100,000 fish introduced to Midlands rivers

The Environment Agency has revealed that almost 100,000 fish have been stocked into Midlands rivers during 2011.

Huge shoals of barbel, chub, roach, grayling and dace were reared at the governing bodies Calverton Fish Farm before being released into venues such as the Trent and Tame throughout the year.

Several other future introductions are also planned and EA Fisheries Technical Officer Mick Buxton said: “Our rivers are the healthiest they have been for 20 years and these moves are important for the future of fish stocks in our waterways.”


Four personal bests in one session

Adam Spokes enjoyed his ‘best ever session,’ breaking his personal best no less than four times during a 48 hour stint on Monk Lake’s Mallard Lake.

The Kent-based rod landed fish of 30lb 10oz, 30lb 12oz, 30lb 14oz and 31lb 6oz all of which beat his previous pb of 28lb 2oz.

Fishing from one of the swims on the River Bank of the popular day-ticket water, Adam used washed out Mainline Baits Cell hookbaits with a small PVA stringer of boilies over a spread of free offerings.

“I’ve only been fishing for 18 months so I’m obviously chuffed to bits with this session and I probably won’t have one like it again for a while,” he said. “This was also the first time I’d tried tying my own rigs, so I will definitely be doing that from now on.”


Cod fishing sport hits top form

The cod fishing season has arrived and a number of the nation’s best marks have finally hit top form.

Fish to over 30lb have been caught at various areas, with marks in the South East corner of England currently topping the bill, with impressive shore and boat catches being taken.

Venues that have been almost devoid of the species in recent years have also made a major revival, with the Bristol Channel amongst the fisheries in this category.

“The cod have finally arrived and this could be one of the best years for the species in a long time. Double figure fish are common, cod over 20lb are a possibility and even a 30lb plus beast could be taken from various spots across the country,” explained an insider.

For more details on the latest catches and best marks, pick up next week’s edition of the Angling Times, on the shelves from Tuesday December 20.


Heaps seals Holgan Farm festival win

Former England international Ian Heaps proved he is still amongst the best anglers in the country by taking victory during the Holgan Farm Christmas Festival.

The Pembrokeshire-based fishery boss decided to use long pole and caster on the Match Lake and was able to take quality carp and roach at regular intervals for a winning 125lb 11oz.

Wolverhampton’s Clive Wright also broke the triple figure barrier with 101lb 8oz and second place while Swansea’s John Charlesworth completed the frame with 82lb 4oz.


Big perch landed in Dog Lane Fishery event

A single bite can turn a dour outing into a memorable affair as Justin Ashby found out when he netted a 3lb 4oz perch during the latest event at Dog Lane Fishery.

The Banbury Gunsmiths ace decided to fish worm after drawing peg 34 at the Warwickshire complex and struggled to tempt a single indication in the opening stages.
But his frustrations were soon put to one side when the specimen provided his only bite of the day.

Despite managing to win his section, he was unable to make his way into top spot overall, with Keith Taylor taking the honours with 4lb 8oz of bread punch roach.


Dream start to winter campaign

Leon Bartropp has got his winter campaign off to a flying start with this 41lb 7oz mirror caught on his first session on an Essex stillwater.

The Fox International and Sticky consultant set up in a swim which allowed him to target a small island where he thought a few carp might be present. The first night of the trip passed without event but he put a bit more bait out as a south westerly wind started to pick up the following day. With the conditions looking good and the wind getting even stronger and pushing directly in to the island where his middle rod was positioned, it was no surprise when he received a screaming take on the final morning of the session.

“The fish did its best to get around the back of the island, but after a spirited scrap I had her in the net,” Leon told Angling Times. “I shone the torch into the folds of the net and was surprised to see a big old mirror laying there. At 41lb 7oz I couldn’t have asked for a better start. I always love beginning a new campaign, but I was a little concerned I’d left it so late in the year and I was hoping I hadn’t missed the boat with regards to getting a bit of bait in and sussing out any likely looking areas for me to concentrate on. I’d also been given a new bait to test for Sticky, so to have a forty on it the first time I used it was a right result.”

As he was fishing over an area of dark silt, Leon put his faith in an 8ins 25lb Fox Black Cortex hooklink and a size 5 SSC hook. On to this he mounted a snowman hookbait presentation consisting of a 16mm bottom bait and a 12mm Sticky Buchu-Berry pop-up.


Angling Trust / British Waterways Stillwater Championship competition 2012 announced

The Angling Trust and British Waterways have confirmed that the Stillwater Championship competition, run jointly by the two organisations, will take place again in 2012.

The winner will receive a whopping £6,000 if all the qualifiers at BW venues sell out, with £20 per qualifer entry fee plus £20 pools and pegging fees on the day.

You can enter at www.anglingtrust.net or on 01159 061301, qualifier dates are as follows:

Saturday June 13 – Boddington reservoir
Saturday July 7 – Boddington Reservoir
Saturday July 21 – Earlswood Lakes
Saturday August 4 – Clattercote Reservoir
Saturday August 11 – Blythe Waters
Saturday September 1 – Earlswood Lakes

Final – Saturday September 22, Earlswood Lakes.


Brace of double figure zeds landed from Cambs pit

What started as ‘a short social session’ with a friend ended up being Simon Layt’s best-ever zander trip, with the 36-year-old landing four fish for more than 41lb in just six hours, including a new personal best of 14lb 2oz.

He was targeting a pit in Ely, Cambridgeshire with legered dead roach tactics when he made the memorable haul, which also included fish weighing 10lb 14oz, 9lb and 7lb 8oz.


Running rig fools 32lb 9oz Catch 22 common

Lee Nobbs has caught his twelfth Norfolk 30lb-plus carp of the year in the shape of this 32lb 9oz common from the day-ticket lake on the Catch 22 complex.

The venue bailiff did a week of 12 hour overnight sessions and landed five other carp using Mainline Baits New Grange dumbbell hookbaits on running rigs incorporating size 7 Nash Fang Twister hooks.

He said: “I have only recently switched over to these baits and so far the results have been fantastic as the carp seem to love it. This is now the twelfth thirty I’ve had this year from the region and my thirty first over the last two years. Hopefully there’s still time to sneak another one out before the end of the year.”


