THE situation for Warrington Anglers' Association is unchanged from my column last week.

Our swollen rivers are making canals and stillwaters the only venues for any chance of catching fish.

Our Saturday open match on the Bridgewater Canal saw some lower weights but you still needed almost 6lbs to win and 4.5lbs to get in the frame. Lots of small roach being caught on punch bread with bonus perch and skimmers on caster.

The Trent and Mersey Canal produced 3.5lbs of pleasure nets at Whatcroft, mainly comprised of roach and gudgeon on pinkie and squat.

The underfished Macclesfield Canal is currently outperforming the rest with quality roach catches to bread and caster plus bonus perch on worm fished 'down the track'.

The small lake at Sandiway presents a bleak picture but if you wrap-up and persevere the fishery is producing some quality perch averaging 8ozs and fish to 1.5lbs on chopped worm. Caster best for roach and odd chub.

I have had no reports on the large lake but would expect the large shoals of roach to still feed in the deep water as the temperature will hardly vary between winter and summer. Unconfirmed rumours of several decent carp.

Small pike are active at Astle Pool where the floods have swept away the bridge from near the island.

Ian Grant reports a pike brace of 14lbs 8ozs odrms and 18-4-0 taken on suspended dead bait from near the out-flow stream on Budworth Mere.

HQ Parker Street is now closed for the Christmas Holidays until January 7, 2000. I can be contacted with your queries and catch reports on 01928 716238, fax 713898.

Frank Lythgoe

Results:

Saturday Open: 1, Harry Billing 5-11-2; 2, Stu Conroy 5-5-10; 3, Paul Keeling 4-12-5; 4, Frank Harding 4-9-12; 5=, Trev Cummings; Ken Graham 4-5-0

Disabled and Over 60s: 1, Brian Pilkington 2-5-4; 2, Roy Whitfield 1-11-12; 3, Doug Thom 1-9-0; 4, Ron Lever 1-4-2.

Women's Winter Series: 1, Janice Holland 3-1-0; 2, Pam Wyatt 2-10-13; 3, Helen Thompson 2-6-0; 4, Marian Wharmby 1-7-0.

Overall Series Points: 1, Janice Holland 19; 2, Pam Wyatt 21; 3,. Sandi Alcock 28.

Junior Winter Series: 1, Mike Savage 1-1-8; 2, Andy Webb 7-6; 3, Andrew Lewis 5-12.

Overall Series Points: 1, Mike Savage 14; 2, Andy Webb 18; 3, Andrew Lewis 21

Coming events:

Saturday: Senior Open, draw 11am, Star Inn (pegs 861 - 1040). Sunday: Fur and Feather (ticket only), draw 9am, Grappenhall Sports Club (pegs 341-588). Monday:

Disabled and Over 60s, draw 10.30am, Grappenhall Sports Club (pegs 600-640). Friday: Christmas Eve Open, draw 11am, London Bridge (pegs 351-550).

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