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Back to Academy searchTony Runnalls (Manager)
Academy Manager, Tony Runnalls grew up on the River Roding and caught his first fish on the Ornamental Waters at Wanstead.
Tony is a good all-round fisherman, from Carp, coarse, sea and more recently, fly fishing - Tony has tried it all.
Tony has an English p.b of 32lb for a Common Carp, Pike over 30lb, a Barbel p.b of 13lb 4oz and River Bream to over 11lb.
Tony now manages Churchgate Lakes coarse fishery in Essex.
Tony fishing for Tench on Bovington.
Tony fishing for Barbel on the beautiful River Wye
Tony fishing for Tench at Blenheim Palace
Now that's what I needed. Not!
"Last week I hosted Steve Martin from Total Coarse Fishing down at Churchgate for the day. After a chat a few weeks back we arranged a date on the Bottom Lake to have a go for the Ide we have in there.
"So there I was at 6.30am sitting in my car while the rain was hammering down, looking out across the Bottom Lake and thinking about the warm bed I was in 30 mins before. The weather man on the radio had told me it was going to rain all day, but Steve was on his way and was expecting some plump Ide so I bit the bullet and got myself sorted on peg 23. I started fishing the Waggler at 20 yards set at dead depth with a slow sinking maggot presentation.
"As it turned out the rain may have been persistent but there was very little wind so I soon got into my stride feeding Maggots and Caster. I was in my own little world with my hood up (its great how you can almost forget the rain once you start catching fish!) and I was taking some really good Skimmers for the first hour but with the constant sound of bait hitting the surface it wasn't long before the Ide were swirling around the swim.
"The Ide is a great fish, very visible in the swim; they swirl about and love to take any floating Casters that drift out of the swim. This in itself can help you pick off the better fish by using a small surface rig or slow sinking artificial Caster. Cast just to the edge of the swim, they love a constant splash of bait and also love a Worm hard on the bottom over some Caster.
"Steve arrived mid morning and after a few introductions he got himself sorted and we settled in and had a good day. I caught fish all day and even on a horrible day when it rained all day we managed a cracking day with some good Ide, loads of Skimmers and some good Bream to boot. Once again Steve was really chuffed and the article was in the bag.
"Actually if I'm honest I really enjoyed it, even though it rained all day and I got soaked, just sitting on the Waggler all day was great and so simple. So, if you find yourself in your car looking out of the window into what looks like a horrible day, take a deep breath and at least give it a go. You never know you might have a real red letter day."
Tony Runnalls
News from Tony Runnalls... Friday 18th February 2011
Winter Grayling
"It's been a while since my last blog. Things have been a bit manic over the last couple of months with the ice and some hardcore maintenance needed around the fishery, but a day was needed to wet my appetite and get on the bank for a proper days fishing.
"After a few calls we decided a day's fishing for some Grayling would be nice, so myself Dave Parks, Mark Parker and Nick Watkins set a date and Nick booked us into the Lower Itchen for a day on the river chasing Grayling.
"I have never caught a Grayling so I was well up for it. We decided that we would travel up the night before and stay in a B&B so we were all fresh for the morning session without having to do the 3 hour journey from Essex to what might aswell be the Isle of White.
"We stayed at a great place, well worth the money and very Angler friendly. Check out the website.
"After a great night enjoying a curry and a few beers we were up early doors and on the fishery for first light. I was chomping at the bit and was soon marching up the pathway to run a line down this famous bit of water. The feeling of anticipation was getting to me and it was hard to keep walking - we had been advised the better fishing was a mile or so up river.
"First put in saw my float running through a gulley in the middle of the river that was about 5 ft deep and 20 meters long. With a bite first put in that took me by surprise the fish twisted and jumped out of the water - a nice Brownie that duly spat the hook. So, with another handful of maggots, and on the second run through I took my first ever Grayling of about 10 ounces.
"I was really chuffed and felt combatable from the off. The river was just fining down and running at a steady pace. I caught Grayling all day and couldn't put a foot wrong, but it just goes to show how fish are fickle as Nick Watkins was being plagued by what looked like little Par and Brown Trout. He also had a couple of good Chub. Dave on the other hand was having a mixed bag and at times we were all fishing the same methods and bait.
"The biggest fish of the day went to Nick with a couple of Sea Trout of about 2lb. I lost count of how many Grayling I had on the day but it was somewhere in the region of 25 Grayling.
"I think we made it a bit of an easy day for Mark as he was wrapped up by lunchtime and was probably home in time for tea. We on the other hand stayed put until dark and had a cracking afternoon with all of us catching fish right up to the last cast.
"It was a great day and we have already made plans for our next trip. I am also doing something I don't usually do. I will be fishing the Bottom Lake at Churchgate for Total Coarse Fishing this week as I have been asked to do a piece on the Ide we have onsite, so it's back to a bit of waggler fishing with worm and maggots.
