www.iverflyfishers.co.uk

For future reference, these will be due on Oct 1^st for the 2006/2007 season.

They are :-

Full membership £20

Concession (over 65 & disabled) £15

Juniors have a special rate, see secretary.

The AGM 2005 minutes are at the end of this newsletter. Note that they have NOT been approved yet as this will happen at the next AGM. If you have any comments then please consult the secretary or raise the issue at the next AGM.

Yet another unusual day!!!!

With an anticyclone set hard over the British Isles then the skies were clear with a heavy frost to start with. Furthermore there were pockets of fog around, no wind, and on arrival at 8.30am there was a mist covering the lake and ice at its edges. However, with the clear skies the temperature rose quickly and by 11am the frost had disappeared. There was very little ripple and most of the lake was as "smooth as a mill pool".

Iver only had nine competitors whereas Croxley had eleven. So George Bartlett fished for Iver, being a dual member, giving ten per team.

In addition to our twenty competitors there were many other fisherman to swell the numbers to between thirty and forty. So bank space was limited and some of the 'nicer' spots were taken by the time our match started at 9.00am. Fortunately the fish were localised on the far bank in the small bay which is where many of the Iver competitors headed for.

Ken, Allen, Roy, Stan and Ron started fishing beside each other on the far bank directly opposite the lodge whereas most of the others headed for the small bay (lucky for them!!). By 10.00am Roy and Allen had a fish each with Ron having another. But it was hard going in that area when suddenly Dave appeared saying that he had caught his limit farther around in the bay. Needless to say the Iver men away from the bay headed that way. However, the bay was very busy and one had to wait one's turn to slot in.

Roy, who had caught one fish so far, slotted in and immediately caught 2 fish on the same cast - one to go. On his next cast he caught THREE on this single cast. He managed to shake one off but never the less had to land the other two. His spare one (his fifth) went to the extra vacant free ticket that Iver had (ten for the price of nine).

With Roy having finished then Ken stepped in to the vacant space. He still needed his four fish. Not to worry, he got his four fish in five casts. Why five cast? Because on one cast he lost one at the net, the other four casts being successful.

Allen, with one fish so far, then stepped in to where Ken had vacated and polished off his remaining three fish in tree casts.

And so it went on, with Ray and George soon slotting in to limit.

Meanwhile Bill Johnson was elsewhere working hard for his fish. He caught them all and although he was the last to finish he had the pleasure of a full morning's fishing.

Perhaps catching fish so easily is a sad state of affairs. On the other hand one could argue that Iver found where the fish were and used teamwork to get the most fish out of the day. This can be seen in that Croxley only managed thirtythree fish, seven down on Iver. Had they better employed their teamwork then they could have easily made up the losing five lbs.

Most of Iver had finished by lunchtime. When the final whistle went at 3pm the weigh-in showed that Iver had won and so were presented with the newly acquired trophy.

Concurrently with this match ran the Officer's Match which somehow had slipped through the net in the preceding months. Ron Lusardi was the successful winner with his 11lbs 2oz catch.

This match is held annually as a get together with the spirit of Christmas in mind.

Turnout was good, albeit with a few guests. What happened to Martin Tinald, was he too full after Christmas to turn up? It was Malcolm Golding's first Christmas trip for five years - nice to have his support.

Danny Peet turned up after a three and a half hours drive from Sheffield only to find that the match was not on the 26^th that he had chosen. So he went home!!! May be next year?

The day was cold, a few degrees above zero, with a gentle breeze from the north.

At one stage around lunchtime a few flurries of snow fell, barely visible.

Fish were scattered all around the lake although better results were to be had at the northern end nearer to the shelter of the trees. The bay on the far side (in the north west corner) appeared to offer the best results again. Perhaps this was because of the shelter of the trees or because it had been stocked there at some time. A few early limits came from that area.

Fishing was steady and by mid morning most people had fish, the odd person having to struggle although generally not for long.

By lunchtime (noon) it was time for the cooking to commence. Dave Blanchard was supposed to start the cooking at noon in the clubhouse but somehow confused noon with 1pm. So Ray and John lit the gas and got underway. Dave eventually turned up at 1pm. Everybody then tucked into the burgers and some drink.

Those with fish to catch eventually returned to continue their quest of four fish.

All in all it was a good day with high spirits of the Christmas period.

The lakes over the road were full so the Lechlade fishery had a busy day.

Bushylease Xmas 2006 - the fun match!

This was the first match of the year. We were hoping that the cold weather would have passed us by before this date but it was not to be. With a high pressure sitting over Norway there was a cold southerly wind from the continent. Although the temperature was not freezing (no frost) the continual wind factor made it feel so.

The sun did try to break through the clouds at about 10am but not for long.

Having drawn lots for first away most people headed straight for the northern end of the lake, either in the bay on the far north-west side or else the long bay at the very north end. Allen Dixon tried his luck from the pier by the lodge but after a few hours saw John Weaver returning to the lodge from the north bay having bagged up. After a further hour or two without a on the pier it was time for Allen to move. By fortune he slipped into where John had fished and within a few hours, having changed to a Hi-Di and all black booby, had bagged up as well.

At this stage Roy Palmer had blanked and slipped into where John and Allen had just fished. Also using a black booby he bagged up within a few hours.

It was clear that a Hi-Di and booby on the bottom was a must.

