AMFFC Match Results 2006
These are only the results for the AMFFC Matches - see here for general RN Matches
| 21st April ~ AMFFC 1 - Rutland ~ |
| Chris Anderson | 7 fish for 14lbs 5oz | John Manners | 5 fish for 11lbs 6oz |
|---|
| Paul Vine | 8 fish for 16lb 11oz plus 2lb 8oz time bonus = 19lb 3oz | Ron Tutt | 8 fish for 20lb 12oz plus 2lb 4oz time bonus = 23lb |
|---|
Points | Results |
| Bewl pidge 'B' | 5 points | Best fish in team | 3lb 8oz - Paul Vine |
| RN&RMAA | 4 points | Best fish in Div 3 | 3lb 9oz - Bob Shaw and Dave Osmond (both of Bewl) |
| Crawley | 3 points | Best bag in Div 3 | 24lb - including 5lb time bonus, Al Gamble (Fish Hawks 'B') |
| Fish Hawks 'B' | 2 points | Best fish on the day | 4lb 14oz - John McCullum (GWFFA (Div 1)) |
| Soldier Palmers 'B' | 1 point | Best bag on the day | 29lb 5oz - including 6lb 8oz time bonus, Graham Pearson (Rutland) |
Report |
The whole team selected for the opening match of the AMFC season were able to practice on the day prior to the match. During the practice we were able to identify the areas where the fish were most abundant. Sykes Lane and the northern shore of the South arm were the most prolific. Somewhat surprisingly, it was found that floating, slow sinkers or Midge Tip Lines were the most effective. The "Washing Line" using an Orange Booby on the point and Black Buzzers and possibly a Cormorant on the top dropper was found to be the most effective, though a number of other depths and methods did produce fish.
On the day, the weather had changed with the wind falling off completely at the start of the day. Paul Vine was able to take his boat partner straight to the bay between Spud Bay and Old Hall and take three fish early on. The conditions in Old hall were absolutely flat calm and ideal for Buzzer fishing. Chris Anderson was convinced that Old Hall could produce a full bag because allowing the top dropper to snag in the weed, while the Booby kept the remaining Buzzers suspended produced some very delicate bites and by watching the surface tension around the line as it entered the water was able to contact with several fish in the first ten minutes or so. Despite taking a fish in Old Hall Chris' boat partner insisted on leaving because nothing was coming to pulling lures on a sinking line. In the end Chris finished with 7 fish to the 3 of his boat partner who was from group 1.
Weather conditions changed substantially throughout the day, from flat calm to the heavy seas you only get on Rutland. Most fish were caught at Sykes Lane, unsurprisingly. In the end Ron Tutt and Paul Vine both had 8 fish and time bonuses and John Manners had 5 fish. We came second in our group, a good start to the season.
|
| 13th May ~ AMFFC 2 - Bewl Water ~ |
| Chris Anderson | 3 fish for 5lbs 14oz | Dave Morton | 8 fish for 18lb 6oz including 3lb time bonus |
|---|
| Iain McAllister | 8 fish for 13lb 5oz including 1lb 8oz time bonus | John Manners | 7 fish for 11lb 9oz |
|---|
| Mark Glass | 8 fish for 19lb 3oz including 4lb 8oz time bonus | Paul Vine | 6 fish for 9lbs 9oz |
|---|
Points | Results |
| Bewl pidge 'B' | 5 points | Best fish in team | N/A |
| RN&RMAA | 4 points | Best fish in Div 3 | N/A |
| Fish Hawks 'B | 3 points | Best bag in Div 3 | N/A |
| Soldier Palmers 'B' | 2 points | Best fish on the day | 3lb 4oz |
| Crawley | 1 point | Best bag on the day | 20lbs 10oz - Rob Toptalo of Bewl pidge 'B' |
Report |
One interesting fact was that our weight of fish was more than any of the Div 1 and 2 teams managed on the same day at Rutland and Hanningfield respectively.