"If you have never caught a Grayling before I can highly recommend this fishery and if you get it right like we did there is nothing complicated about it, all you will need is a nice soft Long waggler rod, 13/14ft is ok, a Centre Pin is the preferred reel and a mainline of 5lb is sufficient, a few different size Chubber floats some maggots and your away.
"Before I end this Blog, a quick well done goes to Gareth Goldson for proving me right and having a cracking year. I look forward to spending some time on the bank with him; maybe he can teach me a few tricks."
Till the next time
Tight Lines
News from Tony Runnalls... Monday 25th October 2010
A Day on the Wye
"With Barbel on my mind, Tony my bailiff and I decided a day on the Wye was in order, so we started off early doors and made our way down to Belmont.
"With plenty of rain over the previous days we knew the water would be up but it was a good opportunity to show Tony how different the fishing can be on a swollen river as he is relatively new to fishing the bigger rivers.
"On arriving at 5am we were greeted with a steady drizzle and rising water levels. The plan was to touch ledger big lumps of meat and roam about for the day. We had minimal tackle - no chairs or umbrellas and boy what a mistake that was as by the end of the day we were absolutely soaked through.
"The river was hammering through and we started by walking the stretch and dropping a few big lumps of meat into any eddies and slower slacks. I then set up my 11" 6' Hardy Marksman Avon and Conquest Centrepin loaded with 12lb straight through to the hook with some SSG shot on a little paternoster rig and away we went with a spring in our step. I just had that feeling there were fish to be had.
"The first swim I dropped into was tucked in behind a massive overhanging tree that was creating a nice slack. I flicked a lump of meat under the tree the size of a golf ball and it was immediately engulfed by a Chub of about 5lb. If I'm honest I thought the bite was just the bait settling as it happened so quick, I had another 2 good Chub from the swim and the 30 mins of nothing.
"I upped sticks and moved downstream to a very similar swim with a really inviting drop under another big tree. I put in 5 big lumps of meat picked off a big lump rolled it in some hemp squeezed it into the meat pulled the hook through the meat with a baiting needle and it flicked down under the tree. It's amazing how little shot you can get away with in such a swollen river as long as you get it in the right place. Ten minutes past and I got a typical Barbel twitch and struck in to a fish that to my relief darted straight out into the fast water rather than going under the tree. I was confident and held on hard not wanting the fish to go off with the flow, after a very spirited fight I had my first Barbel of the day, it was only 7lb but what a great looking strong fish.
"I managed 4 Barbel and 6 Chub from 4 different swims. The best Barbel at just over 8lb, all the fish were taken just using a very simple light ledgering set up with meat on the hook.
"Tony opted to fish maggots and pellet with a big chubber float in the slower water and was having a whale of a time catching Chub. He had a bag of bits but nothing over a couple of pound but he did manage a good Perch that made his day so all was not lost and to his credit he sat it out all day in some really heavy rain and as i said we never took our chairs or an umbrella so it was a bit hardcore and he didn't moan all day. He said he loved every minute of it but we were glad to get in the car with the heaters on and a steaming cup of tea.
"I have found this lovely little place on the Teme and will be doing some exploring in the next couple of weeks. I have had some good fish from Bransford bridge before so I am confident that this stretch will produce some fish. A friend fished it recently and caught some cracking Grayling so we will be following in his footsteps over the next couple of weeks in hope of a fish or two.
Thanks for looking in."
Tight Lines
Tony Runnalls
News from Tony – Tuesday 7th September 2010
“Well that’s the end of summer if you believe what the weather man says and, as I stood in the rain yesterday getting drenched to the bone I must admit to dreaming of sand washed beaches and blue seas - I feel a holiday coming on.
“I got a ticket for Ricketts Mere a few weeks back. I’m not really interested in the main lake as it’s the little bit of back water that cuts off from the main navigation channel of the Chelmer via a weir and runs through what can only be described as a jungle.
“I managed to blag a morning with Roo Newby and the EA as they were doing a survey on the main river and we had a long walk along the venue with a view to maybe clearing a few swims so we could at least get some access as it was probably 70 % unfishable and, being the gentleman Roo is he was very accommodating.
“I have been up there a few times, the first couple of times I took my bow saw and machete and cleared a few swims. I fished it a couple of times and caught fish steadily all day but mainly bits. I have seen a few bigger fish but they are very shy as no one has been on there for a long time.
“On my last trip I got in the water and decided to spend the day running a stick float through the last 50 meters of the backwater as it reaches the crease where it rejoins the main channel. It’s a steady, slow run averaging about 4ft all the way to the end over a very consistent hard gravel bottom and a lot of root structure on the far bank from some very big oaks where the water drops off to about 6ft.
“After about 2 hrs of Perch, Chub and Roach I noticed a movement a little further up the bank. I stood really still and an Otter slipped into the water from the far bank and started making his way towards me. I have only ever seen Otters once before in the River Avon and they were at distance but this one was coming straight at me - it didn’t even know I was there. It passed me and at one point it was no more than 15ft away from me. I couldn’t help but marvel at it as it glided by and disappeared up the back water.
