Patience rewarded with decent catches on Ancholme
Terry did a survey on the Ancholme in 1962 and one of the items of interest was the fact that the Ancholme bream downstream of Brigg fed on white ragworm, which live in salt water. I won a match on the river using white rag from the Humber bank during low tide.
Terry is to complete a book on the effects of the last 50 years on the Ancholme and its environs. He is now Dr and Professor at Southampton University
RIVER ANCHOLME: While not breaking any weight records for fish catches, those being returned show that decent catches are being made. And a decent gradient from first to last is also satisfactory in the poor weather conditions, which have tuned many still waters into patience-trying pools. Good roach and a few perch to maggots and casters for some anglers, but the best weights are still being taken on bread punch. No reports yet of pike anglers catching the bigger pike, but the fish are certainly there.
GRANGE PARK, MESSINGHAM: Fishing well considering the conditions, with winning weights coming from any peg. Alan Foster did the double with two Sunday wins when, after having only two fish in the net after four hours, he searched the swim with maggot and pellet.
HAVEN FISHERIES: Please note, the Black Bank Pond (Trent Pond) as from February 28 will be closed to both day and night fishing. The Scotter Road and Black Walk ponds will remain open for day and night fishing. The latter must be pre-booked on (01724) 762331. Water levels are still high just now but should soon be back to normal.
HUNTERS LODGE, ELSHAM: Willows – up and down this week with varying weather conditions. Action definitely picked up on Sunday with most people catching, small 10mm boilies doing the best.
Kestrel – only a couple of anglers fished it this week and both found it hard going.
Heron – small roach keeping anglers busy, catching steadily all day. Some warmer evening temperatures should definitely improve sport.
KEADBY CANAL: Most silver fish anglers have kept away from the cold and clear water conditions. Only the pike anglers have cast their spinners, plugs and dead-baits to catch a few fish.
There is a story going round that a 30-pounder caught at the Basin end has been caught again, but this time it weighed 29lb (as told to Tim Dale who bailiffs the canal). The same anglers told Tim they saw a bit of excitement at the Crowle end of the canal when an angler who was using bloodworm had foul-hooked a pike and got it banked to weigh 26lb. This on a day when legit pike men could not tempt a fish of that size for love or money.
KEADBY DRAINS: Only pike anglers showing at Pilfrey, where the sport continues to be promising for the dead-bait men and decent pike are being caught on most days.
KINGFISHER LODGE, HIBALDSTOW: The anglers who turned up have caught a few carp to 14lb on small boilies. Roach to 1.5lb to single maggot from the shallows. Perch to 2.5lb off the shelf, where they seem to patrol in their hunt for food fish. Skimmers have been quiet, with just odd ones from pegs 20 to 25. No-one has fished the chub pegs which are exposed to the cold northerly winds.
MARSHLANDS, BARTON-UPON-HUMBER: Now showing signs of the catches expected at this fishery, as the Scunthorpe Open last Sunday shows. Skimmers and even the odd tench are stirring to get fattened up ready for the coming spawning in a few months time. Jim Lambert is happy to report that things appear to be looking brighter and it will take only a degree or two to get back into the better catches.
MESSINGHAM SANDS: Carp didn't take kindly to the cold north easterly winds blowing across the lakes last week and refused to feed. Sport was probably as bad as it has been all winter, although things did pick up over the weekend.
Goldthorpe AC had low expectations for their open match on the Swan Pond on Saturday, so the winning weight of 70lb and some good backing weights surprised everybody.
Similarly, Queen Bess AC had a 70lb-plus winning weight of carp in their Saturday match on the Tripp Lake. The winning method was maggots fished shallow on the waggler for carp to 6lb.
The Oak Tree Pond is in exceptional form for skimmers and the Silver Fish Open on Saturday saw the top three competitors weigh in over 100lb of silver fish between them, with the 10th man having over 20lb of fish.
YADDLETHORPE PONDS: It is quite clear that the anglers willing to change down their tackle to suit the conditions are getting the best of the sport here. Last week one angler sat on the point and had a good catch of roach, this week the same angler sat on a peg the other side of the pond and had a decent catch. Gary Cooper said, a long time back, that the big bait and thick lines men were doing themselves and the fish no good by not scaling down.
