Suffolk Water Park - Open Matches

The first Suffolk Water Park Open match of the year will be held at the Suffolk Water Park on Match Lake 1, Easter Sunday, 8th April. The venue is just off the A14 west of Ipswich at junction 52. Follow the brown tourist signs with a picture of a golf hole flag on it. The post code is IP8 4JS. To book in, ring 01473 832327. Draw will be at 8.45am at the fishing lodge. Fish 10 - 3. 2 nets required, one for fish over 2lb, the others for silvers and fish less than 3lb. Entry will be limited to 36 anglers so book in early. You can drive to each peg for unloading tackle and leave your car behind most.

I have been pleasure fishing over there the last couple of weeks with some friends and we have caught well on each occasion. Mostly carp to 8lb with the average about 2lb with a reasonable number between 2 1/2lb and 4lb. Best weight was approaching the ton but no nets are allowed in pleasure sessions so it is difficult to say exactly. Someone reportedly had 56 carp last week and that would have been well over the ton. My best catch in a 5 hour session has been 36 fish.

Most anglers have been fishing the causeway bank (pegs 21 to 32) but there have been fish caught all around the lake. 2 weeks ago, it was all feeder work, but this last week, fish are coming readily to the pole. You don't have to go too long either, 5 metres is ample WHEN PLEASURE FISHING. I suspect with a match on the fish will move away from the bank until later in the match when they will come on the inside.

Well, it was like the curates egg, good in parts! The wind affects this venue and with the wind in the North East for a fortnight the weights have been coming from the south west corner of the lake. That is where people started catching this morning, Pegs 3, 5 & 6 all had a few fish. However as the South Westerly wind got up, the fish moved to my end of the lake and after a couple of fish on the tip, at about 12.30 I started to catch on corn down the margin to my left. I had about 20 fish in the end and the biggest 2 went 15lb on the scales. My margin swim was about 2'6" deep next to some reeds and I lost about 5 fish which may have been foul hookers. Certainly one was as I had the scale to prove it.

I won the match with 65lb 9oz from peg 18 and Scott Douglas of Daiwa Cleveland the next round from me on 22 came third on the same tactics but he didn't really start catching until 1.30pm. We were both fishing towards pegs 19 - 21 in the corner so for a pleasure session, that is where I would go.

2nd today was Richard Fuller on peg 26 with 24lb 3oz, all on the feeder with either maggot or sweetcorn on the hook. 4th was Colin Provins with 18lb 3oz.

Most people had a fish or two and a number of large fish were lost including myself. If you want to fish the pole then Black Hydro is recommended and 0.15mm line. If everything that was hooked by the anglers around the lake had been landed then the results would have looked very good. There are no real snags to be honest it is just the power of the fish that seem to fight ridiculously hard.

Anyway give it a try and if there is any breeze then try to fish into it.

There are matches going to be held every weekend on either the Saturday or the Sunday on either Saturday or Sunday The next few dates are shown below :-

Saturday April 14 M2
Sunday April 22 M2
Saturday April 28 M1
Sunday May 6 M1
Saturday May 12 M2
Sunday May 20 M2
Saturday May 26 M1
Sunday June 3 M1
Saturday June 9 M2
Sunday June 17 M2
Saturday June 23 M1
Sunday July 1 M1
Saturday July 7 M2
Sunday July 15 M2
Saturday July 21 M1
Sunday July 22 M1 and M2 Vince Morgan Memorial
Sunday July 29 M1

Places are limited so prior booking is advised. Please ring me, Richard Watson, 07781 953310 for availability.

Evening matches with a 6pm draw and fishing 6.30 until 9.30 will begin on TUESDAY May 29th and will run for 8 weeks with the best 6 of the 8 matches to count. It will be conducted on a total weight basis that worked so well for the River Yare this last summer.

Fished a little hard I am afraid for most of us.

1st Ward Smith Nisa Waveney 33 1
2nd Peter Dade Harleston 24 8
3rd Bernie Watkinson ?????????? 16 4
4th Alex Reynolds ?????????? 13 10
5th Ray Darnell Nisa Waveney 13 4

The match next week will also be a match Lake 2, let's hope that it fishes better

Next Match is on Match Lake 2 - Sunday 22nd April. Draw 8.45 at the Fishing Lodge. ?5 entry and ?15 pools with ?1 for the golden peg if you want to. Phone me 07881 953310 before 9pm please.

Please note the phone number at the top of the page with all the match dates is incorrect. Use the one on this post please.

Not brilliant again 31 fished so every peg was in. The first and second placed anglers came from diagonally opposite corners pegs 58 and 43. All the fish were in the upper layers and the water was black with them at the southern end of the lake before the match started. The two top placed anglers caught fishing down to the unpegged ends of the lake. One up the north end and the other down the southern end.

1st Pat Denny - Saxmundham Angling Centre - 30lb 12oz
2nd Alex Reynolds - Ipswich 29 - 14
3rd Steve Scopes Viscount Tackle 22 - 10
4th John Dale - 15 - 15
5th Meee Richard Watson - Nisa Waveney 15 - 5

Next weeks match is Match Lake 1 which is my preferred lake. The weights should be better, I hope!

This weeks match will be Match Lake 1 on Saturday 28th April. Draw be at 8.45 breakfast available from 7.15. To book ring me 07881 953310 before 9pm please.

Results for last Saturday. Only 16 fished

1st John Dale unattached 46 - 4
2nd Dave Taylor Wass's Fishing Tackle 26 - 13
3rd Richard Watson Nisa Waveney 23 - 15 hurrah!
4th Vick Taylor Wass's Tackle 19 - 12
5th Bill Warner Colchester APS 17 - 7
6th Ray Darnell Nisa Waveney 13 - 12

The next match is Sunday 6th May M2. We have 20 names already but I will restrict it to 30. If you want a ticket, ring me on 07881 953310 before 9pm please.

Sunday 6th May.

24 fished Results in Poiunds and Ounces

1st John Dale - Unattached - 29.4 - Pole fished Pellet at 7metres
2nd Ray Darnell - Nisa Waveney - 27.2 - Corn on the feeder
3rd Pat Denny Saxmundaham Angling Centre - 25.0 - Feeder
4th Kevin Forster - Unattached - 24.14
5th Dave Talyor - Wass's - 21-15
6th Richard Watson - Nisa Waveney - 20.15.

There were 9 weights above 20lb and only 2 less than 10lb so it was a very even match. the winner was on peg 36 and second place was on peg 17 with third on peg 5 so the fish were spread all over the lake. Quite an enjoyable day although the wind was cold and very strong for most of it.