| 1st | C. Scarff | 424lb 11oz |
| 2nd | S. Scarff | 375lb 11oz |
| 3rd | S. Gooderham | 346lb 2oz |
| 4th | B. Watson | 310lb 1oz |
| 5th | M. Sherwood | 296lb 11oz |
| 6th | S. Blowers | 294lb 8oz |
| 7th | A. Scarff | 254lb 13oz |
| 8th | H. Brighty | 246lb 6oz |
| 9th | R. Grimson | 231lb 10oz |
| 10th | R. Sustins | 139lb 6oz |
| 11th | B. Blowers | 117lb 14oz |
| 12th | M. Waters | 27lb 14oz |
| 13th | S. Sustins | 24lb 8oz |
| 14th | T. Rudd | 21lb 8oz |
| 15th | K. Waters (jnr) | 11lb 0oz |
| 16th | N. Thrower | 6lb 3oz |
| Total Weight | 3122lb 10oz | |
Results 2008
| 1st | S. Scarff | 37lb 5oz |
| 2nd | B. Watson | 34lb 0oz |
| 3rd | S. Gooderham | 33lb 12oz |
Here we go again. This season the plan was to be nice and kind to everyone. Then the Coconut-Chucker mocked my weight. Just remember this when the abuse starts, which is right about now. You wouldn't have it any other way. With no Wayne present (that cricket application must have been accepted) it was time to see who was up for taking the title this year. Wayne probably, he'll only need a couple of matches. With Three Bellies away watching his fellow losers, the reserves were called in to fill the (large) void. I hope he had his spider wig on at Wembley, the glare off his bonce would be enough to make defenders score in their own net! After waiting for the pellet man to arrive and Buddha to use the facilities, the match finally started at 9.15. Some of us still weren't ready. Martin was (he'd driven to his peg) and had a fish within a minute. His son was catching too. All of us had the island to fish to, so you know what tactic was being used by most. Stevo took a while to get going, he was too busy watching Martin catching. Once he found the bait they wanted wasn't the same as last year he was away. Someone will have to stand on his foot to slow him down. Or refuse to give him more hooks when he runs out. He'll probably want another feeder too after losing one at the end. Replacing that won't be quite as expensive as replacing the Chief's rod. Surely Three Bellies would have lent him his swing tip if he'd asked. The L-shaped rod didn't stop him though. He even beat the Chucker at his own game. The pools winnings should pay for a new tip ring. The Chucker did try the pole for a while, as did others when the fish moved along the far bank. Mark and Chris tried to catch shallow, but those fish have seen it all before. So Mark resorted to catching grass and Chris had to follow the Chucker to the island. The Chucker must have had a potent groundbait as the fish were bleeding from the gills! The Buddha had a little bay to cast to. The geese weren't too impressed with the feeder landing in their lap though and swam off to fight over Martin's pole. Ammo didn't have a bay, or any fish. Even the small roach were hard to find. Robyn and Neil weren't doing too well either, but they beat Ammo. As did everyone. Still, there is always next week. Speaking of which, Three Bellies will be back. The logs of this site show that someone searched for "sunbathing sheep" today which returned the picture of Three Bellies from last year in all his glory. Poor them. Get well soon Willy.
| 1st | B. Watson | 48lb 10oz |
| 2nd | S. Scarff | 33lb 12oz |
| 3rd | A. Scarff | 23lb 8oz |
This one won't linger long in the nostrils, unlike the smell in Oulton Broad. It was a quick getaway from the meeting point, it had to be. Chris felt ill after standing down-wind of last night's chicken dinner (got the excuse in early). Three Bellies returned to restore confidence in the rest of us. Sean and Sam also made their 2008 debuts. The Buddha continued his tour of facilities, both before and after the match. His sewage caused the road to collapse, resulting in a car getting stuck. Stuart took an early walk around the lake, just in time to see Three Bellies' first rat-catching cast of the season. Stuart felt he had to give some advice, but it couldn't have been very good. Or maybe its just Three Bellies? He was lucky he wasn't catching much, he had a sweat on just sitting there. So did Sean. Robyn certainly knew about it too. The shade of the trees made his peg slightly less warm. Eskimos were seen building an igloo behind him. He finally managed one fish which weighed more than the three Sweaty Bellies had. The Chucker also had a solitary fish, along with multiple bacon rolls to keep him warm. Stuck in the corner, his coconut was not much use. He had to sneak along the bank to cast at the island. There was no need to, there weren't any fish there. Just ask Chris. Five hours of sitting with the wind in your face for one bite and no fish. His performance stunk more than Oulton Broad (I would normally say Yarmouth, but its not relevant to this story). Neil had a similar day. Meanwhile, either side of the no-fish zone, Stevo and the Chief were catching. The Chief is on a hot streak. He must really need the money for a new rod. He took an early lead on everyone and just kept going. There was even time for phone calls. Not the abusive sort like Buddha makes though. Buddha had a fish before half of us had started (although Sam had one before he got to his peg!). He quickly added a second before sunning himself for the rest of the day. He could have gone and played with the geese on Florence lake. Stevo had to wait for his fish. He found them in open water. Only five fish were needed for second place. In third, somehow, was Ammo. When not hooking bushes he actually caught some fish. It was a quick burst of four carp that rocketed him up the places. Sam beat Three Bellies to leave him bottom of the pile as we take a break for a week. Good job too. Our total weight was only just bigger than the winning weight from here a week earlier. Laxley next, someone remember the poop-scoop.
