Summerhayes – Open – 25th August 2025
Bank Holiday Monday saw me headed to Summerhayes for the match on Longs which has been fishing really well for silvers. Only ten of us today and I drew peg 30 which was right where I wanted to be although …
Bank Holiday Monday saw me headed to Summerhayes for the match on Longs which has been fishing really well for silvers. Only ten of us today and I drew peg 30 which was right where I wanted to be although …
If you’ve followed the blog for a few years, you will know I love fishing Stoke’s matches on the Parrett but the Memorial Shield has so far eluded me and in five years I’ve finished second three times and it’s …
With quite a few of the regulars fishing festivals, there was depleted turnout for this one, even venue expert Adrian Dew was absent due to feeling under the weather (probably still counting all his winnings!) so at least we had …
On Sunday and it was back to Summerhayes for the open on Longs and after drawing 30 in the Stoke match and having a lovely day, I was hoping to be in the same area today. For once my misfiring …
A few years ago, I was asked if I would organise a trip to France to fish the river Loire for barbel, chub, mullet and possibly silure. The deal was that they would pay all expenses, ferry, fuel, digs and food. My job would be to do all the booking, the driving, sort licences and bait, act as guide to the swims …
With the Ilminster summer league over and the first river match not until 7th Oct, I booked in for the open on Longs. It was looking like being a wet and windy one as I met Jess (Zooner) and Alvin for breakfast at the Toby in Taunton. It was still chucking it down as we pulled into the car park at Summerhayes although …
I was back at Dillington for the final Summer League match and Jake had one hand on the title as he was over 30lb ahead of Nick in second place but he wasn’t counting any chickens yet as the pond is more than capable of throwing up big weights. After breakfast, Nick announced the draw and I was hoping for one of the …
It was a few weeks into the year before I had a match worth talking about here, it was a Chard AC fixture on February 18th and I pulled out peg 37 at Donyatt where Scotty Russell had the big weight last year (see Part 10 – 1995). I got there and it looked lovely with the odd fish topping, I only set …
After really struggling in my last three outings, I was just hoping to catch a few fish in todays match! I got to the bowling club nice and early and another excellent breakfast set me up for the day before I paid my pools and waited for the draw. With all the anglers fed and watered, Nick put all the balls in …
Something a bit different today, the specimen lake at Summerhayes used to be called Perch Pit but it also held a decent head of silvers and occasionally on a rover match somebody would pick a swim there, I remember Bruce Hunt having just shy of 20lb which included loads of little roach and a decent crucian. Fast forward a couple of years …
During the heat wave and with the pond really low, two of the league matches were postponed so with one rescheduled for this week, I booked in as I’d enjoyed the last match. At the draw there were a few different faces from last week, it was lovely to see Paul Homewood and Terry ‘The Toast’ Morgan again and Dave ‘Dumbo’ Phillips was fishing …
For my second match of the weekend it was back to Summerhayes and another match on Longs, on Bank Holidays, Pete always splits the pools money in half and pays the same to carp and silvers which I think is a great idea. Jess ‘Zooner’ Jordon phoned me yesterday to see if I wanted to meet him at the Toby for breakfast …
My first visit here this year, I had booked in a few weeks back but during the hot weather the water level was so low the last two matches have been cancelled. I’d also been chatting to Nicky Collins at Todber a while back and he loves his silvers fishing so I was telling him about Dillington and he said it sounded right …
After a really enjoyable day last week, it was back on Longs again for this match and as I pulled into the carpark, I could tell it was going to be well attended if all the cars were anything to go by. I got some nets and as I paid my pools, Pete said there were twenty anglers booked in for this …