Open and club match fishing results - Midlands

Angling Trust Tunnel Barn Farm Winter League (round five)
Extension, House & New Pools (50 pegs)
Although the league placings were not to hand when reported, there is little doubt that by winning this fifth round contest Chamber’s Champs have extended their lead at the top and look likely winners with one match remaining. Ian Giddings was best of the winning side on the day with 52-3-0 of F1 hybrids taken on pellet from peg 30 on the House Pool but that was only good enough for second, beaten by Maver’s Adam Rumble, his 54-0-0 including F1s, roach and skimmers which he caught using bronze maggot at 6m into the central channel of peg 44 on the New Pool.  
Result: 1 A Rumble, Maver, 54-10-0; 2 I Giddings, Chamber’s Champs, 52-3-0; 3 M Williams, Mosella, 48-14-0; 4 S Ringer, Chamber’s Champs, 46-10-0.
Teams: 1 Chamber’s Champs 27pts; 2 Maver 28; 3 Kingfisher 30; 4 Phoenix 32.

Bag ‘Em Baits Individual Silverfish League
Dog Lane Fishery (31 pegs)
The week had seen some very cold snaps down to minus 5 degrees and ice was still on the lake as anglers set up and many found the going tough as the water had dropped its colour and the bottom could be seen out to 6m! Most opted to sit it out for a big perch or an Orfe and the winner came from peg 19 where Keith Taylor used breadpunch for 4-8-0 of roach, pipping Roger Atkins at peg 28 by a little over 4oz. Roger’s catch consisted of a 2lb Orfe backed by roach.
Result: 1 K Taylor, Bag ‘Em Baits, 4-8-0; 2 R Atkins, Dog Lane Fishery, 4-3-8; 3 S Potter, Daventry AC, 4-1-0.

Barford AA Winter League (Sat)
Warks Avon (60 pegs)
Sensas Portway are the new champions and they signed off in style as Paul King netted the top weight of the day with his 12-3-0 of chub, while the WB Clarke side had the consolation of topping the final days team sheet. Winner Paul alternated between waggler and feeder with bronze maggot on the hook from peg 86 below Barford, landing six chub in total. Runner-up Ian Lillystone landed the best fish of the day, his bronze maggot feeder accounting for a barbel of 10lb 6oz which added to a couple of small dace gave him a total of 11-2-0.
Result: 1 P King, Sensas Portway, 12-3-0; 2 I Lillystone, Bailey’s Porto, 11-2-0; 3 H Kaye, Quorn Van Den Eynde, 10-1-0; 4 G Garnish, Matchbox, 8-9-0.
Teams: 1 WB Clarke, 21; 2 Matchbox 25; 3 Lanes Bait, 27; 4 Sensas Portway, 28.
League: 1 Sensas Portway, 151pts; 2 Quorn Van Den Eynde, 164; 3 WB Clarke, 167; 4 Shakespeare, 181; 5 Barford AA, 198; 6 Matchbox, 207.

Maver Classic Qualifier (Sun)
Maver Larford Lakes, Specimen Lake (31 pegs)
Awashima will be represented in the big money May final after their man Chris Shepherd bagged a win and the latest qualifying place with 28-7-0 of skimmers and roach taken on pellet fished at 13m from peg 29 on the burr bank. Not surprisingly second-placed Ray Lamb used the same tactics as the winner from the next peg and he finished with 27-14-0 of skimmers and roach.
Result: 1 C Shepherd, Awashima, 28-7-0; 2 R Lamb, King William, 27-14-0; 3 D Powell, Portobello, 26-13-0; 4 S Mayo, Maver, 25-1-0.

Packington Somers Fur & Feather (Sun)
All lakes (100 pegs)
Johnny Johnson ensured a spirited Christmas this year when he not only pocketed the winnings of £130 but also walked off with six bottles of plonk including whiskey, rum, vodka, and brandy all courtesy of a 20-2-0 net of five carp that took his popped up breadpunch fished on the straight lead cast along the end banking from his peg 1 draw on the Molands Mere Pool. Lee Richards landed 11 fish from peg 42 by scarecrow point on Molands Mere to finish second with 11-14-0, crucians, F1 hybrids and skimmers taking his pellet baits fished at 13m.
Result: 1 J Johnson, Young’s/Tunnel Barn Farm, 20-2-0; 2 L Richards, Packington, 11-14-0; 3 J Birchell, Packington, 10-6-0; jt4 S Arnold, Talk Angling and M Summers, Beaufort 21 AC, both 9-8-0.

Preston Innovations Boldings Pools Fur & Feather (Sat)
Ash, Chestnut, Larch & Willow Pools (54 pegs)
Great sport considering some of the pools were frozen over before the start after a hard overnight frost - just the conditions that call for a reign back in the use of bait which is probably why single red maggot won the match for Steve Hall of Oswestry. Steve returned home full of festive spirit after netting 65-0-0 of carp from the 11m line at peg 20 on the Ash Pool, similar tactics at peg 21 on the Chestnut Pool resulting in a second-placed 50-12-0 for Kingswinford rod Jason Atwell.
Result: 1 S Hall, Oswestry, 65-0-0; 2 J Atwell, Kingswinford, 50-12-0; 3 D Cole, Preston Innovations Boldings Pools, 46-9-0; 4 A Bayliss-Kyte, Maver Midlands, 39-3-0; 5 J Harston, Weston Pools, 38-0-0; 6 M Foan, Oakengates Angling Centre, 37-5-0.

Preston Innovations Boldings Pools Winter League (final round)
Ash, Chestnut, Hawthorn, Larch & Middle Pools (50 pegs)
Maver Midlands consolidated their position as league champions with a final round win that took them six points clear at the top. Winner of the final round was Chris Holmes of the lowly Boldings Bodge side, his 54-14-0 of carp and bream taken from peg 16 on the Ash Pool and to add to his team’s glory came the news that teammate Pete Ricketts had made it into second with 49-9-0 of carp from peg 5 on the Middle Pool
Result: 1 C Holmes, Boldings Bodge, 54-14-0; 2 P Ricketts, Boldings Bodge, 49-9-0; 3 D Brown Maver Midlands, 43-8-0; 4 N Clarke, Maver Total Angling Blue, 41-8-0; 5 M Stobbs, Oakengates Angling Centre Black, 37-12-0; 6 A Kyte, Maver Midlands, 36-11-0.
Teams: 1 Maver Midlands, 12pts; 2 Oakengates Angling Centre Black, 15; 3 Maver Total Angling Black, 23; 4 Oakengates Angling Centre Gold, 24.
League: 1 Maver Midlands, 11pts; 2 Maver Total Angling Blue, 17; 3 Oakengates Angling Centre Gold, 20; 4 Barney’s Army, 22; 5 Oakengates Angling Centre Black, 28; 6 Oakengates Angling Centre Silver, 35.