Paragraphs? Whatever next! This deserves a separate paragraph, so that everyone sees it. There have been stories in the press about a pregnant man. Did no-one notice he was fishing with us on Sunday? Have a look at the photo. The taker shall remain nameless...
| 1st | A. Scarff | 16lb 2oz |
| 2nd | S. Gooderham | 15lb 2oz |
| 3rd | C. Scarff | 11lb 4oz |
Some weeks it isn't hard writing this. Things happen that have to be written about. This week was going to be a struggle, until a little bird told me a story. More on that later. First I must say I'm disappointed that no-one noticed the wit in the Journal. You can go and look now if you wish, I'm not telling you. Speaking of the Buddha (look at the Journal!) we tried to lose him by sending him to Yoxford. The bunny-killing Buddha was picked up on the lazy drive down to his favourite dumping ground. With fish on the surface and spawning in the reeds Three Bellies couldn't wait to get his socks on. Maybe a change of name, to Three Socks, is required? Three-Socks Lucius! I might come back to that one too but not today. The Chucker drew the same peg as last year, so had no excuses in knowing what to do. Chris drew next to him again, but not the same peg. It was a bit further along the bank, which didn't help as he'd forgotten the handles to his barrow. At least the grass was short. Robyn certainly enjoyed it. Never has one person sneezed so much in a match. It distracted Three Bellies, his feeder ended up in the field. Or so the photo would have you believe. It seems Three Bellies has a friend (who knew?) who wants vengance for all the Belly-bashing on here. In the interests of fairness it is only right they get to have their say. This is where the story comes in. One of our fellow anglers, lets call him R.S. to protect his identity, was having a bit of trouble with the local chavs riding motorbikes up and down outside his house. He decided to phone the boys in blue. His other half told him the number was by the phone so he rang it and asked if they could do anything to help. The reply? "You should phone the porreese" (in an oriental accent). He'd only phoned the Chinese take-away!! Is this a lesson for us all? Mess with Three Bellies and expect trouble? Will it stop the Belly-bashing, or just make it worse? I choose option B. Isn't this supposed to be a match report? People want to know what was caught. Not much is the answer. The Chief had a corner all to himself but couldn't keep up his high standards. He went from hero to zero with a last place finish. That gave Stevo a chance to close in. He had to hide his groundbait from the Buddha first though. Sean started well on the peg next to all the spawning fish. Ammo was having even more fun at the other end of the lake. His tactic for this season has caught him some fish for the second match running. Unfortunately the seven fish he had were enough to win this match. Next week should see him come unstuck. Catching carp was harder for others. Robyn didn't see one all day. Three Bellies got the floating pole out to try and find them. When he found his pole wasn't long enough he sent the top four sections out on a fish-finding expedition. Luckily his casting had improved by then and he rescued the pole with his broken rod. At the end of all that Fatman and Robyn (its too easy) tied for weight. Less take-aways needed I think. The Buddha just beat them both. Sam couldn't catch them off the top so switched to a feeder at the end and caught two in no time. There was no time to get any more though. Chris stayed on the pole and eventually found some fish for third place. The Chucker wasn't making much noise in the corner and was heading for the car as the whistle went. Gamesmanship is what it is. Second place is what he got. The top of the leaderboard is closing up nicely. Skimmers here we come.
| 1st | C. Scarff | 33lb 0oz |
| 2nd | S. Scarff | 23lb 8oz |
| 3rd | R. Sustins | 22lb 6oz |
| Pairs Winners: C. Scarff & B. Watson | 42lb 12oz | |
Finally, Chris can stop looking at the leaderboard upside-down. Why do we always get reports of how good the fishing was last week? 79lb of skimmers and a 17lb carp for the winner here while we were enjoying Laxley. I know where I'd rather be. Unfortunately for us other people also liked the look of our lake, one of which had had rather too much eel pie for breakfast. Once the pegs had been arranged around the bivvy-boys it was down to winning the first cup of the year. Chris somehow had a choice of partners for the pairs cup. He almost didn't need one. With Chief Big Belly going cold after his hot streak and Three Bellies just being Three Bellies, Chris was hoping he could have both. Robyn got Ammo in the draw and had to hope that the fish liked his red maggot approach. Stevo had the Chucker, the Buddha kept it in the family with Tony and Mark got to share his first trip to Sternfield with Sam. The Chief had brought his teas-maid to keep him and his competitors well lubricated for the usual chat across the lake. Three Bellies was hidden away from the abuse to concentrate on getting himself off the bottom of the table. More concentration needed I think. No pairs trophy for you. That let the Chief in with a shot at glory. His feeder was the largest hitting the water, but could it bring victory? Yes it could. Chris was next-door and could hear the odd fish being caught. That gave him some hope of regaining the cup from brother. Along with the numerous skimmers he was catching of course. The bonus bream was nice too. Luckily it was caught before Sandy told us to weigh any fish over 4lbs. Stevo was catching golden fish instead of skimmers on his worm. His trophy holding partner from last year got some tips on bait to improve his skimmer catching. If they had been partners this year they would be holding on to the trophy, but they weren't and they didn't. Robyn's partner Ammo had found some nice perch to go with his baitfish, then hooked something he couldn't handle. Needless to say he lost it. The Buddha had a bush to fish under and wasted his time doing so when the fish were right in front of him. Tony was in the shade, but not of the Buddha, as he beat his Team Buddha buddy. Sandwiched between Team Buddha was the Chucker. He looked relaxed sitting behind his rod, even having time to make a new friend. Mark didn't have time for that once he started on the whip. If he'd started like that the place would've been empty of roach by the end. Sam wasn't so prolific, but he did have the Buddha fishing under his bush to put up with. A rather abuse-free tale this week. Not even a mention of the float seen hanging from a tree in Three Bellies' swim. Until now. The photo might have been more abusive if it wasn't so blurry. The steam coming off Buddha misted up the lens. The Chucker becomes the Troll now for Bergh Apton. Stay away from the strawberries.
