Weekly News from our Lakes and Rivers

To see Archived News From the Banks click here
Week ending 25th July 2010 New member Chris Calvert finished a creditable third in the recent 24h match on his first visit to Broom Lake, and Chris has continued to enjoy success on more recent visits to the lake. In three 4h evening sessions, Chris has caught eight double figure carp topped by a mirror of 22lb 10oz, with the other carp weighing 18lb 14oz, 18lb 4oz, 17lb 10oz, 17lb 6oz, 14lb 6oz, 11lb and 10lb 7oz. Chris also landed four good tench to 7lb 1oz. Since removing many of the overhanging trees from the islands last winter, some of the old carp ‘hotspots’ have not been as productive. Therefore, time spent looking for carp activity before choosing where to fish is often the key to success. Tench and bream continue to show in good numbers, with plenty of silver fish to margin float tactics. Members are reminded that there is no night fishing at Broom Lake. Anyone found on this venue (whether actively fishing or not) between the times stated in the membership book will be expelled from the club. Carp and catfish are the main target for anglers fishing the Airman Pit, but some good bags of tench have also been taken by anglers float fishing shallower water next to marginal cover, with up to six tench taken in a session. Sport has slowed down at Willington Lake but anglers were still managing to catch odd bream to double figures and tench to over 7lb. After several hours without any signs of fish activity, Alan Thomas then took a 9lb 4oz bream and two good tench during a short feeding spell before his swim once again fell quiet. During a short evening session Bob Izzard managed a single fish, but it proved to be a personal best bream of 9lb 6oz caught on a lobworm. Although in need of a good flush through, those anglers fishing our river venues are still reporting some good catches. Photos of the 13lb 10oz barbel caught by Andrew Howard on the Ouse at Little Paxton reported last week have now been received. Closer to home, the River Ivel from behind Broom Lake downstream to Jordan’s Mill is alive with small fish to float fished maggots and those persevering with more selective baits are finding a few ‘netter’ roach. Six SDAA anglers fished an interclub match against Abbey Cross Angling Society at their Bishop Stortford water, Taylors Lake. With the feature packed venue capable of throwing up good nets of tench, bream and crucians expectations at the draw were high. However, sport proved challenging and extremely frustrating for most, as baits presented in the patches of fizzing were generally ignored. Peter Henegan lead the Shefford anglers with a 22lb 5oz net of bream and crucians, most of which were taken in the first half of the match. Not only did Peter head the Shefford results, but with the closest Abbey Cross angler recording 12lb 9 oz, Peter also secured first place in the match. However, Abbey Cross filled the next half dozen places, and secured a convincing team victory with Shefford’s runner-up Dave Baker returning a 7lb 7oz net, which included a number of recently stocked ‘F1’ carp. Third place was Neil Bygrave with a 3lb 10oz silver fish haul. The next match is at Broom Lake on 8th August, members can contact Neil Bygrave for further details (07980 533860).
Week ending 18th July 2010 The Airman Pit has been in sparkling form recently for a wide range of species. An angler from Essex on his first trip of the season landed a pair of catfish, topped by a 40lb specimen. Several other cats from low doubles to high 20s have fallen to a wide variety of baits. Head bailiff Richard Knight had a terrific mid-week carp session landing 12 carp to 21lb 2oz, with most being upper doubles. Richard also landed a 27lb catfish, two bream to 6lb and a tench during the same session. Some good bags of roach were taken on float tactics during mid-week, but the roach failed to feature in the club match fished at the weekend. However, match secretary Neil Bygrave was not complaining after winning with a mixed bag of 29lb 2oz, which is believed to be a 5hr match record for the venue. Fishing peg 20, Neil alternated between float and feeder tactics to take three good bream averaging 5lb and 7 skimmers, plus a bonus tench and half a dozen roach all taken on red maggot. Fishing peg 1, Pete Henegan landed 4 tench on caster and waggler tactics for 15lb 5oz, but lost another 3 tench during the last hour. Pegged next to the winner, Chris Rees managed a single bream of 4lb 5oz for third place. Sunday 25th July sees the first away fixture for the match group fishing against Abbey Cross A.C. at Taylors Lake. Members interested in attending the fixture should contact Neil Bygrave for further details (07980 533860). Tench and bream continue to provide reliable sport at Willington Lake. Bream are tending to fall to ledger tactics from the swims seeing most feed going in. However, tench are being caught from all around the lake by fishing just over the marginal shelf on float tactics or ledgering further out. After an excellent mixed bag of fish two weeks ago, Kevin Williams returned to the Ouse at Little Paxton once again with the aim of catching barbel from the weir pool. This time Kevin was accompanied by Andrew Howard, who managed to land a 5lb barbel on his very first cast! Andrew then landed a superb barbel of 13lb 10oz, which is his personal best for the species and the biggest reported from the venue for a couple of seasons. Kevin and Andrew caught a number of other species, including bream to 6lb as well as perch and eels
Week ending 11th July 2010 Catfish and carp have been the main target species for anglers fishing the Airman Pit. Catfish to mid 30s have been reported in recent weeks, but several anglers have reported losing much bigger fish and members should ensure they have tackle capable of dealing with a 50lb fish when specifically targeting the cats. Carp to mid 20s continue to fall to baits fished in the margins or on the surface. The next monthly match will be held at the Airman Pit on Sunday 18th July, contact Neil Bygrave for further details (07980 533860). The recent drought has finally allowed the water levels at Stanford Pit to fall sufficiently to make a few pegs fishable, whereas a few weeks ago the lake extended out into the surrounding trees. Anglers have enjoyed some consistent sport with good bags of perch and rudd taken on the float, with roach and small carp also putting in an appearance. Several larger carp to mid doubles have been seen cruising on the surface during the recent hot weather. Tench and bream have continued to feed at Willington Lake with 100lb+ bags of bream into double figures still coming from noted pegs. Brian Barrett managed three tench between 5-6lb on legered lobworm tails, but the best net of tench went to Nigel Gilbert with eleven tincas. Nigel took 7 tench on float fished maggot, and a further 4 tench plus 4 bream on feeder and caster. His biggest tench was 6lb 3oz and biggest bream was 8lb 12oz.
