Angling: Lindley Wood Festival has potential to be best in the district

Mirfield’s first-ever two-day festival, held on the Washburn Valley’s Lindley Wood Reservoir, provided great fishing, a tight final result and all in aid of the Yorkshire Air Ambulance Charity.

Day One gave the victory and platform to Leeds star Steve Raper to show his class at building good weights of small fish quickly. Using a custom-built or, as I remember it, a regularly broken and repaired 6m whip to hand, with a bulked bottom end-only rig and feeding small balls of hemp-based groundbait every third cast, he soon had small roach queuing up for his double-maggot hookbait.

His 31-10 all-roach catch gave him a five-pound lead over Knaresborough’s Darryl Taylor going onto the harder West Bank section for the second day.

With small skimmer bream and the odd slab proving to be the fish most willing to feed, anglers’ tactics had to change and feeder-fishing chopped worm at 40 yards showed the importance of not missing a bite or catching a slightly bigger fish as Steve Edson came from behind to win the final day with a superb 38-10, taking the festival by just four ounces.

All fish caught were in pristine condition and, if the festival becomes an annual event, it could easily be the best two competition days in Yorkshire.

Aireborough’s Nick Smith completed a remarkable triple at the weekend, taking top spot in all of the three matches he entered and breaking a long-standing record along the way. He also became a double-river champion just for good measure.

Smith’s run started with two surprise 4lb chub on a difficult River Ouse at Linton to lift the massive Leeds & District Annual Trophy with just 8-08, and then things got even better. His next outing saw him lift the Swale Preservation Lower River Championship with four barbel from his peg at Asenby for an improving 19-12. He also took the Alan Howe Trophy (which was donated by the Yorkshire Evening Post’s columnist before his untimely death in 1995).

Saving the best until last, Smith’s performance and catch left everyone else competing for second as he stormed to another victory by taking this year’s Wharfe Championships held on the tidal reaches at Ulleskelf.

Drawn in the bay hole at the top of Grimston Park’s rapids, Smith set the pace and a new venue record with 21 barbel for a brilliant 91-04 beating the previous all-time best set over 30 years ago by the late Terry Bettany, who had 86lb of stick and caster-caught bream.

All of the winner’s barbel fell to link-ledgered triple caster or maggot hookbaits fished over heavy hemp and caster loose feed.

Results

Ferrybridge Power AC (Viking Hawk Thur): 1, W Mountain 140-00; 2, D Mountain 92-00; 3, C Perfect 88-00.

Marshlands AC (Viking Hawk): 1, M Moore 169-00; 2, D Lumley 142-00; 3, S Elcock 118-00.

Viking Saturday Open (Deer): 1, J Brain 86-11; 2, T Hunter 78-15; 3, D Oldham 62-08.

Rodley Barge (Viking Hawk): 1, S Dodsworth 109-07; 2, M Bell 100-10; 3, D Smith 80-08.

South Leeds Cons (Viking Fox): 1, M Jackson 110-15; 2, A Longbottom 93-15; 3, G Williamson 83-14.

Colton AC (Viking Deer): 1, K Gale 90-03; 2, C Rimmer 68-09; 3, D Stainforth 57-00.

Armley ACat Forest Lane Vale: 1, D Fish 42-02; 2, C Greenwood 41-10; 3, D Wilson 41-00; 4, B Trigg 38-00.

Dragon AC at Lakeside Fisheries: 1, Dale Evans 66-10; 2, Rob Robbins 54-12; 3, Mick Killkenny 44-03.

Angel Lakes, Open Lookout Sunday: 1, John Foster 213-05; 2, John Dryden 108-01; 3, Dean Appleby 105-0-8.

Lindley Wood Festival in aid of Yorkshire Air Ambulance, Day One: 1, S Raper 31-10; 2, D Taylor 26-10; 3, N Hirst 23-03; 4, A Bradley 19-14; 5, S Edson 17-04. Day Two: 1, S Edson 38-10; 2, D Grace 34-06; 3, S Raper 24-06; 4, S Crossley 23-12; 5, N Hirst 21-00. Overall: 1, Steve Edson Leeds 55-10; 2, Steve Raper Leeds 55-06; 3, Nigel Hirst Mirfield 44-03.

Leeds Annual Linton & Hunters Lodge: 1, N Smith 8-08; 2, J Jordan 6-08; 3, S Wilson 6-04; 4, A Miller 6-00.

Swale Preservation Asenby/Fawdington/Helperby: 1, N Smith 19-12; 2, K Weighell 19-06; 3, T Parr 17-14.

Wharfe Championships, Ulleskelf: 1, N Smith 91-04 (new record); 2, J Jordan 17-14; 3, S Thompson 13-00; 4, Tony Hewson 8-14.