| 1st | S. Blowers | 75lb 14oz |
| 2nd | C. Scarff | 42lb 14oz |
| 3rd | H. Brighty | 32lb 0oz |
Fathers Day, always good for a laugh. The usual cards were produced to give Ammo and company a chuckle before the real fun began. The Troll was back by his bridge. Buddha and Three Bellies were either side of the dump-house. The Buddha sounded like he might need a dump before the end, or maybe he soiled himself? Three Bellies found rods were provided in his swim. It didn't help him set up any faster. The Troll was ready in minutes. It took him only minutes to take the lead too. For once though the fish didn't stay. The Chief was catching on the other side of the island, but Ammo wasn't. The feeder didn't look like the way to go. Having watched Wayne empty Bergh Apton on more than one occasion fishing shallow it was no surprise to see it being tried this year. Sam was happy to swap swims with Three Bellies (not!) as there were too many fish for him in the reeds. Bread fished very shallow had the carp lining up. It was soon obvious that the Troll wouldn't be winning this one. Chris and Three Bellies were also fishing shallow, but it took a while to get them going. Stevo had a couple doing the same next to Troll when the island failed to produce. The Troll had to occupy himself with hurling abuse at Three Bellies. That didn't mean he had time to put his own brolly up though. Or go and get himself a burger. Those services were provided for him. There were no strawberries on offer so he needed something to keep his strength up. Who would want the strawberries if Buddha is supplying the fertilizer? He also got a two-barrel salute every hour to keep him awake, probably not from Buddha on this occasion. If it was Three Bellies would have been in the next field! Robyn was happy to be far away from Buddha and beating the Troll from the other side of the bridge. He sneaked onto the island at the end for a close-up of Three Bellies and his rigs hanging from the tree. Where is that photo? Ammo wasn't getting his photo taken after a last-place finish. The new net scared all the fish away. It nearly scared his pole away too. For the second match running at Bergh Apton he made the mistake of turning his back while his bait was in the water. Maybe having more than two feet of elastic in the pole would give him a chance to put his umbrella up and land fish. Someone please point this out.
| 1st | S. Gooderham | 50lb 8oz |
| 2nd | M. Sherwood | 44lb 0oz |
| 3rd | C. Scarff | 37lb 12oz |
Don't worry, the results have been sent to the Journal this week. So no violence will be required in Oulton Broad. Three Bellies thought he was violent until Mark violated our nasal passages once more. He managed to hold on until reaching Creeting, when the bog roll appeared and he disappeared. Buddha had to wait. Three Bellies led the way through Yoxford after a warning about speeding from the Chucker. We just about kept up. Unfortunately Ammo didn't keep up on the way home and found a new route. Have a look at our google map (fixtures page), the routes there and back for Ammo are marked in blue and purple. One is 44 miles according to the map (its very clever), the other is nearly 68 miles! We could've stopped off at Hinderclay ready for the next match! Italy could've scored a goal in the time it took to get home. Or maybe not. Back to Creeting, Three Bellies was having trouble with his barrow handles. Or did he want to go round in circles? The Chucker got an end peg so made use of it by fishing in the peg next door. Should those fish count? His feeder-fished pellet found carp throughout the match. It would take a lot of fish to beat him. Mark tried his best on the pole, but his fish were more Ammo-sized. Chris was opposite Chucker and could only catch in spells. Stevo started well, then his successful bait got blown into the lake and that was that. Don't tell him there was plenty more in someone's carryall. The Chief had a follower for the day, or should that be slave? I've never seen someone set-up without moving a muscle before. He had to move to catch some fish and he did. There was no need for the shirt coming off though. Buddha just did enough to beat him and Stevo, it must be the lucky hat. Robyn did enough to beat Three Bellies and Ammo: he caught a fish. Ben returned to join Sam in the customary Belly-bashing. Three Bellies tried the floating pole again after his performance last week. The waves crashing off it were good even if the method wasn't. At least he wasn't last. Nor did he get home last. The Fathers Day net is still working its magic. Now to Hinderclay for food and possibly a fish. Can Chris avoid a hat-trick of blanks? Will the camera finally de-mist with Buddha away on a mystery tour?
