Keith Culley Memorial Match

The pewter on Rosewood Trophy

Keith Culley was one of the original members of the mailing list and was a good friend to many. When he lost his battle with cancer it was decided that we would hold an annual pole fishing match in his memory.

Sedge and Brummie on the car park Few fish, loadsa laughs! Keith would have liked that

It was decided some time ago that we would hold the match on the type of water that Keith would have enjoyed, Clattercote Reservoir. It is a commercial fishery but is a long way removed from the ‘mud puddles’ we all dread. Keith would have approved.

After an uncertain few weeks due to foot-and-mouth disease closing most British Waterways venues, we heard the excellent news that our match would go ahead on the 7th of April. We were to be the first anglers on the venue since the enforced closure. This could only mean that we would have a brilliant day with fish crawling up our rods or they would have forgotten what our bait tasted like.

Most Anglers met up on Saturday morning at Tesco’s in Banbury for breakfast and then travelled the short distance to the reservoir in convoy. By the time I arrived the banter was already flowing thick and fast between members of the list and forum.

‘Barney’ Knowles started seriously and then……….

We soon learned that it was going to be a lot harder than we all thought. Everyone who had brought a pole started off trying to use it, but with a strengthening wind they were proving difficult to hold. By 1.00pm and most people without a bite so far the consensus of opinion was to switch to running line and fish a big float at distance hard on the bottom.

‘ Purely for Pleasure’, says Dave ‘Cooperman’ Cooper

The pleasure anglers were using a maggot feeder at 40 yards and were scoring quite well with the tench and carp but this was an option we had not allowed ourselves. Stu Dexter eventually landed a small carp on long range sliding waggler to start things off and it looked like the fish would start to feed, but then the rain camedown.

‘Lurking Joker Frank – all this gear and sweet FA!

We were scratching for bites. I hooked and lost a decent carp at the net and then news filtered down to us at the bottom end that Big Rik, aka Carp Angler, had landed a good carp of 9 or 10 lbs, also on long range waggler, and was in the driving seat. And still it rained. At half past three I had another sail-away bite and this time landed a nice tench of a couple of pounds. Meanwhile Stu Dexter had landed another couple of carp and Brummie (Paul) Williams had also landed a tench.

We called time at 4.00 o’ clock and weighed in. Stu Dexter had won with four carp for 12lb, Big Rik was second with his carp of 9lb 15 oz (which also won the prize for the biggest fish) and I pipped Paul Williams for 3rd with a better tench than his.

Rik ‘Carp Angler’ plays his near double

A rather wet and tired bunch of anglers packed up as quickly as possible and made their way to the car park. We decided to go to the nearest pub for a quick pint and the presentation, however it’s not always easy to find an open pub at 5.00 pm on a Saturday afternoon. A large convoy of cars toured around Banbury a couple of times before we located one that would suit our needs.

With everyone suitably refreshed and feeling warmer in the snug, Graham made the presentation of a handsome trophy of a seated fisherman in pewter mounted on rosewood to Stu Dexter for winning the inaugural match and gave out the pools wins for 2nd and 3rd and biggest fish.

Rik with his 2nd place winner

I look forward to seeing you all at next years match.

Match organiser Mike Fidler got 3rd spot

Stu and his winning catch

Rik with his 2nd place winner

Stu, editor of Coarse Fisherman magazine receives his trophy from Graham

Some anglers will do anything to pass the time away as Brummie Williams demonstrates