Aston and Fishomania.

[eckorob 10]

well i will eat humble pie

[spankysufc 10]

this is a good topic that will always spark debate, and agree with some points from both sides of the argument, my personal views are that the be all and end all of these commercial fisheries is to make money and the matches they run are the main source of this income.

 

i read a good article in one of the mags with Neil Grantham about how he felt bad for neglecting pleasure anglers over the past few years, he knows that he has to keep his local open match regulars happy as these high profile matches will draw in far more people than one or two pleasure anglers or even small club matches, and bums on seats is what pays the bills!!. but what i do like about Neil that he has realised this and one of the new lakes he is building is pleasure only which should keep the local pleasure anglers happy.

 

to me Lindholme is the best commercial fishery we have got locally and nothing comes close and personally i dont think aston can ever compete with this. Alex is a top bloke and i do like aston but the timing of the fisho was all wrong. them newly built lakes should have had a good couple of year to mature and let the stock settle and then should have had a couple more stockings before they even thought about applying to be a fisho qualifier venue. like doug has said the potential is there, i really hope that it hasnt messed up Astons chances as i feel with time, Aston could become a decent big match venue!!!!

[sheff 13 10]

A very good post sir and I agree totally, just like Doug you make a lot of sense.

I made mention of the new ponds needing time to settle in the thread starter, but also agree that the new ponds at the moment and even if ever will make for a fair venue. On heavily stocked ponds with such a narrow width and a shallow depth fish are easily spooked.

The only thing I disagree with is the need for big fish or even big weights in match fishing. I still hold with my thought that a more even competition would sit better with competitors than a venue where the top peg invariably puts everyone else effectively out of it.

The match last year at Aston was won on Lanta and there were I think 3 of the top 5 in that particular pond. Accepting that the other ponds didn't fish well apart from a chap on Lilly that caught a creditable 40 odd pound in the first hour then lost the fish and finished with only a few pounds more for the rest of the match.

I'm sure the match at Aston would have been better received by the majority of anglers, without the sharp night frost the evening before I'm sure the mature ponds would have fished to form.

The disappointment of the anglers on Butts and Bills and things like Steve Cookes pole being run over by an idiotic lurker on Stable who blamed the angler for leaving it there would I'm sure wouldn't seem so disastrous.

Perhaps you're right it needed a couple of years but on the whole a return is needed to pay for more stock, so I understand Alex being eager for his venue to shine. Ultimately it backfired but with fisheries as most things it's not what you know it's who you know and Alex knows the right folk or he wouldn't have got his foot in the door last year. Aston will be back in favour before too long.

[DaveGas 10]

Gary peg 6 on Split won the Fisho match, it is a noted carp peg but with mainly all silvers as you have already said.

 

I think including the new lakes (Bills & Butts) was a very poor decision from Alex regarding Fisho, he is a top bloke but jumped in a little early, our charity match in September was a cracking day (even Doug tripled his match weight for the venue) and the young lad I fished with is hopefully hooked for life so commercials do play a big part now, but I still love Carterhall for a mixed bag of fish which usually does not include carp.

Edited November 19, 2013 by DaveGas

[spankysufc 10]

Yeh it was dale sheppard who had an all silvers net off the split!!! To be fair he fished an awesome match!!! I was stood about 10 yards away from steve when the old bloke drove over his pole!! I heard the horrible expensive crunch!!!! As you can imagine steve was spitting feathers, i felt for the old bloke as steve was giving him a mouthful but the bloke shouldnt have been driving up there or alex should have closed the gate or st least put a sign up!! I used my common sense and parked at the bottom gate and walked up to the new ponds where my mate had drawn!!

[bigsexydoug 10]

some very good points being discussed,

to me fish'o is about the hard commercial fishing,with the big weights, thats what the fish'o prize is about in my eyes, if it was about silver fishing then aston might be better looking at hosting nfa matches, thats why im saying he needs the big weights to compete,

the fish'o organisers want big weights, big venues for its big prize, myabe their is room for a "silv'o'mania" in fishing im not sure ?

 

the only big complex that i know of that has a dedicated silver fish pond is makins which i think is called avon on phase 3, and lets face it i doubt even he manages to full his entire complex in the summer, and he can afford to have a spare lake , he got about what 14 lakes there ? but i dont think many places can afford that. i just dont think there is that much demand for silver fish venues anymore, angling has changed (for better or worse?) now, could you imagine 2 blokes sat on the trent 40 years ago saying they would be fishing a pre dug puddle with both catching a ton, you would have been locked in middlewood that night .

