Hulme extends winning run

ANGLING: CHADDERTON Mill AC staged a New Year’s Day open on the club water and, although weights were not as good as they have been, it still required double-figure net to make the frame.

The winner on the day was Phil Hulme, who enjoyed his fourth victory on the trot due to 22lb 2oz of ide on maggot fished shallow from peg 14. Ian Cox, the runner-up, had nine carp on pole and pellet at seven metres for 16lb 4oz. John Lees (Gilders), from peg nine, had a level 14lb of ide on maggot fished on the deck for third place.

JOE Smith took first place from his end peg draw in the Boxing Day open on the Lorry Park length of the Rochdale Canal. He boasted a 15lb 9oz net made up of skimmers on the pole and caster. Drawn on peg one, Frank Szakaley used caster across to the tune of 8lb 6oz of roach, while Daz Kershaw’s 7lb 8oz bag was good enough for third.

PAUL Booth is on a roll at the moment. He won the Bank Holiday Monday open on the Firgrove length of the Rochdale Canal with a 6lb 8oz catch made up of decent-sized roach on caster fished three-quarters across.

Next-best Peter Duffy weighed in 5lb 8oz of roach using bread punch, with Dave Williams’ 5lb 7oz catch, also made up of roach on bread punch with the odd one falling to caster, good enough for third place.



PAUL Booth told a funny story about his best mate Martin Taylor. They were enjoying a pleasure session on a windswept Rochdale Canal in Chadderton, and Paul was getting the upperhand with some good roach and skimmers to around one-and-a-half pounds.

Then, according to Paul, Martin threw a tube of pole kits into the canal. This ended their session as they spent the rest of the day retrieving the equipment. Martin denies this happened and insists that a gust of wind blew the tube in the canal. Personally, I am pretty sure that Martin’s version of events is true.



FORMER Oldham angler Mark Lucas is enjoying a cracking season, with most of his success coming on Blundells Fishery. He claimed second place on Boxing Day with 39lb 12oz, followed by a win in the New Year’s Eve open with white maggot fished at six and eight metres netting 63lb 11oz of carp and f1s.



THE Rochdale Canal is, in my opinion, an underused piece of water. It has, in years gone by, held some of the North-West’s biggest matches, such as the Woodbine Challenge.

However, the venue is now well and truly back on the map. Todmorden AS are staging Saturday and Sunday open matches and attendances have been growing, with entries coming from afar a field as Dewsbury.

Don’t get me wrong, this canal can be cruel in the winter as the roach shoal up tightly, with some anglers catching a fish-a-chuck while others leave empty-handed.

That said, most waters, including overstocked commercials, are no different.

In the latest of the Todmorden AS Saturday opens, Mick Hargreaves took the plaudits.

Situated on the end peg at the back of the garden centre, he had an all roach catch to six ounces, which tipped the scales at 11lb 9oz on caster fished across.

Tony Price, in second, caught roach all the way through the match using bread punch and then caster for 7lb 6oz, with Dave Williams in third place thanks to a 7lb 2oz net.



TODMORDEN AS’s three-man, three-match winter league gets under way on Sunday.

All of the action takes place on the Rochdale lengths of the Rochdale Canal and so far 10 teams have entered, with several heading from over the Pennines.

Entry is £10 per man, plus £13 on match days, which covers £3 day ticket and £10 pools.

The draw is at Kingsway McDonalds at 8.30am, with fishing from 10am to 3pm.

To book and for further details, contact Simon on 07896 237224.

I am in a team alongside Keighley brothers, Dave and George Colbran, and I don’t want to let them down as they are two of the best canal anglers in Yorkshire.



Venue Guide

Denshaw Vale: Memberships are available. For details, contact John on (0161) 665 1779.

Ogden Reservoir: Day tickets on the bank and at Tight Lines, Shaw.

Huddersfield Narrow Canal: Day tickets on the bank.

Rochdale Canal: Fishing well with plenty of roach and skimmers feeding. Caster attracting the better stamp roach. Bread punch for small roach.

Chadderton Mill Lodge: Maggot up and down in the water for ide. Odd small carp on pellet fished on the deck. Park Lake: Day tickets on the bank.



Diary Dates

EVERY Sunday: Northern AA open matches on the Macclesfield Canal. For further details, contact Albert on( 0161) 792 2684.

SUNDAYS, January 8, 15 and 22: Teams of three winter series. All matches fished on the Rochdale Canal. £10 entry per man plus £13 pools and day-ticket per match. For further details, contact Simon on 07896237224.

WEDNESDAY, January 18: Monarch AC annual meeting at the Duke of York pub, Royton (start 8pm).

MONARCH AC winter series: Members-only matches on the club water. For further details, contact Dean on (0161) 213 0539 or 07518 459714.

EVERY Saturday: Todmorden AS open matches on the Rochdale Canal. For details, contact Simon on 07896 237224.

EVERY Sunday: Todmorden AS open matches on the Rochdale Canal. For details, call Frank on 07769 905319.

EVERY Sunday: Pilsworth Fishery open matches. Draw 10am in the car park.

To report any news or views on the local or national angling scene, contact Jan Verbruggen on 07846 456408 or email primroseequestrian@ntlworld.com.