pressure wont help either. As early as mid November I heard weather reports of snow but personally I never saw any.
R/O Jon Neafcy with a scraper double from a big pit
R/O Jon Neafcy with a good pike from a big pit
Incidentally the fish pictured caught by me were caught on the North-western SS6 Fibreglass rods that I have mentioned in these pages before, they are 11ft 2.5 lb test & are about 25-30 years old, which is older than some of our members! However they are still more than capable of reeling the pike in, I built a couple of these when I was just 13 years old & they used to be my prize possessions! If you haven’t seen these before or maybe you are a veteran & used to own these very rods yourself I will bring one of them along when I do my slideshow for you to have a look at.
Kev from Platt Bridge must have been taking some tips off me as has had had some blanks too!
Ian & Mark have managed some fish from a local water one going 17+ (a new P.B. for Mark – well done mate) & Ian getting a 12+, the photo of Mark’s 17 is on the front cover of the newsletter, despite reports of much bigger local fish on the piking grapevine as their have been no formal reports sent to me the 17 currently takes top slot for biggest local fish beating Steve Timmins & Paul Houghton's 16+ fish reported last month.
My mate Matt Keoh has been out on the rivers catching some Zander, Matt will be joining us in the region once he re-locates to the area he is currently posted away from home with the fire service as an instructor at their training centre. We look forward to you joining our ranks Matty mate.
Hers is Matt with a couple of River Zeds
I see that Gary Knowles has been in the angling press with his large trout water pike, well done Gary mate & we look forward to you entertaining us with your slideshow in December.
Gary from Platt Bridge Tackle & his crew have been out & about piking, here is some photos of their piking exploits. Gary runs the shop 6 days a week & Sunday is spent fishing. The smiling faces say it all, well done lads, they don’t have to be big fish that we catch & I think that we can all loose sight of what it’s all about getting bogged down chasing the next big fish & focusing on the numbers game rather than just getting out their & enjoying our fishing. Thanks very much for the photos lads & its great to see you are enjoying your fishing that afterall is what its all about.
Anglezarke Reservoir
4th November 2007
Five men, nine rods out, ten hours fishing for this small Jack.
Worth the wait though !!!
Dover Lock Canal
11th November 2007
Gary’s first of the day after only 10 minutes.
5minutes later another small Jack.
Dover Lock Canal
11th November 2007
Finally after weeks of trying, my first Pike.
May not be the biggest fish caught, but I didn’t care I’d cracked my duck !!!
My mate Andy Blunty has been out there doing a bit, taking his young lad Scott with him who caught his first pike of 5lb, well done Blunty mister junior & so another piker is born, I hope that you go on to catch as many big pike as your dad.
Young Blunty with his first pike – well done mate!
Big Blunty (Andy Dixon) is no slouch when it comes to catching big pike as anyone who knows anything about the Chester Predators or has seen their impressive photo gallery on their web-site will vouch for. Blunty managed pike to double figures on the trip with his young lad. Blunty has been out & about piking & here he is with a nice big double caught from a river on a lure. I look forward to fishing with you again soon Blunty mister (& no doubt getting another hammering on the pike catching front off you mate!)
