RECENT floods on the River Dane have done the Warrington Anglers' Association a favour by scouring out some new deep swims where banks were undercut by the torrents.

The River Mersey has seen some high tides this past week which have brought in a new attraction in the shape of a seal. If you want to see our visitor, it seems to patrol between Mersey Walk and Kingsway Bridge.

Sport is slow at Rixton Claypits with only a few pike reported. Mark Preston banked a 12lbs mirror from Grey Mist.

Good news comes from a bailiffs who was trying out his new toy, a high intensity handlamp, when he saw massive shoals of roach near the carpark.

Ackers Pit is a good bet this weekend for roach catches to 8ozs on caster or squat.

The Macclesfield Canal is fishing well for roach, perch and gudgeon with the odd ghost carp up to 7lbs. Pegs near Watery Lane Aqueduct and the opposite end of our length at Park Lane are the hot spots.

On the Bridgewater Canal my advice is to follow the match results for current form - organisers are rarely wrong. The Saturday Open winner put four carp on the scales for 29lbs 8ozs 0drms but lost five, including one estimated at 15lbs.

All our stillwater fisheries close on Sunday night with the exception of Budworth Mere, the Trent and Mersey Canal and Macclesfield Canal. They re-open on May 1. Our river fisheries remain for coarse fishing until March 14 and re-open on June 16.

Junior match squad member Neil Jones absolutely paralysed the opposition on the Trent and Mersey Canal at the Saturday junior event. He fished the pole and bread punch to put 12 skimmer bream to 10ozs plus small roach on the scales for 4-15-15.

HQ Parker Street is open as usual tonight, Friday. I can be contacted on 01928 716238, fax 713898. If you haven't had your new card yet please ring me now.

Frank Lythgoe

Results:

Disabled and Over 60s: 1, Vin Walsh 3-7-0; 2, Dennis Greenhalgh 3-0-0; 3, Bill Welsby 2-1-0; 4, Dennis Bates 2-0-0

Women: 1, Lin Lawton 2-2-0; 2, Janice Holland 1-11-0; 3, Bev Smith 1-3-2; 4, Pam Wyatt 1-1-10.

Juniors, Trent and Mersey: 1, Neil Jones 4-15-15; 2, James Taylor 2-3-0; 3, Gary Bateman 14-10.

Warrington Winter League: 1, Graham Hutchinson 9-1-0; 2, Dennis Greenhalgh 5-4-0; 3, Mark Bibby 3-13-11; 4, Pete Cummings 3-8-0

Saturday Open: 1, Keith Moores 29-8-0; 2, Bob Roberts 11-3-0; 3, Mark Van der Camp 9-9-0; 4, Pete Humphries 8-9-7; 5, Derek Walker 6-7-0.

Coming events: Saturday: National Fund Open, draw 11am, Grappenhall Sports Club (pegs 384-500). Women's Winter Series, draw 11.30am on bank (pegs 695-710). Junior Match, draw noon on bank Statham (pegs 800-820).

Converted for the new archive on 13 March 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.