anglersmail.com 9 JULY | 49WHERE TO FISH
NORTH WEST
n Chapman
Crley-based Chappy champions rivers,
cals and stillwaters all across the region.
Tl07510 405123
Eail: [email protected]Ian Chapman
Chorley-based Chappy champions rivers,
canals and stillwaters all across the region.
Tel:
Email:RIVERS
River Dane
Where? Middlewich Road,
Holmes Chapel, Cheshire,
CW4 7ET. Bay Malton AC
membership £80 with no
joining fee. Tel: 01270 820812.
What’s being caught? Levels
have dropped now, but are
still decent. However, weed is
more abundant. Chub to 4 lb
and barbel to 7 lb being landed.
Early starts worth the effort
right now.
Tactics? Try fi shing pellets,
meat or bread on a lead, or
fl oat fi shing with casters and
hemp can bring some chunky
chub. Don’t fi sh too fi ne – main
lines of 4-6 lb and hook lengths
of 3 lb on a fl oat, and maybe
8 lb direct on a lead if barbel
are the quarry. Fish early or
late for the best chance of fi sh.River Mersey
Where? Victoria Park,
Knutsford Road, Warrington,
Cheshire, WA4 1DQ, UK.
Members only. Warrington AA
membership £50 plus a £40
joining fee. Tel: 01928 716238.
What’s being caught? A
mixed bag of fi sh can be
achieved here at the moment.T
HE general feedback
that I’m receiving from
some clubs is that they are
struggling to retain members
year on year. I wonder what
this is due to?
Is it because there are
too many fi sh-packed
commercial venues? Is
it because established
members become older and,
sadly, pass away?
Surely it can’t be to do
with price, since the majority
of yearly fees are very
affordable, certainly when
spread over 12 months.
Bolton Angling Association
folded earlier this year,
leaving 11 small waters in
limbo. Some have since been
taken on by new people, but
I wonder if the passing of the
hard-working secretary left
such an administrative hole
that they could no longer
continue.
No one to fi ll the volunteer
gap? A common trend?
It’s a mixed picture,Roach to 10 oz, perch to 1 lb,
chublets, bream to 3 lb and
skimmers are making up
catches of around 60 fi sh in a
morning.
Tactics? A lovely place to
present a Bolo’ fl oat on a long
rod with maggots for hook
bait and feed. A long pole will
produce similar results. A
feeder may well bring you a
worthwhile catch of bream, on
worms and red maggots.River Ribble
Where? Walton-le-Dale,
Preston, Lancashire, PR5 4BU.
Southport DAA membership
£65. Tel: 07921 134703.
What’s being caught? Known
locally as Church Deeps, this a
renowned stretch worth every
penny of the membership, in
my view. Quality chub fi shing is
the current highlight, with lots
of fi sh to around 1 lb, along with
roach and some barbel to 7 lb
and bream to around 5 lb.
Tactics? A rod of 14 ft-plus
helps with line control when
fl oat fi shing. Use a large stick
fl oat or waggler with strung-out
shot to intercept fi sh on the
drop. Bigger baits such as meat
and boilies will tempt biggerfi sh, but you will need some
patience.River Weaver
Where? Off A54, Winsford,
Cheshire, CW7 3DD. Members
only. Winsford & District AA
membership £45.
Tel: 07712 471762.
What’s being caught? This
stretch near to the marina is
providing decent sport, and
it’s a great spot to learn how to
fi sh a stick fl oat, if you want to
master this method. The river
is producing bream to 3 lb,
hybrids to over 1 lb, perch, chub
and roach, with the potential
for catches of 15 lb-plus.
Tactics? Stick fl oat with
casters and hemp for the larger
fi sh. A light groundbait feeder
will also draw lots of fi sh, as
will pole. Fish to the conditions,
and an early start will help a lot.River Wyre
Where? Blackpool Road, St
Michael’s on Wyre, Lancashire,
PR3 0UA. Day tickets £5,
from St Michael’s garage. St
Michael’s AA membership from
£37. Tel: 07522 495445.
What’s being caught? Club
members have access to someexcellent pools, where chub to
4 lb, bream over 5 lb, a
scattering of barbel and some
large pike are resident. It can
be a tough river to crack, but
once you fi nd the hotspots, you
can tempt impressive fi sh.
Tactics? It can pay to rove this
river, with bread, lobworms and
meat all effective for quality
fi sh on fl oat or leger.CANAL
Rufford Canal
Where? Lock Lane, Sollom,
Rufford, Lancashire, PR4 6FS.
Southport DAA membership
£65. Tel: 07921 134703.
What’s being caught? A lovely
spot to fi sh for bream to 3 lb,
skimmers, roach, perch and
eels. You can catch up to 20 lb
here with a bit of effort.
Tactics? You don’t fi nd many
folk here if you arrive early, and
it can be the most productive
period of the day at this time of
year. Pole with casters, worms
and maggots will account for
plenty of fi sh. Keep rigs fairly
robust, due to the eels, which
can go to 3 lb. A short hook
length of 0.14 mm to a size 16
should be okay.Let’s all club together
but I think I am correct in
suggesting that angling clubs
are not as populated as they
once were, and there areprobably not as many anglers,
either.
However, this week I’d like
to highlight a spread ofclub-controlled waters across
this region that are cracking
places to wet a line, for a
reasonable joining fee.Continued over››Wonderful lengths of
the River Ribble are
available through
club memberships.