Make A Difference Day

On Wednesday 20^th of August Lymm Angling Club (Lymm AC) hosted fishing sessions for Warrington Disability Partnership (WDP) and the Warrington Wolves Foundation at Spring Pool Fishery, Lake Lane, Whitley near Warrington.

The day was made possible through the Make A Difference scheme where Carlson Wagonlit Travel make time available for their employees to complete volunteer work.

Chris Finneran, who runs the Junior Section at Lymm AC, was able to use the scheme to host the day. Volunteers within the fishing club also helped – meaning that we had five coaches available to assist youngsters of varying levels of disability.

The sessions were based on two two-hour lessons open to anyone aged 11-25 years with little or no experience of fishing before. Lymm AC supplied all the equipment and bait for those who attended. Throughout the day we had six children who got their first taste of fishing and a great day was had by all.

Chris Finneran said: “It was a great day for those who attended. We caught fish and learned loads about fish and wildlife. The young people were made up catching fish and so keen to catch their next fish.”

Matthew Price, aged 15, was one of the young people who attended. This is what he had to say about the experience: “It was a really fun experience and I would definitely want to do it again!”

Matthew Price with his first catch, a small roach.

Laura Dunn, Sports Delivery Worker for Warrington Disability Partnership, was on-hand to offer support. She said: “When I arrived at Spring Pool Fishery I was welcomed by Chris and we discussed what we would be doing during the day.  The young people then arrived and were provided with all the equipment they would need for the session – including a box of maggots! – and all were then given the opportunity to try fishing.

Chris – along with the other guys from Lymm Angling Club – made the sessions fun and interesting and ensured everyone was involved and included. Advice and support was provided – when needed – within a safe and fun learning environment. By the end of the session everyone had been successful in catching at least one fish and it was surprising just how quickly the time passed! It was a thoroughly enjoyable few hours and all the young people commented on how much fun they had had and, more importantly, asked about when we would be doing it again!”

Young People (l to r) Taylor Hughes, William Price, Matt Price, Kenny Edwards & Megan Daniels
Adults (l to r) Josh Lyon, Laura Dunn, Chris Finneran, Craig Thomason & Jim Smith

Lymm AC run regular junior sessions for anyone under 18 to come and try fishing. We have equipment and facilities to use. The next session is Sunday 31^st of August from 10am till 3pm. For more information visit www.lymmanglersclub.com or call Chris on 07525360804.

Taylor Hughes with his best fish

Matthew Price (sat far left) with Jim Smith and William Price (sat nearest) with Connor Higham

Woodside Pool sets new record

A JUNIOR match at Woodside Pool revealed a new club roach record at 2lbs 2ozs 0drs, with the specimen fish caught by Spring Series Junior Academy participant Conor Higham.

Witnessed and weighed by Junior Section organiser Chris Finneran, Conor may need a lesson in holding fish for a photo, but he did extremely well to bring it in on light tackle.

Conor Higham with a new club record Roach at 2-2-0

Woodside Pool provides a base for the Junior Section and the Academy Series is proving very popular with beginners, allowing them to ‘give it a go’ without buying all the tackle first.

Chris Finneran has worked hard to secure grants and funding to support the academy and recently announced a sponsorship deal with Miracle Baits started by Steve Gregory, a three-time UK record holder.

Chris, a keen match man himself, said we will be involved in developing the range of pellets and pastes for use in matches.

Ian Futcher has been fishing the same stretches of Lymm canals for a number of years, but a recent tip off by another member led him to a new stretch and he was duly rewarded in a single session with a string of specimens including a double figure common carp, an eel, a tench and a decent bream.

Ian and a double figure common carp.

Ian grapples with a decent Eel

A good Tench was also caught on the same length of canal

In preparation for the forthcoming river season a work party tackled the river Severn and the club’s stretch at Atcham.

Despite torrential rain 12 members turned out to cut pegs and steps into the famous banks of this great fishery.

With the river season kicking in from June 16 many members will head for Atcham and will no doubt benefit from the hard work and effort put in by fellow members.

The first club event at the venue is the barbel fish-ins, which run twice a year and are aimed at giving river novices the chance to hook into their first barbel and experience the tremendous fight you get in the flow of a river like the Severn.

