SOME 23 brave anglers faced icy conditions to fish Salisbury Angling Club’s annual Hangover Match over the festive period.

The match was fished on the Avon and it was so cold that the rod rings kept freezing up. The conditions were reflected in the weights with Chris Opie’s 6lb 4oz bag of roach sufficient to win the day. Dave George was runner-up with 4lb 8oz comprising grayling and dace and Tony Rolfes was third with a bag of dace and gudgeon weighing 2lb 13oz.

The river was fairly low and crystal clear as the rain forecast before Christmas did not reach as far east as Salisbury. This meant that river anglers have struggled throughout the festive holiday.

The start of the new year will see two major changes that will affect anglers in the area as two long-established tackle shops are to close. The Eadie family are retiring after nearly 50 years running John Eadie Sports and Fishing Tackle Ltd in Salisbury, first on the corner of New Canal and Queen Street before moving their long-established business to Catherine Street.

And, closing down in Ringwood in a few weeks time will be Avon Angling Centre, run by well-known angler and author, Andy Brown and his wife, Martine, for more than 20 years. Both shops will be sorely missed by the angling fraternity who wish both owners all the best in 2017 and beyond.