Coarse angling

The Canterbury and District Angling Association held their annual Saunders Cup competition at Grove Ferry’s North Bank with the river very high and coloured following heavy rainfall. Only nine anglers braved the conditions at the 9.30am start and the 2019 cup was lifted by Dan West with 6lb 2oz. His haul comprised one bream and 20 roach. Second place was shared by Dan Boden and Mick Wilson with 5lb 6oz. Boden had a good bream and a few roach while Wilson reeled in two big skimmer bream and some more roach. A 2lb 9oz all-roach catch gave Steve Foreman fourth spot at the 3pm final whistle. Most of the competitors weighed fish in despite the conditions and the area of ‘slacker’ water near the sluice proved the most fruitful. No junior anglers took part in this season’s Saunders Cup. The River Stour at Fordwich has fished well so far this winter and in the past week Bob Milkins landed a 14lb 8oz pike while just two hours of trotting – where an angler uses a float to search the swim to try out every nook and cranny – gave Colin Hurst seven different species of coarse fish from the same area. At Fordwich Lake the first carp since before Christmas has been landed by Sam Murphy. A superb mirror carp of over 20lb came to Sam’s landing net and there are encouraging signs of movement across the lake that the carp are coming out of their winter slumber. There have been very few anglers at Stonar Lake but local bailiff Jock White has reported a few carp and bream catches. Alan Ashdown bagged an 11lb 2oz common carp while Mike Chandler had another two carp to 17lb 6oz and several good bream to 4lb 5oz. Bigger bream still have been banked by Jamie Pepper who ended his session with fish to 6lb and with bream to 5lb. Steve Harris enjoyed another cold but successful visit to Stonar.