“We also have a new Member joining the Hardy & Greys Coarse Academy. Gareth Goldson has been catching some impressive fish recently and he has his year all planned out. We had a day at the Angel Of The North fishing lakes last week to have a bit of a fish and take a few pictures of some of our new products due out in the fall.
“Dave Parks and I had another day up at Blenheim last week as Dave has had to go into Hospital for an operation on his hand to repair some ligament damage from a previous injury this week so he will be out of action for a couple of weeks if not more. We managed lots of small Perch and a couple of Bream to 7lb but the Crayfish were a real problem with the float moving all over the swim most of the time and false bites from Crays all day.
“The Lakes are at full speed at the moment and there are plans afoot for expansion, we are looking at going ahead with phase 2 of Churchgate and hopefully over the next couple of years a new fishery will be born, I will keep you all up to date with the plans as and when they are all approved.”
Tight Lines
Tony Runnalls
News from Tony Runnalls – Wednesday 7th July 2010
“The first day of the season has always held a special place in my heart, ever since I was a little boy the 16th of June has always been a special day and as I have got older the feelings I get remains the same if not stronger.
“This year again the Wye at Belmont was my chosen venue, and on the trip down I knew in my gut I was going to do well, everything just felt right. I had arranged to have some pegs cleared the day before to try and limit the amount of noise on the bank when we arrived as we would be the first on the stretch for 3 months and hacking our way down to the river on open day would of not only scared most of the fish but also its not something you want to be doing on the first day of the season, all I want to do is fish.
“On arriving the night before we jumped on a buggy and made our way down to the river for our first glimpse of what was a perfectly finning down river with a nice touch of colour and a near perfect level, my spirits were high until I got to the swim I wanted to fish and it was a jungle.
“After a couple of hours of clearance work with my machete I had opened up a nice little path down the water’s edge and was able to wade out and have a good look around. I dropped a bit of bait out under a nice over hanging tree leading off some long gravel shallows, we then retreated back to the bar for some food and beverages with talk of what the next couple of days would hold.
“Wading out to the shallows at 4.30 am, bucket on my waste a little box of bits and a Hardy Marksman Avon 11ft coupled up to the Hardy Conquest Centerpin reel loaded out with 6 lb mainline and a nice big Chubber Float weighted down with a single Olivet above a micro swivel to a 12 inch 5lb hooklenth and a size 14 Drennan Super Specialist baited with double caster, I put in a hand full of bait and watched it sail away under a the tree to be greeted by numerous flashing Barbel.
“I flicked the float out, mended the line and watched it sail down past the tree and as it got to the end of the run it dipped and I struck into a fish that kited off to the right back to the left and tried to dive under the tree. I managed to bring it to hand and it was a Chub at just over 6lb. I was chuffed to bits and I let the fish swim off to the other side of the river to settle under another tree. I rebaited my hook and presented my float tight to the bank and guide the float tight to the tree and immediately had a good bite only to lose it and the next 3 fish, they all just smashed me up and I had to up my mainline to 10lb and hooklenths of 8lb.
“The first hour of the session had set the tone for the rest of the trip and I just couldn’t put a foot wrong, I caught fish all day on both days with some really intense feeding spells where I was having a good Barbel every trot though especially on the first evening with the average fish in the 5/6 lb bracket. We all caught fish with my bailiff Tony and my good friend Kim having multiple catches on both days. I managed the biggest fish overall at 9lb 12 oz.
“I estimated on both days I took over 60lb of Barbel and Chub and that’s being very modest as I don’t retain fish and they were coming so thick and fast I lost count of how many I had over the 2 days.
“If you want a nice place to stay with quality food and service you won’t go far wrong staying here, and the fishing is first class with a good opportunity for a bonus Salmon or Trout as I have seen both of these on this stretch a few times
“We will be back next year as a group but I am sure Dave and I will be down there before then.
“The lakes (Churchgate) have been fishing very well with some cracking fish in the bank, we have our own Facebook page and there are some cracking pics on there so feel free to browse them and add it to your list of friends.
“I have decide to leave Bov alone for a while as the Tench have spawned out now and in general it has become very busy so I will be spending a bit of time on the Cemex stretch on the Chelmer at Ricketts Mere to see what is in the backwater, i have heard of some horror stories regarding Otters up there so we will have to see.
"Look out for this month’s Improve Your Coarse Fishing and see how I have been catching these big Tench with an in-depth article on my methods that anyone can use, it’s on sale July 16th”
Tight Lines
Tony Runnalls
News from Tony - 26th May 2010
"What a great day in the sun! It's always a bit nerve racking catching for the cameras and that’s exactly what I had to do yesterday as I was asked to do a piece with Mark and Lloyd from 'Improve Your Coarse Fishing' on Tench Fishing.