| 1st | S. Scarff | 51lb 6oz |
| 2nd | C. Scarff | 49lb 12oz |
| 3rd | S. Gooderham | 46lb 0oz |
No blankers here. The Buddha doesn't seem to be the cause of misty photos though. Shame, he would've been paying for a new camera! Either the cameraman has shaky hands or its time to ask Arthur for some money (that'll go down well). Surely he can see how vital it is to our fishing? We may need some batteries too. There was just enough juice to get a shot of the winner. While the others waited in Oulton Broad for Chris to get picked up, Chris was waiting on Gorleston Road. Ammo was sitting on the can. When we got to Hinderclay it was the same old story from Stuart, "91lb won yesterday off peg 4". Three Bellies was not amused. Stuart was, especially at the outfit of Hawaii Three Bellies. After suggesting he get a pair of wellies to complete the look, Stuart gave us two sides of Florence to fish. The food was ordered (only two rolls for the Chucker?), peg 4 was in and it went to Ammo. Without his new, cursed net he thought it was going to be easy when he caught first cast. Then second cast. Three Bellies said he'd only need another thirty fish to get to 91lb, Ammo replied with "more like seven". "£*&$%@* big-head" was the response to that and rightly so! The Chucker was matching Ammo fish-for-fish, well the first two at least, then took the lead as Ammo's words came back to haunt him. Three Bellies started catching too. The lack of papperazzi meant he could relax and enjoy himself. The Chief was stuck out on the point and had the wind and waves to contend with. It was like being on the beach, except he was catching fish. Stevo was catching on the feeder, one fish took so long to get in the Chief wondered if he was waitng for John Wilson to turn up and film. The catching dropped off during the middle of the match for those throwing coconuts. Chris took advantage by fishing the pole to nab a few bream and roach along with a couple of carp. Then it was back on the feeder as others started to catch. With no Sam to threaten Three Bellies it was up to Ben to keep the family beatings going. Not on this occasion, Ben finishing in a place Three Bellies knows all too well. After his great start Ammo found himself one place above Ben. Stevo hooked a fish right on the whistle. Chris tried to distract him but it didn't work. It proved costly as the fish made all the difference. Three Bellies weighed in second and held second place until the other side of his Scarff sandwich knocked him down to third. Then the Chucker took third place off him. Fourth place is where he stayed, right in the middle of seven. You wouldn't want him at either end, you'd never balance it up! A good time was had by all (no Buddha) and Chapel Barn Farm awaits.
| 1st | S. Blowers | 29lb 12oz |
| 2nd | S. Scarff | 28lb 6oz |
| 3rd | M. Sherwood | 22lb 10oz |
Chapel hat peg? Me no understandy. Chris got his lift on time and we were soon on our way to the Chief's home water. It was lucky he knew where to go as the Buddha took them on a mystery tour round the fields. Ammo remembered, he nearly won here once. The pegs numbers were rather confusing, but eventually everyone found where they were meant to be. Some pre-match shenanigans from the Chucker left Stevo without his pole. The Chucker was near enough to the gap to launch his coconut assault. Stevo feared for his peg. There was no need, the Chucker scared all the fish straight to him. Or maybe it was the slightly larger splash coming from further along. Up in the corner the curse of Willow lake at Hinderclay struck Three Bellies again. This time the staging got it's wish. Twice! Unfortunately no-one saw it. Mark heard the commotion and thought the world was about to end. The Buddha was hiding behind his brolly and couldn't see. News soon spread. I was asked about it by someone playing football on Monday night. Maybe they heard the splash too? Mark nearly joined Three Bellies in the lake he was laughing so hard. Three Bellies teling him he was hurt only made it worse. Luckily for Three Bellies it was only a foot deep. Just deep enough to get his holy socks wet. Does that mean Chapel Barn is now full of holy water? Three Bellies wasn't blessed with many fish, thats for sure. He beat Buddha though. Buddha seemed to forget this when giving Chris abuse for his weight. He should worry about his own weight first. Then the weight of his fish. Chris decided to go for lots of small fish rather than sit and wait on the feeder. The plan back-fired somewhat when his second fish turned out to be a bit too big for the 8 elastic he was using. After doing a couple of laps of some lily pads the hook pulled out. A stronger elastic wasn't needed after that as roach were the only fish taking the bait. Sam was furthest away from Three Bellies so had the least disturbance in his swim. When he heard slurping in the reeds the bread came out. The carp obliged to give Sam a narrow victory over Stevo. Stevo had also decided on fishing the pole in the wind and had a couple of better fish to go with the usual small stuff. The chucker had to settle for a tie with Ammo. They were both beaten by the Chief. Mark beat the Chief off the next peg to show home advantage isn't always a good thing. Ben suffered from being the other side of the gap to the Chucker. It was only the wind keeping the wash from overlapping his staging. Topcroft next for those that haven't lost the plot. No papperazzi again, so Three Bellies can go for a swim if he likes.
| 1st | M. Sherwood | 33lb 14oz |
| 2nd | B. Watson | 33lb 10oz |
| 3rd | C. Scarff | 26lb 10oz |
No swimming done this week. Three Bellies nearly didn't get up in time to make it. Chris turned up unexpectedly to scare the Buddha. He wasn't the only one playing mind games; where was Sherwood junior? The rabbits played 'dodge the Buddha' on the way there to keep him on his toes. The VIP car park got another visit so we could check on the peg numbers and let some use the facilities. There was no time to wait for them as we headed back to the peasant car park. Chris held the draw-bag to jinx it for the Chucker. It worked rather well. Less than a pound from a carp lake? Ammo couldn't believe it. The Chucker knows now why it is owned by Quiet Sports. Stevo got the end peg and had to resort to free-lining worm. Sam didn't have much luck with his bread this time either. Towards the other end there were a couple of lumps. Some nice fish were being caught too. The Chief was catching some fish on the feeder and so was Ammo. Chris wasn't casting as far as them but still had a couple of fish before deciding it was time for the pole. It was the wrong decision as both the Chief and Ammo caught decent fish. Mark was also on the pole and must have read last year's write-up. Paste was being used with some success. With Ammo slowing down it looked a two-horse race between the Chief and Mark. The Chief tried using his secret weapon of cups of tea to distract the opposition. It certainly worked with Three Bellies and the Buddha. Three Bellies gave up on the fishing to talk about golf instead. The Chucker was welcome of a distraction. He even tried his feeder-float, but that didn't work either. Ben was next to the Chief and catching on the feeder despite not liking the method. He must like it now after beating Three Bellies by 1oz! Three Bellies wanted a re-weigh, after his fish had been tipped back. The Chief led the way with just Mark left to weigh his catch. Another close finish saw Mark win by 4oz. Chris had a fish on the whistle to take third place off Ammo. Stevo couldn't find enough roach to hold on to the overall lead. Chris is glad he went. The Chief has also closed the gap, nearly doubling his weight from last year already. Less sugar in your tea should help with that. There will be no Sam at Wey-bread and maybe no Mark. The papperazzi haven't pulled out yet though.
