Frank Lythgoe’s weekly Warrington Anglers’ Association column

MEMBERS are still reporting good catches around our waters.

Match stalwarts Steve Brookes and Rod Frazer fished Appleton Reservoir on Wednesday when Steve had 70 roach up to 1lb taken on groundbait feeder and pole tactics whilst Rod caught 105 roach all on the feeder.

They used maggots with groundbait laced with casters and hemp in the feeder.

Bites were savage as soon as the feeder hit the bottom and on the-drop when Rod switched to the pole.

The roach were in immaculate condition.

If this isn’t a great advert and encouragement for parents to take their children fishing I don’t know what is – as last week we welcomed Dawn and Mark Preston back to Warrington Anglers’ Association along with their young family, Marley, 10, Leon, 9, Jaxon, 6, and Shae 5.

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Dawn reported that they had a belting start when Leon and herself caught two nice mirrors out of High Legh on Friday and typically as is the case with many anglers started bragging as Mark hadn’t had any carp at that point.

He soon put that right with a lovely common out of Grey Mist at 15-8-0 on Sunday and then followed it up with a nice mirror of 13-5-0 the next day at Rixton.

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The boys had six bream between them, although as Dawn said: “A bit slimy for my liking, but as long as they are catching, I am happy. We are loving it even more after being cooped up for so long, we will never take fishing for granted again.”

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Terry Felton had a very pleasurable six-hour session at Rixton Claypits this past week where he caught 13 bream on quiver-tipped sweetcorn, all over 3lbs. The fish were in excellent condition with the exception of one specimen. Terry also had a surprise bonus pike about 3-4lbs, which took his sweetcorn bait as he reeled in.

Anthony Quinn fished a very weedy Cicily Mill Pool on Thursday and as he was landing a carp, he ended up with another in the net. Love is a powerful stimulant!

Our bailiffs are looking to be closing pegs where the fish are actively spawning around our fisheries and in any case a caring angler would never target spawning fish whether the swim was closed or not.

Karl McArdle has just rejoined Warrington Anglers’ Association after a 25-year absence and decided on Grey Mist on Thursday for his first session. His visit was christened with a grass carp of 26-3-0, which to my knowledge is the only one in the Mist.

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Michael White had his first carp over 20lbs from Rixton Claypits soon followed by another stunning looking fish.

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By comparison on a much bigger fishery, at our association owned 53-acre Sandiway lake, our bailiff Andrew Hewson although targeting carp was more than happy with four tench to 8-12-0 to which he added a cracking specimen bream of 11lbs. I am reliably informed that at least 14 carp to 33lbs came out over a four-day period.

Andrew Spears braved the high winds when others were cancelling their sessions and fished an overnight session on the smaller Sandiway (17.5 acre) lake.

Unfortunately, he blanked but his mate Phil Worby kicked off his first fishing trip since ‘lockdown’ with a 7lb bream, followed by a 25lb mirror and later topped by a 26-2-0 common.

Despite water levels being high and a lot of pegs underwater they were both pleased to be back on the bank fishing.

New members Martin Cockcroft and his brother Steve christened their first visit to one of our fisheries at Woodshaw Reservoir in Wigan. They were kept busy with 120fish between them, mainly roach and skimmers, but a handful of decent crucians. They would have liked more but who wouldn’t. Having said that they are now working their way around all our fisheries with Rixton next.

Lucas Procec had an unforgettable day on his first visit to Appleton Reservoir when he smashed his personal best no less than three times.

It was his first fishing trip since October last year and started catching roach from the off but they were not his intended target.

But after two hours things fell into place and he landed a 25lb mirror carp eclipsing his previous PB of 18lb. Three hours later he was sliding his landing net under another mirror carp, this time 26lb.

This was followed minutes later by a 16lbs mirror but the best one came at the end of his session with a cracking 27lb leather carp which he battled with for 15 minutes until it finally lay safely in the net. So, four carp and about 3lbs of decent roach all in all a fantastic day.

A few members have sussed that I have a Facebook account and are regularly ‘asking to be my friend’ …..well to put matters straight I do not use it, well maybe infrequently to answer something brought to my attention within my family, in fact twice so far this year. So, please don’t think I am a miserable ignorant so and so when I completely ignore such requests, I am in fact extremely friendly and gregarious but just do not have the time to do Facebook.

WAA Headquarters at 52, Parker Street remain closed on Friday evenings until further notice. Members renewing can simply put their book in an envelope with their payment, a stamped addressed envelope, and post through our HQ door where mail is collected and dealt with daily.

If you need any further information or have a catch report to share in this column, which is helpful for your fellow anglers, give me a call on 01928 716238 or email frank@warrington-anglers.org.uk.