Glorious start to the summer angling season

by angling correspondents Roger Stocks and Stuart Lilley
Roger Stocks: 07733 092237 – Stuart Lilley 07811 923599 – email: roachpole10@aol.com

THIS weekend sees what we still regard as the glorious 16th, which many believe to be the start of the proper season.
It still has that feel of expectancy about it with the opening of the region’s rivers.
With this in mind a working party of members of the Worksop and District AA have been out in force over the last few weeks clearing and strimming the pegs at Normanton on the Tidal Trent, Ness Farm on the non-tidal, and have also been checking the pegs on the Weirfield, Holme Marsh and Winthorpe.
Also opening are the rural sections of the Chesterfield Canal from Whit Sunday Pie lock through to the Drakeholes basin which has just gone through a massive restocking throughout the close season with more than £2,000 of silver fish being introduced.
We are happy to report that both the canal and the river are in pristine condition and holds the promise of some great sport over the next few months and we look forward to reporting on any catches you have, so remember to take the camera.
Last Thursday saw the delegates meeting of the Worksop DAA where the member’s books were distributed to club representatives for distribution to members. It is worth noting that junior books are available over the counter at local tackle shops for a very reasonable £5.
Committee stalwart Terry Evans was congratulated on his impending 80th birthday later this month and was also recognised for his 50 years service to the executive with the presentation of a silver commemorative shield and bottle of whisky.
A quick note to all Under 16s that the British Waterways/Grafton AA commerative match takes place next Friday evening on the John Shaw’s section of the Chesterfield Canal. The draw is at 5pm at the Lock Keeper’s car park with fishing from 6pm-9pm.
There are two age groups 10-12-year-olds and 13-15-year-old with tickets available from Ken Ward’s Sports of Carlton Road for just £2 with all entries guaranteed a prize of a tackle voucher.
Finally a reminder for all the youngsters registered to fish tomorrow’s fun event at the Riverside Fishery at Scrooby, to be at the complex no later than 4pm to be ready to start fishing at 4.30pm.
Can we also give a great vote of thanks to Ken Ward and Geoff Mawby of Gateford Angling Supplies for their generosity in donating prizes and hook baits for our junior events.

CLUB RESULTS
MEMBERS of North Anston WMC made the short journey over the motorway to fish the Aston ponds last Saturday in bright sunny conditions where the majority of the competitors found the going a little bit tough: 1st Neil Hall 31lb 13.5oz peg three corn and pellet shallow on pole and waggler catching carp and silvers; 2nd Robert Booth 19lb peg 19; 3rd Gordon Holmes 18lb 10oz peg two.
The final round of the Langold Lake Spring Series took place last Sunday where the bream made up the mainstay of the weights: 1st Dean Harris 42lbs 5oz peg 33, 15 bream taken on ground bait feeder chopped worm/caster worm hook bait; 2nd Ian Turner 18lbs 3oz peg nine six bream taken on ground bait feeder red maggot/sweetcorn hook bait; 3rd Shaun Rampling 17lb 2oz peg two.
Spring League final standings: 1st Ian Turner 13 points; 2nd Mark Woodcock 15; 3rd Dean Harris 17.
The Worksop piscatorials fished their first match of the season in the atrocious conditions of the Bank Holiday Sunday on the High School length of the Chesterfield Canal in Retford: 1st Roy Hotby 21lb 9oz peg 10; 2nd Bob Fisher 9lb 1oz peg five; 3rd Ron Chamberlain 8lb 4oz peg three; 4th Billy Barnett 8lb.
All the catches were a mixture of chub, bream and eels, caught using pole and chopped worm over hemp and caster. The next match for Worksop Piscatorials is on lake one at Kiveton Waters on Sunday 24th June.
The anglers representing the Whitwell New Middle club fished the main lake at the Lakeside fishery at Ranskill on Sunday: 1st Wayne Chawner 40lb 10oz peg 14 silvers on pole fished maggot; 2nd Bryan Laws 35lb 3oz peg 13; 3rd Dave Smith 29lb 15oz peg 15.
Also on Sunday, St Joseph’s AC fished the newly renovated lily ponds at Aston ponds in ideal warm overcast conditions where all the anglers managed to put a few fish in their nets: 1st Chris Davenport 28lb 14oz peg 22; 2nd Stuart Lilley 28lb 4oz peg 24; 3rd Ian Lilley 23lb 12oz peg 23.
All the top three took a mixed bag of skimmers and small carp on either pellet or chopped worm and caster fished on the long pole.
The Ryton/Stagecoach AC fished their latest match last Sunday at Lodge Farm on the Signal Pond: 1st Harry Price 35lb 8oz peg 17 pole and maggot; 2nd Ashley Nicholson 35lb 4oz peg 37 pole and maggot; 3rd Ian Kettlewell 26lb 8oz peg five pole and maggot.
Members of the Worksop DAA juniors and cadets held a practice session supervised by Garry and Doreen Butt on Saturday on the hop pole length of the Chesterfield Canal in preparation for the NFA junior national which takes place on the Grand Union canal on 7th July.
All the youngsters caught mainly small fish with young starlet Devon Whitworth slipping her net under 75 small roach and skimmers taken on the squatt for a net over 6lb. Thomas Brunt employed pole fished worm to net a mixed bag of tench, eels and skimmers weighing 4lb 11oz with Josh Wild putting a net of 40 fish together of nearly 3lb.