Each novice is allocated a mentor for the day and the pegs at Atcham are allocated to give them the best chance of a barbel.

The 2012 events will follow a similar format to previous years but will start at noon to encourage anglers to fish on into the late evening, when barbel are known to be more active.

Both sessions will start with the BBQ which is expertly run by Bill Last followed by a quick induction session before members make their way to the pegs.

The July event will take place on Saturday 21st July 2012 followed by the September event on Saturday 8th September 2012, some members have previously made a weekend of it and stayed over till the Sunday, myself included, but if you just want to have a taste of river fishing for the mighty Barbus Barbus then the Saturday’s will provide you with that opportunity and you may even win a prize, donated by the club, on the day!

Lymm Angling Club members soak up the sunshine!!

It’s been another successful week for members with many taking advantage of the sunshine and getting a few hours in on the banks.

Ashley Davidson was at Lymmvale targeting the Tench when a fully scaled Mirror Carp decided to take his bait, it tipped the scales around to 15-14-0 and to finish off the short session Ashley also had 2 Tench to 3-8-0.

Ashley Davidson 15lb 14oz Mirror Lymmvale

Warrington based Jason McBreen was planning his first trip this year and settled on Serpentine Pool. He was soon into the fish and had a new PB at 23-7-0 followed by a further three, all Mirror Carp.

Jason McBreen 23lb 7oz New PB Serpentine Pool

Not a bad first session for Jason who also reported losing a certain twenty at the net.

Regular Mike Quinn had another short session on Belmont Pool mid week and fished Oak peg taking a couple of carp to 15-0-0, Mike reported plenty of fish showing in the out of bounds area which is a sure sign that they’ll soon be spawning.

Belmont Pool Oak Peg

Mike Quinn Belmont Pool 13lb Mirror

Later in the week Mike spent 24 hours on Lymmvale an apart from some very uncomfortable sun burn enjoyed catching a total of 3 Mirror carp to 16-0-0 followed by a resident Tench of around 5-0-0 giving Mike a new PB.

Mike Quinn Lymmvale 16lb Mirror

Mike Quinn Lymmvale 5lb Tench

Mike Whewell had a couple of hours in on Serpentine mid week and was rewarded with a hard fighting Ghost Carp and a Mirror Carp.

Mike Whewell Ghostie Serpentine Pool

Mike Whewell Mirror Serpentine Pool

The Father and son duo Mike & Ben Whewell then returned to Serpentine Pool a few days later and had three carp in total including a new PB for young Ben a pristine looking Common at 18-0-0.

Ben Whewell 18lb Common New PB Serpentine Pool

Mike Whewell 14lb Mirror Serpentine Pool

Ben Whewell second Common Carp of the session at Serpentine Pool

Paul Critchley paid a visit to Milton Brook after a twenty pound + carp using fakes baits and particles. The first few hours proved un-productive so after a chat to the Bailiff and as Paul was travelling light he moved to another swim and was soon amongst the fish.

The first was a Common Carp at 7-12-0 followed by a Mirror Carp weighing 12-12-0 at last knockings. Paul was pleased with his days efforts and had rang the changes on hook bait and hook length proving to himself that it isn’t always about boilies.

Paul’s Particle Feast

Paul Critchley 7lb 12oz Common Milton Brook

Paul Critchley 12lb 12oz Mirror Milton Brook

Liam Roberts was also catching at Milton Brook and had a very respectable Mirror Carp which weighed in at 16-2-0, this fell to a 10mm boilie and a small PVA bag dipped in the new Korda Goo.

Shakerley Mere is popular with members and Alex Dean had a great result on this challenging water taking a cracking looking Mirror Carp caught on a bottom bait fished at range. The Mirror Carp tipped the scales around to 24-0-0 and Alex was very pleased with the result. Day tickets for Shakerley Mere can be bought from the Club Shop on the website and although it is our only day ticket water it can provide some hectic action for non-members of the club.