Tunnel Barn Farm Winter League (round four)
Club, Extension, House, New & Top Pools (84 pegs)
Despite finishing second to the winning Barston side on the day the Banbury Gunsmiths side remain at the top of the league, although their lead has been reduced to nine points. Barston made it a double on the day with Paul Yates topping the weight list by way of a 70-14-0 catch of carp taken on breadpunch from peg 15 on the Club Pool. Second-placed Lance Chambers found nothing unlucky about peg 13 on the Club Pool next to the winner as it produced 57-15-0 using the same tactics as Paul.
Result: 1 P Yates, Barston, 70-14-0; 2 L Chambers, Chamber’s Champs, 57-15-0; 3 M Barwell, Maver Gold, 53-12-0; 4 J Newton, Four Seasons, 52-0-0.
Teams: 1 Barston, 67pts; 2 Banbury Gunsmiths, 65; 3 Four Seasons, 62; 4 Chamber’s Champs, 60.
League: 1 Banbury Gunsmiths, 265pts; 2 Barston, 256; 3 Maver Gold, 208; 4 MCM, 205.

Angling Trust East Midlands Winter League (final round)
Grand Union Canal, Milton Keynes (60 pegs)
Result: 1 J Drakulic, Fox Match Stanjay Gold, 4-9-8; 2 B Wiggington, Maver Bait-Tech, 3-6-8; 3 A Bates, Maver Bait-Tech, 3-4-8; jt4 I Benton, Fox Match Stanjay Gold and P Chesterton, Maver Bait-Tech, both 3-0-0.
Teams: Maver Bait-Tech, 24pts; 2 Fox Match Stanjay Gold, 27; 3 Browning Hot Rods, 32 (weight); 4 Sensas Mark One, 32; 5 Fox Match Stanjay Black, 46; 6 Garbolino Peterborough, 48.
Final league: 1 Browning Hot Rods, 14pts; 2 Sensas Mark One 15 (match win countback); 3 Fox Match Stanjay Gold, 15; 4 Maver Bait-Tech, 16; 5 Garbolino Peterborough 32; 6 Fox Match Stanjay Black, 35.

Bridge Farm Fishery (Thurs)
Litcham (14 pegs)
Result: 1 D Bates, Bridge Farm, 42-9-0; 2 G Kettle, Mulbarton DAA, 34-0-0; 3 S Brown, Dereham, 29-12-0.

Bridge Farm Fishery (Sun)
Litcham (16 pegs)
Result: 1 G Thurston, Bridge Farm, 38-10-0; 2 T Brook, Bridge Farm, 29-6-0; 3 W Wright, Hinderclay, 27-0-0.

GTI Foston (Sat)
Willow Lakes (14 pegs)
Result: 1 J Belcher, RAF, 32-14-0; 2 B Elliot, Mansfield Angling, 16-0-0; 3 P Morris Jnr, Notts AA, 15-0-0.

Kobra (Weds)
Dynamite Baits Makin’s Fishery, Lake 4 (19 pegs)
Result: 1 B Knight, Tackle Shack, 57-12-0; 2 G Ringer, Ringer Baits, 56-14-0; 3 J Adamson, Kobra Feeders, 15-0-0.

Kobra (Thurs)
Dynamite Baits Makin’s Fishery, Lagoon Pool (18 pegs)
Result: 1 L Farmer, Browning, 39-8-0; 2 M Hall, All Seasons Angling, 34-0-0; 3 P Hull, Lane’s Bait, 5-0-0.

Long Eaton Federation Bottle Match (Sat)
Erewash Canal (34 pegs)
Result: 1 S Woodliffe, Mill Tackle, 5-7-0; 2 B Byrne, Long Eaton Fed, 4-9-0; jt3 L Morley, Mill Tackle and P Hunt Long Eaton Fed, both 4-2-0.

Moorlands Farm (Tues)
Silver Pool (17 pegs)
Result: 1 C Wright, Mosella, 49-0-0; 2 D Highfield, Moorlands, 34-0-0; 3 C Haywood, Moorlands, 16-0-0.

Moorlands Farm (Weds)
Bank & Meadow Pools (16 pegs)
Result: 1 D Williams, Halesowen RBL, 30-6-0; 2 M Watson, Daiwa Gordon League, 20-0-0; 3 P Mace, Moorlands, 16-5-0.

Moorlands Farm Costcutter (Thurs)
Island & Middle Pools (15 pegs)
Result: 1 D Williams, Halesowen RBL, 57-4-0; 2 S Thompson, Moorlands, 15-4-0; 3 P Mace, Moorlands, 12-2-0.

Moorlands Farm (Sat)
Bank, Island & Moors Pools (24 pegs)
Result: 1 M Watson, Daiwa Gordon League, 37-1-0; 2 M Lutwyche, Foster’s Tackle, 22-12-0; 3 D Jordan, Foster’s Tackle, 22-9-0.

Moorlands Farm (Sun)
Bank, Island & Moors Pools (29 pegs)
Result: 1 R Wilson, Alan’s Tackle, 56-1-0; 2 M Henshall, Foster’s, 51-5-0; 3 M Wastson, Daiwa Gordon League, 37-4-0.

Preston Innovations Boldings Pools (Sun)
Ash, Beech & Hawthorn Pools (24 pegs)
Result: 1 G Roberts, Preston Innovations Boldings Pools, 49-13-0; 2 M Jameson, Mid Leisure, 40-13-0; 3 T Probert, Preston Innovations Boldings Pools, 32-13-0; 4 K Miller, New Willenhall, 30-13-0; 5 J Wild, Stafford, 26-15-0; 6 S Jacques, Mark’s Tackle, 26-7-0.

Preston Innovations Boldings Pools Affordable (Mon)
Hawthorn Pool (15 pegs)
Result: 1 K Powell, Preston Innovations Boldings Pools, 22-0-0; 2 E Bancroft, Rod & Gun, 19-6-0; 3 G Wood, Maver Total Angling, 17-0-0; 4 C Reynolds, Bilston Angling, 16-7-0.

Preston Innovations Boldings Pools (Weds)
Ash, Beech & Middle Pools (15 pegs)
Result: 1 C Wozak, Telford, 56-15-0; 2 P Ricketts, New Willenhall, 31-11-0; 3 K Powell, Preston Innovations Boldings Pools, 31-7-0; 4 C Foster, Preston Innovations Boldings Pools, 30-12-0.

Suffolk Water Park Silverfish Only (Sat)
Match Lake 1 (16 pegs)
Result: 1 A Moss, Browning Hot Rods, 15-2-0; 2 N Larkin, Nisa Feeders, 9-4-0; 3 J Whitehouse, Bait-Tech, 9-0-0.