"I chose to fish a local pit on the CAPS Ticket as I have been having some good results from there the last couple of weeks on the method and a few on the float, but this was to be a piece on the lift method - a traditional way of catching Tench in the margins and I was hoping the fish had started to come in closer with the warmer weather as I had struggled to get them on the float in recent weeks.
"I arrived at the lake at 3am to be greeted by some huge Carp spawning around the lake and, after chatting to the few anglers that were there I found that it didn’t look good and my heart sank a little before panic set in as I remembered I had to catch at least a couple of fish to get the article in the bag.
"I had plumbed up the swim and chose to fish at about 5 meters past the crease where the bottom levels out to about 8ft. I used a unloaded waggler preferably peacock quill with a bulk shot above a small swivel to the hooklenth of about 18 inches and 3 small dropper shots down the hooklenth to act as an anchor to prevent tow and to help with bite indication. After a couple of hours I was starting to get worried as I had seen plenty of fish showing but mainly big Carp spawning and it was getting near the time when they generally start switching off. The problem was they hadn’t even switched on this morning and I noticed the odd cluster of bubbles a bit closer in and started to feed a gentle stream of Caster Maggot and pellet on the spot. Within 15 minutes I noticed a few more bubbles over the bait. I adjusted the float to the correct depth, flicked a few more casters maggot and Pellets over the area and presented 2 casters on a 16 Super Specialised over the spot. I waited with a need to get at least one fish. A few minutes past and then as I picked my catapult up my float just lifted a tad and settled again. I could have screamed as I flicked a few more casters out and a minute later the float lifted about 10mm and I struck into solid resistance and an angry Tench headed out to the deeper water.
"Things went like a dream thereafter with that first fish being the biggest of the day weighing in at 8lb 15oz with the added bonus of it being a male aswell. I managed to get a nice bag together in the end and when Mark turned up I can assure you we were both relieved with what I had managed to get on a day when even Dave Parks blanked and very few fish graced the banks
"I had a really nice day with some cracking fish. I also lost a couple of big Carp to hook pulls but I think they might have just been foul hooked as there were some really big Carp cruising back and forth in groups most of the morning with a couple of them going easy over 30lb... they obviously had other things on their mind.
"We managed to get the article in the bag and Lloyd was experimenting with his new underwater camera housing and he has promised me that he has some cracking shots, who knows, I might even get a cover! The article will be going to press and ready for release in the July edition of 'Improve Your Coarse Fishing', so keep an eye out for it in your local newsagents.
"The sun is shining and you should be fishing, so get out and enjoy yourself - you never know what looks like a potentially bad day can be a red letter day in the making as I found out yesterday."
Tight Lines
Tony Runnalls
News from Tony - 20th My 2010
"It’s been a Tench Bonanza this month as myself and a few friends have been fishing at a local pit and what a cracking start it has been!
"Between us we have had some cracking Tench with the biggest one going to Dave Parks at just over 10lb. We have had plenty of fish over 7lb and some nice 8lb fish with my new PB at 9lb 4oz.Fishing with the new Greys VX Twin Tip rod, Dean Macey has had a good head of fish to 8lb with a massive haul of 35 Tench over a couple of nights, Phil Smith graced the banks for a couple of nights and caught a few aswell, Matt Wheeler has had some cracking sessions taking a 24 fish hit on a day session, so it’s been good fishing.
"My main approach has been red maggots on maggot clips with small inline method feeders, fished at about 30yards. I have also been float fishing down the edge but have only had a couple of fish, I think it’s still a little bit early with most of the fish out in the middle of the lake, also the fact i am the only person fishing down the edge, most of the bait being introduced is going out into the middle of the lake.
"Once the water warms up a bit more I am confident that they will start showing more in the margins. The Lakes have been fishing really well with shed loads of fish coming out of all the lakes, we have set up a Facebook page for the lakes and looking through the pics on there has really shown how many quality fish we have onsite.
I have had some cracking evening sessions on the Bottom Lake with loads of Carp to the Pellet Waggler, going to over 20lb, Fantastic sport with an average size of fish going to12/14lb. The Ide are getting big now with the average fish well over 2lb and the Tench are dominating the margins with loads of fish averaging 1 to 2lb coming out to simple float tactics.
"Roll on June as we are going back down to Belmont and if it was as good as last year I will be chuffed - let’s just hope some of the horror stories about the Otter s and Cormorants etc are over exaggerated.
"Over the next couple of weeks I will be staying where I am and targeting the Tench and hopefully next time round I will have had my own 10lb Tinca, we will then be exploring some of the local rivers for their Barbel.
"I hope you have a good start to the season, and get that PB you are after."
Tony Runnalls
News from Tony - March 2nd 2010
“I know I said let it rain at the beginning of my last blog, but I am now thinking enough all ready.