Meanwhile Dave Blanchard, who by about 1pm had five fish and was fishing nearby, was struggling to get his last. He fished for several more hours without that last fish before finally admitting defeat and settling for the 5 fish. Ray Simpson, who was also nearby, fished steadily and by 4pm had 5 fish. However, he also had difficulty for his last. It seems that the fish were not quite so abundant where he was. Perhaps it was shallower as the fish were definitely near the bottom in the deeper water, no rises. Ray eventually settled for 5 fish as well, the cold being the factor rather than the fishing.

Our hearts must go out to Ron Lusardi. Try as he did fishing beside Dave he had extreme difficulty making contact. When he eventually did he lost it. He was last seen wandering off just after lunch, head drooped, hoping for better days.

Eddie Gray had bagged up elsewhere by mid afternoon but our casual member Ray Janes struggled. Better luck next time.

Most people were glad when it ended because by late afternoon the cold was really setting in.

One consolation on leaving, for those that saw it, a barn owl was hovering around the wasteland looking for its dinner, - a rare sight, especially during the day.

Highlight :- Roy netted a fish, placed the net & fish on the bank and said "look, the hook has come out". He then went to get his priest. The fish jumped and rolled down the bank into the water. On a shout from me he jumped into the water, fell backwards, but luckily managed to scoop the escaping fish onto the bank!!!! Most of this is on film, by chance, except for when he fell into the water – sod’s law.

This was held at Rutland Water on Saturday 24^th September. Its purpose was to decide who will fish for England in the coming year (2006). Two of our lads, Ken Williams and Reg Renn had entered as having gone through for the Southern Region.

The day produced, as often the case, some mixed results. Some well known experienced entrants who had previously fished for England were well and truly knocked out. That's life!! Two persons were disqualified for getting back late and one was disqualified for using an oversized fly (let that be a warning for you!).

Out of the 100 entrants only twenty could go through - excluding two reserves.

As for our lads? Well, Reg finished 40^th and Ken 70^th. Better luck next year.

For comparison I have listed below the provisional top and bottom weights of those who qualified together with Reg and Ken. There were eight blanks so the going was NOT easy.

There were a few minor time bonuses but no exceptional fish, heaviest was 4lbs.

Simon lives in S London. He fishes for Iver in the AMFC matches and so next year he will have to show his metal when Iver are promoted to the 1^st division. He also fishes for The Weald of Kent where he is a regular.

Mickey lives locally in Langley and has recently given demonstrations at the club on fly tying (He will tie flies for you - at a cost!). He is not married but has several children - are any of them keen on fishing I wonder? He works part time in the tackle shop called Judds in South Ruislip so is a good contact if you want advice and kit. Many years ago he was an ardent fisherman at Queen Mother when it was open and even today still belongs to the "Queen Mother Fishing Club".

Martin lives in Haymill Rd, Burnham (by the station) and is a builder. He is often seen at club matches and the Tuesday meetings.

A fine time was had by all.

FINAL PAYMENT TUE 28^th February Confirmed

FINAL PAYMENT TUE 12th April Confirmed

FINAL PAYMENT TUE 26^th April Confirmed

FINAL PAYMENT TUE 1^st June Confirmed

FINAL PAYMENT 22^nd Aug Confirmed

FINAL PAYMENT TUE 27^th SEPT Confirmed

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING 13th December 2005 IVERFLYFISHERS

MEETING OPENED:8.15pm

APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE: R Lusardi

MINUTES OF LAST MEETING: Approved by E Gray & F Bayley

REPORTS:

CHAIRMAN: This has been a good year for Iver, changing to every other Tuesday has meant that we are no longer running at a loss.

I would like to say what a brilliant job Allen has made in producing a regular and informative Newsletter.

Thanks to Sue and Dave for all the work that they have helped out with on the committee, especially Sue, who instigated the running of our Web-site. Stan.

SECRETARY: As you all know, we have been promoted back into group 1 of the AMFC, this is quite an achievement, and I am sure that we will more than hold our own under the guidance of Ron.

Now that we have a trophy to fish for in the annual Iver v Croxley match at Bushyleaze the day seems to have more of a competitive edge to it. It is still a fun day and open to any club member, the more the merrier.

As mentioned in the last Newsletter, we will be holding a "Late Xmas Bash" at the Aurora Hotel in Windsor, January14^th 2006. This is a Saturday night, so anyone wishing to stay over for the night will receive a favourable reduction on mentioning the Iver name. Many thanks to Allen for all his hard work in organising this, especially the mystery speaker on the evening, I am assured the wives/girlfriends will also find it interesting. Roy.

Adoption of balance sheet for 2003/04; R Renn & E Gray

TREASURER: The funds are looking a lot healthier with the balance up on last year by £200.

The final balance is £1032.01. Ken.

Election of officers: Stan thanked the serving committee, and all were re-elected en block, except Sue and Dave who resigned office.

Allen Dixon was officially elected on, M Golding proposed and E Gray seconded him.

Their was one other vacancy and M Tinald was proposed and seconded by D Blanchard and E Gray respectively.

A.O.B. Eddie Gray would like to thank the committee for all their hard work over the year.

Meeting closed: 9.43pm

Allen Dixon, Newsletter Editor, Allen_dixon@care4free.net tel 01628-541-804.