TIM Poulter enjoyed his first pike outing of the season on Friday morning at Rixton Claypits when within five minutes of his bait hitting the water, he was landing his first fish.

This was followed by several others all caught on float-fished smelt. To quote him, “Nothing really big but a great morning out.”

Still on the predator trail but this time a day later on the Bridgewater Canal at Dunham, where Ian Graham was drop-shotting for perch in the afternoon and was unprepared for a sudden vicious take, obviously not a perch.

After a hectic battle a fighting fit pike lay in his landing net. Unfortunately, he had left his scales in his car boot but Ian reckoned it was well over 10lbs.

He ended his session with two small perch caught on the same lure.

Our Sunday Mersey match series held this week at Mersey Walk was won by no other that Ant Higham – aka ‘The King of the River’ – on a very out-of-sorts flooded river when bites were very much a rarity.

Ant fished a groundbait feeder and maggot to catch three bootlace eels, a skimmer, and a roach for 1lb 0ozs 0drs.

Second-placed angler and Mersey regular Norman Gannon always comes good when the going gets hard and fished the same method for a skimmer and a roach for 0-11-0.

Our disabled and over 60s match was fished on the Bridgewater Canal at Preston Brook on Monday and surprisingly, the results were very much in line with the previous day’s Mersey match.

The canal was chocolate coloured and it was a miracle that fish even found anglers’ bait. One good thing though was that the marauding cormorants couldn’t find the fish!

Ray Boden fished pole and pinkie from an end peg for two chunky roach which sent the scale round to exactly a pound. Bas Chambers took second place with 0-10-0.

Just an update on the boat vandalism I reported in last week’s column that occurred on Friday, October 11, at Hough’s Bridge.

The angler concerned rang me and it certainly wasn’t him who was responsible as he left shortly after the arrival of the boats, confirmed by another angler.

Thanks to members who take the trouble to send in catch reports which help fellow members to know how waters are fishing and plan their outings.

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

WAA headquarters at 52 Parker Street are open as usual every Friday between 7pm and 9pm.

New members are welcome to call in and join, current ones can renew their subscription or night permit.

Results:

Sunday, Mersey Series: 1, Ant Higham 1-0-0; 2, Norman Gannon 0-11-0; 3, Pete Jones 0-5-0; 4, Jim Gannon/Pete Howard 0-4-0

Monday, disabled and over 60s: 1, Ray Boden 1-0-0; 2, Barry Chambers 0-10-8; 3, Jimmy Byrne 0-3-14; 4, Trev Bainbridge 0-3-8

Fixtures:

Sunday, Mersey Series: Draw 9am at Victoria Park

Monday, disabled and over 60s: Draw 10am at Trent & Mersey Canal, Billinge