THE ANGLER’S CROSSWORD

(* indicates an anagram)

ACROSS

1 Group of small weights to sink hookbait quickly (4,4) 6 38-acre reservoir in Somerset ... in Atlantic – hardly! (5)

9 Donegal salmon/trout river – and native of Helsinki? (4)

10 In that place ... in Hythe, really (5)

11 See 4dn.

12 Powergum is a less stretchy alternative to this (7)

14 Father and son Welsh anglers, ‘Moc’ and Hywel (6) 15 e.g. sweetcorn skins (6) 17 Sort of eel that’s a shocker (8)

19 Dick Walker’s 1952 carp, pictured on 3-rod licence 2018 (8) 22 Meat bait favoured by a rasher sea angler? (5) 24 Aromas (6) 26Worcs. town location of Arrow Valley Lake (*did retch!) (8)

28 Ball game played in water (4)

29 Tropical freshwater fish – in pirate trawler (5) 31/3dn Won Ladies National Champs at Heronbrook 2019 (*bleak, dab: nil) (4,7) 32 Featured on 2014-15 rod licence (5)

33 A Cotswolds fishery named after Britain’s oldest road (8)

DOWN

2 Join together – *untie badly! (5)

3 See 31ac. 4/30dn/11ac Term for fishing close to margins/snags (3,3,4)

5 Form of molasses (7) 6 Yellowish-white colour of male mussel flesh (5)

7 Top anglers Benny and Kevin ___ (7)

8 40 lb+ ornamental carp at Fryerning Fishery – and white, spotted dog (9) 13 Jobs, chores (5)

16 Notts. six-lake fishery on River Idle (*torch fall) (9) 18 Flowed back like the sea (5)

20 Cheshire town on rivers Weaver and Mersey (7) 21 Water-oxygenating pump (7)

23 Weather conditions (*Lima etc) (7)

25 Shrops. fishery, The ___, – included in pass, Itchen! (5)

27 ‘Hooded’ snake (5) 30 See 4dn.

Solutions to February 4: Across: 1 Baitcaster 7 Sowe 9 Adhesive 10 Scream 11 Knot 13 Ether 15 Bored 16 Breakout 18 Garstang 20 Salty 21/20D Neil Spooner 23/14 Micromesh 25 Swot 27 Marker 28 Alnmouth 30 Ales 31 Leger beads. Down: 2/22 Arden Lakes 3/16/29 The Big One 4 Aniseed 5 Teeth 6 Reserve 7 Scrum 8 Wraysbury 12 Tares 15 Blake Hall 17 Kelts 19 Admiral 24 Craig 26 Oxted.