WARRINGTON ANGLERS' ASSOCIATION REVIEW (From Warrington Guardian)

WARRINGTON ANGLERS' ASSOCIATION REVIEW

AS predicted the start of the new season on Warrington Anglers' Association's canals and still waters on Saturday brought some great catches, including plenty of specimens.

The most notable, although not the biggest, was that of 12-year-old Carl Sullivan who landed his first carp at Grey Mist Mere. The perfectly conditioned mirror weighed in at 14lbs and took the inevitable high protein boilie.

Mark Denmade fished a pop-up boilie to tempt 'Henry' from this popular fishery which tipped the scales at 22-0-0 while Pete Jones caught his first '20' - a mirror of 21-0-0. Tench were feeding well and Frank Olen landed a specimen of 6-4-0. A new 'all night' match will take place on the Mere on May 15. It will last for the usual five hours and will be, I predict, a battle between carp and tench. Book in with Ian Clutterbuck on 819033. Entry £5.

Rixton Clay Pits also produced a string of good carp, two '18s' and a '20', topped by a fully scaled mirror of 24-2-0 tempted by carp angler Mark Preston. Lots of fish seen cruising on the surface. The tench fishing started slowly with early morning and evening sessions producing the best. A few cruciens also made an appearance.

At Sandiway Lakes the larger 53 acre fishery fished hard although carp anglers who swear that the water holds some unknown virgin fish were 'troubled' by bream or tench attacking large baits. Will Hamblett landed the only reported carp, a fish of 10lbs. It looks as though the warm weather may have put the fish into spawning mode as lots were seen in the margins on the smaller lake.

The water levels are still high at Aspul Reservoir making it difficult for our working party volunteers to sort out repairs to fishing stands. Members are catching perch, roach, and cruciens to 8 ounces on maggot and caster.

Ackers Pit needs no introduction and stayed true to form by producing sizzling sport on opening day. Roach, tench and bream obliged, taking any bait thrown at them. Maggot was the best overall with corn sorting out the better stamp of fish, including an 8lbs mirror and 7lbs grass carp for Ian Wall.

The Bridgewater Canal, as usual, turned up good numbers of decent bream to 4lbs, most of which were sporting spawning nodules. Steve Daley had a fabulous opening day's sport landing eight carp to 7-14-0. On Monday he netted another five plus eight bream. No fancy baits, just plain and simple bread fished on the waggler and 3lbs line.

John Wharmby took his wife to the women's Jean Arthur Trophy match and whiled away the time fishing for skimmers and bream near to London Bridge. Certainly what he did not reckon for was an epic battle lasting 75 minutes when a carp took his pole fished single grain of corn offered on a 20s hook to 1.5 BS line and 4s elastic.

The huge fish bottomed the scales out at 17-3-0 and what made the feat of landing this huge fish on light match tackle even more incredible was that it was actually foul-hooked on the top of its head. Its capture was witnessed by committee member Pete Cummings who reckoned the fish to be more than 20lbs and the largest he had seen caught in the Bridgewater Canal.

Appleton Reservoir rod average is 1.8 and the 'best bag' was 10 fish. You must have paid your 1999 card and need to book in for each session at Cheshire Angling, not forgetting to fill in your session ticket prior to fishing.

HQ Parker Street is open as usual tonight, Friday, for new members, subscriptions. I can be contacted with your queries and catch reports on 01928 716238, fax 713898.

Frank Lythgoe

Converted for the new archive on 13 March 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.