|
| 27th May ~ AMFFC 3 - Chew Valley ~ |
| Al Mundy | 2 fish for 3lb 12oz | Duke Elsworth | 5 fish for 11lb 1oz |
|---|
| Mark Glass | 2 fish for 3lb 14oz | Mike Barfoot-Franks | 6 fish for 10lb 11/2oz |
|---|
| Ron Tutt | 6 fish for 10lb 7oz | Tony Wilkinson | 8 fish for 18lb 1oz including 4lb 8oz time bonus |
|---|
Points | Results |
| Crawley | 5 points | Best fish in team | N/A |
| RNRMAA | 4 points | Best fish in Div 3 | N/A |
| Fish Hawks 'B | 3 points | Best bag in Div 3 | N/A |
| Bewl pidge 'B' | 2 points | Best fish on the day | N/A |
| Soldier Palmers 'B' | 1 point | Best bag on the day | N/A |
Report |
Recent weeks at Chew had seen some appalling weather and the day prior to the match was no different with the boats being called off the water at 1400. On the day of the match the forecast was for a wet start but improving by the afternoon.
The day dawned with a fine drizzle and a fairly steady 8 knot wind but the wind and rain soon increased to uncomfortable levels but not so bad as to jeopardise the match. This year all the Crawley team managed to find the lake before the start but the Fish Hawks were one short. The match started on time and most boats headed for North Shore; 3 or 4 boats went to Wick but soon ended up with the rest. Al Gamble and Phil Thompson stopped at East shore and Al had two fish early on; it was going well until Phil pulled the starter cord out of the engine and they had to call out the rescue boat. Some anglers were making it look ludicrously easy while others struggled for a bite. Tony Wilkinson (RNRMAA) finished at 1320 but his boat partner Rob Toptalo (Bewl) had lost 8 fish before Tony had a bite. Many anglers hooked and played fish before losing them for no apparent reason.
The weather deteriorated steadily and a number of boats came in mid afternoon to change clothes and have a warming drink before going back out. It wasn't until 1730 that the forecast improvement in the weather arrived. Given the conditions, the rod average of 4.24 was fairly good and beat the rod average from the same match last year when conditions were better. Five fish over three pounds were caught, the best being a rainbow of 5lbs 4½ozs by Stef van Fuurens and a pown of 3lbs 2ozs by Mark Rose. Best bag on the day was by Dave Batty of Fish Hawks 'B' with 19lbs 3 ozs including 3lbs 4ozs time bonus. The final result was unusual in that both Crawley and the RNRMAA had exactly 57lbs 4½ozs and both had 29 fish.
|
| 18th June ~ AMFFC 4 - Rutland ~ |
| Al Mundy | 5 fish for 10lb 14oz | Dave Minall | 1 fish for 3lb 1oz |
|---|
| Mark Glass | 1 fish for 2lb 9oz | Nik Tompkins | Blanked |
|---|
| Paul Vine | 3 fish for 8lb 1oz | Spencer Gorton | Blanked |
|---|
Points | Results |
| Crawley | 5 points | Best fish in team | 3lb 1oz - Dave Minal |
| Soldier Palmers 'B' | 4 points | Best fish in Div 3 | 4lb 10oz - Andy Arbon (Fish Hawks 'B') |
| Bewl pidge 'B' | 3 points | Best bag in Div 3 | 8 fish for 25lb 12oz including time bonus - Baz Reece |
| RNRMAA | 2 points | Best fish on the day | N/A |
| Fish Hawks 'B' | 1 point | Best bag on the day | N/A |
Report |
After a calm but very pight and hot practice day, the day of the match was cooler and windier. Conditions for fishing looked to be much better but on the day proved to be more difficult with at least 8 blanks. The match was won by Crawley thanks to the only limit bag of the day by Baz Reece; thankfully he isn't eligible for the last two matches. Fourteen of the fifteen boats started at the top of the South Arm but boat pressure made catching more difficult than the previous days.