“How miserable has it been over the last 8 weeks - every time I have been fishing it’s been a disaster, the last time I went up the backwater on the Chelmer I had 6 Cormorants’ swimming up and down in front of me all day, my eyes on my rods just froze up and I got a wet boot crossing the little dyke, it all went wrong!
“But spring is on its way and the sun is shining today - perfect fishing weather but I can’t go out as I am stuck at home convalescing after a recent operation.
“I am starting to think about getting my baiting campaign going on Bovington 2 for the spring as I am going to target the Tench for the first couple of months as they wake up from their winter sleep with one of the new range of VX Twin Tips. I have still got my heart set on a Float fished double and I am sure Bovi is the place to do it
“The lakes have been really slow but on the flip side it has allowed me to invite some faces down to do some Articles for us with the likes of Danny Fairbrass, Derik the Don Richie, Alex Bones, Dave Lane, Dave Levy, plus a few others so keep an eye out as they will all be coming out over the coming weeks.
“A big well done to Cathall Hughes on getting picked for the Irish Team, I am sure he will do well and Churchgate would like to wish him and the rest of the team the best of Luck.
“Hopefully my next blog will be full of the joys of spring and tales of Giant Tench and mist covered lakes filled with bubbles as the sun rises over the trees, but until then, I hope you all have a great start to the year and catch that PB you have been after.”
Tight Lines
Tony Runnalls
News from Tony Runnalls – Monday 30th November
“Let it Rain! I am so glad we have had a bit of rain! I have managed to get all the pumps set up for the lakes and it’s nice to see the water levels coming up again, I know it affects our takings but we really need the water so let it Rain.
“It’s been a bit hit and miss for me the past month, like this morning I got up at 5am, went down to the Chelmer and it was horrible - the wind the rain were driving hard and the river was unfishable so there’s another wasted day, but I have managed to get a line out on a couple of occasions and have had some really pleasant days trotting for the Roach on the back water at Hoe Mill. I haven’t caught anything spectacular but with Roach and Chub nearly one a chuck it’s been great.
“I have been invited to fish on the Itchen next week with a group of guys from Wickford Angling so I have booked the day off and am itching to get there, excuse the pun; we are also going to Orford Island to have a Beach fishing session, apparently it been throwing up some double figure Cod so fingers crossed.
“Over the last month I have had a couple of days fishing with Dean Macey at Churchgate and Tight Lines have been down to the lakes filming for their slot on Sky TV. It’s been hard and even I couldn’t get a bite but Dean managed to get a couple of small Cats for the camera so all was not lost and they made the lakes look really nice on camera, not that they aren’t nice anyway, but you get a different perspective when you’re watching it on the telly, even though we didn’t catch much on the day they have said they would like to use the facility in the future so keep an eye out you never know I might be able to squeeze myself on there.
I hope you all have a really nice Christmas and hope you will look in from time to time.”
Tight Lines
Tony Runnalls
News from Tony - 29th August 2009
"I went down to Aldermaston a couple of weeks back with Tony who is my Bailiff as he is desperate to catch a Barbel. Unfortunately when we got there my heart sank and I knew from the off that we weren't going to catch anything - there were people waiting to get in and I knew that the lawns would be taken as its a first come first served and no taking of the shortcut is allowed, not that I would do that but in the past people have been asked to leave because of it.
"The water levels were as low as I have ever seen them and the weirs were more a dribble to their usual torrent but Tony wanted to try some long trotting so we decided to give it a go anyway on the backwater. At the end of the day we managed a couple of small Perch and some small Chub.
"On a better note I have been able to spend a few evening sessions on Bovington 2 and after some fine tuning of my set up and a change of rod, I have now started getting in to some fish.
"I have been fishing a big Waggler at the bottom of the lake shelf where it levels out at about 9 ft in a corner bay that is heavily reed lined and has the wind blowing into it most of the time. I started off using a soft rod but lost to many fish in the reeds so I changed my rod over to one of the prototype VX Prodigy Twins with a 1.75 top and felt a lot more in control and immediately started landing most of the fish. I bumped a couple but they were fouled hooked but none to the reeds - baits have mostly been Caster over Pellet and Maggot.
"The Carp boys keep telling me that they get pestered by the Tench all night on Boiles. Call me old fashioned but I have my heart set on a float fished double, and if the past 4 sessions are anything to go by and the weather holds out there might still be a slim chance of getting one! I have had loads of fish up to 6lb but the last evening session and I broke my previous 6lb Pb three times on the trot with two fish going 7lb and a 8lb 2oz fish that could quite easily have been a 10lb fish when full of spawn but I am a little too late for that.
"It has been a cracking month at the lakes with plenty of good fish out - also I have been asked by the boss to go and recce a potential site to build another fishery on and draw up some ideas to run by the council to see what their view is... hopefully it will be a goer.
"I am thinking of having a go on the Thames during the coming weeks - I haven’t got any particular species in mind more like a suck it and see type day.