Week ending 4th July 2010 Kevin Williams visited the Shefford & District A. A. controlled section of the Ouse at Little Paxton with the aim of catching barbel from the weir pool. Kevin failed to catch any barbel, but had a terrific day’s sport catching a personal best river carp in the shape of a 24lb 10oz common, a 6lb chub, several bream to 5lb 7oz and eels to 2lb 4oz. As with many of our river venues, Kevin found he had the whole stretch of river to himself in spite of the excellent fishing that is available. The second 24h match took place at Broom Lake and Mick Burr ran out the winner with 69lb 5oz, 2nd place was Neil Bygrave with 55lb 10oz, 3rd place was Richard Knight with 42lb 2oz and 4th place was new member Chris Calvert with 38lb 3oz. As many have found on the lake during the current spell of hot weather, the going was relatively slow during the middle of the day with the high pressure and bright conditions. However, the approach of dusk brought the fish on the feed and at around 9pm Mick Burr, Neil Bygrave and Richard Knight were all playing fish at the same time! Mick Burr also landed the biggest fish at 17lb 6oz, closely followed by Neil Bygrave with a 17lb common. Although carp dominated the catches there were also a few bream to 6lb caught. The final 24h match at the Airman Pit on the 18th/19th September and there are seven anglers who are still in with a chance of running out as overall series winner. A few tench and bream have been caught at Willington Lake during the hot weather, but the carp seem content to just lay up in the margins between bouts of spawning activity. Good bags of rudd, perch and roach have been taken on float fished maggots from the pegs in the small copse nearest the entrance. Sport has also been rather slow at the Airman Pit with relatively few catfish reported, but the carp and tench are proving more reliable feeders in the margins. Paul Andrews managed a personal best 21lb mirror carp taken off the surface. Junior angler Paul Allum is building up an impressive list of specimens this season and landed a perch estimated at over 2lb, unfortunately his dad Paul senior was so excited he forgot to weigh the fish before returning it to the water. The next monthly match will be held at the Airman Pit on 18th July, contact Neil Bygrave for further details (07980 533860).
Week ending 27th June 2010 Fishery Officer Andy Knight made his usual early season trips to the Ivel Protection Association controlled stretch of the River Ivel along Biggleswade Common and had two terrific bags of chub. Andy’s first visit was a short 3h session and his first chub of the new season weighed 5lb 3oz followed by three more chub over 4lb in the next three casts. By the end of the session he had managed 23 chub with five over 5lb, topped by a 5lb 7oz specimen, and all but one of the chub topped 4lb for over 100lb of fish. Returning to the same swim a few days later Andy fished from mid-afternoon to dusk and landed an incredible 43 chub to 5lb 4oz, a 2lb barbel and 5lb pike all caught on simple running leger setup on lobworms, fished over hempseed. This time Andy caught a number of smaller chub in the 2-3lb bracket as well as the 4lb plus specimens with his grand total for the session coming to 155lb 1oz, which was weighed and witnessed by club chairman Richard Bell. Andy then moved on to Broom Lake and managed commons to 14lb 3oz and a mirror of 23lb in spite of most of the carp appearing more interested in spawning. Father and son Paul and Antony Burton caught off the surface using chum mixer. Paul landing a 17lb 4oz common, whilst young Anthony landed his first ever carp of 8lb 10oz. The Broom Lake 24h match will be held this coming weekend, 3rd and 4th July. The draw will be at 7am on Saturday morning and fishing will be from 9am Saturday to 9am Sunday. The venue will be closed to general fishing from Friday evening until 9am Sunday morning. Anyone wishing to participate can either phone Andy Knight (07904 302920) or you can email 24hrmatches@shefforddaa.org.uk. The warm weather prompted spawning activity at Willington Lake during the week with the tench, bream and carp all proving difficult to catch. This did not bode well for the first monthly match of the season held on Sunday where there was still evidence of spawning activity, but patches of bubbles suggested some fish were feeding. Neil Bygrave and Nigel Gilbert both elected to float fish and both landed two tench each. Neil running out the winner with 11lb 5oz (best fish 5lb 13oz) to Nigel’s 9lb 11oz, who was left ruing a lost tench just before the final whistle. Meanwhile Pete Henegan came third with a 4lb 11oz tench on pole tactics, but also lost a much bigger fish suspected to be a carp that could have won him the match. The next monthly match will be held at the Airman Pit on 18th July, contact Neil Bygrave for further details (07980 533860).
Week ending 20th June 2010 Last weekend Shefford & District A. A. hosted their first Taster Day events at their Broom Lake venue. SDAA’s five qualified coaches, supported by John Pope of Cambridge FPAS and a number of Shefford members and officials, gave each of the 49 participants an individual and structured training session, including how to set up and fish with a whip. The age range was from 7 years old to over 60, an indication of the need for angling training for all ages. Although the change in the weather and cool Northerly winds made the fishing a little tricky at times, most of the entrants caught fish, many for the first time. The largest fish caught was a tench of around 3lb 8oz which was skilfully landed by Joe Quirke, no mean feat on a 4 metre whip! Through the active support of the Environment Agency, who were present with fish displays and fishing literature, all the participants were able to take away their own whip, rig, plummet set, disgorgers and bait pot. Feedback from those who attended and parents has been very positive indeed and the club has already heard of more success by those who went on to put their new-found skills to the test after their session! The club is now looking forward to their next Taster Day event on Saturday August 14th, as part of National Fishing Month 2010 events being held nationwide. To book a session email to coachingsdaaltd@tiscali.co.uk or call 07767 074064 or download a form from the club website www.shefforddaa.org.uk Several anglers have found sport at Willington Lake to be unpredictable blanking one day and then having good catches of bream and tench the next, with several anglers catching new personal best tench and bream. Neil Bygrave struggled for a bite on 16th June but returned the next day to land 6 tench and a bream, topped by a new personal best 6lb 13oz tench, all taken on casters. Bob Izzard stuck to lobworms as bait and on his three visits landed nine fish including a new pb tench of 6lb 11oz, pb bream of 7lb 4oz, and two eels of 3lb 2oz and 2lb 8oz. After blanking earlier in the week, Nigel Gilbert returned to fish the 24h match that coincided with a sudden change to much cooler weather. Nigel proved to be the runaway winner with bream and tench for 45lb 6oz, including a pb bream of 10lb 8oz and a tench of 7lb 2oz. Andy Knight was second with a single tench of 4lb 12oz. Hopefully a return to warmer weather will lead to more consistent sport. The Airman Pit is still producing plenty of carp and catfish, but the most noteworthy catch was made by Kevin Farrow who finally tracked down the roach and landed 25 quality redfins each averaging 12oz plus a bonus tench of around 6lb, all taken on the float. Although the river season is now open, there were few anglers targeting our river stretches. One angler reported catching a good net of perch from Little Paxton with most fish averaging a pound but topped by a perch of 2lb 10oz. Nigel Lloyd attended a Taster Day on Saturday and then tried his luck on the River Hit in Shefford on Sunday, and was delighted to catch a 3lb chub plus a dozen dace.