Finally Darren Grub is the first member to enter the Catch of the Month competition with a stunning Ghost Carp caught from Serpentine Pool and weighing an impressive 15-10-0. Darren’s capture will be entered into the first monthly competition for June and he stands to win £50’s worth of mixed bait and a £20 voucher for Bailey’s Tackle & Bait in Warrington.

Catch of the Month entry Darren Grub 15lb 10oz Ghostie from Serpentine Pool

Lymm Angling Club secure access to five new waters at Chester Lakes

AGREEMENT has been made between Lymm Angling Club and Chester Lakes for club members to enjoy access to all the waters in the commercial side of Chester Lakes.

At this present time it has five pools in total, with another shortly to be opened in the woods area.

In addition to the fishing, members may also use the facilities – which includes the café, the tackle shop and toilets.

Their main lake, Dodleston Pool, is heavily stocked with carp to 16lbs and because this is an eight-peg only carp lake members can book a peg via the tackle shop.

Dodleston Lake

The other pools are free to members provided that there are no matches booked on the day.

The three main pleasure lakes are located next to each other just a short walk from the café and are stocked with similar ratios and sizes of silver fish and carp up to 16lbs.

These waters have between 22 and 26 pegs per pool.

Aldford Lake

Eccleston Lake

Pulford Lake

A fourth pool, Wood Pool, is the furthest water from the café and can be found – as its name suggests – on the edge of the wood at the end of the track which runs past the three main lakes.

Wood Pool

Although Wood Pool is smaller than the other waters with only 10 pegs, it is an interesting little pool with plenty of charm and character and well worth a visit.

Wood Pool

Throughout the Chester Lakes site there are hard roadways which make most of the venue suitable for disabled anglers.

While three of the four existing pleasure lakes are what can only be described as exposed, a great deal of bank-side tree and shrub planting is being carried out to soften the landscape, including the planting of more than 2,500 birch, laurel, oak and beech trees.

In addition, thousands of spring bulbs have been planted.

The café is open from 7am seven days a week and serves a wide range of hot and cold food.

Next to the café, the tackle shop sells a range of tinned and packet baits, hooks, floats, weights, line and other accessories.

The addition of the new waters to Lymm AC’s portfolio has strengthened the partnership with Chester Lakes that started two years ago, when the club took over the former syndicate run Specimen Lake, which boasts some of the largest specimen carp, bream and eels in the north west.

Specimen Lake

Specimen Lake Common Carp

Members of at least two years standing are permited to fish the Specimen Lake.

Graeme Roberts.

Ghostly sighting at Micklewrights Flash

IT’S been a busy week for members and despite the weather we have seen a number of specimen fish on the banks.

Micklewright’s Flash has continued to produce surprises with local angler Cliff Taylor taking a number of fish on the quiver tip and float rod close to the margins.

Cliff’s best on a short evening session was a 12-2-0 ghost carp that fought well above its weight on light tackle.

Also head bailiff Andy Latham was delighted to land a common carp at 16-2-0 again on match tackle over the weekend.

Father and son duo Graeme and Adam Roberts continued their tench campaign with a new personal best tench for Adam at 5-0-0, falling to sweet corn on the method feeder.

That was as well as with a Jack Pike of 4-6-0 which surprisingly fell to the same bait.

The carp are continuing to provide good sport and regular stalwart Mike Quinn managed to coax 2 unusual specimens out of Serpentine pool on a short overnighter mid-week, the first a 10-0-0 common fell to his usual bait but had a half tail fin and his second, a hard fighting leather of 18-0-0, had an old battle scar on one side that would make it easily identifiable in the future. Mike’s work colleague Ashley Davidson accompanied him for the trip but is yet to land a Serpentine carp despite using the same tactics as Mike who believes it is only a matter of time before Ash has a result on the bank.

Mike Whewell had his first visit to Belmont Pool in torrential weather and was delighted to take a mirror carp at 10-0-0 for his efforts.

His next trip saw him take first ghost carp out of Serpentine Pool, the fish tipped the scales at 12-6-0 but Mike said it fought like an upper double.

Also at Serpentine, Gareth Byrne broke the magical 20lbs barrier with a magnificent looking mirror carp weighing 21-5-0.

Gareth used luncheon meat, as bait a foot from the near margin.