| 1st | S. Gooderham | 30lb 4oz |
| 2nd | C. Scarff | 29lb 9oz |
| 3rd | B. Blowers | 18lb 14oz |
The papperazzi returned to fish a new venue, although just going there to try out the facilities was worth the day ticket. The Chief wanted to move in, well he did before the Buddha went. Chris got first use and nearly got lost. The toilet really was that big. Bigger than the Buddha's staging. Having seen the first couple of pegs were a bit weedy it was decided to leave them out. The Chucker took full advantage by drawing the only peg on the house bank, until the Buddha decided his peg wasn't ample enough for him and took the biggest platform on the lake right next to the Chucker. Stevo's peg had a warning poster "closed for repair" but he still fished it. He probably should have gone the other side of the Chucker. Ammo got a corner by the bridge and didn't have much depth, unlike the rest of us. Chris, the Chief and Three Bellies all found themselves on the same point. Luckily only Chris had the pole out, otherwise there would have been carnage shipping back into each other. Ben got the corner of the island and lost a couple of zoo creatures close in. There were some big fish swimming around just below the surface. Ammo had to get the feeder out to catch skimmers. Chris was already doing that next to him, once he'd got his pole float to float. Chucker did his usual chucking and managed to luck a carp first cast before concentrating on the skimmers. His shotgun feeder got another trial. It appears they are very good for catching moorhens! Even that didn't stand a chance as it was dragged mercilessly across the surface. The claws were no match for the bionic hand. Robyn didn't capture the event on camera. He was fishing the pole to hand and just lost out to Stevo who was also fishing the pole. The Chief was struggling to find the bottom of his swim, it was too deep for the waggler. He didn't realise he could fish on the surface so waited until the end of the match. As soon as the dog biscuits were out the fish started to come. First a bream, then a carp while the rest of us weighed in. More bream and carp followed in the afternoon after we had all gone home. Three Bellies went on the pole to ensure his net wasn't dry at the end. He had time to observe Tweedle-Dum and Tweedle-Dee on the opposite bank and the fish Ben was catching. Ben included a very big goldfish in his net to take third place. Chris had a quiet spell in the middle of the match which cost him the victory, if crayfish counted maybe first place would have been his. Stevo also had a couple of the mini-lobsters. Ammo was to blame, lifting the traps out and letting them escape. Chucker had one other small carp to claim the Challenge Cup at a venue we will be visiting again next season. The Buddha didn't make the most of his big swim and got beat by Stevo. Three Bellies came last, out of those who weighed in. The Chief doesn't need any more weight. Proper fishing next week.
| 1st | S. Gooderham | 16lb 8oz |
| 2nd | C. Scarff | 12lb 11oz |
| 3rd | S. Scarff | 9lb 12oz |
Two in a row? What is going on? The catching of skimmers continued for the Chucker to record a victory on the river. Chris tried to get the Buddha's hopes up by not turning up with Ammo. A quick getaway was needed to be at work by 2pm. That didn't stop Ammo giving us the life story of the new Oby mill owner before we drew. More of the journey home later. The fog descended as we neared Acle, we didn't lose anyone though. The Sustins brothers were already on the bank with Three Bellies' paste spring. It is only a small cast away from Holly Farm. Three Bellies was so happy with getting his spring back he wandered out of bounds to fish. Ammo and the Buddha were in their usual spot by the mill. Chris decided on a short walk for a quick exit. The Chucker and Sam joined him. The Chucker got off to a fast start as usual with a couple of skimmers. Sam also had one straight away. Chris was getting worried, especially as his mixed maggots were half casters and half whites. That didn't leave many options. Sean and Robyn had a running commentary going of which baits were working. Sweetcorn seemed to be the favourite for decent fish to begin with, then worm. Bread probably got a mention. The Chucker must have heard this and was catching using corn. Chris had it in his groundbait but couldn't catch on it. Maybe it was all washed into Chucker's peg? Ammo wasn't catching much at the other end. The one fish he did hook got away. It was massive. Probably silver with a spiky dorsal fin and sharp gills. Sam did get a proper bream, unlike the rest of us. Tony didn't think eels counted so put them back. What do you think the Buddha weighs? Sweets? Buddha did manage to beat his relatives and Ammo though. Three Bellies must have been in the lead at some point of the weigh-in. Then Stevo just edged ahead. Second place with three left to weigh, surely another appearance in the Journal was his? The Chucker somehow had nearly double Stevo's weight to take the lead. Chris (sitting in traffic at the time) had found enough bait of the right colour to beat brother and push Three Bellies down to fourth. It was then up to Sam to complete the day. Two ounces more than Three Bellies, how sweet. All that was left was to get home. Chris made it to the Acle roundabout only to be stopped two cars short. Twenty minutes later the bikes finally stopped coming round. Work at 2pm? Twenty past more like! At least he didn't get the pleasure of taking the Reedham Ferry. Stevo did.
