REG Lewis, who was one of our long serving committee members, sadly lost his fight with cancer earlier this week.

He joined the management team on July 4, 1988 and served for 29 years until recently.

Reg motivated a team of volunteers and tackled the majority of the peg construction work around our fisheries and was also a past member of our netting team. Our condolences go out to his wife and family.

Thank goodness that a move to a known winter fish shoaling up area on the Bridgwater Canal at Walton saw weights improve dramatically from the previous week for our disabled and over 60s Christmas prize match.

Whereas last week the winner only needed twelve ounces, Alan Brown put an impressive 6lbs 7ozs 5drs on the scales to take the main prize money on Monday.

He fished the pole, alternating between bread, punch and pinkie for a mixed net of roach and perch. George Hollis was in second place with 5-10-10 fished the same method.

The fish were concentrated between Houghs and Walton Hall Bridge,s so that’s where I would be looking for a spot of predator fishing this weekend.

Martin Lenihan won our River Mersey Christmas Fayre match on Sunday with a weight of 5-10-0 of mainly roach plus a few hybrids taken on groundbait feeder and maggot.

In joint-second were Jimmy Byrne and Alan Morris with 2-15-0. All of the eighteen anglers who fished received a prize.

Martin Harrison, reporting on his first fly fishing season with WAA, had some very enjoyable game fishing on the Alyn, Dee and Dane.

On his seven visits to the Alyn at Rossett fishery, he reports seven brown trout, fourteen grayling and a solitary chub.

A change of scenery to the Dee at Worthenbury saw him catch four grayling and nine salmon parr and, on the Dane at Holmes Chapel, he caught three decent grayling and three small ones which bodes well for the future of the species.

Successful flies were Klinkhammer, Olive Jingler, Pink Tag, Greenwell’s (beadhead), Griffith’s Gnat, Pheasant Tail Nymph, and Waterhen Bloa (tungsten bead).

Chorley-based Anglers Mail photo-journalist Ian Chapman was joined on the WAA stretch of the Dane by Steve Collett and they created an autumn feature which will appear in this week’s paper.

Steve put his stick float skills to the test and was rewarded with some fine grayling and chub.

WAA headquarters at 52 Parker Street are open as usual every Friday between 7pm and 8.30pm for new members, subscriptions, 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, Alan Brown 6-7-5; 2, Geoge Hollis 5-10-10; 3, Ronnie Durr 5-6-11; 4, George Barber 5-0-7.

Sunday Mersey Series: 1, Arthur Plumb 6-5-0; 2, Ray Boden 6-3-0; 3, Jim Gannon 5-10-0; 4, Alan Morris/Jimmy Byrne 4-10-0.

Fixtures:

Sunday, River Mersey Series: Draw 9am at Kingsway allotments.

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