Winter Anglers ...

IT is an incredible testament to our sport that there are individuals and groups who will display the most amazing resilience in the face of everything nature can throw at them.
Whether it is on a bank side, a beach or huddled in a bivvy on an overnight session, the winter angler displays not only skill but a determination in the harshest of the elements.
Conditions on Sunday for the first round of the Worksop and District AA and Gateford Angling Supplies Pairs Winter League could not have been harsher with a bitterly cold north-easterly wind blowing for the duration of the match and the drop in temperatures seeing bites hard to come by.
In a sterling display of endurance, not one of the 34 competitors called it a day before the final whistle blew including some of the association’s junior anglers and it was these youngsters who occupied three of the top four positions.
Mark Woodcock led the field on peg 56 with a creditable winter weight of 6lb 8oz with young Danny Harding employing the ground bait feeder with a blood worm hook bait to good effect for second off peg 79 with 5lb 10oz. Third place went to Worksop junior Josh Wilde off peg 28 with 5lb 7oz and just 2oz behind in joint fourth Matt Godfrey on peg 30 and Adrian Higginbotham on peg 26, both weighing 5lb 5oz.
The leading pair after the first match are Mark Pressley and Andy Pickersgill on three points with Brian Gibson and Higginbotham just behind on five. Match organiser Gordon Smith would like to thank Kim and Michael at Snak Attak for their hospitality in allowing the draw to be held on their premises and also to thank Geoff Mawby for his kind sponsorship of the event.

With the festive season nearly upon us many of you will be looking forward to opening new tackle on Christmas morning, we would like to remind you that local tackle dealers offer a back-up service and sound advice that is second to none and can not be matched on the internet or by mail order.
Events taking place over the holiday week include a mini-Christmas series taking place at the new Kiveton waters on the old Kiveton Colliery site. There is a £30 entry fee with an additional pools on the day. Matches are Saturday 23rd December, Wednesday 27th and Saturday 30th. For more information or to register contact Colleen or Wayne on 07789 954452.
Also on Boxing Day, John at Riverside Fisheries is holding an open match with a £10 entry fee, draw at 9am with an additional £100 golden peg dependent on the number of enteries. The café will be open for breakfasts and for information you can contact John on 01302 711889.
Anyone interested in fishing the Guardian/ Pickwicks Beach Open on 6th January, contact Roger as soon as possible. The competition is open to everyone in the Guardian readership area.

CLUB RESULTS
MEMBERS of the Station Hotel Angling Club of Shireoaks visited the Croft Pool at Hallcroft on Saturday 2nd December where they found the conditions reasonable but the fish hard to locate, particularly on the pole line. 1st Dave Brown 10lb 12ozs maggot feeder, maggot hookbait for 10 stock carp; 2nd Andy Spencer 9lb 02oz maggot feeder, maggot hookbait; 3rd Mick Swift 7lb 08oz maggot feeder, maggot hookbait.
Competitors at the Hatfield Arms and Peg 31 Canal Winter League also braced themselves in gale force winds and all-round difficult conditions on the Chesterfield Canal at Clayworth where all participants managed to catch. 1st Chris Crosby 7lb peg 12 using pinkie over joker for bream and tench to 2lb and 1½ lb respectively; 2nd Jack Eavson 5lb 6oz peg five pinkie over joker for roach and skimmers; 3rd Craig Crosby 5lb 5oz peg one bloodworm and joker.

LAKESIDE ROUND-UP
SATURDAY saw the third round of Linda’s Lakeside Winter League on the main match lake at the Ranskill venue where Jeff Gladwin fished bomb fished meat on peg 18 to take a winning net of carp weighing 24lb 12oz with Mick Parsons second with 23lb 8oz off peg 31 using the same method; 3rd Jeff Clarke weighing 14lb 15oz of carp and chub off peg four using the maggot feeder.
On the strip ponds, pleasure angler Mark Smithson had a net of goldfish roach skimmers and perch of over 40lb using pole fished chopped worm or maggot. On the carp lake, Colin Little netted three fish off peg four which included an impressive mirror of 26lb using boilie.
On the trout lake, Phil Hooton netted a stunning rainbow of over 9lb in his 10-fish haul using cats whisker on intermediate line with fellow fly-caster Mick Adams of Maltby banking 12 fish to 3lb on pink fritz and intermediate line.