"I will let you all know how I get on!"
Tight Lines
Tony Runnalls
News from Tony - 13th August 2009
"Blenham Palace - what a place! Me and Dave have been down there a couple of times and I went down on my own a couple of times. I caught Tench on all occasions but it’s not a easy bit of water by far, - they have so much natural food in there that its always going to be tricky! The Perch are a pest and all day I was pestered with 4/6 inch perch.
"It’s a lovely place but a tad expensive for me as a day on my own comes in at a hefty £100 for Petrol Bait and the Ticket, throw in some lunch and it’s not a cheap day.
"I have Joined a local club in order to get access to one of their waters which apparently holds a good head of Double Figure Tench. I have had a few sessions on there and have had some nice Tench but iIknow there are bigger ones about and I need to refine my Tactics to try and get one. I hooked a good Carp the other evening but couldn’t stop it and the hook pulled, Ihave had some really good eels to 4lb.
"I have been testing some of the new VX & TX Rods at the Lakes, be prepared for some of the best looking Rods you have ever seen they are stunning and the performance is out of this world, keep an eye out for them they will be in the shops soon.
"We had a great time at the Go Fishing Show and it was good to catch up with the other Academy members including some of the Carp boys. The stand was very busy and it was a great turn out. The only blight on the weekend was the thefts from some of the other companies that were at the show during the night - as a former security consultant for the film industry I know what I am talking about and I personally cannot see how such a thing can happen on a regular basis at open events! The organisers of these events really need to bring in somebody at the planning stages so that they can make the site secure- it’s not hard. In the 10 years I worked as a security consultant looking after some of the biggest outdoor film sets, we never had anything stolen and all attempts were foiled. We were looking after Millions of Pounds worth of equipment in every conceivable location possible from shopping malls to open fields.
"The Lakes have been doing very well with some cracking fish out and my Bailiff Tony has been slaying them up in the water with the Method Float - he took a brace of Twenty’s yesterday from our Middle Lake on a quick session with his son.Tony has asked me if I fancy a day down at Aldermaston on Monday as he wants to have a go at Long Trotting, we are going up early doors Monday and I will let you know how we get on
Tight Lines
Tony Runnalls
News from Tony - 21st June 2009
"Well the day has been and gone and what a start. I have just returned from 3 days at Belmont.
"We arrived at 8am and after a couple of hours we decided on swims and started settling in. I got out my machete and preceded to carve myself a nice path and steps down to the top end of a long shallow run with some overhanging trees that ran for about 50 meters with a deep hole under them and some very fast water. I set up my 13 ft Hardy Marksman Float Rod and Conquest pin Loaded out with 100 meters of new 5lb Greys Mono, a large Chubber with 5 swam shot about 14 inches above a size 18 Animal Hook with two dropper shot about 3 inches apart below the bulk. I then put a bucket of bait on my belt, some bits in my pocket and waded out to the top end of the swim.
"I started trickling in Maggots Caster and Hemp, put two Red Maggots on the hook and flicked the float out for the first time of the new season. I had set the depth at about 4 ft and the float glided through the swim as near perfect as you could expect. Just as it got a couple of yards off the last tree the float slipped under the surface, I lifted the rod and felt weed so I knew that was the end of the run as the water shallowed up to about 2ft. Another hand full of bait and the float was presented to the dark hole under the trees for a second time and as the float settled I applied a little brake on the reel the float rose up in the current and was slammed under and my first fish of the season was on, the fish was determined to get under the trees and i gently coaxed it round and out of harm's way and after a very spirited fight the fish was brought to hand, i didn't care whether i caught another fish for the rest trip as I hadn't blanked and what a stunning looking fish it was at the high end of 4lb. I was absolutely ecstatic and had a funny feeling that it was going to be a good start.
"The following morning I was up with the light and down on the river by 5 am. It was a perfect morning - mist was coming off the water and fish were topping all over - a forecast of great weather and my confidence was sky high. I settled into the same swim and started feeding in Maggot Caster and Hemp and after 20 minutes I could hold back no longer and let the float settle into the run. After mending the line it sailed off with the current and on the second run the float buried deep with a hard pull on the Rod as the fish tried to get back under the trees but, again after a very spirited fight another 4lb Chub was in my hands and being returned to the other side of the river so as not to scare the rest of the shoal. And so it began, for the rest of the day I managed to catch a steady stream of fish ranging from a couple of ounces to 7 lb. I caught big Chub, Barbel, small Trout and what was suggested as Salmon Par ( they all look like Trout to me! ) what a cracking day! I was in my element running a float down under the tree banging out fish in the sun what more could you ask for! I rested the swim periodically during the day and also to have a little catch up.
