Edwards enjoys his canal trip to finish runner-up in championship

LEE Edwards, a member of the Wales International Team who lives in Caerphilly, turned in a fine performance to finish runner up in the annual Gloucester Canal Championship.

He drew an unfancied area at Rea Bridge where he used a pole with bloodworm as bait and caught 9lb 7oz of roach and bream.

Previous title winner Andy Richings, from Stonehouse, found big bream at the Hempsted end of the canal and put 25lb 14oz in his keepnet for a clear win and Nottingham competitor Dan Jones was third with 8lb 14oz.

Chris Shepherd, from Pontypool, took on the Midland anglers in the Larford Classic qualifier at Worcestershire venue Larford Lakes and carried off first prize when he legered pellet baits and landed carp to 10lb as he built up a winning 117lb 4oz total.

Meadow Lake was in fine form for the Riverside Fishery Open as Martin Thomas, from Caerphilly, demonstrated by setting up a new match record with 41lb 4oz of bream on pole fished pellets.

Runner up Clive Roberts took the perch pool money with the 2lb 1oz fish that was part of his 35lb 14oz catch and was followed by fellow Cardiff angler Richard Candy with 34lb 5oz and Tony Birt, from Blackwood, with 32lb 7oz.

There are two open fixtures at the Maesycwmmer fishery this weekend. Tomorrow’s match is on Riverside Lake and Sunday’s on Meadow and entry can be made at the 8am draw.

Newport feeder specialist John Mack used the method to catch 28lb 10oz of bream and carp and win the second round of the Newport Spring League at Woodstock Pond.

He was on peg 32 while across the pond on peg 10 Dailis Schneider fished the same way and pushed him hard with 28lb 2oz.

John Kelly also feeder fished his way to third place with 27lb and section wins went to Darrel Barnes with 26lb 4oz and Nick Jones with 23lb 8oz.

The third round of the series is at Morgans Pond on Sunday, April 2 with the draw at 8.30am and fishing from 10am to 3pm

The Wednesday match at Redhill Fishery was on Penny’s Pond and won by on form Trealaw angler Alan Davies with a net of carp that weighed 63lb 5oz. Steve Lane and John Dunlop filled the minor places with 48lb 11oz and 44lb 4oz.

Sunday saw three of the Monmouth fishery’s ponds pegged and Sophie’s provide the top two weights.

John Dunlop won with 71lb 1oz of carp and James Allan put 60lb 7oz on the scales.

The third best catch, 56lb 15oz from Gavin Jones, was from Molly’s Pond.

Switching between casters and punched bread on the hook kept small roach dropping into Steve Lane’s keepnet when he took part in the Pontymister AC match on the canal at Cross Keys and won with 4lb 15oz.

Second placed Phil Rance caught his 2lb of small roach on pinkies and Tristan Walters was third with 1lb 13oz.

The other regular Wednesday fixture is the Over-50s match at Cefn Mably Lakes and this week’s winner was Carlo Bertorelli, from Cwmbran, who caught 117lb of carp from a peg on the Match Lake.

The fishery’s angling coach Bob Mitchell finished in second place with 79lb and Cardiff angler Dave Pike third with 73lb 12oz.

The silver fish pool was shared between Mike Martin Davies and Gary Fisher when both put 19lb 4oz of roach and bream on the scales.

Andrew Wray found the fish close to the near bank when he took part in the Holgan Farm Open on the fishery’s Carp Lake and by pole fishing with either sweetcorn or red maggots on the hook he caught 85lb 12oz of them to claim first place.

Sirhowy AS member Neil Daniels was runner up with 81lb 12oz, Colin Bates third with 56lb 8oz and Clare Baker made her first appearance in the prize list in fourth place with 54lb 12oz.

The point peg was a winner again when Glamorgan AC fished Carol’s Pond at Barry with angler in residence Austin Roberts, from Whitchurch, casting a method feeder to the reeds for 26lb of carp.

Russell Palmer, from Rhiwbina, only had two bites but they came from carp weighing 10lb and 6.5lb and put him in second place ahead of Barry member Jon Taylor with three carp, a chub and 13lb 8oz.

The entry for the David Evans Memorial Match filled both lakes at Mathern Mill and raised £500 for Velindre Cancer Centre.

First winner of the shield to remember the late Spencer Works AC member is Norman Sterry, from Lydney, who netted carp between 5lb and 8lb on pole and pellets at peg 11 on Waterfall Lake to weigh in 118lb.

Newport member Mark Guerra needed just 10 carp to make up the second best weight of 98lb caught on casters fished in the margins on the same lake and the next two weights, 85lb from Adam Brown and 77lb from Ryan Whitehead, came from nearby.

The best effort on Meadow Lake was Darren Wilton’s 73lb.