Big Blunty with a 16+ river pike
Myself & Paul tried another pit towards the end of the month, we both caught but not the big fish we were seeking. Finally for my last session of November not to change my run of slow or blank sessions this month I tried a loalish water where I, like everyone else as it turned out has heard reports of big fish. Now I’m not generally one to chase fish that others have already caught & on this occasion I was given a reminder of why I generally do my own thing & don’t follow the crowds. I arrived about 30 minutes or so before dawn, upon 1st sight of the car-park my heart sank as already there were two vehicles parked up (which turned out to be over night pikers even though no night fishing is allowed) farther down there was another vehicle & two pikers suddenly got a sense of urgency in getting their gear out of the car when they saw me, another piker. By the time I’d parked up another two cars had arrived, the occupants being you have guessed it more pikers, just as Paul Houghton arrived a van went past with you guessed it more pikers in. The two lads in the next car to me had heard the reports of the big fish from the water but had not fished the water before & were on the lookout for information, I joked with them ‘it this the right spot for the pike match then?’ (due to their being so many pikers) they had had a walk round the day before & the place was packed out I told them if that if I’d knew so many pikers were fishing the place I wouldn’t have bothered. There are limited swims & I just knew that the majority will squeeze in somewhere rather than go elsewhere., so me, Paul & Glynie decided that it was not for us & opted for a move over the other side of the venue which can tend to be less popular (longer walk!). Myself & Paul cursed our luck as the previous Sunday afternoon we had taken a walk around the place & there was only one person fishing a match angler had we seen the hordes of pikers then we would not have decided to fish the place. We joined Kev & Neil around the other side but despite a multitude of rods no one caught, us ‘three amigos’ spotted a couple of out of the way likely looking swims over the other side & so we moved again, it turned out to be a route march to the water, having to negotiate fences styles & the like, on reaching the swims things looked good but we failed to catch. This sort of episode I was more than familiar with many years ago in the local area & that’s why I moved on, sometimes people say to me ‘you should never go back’, but I will still try the occasional local trip every now & again. By mid afternoon with the exception of one angler everyone else had gone, one official we saw said no one had caught, so that probably explains why there was no one fishing when we had a walk round mid afternoon the Sunday before. It still surprises me that people will make the effort to turn up before first light but if they don’t get any action that they will pack in before what can be one of the best times for piking just before & just after dark, although I admit that setting up & packing up in the dark can be a pain in the arse.
So to sum up for me November has been quite slow, hit & miss with the odd reasonable session & some nice doubles caught, I still don’t think it has been consistently cold enough for long enough on many of the bigger venues to bunch the bait fish up to us much chance of bagging up with the pike, so it has been more of a mobile approach for me seeking out the fish.
7. Feature Article:
‘The Secret Squirrel’s’ – by R/O Jon Neafcy
This is a short light hearted piece about the ‘Secret Squirrel’s’ amongst us & in my time I must admit to falling into this category at some point or other during my angling career. Just in-case anyone doesn’t know a ‘secret squirrel’ is an angler who in sort tells no-one anything! This can range from not telling everyone what venue your fishing (sounds fair to me if your onto a good thing) to not telling anyone what area you area of the country you are fishing or even if you are catching anything! I have often joked to Paul Houghton that I will blindfold him when I take him to one of the couple of ‘secret’ waters that I know, this is obviously said in jest, but what of the ‘secret squirrels?’ then…………….
So why be a secret Squirrel?
Well if you have put the hard work & effort in on a water do you really want everyone else fishing their? The answer to me would seem to be an obvious one NO! However if your fishing a known water with known fish in it does it really matter if the other serious anglers who are already fishing their find out what you have caught? I’d say NO it does not matter if they find out what you are catching.
Examples from my own angling experience
For some of my angling career I have fallen into the category of ‘secret squirrel’ myself just doing my own thing, not networking as much as I could & very much keeping myself to myself & not reporting my catches etc to protect my fishing, however did I miss out on some enjoyment & shared experience for mutual gain with likeminded individuals, I would most definitely say so yes. Here are a couple of examples of when I felt the need to go ‘underground’.
In my teens whilst carp fishing I was lead by an older more experienced Carper who showed me the way, we quite often kept our prize catches under raps sharing the info only with likeminded individuals for mutual gain. One guy who we were pooling information with held out on us when he was going to reel in he said he would prefer it if wise left so we didn’t see his rig & bait, the following week I had a large haul of carp going back to basics with free-lined bread-crust in the rushes when the usual bolt rigs failed to catch, the aforementioned secret squirrel came round for some info, did he get any – did he eck! His catch rate around that time plummeting. What goes around comes around!
Last year whilst fishing a large venue there was some guys fishing there, you know the type no unhooking mats, small landing nets & disregard for pike welfare in general they claimed to be seasoned pikers however I have my doubts. It soon became apparent that they were ‘peg poaching pirates’ if someone caught they came & cast in new to you or next time you visited the water they were there. On the day in question my brollie was set so that they couldn’t see my rods & my alarms were turned down on a day when they blanked I snook two nice doubles in under the radar keeping the rod tip under the water, both these were photographed using the already set up camera & tri-pod without the other anglers noticing. I also pulled off a similar ‘stunt’ with a 20+ last November from a Yorkshire water.