"After Lunch Darren and Rob were talking about Rob's swim and had said that they had seen some big fish just upstream but access was difficult so we went and had a look. It was a very long run over 200 meters with trees ether side and a nice deep gully right through the middle. I put on my glasses and peered down through the trees from the high banks and instantly knew I would be fishing there in the morning. At 2pm I returned to my swim, reloaded my bucket, checked my line, set up my little video camera pointing it at the swim and turned it on to record for a couple of hours.
"Again almost immediately I started catching fish and I was in my element as Barbel and Chub came to hand one after the other - some small some 5/6/7/lb but what a special day I will remember for a long time! By the end of the session I was shattered and the Cold Beer and Rib eye Steak that we consumed on the patio tasted so good we all said that we would be back again next year.
"I was up at first light again and decided to go to the long run I had looked at yesterday with Darren and Rob. I managed to get in the water some 100 yards upstream of the top end of the run and waded down to the position I had lined up to fish. I got myself comfortable and started to feed in Maggot Caster and Hemp.
"After feeding steadily for about 30 minutes I got my first proper fish on but lost it half way up the swim - the fact I hooked the fish at about 50 meters meant i had to guide it all the way back up through the fast deep water and that put everything to the test. I took off the light hooklenth and tied a Size 16 Animal straight to the mainline and was in again after another 10 minutes. This time I felt I was in control a bit more and I was a bit more confident in applying more pressure to guide the fish upstream.
"From there on it was fish all the way to the end of the day. I took most of the better quality fish at the tail end of the swim and made a few minor adjustments to the depth and added a couple more swan shot so I could hold back a bit more as I was losing sight of the float and was inching the float through and responding to the knocks on the tip. What a great way to fish the first 30 meters or so you could see the float and as I lost sight of it in the reflections I would apply some brake to the pin and pick up the line directly to the float causing it to rise slightly but enough to displace the water and you could feel the bites up through the Rod.
"As we were packing up I was chatting to Darren and we estimated that over the 3 days I had taken about 18 Barbel between 3lb and 7lb and 16 Chub between 2lb and 6lb along with a sack load of bits. I used nearly 12 pints of Maggot, 8 pints of Caster and 8 pints of Hemp along with a liberal helping of the Teme Severn Crustacean Pellet Mix. I would like to thank the guys at Teme Severn, when I was on my way I realised that I had forgotten my pellet, so after a quick call to them the next morning by 10am I had a tub of Pellet and some of their fantastic Lamprey Paste delivered to reception and brought straight down to my swim via one of the buggies - great service and even better bait! Check out their website at www.teme-severn.co.uk
"Even though this is primarily a golf course this is the second time I have been down there and I must say that the accommodation and the food was all of a very high standard the staff, including the grounds men were all very polite and more than helpful. I cannot rate this place highly enough and have already provisionally booked my next trip.
All is well and (Hopefully) next time Big Perch from Blenheim!"
Tight Lines
Tony Runnalls
News from Tony - June 8th 2009
"It's been a busy month at Home and at the Lakes. I have finally moved into our new house and I have no other projects on the go for the foreseeable future. I have been testing some new Braid over the last couple of months with Dave Coster and the quality and resilience of this braid is fantastic.
"I am still getting some cracking sport on the Middle Lake fishing up in the water and have had a good run of High Doubles just fishing hit a run sessions of no more than 3 hrs at a time mostly just grabbing the odd hour here and there at certain times when I feel my chances are at their best. I have been using the 11ft Avon Marksman and I know I have said it before but what a Rod! This rod has subdued Carp over the twenty pound mark with ease and it just seems to guide fish straight to the net without any fuss at all, if you are on the lookout for a good all-round 2 piece Rod you seriously need to give this rod some thought.
"6 days to go and counting - I for one can't wait! I have my bait order in at Wickford Angling; in fact I have had it in for a couple of weeks now. My gear is ready and the other guys that are going are texting me daily. We are like a bunch of school kids, we have decided to get a shield and make this a regular trip. Rules are- Pike don't count, biggest fish over the three day session takes the shield for the year, no arguments, no set times, go where you want, start and finish what time you want.
"The first Venue as mentioned in my last blog is The Belmont Golf and Country Club on The Wye and we will be fishing on the 16th/7th/18th and I will let you know how it all goes."
Tight Lines
Tony Runnalls
News from Tony - 12th May 2009
"As I can't get on the rivers yet I have been spending quite a bit of time on Churchgate, grabbing a few hours here and there, the Perch are not playing ball so I have been doing a bit of stalking around the Lakes aswell as a few sessions fishing the Pellet Wag up in the water.
"It never ceases to amaze me how many Anglers will sit on leads for days on end for a couple of runs in the hope of hooking a big un, even when I am sitting there with one rod a bucket of pellets slaying the place and hooking fish after fish, my best day so far last week was 12 upper doubles with 7 of them being 20lb plus in 4 hours, my first fish of the session was a 27lb Common on my
first cast.
"I have also been catching some cracking little Cruicans on light float tactics around the dense Reed beds, it's such a shame that everybody that fishes on the Middle Lake are so set on catching the bigger fish as they are missing such good alternative sport.