Week ending 13th June 2010 Best catch of the week from our waters was Craig Lancaster’s 48h session at the Airman Pit. During an action packed first night, Craig took 5 catfish, including three cats over 20lb, to 27lb 12oz taken on LT Baits Salmino boilies as well as landing eight carp on maize fished over LT Baits spod mix. Things quietened down on the second night, but Craig still managed to add some more carp to take his tally to 11 carp for the session, including three 20s topped by a 23lb common. New member Jamie Chalkley enjoyed his first overnight session at the venue landing his first ever catfish as well as a 12lb mirror carp. Anglers are still experiencing mixed fortunes at Willington Lake with anglers targeting the carp finding the bream, tench and eels homing in on their baits. As reported last week Michael Baldwin landed a 19lb mirror carp whilst fishing for tench and bream, and did well to land the hard fighting carp on only a size 14 hook. This week, Mike Baldwin was joined by guest Ron Kaye and they went on to share a mixed bag of bream and tench with 15 fish for a total weight of 100lb. Mike included three bream for 30lb on consecutive casts. The first 24h match of the new season will be held at Willington Lake this weekend on 19th & 20th June, anyone interested in fishing this match should contact Andy Knight (07904 302920) the draw being at 7am on Saturday morning. The first club match will also be held on this venue on Sunday 27th June (draw at 7am) and for further details about club matches contact Neil Bygrave (01462 625856 or 07980 533860). There have been relatively few reports from Broom Lake this week with only odd carp, bream and tench reported. However, float anglers are still experiencing consistent sport with silver fish in the margins. Shefford & District A. A. will be holding its first series of Taster Days at Broom Lake this weekend on 19th & 20th June, which are designed for youngsters and adults to try their hand at fishing. Further details of these Taster Days are available on the club website www.shefforddaa.org.uk or by phone to 07767 074064. Pegs 1-38 on the lake will remain open to members during these events, but the section of track between pegs 39-47 will be temporarily closed.
Week ending 6th June 2010 Carp at Broom Lake are now being caught more regularly with early morning and late evening the most productive periods for baits fished on the bottom, whereas floating baits work at any time of day if the carp are cruising on the surface. Scott Quince landed a mirror carp of 27lb 14 oz, which beat his personal best by over 8lb. Scott also landed two bream of 7lb 8oz and 8lb 4oz during the same session. Paul Andrews has continued to enjoy success with surface baits catching carp to 14lb. Shefford & District A. A. will be holding a series of Taster Days at Broom Lake on 19th & 20th June and 14th August, which are designed for youngsters and adults to try their hand at fishing. All tackle and bait is provided for the sessions by the Club. Each participant will receive certificates, plentiful literature and a set of fishing tackle to take away and use after the event with the cost being a nominal £2.50. Further information and application forms are available on the club website www.shefforddaa.org.uk or by phone to 07767 074064. The lake will remain open to members during these events. The entrance to the Airman Pit was renewed last weekend, which required the lake to be temporarily closed. The entrance down to the gate was dug out and a new tarmac roadway has been laid, which will make it much easier to access the fishery. However, there were still reports of carp and catfish caught during the week. Tommy Williams spent two sessions on the lake and landed several carp to 18lb. Junior member Paul Allum landed his first ever catfish early in the week and then returned to land a 20lb mirror carp, whilst his dad Paul senior remained fishless on both trips. Sport at Willington Lake was rather patchy during the week with several anglers struggling for bites whilst others enjoyed good sport. Michael Baldwin landed seven tench to 7lb 4oz and five bream to 9lb 4oz during a single day session and returned to land a 19lb mirror carp on his next session. Tim Bryant also enjoyed a good day tempting six tench to 7lb 2oz. The first 24h match of the new season will be held at Willington Lake on 19th & 20th June, anyone interested in fishing this match should contact Andy Knight (07904 302920). Members may be aware that new Environment Agency byelaws on fish removal by rod and line come into effect on 16th June 2010. To avoid any confusion, members are reminded that Shefford & District A. A. rules state that all fish must be returned alive to the water from which they have been caught. All eels must be returned alive and must not be used for bait.
Week ending 30th May 2010 The carp fishing at Broom Lake has continued to improve with several anglers reporting catching multiple bags of carp with most fish landed being upper doubles. During the warmer weather surface baits prove to be the most productive method. Floating pellets accounted 3 double figure carp for Paul Andrews including commons of 17lb and 14lb 12oz. Lez Reed managed a 17lb common whilst angling partner Nigel Gilbert landed an immaculate 12lb 9oz common, both fishing floating baits. Anglers float fishing the margins are still reporting good mixed bags of roach, rudd and perch from pegs all around the lake. The Airman Pit produced a number of carp to low 20s and mid double catfish, as well as a number of decent tench. Mark Brookman took mirrors of 23lb 4oz and 15lb during a short midweek stalking session. Members should note that the Airman Pit will be closed from midnight on Friday 4th June until 9am on Monday 7th June to allow essential repairs to take place to the entrance. There will be absolutely no access to the lake during this time. Sport at Willington Lake proved a frustrating for many anglers during the week. Several anglers reported tench and bream ‘fizzing’ in their swims but proving difficult to catch. Venue bailiff Brian Barrett typified the week with his swim seemingly alive with fish, but was frustrated to only land 3 tench and a 2½lb eel. Willy Woodfield also suffered from long periods of tentative bites, before landing a few tench and bream during short feeding spells. Pike continue to fall to spinners and lures. Shefford & District A. A. is offering a series of Taster Days at Broom Lake for youngsters and adults to try their hand at fishing. All tackle and bait is provided for the sessions by the Club. Each participant will receive certificates, plentiful literature and a set of fishing tackle to take away and use after the event. Further information and application forms are available on the club website www.shefforddaa.org.uk or by phone to 07767 074064. The next Taster Days are on 19th & 20th June and 14th August with the cost being a nominal £2.50.

