Baldwin Cup – 25th June 2011
The first of this season’s Association competitions was held on the Saturday night for the Baldwin Cup.
Carp and tench are the only fished allowed to be weighed in after the 12 hour overnight match and competitors often have a difficult decision whether to fish for the more prolific but smaller tench or try for one big carp which has often proven the winning fish.
This year it was tench anglers who prevailed with the winner Tim Fagg netting four tench from Trenley Lake for a total weight of 15lb 6oz. Tim also caught a large number of bream which didn’t count in his total.
Alan Boxall’s single common carp of 13lb 10oz was enough to beat Mark Gisby’s two tench for 12lb 3oz into third.
Fourth placed Glenn Brett landed two tench for 7lb 8oz, plus ten good bream and perhaps most notably thirteen eels.
Top junior was Tom Branton with a tench of 3lb 9oz. Tom was one of six juniors who took part amongst a total of forty nine competitors. Despite the high attendance only six anglers weighed in tench or carp.
Goldsmith Cup – 10th July 2011
This season’s Canterbury and District Angling Association’s Goldsmith Cup for junior anglers was won by Matthew Dryden.
Matthew’s impressive weight of 13lb 5oz comprised of all small fish which he skilfully caught using a pole.
Second placed Tom Branton opted to try for larger fish using a feeder rod and armed with sweetcorn baits reeled in a bream, a roach and two tench, including one of 4lb 9oz for a combined weight of 12lb. Also targeting the bigger fish with corn on a feeder, Jack Warner hooked a brace of bream for 7lb 9oz and a well deserved third position.
The competition on Trenley Lake started at 0930hrs on the Sunday and finished at 1300hrs. After the weigh in match organiser Brian Mankelow thanked Mark and Ray of Blean Angling who generously provided the numerous prizes.
Demelza Cup – 15th to 17th July 2011
The Demelza Cup was fished from 15th to 17th July at Stonar Lake. After the draw held at Jock’s shed at 1400hrs on Friday fishing got underway from 1600hrs to 1000hrs on Sunday.
Twenty four pairs of anglers competed for the largest fish caught by a pair of anglers and brothers Martin & Carl Weatherly won with a common carp of 22lb 12oz, caught by Martin on the Saturday. The pair won a Brian Mills framed drawing, a pewter tankard each and a fishing holiday for two at Crystal Waters in France.
All the competitors had a great time despite the weather and access problems from the nearby golf Open Competition.
The list of anglers with big fish caught over the weekend included Martin Weatherly with his common of 22lb 12oz, Richard Smith with one of 21lb 8oz, Colin Barker 20lb 4oz, Wayne Wellard was fourth with 15lb and Noel Shrimpton earned him and his partner fifth position with 12lb 2oz.
Jack Warner was the top placed junior with a 7lb 12oz fish and Jack Phillips the runner up with 5lb 8oz.
During the first few days after the match the organisers had raised £2,767.48 for Demelza House Children’s Hospice.
Wacher Cup – 23rd July 2011
The night time Wacher Cup competition was fished at Trenley Lake on Saturday 23rd July with competitors tackling up between 6.30pm on Saturday and 8am on Sunday.
Glen Brett hooked a superb total of 70lb 6oz that included nineteen bream and one tench to clinch this year’s Cup.
Another good keep net-full of eleven tench and one bream for 54lb 8oz gave Steve West second place and a few pounds behind with 49lb 14oz was Trevor Baker.
Match regular Tim Fagg hooked 36lb 12oz for fourth and top junior at the weigh-in was Tom Branton with a notable 18lb 10oz of fish.
Blundell Cup - 14th August 2011
The Association's Blundell Cup was contested in mild and overcast conditions at Trenley and Stour Lakes. Despite the good conditions match organiser Glen Brett reported a patchy day's fishing with anglers catching on and off all day.
The top five weights were all between twenty and thirty pounds and this close match ended with just two anglers with dry nets.
Daniel West won the match with four bream and four tench for a combined weight of 28lb 12oz and Dan narrowly beat Nigel Mills into second place. Nigel's 28lb 4oz included seven bream and a tench and this was just ahead of Steve West who also made it onto the podium with his son having caught seven more bream and a tench for 27lb 8oz and third.
Just one pound separated third and fourth place with Trevor Baker's 26lb 8oz and another seven bream haul. Glen Brett's four bream caught on a feeder rod and a number of silver fish on a whip, gave him a well deserved fifth with 21lb.