Tunnel Barn Farm (Fri)
Jenny’s Pool (18 pegs)
Result: 1 W Sharp, Kingfisher, 31-14-0; 2 A Jackson, Mosella, 28-4-0; 3 T Neale, Rutlanders, 27-8-0; 4 D Lutwyche, Moorlands, 23-12-0.

 

 

 

 

 

Open and club match fishing results - North

Blundell’s Fishery Rover (Sun)
All lakes (40 pegs)
It hasn’t taken Mike Joyce long to get his first win at Blundell’s. This was only his third visit to the fishery and he nipped into first place, ahead of a host of regulars, with 51-10-0 from peg 49 on the Ash Lake. Mike chose a simple straight lead approach with maggot and caught carp to 8lb.
Result: 1 M Joyce, Leigh Tackle & Bait, 51-10-0; 2 K Rich, Daiwa, 50-14-0; 3 J Carroll, Leigh Tackle & Bait, 50-9-0; 4 A Howarth, Leigh Tackle & Bait, 33-4-0; 5 A Clancy, Leigh Tackle & Bait, 32-10-0; 6 M Hassall, Stalybridge Angling Supplies, 28-3-0.

Blundell’s Fishery Rover (Sat)
All lakes (26 pegs)
Being able to pick your own lake and peg is a brilliant bonus at this time of year – just ask Kieron Rich who chose peg 65 on the Pine Pool where he got first place with 53-10-0. Kieron abandoned the pole in favour of running line and waggler to catch carp to 6lb on double maggot from against the far bank.
Result: 1 K Rich, Daiwa, 53-10-0; 2 S Carroll, Leigh Tackle & Bait, 44-5-0; 3 J Carroll, Leigh Tackle & Bait, 32-10-0; 4 P Coyle, Preston Innovations, 20-6-0; 5 M Billingham, Hazel Grove Angling Centre, 14-12-0; 6 A Green, Cheshire Angling, 11-2-0.

Bradford No1 AA Daily Mirror Cup (Sun)
River Nidd (31 pegs)
The Nidd at Cowthorpe was 3ft up for the Daily Mirror Cup and just four anglers managed to weigh in. Bradford’s Bob Newby annihilated the opposition weighing in 9-3-0 from peg 44 the gas pipe where he worked with stick float and maggot to tempt two chub and five grayling. Best of the rest was Bradford’s James Vickerman who required just 1-14-0 to settle second place at peg 60 on the dog kennels length here James located three grayling to beat his dad Peter by 1oz!
Result: 1 B Newby, Bradford, 9-3-0; 2 J Vickerman, Bradford, 1-14-0; 3 P Vickerman, Bradford, 1-13-0; 4 I Bradley, Bradford, 0-7-0.

Brookside Fisheries (Sun)
Snake & Willow Lakes (38 pegs)
This sweepstake produced some of the best Sunday weights led by Nick Butterworth with 76-4-0 off peg 22 on the Willow Lake. He kept it simple, feeding sparingly with pellet and using soft pellet on the hook to land carp to 2lb and skimmers to 1lb.
Result: 1 N Butterworth, Cheshire Angling, 76-4-0; 2 T Dewhurst, Premier Driveways, 42-12-0; 3 M Rogerson, Drennan NW, 29-4-0; 4 S Birchall, Sam’s Tackle & Bait, 21-0-0; 5 J Battersby, Garbolino Elton, 20-13-0; jt5 D Williams, Garbolino Elton and S Conroy, Bait-Tech/Kamasan, both 17-4-0.

Brookside Fisheries (Sat)
Snake & Willow Lakes (37 pegs)
Match anglers were spread across two lakes to help cope with the cold weather conditions and it was a good move that helped give John Vernon and winning 38-2-0. A quiet approach with light feeding and fishing with maggot at 10m resulted in a steady stream of small F1 hybrids, along with a handful of silverfish.
Result: 1 J Vernon, Elton Tackle, 38-2-0; 2 A Menzies, Garbolino Elton, 34-0-0; 3 S Conroy, Kamasan/Bait-Tech, 23-4-0; 4 J Jones, Garbolino Elton, 22-8-0; 5 D Williams, Garbolino Elton, 21-14-0; 6 G Barker, Port Sunlight, 21-0-0.

Copthorne Fisheries (Sat)
Match Canal Lake (16 pegs)
The was an air of sorrow that the long-running and popular fishing tackle shop – Lostock Tackle – finished trading on the day after years of supporting local matchmen. Darren Tierney was among those sponsored and marked the day by taking first place with 33-12-0 from peg 6 on the canal. Darren polefished at 12m to catch carp and chub on soft pellet.
Result: 1 D Tierney, JR Tackle, 33-12-0; 2 J Raby, Leigh Tackle & Bait, 22-2-0; 3 T Clark, Ted Carter Preston, 20-8-0; 4 S Barker, Highfield Fisheries, 13-10-0; 5 P Casson, Ted Carter Preston, 12-0-0; 6 M Halliwell, JR Tackle Southport, 11-4-0.

Hampton Springs (Sun)
Alice Springs & Rock Pools (20 pegs)
Martin Churchill was well ahead of the field with figures of 44-12-0 made up of carp to 3lb taken on pellet and corn at 7 and 12m from peg 14 on the Alice Springs Pool.
Result: 1 M Churchill, Tri-Cast Weston, 44-12-0; 2 P Price, Saints, 29-10-0; 3 A Spencer, Chester Tackle Locker, 22-12-0.

Highfield Fisheries (Sun)
Ash Lake (20 pegs)
Dave Ryan edged into first place with 28-2-0 of carp to 3lb by polefishing to the island with pellet and corn at peg 20.
Result: 1 D Ryan, Ted Carter Southport, 28-2-0; 2 A Hargreaves, Ted Carter Preston, 20-4-0; 3 I Waddington, Ted Carter Preston, 17-8-0; 4 G Carter, Ted Carter Preston, 16-0-0.

Highfield Fisheries OAPs (Fri)
Beech Lake (18 pegs)
Alan Ashurst scratched about with red maggot on the hook to take the top catch of 20-12-0, made up of carp to 4lb, caught on the Method feeder off peg 23.
Result: 1 A Ashurst, Fleetwood Reservoir, 20-12-0; 2 A Connell, Highfield Fisheries, 18-10-0; 3 P Simeon, Fleetwood, 9-6-0; 4 D Mountcastle, Blackpool, 8-2-0.