William Tabern had his fourth trip to Lymmvale and managed two commons at 17-0-0 and 12-0-0, a pristine looking mirror at 14-0-0 and three tench to 5-0-0.

Keeping William company at Lymmvale was one of the resident swans.

Plans are under way for the start of the club’s river season and the lists for the barbel fish-in events are filling up fast.

The July and September events are aimed are giving river novices their first experience of a river Severn barbel, which have averaged 7-0-0 in the past with the occasional double gracing the banks.

The dates are July 21 and September 8 and when they are full a reserve list will be brought in to play so it’s not too late to get your name down for each, more details can be found here.

Last Sunday saw the third round of the Juniors’ Spring Series at Woodside Pool, with coaching for novices running in parallel with a three-hour match.

If you would like to attend the events or even just try angling for the first time then contact the junior section organiser Chris Finneran on 07525 360804, junior memberships cost £10 for the year and is available on the website.

Results: Junior Spring Series, third round (Woodside Pool):

1, Kyle Hickman, 4-11-0

2, Alex Warham, 3-15-0

3, Jack Hood, 3-14-0

4, Conor Lidley, 3-11-0

5, Peter Keogh 1-0-0

Well done to all our Juniors who continue to fish well as the season really starts to kick in!!

Sunday also saw the second senior match at Whitley Pool, with first place going to Collin Hall with a good performance 13-11-0.

Lymmvale return spells success

AFTER blanking at the third annual Lymm Angling Club ‘Help For Heroes’ event on April 21, Dave Steen returned to Lymmvale the following Saturday to settle the score and had a true red letter day.

He arrived at 6.30am and the weather was overcast but dry.

He set up two rods with a method feeder approach, using scalded pellets around the feeder and a piece of plastic corn to a size 10 hook at the business end.

Within minutes Dave was getting line bites and it wasn’t long before he had the first of what were to be 12 beautiful tench, both males and females.

The first fish weighed in at 8lbs 6ozs 0drs and was a personal best.

Dave’s previous personal best was 7-1-0 from the same venue.

There then followed a crazy few hours when he bagged up the rest of the 11 tench sized between 7-8-0 and 1-8-0.

In between the action came a 2-8-0 bream as a welcome bonus.

A magnificent day on his favourite water and one of the best tench waters in the region.

Dave commented when asked about the day: “I would have carried on into the evening except I ran out of bait!” His list of tinca’s makes impressive reading;

8.6lb (New PB)
5.6lb
3.3lb
7 1/2lb
2.6lb (bream sneaked in)
4.6lb
5.2lb
5.6lb
2.4lb
4.9lb
4.2lb (all tench)
plus two very small ones about 1 1/2lb

Well done Dave, a valued member and one of life’s true gentlemen.

Another notable catch was made on Chester Specimen Lake by regular Jamie Pickering with a large mirror carp of 32-2-0, a rare capture from this tricky venue.

Chester Specimen Lake is a former syndicate that Lymm Angling Club now offer on their card and is situated at the edge of Chester Lakes Holiday Park near Dodleston, offering first class facilities on site in beautiful surroundings and excellent access.

The stunning lake has gin-clear water and is feature rich, boasting very large carp, eels and bream.

Many of the waters seem to have ‘switched on’ over the past weeks with lots of notable sessions being reported.

Micklewright’s Flash in Crewe is standing out as a promising tench venue with excellent reports of catches coming through from various members including young Bradley Latham, who has landed fish to 6lbs in the last couple of days.

As we prepare for the opening of the river season we are also looking forward to the opening of the Tabley estate.

We decided to construct a new club punt for the mere as the current boat was well over 40 years old and with the help of member Barry Fayers and the facilities and equipment of Window Wizard in Crewe we are well on the way to a new boat that will be launched in anticipation of June 16.

Andy Atack

Help for Heroes event a success

THE third annual Help for Heroes event at Lymm Vale was a wonderful success, with the format of a light-hearted tench fishing competition held over 24 hours continuing to prove popular for our kind-hearted members.

Fourteen anglers volunteered, each donating a minimum of £20 to the worthy cause.