Top junior on the day was Matthew Dryden who targeted silver fish from Stour Lake to reel in a good total of 5lb. Maggots were the favoured bait of the match.
Association Open Competition 4th September 2011
Forty anglers took part in this year's Association Open Competition
which was fished on the River Stour.
Pegs were drawn at Grove Ferry and Plucks Gutter and with the tide running out all day and plenty of colour in the river members and non-members of the Association had a great day of angling.
At the final whistle blown at 4pm, Tonbridge angler Roger Trask weighed in the best haul with a superb 24lb 13oz of roach and skimmer bream caught from peg A7 at Plucks Gutter.
Roger fished worm and maggot on a feeder.
Rochester's Howard Henbest drew a peg at Grove Ferry and bagged up with 23lb 10oz of roach and skimmers for second place,
all taken with a pole and feeder from peg F18 at the Picnic Site Area.
Back at Plucks Gutter Tony Crossley from Tonbridge alternated between float-fishing and feeder tactics to reel in 15lb 12oz from peg A1 for third. Tony's haul included a quality roach of 1lb. River regular George Howson from Maidstone fished next to Howard Henbest at peg F17 and hooked 13lb 13oz of roach and skimmers for fourth place. George also switched between float and feeder.
Top junior was Alex Weatherly with two gudgeon and an eel for 6oz taken from peg F5 at Grove Ferry. The top team of four was "Tonbridge" who weighed in a combined total of 31lb 13oz.
There was a short shower just before the weigh-in but otherwise conditions were ideal and a great day was had by all. Match organiser Brian Mankelow thanked Anglers Kabin at Cottington Lakes for their most kind donation of the excellent prizes that included reels and other tackle. The Grove Ferry Boat Club provided the first-class event headquarters and thanks were given for their kind hospitality throughout the day.
Match Group Cup - 13th November 2011
The Association held its annual Match Group Cup at Grove Ferry in November and despite the glorious weather all the competitors struggled to find fish. Mick Fell's small skimmer bream, a few roach and three eels were enough to earn him this year's trophy with 4lb 15oz. Mick fished from the end of the boats near to the bend which proved a winning draw when he caught while the tide was running up and also on the way out after midday. The other competitors especially struggled in the afternoon. Steve West finished second with 2lb 3.5oz from the middle of the stretch with Dave Johnson third weighing in exactly 1lb, and 14oz earned Paul Costi fourth place. Most of the competitors hooked small roach, a number of eels and gudgeon.
Cooke Pike Cup - 27th November 2011
The annual Cooke Pike Cup for 2011 was held at Fordwich and Trenley lakes. Steve Matthews narrowly beat Wayne Wellard to this year's trophy with a grand total of 30lb 4oz. Steve landed five fish to 8lb 8oz during the six hour match while Wayne hooked five more to 9lb and another superb weight of 28lb 4oz for second place. John Hoskin and Tom Ballantyne both weighed in four fish each with John totalling 19lb 4oz and Tom 19lb 3oz. Stuart Ballantyne bagged three more predators for fifth with 14lb 8oz. Most of the competitors caught fish from the Fordwich Lake 'deeps' using paternostered dead baits.
Christmas Shield 18th December 2011
Last season our Christmas Shield match was postponed due to the severe winter weather and was fished in much better conditions at Cottington Lakes on Sunday 27th March 2011. The clear winner then was Daniel West with 31lb 11oz and second place went to Alan Caine with another good weight of 21lb. This season's competition for the 2011 Christmas Shield went ahead despite the weather at very cold Cottington lakes in Deal. The draw took place at 8am in the cafe and fishing on Black Lake was between 9am to 3pm. Snow showers mixed in with sunshine and temperatures struggling to get above three degrees didn't put off the competitors who all weighed in fish except one. Mick Fell was the winner with three perch and several small roach for 4lb 11oz. Mick's perch ranged between eight and twelve ounces. Pole fished maggot also accounted for second placed Steve West's 3lb 12.5oz with his total including a chub of a pound and several more small fish. Third place Alan Caine landed just two perch but the fine brace tipped the scales to 2lb 7.5oz and again were taken on a pole but this time with castor as bait. Daniel West couldn't hold on to the Shield for a second year and managed fourth position with 1lb 13oz of small roach
while Tony Eversfield caught another brace of perch for 1lb 10.5oz and fifth place.
On behalf of the Association match organiser Brian Mankelow thanked Anglers Kabin for their generous donation of prizes for the match.