Week ending 23rd May 2010 The warmer weather had the tench back on the feed at Willington Lake. Venue regular Willy Woodfield landed no fewer than 23 tench with most being over the 6lb mark, including six over 7lb up to 7lb 6oz. Willy also landed four bream to 11lb 10oz. Several other anglers reported good catches of tench with several reporting fish over 7lb, topped by a 7lb 12oz specimen caught by Andy Davis. The hot weather had the carp in the mood for spawning and showed little interest in anglers baits. However, we can now give further details of some of the carp that Willy Woodfield has caught from the venue in recent weeks. Willy’s best carp so far has been a 31lb 4oz mirror and on a separate visit he took a brace of mirrors at 23lb and 27lb 14oz within the space of 30 minutes. These have been backed up by a good number of upper doubles, including both mirrors and commons with all the fish being in superb conditions. Willy is convinced that he has seen larger fish, but with so much natural food in the lake the carp fishing does present a challenge to get the carp feeding on anglers’ baits. The carp fishing at Broom Lake has vastly improved this week in spite of signs that the fish were shoaling up in preparation for spawning. Several anglers have reported catching multiple carp in single sessions with most fish being upper doubles. Most carp are falling to bottom baits, but it is usually at this time of year that surface baits prove to be the most productive method. Anglers float fishing for silver fish are still enjoying success with several bonus tench also showing up in mixed bags of roach, rudd and perch. Members should note that the Airman Pit will be closed from midnight on Friday 4th June until 9am on Monday 7th June. There will be absolutely no access to the lake during this time. The closure is to allow essential repairs to take place. The annual newsletter is now available here. A reminder that Shefford & District A. A. is offering a series of Taster Days at Broom Lake for youngsters and adults to try their hand at fishing. All tackle and bait is provided for the sessions by the Club. Each participant will receive certificates, plentiful literature and a set of fishing tackle to take away and use after the event. Further information and application forms are available on the club website www.shefforddaa.org.uk or by phone to 07767 074064. The next Taster Days are on 19th & 20th June and 14th August with the cost being a nominal £2.50.
Week ending 16th May 2010 Overnight frosts slowed down the sport at Willington Lake. Michael Baldwin managed four large bream topped by a superb 11lb 4oz specimen. Michael returned to the same swim a few days later to catch several tench. Venue regular Willy Woodfield managed ten tench to 7lb during a 30h overnight session and several other anglers also enjoyed multiple tench catches, including Colin Smith who included a personal best tinca of 6lb 7½oz. Despite no obvious signs of carp activity, Jock Watson managed to catch a beautifully conditioned 16lb 8oz common carp. Carp sport continues to improve at Broom Lake with several anglers reporting multiple bags of double figure fish, the best fish going 20lb 10oz. Reports were rather sparse from the Airman Pit with only smaller catfish and carp being reported, including some of the recently stocked mirror carp from AJS Fisheries. Shefford & District A. A. 2010/11 Membership Cards are available from tackle shops and the club registrar. Membership remains valid through to 15th June 2011. A separate Night Permit is required to night fish the Airman and Willington Lake and these are only available via the club registrar using the application form that is available on the club website.
Week ending 9th May 2010 Catches continue to improve at the Airman Pit with Steve Braham landing his first catfish of the year, which turned out to be a personal best at 39lb 5oz and was caught on CW Baits Catcatcher boilies. Another angler reported landing a 27lb 12oz catfish and several carp, including mirrors of 27lb 6oz and 22lb 8oz. Philip Shewan also enjoyed a very productive session landing 8 carp to 21lb. The cooler weather led to a downturn in tench catches at Willington Lake. However, Bob Izzard enjoyed three productive sessions on the lake landing a total of ten tench, which included 6 fish over 5lb and a pb of 5lb 10oz. Bob’s successful tactic was method feeder with a variety of baits on the hook, including lobworms, maggots and casters. Several other anglers enjoyed success with the tench, as well as the odd carp and bream reported. Pike anglers enjoyed success with numerous pike taken on spinners and lures, including junior member Paul Allum who was pleased to land a jack pike on one of his first spinning sessions. Carp are now more active at Broom Lake and amongst the carp reported were commons of 21lb 12oz and 12lb landed by Tim Keane. Bream and tench continue to show, along with plenty of silver fish to float tactics. Shefford & District A. A. 2010/11 Membership Cards are now available from tackle shops and the club registrar. A reminder that these are immediately useable from the date of purchase (you don’t have to wait until 16th June) and are valid through to 15th June 2011. Anglers requiring a Night Permit to night fish the Airman and Willington Lake will need to apply via the club registrar using the application form that is available on the club website. There is no increase in subscriptions this year. Shefford & District A. A. is offering a series of Taster Days at Broom Lake for youngsters and adults to try their hand at fishing. All tackle and bait is provided for the sessions by the Club. Each participant will receive certificates, plentiful literature and a set of fishing tackle to take away and use after the event. Further information and application forms are available on the club website or by phone to 07767 074064. The first Taster Day is on 22nd May, followed by further events on 19th & 20th June and 14th August with the cost being a nominal £2.50.
Week ending 2nd May 2010 Willy Woodfield continued with his terrific run of tench catches at Willington Lake by landing a further 26 tincas to 7lb 4oz during his latest midweek session. This has taken Willy’s tally of Willington tench to well over 100 fish during April, topped by a superb 8lb 6oz specimen. Willy also landed a further 3 carp during his latest visit. Tench also featured in many anglers’ catches to a variety of methods. Committee members Colin Smith and Richard Bell landed several tench to 5lb 14oz, Colin catching on feeder and caster whilst Richard caught his on boilies intended for the carp. Tim Bryant fished the lake for the first time in 10 years and was delighted to land a 7lb 8oz bream on groundbait feeder tactics, but later rued the loss of a much bigger bream at the net. Carp dominated catches at the Airman Pit with Andrew Smart (aka ‘Jif’) taking the best catch of the week with five carp, including a beautiful golden 17lb common and a 22lb mirror. Although a few carp to mid-doubles have been reported from Broom Lake the carp have not been consistent feeders. Anglers are still catching tench and bream, including