High Heyes Fishery Rover (Sat)
All lakes (16 pegs)
Mussel on the straight lead was Damian Brierley’s chosen method and it produced two hefty carp for 17-13-0 and first place off peg 12 on Lake 1.
Result: 1 D Brierley, Tri-Cast Highfield, 17-13-0; 2 W Edmunds, Ted Carter Preston, 15-10-0; 3 L Del Pinto, Complete Fisherman, 12-12-0; 4 M Liptrot, Saints, 10-4-0.

Kiveton Hall Farm (Sat)
Carp Lake (19 pegs)
In a tight finish Alan Rawden got the nod with 43-8-0 of carp taken on pole and pellet whilst in hot pursuit was Andy Pickton who opted for meat and ended the day second with 42-0-0.
Result: 1 A Rawden, Dawson’s Tackle, 43-8-0; 2 A Pickton, Kiveton Hall, 42-0-0; 3 T Davis, Old Whittington, 34-6-0; 4 M Rose, Max Tackle, 18-4-0; 5 P Massey, Bag-up Bait, 17-6-0; 6 D Oldfield, Kiveton Hall, 16-10-0.

Leeds Alan Thornton Christmas Cheer (Sun)
Yorkshire Ouse, Hunter’s Lodge & Linton (57 pegs)
Fished on a falling river that was still badly coloured bites were again hard to find and 15 roach proved enough to put Andy Bradley at the top of the frame. Drawn at Linton peg 287 Andy fished worm and maggot on a small feeder cast to the edge of the flow to net 4-4-0 of fish to 8oz. Mark Calvert and Jim Carter tied for second place with 4-1-0 from pegs 252 and 219 respectively using the same method as the winner.
Result: 1 A Bradley, Mirfield, 4-4-0; jt2 M Calvert, Garbolino Elton and J Carter, Barlby Village Stores, both 4-1-0; 4 J Cyrowski, Barlby Village Stores, 3-14-0; 5 C Stephenson, Altofts, 3-9-0; 6 S Lister, Browning Quaker, 3-5-0.

Lingmere Fisheries Rover (Sat)
Match Lake & Mere (19 pegs)
This was a rover match held across both lakes to allow anglers to choose comfortable pegs if they wished. Phil Roberts headed the frame on the main Mere and plonked himself on peg 57 where he went into an attack mode with soft pellet at 13m and got almost a bite-a-cast from F1 hybrids to 1lb for a 50-12-0 total. Runner-up Alan Dewhurst stayed on the Match Lake where he used waggler with maggot for 40-0-0 of barbel to 6lb.
Result: 1 P Roberts, Upton, 50-12-0; 2 A Dewhurst, Fisherman’s Tackle Birkenhead, 40-0-0; 3 C Doran, Widnes AC, 29-9-0; 4 J Howson, Maver, 26-8-0; 5 S Balson, Moreton, 16-12-0; 6 P Delmaine, Birkenhead, 15-10-0.

Liverpool DAA GOT Baits Winter League (round five)
Leeds-Liverpool Canal, Lydiate (40 pegs)
This was good fishing for a winter canal and Mike Dixon took first place with 13-8-0 from a peg at Pilling Lane. He concentrated on the deepest water with the pole at 6m into the boat channel and used worm throughout, an approach that turned up bream to 3lb, skimmers and eels.
With one match remaining it will need an almighty upset to beat the Liverpool AS team who look likely winners.
Result: 1 M Dixon, Maghull CA, 13-8-0; 2 A Wilson, Maghull CA, 7-7-1; 3 G Stokes, Tri-Cast Highfield, 7-5-7; 4 P Barker, Ted Carter Southport, 7-3-0; 5 P Charnock, Mersey Dockers, 5-6-0; 6 J Farrell, Liverpool AS, 5-5-0.
Teams: 1 Liverpool AS, 19pts; 2 Maghull CA, 26; 3 Tri-Cast Highfield, 27; 4 Ted Carter Southport, 28.
League: 1 Liverpool AS, 93pts; 2 Tri-Cast Highfield, 128; 3 Ted Carter Southport, 129; 4 MCA, 150.

Messingham Sands Silverfish Only (Sat)
Island Lake (18 pegs)
In a very close finish Goole’s John Palmer did enough with a skimmer-dominated 15-14-0 to win after alternating between pellet and maggot on the pole.
Result: 1 J Palmer, Goole, 15-14-0; 2 A Gregory, Scunthorpe, 15-5-0; 3 K Johnson, Messingham, 14-13-0.

Mirfield AC Series Six (round three)
Aire & Calder Canal, Stanley Ferry - Altofts (42 pegs)
Melt water from the Pennines made for a difficult match with little other than perch prepared to feed but Andy Miller had 40 of them plus a chub of 3lb to leave the rest standing with his 23-2-0 haul. The Bradford angler used chopped worm at peg 30 on the Altofts’ length. Second with 8-2-0 was Tadcaster-based Mick Hughes who used worm for a perch and a pike of 7lb leaving Phil Austin, Barlby, to complete the top three with 4-5-0 made up of 16 roach.
Result: 1 A Miller, Tackle 2U, 23-2-0; 2 M Hughes, Tadcaster, 8-2-0; 3 P Austin, Barlby Village Stores, 4-5-0; 4 D Grace, Pontefract, 3-10-0; 5 I Blakely, Saints, 3-0-0; 6 S Clegg, Saints, 1-15-0.

Mouncey League (round nine)
River Ancholme, Cake Mills (27 pegs)
Maver-backed Lee Harrison pulled himself level with long-time league leader Rich Pulford thanks to his winning performance at peg 1 where breadpunch brought him an all roach 14-9-0. With only one more round to fish both will be on their mettle next week. Four pegs below the winner Dave Padley, Brigg, fished the same way for 10-9-0 of roach, fish to 10oz again being taken.
Result: 1 L Harrison, Maver, 14-9-0; 2 D Padley, Brigg, 10-9-0; 3 W Easter, Brigg, 10-3-8; 4 R Pulford, Hull DAA, 10-1-8; 5 P Dimmock, Scunthorpe, 8-10-0; 6 D Mountford, Scunthorpe, 7-5-0.
League: Jt1 R Pulford, Hull DAA and L Harrison, Maver, both 72pts; jt3 D Brooks jnr, Ultimate Barnsley Blacks and W Easter, Brigg, both 66.

