INCREDIBLE START TO RIVER MATCH SEASON!
Bream, chub and barbel all feature in record catches
BAKING hot conditions failed to deter Britain’s river anglers, who have enjoyed a brilliant start to the competitive season.
Impressive attendances across the UK were rewarded with record catches dominated by bream, chub and barbel.
The Angling Trust RiverFest event got under way on the River Calder in West Yorkshire, with Dave Miles, Ian Dawson and James Robbins being the first three anglers to book their spot in the autumn final.
With 22-6-0 of bream and grayling from the Calder Bank Road section, Dave emerged the winner. Steve Clegg was second with 18-3-0 of bream, dace and roach from the same area.
On the Yorkshire Ouse, the record books were rewritten as Leeds rod Steve Edson took a mammoth 164-10-0 of bream from the Killingbeck Sandbed area on feeder and worm. He set a new match best for the river in the York Amalgamated open.
Still in Yorkshire, the Swale’s chub fed, John Cosgrove winning the Northallerton match with 92-6-0 of them on stick float and caster. Second was Steve Beckwith on 73-6-0.
Norfolk’s tidal River Yare hosted two massive opens, the opening day match drawing 105 anglers. John Platten won with
45-0-0 of bream – Saturday’s 95-peg open gave Chris Kelly top spot with 27-8-0 of skimmers.
On the Warrwickshire Avon, the Evesham Festival qualifiers got under way. Tommy Smith took the Saturday match with 11-0-0, while Mark Treasure topped Sunday’s Dick Derrington Memorial with 27-1-0 of bream.
Numbers were also healthy on the River Tees as Andy Nelson bagged the LTAA James Cook Hospital Cup open at Bowesfield with 10-3-0 of skimmers.
The Yarm club’s Geoff Douglas Cancer Research fund raiser on Sunday handed Mal Dunlop the honours 24 hours later with 36-12-0 of mainly skimmers and raised over £700 for charity.
Bream also showed on the Thames at Medley for the Oxford DAA Open, where Mick Denton weighed in 60-2-0 of them on the pole and worm despite swimmers and kayakers making things challenging for many.
The River Severn was busy too, Kidderminster’s Saturday match at Bewdley going to Jim Wilson with 33-0-0 of barbel. Chub and barbel made up the winning 27-8-0 of Garry Cain as he topped the Bridgnorth match on Sunday.