Stewart Howes who landed 5 bream to 7lb and Brian Webster with a 5lb 10oz tench. Those fishing light on pole or waggler are still enjoying good sport with roach, rudd and perch. The new Shefford & District A. A. 2010/11 Membership Cards are now available from tackle shops and the club registrar, and are useable from the date of purchase through to 15th June 2011. Anglers requiring a Night Permit to night fish the Airman and Willington Lake will need to apply via the club registrar using the application form that is available on the club website. There is no increase in subscriptions this year. Five members of Shefford & District A. A. are now qualified angling coaches and the club is offering a series of Taster Days at Broom Lake for youngsters and adults to try their hand at fishing. Taster Days are designed for those who haven’t been fishing before or those who want to learn more about the sport and improve on their current ability. There will be a brief introduction to the fish in the lake and modern fishing tackle, followed by an opportunity to try and catch some fish. All tackle and bait is provided for the sessions by the Club. Each participant will receive certificates, plentiful literature and a set of fishing tackle to take away and use after the event. Further information and application forms are available on the club website www.shefforddaa.org.uk or by phone to 07767 074064. The first Taster Day is on 22nd May, followed by further events on 19th & 20th June and 14th August with the cost being a nominal £2.50.
Week ending 25th April 2010 Tench continue to dominate catches at Willington Lake with odd bream and carp also being caught. The larger female tench are now beginning to feature more prominently in catches, with Willy Woodfield taking the largest reported this week at 8lb 6oz. During his midweek session Willy landed a total of 19 tench, 3 carp, a bream and an eel. Other anglers reported catching several tench in a day from pegs all around the lake. Plenty of carp have been seen patrolling the lake during the warmer weather, but anglers targeting the carp with boilies are finding the tench usually find their baits first. A few double figure catfish and carp were caught at the Airman Pit during the week. As the nights get warmer anglers can expect the catfish to start feeding hard to pack on the weight they have lost during the winter. A few carp to mid-doubles have been reported from Broom Lake, with fish now showing an interest in surface baits. However, anglers are also catching tench and bream on bottom baits whilst those fishing light on the float are having good sport with roach, rudd and perch. The track around Broom Lake is now open to vehicles so that anglers can drive to their pegs. The new Shefford & District A. A. 2010/11 membership cards will be available from tackle shops and the club registrar from the start of May, and will be useable from the date of purchase through to 15th June 2011. Anglers requiring a night ticket will need to apply via the club registrar using the application form that will be available on the club website. There is no increase in subscriptions this year.
Week ending 18th April 2010 The catfish have woken up from their winter slumbers at the Airman Pit and are now on the prowl. The first reported catfish were landed by Ben Toyer who had two screaming runs at the same time. After landing the first catfish of 22lb 10oz, he picked up his second rod and went on to land a magnificent 42lb 8oz catfish. Both fish fell to LT Baits boilies, the smaller cat falling to Salmino flavour boilies whilst the larger fish took a liking to Meatymino boilies. On the same night Mark Brookman took 4 double figure mirror carp, topped by a 22lb 3oz specimen. News that the cats were on the feed soon had other anglers on the bank, including Mick Burr who landed an impressive 37lb 2oz catfish and 18lb 8oz common. All three anglers caught their fish during single overnight sessions. The tench are still reliable feeders at Willington Lake with bream and carp also featuring in anglers catches. Willy Woodfield spent another 3 night session on the lake and landed 23 tench to 7lb, 3 bream topped by a superbly conditioned 10lb 12oz specimen, as well as two double figure common carp to 16lb 8oz. Willy was joined this week by Brian Pitcher who caught 10 tench, including fish of 8lb 8oz and 7lb 2oz, and a bream. Andy Davis also returned to take a further 10 tench to 6lb in a single day. Once again hectic feeding spells tend to be followed by a lull in activity, but as the water temperature is rising these feeding spells appear to be shifting to earlier in the day rather than late afternoon. The carp have been more active and stalking tactics to intercept feeding fish have proved successful using either bottom or surface baits. The new Shefford & District A. A. 2010/11 membership cards will be available from tackle shops and the club registrar from early May, and will be useable from the date of purchase through to 15th June 2011. Anglers requiring a night ticket will need to apply via the club registrar using the application form that will be available on the club website. There is no increase in subscriptions this year. Please note, half-year books will not be available for purchase after the new membership cards have been distributed to the tackle shops.
Week ending 11th April 2010 Once again the pick of our waters has been Willington Lake where the tench have shown in greater numbers. Club bailiff Brian Barrett returned to take a superb catch of 17 tench in a day, all in the 4-6lb bracket. Brian took most of his fish on float fished red maggot with the remainder falling to swimfeeder tactics. New member Willy Woodfield spent a 3 night session on the lake and during his stay landed no less than 39 tench to over 7lb, as well as 3 bream. Andy Davis caught 6 tench to 6lb, and several other anglers reported multi-fish bags of tench. Male tench dominate the catches with only a few females currently showing, and frenzied feeding spells tend to be followed by a lull in activity. With water temperatures rising the carp are now becoming more active and will hopefully start to feed in the coming weeks. Over at the Airman Pit the carp have been reliable feeders with newly elected Fisheries Officer Andy Knight taking 3 double figure carp to 17lb and a tench of 5lb 2oz. Andy Furr landed mirror carp of 16lb and 14lb. The largest carp reported during the week weighed 22lb. The carp were becoming more active as the week wore on due to the water temperature slowly increasing. Several anglers are vying to catch the first catfish of the year but apart from a few dropped runs, no catfish has yet been reported. At Broom Lake the carp have yet to switch on and the fishing may still be affected by the recent introduction of 5.5 tonnes of Siltex, which will hopefully have the long term benefit of reducing the amount of silt on the lake bed. The silver fish appear to be unaffected with plenty of roach, rudd and perch being caught on light float tactics. The track will open from Tuesday evening to allow members to drive to their swim (cars and small vans only).