Newton-le-Willows Over 60s (Thurs)
Vulcan Reservoir (25 pegs)
Wind and rain played havoc with attempts to catch fish but Eddie McLorie was certainly on the method and won with 12-7-0. He fished from peg 26 on the lake and had eight small carp on the maggot feeder.
Result: 1 E McLorie, Newton, 12-7-0; 2 M Kadilec, Warrington, 4-2-0; E Cook, Warrington, 2-11-0

Northern AA (Sun)
Macclesfield Canal, Adlington (20 pegs)
A perch of 1lb 13oz caught mid-match on a piece of worm was a big boost for Carl Hawthorn and he went on to win with 5-9-0, the balance of his catch being small roach on breadpunch caught at 6m from peg 11.
Result: 1 C Hawthorn, Complete Angler, 5-9-0; 2 P Spencer, Mill’s Tackle, 3-5-0; 3 I Wilson, Ted Carter Preston, 2-5-0; 4 J Edwards, Leigh Tackle & Bait, 2-0-0; 3 S Smith, River Rods, 1-13-0; 6 M King, Macclesfield, 1-9-0.

Partridge Lakes (Sun)
Covey Canal Lakes (58 pegs)
Richard O’Connor made it two wins in a row when he put together a 52-12-0 catch at peg 100 on Canal 4. With low water temperatures he chose to fish sparingly and during the whole match he only used half a pint of white maggots and used single maggot on a small hook at 6m and 11m. Mirror and common carp to 3lb were the bulk of his catch and that was worth £130 in pools cash.
Result: 1 R O’Connor, Drennan NW, 52-12-0; 2 S Edwards, Leigh Tackle & Bait, 38-6-0; 3 J Kenning, Goole, 36-5-0; 4 S Knowle, Partridge, 35-1-0; 5 N Roberts, Rod ‘n Reel, 31-14-0; 6 l Coventry, Leigh Tackle & Bait, 29-0-0.

Partridge Lakes (Sat)
Covey Canal Lakes (21 pegs)
There was a big fall-off in attendance figures with a combination of shopping for Christmas and bad weather but the ever-present Dave Pimlott was on the bank and won with 27-5-0.  He drew peg 59 on Canal 3 where he stuck to white maggot at 6m and 12m to catch mainly F1 hybrids with an occasional small carp and skimmer mixed in.
Result: 1 D Pimlott, Garbolino Elton, 27-5-0; 2 B Roberts, Drennan NW, 21-11-0; 3 D Edwards, Rochdale Angling, 17-5-0; 4 M Reed, Garbolino Elton, 16-10-0; 5 S Conroy, Bait-Tech/Drennan NW, 16-1-0; 6 D Williams, Garbolino Elton, 15-4-0

Rosemary Wood Fisheries (Sun)
Moss Lake (18 pegs)
Patience coupled with careful feeding was the key to Mick Woolvine’s low-weight winning 15-9-0. The Maghull man drew peg 7 and worked with Method feeder and pellet for a net of small carp to 1lb 8oz.
Result: 1 M Woolvine, Ted Carter Southport,  15-9-0; 2 K Rothwell, Burscough Angling Supplies, 10-14-0; 3 P Peck, Maghull, 7-10-0; 4 F O'Reilly, Ray’s Tackle, 5-15-0; 5 P Dewhurst, Ted Carter Preston, 5-2-0; 6 J Elms, Liverpool AS, 4-8-0.

St Helen’s AA (Sun)
Carr Mill Dam (50 pegs)
Bill Thelwell took first place with 9-3-0 from peg 10 on the bottom bank. Sport dropped off after the cold snap and Bill decided to double hook with single red maggot on his bread feeder and caught skimmers and small roach.
Result: 1 W Thelwell, St Helen’s, 9-3-0; jt2 J Fletcher, Bury and R Smith, Bolton Angling, both 8-4-0; M McDermott, Manchester, 7-3-0; 5 S Fletcher, Leigh Tackle & Bait, 6-14-0; 6 S Stott, Leigh Tackle & Bait, Manchester, 6-1-0.

Scunthorpe Winter League (round five)
River Ancholme, Cake Mills (40 pegs)
The pegs below the dyke end had the edge and from peg 30 Dave Mountford put together a winning net of 10-14-0 for a clear win in an otherwise close frame. The Scunthorpe Tackle angler used worm and pole as did runner-up Rob Thompson, Grimsby Pelham, who had two big perch for 5lb topped up to 7-10-0 with smaller fish.
Result: 1 D Mountford, Scunthorpe Tackle, 10-14-0; 2 R Thompson, Grimsby Pelham, 7-10-0, 3 A Dyer, Garbolino Harrison’s Lincs County, 7-2-0; 4 B Brighton, Garbolino Harrison’s Lincs County, 7-0-0; 5 W Easter, Scunthorpe Tackle, 6-15-8; 6 C Reilly, Grimsby Pelham, 6-9-0.
Teams: 1 Scunthorpe Blue, 22pts; 2 Brigg Tackle, 23; 3 Garbolino Harrison’s Lincs County, 24; 4 Grimsby Pelham, 25; 5 Scunthorpe Tackle, 27.
League: 1 Scunthorpe Tackle, 146pts; 2 Garbolino Harrison’s Lincs County, 131; 3 Grimsby Pelham, 121; 4 Brigg Tackle, 114; 5 Scunthorpe Blue, 92.

Northwich DAA Winter League (round four)
River Weaver, Hartford (37 pegs)
Patchy describes the results aptly with the top four coming from a handful of pegs at Hunt’s Lock where winner Peter Watson caught 10-15-0 of skimmers on groundbait feeder and maggot.
Result: 1 P Watson, Ted Carter Southport, 10-15-0; 2 S Walton, Dave’s of Middlewich, 10-10-0; 3 K Taylor, Rudheath, 10-8-0; 4. J Warburton, Vale Royal Angling, 7-5-0.
Teams: 1 Ted Carter Southport, 29pts; 2 Trafford Angling, 25; 3 Vale Royal Angling, 20
League: 1 Ted Carter Southport, 103pts; jt2 Vale Royal Angling and Trafford Angling, both 92.

Thornaby AA Christmas Cheer (Sun)
River Tees (49 pegs)
The Tees was still 18 inches up and rose the same again during the Christmas Cheer Match at Croft and Hurworth but most competitors managed to find a fish or two. Thornaby’s Ant Smith won in fine style putting 12-11-0 on the scales. Fishing two pegs above the Hunting Bridge on peg 25 a mid-river attack with the cage feeder and bread left everybody well behind as he netted five chub. The next trio on the score sheet all tempted two chub apiece with the heaviest totalling 7-13-0 to Shildon’s Harry Growcock. Sat on peg 64 in the Salmon Pool, feeder and meat along the far side found his fish.
Result: 1 A Smith, Thornaby, 12-11-0; 2 H Growcock, Shildon, 7-13-0; 3 M Clitheroe, Darlington, 7-7-0; 4 M Watson, Darlington, 4-7-0; 5 D Wass, Thornaby, 3-7-0; 6 P Stainsby, Yarm Flynn’s, 3-6-0.