Unlike previous years the weather was less than friendly, and it was a cold and damp Saturday morning when the 14 contestants gathered for a mug of tea and a bacon sandwich ahead of the event.

Perhaps as a result of the conditions the fish were not very obliging and by the time the fishing was halted for a barbecue very few tench had been caught.

Undeterred, the anglers resumed and as the day wore on the odd fish began to show, with nearly half the field managing to catch something by nightfall.

Sunday morning started wet and windy, but fortunately it improved, as did the fishing.

By the time the contest ended at noon, some good fish had graced the luckier rods.

There were three prizes on offer this year; one for the best aggregate weight, one for the biggest male fish and one for the biggest female fish.

On this occasion the top weight was caught by Malcolm Hough, who recorded five fish for a total of 21lbs 5oz.

‘Huffy’s’ prize was a complimentary 24-hour day ticket for the top class carp venue Blakemere Leisure Fishery near Whitchurch.

The lucky angler who caught the biggest female was committee member Bill Last, with a fish of 8lbs 7oz.

Not only was this a prize-winner on the day but it was Bill’s species personal best.

His reward came in the form of a new float rod donated by club member Dave Steen.

Three-time contestant Barry Brooks finally broke his run of blanks in the event with a nice male fish of 6lbs 4oz, which equalled his previous best.

His achievement earned him a pair of reels supplied by Trafford Angling Supplies, a long-standing sponsor of the event.

Throughout the weekend family, friends and Lymm AC members stopped by to lend their support and make a donation and in doing so helped boost the total amount raised for the charity to just under £1400, a new record.

Club veterans John Stubbs and Terry Finnegan lent invaluable help, providing a seemingly endless supply of tea, stew and sandwiches.

Overall the event was a great success and hopefully we can do it again next year.

Phil Hatton

Juniors helped by May’s tuition

SUNDAY saw the opening match of the Juniors Spring Series, with 13 anglers aged 8 to 15 taking part. Abilities ranged from complete novice upwards and all caught, but bites were at times hard to come by.

The highlight of the day was one-to-one coaching from top angler Andy May.

Andy spent time with everyone in the match, going through their rigs and the fishes feeding habits.

In the match Kyle Hickman benefited most from Andy’s coaching with a net of tench, crucian carp and silver fish for 10lbs 4ozs 0drs.

Second was James Mayer in his first match with 4-3-0, while third place went to Connor Higham with 3-4-0 including a specimen roach at 2-2-0.

Conor Lindley with 2-11-0 and Alex Warham with 2-2-0 made up fourth and fifth places and all are looking forward to the next event which takes place on Sunday.

Serpentine Pool has been delivering the goods once again for our members, with Greg Winstanley landing his first Lymm fish since joining the club in January.

Greg spotted the tell tale sign of fish activity and casted in, dropping 10 baits over the spot.

Within five minutes his bobbins started rising and he struck into a mirror carp which tipped the scales round to 12-5-0.

Greg has promised to return soon for the bigger specimens.

Paul Backhouse had been fishing hard for his first Lymm 20lb fish, but an overnight session at Belmont Pool saw him catch no less than two large mirror carp weighing 25-0-0 and 26-0-0 respectively.

He topped the session up with another two specimens at 14-0-0 and 19-0-0. Paul put his change of fortune down to his daughter, who accompanied him for the session, as being a good luck charm.

Mike Whewell was also chasing his first 20lb carp and was duly rewarded with a fine specimen of 20-3-0 out of Serpentine Pool, also on the Belmont Estate.

Mike then rounded off a perfect week’s fishing with a return session on Yew Tree Pool with the ‘young-un’ and had three carp to 11-0-0.

Mike Quinn braved torrential rain for a five hour session on Belmont Pool and was duly rewarded with a feisty 18-0-0 mirror carp.

When it’s raining……

Mike then returned a few days later for an overnighter with Ash and had a great evening bagging his previously best PB known as ‘Bretts Fish’ but this time getting a great photo thanks to young Ash.

A night later Bretts fish was gracing the banks once again, this time a new PB for Rob Millar at 28-2-0, well done Rob no wonder you were smiling the morning after!!