Week ending 4th April 2010 Pick of our waters this week was Willington Lake where the tench came on the feed. The best net was taken by club bailiff Brian Barrett who took 4 tench for 19lb 8oz plus a bonus 10lb 8oz mirror carp. Brian took all his fish on float fished red maggot just over the near side shelf, but rued the 6 lost tench that managed to slip the hook. Other anglers reported tench to 6lb, including several multi-fish bags mainly caught on swimfeeder tactics. The most productive time has been the afternoon through to darkness with most fish being male tench, hopefully the larger females will come on the feed as the waters warm up. Six months of improvement work at Broom Lake culminated in the application of 5.5 tonnes of Siltex during the last week. Although the carp have been showing, they have been reluctant to feed with tench and bream dominating catches to those using ledgered baits. For those anglers fishing the pole or light waggler tactics it has often been a bite a chuck from roach, rudd and perch. At the AGM it was announced that there will be no increase in the Shefford & District A. A. subscriptions for the coming season. The new membership cards should be available from tackle shops and the club registrar from the beginning of May, and will be useable from the date of purchase through to 15th June 2011. Trophies were presented by the Club President, John Leath. The match awards included the Club Champion trophy awarded to Neil Bygrave, the Pike Series Champion to Chris Perry and the 24 Hours Series Champion to Richard Knight. The best specimen was voted by the members attending the AGM, resulting in the Tookey Trophy going to Nick Wellington for his fabulous club record 4lb 7oz perch, which was caught on the last day of the river season. Finally, the Centenary Trophy awarded for meritorious contribution to the club was awarded to Jim and Karen Easton for their unstinting attendance at work parties over many years.
Week ending 28th March 2010 Lots of fish have been observed in our lakes. At the Airman Pit carp up to mid doubles have been caught with the best going to around 20lb. Mick Cole fishing a 5 hour day session on the water with his mate Mick Burr took a mirror of exactly 20lb with Mick landing a mirror of 14lb 14oz. At Willington Lake a number of members have been targetting early season tench with some success. Andy of 'Andy's Angling' had a best fish of 5lb 12oz whilst members fishing along from him had fish to 6lb. Pike to double figures are also featuring to anglers fishing lures. At Broom Lake the fish will need a few days to settle down after all the work that has been going on on the water. However members have been reporting captures of carp to mid doubles including one or two of last years stocking and also plenty of silverfish to those fishing waggler tactics.
Week ending 21st March 2010 With water temperatures rapidly rising towards double figures carp have been observed moving around on most of Shefford & District A.A. lakes. However apart from an odd fish they are still proving hard to catch. At Broom Lake where in an attempt to improve the fishing a tremendous amount of work has been carried out there are reports of carp to high double figures with the best at 17lb plus being the best reported. The venue will be closed to members on March 31st and April 1st whilst the lake is treated with siltex. The Airman Pit has also produced a few fish with again mid doubles featuring typified by Neil Oxford's two fish of 16lb and 11lb in a night session. Over at Willington Lake pike to double figures have been reported and tench anglers have been out trying to tempt the tincas but so far only an occasional fish has responded. Members are reminded that the club's Annual General Meeting will take place at the usual venue, Shefford Memorial Hall in the Hitchin Road on Tuesday 30th March at 8-00pm.
Week ending 14th March 2010 What a fantastic end to the river season for member Nick Wellington. He tackled the club's stretch of the River Ivel at the back of Broom Lake to land a club record perch of 4lb 7oz. The excellent fish was accompanied by other stripeys of 2lb 15oz and 2lb 4oz along with pike of 12lb 4oz and 5lb. Nigel Gilbert and Lez Reed ended their season on the River Great Ouse at Pavenham where Nigel continued his excellent run of catches with a chub of 5lb 3oz, a perch of 2lb 14oz and a pike of 13lb 14oz caught on maggot feeder, size 16 hook and double maggot. Nigel commented that the hook was fair and square in the mouth! Lez didn't have a touch all day. Brian Barrett was also on the Ouse but at Willington behind the club's lake where he took chub to 4lb 13oz. The lakes have been fishing hard with very few fish reported. At the Airman Pit there are reports of good bags of roach with several fish over the pound mark being taken on feeder tactics. The final 24hour match held last weekend at Willington Lake was a struggle for the participants. The honours were taken by Richard Knight who took a pike of 12lb 2oz. In second place was Kevin Williams with another pike of 5lb 6oz. In winning the final match Richard became the overall winner of the series. Members are reminded that the club's Annual General Meeting will take place at the usual venue, Shefford Memorial Hall in the Hitchin Road on Tuesday 30th March at 8-00pm.
Week ending 7th March 2010 It was a very disappointing end to the traditional match season for the match group. With frost on the ground and not a cloud in the sky the match group met for their final fixture on the club's stretch of the River Ivel at Jordan's Mill, hopeful that with levels back to normal, fish would be eager to catch up on their feeding. Sadly it soon became evident that this wouldn't be the case, as tips remained motionless and floats maintained their course without deviation. Steve Green, having had to return home when he realised he'd left his bait in the garage, took the only fish of the day in the shape of a 3oz roach and with it the honours. Despite the cold breeze, bright sunshine and apparent lack of feeding fish, Nigel Gilbert decided to fish on after the match and once again was rewarded for his efforts with his third 4lb plus perch from the river weighing in at an impressive 4lb 3oz; what a fish!. On the same venue Mick Burr also had an entertaining afternoon's fishing when he landed stripeys of 2lb 15oz, 2lb 0oz, as well as a surprise carp of 3lb 8oz and a couple of jacks around the 2lb mark. Members have been showing a great deal of interest in the extensive work carried out at Broom Lake. Over the winter months in excess of 400 man hours of work have been put in clearing overhanging trees from the islands and banks and this together with the upcoming treatment of the lake with Siltex and the introduction of the top quality carp should provide a venue well worth a dabble in the coming year. This coming Saturday 13th March sees the final 24hour match being held at Willington Lake. The lake will be closed from midnight on Friday until midday Sunday. If any member is interested in fishing the match they should contact Andy Knight on 07904 302920.
