Two Sessions on the Welland

Friday 24th June
This weekend I decided that I would have another look at the river Welland and this time I would concentrate my effort around Four Mile Bar. I had arranged to have an evening session on Friday night and set off from home at 5pm after work, I arrived at the river at 5.30 and had a quick look off of the footbridge. I was pleased to see the water had some colour in it and while I stood there for a few minutes I saw a couple of Bream roll, well that was enough for me and I hurriedly got the gear from the car and positioned myself near to where I had seen the fish roll.



A view from the East bank below the footbridge at Four Mile Bar



The Season Starts Here But only Just

The River Welland

I must admit that my first outing of the season was a complete let down, having elected to start on the river Welland.
I looked at various points along the river and eventually found a tinge of colour at Four Mile Bar footbridge. This tinge of colour then continued all the way to Spalding which gave me a few miles of river to go at and I decided to sit just around the bend upstream of the bypass bridge (not sure of the peg number). Starting off on the feeder I had ten quick casts to get some bait out and then settled down to recasting every 5 minutes or so until the fish found the dinner table.


The river Welland

  

My Season Preview

Well its nearly that time again and although June 16th doesn't hold quite the same attraction for me as it did years ago I still look forward to returning to the rivers after the lay off. This closed season has been a little different for me in the fact that I have actually been out fishing when normally I don't bother. The main reason is that I bought a new pole and I couldn't go all of that time without trying it out now could I?

I am planning on fishing the river Welland in the first couple of weeks of the season as there is

Maver Match This 5 Pole Review

Well after a lot of thought I came to a decision and parted with my hard earned cash and became the proud owner of one of Mavers 2011 competition poles the Match This 5. This model is a 16m pole and comes with a very impressive spares package consisting of 4 x MT3s, 1 x MT4, 4 x PKs, 1/2 Butt and a cupping kit and cups, I also added another No 4 and 5 section as I often fish deep river venues. The feel and balance of the pole at 13m is absolutely spot on and I can easily hold it with one hand across my leg which allows me to use the catapult without having to put the pole down. The pole is also well balanced at 14.5m and 16m and although most of my fishing is done at 7 to 13m I fully intend to fish it at these lengths when conditions allow on the rivers Welland and Great Ouse this season.

New Pole Dilemma: Part 2

Following on from my first article on choosing a new pole in December I now bring you part 2 and the conclusion to my search, in part 1 I was looking at the following poles.

• Shimano Super Ultegra
• Sensas Power Match 56XL
• Daiwa  SR5
• MAP 525
• Maver Competition 181

After trying as many of these poles as I could and reading every review I could find I was more confused than ever, so to make matters worse I added a few more prospective models to my list  including the following.

• Daiwa G20
• Preston GXR3001
• Maver Match This 4
• Maver Match This 5

I will start with the Daiwa, I tried the G20 against the cheaper SR5 and I could notice a little better balance and rigidity over the SR5 but both of the poles did seem strong enough in the hand. I did feel that the balance wasn't quite right though with both the Diawa poles being a little nose heavy compared to some I had tried.The spares package although not bad did not really meet my requirements and would need some extra match kits and 4th and 5th section to meet my requirements. Although this pole didn't really suite me I would recommend anyone to add it to their list and give it a look over as it is a good bench mark in the £1000 to £1500 price range.

Next up was the Preston GXR3001, as soon as I picked this one up I knew this was what I wanted my new pole to feel like, the weight and balance being very impressive in this price range. It also has all of the features of the Mavers as it comes out of the same Reglas factory in Italy with Suncore Finish, Fusion and Magic Steps top kits etc. The main drawback for me on this one was the package of 5 power top 2s and 2 match top 3s which for me missed the spot by miles because at £1500 this was at the top end of my budget. If you are ok with the spares package and looking at this price you would be mad not to look at this one.

I must admit that after holding the Preston Pole I was expecting similar things from the 2 Maver poles and providing they could match up they would be in the running with their great spares packages.
I elected to try the series 4 first and on picking it up I was quite impressed with the overall balance although not quite as good as the GXR although the little bit of extra weight was hardly noticeable.
I now assessed the series 5 directly against the series 4 to see what  the lighter and more expensive model would give me. Overall the difference was quite small and it was only just noticeable that it was a little lighter and better balanced but I could see that it was a little more rigid and responsive. This pole is definitely on par with the GXR3001 in terms of balance and rigidity and definitely leaves it for dead with it spares package. It comes supplied with 1 match top 3 in the pole, 3 more spare top 3s, 1 match top 4, 4 power top 2s and a cupping kit. It also comes with a half extension a set of clean caps a DVD and a holdall, all I would need extra was  No 4 and No 5 sections and so the decision was made it was to be the Maver Match This 5.

Maver Match This 5, 16m pole, 795g @13m

A big thanks to Benwick Sports for their great service and even better prices, they offer the best price in the country on Maver poles and are very competitively priced on most other brands. I have posted a few useful links below to help you select and buy your next new pole.

http://www.benwick-sports.co.uk/

http://www.polecompare.com/index.php?categoryid=1



http://www.maggotdrowning.com/forum/default.asp

http://www.polefishingmagazine.com/Home/



My End To The River Season 2010/11

Sunday 13th March

Well that's it for another season on the rivers and this year I was fortunate enough to be able to fish on both Sunday and Monday. On Sunday I decided to have a go on the Nene at Fotheringhay but when I arrived I found a couple of anglers in the pegs that I had wanted to fish so I walked downstream and around the bend. The river was ideal for the waggler so I set up a 4 AAA insert waggler so I could cast 3/4 across the river with plenty in reserve in case the wind changed or got tricky.

Downstream at Fotheringhay

River Nene at Stibbington - Sunday 6th March

I was really quite excited to be going to the river after having spent the last few weekends fishing the canal, I had chosen to fish near the boat yard at Stibbington on the river Nene.
We arrived at Sutton village at 08.30 and after lifting the tackle over a fence started the walk to the river which is about 5 minutes across a couple of meadows, the weather was cool but it was quite a nice day. The section opposite the boat yard was well sheltered from the light easterly wind and what wind there was came from behind us so would no hamper our presentation. I decided to sit adjacent to the downstream end of the boatyard as the peg was a little flatter and more comfortable because I had left the footplate off of my box to save weight and didn't fancy holding a pole with my feet all to cock as it would end in back ache.


A great peg with a number of options