Top angling festival wiped out by flooding “accident”

York’s Mick Potter put his years of river knowledge to good use by drawing with his left hand and pulling out the plum of Bungalows 220.

Four good bream followed and his weight of 18-07 gave him the first-day win and Garbolino Trophy but, more importantly, the maximum section points to carry forward.

As anglers arrived for the second-day draw, news filtered through that, although the river was fishable, a penstock sluice gate controlled by the Environment Agency had accidently been left open and flooded over 30 acres of farmland that included all the access roads used by the anglers.

With over 60 anglers from as far away as Scotland watching on, organisers had no option but to cancel the whole competition and rearrange dates for later in the year.

Competitors came away counting the cost with wasted holidays from work and hundreds of pounds in hotel bills, all for something easily avoidable.

Jonathan Kirby, of Manor Farm Linton who controls the land, lost even more with his spring ploughing pushed back weeks. An EA spokeswoman later reported that the penstocks were left open owing to operational pressures and they will be reviewing its operation instructions so it doesn’t happen again.

I’ll bet the angler from Argyle driving the hundreds of miles back home will be really pleased at that response...

I feel lucky to have witnessed, or been involved in, a number of stocking programmes on a range of Yorkshire’s rivers and still-waters going back as far as 1974 with the tons of roach shipped in from Denmark. My latest adventure involving chest waders and nets full of fish was as good as any in the past and, as the vans arrived at the water’s edge, the wait was more than worth it.

Phase two of Leeds & District’s Ouse/Ure barbel stocking programme was about to get under way and, I have to say, Carpvale Fisheries supplied us with fish that I can only be described as stunning. A hundred barbel up to 1lb in weight were released to the steady waters around Linton-on-Ouse and, as part of the next five-year plan, will be a valuable year class mix to those first fish stocked in 2008.

Running in tandem with the Ouse project, another 300 barbel of the same brood stock were released to the River Swale from Topcliffe to Asenby Island. This was a joint effort between Bradford City, Leeds, Swaledale and the Asenby syndicate.

If any anglers are hoping to fish the Ouse or Swale this coming season and are looking for a new club to join, I can think of four that deserve your backing.

Results

Tricast Yorkshire Ouse 3 Day Festival: Day 1. 1, Mick Potter 18-07; 2, Glynn Brown 4-15; 3, Tony Peel 4-02; 4, Shaun Tate 3-02; 5, Andy Hampson 3-01.

Anglers World Saturday Series, Round 9, Linton/Widdington on Ouse: 1, P Barton 6-07; 2, M Highe/N Thewlis 3-07; 3, A Hampson/ P Bennett 2-12. Final League: Pete Barron 33pts; Dean Grace 33pts; Steve Newns 32pts; Paul Bennett 32pts

Bradford No 1 AA, Charity Sweepstakes, River Nidd, Cowthorpe: 1, Neil Stanhope 24-12; 2, Ian Newby 23-06; 3, Simon Foster 12-02; 4, James Vickerman 7-08.

Moor Monkton Pools, Sunday Winter League, Final Round: 1, Martin Dodsworth 56-10; 2, Andy Hornsby 40-06; 3, Kev Worth 36-04; 4, Chris Watson 32-05; League Result: 1, Chris Watson 14pts, 6 section wins; 2, Ben Fisk 14pts, 5 section wins; Mark Wade 16pts, 5 section wins; 4, Dave Wright 16pts, 4 section wins; 5, Lee Smith 18pts.

Moor Monkton Pools, Wednesday Rover: 1, Andy Gallant 38-00; 2, Graham Twohey 31-13; 3, Paul Lofthouse 22-10; 4, Geoff Rhodes 22-09; 5, Mark Wade 19-04; 6, Roy Worsnop 18-03.

Moor Monkton Pools, Sunday Spring Series, Cyprio/Match: 1, Gary Watson 30-09; 2, Andy Hornsby 27-05; 3, Alex Warren 22-12; 4, Lee Myers 22-06.

Moor Monkton Pools, Wednesday Rover, All Pools: 1, Dave Pollitt 63-04; 2, Mick Walker 32-13; 3, Graham Twohey 28-12; 4, Paul Lofthouse 24-15; 5, Steve Holmes 23-02.

Kippax Park Fishery, Tuesday Open, Lapwing: 1, Richard Thomas 65-02; 2, Andy Gallant 43-02; 3, John Brogden 28-05; 4, Tony Hewson 25-02.

Kippax Park Fishery, Saturday Open, Lapwing: 1, Ray Clark 41-05; 2, Mark Rockingham 18-14; 3, Mark Wade 11-15; 4, Tony Hewson 11-00.

Kippax Park Fishery, Saturday Open, Lapwing: 1, Tony Evans 47-10; 2, Paul Beadle 25-01; 3, Andy Gallant 11-06.

Viking Saturday Open (Deer): 1, G Thornton 28-12; 2, S Bean 2507; 3, M Jukes 24-14.

Fryston Winter League (Viking Deer): 1, M Eccles 56-04; 2, P Moran 35-00; 3, G Gill 31-09.

Spring Grove Old Boys (Viking Hawk): 1, J Fisher 91-03; 2, D Watson 57-02; 3, R Scott 49-03.

Fun Knock Ups (Viking Fox): 1, M Jukes 57-14; 2, S Waterhouse 55-13; 3, B Wilkinson 37-02.

Match Diary

Saturday

Kippax Park: Saturday Open, Lapwing or Osprey, 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.

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

Kippax Park: winter series, Osprey Lake only, contact Stan 0796700046.

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.

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: 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.