Week ending 28th Feb 2010 With rivers over their banks and temperatures still low it has once again been a struggle to catch fish for most members who were prepared to venture out in these conditions. Without doubt the catch of the week was achieved by Richard Knight who braved the elements in a two night session at the Airman Pit. Despite freezing conditions and the lake half frozen over he managed six carp with the best going 22lb. Having taken this fish within three hours of starting he then proceeded to land fish of 17lb, two at 14lb ,11lb and 10lb. Member Gordon Barnwell decided to have a go for the pike at Willington Lake and was rewarded with a lovely fish of 19lb. Because of the water levels, James Melton who has recently been tackling the Ivel for pike switched his attention to the Airman Pit and managed a fish of 12lb whilst lure fishing. With the Ivel at Bigglewade unfishable the Match Group turned their attention to the Airman, their reserve venue, for the penultimate fixture of the season. Undeterred by the rain and gusting winds, the competitors made their way to the bank, hopeful that the big roach shoal which frequented the carpark swims a year ago would be in residence. Sadly this wasn't to be the case as for the 5 hours the anglers sat poised to react to bites which were few and far between. First blood was a synchronised affair as both Nigel Gilbert and Neil Bygrave took a roach within seconds of each other from opposite sides of the venue. Sadly this proved to be the only action of the day, until with a matter of minutes to go, Nigel managed to take a second fish and with it the honours, his catch weighing in at 1 lb 1/2 oz. Neil managed 2nd, his single fish taking the needle round to 10 oz. With his second place today, Neil has retained the individual title. The last match of the season will take place this Sunday, 7th March - hopefully - with the club's stretch of the Ivel at Jordans Mill the venue. In the event the river is still unfishable, the match will be fished at the Airman Pit once again, details from Neil Bygrave on 01462 625856 or 07980 533860.
Week ending 21st Feb 2010 Anglers all over are asking when will this winter weather abate? All the news from members this week comes from the pike anglers amongst the membership. With very cold water temperatures and high water levels on the rivers even many of them have been struggling on the bank. It was really tough for the anglers who took on the blizzard conditions which greeted them for the fifth and final round of the pike series, fished on the clubs stretch of the River Ouse at Lammas Meadow, Paxton. Sadly, as has proven to be the case on most venues since Christmas, the river was carrying extra water and was highly coloured; ideal bream conditions, though not necessarily good for predators. For most, the day proved fishless, though club bailiff Kevin Williams fishing the first swim in the woods managed the only capture with half an hour remaining when he slipped his net under a 9 lb 4 oz fish. Despite gaining top points for his capture on the day, it still wasn't enough to beat series winner Chris Perry who amassed a total of 23 points with Kevin finishing second on 19 points two points ahead of Dave Baker in third. Not only does Chris take the accolade for winning the series, but he also took the largest fish of the series with his 10 lb 6 oz fish from the November match fished at Willington Lake. Congratulations Chris, and thanks to all those members that attended the matches. Pike regular James Melton returned once again to the IPA controlled Biggleswade Back Meadows where he fished lures in a 3 hour session and was rewarded with a personal best 21lb croc. In the same session he also had fish of 10lb, 7lb and two small jacks. Tomorrow, Saturday 27th sees the water share with the Perchfishers on Broom River whilst the penultimate traditional monthly match will be fished on Biggleswade Common on Sunday 28th with details from Neil Bygrave on 01462 625856 or 07980 533860.
Week ending 14th Feb 2010 Once again the last week has seen very few members on the bank. Nigel Gilbert and his mate Lez Reed returned to the River Great Ouse at Pavenham. After the capture of his double figure barbel whilst perching last week Nigel was determined to get amongst the stripeys which he knows are in this length of the river. Lez managed the biggest perch with a fish of exactly 2lb whilst Nigel had to be content with a fish of 1lb 14oz. As Lez said not massive fish but it does serve as a reminder to members that Pavenham isn't just barbel and chub territory. James Melton on his weekly trip fishing lures once again got amongst the pike, this time on the IPA controlled Biggleswade back meadows. He managed to land 7 pike with the best at 12lb. It was a very active session because in addition to the fish landed James had four other takes. The next match in the pike series will be held this Sunday 21st February on the River Great Ouse at Lamas Meadow. The next traditional club match will on Sunday 28th February at Biggleswade Common. For details of both matches please call Neil Bygrave on 01462 625856 or 07980 533860. Members should note that on Saturday 27th February the Perchfishers will be sharing the club's Broom River venue for the day.
Week ending 7th Feb 2010 The slightly milder weather and more favourable water conditions has prompted more activity on the waters. Probably the fish of the week was caught by Nigel Gilbert who continued his excellent season with a double figure barbel of 10lb 7oz caught whilst perch fishing on the club's stretch of the River Great Ouse at Pavenham, north of Bedford. Nigel was using worm bait on 4lb line and 3lb 2oz hook length. Mick Burr's perseverance has paid off on the River Ivel at Broom where he has taken perch of 3lb 2oz and 2lb 3oz. Top pike recorded this week by Shefford members is a River Ivel personal best of 14lb 5oz landed by James Melton during a two hour session lure fishing on the IPA controlled stretch of the River Ivel at Biggleswade Backmeadows. Second best of the week was a 13lb 3oz croc caught by Steve Jepps from the Airman Pit. The rearranged pike match at Willington Lake proved a big disappointment. For once the conditions appeared nigh-on perfect; overcast, gentle breeze, above freezing - surely they had to catch? Sadly the fish had other ideas as for the 6 hour duration the water got thrashed to a froth as different baits and methods were tried in a vane attempt to get one of the lakes inhabitants to take. One fish was hooked and lost with the result that at the weigh in it was a 6 way tie at the top as all of the competitors failed to catch! The next match in the series will be held on 21st February on the River Great Ouse at Lamas Meadow. For details call Neil Bygrave on 01462 625856 or 07980 533860. There have been several anglers inquiring about half year books which are available from local tackle dealers with adult membership books at £30 usable until 15th June.
