Sorry for the lack of updates – Match 1 did go ahead as planned, although the fishing didn’t materialise for 5 of the 8 anglers 😱
Ideal conditions you’d have said but with only three catching many were left scratching their head, especially as it was the angler furthest upstream that completely trounced everyone.
Yes, you read that right, ounces (barely) for 2nd and 3rd, and 5 anglers did not weigh!
So, this weekend we return to try again!
Unfortunately, we have a very large tree down at Pressham at the moment and until it’s clear we cannot realistically host a match there.
Hope to change venue for match 3, and may put a fourth on to close the season. Also, watch this space, may have a tie up with SHAA anglers in the making too!
Please check in with me if you’d like to fish (here or text) – you don’t need to have fished the last match, all members welcome
Could we actually get a small run of matches in before the season closes?!
Available to all full members (juniors, adults, seniors) … no pegging fee, no prize pool (unless agreed and arranged on the day) … three hour match on a Saturday morning.
No rain forecast, so we should stand a fair chance of seeing the banks over the coming days and them being available for some footfall by the 28th!
Who’s with me?!
Any questions please ask here or give me a text/call (07525 966 187)
So those dreams I had of running something during the colder months – open to all members, nice short sessions that everyone would hopefully find a way to squeeze in their Saturday…getting the best of cold winter river fishing…
…kind of ruined by very mild and very wet weather.
Just had a chat with a member on the club and we think the banks on Crown Meadows are actually somewhere in the Crown Hotel gardens right now and the Nutford stretch probably somewhere on the Trailway, much to Terry Greenslades delight (inside joke).
Let’s see where we stand in a couple of weeks and see if we can use the third scheduled date for a match!?
Well, I found the river, problem is it’s right up on and over the bank, and pegs.
Given the forecast suggests more rain to come and upstream was getting higher this morning I’d expect to be in flood again for the match.
So, we’ll kick off mid Jan, using the second date to get things started. We have the very last weekend of the season as a buffer for the fifth and final match.
Tight lines if you get out over Christmas, many still waters still in action and the river will be fishable in places if you’re brave/mad/eager enough to get out. Be careful it’ll be soft under foot and slippery at the waters edge!
I will probably head to Revels for the silvers open on the 31st – hope to see some of you there!
Thanks again for all the support this year, we’ve seen some great angling and I’m very encouraged by our junior section and overall support of the club.
An absolute pleasure to be working with the committee as always. We’re very appreciative of your support – be you member, day ticket holder, land owner, farmer or just a supporter of what we’re doing – thank you!
Firstly, thank you to the juniors, you were the stars of the show…an excellent display of enthusiasm and good order – a superb example for the club, I’m very proud of you all. That coupled with some tenacious angling in fierce conditions, a fantastic day.
So, down to business – after some head scratching I pooled the juniors in to groups…with an adult on each of the main stretches of the lake (Main Lake). From the moment we drew pegs, it rained…and it rained…and it rained some more with ridiculous gusts of wind. Not a single moan from any of the kids, you did better than all four of us adults.
We had the following groups
Ben Bentley, with Bailey and Thomas Jamie Bumby, with Jacob and Harvey Terry Greenslade, with Reuben, Albie and James Craig Whelan, with Mason, George and Lewis
We had a prize pool for individual weights, standings as follows 1st – Thomas – 2lb 14oz – £15 Conyers Voucher + Preston Innovations hookbox and tied hooks 2nd – Albie – 1lb 11oz – £10 Conyers Voucher + Preston Innovations hookbox and tied hooks 3rd – Reuben – 11oz – £5 Conyers Voucher + Preston Innovations hookbox and tied hooks
Congratulations to the three of you, superb angling to be finding those silvers in harsh conditions.
We then had a prize pool for the paired weight…which is where the big prizes were (adult weight plus the junior weight), standings as follows
1st – Thomas – 4lb 11oz – Shakespeare Agility rod and some bomb/feeder tackle 2nd – Lewis – 4lb 6oz – 4m whip, 6 rigs ready to fish and a plummet 3rd – George – 4lb 5oz – float fishing tackle (floats, shot, line, float adapter etc)
To get the pairs weights, the adults put the following nets together 1st – Craig Whelan – 4lb 0oz 2nd – Ben Bentley – 1lb 13oz 3rd – Jamie Bumby – 1lb 10oz 4th – Terry Greenslade – 1lb 0oz
We also had some surprise spot prizes too, this is where my additional thanks comes in.
Firstly, to Ian Paulley (of Sturminster and Hinton Angling Association) who organised with Drennan an EVA luggage set! We gave this prize for the largest fish caught by a junior (silvers only). This prize went to Thomas, who caught an 8oz skimmer. Well done Thomas! Massive thanks and gratitude to Ian and Drennan – an incredible prize.
