Luton Angling Club Weekly News Report for the Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire & St Neots Cambridgeshire Area - Week Ending 19th March 2023

Here is the latest news and updates from Luton Angling Club.  Reports have picked up with the days starting to get longer, warmer and lighter. 

Our members are reminded that this week saw the start of the close season for coarse fishing the close season starts on Tuesday 15th March and runs until 15 June inclusive. 

The annual close season prevents fishing for coarse fish in rivers and streams across England, helping to protect fish when they are spawning and supporting vulnerable stocks. All Luton AC river sections are affected by the close season and are closed until 16th June. Our still-waters (North House Lake, South Lagoon, Beckerings Reservoir and the Grand Union Canal) remain open all year round

In Memoriam, Barrie Bashford

We have the sad duty to report the passing of one of our life members, Barrie Bashford on Sunday 12th March, after a prolonged illness. Barrie began fishing with his son and became a regular with Luton’s Match group fishing weekly, often representing the club in inter club and NFA national events.

Barrie is remembered as being a hardworking, friendly and willing member of the Luton club by his fellow members.

He joined the club board in the early 1990’s and later assumed the role of Club match secretary, which he held for many years. In more recent years before his health deteriorated, he helped peg several heats of the CRT Canal Pairs competition hosted by the Club on the GUC.

Barrie was also a willing work party volunteer, and as a scaffolder by trade was the person credited with the idea to use scaffold frames to support the club platforms at Beckerings and later other club venues, simplifying the maintenance.

He also constructed the scaffold bridges at Biddenham and on occasions drove diggers and other equipment for the club.

Barrie was the first club member to qualify as a coach and spent many hours on Luton waters and at the old Browning Tingrith fishery, encouraging youngsters,

He was one of the founder members of the Luton Wednesday group 4 years ago, fishing the original fixtures. He is seen on the extreme left of the picture of a group fishing one of these events.

Many of us have fond memories of Barrie and his little stories over the years; he will be greatly missed by his family and friends.

Barrie is survived by his wife Jean, his son and daughter, who all have our deepest sympathy.

Rest in peace Barrie and Tight Lines.

Barrie Bashford (far left) with the some of his match group

Club AGM

The club's Annual General Meeting will be held on Thursday this week 23/3/23 at Stopsley working men's club, Putteridge Road, Luton, LU2 8HG 

Members are encouraged to attend to have their say and keep up with club affairs/finances and to find out what we have planned for the 2023/24 season.
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We'll also be issuing the specimen awards and will be contacting the winners of these in due course. You must attend the AGM to receive your trophy if contacted. Please bring your membership book with you. Free Parking is available on site and a bar is available.

Beckerings Reservoir

Using a waggler, and Red Maggot as bait Darren Savage had a fantastic day at the reservoir this week and ended up with a superb haul of quality Roach.

Darren Savage with a superb haul of Roach from Beckerings

Other anglers have also reported catching good bags of Roach and also some of the anglers waggler fishing for the Roach also caught some of the recently stocked carp though unfortunately none of these were weighed or photographed.

Neil Cox had a nice wake-up call on Sunday morning from a Pristine 19lb Common. A madbaits pop up presented on a Ronnie trimmed down to neutral buoyancy did the trick.

Neil Cox with a pristine 19lb Common from Beckerings

North House Lake

Max Beresford had one of the 2021 stockies out of North House last night. Its weight was estimated at around 12lb. It looks to be stockie number 4 that was stocked at 9lb 4oz.

Max Beresford - Mirror Carp of around 12lb

Max Beresford's Carp at its original stocking weight 

Patryk Maćkowiak fished a 24hr session and had a 21lb 4oz Mirror. It is stockie 5 of the 2017 stockies which was introduced at a weight of 5lb 9oz so it has gained a fair bit of weight.

When he got there Saturday morning, he saw a lot of fish activity on the surface, so decided to go for a zig with madbaits Nutz+ . After just 15 minutes, he had the fish in the net.

Patryk Maćkowiak 21lb 4oz Mirror

Patryk Maćkowiak 21lb 4oz Mirror

Patryk Maćkowiak Stockie 5 (When stocked in 2017)

South Lagoon - Wyboston

Wojciech Weremij sent in some pictures of his recent Pike catches the biggest weighing 14lb 7oz.

Wojciech Weremij - 14lb 7oz South Lagoon Pike

Wojciech Weremij - South Lagoon Pike

Match Report 15th March Town South Grand Union Canal

On a frosty Wednesday morning, 15 anglers turned out to fish the Canal at Town South in Leighton Buzzard. It started a bright but cold day with white frost on the ground, which melted as the sun rose. The Canal water temp was hovering at a chilly but slightly warmer at 7 degrees.

Those present had a good match with all but one angler managing to weigh in. For a change, everyone managed to avoid the rain this week as it only started after we had all packed our kit away in the dry and made for home.

Taking first place was Dave Abbot, who weighed exactly 6lbs, including a bream of 2lb 8oz. This week, there was a tie for second with both Chris Howard and Shaun Leatherland weighing mixed bags of 5lbs 8 oz. Colin MacBeth came third with 4lbs 12 oz. Barry Roper reported having a great first hour catching decent roach on punch, but then it died. He swapped to pinkie and caught for the rest of the match but really had to work for the bites. He ended up with 57 fish for 4lb 8oz.

Roger Baker was reported to have had a terrific day catching trees, apparently catching some great specimens which didn’t count of course, eventually recording DNW!

Results

1st Dave Abbott 6lb 0oz

2nd Chris Howard & Sean Leatherland 5lb 8oz

3rd Colin MacBeth 4lb 12oz

4th Barry Roper 4lb 8oz

5th Richard Darbon 4lb 0oz

6th Bart Bonito 3lb 4oz

7th Dudley Frankland & Ray Burton 1lb 14oz

8th Steve Lathwell 1lb 0oz

9th Andy Norgate 0lb 14oz

10th Malcolm Ogden 0Lb 9oz

11th Tony Hickmott 0lb 8oz

12th Les Burton 0lb 2oz

Roger Baker DNW

Thanks to the team who did the pegging out and the weigh-in, an excellent job as usual.

Next week, we will fish the GUC at Cooks Wharf, meet in the car park for 8-30 draw fish 10 till 3, £1 Wednesday peg fee and £5-00 optional pools.

Wednesday Match - Grand Union Canal

Wednesday Match - Grand Union Canal

If you would like to send us a catch report from a Luton AC Water you can send reports and pictures via our facebook page and other social media accounts, the club website or via what’s app message to 07940 229071. Don’t forget every picture we receive is automatically entered in to our monthly photo prize which is judged by the committee and you could win £25.00. It’s not always the biggest fish that wins so well worth sending in any of your catch reports.

Tight Lines Until Next Week!

Dave M

Luton AC

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