BRIAN Evans fished the Bridgewater Canal at Dunham on Monday with float-fished smelt.

After a couple of hours without any sign of fish, he was ready to call it a day when suddenly, his patience was rewarded and he was into a fish – a pike of around nine pounds soon lay on his unhooking mat.

Our WAA headquarters at 52 Parker Street, Warrington WA1 1LT remains closed on Friday evenings until further notice.

Members can simply post to this address or put their book or request in an envelope with their payment and a stamped addressed envelope through our HQ door, where mail is collected and dealt with most days.

Alternatively, you can post to Warrington Anglers Association PO. Box 71, Warrington WA1 1LR where mail is collected weekly.

You can now renew memberships and night permits online from our Warrington Anglers Association website. It works a treat on mobile, tablet, or laptop.

I would really appreciate members to send me any of your pics, reports, or stories as at this time of the year there is not a lot happening. Good, bad, or indifferent, they may help fellow members to plan any trips to the bankside.

Email frank@warrington-anglers.org.uk or give me a call on 01928 716238.

Due to current weather conditions, there has still not been a lot happening due to the adverse weather – only one pike report from the mainly highly-coloured Bridgewater Canal – so to help cheer everyone up during this pandemic, I have again included several reports from this same week twelve months ago on January 28, 2020…

Mike Dench made a spur of the moment decision on Sunday to fish our stretch of the River Ribble at Hurst Green, mainly because he had a pint and a half of red maggots that needed using up in his fridge, and as things turned out it was the right choice.

He travelled light, setting up with an 18ft float rod loose-feeding maggots and trotting down his swim with an Avon float set-up on 4lbs mainline to 0.10 hook length.

He ended his session with nine chub that included two fish estimated at 5lbs and 6lbs, which gave him a few anxious moments before they were safely in his landing net, plus five small grayling and three brownies to over a pound.

Anthony Rough enjoyed a short session on The Alyn at Hope on Monday, fishing several swims with a small stick float and loose-feeding maggots.

He caught some quality trout and grayling and ended up with seven grayling, the best being slightly over the pound mark, and 11 trout up to 1lb. All fish were caught on single maggot.

Anthony reckoned after four blanks on the run it was a nice change to get a bend in the rod and was almost considering buying a set of golf clubs. Phew, saved by the bell!

Sunday was a blustery dull day at Appleton Reservoir when Neil Davies cast in his groundbait feeder with caster, pinkie, and sweetcorn offerings.

It took over an hour before his first bite came to double maggot and most fish that followed were small. A change to a single piece of corn later in the afternoon brought a better stamp of roach.

Our Mersey match on Sunday drawn at Mersey Walk saw Ant Higham – aka King of the River – repeat his winning ways of the previous week with a weight of 2lbs 2ozs 0drs of small roach taken on feeder and maggot. Veteran match angler Derek Bibby took second place with 1-15-0.

The disabled and over 60s match on the Bridgewater Canal this week was moved back to Hough’s Bridge in the divine hope that there wouldn’t be a repeat of last week’s poor results from the opposite end of the length where Roy Rogers only needed 15 tiny roach to win.

Well, someone was looking down kindly on them as Ron Durr caught 108 roach for a winning weight of 6-10-8. Match organiser Jimmy Byrne was second with 5-13-4.