Secondly, to Ben Bentley of Avoiding the Blank Angling Coaching. Ben donated two 4 hour coaching sessions. With two of our juniors unfortunately blanking, it seemed only right to give those sessions to Harvey and Bailey. Congratulations lads, this is a fantastic prize and a great opportunity to really start to refine you approach to angling. Thank you Ben, a really generous prize.
A final thanks to Jason again who hosted us, without which we couldn’t have gone ahead given the river condition right now. If you have your Blandford membership – do make use of the lakes when the rivers aren’t fishable…it’s a cracking venue that offers some great sport and really makes you think about your approach to catching lots of, or a decent stamp of, fish.
Some photos added from the day. Please be respectful of sharing etc, whilst we have gained consent for use by parents, contact from any club or organisation resharing would be appreciated just to let us know.
Any questions, concerns, enquires, please contact me directly on 07525 966 187
Do we have any takers for the next Senior Championships match scheduled for the Sunday 27th November?
If you’d like to fish – please comment and/or get in touch on the number below.
Interest has been low again this year so I’m thinking of plans to change the format to hopefully broaden the appeal. Watch this space, I’ll be doing some thinking on Saturday whilst out trying to catch large chub 🤣
I’m sorry to say at this time I’m having to taken the decision to postpone the eagerly anticipated Juniors Pairs Match scheduled for this Saturday.
The weather came in heavy and has been for a number of hours now, I was near Gillingham this afternoon too and the river there gives me more indication of what’s to come down stream in the next 24-36 hours.
***HOWEVER*** I will be trying to get hold of Revels tomorrow morning to see if they can accomodate us. I appreciate this logistically may cause some challenges…I may have some solutions to…but one thing at a time; let’s see if they can host us first.
I will update individuals who have booked in and appreciate there may be bait ordered with Conyers…if you have an order in with Conyers for this Saturday, please get in touch with me directly.
We will get this match on…just not on the river, this weekend.
I have ten (yes, you read correctly, 10!) juniors booked in for Saturday. However I only have FIVE adult/senior members booked in. If we get a full schedule we’ll be looking at a 20 peg match at Nutford…unheard of for quite a few years!
If you’re available Saturday and fancy a bit of friendly competition – please get in touch with me ASAP.
After the success of the recent Juniors sessions where a number of the adult/senior club members helped half a dozen juniors with setup and the basics of getting fishing – with some fantasic roach and perch caught I’ve devided to run a junior / adults/seniors pairs match
Format: Two draws to take place, one for pairing, one for peg allocation. Adult/Senior member to help junior setup their equipment, if required, with remaining time available to setup their own. Junior can have supervision from parent/guardian – with minimal assistance please.
Rules: • Coarse fish only – no pike, trout or grayling • Nets aired before match for at least 15 minutes • No prebaiting swim • Club rules apply
Two work parties in the diary for now, will aim to get some more in over the rest of the year to keep on top of things.
24th June; 1800-2000 @ Nutford Farm
1st July; 0800-1200 @ Crown Meadows / Poplars
General ‘gardening’ work – not planning anything extensive at this stage, kind of work involved will be as follows
– Swim cutting (on land) – Peg staking and attaching peg boards – Spade cut steps/landings as required – Strimming grass for pathways – Branch cutting as needed (on land, below head height)
A small selection of equipment is available 2 line strimmers, shears, branch saw and a spade, please bring your own PPE (eyewear, hearing protection, mask, gloves, boots etc) please. We will make enquiries about additional equipment hire – and also if you want to bring your own, please let us know!
If you wish to get involved, please get in touch with Craig on 07525 966 187 to confirm arrangements.
The committee held its AGM on Thursday 5th May, I’d like to share a quick update with a full newsletter to follow before the start of the coarse season.
As part of our AGMs we vote on incoming committee, and positions to be held during the coming year. After 16 years as Chairman of BDAC, Tony Beddingfield will be taking a committee seat role, allowing him to focus on assisting the club rather than directing things; freeing up time to enjoy time with family, his retirement and of course, more fishing!
Following in Tonys (and those before him) footsteps, I was voted in as Chairman of the club by the committee. I’m grateful for Tony continuing to support the club, he’s been on the committee in some form for 32 years, I’ll definitely be leaning on his experience and knowledge as I settle in to the role.
I would like to take this opportunity, as I did during the AGM, to thank Tony and acknowledge the honour and privilege in leading Blandford & District Angling Club. I look forward to continuing my work with the team (John, Pete, Dave, James, Terry, Bryan, and Tony of course), those who help the club behind the scenes, and local angling clubs.
In the meantime, I extend my availability to past, current and prospective members and partner organisations. If anyone wishes to discuss club matters, I’m contactable on 07525 966 187 in the first instance. I’ll be reaching out local clubs to introduce myself given I’ve sat behind the scenes for a few years now.
Blandford & District Angling Club 
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