New team, fresh focus

Angling: A SWITCH to Tri-Cast Rochdale has brought a new focus to my fishing.

Looking ahead, the Nationals take place on the Leeds and Liverpool Canal in and around Wigan next summer while, more immediately, there are various winter and spring leagues at the same venue.

There is a match every Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday and, with good attendances and top-quality opposition, they really concentrate the mind.

The fishing is good. Even if it poor weather and you draw a barren area, there are always fish to be caught.

I’ve competed in two matches on the canal recently. The first was a Wigan DAA Christmas match fished on the Adlington Marina length.

Although I missed out on a flyer peg, I was told I would catch plenty of roach from my draw.

The information was right and I was into small roach straight away with a cup of “liccy” at five and 11 metres.

The roach were smaller than I expected, but catching one a chuck made up for that. Fish at 4oz were coming at regular intervals.

My worry was that someone would be catching some skimmers or bigger roach — and I found that to be true, with 11lb of skimmers winning the match and more 9lb of roach to 12oz taking runners-up spot.

One of my regrets was not making up any hook lengths before the match.

This cost me 10 minutes and £30 as I ended up weighing in 3lb and was beaten for the section by my team captain Darren Price (Tri-Cast Rochdale), who had 3lb 1oz.

Needless to say I spent an evening tying up hooks as I was not going to make the same mistake again.

The match on the following day was at the Burscough end of the canal, heading towards Southport, and featured 60 anglers.

It was hard going as roach shoals switched off, which meant scratching around for a few perch.

I started with a pot of liquidised bread at five and 11 metres as well as a caster line slightly to my left at 13 metres. I also had two chopped worm lines down the middle and tight to my nearside bank.

After 20 minutes without a bite on bread punch, it was obvious that this was going to be a chopped-worm match and I fished two other swims as well catching 25 tiny perch for a pound which, while not a big weight, was still enjoyable over five hours.

The match again turned out to be a success for the Tri-Cast Rochdale team with Dean Turner bagging first place with 4lb 5oz of roach.

Team-mate Dave Wells, with a similar net on bread punch, had a second-best 3lb 14oz of mainly roach.



Venues

Denshaw Vale: Memberships available. For further details, contact John on 665 1779.

Dowry Reservoir: Day tickets available from Sheddings Angling.

Ogden Reservoir: Day tickets on the bank and at Tight Lines, Shaw. Plenty of pike and even carp showing.

Strinesdale Reservoir: Day tickets on the bank. Full of fish and a water that responds well to the tip.

Cargate Pool: Medlock Bridge AC members-only water.

Rochdale Canal: Several of the Todmorden AS lengths have received stockings of roach and skimmers over the last week or so. The Chadderton and Rochdale lengths are fishing okay, but pick your pegs well as, at this time of the year, the fish are tightly shoaled. Spinning for pike and perch worth a go.

Bardsley Canal: Day tickets on the bank.

Alexandra Park Lake: Day tickets on the bank. Pleasure anglers only venturing out. Pegs either side of the footbridge are the best for plenty of small perch.

Hollingworth Lake: Feeder for skimmers, small roach and some big perch. Worm on the hook is worth a go for some big perch. Give spinning a try for pike and perch as the water is full of these species.

Tanners Dam: Diggle AC members only. Cold weather doesn’t seem to effect this water as the fish seem to feed no matter what the weather.

Peak Forest Canal: Dukinfield lengths always good for a small fish, with odd skimmers and big perch.



Diary

Every Sunday: Open match on Peak Forest and Macclesfield canals. Draw 9am. Fishing 10am to 3pm. Tickets are £11 all in. To book and for further details, call Albert on (0161) 792 2684.

Every Sunday: Open matches on Old Hough Farm Fishery. Draw 8.45am. No need to book, just turn up on the day.

Every Saturday: Open matches on local canals. Draw 9am. Fishing 10am to 3pm. To book and for further details, contact John on 07801 276059.

Wednesday, January 15: Monarch AC annual meeting at the Duke of Edinburgh public house in Royton precinct (7.30pm).

To report any news or views on the local or national angling scene, contact Jan Verbruggen on 07846 456408 or email janangling@hotmail.co.uk