Fish Tales

The venue was still 2ft up with floodwater and coupled with a drop in temperature it was a very gruelling five hours.

Undeterred, Darlington rod John Bainbridge got to grips with the conditions and tempted seven chub for 14.4.0 to push him well clear of the others.

On peg six, below Donkey Wood John alternated between the feeder with bread and meat and caught down the edge and alongside far bank snags.

Thanks to a lone barbel of 6.15.0 Washington's Andrew McNeil snatched second place. Legering lobworm brought the crucial specimen off peg 22 below red rock from Richmond's Graham Hutchinson on 6.2.0.

In the Thornaby AA Ernie Reynolds Memorial on the Croft to Hurworth reaches of the Tees just 6 anglers weighed in from an out of sorts Tees during this re-arranged fixture.

Winner with plenty to spare was Darlington's Anthony Alderson.

Pegged on 50 above the scar, a feeder approach down the middle accounted for two chub on the bread while the other readily accepted cheese to lift the trophy with a net of 9.4.0.

The rest of the weights were made up of single chub and fellow Darlington rod Mick Clitheroe took the best one of 2.14.0 on his first cast. Bomb and bread did the trick off peg 56 staked on the Groynes section.

Bitterly cold winds chilled competitors to the bone during the Yarm AA Adams Cup on the Lower Tees, still recovering from midweek floods.

The Association's Cup went to Yarm Flynn's man Brian O'Keefe who took a level 12.0.0.

Brian targeted chub off peg 147 and utilising feeder and bread he collected eight but highlight was a bonus bream of 4.0.0 which made all the difference to the outcome.

Next Shimano Quaker's Jimmy Messor pushed all the way taking 11.6.0.

Opting for groundbait feeder with worm and red maggot off peg 188, Jimmy took three early chublets and then there was nothing until the closing stages when the bream the suddenly arrived and he swiftly despatched a trio into the keep net.

Only the winner cracked double figures over on the River Nidd during the Knaresborough Piscatorials Open as 'in form' Ryburn's Mick Walton caught 10.12.0.

Drawing below sawmills weir at Scotton, feeder and maggot approach from peg 71 resulted in a barbel of 5.0.0 and a brace of chub for a runaway success.

Harrogate's Martin Dodsworth followed with a chub on meat and a grayling to maggot for 4.12.0 working off peg 52.

Single fish were the order of the day for eight of the 45 rods who fished the Bradford No 1 AA Charity Open on the Nidd at Cowthorpe.

Brotherton's Trevor McArdle on peg 15 feeder fished wasp grub and finished in pole position thanks to a barbel of 8.12.0 from Glen Westerman of Leeds 5.1.0.

Ferryhill DAC Overall Winners of the Grayling Series: 1 Tony Bahari (Ferryhill); 2 Peter Bahari (Ferryhill); 3 Geoff Brewer (Stockton).

Carp Scene

At Woodlands Lakes on Wednesday Kestrel proved red hot again and with the top three all pegged there it was a battle for supremacy.

Morley's Graham Twohey got the verdict enjoying a comfortable winning margin at the scales with 45.11.0.

Graham on pole and corn went out to 14 metres off peg 15 and kept the carp interested by just cupping a few grains in at intervals to land commons to 8.0.0.

It was more of the same at the adjacent peg for Leeds angler Mick Webb who located carp but of a smaller stamp to 5.0.0 for 31.7.0 at the scales.

Saturday - 8 Match Lakes (75 rods): 1 M Webb (Leeds AC) 31.10.0. 2 D Taylor (Selby AC) 30.6.0. 3 D Smith (Tek Neek Trabucco Elton) 26.12.0.

Sunday - Curlew Kestrel Partridge Skylark and Wagtail (70 rods): 1 B Sowerby (Knaresborough) 20.6.0 2 D Beevars (Marsh Tackle) 18.3.0.

Thursday's regular slot at the Oaks Sessay produced a terrific carp haul of 56.4.0 for local ace Bert Poole.

On Cedar Pool, Bert pulled out peg 51 and secured all his carp - best going 3.8.0 - across on the far shelf at 13 metres catching on the maggot.

It was a combination of maggot, meat and pellets for Diawa Goldthorpe's Daryl Taylor in second position with 39.9.0 of carp off peg 24.

Sunday - Cedar Pool (80 rods): 1 J Kenning (Map Elton) 20.3.0. 2 J Clarke (Bob Co) 19.6.0 3 J Allerton (Tri Cast Oaks) 19.2.0.

Team Shimano Quaker's Martin Robson kept ringing the changes to hold off the opposition at Co Durham's Eden Meadows on Sunday.

Sat on Acer Lake's peg ten, Martin found the corn to his liking and coaxed out two carp from the farside at 13 metres before adding four more at six metres in the deeps to ensure victory with 11.13.0.

Fixtures

Tomorrow: Woodland Lakes Open - Tickets on 01845 / 526110

Sunday: DBT AA Combined Cup River Tees Coniscliffe to Croft.

Yarm AA Mick Grainge Memorial Lower Tees - Yarm. 100 pegs. Tickets on 01642 / 786444.

Richmond AS February Trophy Upper Swale at Broken Brae.

Idle & Thackley AA Open River Swale Swainby. Tel: 01274 / 618569.

Ripon Piscatorials St Wilfrid's Open Cup River Ure - Hutton Beck to Barn Island. 80 pegs. Tickets on 01765 / 605467

Bradford City AA Open River Ure - Lower Dunsforth.

York WL (6) River Ouse Fulford & Middlethorpe.

Woodland Lakes Open.

Oaks Sessay Open Cedar Pool.