R/O Jon Neafcy with a 20+ pike ‘snuck in’ under the radar of other anglers (Nov 06)
Competitive Advantage
In my experience such SAS tactics can bring anglers rewards, however unless they are mega keen & have a vast knowledge of pike fishing & pike waters this is likely to be short lived success compared to the long term success of those who selectively pool knowledge with like minder individuals.
Is to name to shame?
I personally don’t name & shame waters in the media as I feel that it encourages the casual anglers to stampede to the water, often with adverse consequences not just on the quality of the fishing but often with sins such as litter appearing & in extremes loss of fishing rights.
Martin Sailsbury’s mate Mick with a large pike caught last year, Mick can be a bit of a secret squirrel you know!
Conclusion
So what would my own modest advice be? Well to pool information with other likeminded individuals who you can trust but not to be selective & not to go telling everyone everything & if someone tells you something in confidence to keep it to yourself. No matter what you do in your own fishing enjoy it, the day I stop enjoying it I will hang up my rods!
Come on lads send me an article to print up it can be on anything fishing related……………………
8. Funnies & Other Stuff
Funnies:
OK so why I have been fishing at far from my best as late I may as well share with you a time when things went wrong. Whilst launching a boat I used to own Andy Cooke was stricken by hunger pains & returned to the van to make some ham butties leaving me to launch the boat. The slipway had obviously not been used for some time it was very slippy & covered in slimy moss & add to that it was very steep, it was still coming light & I only found this out too late as the boat went onto the slipway pulling my down with it (not a slipway you could use a car on), I shouted Andy but he didn’t hear me, the trailer hit an obstruction jolting the boat, being a small boat there was no winch fitted & I had the tether rope in my hand, the result I fell letting go of the rope & the boat was gone. I ran to get a rod to cast & retrieve the boat, but I was too late. On hearing the predicament Andy found the whole situation too much & set off in hysterics even ringing a mutual mate to give him a live commentary on the event. Thanks for that Andy! Fortunately I retrieved the boat from the other side of the lake un-damaged. I guess the moral of this story apart from waiting until a more appropriate time to make a ham butty is to not become complacent no matter how experienced at boat launching you are.
Other Stuff:
I finally took the plunge & bought myself a proper heavy jerk bait rod, heavier than I have used before, I’ve coupled it with an ABU Multiplier reel instead of my usual fixed spool reels, I have been learning to cast with the kit which has been quite amusing.
WIN A DAYS FISHING WITH ERIC EDWARDS ON WINDERMERE IN HIS BOAT - £1 PER ENTRY (ENTER AS MANY TIMES AS YOU LIKE) – DRAW TO TAKE PLACE AT DECEMBER MEETING - Runner up prizes may include a small taster of some of ET’s new gear!
ALSO TO BE RAFFLED AT DECEMBERS MEETING SEVERAL FOX JERKBAITS (the ones I won in the P&P catch of the month competition)
Region Blog
I am very pleased to say that this is going from strength to strength. The members area (password protected) will make it much easier for us all to share information including that on fish-ins, newsletter etc.
Canvas Prints
As mentioned at the last meeting Stu Randle has donated a canvas print for the winner of the biggest local pike & the biggest pike, so you can have the photo of your prize catch put on canvas, also Stu has kindly donated a 3rd Canvas for the December raffle.
Name our newsletter
I forgot to bring Kev his prize for naming the newsletter so I will present these to him at the next meeting.
Fishing tackle discount
Platt Bridge Tackle have kindly confirmed a 10% discount for region members, thank-you.
Local Scene
Due to a family holiday I have misses the Wigan Flashes & the Low Hall Nature Reserve meetings however I have kept in touch with Mark Champion & Ian Wright who steer these groups. Watch this space!
Club Boat!
The club boat has not yet been booked out, I can supply anchors, oars & a life jacket if you are both a PAC member & a Region 31 member & you want to use the boat when you are going fishing. It’s too small for Coniston but if you want to book it for the Hollingworth Lake club outing in the new year or another time then let me know.