Wigan DAA (Sat)
Leeds-Liverpool Canal, Parbold (20 pegs)
The combination of being lucky at the draw bag and being able to catch fish keeps Alan Whalley more than covering his annual match fees and drives the others anglers barmy! This week he not only plucked the end peg 474 from the bag, but it put him on a bridge hole where he caught 5-15-0 of roach and seven small skimmers all on breadpunch fished at 5m and 13m.
Result: 1 A Whalley, Sam’s Tackle & Bait, 5-15-0; 2 K Stothers, Hindley MG, 4-15-0; 3 G Mortimer, Sensas North West, 3-14-8; 4 A Prescot, Coppull Anglers, 2-12-0; 5 T Fairhurst, Lostock Tackle Box, 2-10-8; 6 N Watson, Hindley MG, 1-10-8.

Wigan DAA Bob Tavener Christmas Match (Sun)
Leeds-Liverpool Canal, Burscough (68 pegs)
There was plenty of Christmas cheer for Dave Wells who went home £200 better off plus a bottle of whisky.  He was pegged on Gorst Lane and stayed long all day, fishing at 11m and 13m with breadpunch for small roach then later adding a brace of perch that contributed 1lb to his 6-15-0 total.
Result:  1 D Wells, Tri-Cast Rochdale, 6-15-0;jt2 K Anders, Octoplus Standish and A Marsden, Sam’s Tackle & Bait, both 4-6-8; 4 K North, Mosella NW, 3-12-8; 5 D Massey, Sam’s Tackle & Bait, 3-10-8; G Houlibecq, Bolton, 3-2-4.

Woodland Lakes (Weds)
Curlew, Partridge & Skylark Lakes (19 pegs)
Middlesbrough’s Ian Melton edged a tight midweek contest at Woodlands. Drawing Skylark Lake peg 13 he went for a bomb and corn approach taking a dozen carp – the best a mirror of 8lb - for 61-14-0 at the scales. West Yorkshire Police angler Steve Wood had to settle for second spot with 58-1-0.  Also on Skylark at peg 9 he varied baits between bread, meat and corn on the bomb catching three carp on each.
Result: 1 I Melton, Middlesbrough, 61-14-0; 2 S Wood, West Yorkshire Police, 58-1-0; 3 G Poole, Team Woodland Whites, 55-8-0.

Yarm AL TE Lealman Trophy (Sun)
River Tees, Yarm (28 pegs)
The Tees recovered from horrendous midweek floods and had a touch of flow and colour for Sunday’s Lealman Trophy. Bream were needed to make it into the frame and it was a Browning Quaker one-two with Chris Gowling winning with a runaway 14-5-0. Pegged on 167 below the paddock, groundbait feeder with maggot and pinkie accounted for three bream totalling 10lb along with a skimmer of 1lb 8oz backed by dace and roach. Teammate Malcolm Dunlop on peg 188 above the golf course landed a lone bream of 4lb along with small fish for 6-14-0.
Result: 1 C Gowling, Browning Quaker, 14-5-0; 2 M Dunlop, Browning Quaker, 6-14-0; 3 B Walker, Darlington Angling Centre, 6-2-0; 4 G Douglas, Daiwa Cleveland Angling Centre, 5-13-0; 5 A Dargue, Browning Quaker, 4-10-0; 6 B Percival, Maver Newman Scott, 4-6-0.

Cudmore Fisheries
Suez Canal (20 pegs)
Result: 1 K Stevenson, Bay Malton, 23-8-0; 2 M Kearns, Stapeley Cudmore, 14-12-0; 3 G Skerritt, Maver/Pickering’s, 14-2-0; Jt4 P Bowyer, Protak Team Barlow’s and I Sinker, Stapeley Cudmore, both 13-0-0; 6 K Dennis, Ultimate Pellet, 11-6-0.

Cudmore Fisheries Winter League (round five)
Milo, Suez, Brewster’s, Arena & New Pools 1 & 5 (56 pegs)
Result: 1 C Whittaker, Protak Team Barlow’s, 55-14-0; 2 D McManus, Ted Carter Southport Blue, 49-4-0; 3 A Sheppard, Cudmore Renegades, 47-0-0; 4 C Gorrell, Ted Carter Southport Blue, 39-8-0; 5 S Roberts, Cudmore Nomads, 38-8-0; 6 F Cooke, Ray’s Tackle, 37-0-0.
Teams: 1 Ted Carter Southport Blue, 9pts; jt2 Cudmore Nomads, Ted Carter Southport Green and Ray’s Tackle, all 14.
League: 1 Ted Carter Southport Blue, 52pts; 2 Ray’s Tackle, 60; 3 MAP/Garbolino/Bait-Tech, 62; 4 Marukyu Baits, 70.

Garbolino Lindholme Lakes (Sat)
Bonsai Lake (25 pegs)
Result: 1 J Allerton, Tri-Cast, 53-11-0; 2 B Fisk, Middy, 38-13-0; 3 N Speed, Shimano/Dynamite Baits, 37-12-0; 4 A Dockerty, Garbolino Lindholme, 34-10-0.
 
Garbolino Lindholme Lakes (Sun)
Laurels Lake (21 pegs)
Result: 1 N Fisher, Dynamite Baits, 48-13-0; 2 J Allerton, Tri-Cast, 38-12-0; 3 S Ellis, Moorfields, 36-8-0; 4 M Pillay, Maver/Dynamite Baits, 36-1-0.

Messingham Sands (Sun)
Swan Pond (14 pegs)
Result: 1 S Bingham, Gainsborough, 35-8-0; 2 W Langdale, Scunthorpe, 26-4-0; 3 T Noon, Hull, 19-8-0.

Messingham Sands (Sun)
Tripp Pond (17 pegs)
Result: 1 N Lowrey, Scunthorpe, 44-12-0; 2 D Murten, Doncaster, 43-8-0; 3 G Hansford, Grimsby, 34-2-0; 4 C Sweetnam, Kiveton Hall, 30-4-0.

Northwich DAA (Sat)
River Weaver, Willow Beds (20 pegs)
Result: 1 R Evans, Vale Royal Angling, 2-13-0; 2 M Lenihan, Bailey’s Tackle, 2-2-0; 3 A Clegg, Northwich, 1-14-0; 4 M Brown, Vale Royal Angling, 1-6-0.

