Angling: Trout tick all the right boxes over the winter

Commercial coarse fisheries have led the way for legal all-year-round angling, with some catches beyond the imagination of most just a few years ago.

Getting bums on seats and keeping day-ticket revenue flowing through the cold winter months is a tall order to fill when most cyprinids decide cold-water temperatures are the perfect time to go on a diet and refuse to eat.

Providing just a few bites through the winter can be the difference between a business making it through to the more profitable and easier summer months or not.

With fish breeders still years away from the awful thought of expensive hybrids and ‘Frankenstein F15s’ that will eat ‘on demand’ and in all conditions, the humble and much cheaper rainbow trout is now ticking all the boxes for fisheries trying to provide winter sport at an affordable price.

Though not everyone’s favourite fish, Bradford’s John Mills has them at the top of his list and his rainbow results over the past couple of seasons show he has everything to do with feeding and catching the species well in hand.

With trout match catches of 40-50lb regarded top notch and a busy day, Mills’ latest exploits at Kippax Park have set a staggering new bench mark.

Drawn peg 6 on Lapwing and feeding his secret sloppy pellet mix at 4 metres with expander hookbait, a procession of spotties gave him a net-bulging winning weight of 161-12 and the biggest five-hour, all-trout weight I can ever remember.

A couple of other, though very different, trout catches were reported recently – Lindley Wood reservoir producing a huge wild brownie of 8-12 to a pike angler fishing a small deadbait, and the river Aire running through our city centre throwing up a string of big rainbows, the best a stonking 4-05 fish for Leeds angler Steve Maltas from the Royal Armouries section at Crown Point.

On the open river circuit, Durham’s Eddie Brydon is proving to be another who is right at the top of his form, and with any reasonable draw seems to come out on top.

The Anglers World Saturday series is now in full swing and it’s Brydon who has proved his versatility, winning round 4 with over 100 small roach and dace for a total 8-05 from Linton bottom 282. All his fish fell to 13m pole short lined over groundbait. Round 5 made it two wins on the trot for the Maver/Dynamite-sponsored Brydon. But this time, drawing Bungalows peg 224 and leaving his pole up the bank, he feeder-fished his way to four bream for a weight of 14-04.

As the rain falls and the rivers rise, tiny bleak have made an immediate impact at the popular league/series venue of Linton-on-Ouse and Hunters Lodge with Cleckheaton’s Dave Armitage proving them a winner with over 350 fish for 9-07.

Pete Barron, of Tackle 2 U, followed the bleak trail to win the last event on the colouring river with another catch of over 300 fish for a weight of 8-00.

Results

Kippax Park, Lapwing: 1, John Mills 161-07; 2, Adrian Broomhead 57-07; 3, Mal Bailey 49-04.

Kippax Park, Lapwing: 1, John Wake 45-00; 2, Mark Rockingham 43-08; 3, Andy Rymer 42-12.

Kippax Park, Lapwing: 1, John Mills 47-06; 2, Andy Rymer 43-12; 3, Neil Rymer 33-04.

Northallerton DAC Scruton on Swale: 1, I Curtain 31-03; 2, J McAllister 27-03; 3, K Mottram 23-06; 4, T Morgan 23-03.

York DAA Ouse at Fulford: 1, D Pollitt 9-00; 2, S Raper 7-13; 3, M Potter 7-08; 4, T Layfield 5-15.

Leeds & District, Moor Monkton Pools, Cyprio, Wednesday Rover: 1, Stu Brown 52-04; 2, Steve Mazza 45-01; 3, Jeff Cooper 40-09.

Moor Monkton Pools, JT Rodgers Winter Series: 1, Dave Wright 41-15; 2, Ollie Hewitt 34-04; 3, Steve Mazza 32-15.

Leeds & District, Moor Monkton Pools, Wednesday Rover: 1, James Roper 35-01; 2, Garry Miller/Stu Brown 25-14; 4, Eric Boldison 25-08.

Bradford No1 AA, Raskelf Winter Series: 1, Graham Jackson 21-01; 2, Simon Foster 8-12; 3, Fred Prudham 8-00.

Anglers World Saturday Series, Round 5,Yorkshire Ouse at Linton: 1, Eddie Brydon, Maver Dynamite 14-04; 2, Ricky Bonas, Mirfield 9-06; 3, Dave Miles, Aireborough 6-08; 4, Stan Haigh, Anglers World/Roy Knox, Aireborough 6-04.

Anglers World Saturday Series, Round 6, Yorkshire Ouse at Linton: 1, Pete Baron, Tackle 2U 8-00; 2, Phil Austin, Barlby 6-02; 3, Fred Hardcastle, Colmic Woodlands 4-05.

Swarcliffe AC, Linton Top: 1, G Cooper/ S Linley 1-10; 3, I Pearson 1-03.

JT Rodgers Winter League, Brafferton: 1, I Jordan 37-01; 2, A Brooks 36-11; 3, R Richardson 22-05.

Bait-Tech Final Stainforth Keadby: 1, A Dowd Leeds 18-15; 2, I Leach Drennan 17-14; 3, J Freeman Sensas 15-04; 4, N Hughes Derby 13-12.

Viking Saturday Open (Deer): 1, R Scott 24-03; 2, R Green 15-14; 3, L Tones 14-09.

Fryston AC Winter League (Viking Hawk): 1, G Vause 30-04; 2, S Johnson 24-05; 3, G Gill 19-13; 4, S Lupton 17-09.

Match Diary

Saturday

Anglers World Saturday Series, Hunters/Linton: January 7 to season end, contact Stan Haigh 07542700743.

Kippax Park: Winter League from November 5 through to March, £10 entry, £20 pools, contact 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.

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

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

Sunday

Leeds DASA: Moor Monkton Pools, Winter League, from November 13 through to March, £10 entry, pools £20, contact 07967000746.

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.

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.