I have received a number of phone calls this last few days from members who are anxious to get fishing again, the queries normally take the form of, "Is Moore Quarry etc still frozen over?" And the answer is at this moment that the majority of our fisheries are still in this unfishable state with the exception of a few small areas on the Bridgewater Canal which are really little more than holes kept ice free by ducks or where some warmer water from a drain flows into the fishery.
Even our stretches of the Weaver have an icy lid on them so really you are looking locally at the River Mersey or further afield the Severn, Dee, and their tributaries.
However Chris Giblin was out two days before Christmas on the Mersey near to Kingsway Bridge in the hopes of a run from a pike or two. After four moves and no action his slider fished sprat twitched several times, he struck, and it was fish on. After a five minute fight a superbly marked pike lay in his landing net which weighed in at 15-8-0 and a new personal best. To quote Chris, "My water bottle froze solid but it was well worth braving the cold."
On Christmas Eve Chris Moulton, a regular contributor to this column also tried his luck on the Mersey after hearing of the previous capture. Fishing a similar method he ended his session also with a personal best pike of 15-6-0 from the same area of the river.
Obviously a mad keen young angler, on Tuesday this week Chris Giblin was back on the river again and after an over eager strike which resulted in a missed fish he dropped his sprat bait back into the same spot and it was attacked immediately resulting in a chubby pike of 9-8-5 which lay sulking on his unhooking mat.
Please keep sending in your catch reports whatever they are, good, bad, or indifferent, as they are invaluable. Contact me either by phone Tel 01928 716238 or email frank@warrington-anglers.org.uk.
HQ Parker Street is now closed until after the New Year but is open as usual between 7 & 8.30pm on Friday, 7th January 2011. New memberships can still also be purchased from Baileys Tackle, Cheshire Angling, and Challinors Sports in Warrington or at our other depots as listed on our website www.warrington-anglers.org.uk.
I wish you all a Happy New Year
Frank Lythgoe
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