Static buzzers caught some fish but most were caught on crunchers, diawl bachs or cormorants although GRHE did well for the one boat that fished in yellowstone bay despite the murky water. The winning method was a Di-5 with two diawl bachs on the washing line, all of Baz Reece's fish took the nymphs on the hang. After he had finished, he gave all his flies to Dave Minall but unfortunately Dave was unable to make use of them.
|
| 6th September ~ AMFFC 5 - Grafham Water ~ |
| Chris Anderson | N/A | John Manners | N/A |
|---|
| Mike Barfoot-Franks | N/A | Paul Vine | N/A |
|---|
| Ron Tutt | N/A | Tony Wilkinson | N/A |
|---|
Points | Results |
| Fish Hawks 'B | 5 points | Best fish in team | N/A |
| Bewl pidge ' | 4 points | Best fish in Div 3 | N/A |
| Soldier Palmers 'B' | 3 points | Best bag in Div 3 | N/A |
| RNRMAA | 2 points | Best fish on the day | N/A |
| Crawley | 1 point | Best bag on the day | N/A |
Report |
The Group 3 Round 5 competition found Grafham Water in fine form. Since the end of the summer hot spell, Grafham had been fishing well and, with a forecast of a warm overcast day with light winds, the prospects looked very good. Unfortunately, due to work and holiday constraints Crawley were only able to field a 4-man team, which saw the field reduced from the full 30 anglers for only the second time this season.
The North shore was known to be holding fish in good numbers, and the majority of the 14-boat fleet headed in that direction. From the off anglers found fish in the upper layers in the K and G-Buoy areas. Although a lot of fish were being hooked and lost, fish were being taken steadily by some anglers; Chris Anderson from RN/RM was quickly to the mark, netting his 8th fish by 12 o'clock. A range of methods were working, including diawl bachs and crunchers fished on the 'washing line' high in the water, and pulled black lures and sparkler boobies on DI3s.
A pight spell around lunchtime forced fish a little deeper, but more overcast conditions into the afternoon saw them back close to the surface. Despite the boat pressure G-Buoy produced fish throughout the day, as did the northern end of the dam off 'The Willows', and the majority of anglers had caught limits by the 6 o'clock finish.
With so many limits caught, the result was always going to be tight, and the balance between time bonus and fish size important. The individual result was of particular interest; Chris Anderson had caught very quickly, but his team-mate Tony Wilkinson was known to have a good size fish caught more slowly. Tony's fish weighed an impressive 18lb 12oz and with a finish time of 4 o'clock gave him a total bag 20lb 12oz. However, the 6 hrs time bonus of Chris Anderson was enough to tip the scales in his favour and his 17lb ½oz of fish he took first place with a total bag weight of 23lb ½oz.
In the team event, Fish Hawks B had finished the day strongly with 5 limits and a 4-fish bag to give them a total of 44 fish for 100lb 9oz and a clear win, their first of the season. Subsequent places were much closer, with Bewl pidge B finishing second with 41 fish (4 limits) for 91lb 6½oz, Soldier Palmers B coming third with 44 fish (4 limits) for 91lb 5½oz, and RN/RM fourth with 39 fish (4 limits) for 90lb 9½oz. The 4-man Crawley team brought up the rear with a commendable 29 fish (3 limits) for a team total of 60lb 1oz. On the day, 28 anglers caught 197 fish for an outstanding rod average of 7.0.
Best fish of the day was a cracking 4lb 4½oz Rainbow caught by Bob Shaw of Bewl pidge B.
Please note: This report is based on the provisional results declared on the day. RN/RM raised a query regarding the accuracy of the recorded weights for two anglers on their team. This has been described in a separate report.
|
RN&RM Report |
Five of the six rod team managed to practice on Grafham the day before the match. The value of practice showed itself in the match when Chris Anderson went straight to the point (G bouy) and the technique (Orange blob, red Dawl Bach, Cormorant and a Comorant Boobie fished on a fast Intermediate with fast figure of eight) identified the day before and had 7 fish in the first hour. He got to eight by 1150 and spent an enjoyable pight and blustery day watching everyone else fish. Ron Tutt, Tony Wilkinson and Mike Barfoot-Franks all bagged up at around the same time of 1630, making a combined time bonus of over 10 hours, which equates to ten pound in weight. Paul Vine worked hard right up to the last to get his six fish and unfortunately John Manners only manages 1 (he made up for it later - See Inter Services).
