After the previous year’s successful event at Dam Flask Reservoir, Sheffield, where the generous donation by Steve King was rewarded by patchy fishing and a summer monsoon, the PaSC officials put up another day out with the club as a prize.
To be honest we had hoped for a successful bid from Mark “The Count” Wintle, allowing us a visit to the seaside ,or even from Neil “Brewer” Maidment where we would have reluctantly foregone the angling to assist him in product testing and development with our ideas for a new Port and Stilton Ale.
As the auction closed it became evident that Steve King had decided he wasn’t going to be beaten by Dam Flask and he was coming up North again!!!
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| Size is not important! |
Actually we were very glad to see him. Saturday he was due for a day on the Ribble with Spiders. A message was received saying the mean machine he drives had let him down badly. Spiders was left to catch tiddlers and eels on his own!! When he arrived on Sunday it became evident how dangerous the brake problem could have been so it was a testament to good fortune and Steve’s mechanical ability that he duly got there at 8.00.
With the news that Steve King would indeed be able to make the PaSC Dam Flask fish in it was agreed a 8am start would suit all, Lord Paul was the first to arrive closely followed by Mr King at about 7:40 – at 8ish Corky arrived closely followed by Spiders and Poshers – it would appear that they would have arrived earlier except Corky has been blinded by the one shaft of sunlight in Yorkshire that morning and missed a turn.
We waited till 8:30 for Swordsy only to be told that he would be running late since he had agreed to look after Mr Patel’s corner shop whilst Mr Patel drove to the DSS to claim his benefits in his new Merc.
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| Lee with his Butler’s Bell |
Once the gear was unloaded we made our way to the swims, Spiders belaying his appearance as an Albert Steptoe look-a-like sprinted off in to the lead and was first to select a swim, we all duly followed him down and began setting up our rods.
Posher’s and Lord Paul found ourselves in the Somme swims, and were soon up to our ankles in mud, whilst Matt after an hour setting up a rod for every possible situation was in the Glastonbury swim (you’ve seen the mud that traditionally covers everything at the musical event)
We had been fishing about an hour when Lee turned up. He’d obviously learnt a thing or two from Mr Patel because his wife and daughter were walking 10 paces behind him and carrying all his fishing gear.
With everyone there and duly fishing Spiders had already caught a sack full of fish before Poshers or Lord Paul had a bite, but not to be deterred Poshers and Lord Paul cast into each other swims every third cast just to see if any fish were there and this seemed to work because we too were soon catching.
Steve King claimed that the Northern weather was causing him to need to get up every 30 minutes and walk down to Poshers swim for a chat, being a Southerner he’s not used to temperatures below 20c when fishing.
Meanwhile Matt had spotted that Lee had taken a different approach and was float fishing and catching so he switched over to the float and was soon building a fine net of fish.
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| Poshers with the coveted Chalice |
The Dam Flask pike cottoned on to the fact that the North’s finest anglers were bagging up on roach and skimmers and began to attack the fish as they were being reeled in so Poshers, ever the gentleman, took out his lure rod and after 10 minutes casting had succeeded in scaring every pike in the area off so sat back down again to fish.
The water was so low in that we were sat to far way from the path to really appreciate the quality of joggers and there was no chance of spotting a Twix. But there were a couple of lady rowers on the water and Poshers did manage a bit of banter with a nice blonde, but she wisely stayed away from bank so no boarding party could get aboard.
Lunch was taken at 1pm sharp and after pulling Corky from the mud we “rested” the swims for an hour whilst we ate.
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| Honoured Southerner with the Goblin’s Goblet |
Spiders had emptied the PaSC bank to provide a quality bottle of port, some fine cheeses and biscuits complete with cheese board. Lord Paul had brought hand made mini pork pies, and cheese pasties, Matt had brought a Dundee cake complete with gold cake stand and knife and Poshers supplied (forgot what you brought but you paid for Steve’s ticket.)
After lunch Matt made “full use of the facilities” and dog walkers were heard to remark “I come here every week but I’ve never seen that log cabin before!”
We resumed fishing to find the pike had returned, Lord Paul took a turn with the lure rod and had soon hooked Spiders line. After a short untangling he was soon back not catching pike.
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| Corker wins the jug |
Uncle Dave turned up dressed for a day in the park and was soon covered in Dam Flask mud, but he did manage to eat up the remaining pork pies, cheese, pasties and finish of the port.
With the day’s fishing drawing to a close and despite several of us breaking the complex rules Spiders quoted to us every time a fish was landed the prizes were all still there for any one to win.
Lord Paul hooked a decent fish, but lost it on the way in. He claimed it was the pike that had been around all day but other thought it was an old boot.
Poshers then hooked and landed a bream of about 3 lb and Lord Paul tried to claim an assist as he netted it for him (Matt Hayes and Mick Brown Style)
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| Paul’s 9lb (?) Bream |
At the weigh in the results were –
- Biggest fish and His Lordship’s Chalice when to Poshers
- Smallest fish and the Furkum Hall crystal vase – Lord Paul
- Most fish and the Butler’s Bell to Swordsy
- Longest to pack up and Corky’s jug to Matt Corker
- Most unusual fish (a psychotic and paranoid rudd) – Goblins Goblet to Steve King
- Spiders got the conciliation prize of a baiting apron