An Absolute Star
You may have heard me mention to you one of my ‘mentors’ Pete Green the man who restored my faith in the PAC Regional scene & led to me raising my head above the trench after years of seemingly solitude fishing wise, & as such is one of the people to thank for the existence of our region, Pete has served with the PAC in posts including R/O, L/O & Membership Secretary on the committee for the last 17+ years. Pete has travelled all over the country giving slideshows for no personal gain & he has also helped many a piker along the way, including helping me bag my 1st Yorkshire 20+, Pete often mans PAC stalls at events & has led many a newcomer to the sport down the right path. It is with sadness that I see Pete standing down due to ill health, I am planning to present Pete with some form of award for his years of service, I intend to do this at the Underbank outing however Pete must not know anything about this for he is a very modest man! I have contacted his assistant R/O who is happy for me to do this. All donations appreciated & my hat off to pike fishing’s gentle giant, a great angler & a good friend.
Newsletter & Slideshows:
The second newsletter was again a time consuming project for me & my thanks to everyone who contributed catch reports & the like without you the newsletter would be dull & un-interesting if it existed at all!
Please e mail me at – roregion31@blueyonder.co.uk or jon.neafcy@dhl.com with your e mail address if you have not yet received anything from me by e mail (either I don’t have your e mail or the e mail address I have for you is incorrect).
I did a slideshow for SPAG (Staffordshire Predator Anglers Group) which I think went down well, well no one fell asleep anyway which is always a good sign!
If any region members would like to do a slideshow for the region &/or other regions in the 08-09 Season then please let me know.
Currently we have two slideshows booked for next Season, if you want to do a slideshow or you know someone who will do one for us please let me know. I think it’s a great credit to the Region that 4 out of our 5 slideshows for this our first year are from current or former Region 31 members.
Return of the Mash?
Some of you may know Mike Ashcroft former leader of the ‘Chester Predators’ & captor of mega pike to a whopping 33+ , Chester predators was a small humble band of likeminded pike mad anglers it had a good web site & we had a few successful trips & in the end it basically comprised of Mike Ashcroft AKA Mashy, myself & Blunty AKA Andy Dixon. After some bad times & taking a year out Mashy is now back, welcome back mate & I look forward to fishing alongside you soon, I hope to see Mike along with some of his new recruits at our meetings & club outings.
Links with other PAC Regions
It was good to see Geoff Gorton from the Cheshire Region at our last meeting & he gave me positive feedback he may come along to one or two of our club outings, Geoff is a great & very modest angler.
Pike baits
Phil from Harry’s tackle has told me to let you know that he has got a new range of pike baits in including Lamprey when many places seem to have run out, he has got some of the dynamite & bait-box new range of flavours & he has also got some of the weird & wonderful kebab rigs etc.
Boats for Sale
With my uncle purchasing an almost new complete boat package & offering me free use in return for storing it for him both my Shetland & mine & Andy Cooke’s Dory are up for sale, both are excellent boats, both are competitively priced at £3250 OVNO each.
Here they are complete with their spec, if you are interested let me know.
Shetland 498 16.3ft double skinned (off shore cruiser with mega stable gull hull design) , 30hp Evinrude electric start, 2 berth, cooker, sink, tackle lockers, full electric pack, auxiliary engine bracket, new braked trailer, combined fishfinder/GPS, tonneau cover, rod holders & rod rests, 3 spare wheels, many extras, ready to go………………
14ft high sided Dell Quay Dory, mega stable tri-hull, double skinned & foam filled, galvanised roller coaster trailer including spare wheel & spare bearing assembly (both new) 25hp 4 stroke Tohatsu outboard 2005 model, 4hp 2s 2005 model Tohatsu auxiliary, combined Fishfinder/GPS, electric bilge pump, forward casting deck & tackle storage locker, walk through design, stainless rails, rod holders & rod rests, Windermere registered & ready to go fishing & much more…………..
9. Club Awards
Remember that you have got to be in it to win it! (AWARDS RUN 1ST MARCH – 1ST MARCH)
SO THE 1ST YEARS AWARDS RUN FROM 1ST MARCH 2007 – 1ST MARCH 2008
Entries:
I have received another entry for biggest local fish this time 17lb from Mark & as I said before it’s a new P.B. for him so well done mate. I am still hearing unconfirmed reports of bigger fish caught recently by one or two members, it would be nice to see some more entries for the club trophies & you don’t need to disclose the venue in the newsletter etc. If you are that bothered we can always alter the background so that no one finds your venue or swim. Personally I think it gets more competitive spirit going by entering the fish directly after you catch them rather than leaving it for months & sniping an entry in at the last minute for a fish caught months ago. Remember you have to formally enter your prize catch to be in with a crack at any of the Trophies. OK so I will climb down off my soap box now.