Week ending 31st Jan 2010 Even though the weather in the past week hadn't shown much of an improvement there were a few more members venturing out. Most of them were after pike and several small crocs came to the net. At Willington Lake James Melton took three when fishing lures with the best at 7lb. Young member Paul Allum fishing with his dad at the same venue took his first pike. In the first match of the new year fished on the River Great Ouse again at Willington it was bitterly cold and whilst the main river would have proved challenging to fish, the boat moorings appeared to offer some quieter water and it was along here that the match was contested. Whilst bites were hard to come by match secretary Neil Bygrave hit a couple of tentative pulls which saw the net slip under the only fish of the day in the shape of a 2lb 3oz chub: the successful bait a piece of steak fished across on the far bank on the tip. Members are reminded that this weekend sees the IPA Pairs competition fished on Saturday whilst the re-scheduled pike match will be fished at Willington Lake on Sunday. For details call Neil Bygrave on 01462 625856 or 07980 533860. The venue will remain open to the general membership during the fixture. Down at Broom Lake work continues on the islands with lots of overhanging trees removed and the place generally tidied up. Work parties will be held again this weekend with meets on both Saturday and Sunday. The venue does remain open but swims adjacent to the work being carried out will be unavailable to members.
Week ending 24th Jan 2010 Although slightly warmer than of late and all the stillwaters now ice free few members have bothered to venture out. However Richard Knight saw the possibility of having the Airman Pit to himself and put in a two night stint after carp. On his first put in he got the surprise of his life when his line went racing off with the result a 13lb 8oz mirror netted. With his hopes high he fished on but to no avail and finished with no further runs. During the daylight hours he did have a few visitors who decided to tackle the pike in the venue. Tony Day took a a low double, Steve Jepps had one of 10lb and Ken Moulton also took a small jack. It has been a similar story at Willington Lake with members taking small pike. The only report from flowing water is from Stanford Canal where Mark Saul has been chubing with some reward. In spite of a blank session he returned to be rewarded with fish of 3lb and 4lb 12oz an excellent fish for the water. The next traditional club match is planned for this Sunday 31st January on the River Great Ouse at Willington with the draw at 8-00am. For details call Neil Bygrave on 01462 625856 or 07980 533860. Neil also informs that he has re-scheduled the cancelled pike match for 7th February at Willington Lake. Interested members should contact him for details. The venue will remain open to the general membership during the fixture.
Week ending 17th Jan 2010 Fishing was just about impossible on all waters with members still finding stillwaters frozen over and the rivers unfishable because of heavy rain and thawing snow. The planned pike match on the River Ivel at Broom had to be called off and the reserve lake venue was frozen over. The lakes are now rapidly thawing and hopefully members will be able to get out and catch. Only one report came in this week and it was a lucky Kev Williams who found the IPA controlled Biggleswade Backmeadows just about fishable and teased out an 8lb 4oz barbel. The next club match is planned for Sunday 31st January on the River Great Ouse at Willington with the draw at 8-00am. For details call Neil Bygrave on 01462 625856 or 07980 533860. The club are trialling a half year book available from all local tackle dealers and usable up to 15th June. An extension to the trial at the Airman Pit and Willington Lake allowing night ticket holders to use 3 rods will go ahead with the committee reviewing the situation on an ongoing basis.	Kev Williams Barbel
Week ending 10th Jan 2010 Once again it has been a very tough week for members with stillwaters frozen over and snow water beginning to find its' way into the rivers. The pick of the river venues remains the River Flit at Clifton Road Bridge where Chris Mayes and Nigel Gilbert continue to catch when fishing short sessions on the venue. Chris had drawn a blank in several swims before fining down his terminal tackle and switching to maggot on the tip to take a chub of around 3lb and then had a surprise when he struck into something much bigger which after a strong fight turned out to be a rainbow trout of around 4lb. Nigel adopting similar tactics and expecting chub to be the only feeders took a bream of around 3lb on bread. Up at Willington, club chairman, Richard Bell liked the look of the River Great Ouse and again after drawing a blank in a few swims finally got a chub of 3lb to take his bait. Catching the odd fish seems to be the outcome for most venturing out in the extremely cold weather. Predator angler James Melton adopted roving tactics for his few hours lure fishing on the IPA controlled Biggleswade Back Meadows and was rewarded with a pike of 8lb. The next of the club pike matches will be held this Sunday 17th January on the River Ivel from Jordans to the Stanford Canal with the draw in the Broom Lake car-park at 8-00am. All members are welcome to have a go in what has proved to be a popular series of matches. For details call Neil on 01462 625856 or 07980 533860
Week ending 3rd Jan 2010 With all the stillwaters frozen the few hardy souls who ventured out in subzero temperatures concentrated on river venues close to home. The River Flit at Clifton Road Bridge continues to give reasonable sport with chub to 4lb the main quarry. Chris Mayes fishing short sessions using lobworm or sweetcorn took several fish to 3lb 10oz. The biggest chub of the week fell to former secretary Lez Reed who ended several blanks with a lovely fish of 4lb 10oz. His fishing mate Nigel Gilbert also got into the action with one of around 4lb. They had moved onto the short stretch of the river in Clifton after blanking on the IPA controlled stretch of the River Ivel in Biggleswade. The club controlled length of the River Ivel behind Broom Lake has also been yielding one or two chub for anglers prepared to keep on the move fishing short sessions in a number of swims. Typical are fish to 2lb 8oz. Pike anglers have also been out on the river but have found fish hard to come by. James Melton fishing a spell of around 4hours and at times having to push ice out of his rod rings was eventually rewarded with a small pike.

Week ending 25th July 2010

Week ending 18th July 2010

Week ending 11th July 2010

Week ending 4th July 2010

Week ending 27th June 2010

Week ending 20th June 2010

Week ending 13th June 2010

Week ending 6th June 2010

Week ending 30th May 2010

Week ending 23rd May 2010

Week ending 16th May 2010

Week ending 9th May 2010

Week ending 2nd May 2010

Week ending 25th April 2010

Week ending 18th April 2010

Week ending 11th April 2010

Week ending 4th April 2010

Week ending 28th March 2010

Week ending 21st March 2010

Week ending 14th March 2010

Week ending 7th March 2010

Week ending 28th Feb 2010

Week ending 21st Feb 2010

Week ending 14th Feb 2010

Week ending 7th Feb 2010

Week ending 31st Jan 2010

Week ending 24th Jan 2010

Week ending 17th Jan 2010

Week ending 10th Jan 2010

Week ending 3rd Jan 2010