| 1st | H. Brighty | 43lb 4oz |
| 2nd | M. Sherwood | 41lb 5oz |
| 3rd | S. Blowers | 38lb 5oz |
Do not adjust your sets. Three Bellies has been very busy. After helping some papperazzi claim the Journal's Picture of the Week from Chapel Barn Farm (page 15) he also got a mention in the Angling Times (page 18). They must have heard about his struggle to get out of the water. His fame looks set to continue with his name in the Journal again this week (if I remember to send in the result). Hopefully news of a Three Bellies victory did not reach home before he did. We all know what happened last time! If you can't remember you'll have to look it up in the archives. I think they go back that far. The Troll was denied a hat-trick of wins. Stevo got the peg by the bridge but it was as good as last time. No longer is it the place to be. None of the pegs seemed like the place to be to start with, five points was on the cards for quite a few. Buddha had left early to get there too, so he could take in the sight of someone jogging in their pants. He had to resort to casting into Robyn's swim to catch his first fish. He did land it after standing on his landing net pole. Stevo was also having landing net pole troubles, he forgot his! Lucky for him spares are carried. The rest of Buddha's gear was safe under a second umbrella. Two Brollies really was showing off. The Chief had to give his brolly over to the tea-maker. It shielded Jo's eyes from Three Bellies, especially when he went to water the trees. A small child was heard crying shortly after. The suggestion that it might have been something to do with Three Bellies poking through the undergrowth was discounted. He couldn't reach that far and binoculars would have been needed. Three Bellies didn't care, he was busy getting his second net in the water. Robyn had the rat peg, so it wasn't for those. The Chief was on the same peg as last time but couldn't reproduce his catch. Sam was also on the same peg and having similar difficulties tempting the fish that had won him the match. They started feeding eventually, but Three Bellies was still catching enough to stay in front. Mark was on the side of the bridge no-one wants, so why was he catching fish? Everything he tried worked. He lost some fish on the feeder which might have made a difference, but Three Bellies was being generous to the fish too. If it is Mark's last match of the season at least he has the memory of Chapel Barn to take with him onto the beach. It makes a good screensaver too I hear, as long as you don't let your customers see it! Something we don't want to see again is the Troll's lucky beard. Now he has lost a match he can have a shave. He couldn 't even catch geese on his feeder-float. Ben again had to suffer the wake of the Troll's feeder. Ammo hadn't learnt from last time and again left his bait in the water whilst paying for the lake. This time he didn't end up connected to the reeds. He lost his lead over Three Bellies though and now has the Buddha breathing down his neck. Chris bunked off work to make sure his lead stayed intact. It did but his pole didn't. Hopefully his pole bung is still under the staging at Chapel Barn Farm next week. Some water would be nice too.
| 1st | C. Scarff | 41lb 3oz |
| 2nd | S. Blowers | 39lb 12oz |
| 3rd | S. Scarff | 27lb 0oz |
Not a pole bung in sight, but the water level was positively dangerous! Three Bellies was lucky he fell in last time, before the tide came in. Chris had to use different rigs as those used last time were not long enough. The Chief had led the way there, taking us on the mystery tour around the farm. With only seven of us in attendance it was decided to fish the corners and the gap. Sam got the same end as last time but on the other bank. With the wind blowing in that direction there was every chance the fish would be there. The Chief was opposite Sam, Ammo and Stevo had the other end. Three Bellies got the shortest walk and the thrill of fishing next to the Chucker. Their feeders would do battle over the gap. Chris got the gap all to himself on the other side. Again it must have been the commotion causing the fish to take shelter away from the Chucker. Chris didn't mind. Ammo had some commotion in his belly and had to find relief in the undergrowth. Now we're going to have to find a new name for this place too. Chapel Bum Farm? Chapped Bum Dump? Chapel Hat Peg? (I still don't get that one). Maybe that is why their next project is to build a toilet? The Buddha will be pleased. The stagings had had another transformation, so shouldn't tip anyone else in. The Chief had the beverage-maker with him which meant the brolly wasn't going to be keeping him dry if it rained. Luckily it didn't, in the end sun-cream was needed. Chris had some but didn't have time to use it. The tench were feeding on the pole line so he spent a couple of hours catching them. He could see Three Bellies was catching a few on the feeder but waited until after a call of nature (and some semaphore signals to Stevo) to give it a go. It worked straight away, as long as the feeder fell next to some flattened reeds. The gap was less productive. Landing in the reeds was not a good idea either. That'll be another thing lost at Chapel Barn. Sam had his bread out and was quietly putting together a bag to beat his efforts on the last visit. The young lady sent round with the teas certainly did a good job putting off the competition. Ammo couldn't connect with the bites he was getting so enlisted the help of the experts. Even they couldn't improve things. Stevo was happily bagging on the pole, no bonus carp this time though. His weight was only just smaller than the previous match, but this time there were others catching more. Chris finished the match back on the pole and had roach replace the tench. Everything seemed to be going right. At the end it was a struggle to get the net up to the scales. Sam hadn't worried about catching quantity, just quality. It was close but Chris just edged it. Stevo took third place, somewhere inbetween the top two and the rest. The Chucker lost the battle with Three Bellies, who is now ahead of Ammo and hunting down Sam (not likely). The Chief put his home water advantage to good use by coming last. Ammo did find enough fish to beat someone after all. Oby Dyke hosts the River Cup next. Can the Chucker repeat his victory there? He still has the lucky beard.
