MIKE Pritchard intended to fish the River Mersey on Friday, but conditions were not ideal and quite windy so he decided to stay local and visit Ackers Pit.

He set up in a sheltered peg and caught from the off, using light waggler tactics and alternating between bronze maggot and pinkie plus feeding a few grains of hemp every cast.

He caught plenty of roach in the three to 6ozs range before a late change to caster brought a better stamp of roach in the 10 to 12ozs bracket plus a few chunky perch.

All in all, a decent days’ fishing and he went home a happy angler.

Our disabled and over 60s match fished in the ‘Dead Length’ on Monday and committee member Graham Belton enjoyed his first win for some time despite regularly knocking on the door.

He fished the pole, alternating between pinkie and caster for a silver-fish net of 5lbs 6ozs 0drs.

It was Derek Bibby who took the runner-up spot, with only a whisker separating the winner and himself with a weight of 5-6-2.

Two further B’s completed the prize line-up (see results below) and eighteen fished in an almost all-roach event.

Ant Higham, aka ‘the King of the river’, seems to have got his mojo back after an absence.

He prevailed in our Mersey match on Sunday with a weight of 5-13-0 that included a mega-bonus bream of 3lbs that alone would have given him the winners’ money.

Fishing a ground-bait feeder and maggot, he also added a 12oz bream plus twelve tiny bootlace eels to over double the weight of second-placed Ray Boden.

Ray fished the same method for a net of 2-4-0 made up of fifteen tiny roach, two eels and three small skimmer bream.

Something to whet your appetite is that a new water should be coming online in the next few months.

Although obviously I cannot divulge details, it is one that should give rewards to those members who like a challenge.

If you have received a recent subscription reminder and you think that our information is incorrect, please get in touch as soon as possible.

It is too late to resign now according to rule, but you have until the end of November to pay.

It is that time of the year when reports are getting scarce, so anything of interest is more than welcome.

WAA headquarters at 52 Parker Street are open as usual every Friday between 7pm and 9pm for new members, subscriptions, night permit renewals, and any queries.

Please email catch details to frank@warrington-anglers.org.uk or give me a call on 01928 716238.

Results:

Disabled and over 60s: 1, Graham Belton 5-6-12; 2, Derek Bibby 5-6-2; 3, Jimmy Byrne 4-9-8; 4, Geoff Brooks 4-0-0.

Sunday Mersey Series: 1, Ant Higham 5-13-0; 2, Ray Boden 2-4-0; 3, Alan Morris 2-3-8; 4, Ade Green 1-13-0.

Fixtures: Sunday, River Mersey Series: Draw 9am, Kingsway Allotments.

Monday, disabled and over 60s: Draw 10am, Trent & Mersey, School Road.