PIKE are making their presence known on the Sankey Canal to Lymm Angling Club members.

This is specially the case at Phase One from Bewsey Bridge to the old Liverpool Road.

While they are considered a nuisance by a lot of anglers, all pike caught must be returned to the water alive!

Anyone taking it upon themselves to kill any coarse fish will be subject to severe disciplinary action and, or, a possible prosecution.

By and large action is still slow on most waters following the frosts, although some waters are improving daily.

Village Pool has returned to its reliable self with plenty of fish responding to light tackle and small baits.

Statham Pool is also producing fish in the middle, in the deepest water. Mathew Dobson found these fish, fishing on the tip.

Most rivers are now in a fishable state and should be fishing well.

The Bollin and Wincham Brook are performing with grayling and chub being the targeted fish on Wincham, while a mixed bag can be expected from the Bollin.

Farm Pool is another water that remains reliable through most weather conditions. This does not mean that summer bagging sessions will be emulated in the depths of winter but catch rates can be as good, and often better, than anywhere else in similar conditions.

Grimsditch is slowly recovering from the recent freeze up, although it is only small skimmers and rudd that can be caught in numbers.

Very few anglers are venturing on to the bigger waters, this is probably due to the difficulty expected in locating the fish while they are shoaled up.

However, those waters tend to have deeper water than small pools and anglers prepared to find these deeper swims are often rewarded with good sport.

This was in evidence when a day ticket angler on Lymm Dam, fishing long range on the tip, managed to land a procession of bream to 2.5lbs.

He was fishing a medium closed feeder, using a tail of nearly four feet, with caster over worm on the hook. He pointed out that accuracy of casting was the secret, once the deeper water was located.

On the trout scene fishing at Bentley Trout Pool remains good. This was one of a few waters that managed to keep itself free of ice.

It appears that during the cold spell it was the smaller fish that remained most active. To tempt a take from the bigger fish it was necessary to inch a fly along the bottom, something that requires a great deal of patience.

Millbrook Trout Facility is receiving some finishing touches and should be open before the end of this month.

By now each member should have received a subs reminder letter. If you have not then please contact the secretary.

I can be contacted on 411774.

Neil Jupp

Lymm Angling Club's results:

Thursday's Sankey Canal match, Waterways car park: 1, D. Griffiths, 5lbs 13ozs 0drms; 2, Bob Brander, 3-8-2; 3, Ray Boden, 3-1-0; 4, Gary Whalley, 2-15-0.

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