Angling round-up

Teams of ten lined up along the Shropshire Union canal at Little Onn for the first round of the Warwickshire Winter League.

Unfortunately four consecutive overnight frosts had lowered the water temperature which resulted in quite a few very poor catches.

But it required a double figure weight to make the individual frame which was won by Stuart Conroy with 19-3-0.

The Drennan North West team man caught eight chub all around the 2lb mark plus a few mixed small fish.

Second placed Matt Forster (Sensas North West) also got among the chub and hooked five for 15-5-0.

He was on the end peg of the Goodyear A C controlled waters where he relied on worms.

Yet another Drennan North West team man, Darren Frost was third with 15-1-0, made up with 11 chub, also off the Goodyear section.

Tipton’s Martin Owen was next with 11-14-9 (six chub on casters) over his team-mate Paul Turner 10-15-0 and Darren Massey (Shakespeare) 10-2-0.

Top team Drennan North West dropped 41 penalty points over Sensas North West 43, while Tipton and Shakespeare shared third place each with 44.

*Stafford journalist Tony Keeling chalked up a well deserved victory with an 8-5-10 haul in the latest Stoke City A A’s open match.

This took place along the Shropshire Union canal at Gnosall where the Eclipse team stalwart drew peg 163.

Concentrating with caster feed and hookbait under the far bank he hooked 25 roach and bream hybrids to 12 oz.

Second man Dean Williams (Colmic Isaac Walton) caught 6-14-12 of roach and perch with squatt and pinkie maggots from a peg in the same section.

Other leading weights came from Ade Shepherd (W B Clarke) 6-11-12, (which included a 1lb roach), Paul Ross (Shakespeare) 6-10-7.

Bob Egerton (Colmic Isaac Walton) 5-13-12 and Steve Faux (Eclipse) 5-12-8.

*The Linley waters on the left bank of the River Severn produced some mixed catches and a 42-8-0 winning bag for local rod Nick Gretton in the latest Bridgnorth A S open match.

Drawn at peg 101, he used a waggler float with maggots offered at long range to attract eight chub to 4lbs plus odd barbel to 5lbs.

Second placed Jamie Potts (Bridgnorth) fished peg 150 above the golf course where he landed eight chub between 3lbs and 4 lbs for 27-13-0 using similar tactics.

Willenhall ace Nigel Ball (Mosella) was third with 21-15-0. He caught dace and small chub using maggots at nearby peg 147. Richard Duke (Bridgnorth) 21-1-0 and John Walker (Shimano) 21-0-0 competed the frame.

*Dudley’s Kevin Perry clinched the latest Stirrup Cup AC’s open match with a modest for the venue 4-4-10 haul.

Frosts were blamed for the much poorer than usual catch weights on the Birmingham Fazeley canal at Curdworth.

Perry drew peg No 47 where he wasted valuable time with worm baits.

A switch to squatt and pinkie maggots did the trick attracting small roach and gudgeon.

Pete Allwood (Long Eaton Federation) was second with 3-12-8 over Alan Newman (Stirrup Cup) 3-10-0 and Andy Pasco (Central Tackle) 3-7-5.

*The Cross Keys section of the Staffs Worcester canal at Penkridge proved a hard nut to crack and a modest 4-3-4 haul clinched the latest Wolverhampton ‘Over Fifty Fives’ open match.

George Davies, wearing the Midleisure badge, made the catch at peg No 6 near the new bridge.

Relying on squatt maggots feed and hookbait he attracted small roach, perch and bream.

The bulk of second-placed Bill Davies’s (Bilston Angling) 3-7-2 haul consisted of a brace of chub which responded to chopped worms and casters.

He added a few mixed small fish. John Burness (Goodyear) was third with 2-13-11 over Cliff Harrison (Penkridge) 2-9-5, Wilf Kneller (Midleisure) 2-7-13 and Carl Davies (Bilston Angling) 2-5-9.

*The first round of the new Bilston Angling League was held along the Staffs Worcester canal at Wombourne where Mark Westwood won easily with a 11-0-12 haul.

Wearing the organising club colours, he came up trumps at peg No 2 towards Botterham lock where he hooked and landed 11 similar sized chub.

Tackle shop proprietor John Hall was second, but almost 5lbs adrift with 6-13-0.

He fished a peg near Planks Lane at the opposite end of the length where mixed gudgeon, roach and perch came to squatt and casters.

Veteran expert Wilf Kneller (Midleisure) was third with 5-10-0 of mostly gudgeon many of which he caught with hempseed.

Next came Bert Simmill (Brittons Tackle) with 4-4-12 and Steve Cope (Walsall) 3-9-7.

*Although the River Severn was carrying an extra six inches of water it was still quite clear and catches in the latest Birmingham AA’s open contest at Ripple in Worcestershire were very disappointing.

Winner Steve Buckley from Cheltenham could only manage 6-6-0 made up with small bream taken on swimfeeder and maggots.

Gloucester visitors Brian Workman 4-7-0 and Terry Raybould 2-5-0 were second and third over Dave Webb (BAA) 2-2-0.