Angling By Chris Bowman

Published at 05:45, Friday, 22 August 2008

MIKE Grimes stopped the traffic on the Great Corby road on Saturday afternoon as a crowd of spectators built up eager to see the results of the epic battle unfolding in the Church Pool on the Yorkshire Fly Fishers beat of the river Eden at Warwick Bridge.

Mike was fishing with pool with a Keepers Secret fly when it was taken just below the fishing hut by a big powerful fish which drew quite a crowd on the adjacent road before he could eventually land and return the big coloured cock fish estimated at over 20lb.

Mike went on to land and return two more fish a sea liced 6lb grilse in the Church Pool and a fresh run ninepounder at Spout Beck.

Mike told me that Saturday afternoon was the first time for some weeks that the river had reached a suitable height for fly fishing on the YFF’s water at Wetheral.

Amazingly Mike Grime’s fish is the 12th salmon of 20lb or more that has been reported to me since the beginning of the season, to give you an idea of just how special this season is in terms of big salmon.

This year, two anglers, David Bamford and Geoff Cowburn, have landed two Eden 20 pounders each from Warwick Hall and YFF’s beats respectively. We have also seen Mike Noble of Armathwaite catch and return a 25 pounder.

But the daddy of them all and current leader in this season’s competition for the captor of the biggest Eden salmon of the season is Paddy McCrenor’s salmon caught on the fly in Mill Beck on the YFF water back in April and the.

Paddy’s fish, a superbly proportioned spring salmon of 42 inches, was estimated at between 30 and 34lb.

At Whins Pond on Tuesday night, Stainton’s Tom Myerscough targeted bream from peg 27 with spicy shrimp and prawn boilies at about 35 metres. He found one but also caught three small carp for a winning weight of 25lb 12oz.

Dave Wardman pegged next to Tom used his worms in conjunction with feeder, fished to the mid lake lily bed. He landed two carp for a total of 21lb 5oz giving him six points and a nine-point lead in the league over Ian Corri.

Glen Martin landed three bream and a small carp on boilie and totalled 19lb 7oz for third place.

Barry Whear had a tremendous catch of silver fish for 9lb 4oz and fourth place, catching at around a fish a minute.

Steve Cooper landed two bream and some skimmers for 7lb 15oz in fifth place and Tim Gustard had two bream for 7lb 9oz.

The venue will host the next of the float-only (pole & waggler) matches on Sunday, Aug 31, draw 8am fish 9 to 3pm).

Harrington Sea Angling Club’s latest match was fished at Bootle on Saturday between 5pm to 9pm.

Heavy weed made the fishing difficult but 8 anglers managed to land 13 fish; seven eels, four dogfish, one bass and two flounders were landed.

First was Brian Holiday with a dog fish and a bass for a total weight of 4lb 12½oz, Brian’s bass weighing 2lb 8oz was the heaviest fish caught on the night.

Second was Alan Hill with two dogfish for 3lb 4oz and third was Darren Pape with an eel and a dogfish for a total bag weight of 2 lb 9½oz.

Anyone wishing to join the club regardless of experience please contact Alan on 01900 67257 or Mike on 01946 830918.

In Sunday’s Carlisle and District at club match Kelhead Quarry near Annan, Andy Davidson took first place with a 14lb 2oz bag of small roach that included four quality ide each weighing around 2lb a piece all taken on pole tactics.

Second was Warren Richardson with a 13lb 5oz net that included one ide as well as small roach, Warren also fished the pole up in the water. Neil Rudd netted 11lb 2oz of ide and small roach on the pole to take third place

Up-and-coming match angler Josh Hamilton aged 16 has been crowned winner of the Carlton Hill Fishery Thursday night league, Josh who works in Geoff Wilson’s Practical Gunsmiths topped this seasons league with 94 points.

Second was Mally Miller 73 points, third Mike Shaw 52 points, fourth Colin Griffin 48 points and fifth Dave Ward 24 points.

On the lower Eden this week Mick Archer of Congleton landed a 17lb salmon whilst spinning.

Published by http://www.newsandstar.co.uk