" BIRTHDAY BOY "

I have fished with this guy Stephen Tideswell for some eighteen months or so, and he has become a very good friend since ,but having said that if he keeps catching fish of this quality he could very soon become my enemy!
Steve with his "17lbs 8oz fish"

It was Steve's! Birthday last Monday and we had both fished the day before in a local poppy day event Neither one of us won anything. However Steve wanted to go again the following day so he gave me a call later that evening and told me he was thinking of going to Fields farm, in Cheshire in the morning.
                                                                                
Although I was knackered from the day before I suggested I would go with him, so we arranged to meet at around  ten o clock at the fishery.                                                                       


The weather had taken a turn for the worse and where we were deciding to fish wasn't the most comfortable of places to say the least with a cold wind in our faces, and black clouds over our heads I wasn't really excited about the prospects. Never the less there was a calm spot a couple of pegs to my right behind an island and I decided to fish there. Steve had fished there previously and didn't do very well until he moved to deeper water.

However I was optimistic how wrong I was all I caught was Roach and perch while Steve braved the elements on the deeper pegs and was catching quality fish., I had intended to fish on the Island with a method feeder, if I couldn't catch anything decent but I forgot to change my reel over the night before with my heavier line on for Carp, so it was pointless otherwise I would be losing a great deal of tackle and I don't like doing that.

"Never the less not making excuses" but I don't seem to get a great deal of pleasure out of returning fish to the water immediately, having said that I was pleased for Steve because he doesn't have the opportunity to go fishing as often as me. Anyway I chose to pack up early and watch Steve not something I make a habit of doing but on this occasion it was worth it, because he had just switched to the method feeder and caught a carp about six or seven pounds.

Then he suggested to me that he was thinking of making a cast to the island where I had been fishing, so I said go on have a chuck to the island I have packed up! so he did and the end result was three more carp the best of them being the one in the picture, which was also the last fish he caught.

whilst he was packing his gear away he made one last cast into My swim! against the Island and handed me his rod saying I want you to get one so! I held the rod and guess what when It seemed that I wasn't going to catch one I reeled in and low and behold there was no bait on.

He then said with a wry smile have you been fishing with no bait on?

Well next time mate if you chuck your baited rod into my swim again, I shall be ready with the scissors don't you worry Ha! Ha!

 

Another nice catch by Steve close on 70lbs this particular day I had a similar catch but was camera shy !



                                                     

  "  Happy Birthday to you too"    

                                                            

" THE OLD CODGERS "

"A CREWE TO BEAT" "

A fortnight ago I had the privilege to fish with some very good mates from the past! in a team challenge event which was co/ organised by a bunch of anglers from Middlewhich and Crewe Cheshire. "You might recognise some of them in the picture"

The venue was to be Oak Hanger fishery near Crewe this was a local water for me and is on my doorstep, a fishery I new something about having pleasure  fished it on a number of occasions. So you can imagine I was really looking forward to it.

It was a brilliant day out the weather was favourable and I thought that big weights would be on the cards, however this was not to be as top rod only needed 30lbs, never the less I think that considering it is almost the equivalent to a commercial fishery with quite large numbers of carp to be caught.
I personally wouldn't consider it to be a fair team venue but having said that, as it turned out the match was appropriately arranged as a points match with points allocated to section placings etc:It was a very close affair with our side taking the spoils by four points.

Of course the point I am making is that I fished with "the winning side Middlewhich" otherwise I would not be writing this article!!. However I was pleased with my draw and expected to catch more than I did which was 11lbs in total four carp and a skimmer Bream two on pole and three carp on pellet waggler.

Although the Crewe lads had the individual winner in their squad we had second individual in ours, who is second from the left in the picture and I believe the oldest man in the match ,"well done Tim"  it just goes to show that age has no barrier when it comes to experience! "having said that it does in my experience" seriously though, I was pleased with my efforts and  believe it was a reasonable contribution to the team and in my view didn't let them down!! 


All in all it was a friendly pleasant affair with no complaints and a very memorable day out, I will look forward to hopefully! fishing with the Middlewhich lads again in the near future. 



The team from left to right front row.


Derek,  Tim,( captain Yogi ) me , Sam, Neil,
                    
The two hiding in the back row Jeff, and Roy.
Incidentally! I haven't mentioned second names in case I spell their names wrong!
Their was nine Anglers in each side you will probably only be able to count eight but one of our lads was camera shy! and scarpered before we could catch him.


"We are the champions"          tight lines......................................