Chris' barbel catches put him in seventh heaven (From Warrington Guardian)

Chris' barbel catches put him in seventh heaven

CHRIS Lythgoe had success when he caught seven barbel on our Balderstone stretch of the River Ribble.

His best two fish weighed in at 11lbs and 10lbs 4ozs 0drms, and all were caught on legered boilies.

There is plenty of action using stick float and caster at the moment, as member Tom Isherwood proved. A pint of caster saw him catch chub to 2lbs, as well as dace and roach.

Warrington Anglers' Association bailiff Ken Beresford reports that there has been a change of fortunes on the River Derwent at Darley Abbey.

There are plenty of small roach, gudgeon and perch, with up to 2-12-0 of the latter being caught on maggot and caster.

We have received complaints that anglers have been blocking the towpath on the Sankey St Helens Canal with tackle and bivvies.

Anglers must respect the rights of all users and allow clear passage, otherwise the facility will be withdrawn. This is the first complaint we have received, so let it be the last.

Bailiff Dave Jennings reports good catches of bream, roach, rudd, perch and - love them or hate them - lots of eels.

The Boat Rally at Preston Brook went off without a hitch, and there was perhaps the largest gathering of craft for some time.

In the spirit of co-operation we ensured there were no matches booked there during that period.

Pleasure anglers are reporting good catches of skimmers and bream to 3lbs, roach, gudgeon and a few perch.

Punch and caster are accounting for most catches, with the latter drawing the larger fish.

I am in regular consultation with the Environment Agency regarding the carp deaths saga, and the position is unchanged.

Thankfully 99.99% of members support this precautionary approach. If we open up waters before it is safe to do so it could be a case of short-term gain, long-term loss.

Best of luck to our junior and intermediate teams on Saturday as they represent our association in the NJAA Championships at BWB Makins Fishery, Wolvey.

Contact me with any of your catch reports on 01928 716238, fax 01928 713898 or e-mail frank@warrington-anglers.org.uk.

HQ Parker Street will be open as usual tomorrow, Friday, between 7pm and 9.30pm for subscriptions and new members.

Frank Lythgoe

Results: Junior Series match: 1, Richard Lenihan 1-7-14; 2, Joe Dagnall 1-4-13; 3, Mike Chung 1-3-11. Series points standings: 1, Jamie Hirst 27pts; 2, Joe Dagnall 33pts. Intermediates points standings: 1, Andrew Lewis 12pts; 2, Ian Morrison 15pts. Mersey Series: 1, Paul Healey 6-9-0; 2, Craig Richie 6-4-9; 3, Gary Mannion 5-15-0; 4, Jeff Shaw 5-6-0.

Forthcoming events: Sunday: Mersey Series, draw 9am at Weir Lane. Monday: Disabled and Over 60s, draw 10.15am at Star Inn. Tuesday: Honorary and OAPs, draw 1.30pm at Pickerings Bridge (pegs 621 to 671).