 

of course you could have a perfectly fair venue with silver fish, however would it get enough respect to have a fish'o qualifier.....i very much doubt it, they just arent the same.

[spankysufc 10]

Another good point by doug!!!!

 

Keeping on the fisho line!! What do your think of hallcroft getting a qualifier?? I think its one of the hardest, most peggiest commercials around here and personally think its a bad choice!!!

[sheff 13 10]

My error Dave it was indeed won on Split sorry.

 

And Doug the Trust ran a Fisho type competition this year in fact the final was fished this month, called riverfest.

 

I'm not advocating a silver approach for Fisho just making an argument against the need for venues stuffed with big fish, a truly mixed fishery like the Cudmore venue they use now for the final is a really good style venue for Fishomania.

 

As for Hallcroft yes it's not a easy venue to fish but with the wind even I can catch, the only thing for me in it's favour is it can easily accommodate the number of pegs and the mix of species. It holds a good amount of Bream that will show in the weights. Should be won from Moat.

 

Another venue being chosen again is Hayfield, I've not fished there for a while but I like it.

[bigsexydoug 10]

My error Dave it was indeed won on Split sorry.

 

And Doug the Trust ran a Fisho type competition this year in fact the final was fished this month, called riverfest.

 

I'm not advocating a silver approach for Fisho just making an argument against the need for venues stuffed with big fish, a truly mixed fishery like the Cudmore venue they use now for the final is a really good style venue for Fishomania.

 

As for Hallcroft yes it's not a easy venue to fish but with the wind even I can catch, the only thing for me in it's favour is it can easily accommodate the number of pegs and the mix of species. It holds a good amount of Bream that will show in the weights. Should be won from Moat.

 

Another venue being chosen again is Hayfield, I've not fished there for a while but I like it.

 

sorry this thread has kind of taken off in about 3 directions lol, i thought you were saying roughly that !

 

i think cudmore was used for the final, specifically because of the lake that was designed, its perfectly donut so no angler has an unfair edge ( apart from the wind & skill obviously) and obvoiusly it being a complex full of fish.

 

no ,big match weights arent the be all and end of , however you will roughly find that the anglers will head towards the big weight venues as that is the fashion right now for big weights ( google rolfs lake for rediculous weights) however their are some cracking ponds round here for good silver weights too, like lakeside at ranskill (been trying to get a match here for years) , pine lakes at thorne, loxley i think a cracking pond for mixed species lovers, im sure some more will pop in my head too.

 

p.s spanky, i have heard hallcroft is VERY peggy but i havent fished it for nearly 15 years so its not fair for me to comment on it being good/bad enough for a fish'o venue

[sheff 13 10]

Yes Doug I have heard of Rolfs in fact there are a number of venues most in southern areas that throw up enormous bags of fish, one that always makes me shake my head in disbelief is Cob House. I know the propensity for anglers to amass large weights But over 300lb is ridiculous to my mind and not just because such catches are way beyond my reach. Even though the majority of the weights at Cob are mostly caught around 3mtr with paste both a length and bait that I like to fish. Not fun to me but I'm not knocking anyone who enjoys hauling cos that's what it is.

Regarding Lakeside before you book a match there friends of mine tell me it's not what it was.

[bigsexydoug 10]

Yes Doug I have heard of Rolfs in fact there are a number of venues most in southern areas that throw up enormous bags of fish, one that always makes me shake my head in disbelief is Cob House. I know the propensity for anglers to amass large weights But over 300lb is ridiculous to my mind and not just because such catches are way beyond my reach. Even though the majority of the weights at Cob are mostly caught around 3mtr with paste both a length and bait that I like to fish. Not fun to me but I'm not knocking anyone who enjoys hauling cos that's what it is.

Regarding Lakeside before you book a match there friends of mine tell me it's not what it was.

 

to be honest im kind of half & half over big weights like that, part of me wants to do it, but i did boddingtons resevoir about 8 years ago, and did probably 2 tons that day, but i was kind of not enjoying it being that simple to catch fish (one even ate a float) that it put me off fishing for a few months.

[sheff 13 10]

Don't get me wrong Doug I'm not saying I want a taxing day struggling for bites but I draw the line at fishing all out for Carp on commercials. That's exactly why a on form Aston for me would be a good all round choice for Fishomania