Finally, the club are pleased to announce the launch of their new website, which showcases all the club’s waters and what members can expect to catch. It also includes news and events and can be found here.

Osborne picks up match prize

A BUSY Sunday in the Lymm Angling Club calendar saw the first of the adult matches of the spring series which was held at Milton Brook near Chester.

First place went to John Osborne with 8lbs 14ozs 0drs, second place was secured by Mark Davies with 8-3-0 and third place was taken by Jimmy Byrne with a combined weight of 7-15-0.

The successful opening day of the junior section series was held at Woodside Pool and in attendance was fishing tutor and multiple Kamasan match champion Andy May.

The events are organised by qualified ADB coaching staff and cater for the complete novice as well as keen young match anglers.

The next junior event is on Sunday, April 29.

Philip Kurdziej had an exciting trip to Serpentine Pool on the Belmont Estate with a rare double hook up of carp in wet conditions.

A quick-thinking member on the next peg came to Philip’s rescue and helped him to land both fish of around 16lbs. Philip went on to land four carp in the short session.

New member Gary Rodgerson’s choice of venue was Spring Pool for a day session. He landed two golden tench of 5lbs and six carp in the 4 to 6lb weight range.

Roach and skimmer bream also came throughout the day and tactics were light waggler float fishing with red maggots.

New junior member Adam Roberts joined dad Graeme for a 24-hour session on Micklewright’s Flash and got three tench between them.

Adam landed his first ever tench which weighed in at 3-2-0, with another at 3lb following, while Graeme finished off the session with a personal best at 4-2-0, all falling to a method feeder and popped up corn.

The recently opened Holford Pools are off to a flying start with new member David Cornes having a great day on Pinetops and landing a credible 13 bream ranging from 6ozs to just over 6lbs.

This weekend there will be a tench competition on Lymmvale in aid of Help for Heroes.

The format will be similar to last year’s event; the contest will be over 24 hours, kicking off on Saturday morning and will finish no later than noon on Sunday.

All places are taken now for this year’s event but members are all welcome to pop down to contribute to the charity pot as these events are great social meetings as well as offering some exciting competition.

New Holford Pools worth a try.

AS predicted, the unseasonably summery weather at the end of March gave way to the more familiar showers, winds, snow and chilly nights.

But our hardy members have braved the elements and are still reporting encouraging catches throughout our still waters.

The recently-opened Halfords pools, which are made up of Barlow’s pool and Pinetops pool, are situated near Northwich and have been providing excellent catches of crucians, carp, bream, roach and perch.

The two small pools that consist of a larger pool of around 16 pegs and smaller pool of around six pegs were stocked by a former club as a mixed fishery set in a secure, quiet site and are providing great early season sport.

Pole and waggler have so far proved successful methods.

There is a good head of bream to 4lbs and plenty of roach, chub, tench and increasingly rare crucians can be found in this picturesque setting.

These two waters are essentially mixed fishing venues but do hold some larger fish and tackle should be balanced accordingly, and please exercise care to avoid the overhead cables.

At all times be respectful to any staff or security and produce membership cards when asked.

If session angling is your thing then why not visit the beautiful Lymmvale near Whitegate, to the north west of Winsford.

The water is a specimen hunter’s paradise boasting carp in excess of 30lbs, tench to more than 10lbs and muscular and explosive Wells catfish that have now reached more than 60lbs.

In addition there is a population of stillwater barbel and chub as well as the venue once being the home to the current British record-breaking golden orfe that was landed by current member and angling expert Mike Wilkinson.

Be mindful that Lymmvale is an ‘over stamp’ water and may only be fished by members in possession of an over stamped card during the close season.

Mike ‘W’ Wilkinson our resident record holder is also the club’s reports’ keeper and has released interesting statistics about club waters on our forum.

If carp float your boat head to Milton Brook, Serpintine and Woodside pool.

If tench tickle your fancy try Lymmvale, Grimsditch and Woodside pool.

If silvers (roach, rudd, bream and perch) are your bag then the top venue is Woodside followed by farm pool and Grimsditch.

Talking of roach, rudd, bream and perch, the club has a thriving match-fishing scene and the first match of the summer is being held at Milton Brook on Sunday. Andy Atack