Big Bash Angling Club

Big Bash Winter league round 3 Grange Park Heron Lake 29.11.2025

Round 3 saw the 3rd different venue of this years winter league and a trip to Grange Park for Heron Lake. Grange Park also boasts one of the Bashers favourite Breakfast venues with a bite to eat café to satisfy the Breakfast clubs hunger and set them up for the day.

Weather on the change again, supposedly slightly warmer than the mid-week frosts which resulted in the lakes having lids on. It did however bring an amber rain warning for the area and overnight rain was to continue throughout the day. The wind blowing from the North (towards the café) also meant it was still very cold. Thermals were donned along with loads of other layers and the Gortex to keep dry. Majority choosing also to put brolley's up to try reduce  impact of the rain as well.

Grange Park was to be full again, we had 10 pegs on the Heron Lake so loads of room for everyone. 10 names on the Friday spinning wheel, 2 sections of 5 to sort out so easy on that front. 8 League members and 2 welcome guests went on the wheel.

All set up so an early start at 9:45 to squeeze a few extra minutes out of the fishing. John Lanelly was the first fish catcher this week as he chose a maggot approach on short pole.

Peg 3 Gavin Cooper fished sweetcorn on his hook bait on several lines, short and long pole also rods to catch a decent net of fish for 31-12 and a section win

Peg 6 Dave Fox spent most of his day on short pole and maggot's bait of choice. Lot of bites, lots of fish to push Gavin close with 30-11 and  2nd in section.

Peg 8 Kevin Webster joined us and started on his feeder before going on a pole approach. Alternating across lines he had a lot of small fish made up with a few carp on bomb and corn to weigh in 17-9.

Peg 11 Leo Martin. Started on method for first 30 minutes then switched to bomb alternating bread and corn. 3 bites and 3 lost fish so not doing too well. I had primed 2 x maggot lines and was contemplating changing my approach as I could see lots of small fish being caught and I was dropping further and further behind. Then I connected with one on my bomb rod and a 3lb carp graced my  net. Game on. Between 11 and 12 I caught 2 more and had 10lb on the clicker, so maggot on pole was never going to happen. I chose to stick on the bomb rod out alternating 3 discs of bread and corn. Chucking across to short of island initially and I had also primed a corn line at 11 o'clock midway across. Between 12 and 1pm, several more carp graced my net with the mid point line on corn being more productive. The bites started very iffy and in a couple of cases the tip just dropped back, some pulled it round but very few violently until the afternoon when they picked up the pace.  A good spell of fish started to come to the net after 13:30 but there was still nothing consistent. You had to keep feeding and casting on average every 4 minutes. Stamp of fish were from a  pound to 5 with only a few below the pound weight. I think I had a couple of bread the rest on corn. The bread bites were not very positive at all and once the fish were on corn, I stayed on it except in long gaps between fish. Probably 8 fish came from chucking across, the rest from the mid point line which was by far more succesful. I had primed a second midpoint line to my right however I never had a bite of this line. 40lb on my clicker and I weighed in 39-4 and a match win.

Peg 17 John Lanelly who spent most of his match fishing short pole on a maggot and 4mm pellet approach. John struggled with the stamp of fish and no decent carp showed up resulting in 22-2 for the weigh in.

Section 2

Peg 19 Steve Jackson weighed in 21 -7 and a second in section with a close fight battle to his neighbour Tracey. Short pole resulted in smaller fish. A feeder chuck with pellet resulted in carp however the stamp was again small and bites not consistent enough for Steve to stay on it.

Peg 21 Tracey Benson who adopted his favoured pole approach and again caught a netful of small fish.  Fishing both sides and out in front to just pip Steve next door for a section win. Another consistent  performance from Tracey.

Peg 26 Nigel Cooke and a DNW. I think the cold wet weather got  the better of Nigel and his poorly hand. The prospect of catching small fish in the heavy rain compared to a warm fire, pint and his beloved football team on TV. No competition. Hope they fix your hand soon mate.

Peg 29 Richard Cooke 18-14 and another close battle with his neighbour Mark. All small fish caught on feeder on pellet

Peg 31 Mark Radford 19-3    to win Rich and Mark who was facing the brunt of the weather caught on his usual maggot approach

So everyone had plenty of bites however the fish were not as ravenous and the celebrities on TV in the jungle. Lots of small fish caught and I was the only one to catch decent carp . Not sure if it was because I had a little more room to fish into or that I chose an out and out Carp approach. A few days earlier in the week, maggot was the in bait on Osprey, and carp were caught on it. I guess that's why they call it fishing and not "catching" and everyday is a learning day.

Thanks to John Lanelly for  his timekeeping duties and extra special thanks to Steve Curtis for weighing in for me. He had popped over from fishing the open on Curlew to see us, and then picked up the scales and bag to help out. What a star.

Everyone and their gear got a good soaking, well done to all for sticking it out.

Next match is back at Grange next week (6th December) however its on Curlew Lake which will be slightly different fishing to Heron. The open match today resulted in lots of bites for everyone, lets hope the rain has gone away. There is still a place available so please be in touch if you want to join us.

A place is now available for a rider on this match currently.

