Brilliant Butler serves up Big Max success

Reporter: Jan Verbruggen
Date published: 10 October 2014


ANGLING: 

STEVE Butler dominated at the Old Hough Farm open, which took place on the Big Max Lake.

His method feeder, micros and corn saw him net some decent mirrors and common carp for a 74lb 13oz total.

Craig Whittaker was second with another method feeder-tempted catch of f1s which weighed 70lb 12oz. Darren Mulheir won a section with 60lb 5oz of mostly carp taken on method feeder, before a switch to the long pole netted him some f1s.

And James Cantello (Tri-Cast Highfield) claimed his section with a method feeder start, before switching to top-up boilies as he snared 45lb 8oz.



FAILSWORTH-based Ian Walvin impressed at a two-day festival at the Somerset venue of Trinity Waters. He took a day one win with 55lb 14oz of skimmers and carp taken on meat fished short, and chopped worm long.

Brad Parks was the runner-up with his 40lb 11oz net made up of carp. Day two saw another Oldham angler top the weights, with Terry Shaw tipping 98lb 15oz of mostly carp on to the scales to easily win the match.



SUNDAY’S Todmorden AS open match fished on the Akzo chemicals works length of the Rochdale Canal was a rock-hard affair with just a few of the pegs fishing anything like they normally do.

The winner was Carl Hawthorne (Halifax Matrix) with a 4lb 8oz net, which included a big perch that weighed in at 1lb 14oz. He also had some decent-sized roach which fell to caster, while the big perch took worm.

Dave Chadwick wasn’t far behind as he tipped 4lb 6oz of small roach and perch on to the scales, taken on bread punch and worm fished at four and 11 metres. I managed third with my 3lb 6oz of small roach.



GEOFF Carr took the money in the latest of the Twingates AC OAPs matches on the club water, with his 10lb 7oz made up of roach and perch caught on chopped worm and caster.



I fished the lorry park length of the Rochdale Canal for pleasure and found it hard going as a cold night, gin-clear water conditions and active pike put paid to my plans of a successful day.

I fished simply, cupping in a small pot of liquidised bread at seven metres and some casters down my peg at 13 metres with a view to catching decent roach later in the session.

It was slow-going on the bread so after half-an-hour I was on the caster and was surprised to have half-a-dozen bites.

A few decent roach were netted before the first of three roach were snatched off by pike. Roach on the punch came, but I ended the session early with just 2lb in two hours.




Venue Guide


Denshaw Vale: Memberships available. Contact John on (0161) 665 1779 for details.

Dowry Reservoir: Day tickets £5 per rod available in advance from Tight Lines, Shaw. Maximum two rods per angler. No night fishing.

Ogden Reservoir: Day tickets £5 on the bank and at Tight Lines, Shaw. Carp and pike being caught to double figures. For information, call at Tight Lines.

Strinesdale Reservoir: Day tickets on the bank. Full of fish, but not many anglers on the bank. Maggot on the pole for lots of silvers.

Cargate Pool: Medlock Bridge AC members-only water.

Park lake: Day tickets on the bank. Steady rather than fishing well. Perch and silvers on most pegs. Maggot and caster the best baits.

Rochdale Canal: Littleborough lengths fishing hard with gin-clear water and plenty of pike activity not helping. Bread punch the best bait by far for small roach.

Bardsley Canal: Day tickets on the bank.

Hollingworth Lake: Day-ticket water available from the lakeside cafes.

Tanners Dam: Diggle AC members only. Fishing well to meat and pellet for skimmers and carp.

Huddersfield Narrow Canal: Day tickets on the bank, £5. Match length hard for silvers with just a few fish coming out.




Diary


Sunday: Todmorden AS open match on Rochdale Canal. Draw up to 9am at lorry park. Fishing 10am to 3pm. To book and for further details, contact Frank on 0776 9905319 or 01706 0846581.

Tuesdays October 21, November 4 and 18 and December 2: Diggle AS matches on Tanners Dam. All draws 9am, with fishing from 10am to 3pm. For more details, contact Dave on 07879474029.

Sunday: Socials AC members-only match on Tyle Lodge.

Every Thursday, Saturday and Sunday: Open matches on Old Hough Farm Fishery. Draw at 8.45am. Just turn up on the day as no need to book.

Every Saturday: Medlock Bridge AC open matches on the Park lake. Draw 10am at Kings Road entrance. Fish 11am to 4pm. Tickets £15 on the day. For more details, contact Darren on 0775 3414838.

To report and news or views on the local or national angling scene, contact Jan Verbruggen on 0784 6456408 or email janangling@hotmail.co.uk