The fly not quite as successful in North Lincs as it is in Canada

SEEING a few fishing programmes on television recently, some of them showing the wonderful fishing for salmon and trout in Alaska, two things stood out.

First, the clarity of the water and the same simple 'fly' used by the majority of the anglers.

Clear water is to be expected in those wild and far distant places, there are no polluting factories and very few people living there.

The 'fly', a round orange blob, represents a fish egg, be it salmon or trout, and when there are spawning fish other fish wait for their chance to eat the eggs of other fish.

Given the number of spawning fish, it is not surprising that a lot of fish are caught. That orange blob works here too, but not so often as it seems to do over in Canada.

RIVER ANCHOLME: Keen Ancholme anglers know just how they like the river to be – coloured a nice greeny brown, not too dense and a steady draw on as the sluice gates are open at Ferriby. Tide times don't look too bad for next week and if Sunday's Scunthorpe Open match at the Cake Mills is any guide, there should be some good weights coming out until the end of the season. Lee Harrison, the bread punch man supreme, took 19lb 2oz off peg at the Cake Mills on Sunday to stamp his authority on this venue.

BLYTON PONDS: Although the fishing has been sporadic, die-hard anglers have been surprised to find the fish have been up in the water and not hard on the bottom, with casters and maggots the best baits. The other surprise is that instead of coming on feed later in the day, these fish have fed right from the first cast.

A and D Ponds have yielded good roach, D pond also yielded a 15lb common carp and B pond produced fish of 6.5 and 8lb as well as silver fish.

Bookings now being taken for the Spring Match, to use all ponds on March 7. Ring Angela on (01724) 628240, all anglers get something, fee £12.50.

GRANGE PARK FISHERY: Once again the weather dictated how the lakes fished. Sub-zero temperatures until Thursday put the fish off feed, but a slight rise in temperature on Friday saw a return to feeding to such an extent that 43lb of small carp on pellets for pleasure angler Alan Foster was needed to win the match.

HAVEN FISHERIES: Water levels high, but the fish are still on the feed to light tackle, maggots and casters.

KEADBY CANAL: Needs just a little rise in temperature to bring the fish on feed, especially with a bit of colour in the water. A few silver fish at Basin end to casters and maggots, but the fish most in evidence are the pike, some really good fish seen lying in wait.

KEADBY DRAINS: Pilfrey Bridge end has been busy since the thaw, with pike anglers using dead-baits, such as half and full herrings for pike of 20lb, 15lb, 13lb and 9lb and the odd jack.

HUNTERS LODGE, ELSHAM: Willows – as with all other lakes, was frozen again up to Wednesday. Once clear, fish could be spotted moving around, a few anglers fished Sunday and all had a few bites and fish up to 16lb.

Kestrel – didn't see any anglers this week.

Kingfisher – fishing very hard, locating the fish is the hardest problem, with them being tightly shoaled up.

Heron – plenty of small roach being caught with pole or waggler and maggot fished shallow.

KINGFISHER LODGE, HIBALDSTOW: Plenty of small silvers everywhere to float fished maggots and a few decent carp to small boilies from the deeper water. Fish have tended to increase their feeding later in the day and have come up in the water to loose fed maggots and casters. Chub showing more interest off peg 6.

MARSHLANDS, BARTON-UPON-HUMBER: The recent ice-over has really given the fish's appetite a battering, but catches are improving all the time. Anglers who really know this water are aware that the fish go into the deeper water, and during the cold weather there is little sign of sport until the afternoon. Ground-bait feeder rigs and waiting until the afternoon has paid off at such times for the carp, tench and big bream.

MESSINGHAM SANDS: Despite a week in which the lakes have iced over and defrosted almost on a daily basis, some good results have been achieved, as can be seen from the latest match results. The Sunday Open on the Swan pond was won by Roger Hill, from Sheffield, surprisingly from peg 54, which was the shallowest peg in the match. Roger fished bomb and meat for 70lb of carp.

Goldthorpe switched their Saturday Open from a frozen Islands Lake to Merry's Pool. The winner, with 56lb of carp, headed a string of reasonable weights. Paul Brunyee, from Castleford, won a close run Silverfish match on Saturday on the Swan pond with 15lb of skimmers and goldfish.

Plenty of quality roach, skimmers and perch from the North and South Day Ticket Lakes, and almost a bite every cast on light tackle and small baits on the Oak Tree Pond as anglers enjoy the prolific stocks of skimmers, which feed whatever the weather.

PISCES AC WATERS: Still waters fishing slow, with fish responding to small baits. Reasonable catches on milder days. Rivers much the same, chub and the odd barbel being caught on Trent. Some good pike being caught on the Witham. I am pleased to announce two new venues for 2010, we have the Trent at Coates, which runs about 3/4 mile on the outside of a bend and has good vehicular access. We have also just acquired the long term lease of a four-acre lake at Thornton Abbey, available to fish from April 1.

YADDLETHORPE PONDS: Martyn Ferraby had a good session on the Match Pit off the point, catching match-size roach to 12oz and decent perch, all to single white maggot as hook-bait and loose feeding three or four maggots in now and again. Pike were being hooked and lost on the Match Pit. Three moderately sized pike were banked on the Cut.