Pegging for Heron on Saturday
3.6,8,11 17,19,21,26,29 & 31

Note 1,6,8 and 11 are on Curlew side bank, there is a match on Osprey so please drop tackle at peg and park up in bottom car park. Also delay putting poles out if other match don't drive down till 9am. Curlew match finishing at 3pm also.
Pegs 17,19 & 21 on Cafe bank, other on Merrys bank

Fishing till 3pm so if everyone ready we will look to start at 09:45.

Cafe should be open as well for those dining.

yes please

Yes please Leo

Leo some thing has come up carnt make this one sorry

Yes for me

Yes for me

yes please

Big Bash Winter league round 2 Lindholme Strip Lake 15.11.2025

Round 2 and a visit to Lindholme Strip Lake for a totally different type of fishing to round 1 at Lodge farm Thistle Lake. After 36 hours of continuous cold rain curtesy of Storm Claudia everywhere was sodden. Some local rovers were overtopping and although Aaron had made a request to him upstairs for a foot of rain to top up his lakes, he was now regretting his words and hoping for the torrential rain to stop. We are traveling through Autumn at speed and the long hot summer is fast becoming a distant memory.

 Its fair to say the fish in the lakes at Lindholme are struggling to cope with the changes in transitional temperatures however Strip Lake continues to buck this trend. The heavy stocking of F1s drives the competition for food between them and bites were plentiful. Our Bashers were wondering if all the recent heavy rain affect this feeding pattern for our match there?

8 hardened Winter League Bashers were joined by 2 welcome and familiar guests for the match and everyone's names spinning on the rotating wheel of fortune for Friday nights draw. 2 sections with 5 anglers on each bank.
 
The Big Bash breakfast committee arrived extra early to dine together and share their plans for the day. It was also hoped for an early match start as well due to a winter 3pm finish time.

Lads on early numbers and Willows side bank had the cold wind from behind, Lads on Loco bank had it in their faces. The rain had eased off however light showers returned as we were almost all set up and ready for John Lanellys whistle at 09:30.

All in and Mr Fox was the first I saw catch a fish,  fishing on his short pole approach. Sat on peg 2, I was fishing on my maggot line at 1 o'clock which was facing Big Glens memorial bench so could not see much action up the lake.

Despite the cold rain the fish were feeding and I had opted to  start on a maggot line, feeding heavy and 4 on a 14 hook was the bait. Bites were very regular and the landing net in and out every put in. I stayed on this till about 12 :30 when they had slowed down and also  the stamp of fish were not as large as I would have liked. I had been feeding a hard pellet line at 2+1 in front and started on 6mm pellet and again into bites and fish. I kept on this line but the fish were still small so I dropped a wafter and method feeder on my rod over my feed area, but again the fish stamp was not enough for  my liking. I kept swapping and changing till the end of the match, 4,6 and 8mm pellets, and back on maggots however the bites had really slowed up in the second half of the match. The rain had stopped and wind dropped around 1:30 ish and this is when my bites slowed down. Still a  busy and enjoyable days fishing when you consider the time of year and recent weather.

Peg 2 Leo  Martin 49-9

Peg 4 Gavin Cooper  38-11. Gav caught in several areas of the match, short pole, Bomb / feeder rod to 10m, and his best run of fish would have been in the margin in the last hour.

Peg 6 Keith Smith 60-13 and a section win. Keith started on long pole as this method had been successful for  him last time on the lake. He switched to short pole and with 2 lines, maggot and pellet lines built his weight for the brown envelope.

Peg 8 John Lanelly 59-7 and 2nd in section. Well done John

Peg 10 Mark Radford 136. 2 and match win. Fishing Maggots close in his margin to the right the fish kept coming for Mark all match. More importantly they were a larger stamp of F1s to bring Maggot mast Mark his well-earned reward with a match win. 4 .5 pints of bait used to keep the fish feeding and ending up in his nets.

Peg 14 Nigel Cooke 36.5, well done sir

Peg 16 Steve Jackson 72-1 and  2nd in section. Busy day for Steve with some quality fish in his net.

Peg 18 Andy Woolfall 48-6 Although Woolfy had came with a plan and some words of wisdom from Tom Scholey of looking for the heavier fish, they were not playing today.

Peg 20 Tracey Benson 76 and a section win. A different approach fomr Tracey today who ditched his expanders and chose maggot and worm. A good second half and last hour in margins on worm boosted his  weight to  achieve a section win.

Peg 22 Dave Fox 57-7. Maggots fished close in was Daves approach and he also suffered form a much smaller stamp of fish than the other end of the lake.
Around the lake the fish have been caught on maggots, soft and hard pellets, and also worm for  those reading and due to fish the lake.

Many thanks to John Lanelly for the time keeping.

Special thanks to Gav, Keith and Mark for assisting with the weighing in duties.
Well done everyone for sticking it out in the cold wet conditions, I think winter is on its way and its time to shake the moths off the thermals.

Next match is on 29th November at the inform Grange Park, confirmations required and Paypal is open. 3rd match of the league and another different type of fishing awaits us.
 
The Big Bash Fur and Feather is also open for payments and confirmations. Match date 13th December, venue Strip Lake Lindholme.