| 1st | S. Scarff | 21lb 14oz |
| 2nd | A. Scarff | 9lb 6oz |
| 3rd | C. Scarff | 7lb 11oz |
Just when Chris thought the title was his, along comes brother to remind him it's not all over yet. No more sharing of groundbait. Neil joined us in the hope that bream were easier to catch than carp. The dope was back after a week fishing for a good cause. Looking at the results it seems he was charitable to the others fishing! He decided against a long walk to the mill, so must have been before he left home. That gave Three Bellies a chance to join Ammo in the snag-pit. Once again the hefts were no match for Three Bellies, as half a tree emerged from the depths. Ammo wasn't catching anything that big, but a tin can full of mud was something to be proud of. He promptly took it to show Three Bellies. It disintegrated, leaving a nice pile of mess next to Three Bellies' box. Charming. It looked like the Buddha had paid a visit. He was happily catching not much at the other end. After a single skimmer he wasn't getting anything. The Chief was catching the odd fish on crab legs, including some specimen eels. Chris started slowly then lost half the fish he hooked once they arrived. Staying dry was proving to be difficult with the wind coming straight across the river. Chris put his brolly up only to tear a hole in it. When it was up it was only keeping the bait dry. Stevo stopped fishing as the rain got heavier, which was lucky as a boat nearly took the end of his rod off! Buddha wasn't so lucky, his gear wasn't up to Three Bellies standard and lost a tussle with a cruiser. Neil could have sunk a few cruisers with his groundbait bombardment at the start. It would have at least been of use then, it wasn't to the liking of the fish and he blanked for the second time this season. Sam found some roach down the edge (where the carp usually are) to avoid last place and also beat Robyn by an ounce. Robyn didn't care as he wasn't last. Buddha just beat Sam but was beaten by the Chief despite a late flurry of fish. Three at least! The Chucker took advantage of Neil's groundbait to catch a few. Three Bellies then matched his weight. Stevo somehow managed to find a couple of proper bream to easily win the match. He said he'd make up ten pounds in this match, "you've got to get ten pounds first" was not the reply to give it seems. Chris was second with one person left to weigh. Ammo was confident he'd done enough, but Chris still wasn't sure until the scales settled. He was not happy to hear the outcome. A one-two-three for family Scarff (not in the right order though) and a cup for Stevo. The pirates were up for celebrating, no-one else was. A week off now before the breakfast at Suffolk Water Park. The Buddha is making his debut. Halesworth is booked for the last match too. We'll be the first match on there, is that good?
| 1st | T. Rudd | 51lb 4oz |
| 2nd | S. Scarff | 31lb 1oz |
| 3rd | H. Brighty | 30lb 1oz |
A foggy start to this one. Three Bellies led the way, but not via Yoxford? The fog would have made that journey more dangerous than a staging at Chapel Barn. As it was Three Bellies still needed a last minute change of direction on the roundabout, then his navigator to make sure he didn't drive straight past the entrance to SWP. For the newbies there wasn't much of a view over the lakes, we could only just make out the bivvies right in front of the cafe! No-one had the big breakfast, the Chief scared them all off it. The beans were certainly plentiful and Buddha went to work early on making sure Tony had a fragrant ride to the lakeside. Three Bellies left everyone else in the shop while he checked out what the locals were using for bait. A car rammed full of bananas gave him the answer he was looking for. Once Ammo had sorted out which lake we were on it was off into the fog again to find the pegs. It didn't help that Ammo looked at the map upside-down so thought we were on a different lake and on the other side. We finally found our pegs and Three Bellies got the nearest one, with Sam next door. The Buddha got the corner so everyone could keep an eye on him. It was too deep for anyone to be falling in. Even Three Bellies, with his bouyancy-waist, wasn't going to risk it. The Sustins brothers drew next to each other and had fun trying to find somewhere to put a bankstick. By the time the match got underway we could actually see the water we'd be fishing in. Three Bellies took advantage by hurling his feeder out towards the aerator. He must have stolen some bananas as he was the first into fish. Tony started to catch too, but couldn't find his keepnet! The fog couldn't be used as an excuse. Inbetween not much was happening. Chris decided it was time to try the pole and had some instant success. Two small carp later and it was just skimmers interested in his paste. Robyn tried too, but after losing a fish that wasn't a roach he had to wait until a big perch showed up. Sam couldn't find any fish in the margins, nor could Buddha. Lidl didn't seem to mean much to him. Stevo and Ammo were at the other end and catching the odd fish on the feeder. Another aerator to target must have helped. The Buddha had had enough and launched his feeder across towards where Three Bellies was fishing to steal his fish. The wind had changed direction at least twice during the match and was now in favour of the Buddha. He lost as many as he landed. With under an hour to go the fish finally started to move in front of the others. Chris hooked one fish shallow but lost it, Sam lost one too. Robyn had a couple on the feeder. Sean waited on the feeder for a bite, but when they came he missed them. In the end it was a comfortable victory for Tony, with Stevo just beating Three Bellies into second place. The fun is over, time for the serious business of who finishes where in 2008. The birthday celebrations have been put on hold this year. Wayne might make a comeback next year so this is a chance not to be missed!