"On a really good note, our Match Team has now made it through to the Semi Finals of the Angling Times Super Cup, we managed to knock out two of the bigger names in the competition in the first round (Team Raiders & Terrapins) and Sunday just gone we managed to beat Elm Park and Hornchurch at The Warren Match Lake so a big well done to all the lads and we are looking forward to the next round.
"I have booked the first week of the season off work and have arranged a trip to the Belmont Golf and Country club fishing on their stretch of the Wye, I went there last year as part of a group and had a cracking couple of days and even as I write this I am chomping at the bit to get down there, have a look at their website for booking info and if you do go you won't be disappointed www.belmont-hereford.co.uk/fish/index.html
"We are on the move next week so my fishing time is going to be a little bit limited, we are moving into our new house I built last year and its only next door so we can just move in gradually over the next week as we have sold our other house, I will be sticking with the quick short sessions on Churchgate for the next couple of weeks and once we have moved in properly I can start to spread my wings and venture out a bit."
Tight Lines
Tony Runnalls
News from Tony - 27th April 2009
"So ends another busy and frustrating week.
"The Lakes have been really busy and there have been lots of quality fish out. I have been taking advantage of the late evenings on my quest for a Churchgate Perch, I have been fishing late into the evenings on the bottom lake with Maggots as my main feed with Lobs and Live baits.
"I have had a really good week if you count endless Tench, massive Carp trashing my swim 2lb plus Ide coming in like they are queuing up to get caught, it's funny really that when you have a certain fish in your sights and how frustrating it can be when you catch everything but your target species.
"What has surprised me is that I haven't had what I would call a proper bite on the live baits; I have had a couple of tentative enquiries but nothing that has resulted in a Perch. I had a good Bream of about 7lb take my live bait on the drop and I thought I had a real lump on until I saw a big old Bream roll on the surface.
"I am going to try a different approach, I am going to try ledgering some dead baits next week and see if I get a better response, surprisingly the top lake has been producing lots of Perch to just about the 1lb mark but I am sure that if I persevere I will be rewarded in the end.
"Watch this space!"
Tight Lines
Tony Runnalls
News from Tony - 15th April 2009
"What a manic week! It's been a really busy weekend at the lakes over the East Bank Holiday and they have fished very well. I have managed to get to the bottom lake in the evenings after everybody has gone and I am determined to catch big Perch.
"I have chosen the bottom lake over the middle as the middle lake has too many Catfish in and one one evening last week I had 6 of them in an hour on live baits and the worm just gets battered by the Bream and Tench.
"I am going through the motions with the bait, but primarily I was using Lobs Craster and Red Maggot. I have managed a few small Perch but the bigger fish are there, I have seen them striking at fish so I am going to switch over to live baits tonight and give them another go.
"I am finding that too many other fish are hitting my worms, I have had some cracking Bream, Carp and lots of Tench but I need to be a bit more specific with regards my bait so I am going to sit it out tonight with lvie baits.
"I am only fishing the evenings as I feel this is my best chance of one of the big Perch, I have been fishing the Waggler hard on the bottom but I will be switching over to a paternoster set up for the live baits as I feel the fish want the bait up in the water. I will let you know how I get on."
Tight Lines
Tony
News from Tony - 2nd April 2009
"I have had a really good start to the year with some good days on the bank aswell as some bad days.
"I have been up to the Kingfisher Complex at Ling, Norfolk and spent a couple of days on the Wensum. What a great place to fish- Buzzards call overhead not a soul about, just me and the river, pure fishing heaven as I managed to pick off some clever Chub on my first day to over 5lb,
"The second day was a Roach bonanza and I managed an estimated bag of 35lb of good roach to the 1lb mark. I found a shoal of roach tucked up under a long overhanging bush that gave the fish a nice bit of cover and had a cracking day. I caught fish more or less one a chuck all day and started on the maggot feeder in the same spot as last week, taking fish to 12 oz immediately and consistently until I hooked and landed Trout which trashed my swim 1 1/2 Hrs into the session.
"I kept feeding but the bites were very tentative, I felt the fish had either moved upstream or pushed really tight under the bushes. I opted to fish a big chubber over depth held back hard and got it right under the trees I edged it along and soon found the fish again. I managed to pull the fish out a bit and trotted through for some really nice roach to the 1lb mark, bites were consistent from there on with loads of small chub thrown in, nothing really big but the trout made my day.
"I used nearly 4 pints of Maggot and 2 pints of Caster and Hemp 90% came to red maggot and the rest to worm bits or caster, size 18 Drennan Super Specialist Hooks, Greys 3lb Mono, Conquest Pin and a 13 ft hardy Specialist Float.
"At Churchgate we have now updated our website and also stocked some new fish so if you get a minute drop in and have a look www.churchgatelakes.co.uk "
Tight Lines
Tony Runnalls
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