LODGE FARM ROUND-UP
AT the Ring o Bells AC match on the Long Island on Saturday, John Peddlar needed 63lb to win off the north peg, pole fishing pellet corn or maggot with Dave Clark way behind in second weighing 23lb 15oz off peg 101.
Bill tells us that the signal pond is showing good form at the moment to pleasure anglers with the new stockies and ide gracing the nets of fishermen using pellet or maggot hookbait.
Before the sharp frosts over the weekend the Lily Pond was responding to the groundbait or maggot feeder cast over towards the sunken Island.

SHERWOOD FOREST FARM PARK
WINTER League round nine, Maunside and Cavendish Lakes, Saturday, 26 fished: 1st Dean Richmond 47lb 14oz peg two Maunside; 2nd Don Clarke 38lb 6oz peg four Maunside; 3rd Rob Ward 21lb peg three Maunside. A hard frost made it very hard on both lakes with the top weights all coming from the same section on the Maunside, Richmond fishing pole and alternating between corn meat and maggot. With one round left to fish Mick Langton leads on 17 points.
Holmedale Lake, Sunday, 20 fished: 1st Neil Wilkinson 17lb 4oz peg 17 pole and pellet; 2nd Glenn Greasley 16lb 12oz peg 25; 3rd Dave Madin 11lb 4oz peg 39. A very frosty start to this match where most anglers struggled for bites.

RIVERSIDE ROUND-UP
POLE and pellet is still ruling the roost at the Scrooby venue where this method has accounted for all the top weights over the last week.
Last Monday saw Keith Noble win with 29lb 14oz off peg 11 in the match on the Sandmartins with Ian Temple weighing 26lb 9oz off peg 14 in second.
On Tuesday on the main lake, Jamie Masson landed a winning weight of 84lb 8oz from peg 38 with venue expert Les Richardson relegated to second place weighing 33lb 6oz off peg nine.
We are informed that the strip pond is fishing extremely well with four anglers weighing in over 100lb between them on Monday on pole fished pellet or sweetcorn.

DAIWA HALLCROFT RESULTS
DAIWA Hallcroft Silver/Carp (Saturday) Moat: 1st Nick Speed 49lb 6oz peg outer 26 bomb and corn and pole at 12m; 2nd A. Crouch 35lb 10oz peg island 54 fishing pole and pellet; 3rd S. Gray 34lb 2oz peg outer 14.
Tournament League (Sunday) Croft: 1st S. Gray 19lb 7oz peg 22 pole and pellet; 2 P. Wright 14lb 11oz peg 27.
Tigra/Daiwa Hallcroft Silverfish Teams of Four (Round Four) Bridge/Moat/Reed: 1st Nick Speed 16lb 2oz; 2nd Neil Vernon 13lb 6oz. Positions: 1st Hallcroft Select 59 points; 2nd Triana North 65; 3rd Hallcroft Red 78.
Daiwa Hallcroft Tournament League (Tuesday) Croft (12 Pegs): 1st A. Favill 36lb peg one pellet on pole; 2nd Joe Simms, Hallcroft, 34lb 12oz peg five pole and maggot.
Wednesday, Moat Island (15 Pegs): 1st Jamie Masson 87lb 4oz peg 61 pole and pellet; 2nd Alan Crouch 52lb 12oz peg 66 pole, pellet and meat.
Daiwa Hallcroft Veterans League (Thursday) Moat (24 Pegs): 1st Geoff Bennett 29lb 12oz peg island 69 fishing at 6m with corn; 2 Arnie Payling 20lb 12oz peg outer 19 fishing pellet short on the pole.