Leeds & District River Aire Chapel Haddlesey: 1, I Bowman 18-06; 2, D Armitage 18-01; 3, A Benstead 17-04; 4, C Turbitt 13-07.

Westlands AC Poppleton: 1, C McNeal 298-00; 2, J Dodds 82-04; 3, G Mugglestone 81-00.

Colton Sports, Poppleton Railway: 1, J McKenzie 90-00; 2, B Clark 82-01; 3, K Gale 81-03; 4, M Durkin 58-07.

Moorside Social, Poppleton: 1, I Mackie 108-04; 2, J Harrison 47-15; 3, B Riley 47-11.

Wheatley Hills, Poppleton Railway: 1, D Curry 98-01; 2, G Ellis 69-13; 3, P Robinson 64-12.

Yarnbury AC, Derwent Old Ball Cup: 1, D Atha 5-05; 2, S Parsons 5-03; 3, B Horner 2-12; 4, M Bellhouse 1-14.

West Yorkshire Wagglers AC, Barnburgh Lakes. Doncaster, Bottom Lake: 1, Rob Stark 114-01; 2, Andy Howson 113-07; 3, Danny Owens 79-07; 4, Jamie Brierley 78-07.

Moor Monkton Pools, Wednesday Rover: 1, Ollie Hewitt 155-06; 2, Stan Jeffreys 151-01; 3, Lee Smith 124-00; 4, Gary Watson 107-11.

Kippax Park, Osprey, Tuesday Open: 1, Neil Rymer 127-06; 2, Andy Rymer 98-01; 3, Matt Shorter 83-07; 4, Paul Carter 66-01.

Listerhills AA, Rising Sun Silver Fish Only: 1, E Harrison 13-04; 2, J Harrison 10-06; 3, G Kitchen 1-08.

Match Diary

Saturday

Viking: Saturday Open, Hawk Pond, 30 pegs, £16, contact 01405 785206.

Kippax Park: Saturday Open, Lapwing or Osprey 07967000746.

Poppleton: Saturday Open, pools £15, draw cafe 10am, contact Roger 01904737279.

Birkwood Farm Fisheries: Emily’s or Oscar’s, draw 8.30am, contact 01924 892251.

Woodlands: 72 pegs, tickets £18, contact 01845 520110.

Oaks: at Sessay, 50 pegs, tickets £17, contact 01845 501321.

Langwith Lakes: 60 pegs, tickets £16, contact 01904 431874.

Moorfields Farm: 54 pegs, tickets £16, contact 07710817150.

Fleets Dam: 50 pegs, tickets £15, contact 01226 292579.

Birkwood Farm: 60 pegs, tickets £16, contact 01132 80609.

Tollerton Ponds: open match all ages (Kingfisher 20 pegs, Coot 18 pegs, Heron 32 pegs), contact 01347 838115.

Yarnbury AC: Tom’s Pond Otley, Under-16s, from August 24, contact Adie Addy 07956964713.

Sunday

Leeds & Liverpool: Kirkstall, contact Roger Movley 01132 772215.

Listerhills: Leeds & Liverpool Canal, contact Eddie Harrison 07518721051.

Woodlands: 72 pegs, tickets £18, contact 01845 520110.

Oaks: at Sessay, 50 pegs, tickets £17, contact 01845 501321.

Langwith Lakes: 60 pegs, tickets £16, contact 01904 431874.

Oak Tree Leisure: 50 pegs, tickets £15, contact 01347 810686.

Poppleton: Sunday Open, 50 pegs, draw 11am Cafe, contact 07425 146677.

18th Annual Ian Smith Memorial Match: Leeds/Liverpool Canal, Rodley, in aid of British Heart Foundation and Cancer Research. Tickets £12 all in, contact Richard 07950939171.

Calder Championships: September 23, contact Simon 01274 571175.

Monday

Woodlands: over-50s, 30 pegs, tickets £15, contact 01845 520110.

Langwith Lakes: over-60s, 30 pegs, tickets £10, contact 01904 431874.

Tollerton Ponds: over-50s, tickets £16, contact 01347 838115.

Tuesday

Kippax Park: over-50s, draw 10am, tickets £10, contact 07967000746.

Wednesday

Leeds & District: Moor Monkton Pools, draw 10am, contact 07967000746.

Birkwood Farm Fisheries: Emily’s or Oscar’s, draw 8.30am, contact 01924 892251.

Woodlands: 72 pegs, tickets £18, contact 01845 520110.

Fleets Dam: 50 pegs, tickets £15, contact 01226 292579.

Tollerton Ponds: open match, all ages, contact 01347 838115.

Thursday

Poppleton Lakes: Thursday, draw car park 5pm, pools £11, contact Roger 01904 737279.