LAKESIDE ROUND-UP
WITH the carp still spawning on the main lake all the top match weights are made up of mainly ide, skimmers and chub, taken on either pole fished pellet or maggot or caster over ground bait with the top weights going to over 40lb.
On the strip lakes, the carp are still feeding with Paul Simpson landing seven doubles to 16lb in his 30-carp bag. Paul also had quality tench to 7lb and roach employing pole fished sweet corn or pellet.
On the carp lake, Worksop’s Andy Kendall bagged himself a 24lb 1oz common in his two-fish haul from peg six with Gary Croft and Mark Dobson sharing 13 specimens which included four twenties to 23lb 10oz off peg five.
Over on the trout lake, Worksop rod Alan Walker landed an impressive rainbow of 10lb 2oz in his 13-fish net taken on orange blob and sinking line with Graham Purseglove casting his various buzzers on floating line to tempt 15 fish to 3lb.

RIVERSIDE ROUND-UP
THE Scrooby venue is continuing to fish well on all three lakes with 77lb the top weight in Saturday’s open match on the Sandmartins with Reg Turner using pole or waggler fished pellet on peg 20 to amass this winning weight of small stock carp.
Even if the carp are not feeding, there are still ample silver fish to target especially in the main lake with Les Richmond putting 67lb 2oz of these in his net to win Tuesday’s open, employing the short pole with a worm hook bait off peg 32.
Thursday evening’s three-hour sprint saw Les win again, fishing the same method from peg 43 to weigh 33lb 4oz with Matt Temple just one fish behind on 32lb 10oz using pole fished paste on
peg eight.
Pole fished meat fished on the deck is also accounting for good pleasure nets on all three lakes with pellet waggler beginning to feature now that the weather is a bit more settled and the fish are higher in the water column.

LODGE FARM ROUND-UP
IN the latest Wednesday evening three-hour event fished on field pond, the in-form Les Richmond took the honours with 57lb 8oz from peg 27 using pole fished meat. Runner-up was Adam Wake 35lb 3oz from peg 29 and filling the frame was P. Jenkinson from peg 31 with 32lb 5oz.
Lily pond has started to pick up with the top match weight going to 68lb using pole fished pellet being the favoured method at the moment.
On Long Island, pole fished paste is taking carp nets to 56lb with the same tactics being used on the field and signal ponds with meat being a good back-up bait for nets to 60lb.
On the top pond, the skimmers have started to show with pole fished worm and caster taking 30lb+ winning weight in Sunday’s match.

DAIWA HALLCROFT ROUND-UP
THE sport has started to pick up again after spawning. Croft Pool is producing nets of fish up to 70lb for both match and pleasure anglers on pole with pellet or meat.
Bridge Pool has improved with the bream feeding well. Nets to 40lb of all silvers with the occasional carp are regularly coming out with meat, pellet, caster and maggot the popular baits.
The carp are still a bit lethargic on Moat Pool but the current settled spell of weather will encourage them to feed properly with pellet, meat and corn fished at eight and 10m being the best approach.
Reed Pool continues to fish well and pleasure anglers are taking carp to double figures on larger baits, luncheon meat, double corn or catmeat.

SHERWOOD FOREST FARM PARK
HOLMEDALE Lake, Gateford Angling Summer Series round three, 25 fished: 1st Geoff Mawby 93lb 8oz peg 19; 2nd Robert Martin 84lb peg 39.
Geoff fished what’s now become his favourite method, pole fished big worm over red maggots out and down the margin under the willow in peg 29. He caught well from the off-landing roach over the pound mark and carp (6lb) finishing with a total of 93lb 3oz. Runner-up Robert fished pole and paste short at 5m for some big carp (10lb) and a total of a level 84lb.
Sherwood Lake, Tuesday, 21 fished: 1st Fred Bispham (Dynamite Mayfair) 23lb 3oz peg 39; 2nd Ralph Marshall (Peg One) 22lb 7oz peg 41.
Fred opted to fish a small pellet and pole at the side of the lily pad on peg 39, he was kept busy all day catching small skimmers and tench.

THROUGH THE GRAPEVINE
OUR old friend Richard Brunt has asked us to inform you that Gerhard Moeller AC are on the look out for new members. Anyone interested, contact Richard on 01909 489109.