SWAS Match Report #1 – Umberton Farm Fisheries Sunday 31st May 2026
Writer: Martin Cook
Martin Cook
6 days ago
6 min read
The long winter (and Spring!) wait was finally over as Stockport Waltonians kicked off the 2026 match calendar with our first visit to Umberton Farm Fisheries near Bolton.
A fantastic turnout greeted the opening fixture of the season and it was great to see both familiar faces and a few returning members back on the bank. Let's hope the attendance remains this strong throughout the year because it certainly made for a cracking day.
For some, the day started at McDonald's at 7:30am where a select few met for breakfast before making the short journey to the fishery. One man who was surprisingly fresh was Pete Brown, who had apparently spent Friday night preparing for the match with ten pints of Strongbow and four brandies.
Quite how Pete managed to arrive bright-eyed and bushy-tailed remains one of the great mysteries of the day.
The venue itself was absolutely stunning.
With clear blue skies, warm sunshine and spectacular views stretching across the Cheshire Plain, it was one of those mornings that reminds you exactly why we spend so much of our spare time sitting at the waters edge, debatable for some!. Looking out across the north west, the iconic Jodrell Bank telescope could clearly be seen in the distance. At this point we're convinced that thing can be seen from virtually anywhere in the North West.
As this was the club's first visit to Umberton Farm, nobody quite knew what to expect, unless you go by name of Gooch, Chris "Venue Expret" Gooch or a handfull of others. The fishery had been closed for the previous week due to carp spawning and before that had hosted a three-day festival, so there was plenty of discussion about how the fish might respond.
Fishery manager Chris proved extremely accommodating and allowed the club use of the entire snake lake rather than restricting us to the original 24 pegs. This gave everyone plenty of room and allowed some of the less desirable pegs to be left out completely.
The fishery pellets were also fairly priced at £4 a bag or three bags for a tenner, which is always welcome news before a day's fishing.
After the draw, anglers spread out around the lake and settled into position. The lake looked absolutely immaculate, with yellow irises lining the banks and not a scrap of litter to be seen anywhere.
The swims themselves, however, were another matter entirely.
Several anglers commented that the swims resembled the surface of the moon. There were craters everywhere, no two spots the same depth and not a flat area to be found. It certainly kept everyone on their toes when plumbing up.
Meanwhile, the winter lay-off had clearly affected some members more than others.
Martin somehow managed to forget how to assemble his trolley and required assistance from Joe before even reaching his peg. Thankfully Joe was on hand to provide technical support before the day became a complete disaster.
Speaking of Joe, he enjoyed one of the best results of the day before a fish had even been caught with the favourable end peg.
Paul Roach also arrived fully prepared for the conditions, bringing a deckchair with him to ensure maximum enjoyment of the sunshine should the fishing prove difficult.
At the all-in, resident venue expert Chris Gooch quickly settled everyone's nerves by hooking a fish on his very first put-in. Given that Chris had arrived last, and therefore carried the burden of expectation as expert, it was probably a relief for him as much as anyone else.
Throughout the early stages Chris continued to catch regularly while others struggled to get going.
Martin endured a particularly frustrating start and had to wait over an hour before finally putting his first fish in the net.
The venue's coloured water meant very few fish could actually be seen moving. In fact, visibility was so poor that every fish came as a surprise. Nothing much was caught shallow, very few fish showed on the surface and most anglers found themselves fishing deeper than expected.
As the match progressed it became obvious that the fish were still not fully back to normal following the spawning activity. Some pegs produced steadily while others were extremely patchy, resulting in one of those days where every fish became important.
The fishing itself was wildly inconsistent but the weights ended up remarkably close, especially at the top end of the leaderboard.
Which, of course, is exactly what everyone wants during a weigh-in.
There is nothing worse than knowing the winner before the scales even come out.
The close weights naturally led to the usual discussions about fish that escaped.
Dizzy in particular was unfortunate enough to lose what was described as a five-pound fish hooked in the dorsal. There were, however, no independent witnesses to verify this claim and therefore the committee has decided the matter remains under investigation.
We all wish we could weigh in every lost fish.
Truth be told, most of us would settle for weighing in every bite.
When the scales finally completed their journey around the lake, it was Gilly who claimed the first victory of the season with a superb winning weight of 37lb 9oz. Fishing mainly corn over micros in six inches of water six inches off the far bank, Gilly had originally arrived armed with plenty of maggots and dreams of catching ide shallow, he had no ideA of how things would change. The fish clearly had other plans, but a winning weight is a winning weight and Gilly got the season off to the perfect start.
Buck secured runner-up spot with 22lb 2oz, while Martin completed the top three with 20lb 11oz.
Martin's section-winning catch came from what can only be described as one of the strangest swims on the lake. With only six to eight inches of water between 11 and 15 metres, A fortunate switch to a short four-metre line produced a chunky mirror. Everything fell to maggot fished over micros and groundbait. Special thanks must go to Keith for supplying the groundbait after Martin managed to forget his bait bag... again.
Overall Results
🥇 1st – Gilly – 37lb 9oz
🥈 2nd – Buck Rogers – 22lb 2oz
🥉 3rd – Martin – 20lb 11oz
4th – Keith Thorne – 20lb 2oz
5th – Joe Walsh – 19lb 9oz
6th – Dizzy – 19lb 8oz
7th – Pat Lowe – 19lb 0oz
8th – Scott – 15lb 15oz
Gilly suggested and all agreed, to spread the prize money a little differently for the opening match, rewarding section winners as well as the overall placings and super pools. It was a format that kept things interesting right to the end and ensured more anglers went home with a smile.
Section Winners
Martin
Pat
Dave T
Dizzy
Special mention must go to Pat whose camouflage clothing proved so effective that we somehow failed to get a proper catch photo. As a result, a picture of his back will have to serve as evidence that he was actually present.
The weigh-in also provided an opportunity to present Keith with last season's Biggest Fish Trophy.
With Scott standing alongside him, some members assumed the trophy was actually celebrating Scott's return to the club this year rather than Keith's achievement, last year!
The opening match of the season proved to be everything we hoped for.
Great weather, a fantastic venue, excellent company, plenty of laughs and enough fish to keep everyone interested right until the all out!
A huge thank you goes to Gilly for organising the match, as well as Double Dave and Simon for helping with the weigh-in and peg collection.
The day also raised £70 for the club after the venue deposit was returned, which is always a welcome bonus.
Dave H is currently buried somewhere beneath a pile of spreadsheets and a calculator updating the league table, which will be published in the coming days.
With the first points now on the board and the league table beginning to take shape, attention now turns to the club's next fixture at Old Hough – Upper Benbo on Saturday 13th June.
If the opening match is anything to go by, we're in for another cracking day on the bank.
See you on the next one.
🎣