I will continue to list what’s up for grabs trophy wise
Award
Details
Club Outings Trophy
Most points from club outings league table
Biggest Pike (weight)
Speaks for itself!
Biggest Local Pike (Weight)
Within 30 mile radius of HQ
Most Doubles Caught
Speaks for its self
Pike Angler of the Year
This award will be based on contribution to the club & to pike fishing NOT just on numbers of big fish caught (votes to R/O please)
Significant Achievement
(R/O’s Award)
This award will be presented at the R/O’s discretion for any special or significant achievements
Pennines challenge trophy
South Lancashire V’s Wakefield PAC Regions annual event (trophy for biggest haul of pike by an individual)
Club Outings Points Awards
Club outings points are based on trust however all doubles should be weighed & where ever possible witnessed & a photo is always appreciated for the club archives/newsletter etc.
Fishing times will be agreed in advance, you may fish before & after these times however your fish will not count towards your points.
Criteria
Points awarded
Attending Club outing & fishing
10
‘Jack’ (under 10lb)
5
Double 10-15lb
10
Double 15.01-19.15
15
20+
25
25+
35
30+
50
All club awards will be presented at the April meeting, the winners name will be engraved on the trophy (all trophies to be returned the following year) for this our first year I have booked angling legend, Radio presenter & all round great angler Martin James to do the honours of presenting the trophies to the winners.
Please send ALL entries for club awards to me directly please include a photo.
Please e mail all details from club outings to Pete Kenrick
The club trophies – I think Garswood trophies did a good job for us (Jon)
Current pole positions from entries for club awards are as follows:
Award
Details
Club Outings Trophy
Club outings points league table to follow
Biggest Pike (weight)
26.8 R/O Jon Neafcy
Biggest Local Pike (Weight)
17 Mark Dunbar
Most Doubles Caught
To be announced after 1ST March 2008
Pike Angler of the Year
No entries passed to R/O yet please pass entries to Jon Neafcy by 1ST March 2008 (one vote per member only)
Significant Achievement
(R/O’s Award)
To be announced after 1st March 2008
Pennines challenge trophy
Event takes place 6th January 2008 at Market Weighton Canal (away venue)
Club outings ‘Leaderboard’
Gents this is not totally accurate at the moment as some members have not yet returned their attendance/catch returns to Pete Kenrick, I know several members who attended some of who caught on one or more event who name is not on here, we need to make this as accurate as possible otherwise it’s a pointless exercise, so if your name is not on here & you attended please contact Pete Kenrick directly – thank-you.
My thanks to Pete Kenrick for tacking on this task for the region
NAME
ATTENDANCE
JACK
LOW DOUBLE
HIGH DOUBLE
20+
25+
30+
POINTS
1
Jon Neafcy
2
5
1
0
0
0
0
55
2
Kristian Schofield
1
3
0
0
0
0
0
25
3
L. Connelly
2
0
0
0
0
0
0
20
4
Ian Whittaker
2
0
0
0
0
0
0
20
5
Kevin Marsh
2
0
0
0
0
0
0
20
6
Neil Stubbs
2
0
0
0
0
0
0
20
7
Karl Devlin
1
1
0
0
0
0
0
15
8
Pete Kenrick
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
10
9
Mike Towey
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
10
10
James Dean
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
10
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May I take this opportunity to wish you all a very merry Christmas & a happy new year & I hope that you catch some nice big pike too & if you are out & about fishing, I know I will be out there doing a bit then! Technically we have now been in existence for a year as we enter 2008 (even though its really just 3 months!), well statistically you can prove anything right? I hope that so far you have all enjoyed it & are glad that you joined, as R/O I am very pleased with the progress made to date & I look forward to steering the region with your help & support into 2008 & beyond, thank you all very much!
Tight Lines
Jon Neafcy
R/O Region 31 PAC GB
Wigan Piker!