Will the weed be cleared before the match !

Just been having a chat with father and he says it should be good, running through the coronation channel well in Spalding, happy days! Will be doing my best to get to this one 🙂

Anyone know how this stretch of the welland has been fishing of late?

Can’t comment on its current form. I reckon it’s not been match fished since the inaugural Ivan Marks memorial match on there 7 odd years ago. And the last match on there before that is anyones guess, probably in 1975?

Anyway I went past there today whilst out and about at work and it’s GIN clear! You can see the bottom in 6-8ft of water and I ain’t joking.

Some weeding has been done although from what I could gather no swims have been cut out. The section from Deeping up to Crowland bridge has about half a dozen fishable swims in it. Past Crowland up toward Spalding looks slightly more fished.

Looks more like they’ve cut the verges to allow for off road parking to be honest.

The only places it looks like its been fished regularly is where the bozos from the Eastern Bloc have been eating their catches, two swims I stood at had so many scales on the floor it was crunching underfoot as well as the tell tale remains of their tin foil bar-beques and beer cans. Sad really.

Other than that the place was deserted I didn’t see a single sole apart from 3 old chaps who were fishing in the ‘lake’ at the gravel causeway which is a little dyke/ drain that comes off the river at Crowland – says it all really doesn’t it.

My names down but it ain’t going to be easy.

Thanks for the info pal can’t wait after reading that haha…

@manu2 wrote:

Thanks for the info pal can’t wait after reading that haha…

well I didn’t want to sound like a doom monger but it is what it is isn’t it? Us Fenland anglers didn’t nickname it the River Wellhard in the 1980’s for nothing (and that’s 30 odd years ago now).

To be honest sunday looks very overcast with a south/ south easterly wind? so if you can get pegged in a section with a bit of colour you might be having a decent days fishing if those Bream/ skimmers show up and have a feed.

Also don’t forget the ‘big’ wagglers if you’ve got any, worth a punt for the Roach/ skimmers down the middle (depending on where you’re pegged).

Considering whos memory the event is for I think we should be forced into only using ‘zoomers’ and the ‘swing tip’ 😀

I’m actually looking forwards to it.

really hope this match is a success ,i’d of love to of fished it but sadley can’t this weekend weed or no weed fish or no fish remember you are all there to show your respect to a great angler 😉 😉 😉

So it appears its going to be one of those matches then, sounds like there might be a few dry nets. Never mind I will enjoy the day whatever, it will make a change from the commercials, and maybe for once I might be the one who draws on some fish (miracles do happen).

Does anyone know what was the winning weight from this match?
Quite a few bailed out early and left including myself. No one had a bite anywhere near me..
Such a shame with near 100 peg turnout and all the hard work that went into clearing all the pegs and cutting the grass from the road down to your peg.

@manu2 wrote:

Does anyone know what was the winning weight from this match?
Quite a few bailed out early and left including myself. No one had a bite anywhere near me..
Such a shame with near 100 peg turnout and all the hard work that went into clearing all the pegs and cutting the grass from the road down to your peg.

hi manu2,
Where was you pegged mate?
I was on peg 80 up from Crowland bridge. I had 1 perch for 1.5oz and came third in section. On peg 79 was his high lordship Dickus Cleggus MBE he never had a nibble nor did 17 others in my section of 20 which was won with about 8oz, 3oz was 2nd. The section below us was won with 2oz and 1oz for 2nd.

Winning weight was around 9lbs (near the bridge?), I think there was a 7lbs and a 2lbs odd. Then it was just bits here n there. I think only 15 anglers troubled the scalesmen, well I know I did they walked a 1/4 mile just to weigh in my solitary Perch. 😀

Shame it fished as it did, easterly wind didn’t help much, clear water, river looked low to me as well despite some rain early in the week.

There was some slight flow in the main channel as I started on the waggler but the wind put paid to that early one after tangle number two. So it was spent on feeder and the bomb.

I hope they organise another just got to pick a venue at the right time, that’s the hard bit.

Yeah it was a damn shame about the crap fishing but no doubt we’ll all try again if they get another one up. And well done Banjo and all the others who managed to winkle out something in the poor sections.