AMPTHILL and District AC matches get a better turn out than many opens even in winter, and the 29 hardy anglers who turned up for a recent match on the Grand Union Canal were richly rewarded.
The match had to be switched at the last minute as the original venue, the CIU stretch of the canal at Milton Keynes, had been in dire form with even bloodworm failing to get a bite.
After some frantic phone calls, the Bedfordshire club’s match secretary Steve Barnett managed to secure 30 pegs on the Luton AC controlled town stretch behind Tiddenfoot Lake.
And what an inspired choice it proved to be, with the anglers weighing in over 160lb at over 5lb 8oz per man.
Even more impressive was the weight of the overall winner, Stuart Kiley. Stuart drew fancied peg 30 but he could hardly have expected to get anywhere near his eventual weight of no less than 61lb 14oz.
The bag included seven carp for a total of 37lb, plus perch and big skimmers, all taken on worm.
Second placed Mark Wells was on the next peg, and he included a 13lb 8oz carp and a 2lb 7oz perch in his 25lb 10oz bag.
“It was a quite amazing match,” commented Luton AC’s press officer, Gary Scott. “The rains came down and that caused the canal to start flowing, and the more it flowed, the more the fish fed. Not surprisingly Ampthill have already booked up again.”