| 1st | C. Scarff | 51lb 0oz |
| 2nd | S. Blowers | 42lb 6oz |
| 3rd | A. Scarff | 42lb 2oz |
Is it all over? All over the seats that is. In Mark's van. Three Bellies led the way again and the fog was all in his mind this time. With a last minute change of direction on the roundabout we were headed back for breakfast at SWP. When we finally found a way off the main road we went round another roundabout, twice, to head back to Creeting. Sam showed what he thought of it all as we pulled up in the car park. I can't recreate hand and arm movements in words. Mark had other movements to worry about. The Buddha had to wait his turn again, but couldn't so went in the bushes. He must have thought he was on a mystery tour and got all excited. The Chief was glad he didn't drive or he'd have been claiming petrol money for the detour. Tidy Beard returned and had the pleasure of giving the Chief a lift. He also had the pleasure of relieving himself on the bankside. No wonder he didn't win. Peg four was his winning spot last time and Ammo was glad to draw it this time. Chris wasn't so happy with his draw in the corner. The only consolation was Stevo being next to Ammo. That should slow anyone down. Mark got the same peg as last time, so knew what to do. Sam and Three Bellies made up the trio on that bank. The rest got to watch them all day. The brollies were up as the match started, Three Bellies had two up by the end. His floating pole idea didn't last long after trying the feeder. Only Sam started on the pole with the usual tactic. The Buddha was catching non-stop to begin with. He had to put the phone down to concentrate. He needs to tighten his clutch up though. The Chief could only catch scales at first, while Ammo was catching fish with scales missing! The pattern of catching a few then having to change bait seemed to be common for others. Chris had fish on the surface in front of him so took advantage, especially for the last hour when they appeared in the margins. The Buddha carried on catching and looked favourite to win if his fish were of any size. Three Bellies weighed first. When and how did he catch 30 pounds? We only saw him catch two fish! Sam soon put him in his place with his margin-caught specimens. Mark had 83 fish (I didn't count them) and was sandwiched in second place. Chris then struggled with his net, full of water and nests. There were quite a few fish too, enough for first place. Could Buddha eclipse everyone? No. He tied with Mark. Robyn made sure Three Bellies wasn't last, then the Chief did the Same for Robyn. Chucker couldn't repeat his performance of last time and had to settle for a place behind Three Bellies. Not where you want to be. Stevo knew he needed to keep in touch with Chris if he wanted to take the title-decider to Halesworth, but Ammo had done his job well. Ammo was confident of victory having caught some bigger fish from his peg(s). When his two nets were added up he didn't even have enough for second. Foiled again by the one that got away. The trip home was another wet one. Not so far to go for the last match of the year. Get your tiddler-bashing kit ready. Sam's wrist-action could come in handy for swinging them in.
| 1st | M. Sherwood | 64lb 0oz |
| 2nd | B. Blowers | 36lb 8oz |
| 3rd | S. Gooderham | 33lb 8oz |
Ok, so I left my notes for this match with the Pontins results. I don't expect Tidy Beard still has them so will have to make it up, like every other week really. The final match gave us a new venue to try, one which had been producing big weights. Mark couldn't resist, even if it meant having to resort to bribery! He caught us up with his lucky mascot on the way to Halesworth. The Chief got the longest walk and the role of lifeguard with the buoyancy aid behind him. Three Bellies wasn't intending on getting wet, he even left his drink on the bank. Ammo thought he might get dragged in by one of the monsters that kept snapping his line. We know what he'll be getting next Father's Day. It took a while for the fish to wake up and those in the shade of the trees had to wait longest. About four hours. There were carp to be caught further out, as Sam found when he got the feeder rod out. Three Bellies had the corner with Ammo and neither of them were doing much good. Chris was expecting lots of action and put too much bait in at the start. Tidy Beard and the Buddha were doing alright and so was Ben on the end. Stevo and Robyn were having a match between themselves, which Robyn took by a single fish on the whistle. The Chief had the other end peg and took advantage of it. Mark had the facial feature of Tidy Beard to fish under and had the fish lining up. It was looking good for the mascot, the pools money was in sight. A quick phone conversation with mum made sure it would be coming her way. Meanwhile Chris was getting another phone call to say we had taken up too many pegs? I know some people look like they are taking up more than one staging, but we were on the pegs allocated. With a pleasure angler on the lake too (catching fish all the while) there certainly wasn't room for another match. The farmer was happy with us being there and even came to watch the weigh-in. There wasn't much to see. The Chief had enjoyed himself fishing the waggler for a change. His weight wasn't troubled by Ammo, or Three Bellies, or Chris, or Sam, or Buddha. Tidy Beard then took the lead before Mark almost doubled his weight. Robyn and Stevo both beat the Chief and Ben took second place off the Beard. The victory took Mark up to fifth in the overall standings, just ahead of Sam. Ammo held on to beat Three Bellies and the Buddha in the battle of mediocrity. The Chief took a respectable fourth place behind the Chucker, who couldn't catch brothers Scarff. At least he has the panto season to look forward to. He's behind you!