Shortly after the weigh in Ron asked Chris how he had done and it emerged that the organizers had forgotten to account for Chris' time bonus, this was corrected. As the results emerged it became clear that there would be a very small margin between 2nd and 4th, 12 ½oz in fact. Before the results were announced it was agreed amongst our team that we should check the results since one mistake had already been spotted. After much debate it emerged that Ron Tutt had been recorded as having caught 15 lb of fish. This went against everyone's recollection that his weight was more like 17 ½ lb. Paul Vine was sure that he had more than 10 lb ½oz for his six fish and also felt that errors had been made.
The weigh in was conducted on electronic scales that only the weigher could see and the results were entered onto a computer spreadsheet. This process is notoriously open to errors because computers have a nasty habit of auto correcting things entered. Many people who thought they had 12 oz had ½ oz recorded against their weight. The same problem happened at the Inter Services but forewarned by the mix up at this match, the Army took written records which they were forced to use when the almighty computer let them down in exactly the same way.
Does it really matter? Well, yes it does. At the start of the match Bewl and the RN&RM were equal first on 15 points. At the end of the match Bewl are on 19 points and RN&RM are on 17. Had the results been correct the figures would have been the other way round. Our chances of promotion this season have effectively been lost because we now need to beat Bewl by 3 places at the final match which is fished with just 4 rods per team. People who have put a lot of time and money into this seasons effort feel deeply aggrieved and some form of formal complaint is inevitable.
|
| 30th September ~ AMFFC 6 - Hannifield ~ |
| Dave Morton | 3 fish for 6lb 7oz | Simon Lewis | 4 fish for 7ob 2oz |
|---|
| Stu Ellins | 8 fish for 18lb 9oz | Will Black | 6 fish for 9lb |
|---|
Points | Results |
| Soldier Palmers 'B' | 5 points | Best fish in team | N/A |
| RNRMAA | 4 points | Best fish in Div 3 | 4lb 8oz - Vernon Chapman (Bewl 'B' |
| Fish Hawks 'B' | 3 points | Best bag in Div 3 | 18lb 9oz - Stu Ellins (RNRMAA) |
| Bewl pidge 'B' | 2 points | Best fish on the day | N/A |
| Crawley | 1 point | Best bag on the day | N/A |
Report |
The last match of the season started with Bewl ahead by two points. The Fish Hawks had a mathematical chance of winning but it was really between us and Bewl. A fantastic effort by the team on the day (Stu Ellins, Simon Lewis, Dave Morton and Will Black) resulted in us taking second place and with Bewl in fourth place we were tied on points. This resulted in the committee having to go over the results of the season and unfortunately Bewl's greater average bag weight over the season saw them promoted.
Although the final result was disappointing, it was a great improvement on previous years. It has been good to see younger anglers like John Manners and Will Black doing well in competition as well as some more mature anglers like Dave Morton who have not previously fished in competitions. As always, it has been difficult for serving members to fish as often as they would like but the continued commitment of our associates particularly Ron Tutt, Tony Wilkinson, Dave Morton, Iain Macallister and Mike Barfoot have enabled us to field full teams in every round.
A major factor in the team's success this year has been practise at the venue before the match particularly where we have managed to get more than two anglers allowing us to try different methods when the fish have been found. I know it gave me a lot of confidence having caught fish in a number of different areas and knowing which methods worked for me.
So what of next year? We need to continue with practice but most of all we need to be committed to what we do. This means arranging time off as soon as the match programme is published. It is also vital that we communicate with each other. If your availability changes, let the MATCH SECRETARY know! Also inform the web editor so the web site can be updated. If anyone fishes a match venue at any time, please pass on details of date/venue, fish caught, what flies/lines and what method to the match secretary.
Finally, I would like to thank everyone who took part in the AMFC matches this season for their support.
|