Oaks Lakes (Sat)
Cedar Lake (15 pegs)
Result: 1 R Singh, Garbolino Elton, 28-6-0; 2 M Bailey, Garbolino Elton, 15-7-0; 3 M Britton, The Oaks, 12-9-0.

Oaks Lakes (Sun)
Ash & Beech Lakes (12 pegs)
Result: 1 R Sowerby, The Oaks, 58-7-0; 2 A Stock, Cleveland Angling Centre, 41-5-0; 3 R Singh, Garbolino Elton, 32-8-0.

Viking Fishery (Sat)
Dee Pond (17 pegs)
Result: 1 J Kenning, Goole, 28-13-0; 2 F Williamson, Knottingley, 27-6-0; 3 S Fotheringham, Leeds, 19-13-0.

Wombwell (Sat)
Wombwell Dam (11 pegs)
Result: 1 D Micklethwaite, Barnsley DAA, 37-10-0; 2 J King, Wombwell, 25-8-0; 3 P Harrison, Wombwell, 16-4-0.

West Woodside Winter League (Sun)
Bessie’s Lake (10 pegs)
Result: 1 B Morris, SPRO Lincoln Whisby, 19-1-0; 2 A Lakey, Worksop Angling Supplies, 18-14-0; 3 A Waites, Scunthorpe Tackle, 17-13-0.

Woodland Lakes (Sat)
Curlew & Kestrel Lakes (24 pegs)
Result: 1 A Dargue, Browning Quaker, 21-11-0; 2 M Hare, RSPS, 15-14-0; 3 P Newman, Woodland Tackle, 14-7-0.

Woodland Lakes (Sun)
Curlew & Wagtail Lakes (19 pegs)
Result: 1 A Richards, Browning, 32-1-0; 2 P Fletcher, Team Woodland Whites, 29-3-0; 3 K Golightly, Shotton MG, 21-14-0.

 

 

 

Dabrowa smashes Headfen Lakes record

Tempting a few bites can be tough enough in the winter months but Tim Dabrowa shocked his rivals during the latest pairs event at Headfen Lakes by breaking a lake record!

The venue regular drew peg 37 on Trev’s Lake at the Cambridgeshire complex and put his faith in the Method feeder cast tight to the island and was into fish around the 6lb mark from the off.

By the end of the five hour period he had won the lake with ease, taking 92lb 8oz.
The achievement also helped him and his teammate Richard Bond take the overall victory on the day with a four point score.


Biggest river roach of the year banked

This is a picture of the biggest roach to be caught from any river in the whole of 2011.

The rare and hugely impressive fish weighed 3lb 1oz and was taken from the Bristol Avon by Dr Mark Everard during a short 90-minute session into dusk.

It fell to a large pinch of feederfished breadflake and is the twelfth ‘three’ that the Wiltshire-based redfin fanatic has banked in his career, and his tenth from the venue.

It is also by far the biggest example of the species in what he admits has been a very poor season to date.

To get the full lowdown on Mark’s catch, pick up a copy of this week’s Angling Times!


In

Swim change leads to 40lb 1oz mirror

Following two changes of swims, Ted Bryan was rewarded with a three fish catch topped by this 40lb 1oz mirror.

The Sydenham-based specimen hunter had to brave torrential rain and gale force winds during the trip, but on the final night he received a fast take which resulted in the chunky specimen.

He hadn’t been back in bed long when he was woken by a second bite which ended up with a 25lb common sat in the net.

He then rounded off the session in style in the early hours of the morning with a second mirror weighing in at 30lb 8oz.

All of Ted’s fish were taken on 15mm Nash Amber Strawberry pop-up hookbaits fished on 12lb Bullet hooklinks and size 8 Nash Fang X hooklinks over a scattering of 10mm and 15mm free offerings.


Suffolk Water Park carp record broken

The Suffolk Water Park record has been broken by James Potter with the capture of this 41lb 3oz mirror from the complex’s Specimen Lake

Targeting a clear spot at 50yds range in an area of the day-ticket lake which he knew the carp liked to reside in during the winter, the Woodbridge-based venue regular offered a snowman style hookbait consisting of a Premier Baits Quad bottom bait and a bright 10mm pop-up with a small PVA bag of pellets.

On the first afternoon of the 24 hour session he landed a 29lb 8oz mirror and at midday the next day he beat his old pb of 38lb 14oz when he slipped his net under the lake’s biggest resident known as 4.3.

He said: “My mate and I decided to fish different styles, and he went for chod rigs over a bed of bait while I chose to just use small bags. He landed three smaller fish and I managed to catch the two bigger carp.”

James’ winning presentation consisted of an 8ins ESP Strip Teaze hooklink and a size 8 ESP Curve Shanx hook on a helicopter setup with a 2oz lead.


Massive perch falls to rudd livebait

Just a week after catching a massive chub from the Dorset Stour, bang-in-form specimen hunter Jamie Stanley switched his focus to perch and came up trumps when he landed this superb 4lb fish from a small clay pit not far from his Bournemouth home.

After initially struggling on lobworm hookbaits, Jamie changed to small livebaits presented on low-resistance leger rigs to take the impressive perch, along with another of 3lb 7oz.

For the full story and tactics lowdown, see next week's double-edition of Angling Times, on sale Tuesday 13 December.


Cod PB smashed in fine style!

“When it first came up I thought I had caught a baby dolphin!”

Those are the words of delighted sea angler Kevin Bailey-Green after he had landed this fat 22lb 8oz cod while fishing from his own boat at a mark in the eastern Solent.

Kevin, who lives at Cowplain in Hampshire, tempted his new personal best with a squid hookbait presented on a pennel rig, and beat it using 30lb braided mainline and a 50lb leader.

“The weather was calm and sunny, and I hooked the fish right at the bottom of the tide. I’ve only ever caught four cod before, and this is by far the biggest – my previous best was 14lb 8oz,” he said.


Maver Match This team event announced

Maver Match This is to get a team event this year, the day after the anticipated £100,000 final.

Fourteen teams of six will contest the team event on the same venue, Maver Larford Lakes in Stourport,  on Sunday 2nd September 2012, with £3,000 going to the winners.

Entry will be by invitation with most of the best teams in the country invited, but the top five teams from Larford Lakes’ own Winter League will also make up the high class field.

To download a team form to enter the Winter League, visit www.larfordlakes.co.uk. For individual Match This tickets (Grand Final Saturday 1st September 2012) see www.mavermatchthis.co.uk.