Forgotten urban fishery Locke Park Lake at Redcar looks destined to return to the limelight following the news that Middlesbrough Angling Club have now secured the lease for this picturesque venue.
Day tickets will still be available and the club is open for new members. The timing is perfect with many rural waters closed as a result of the foot-and-mouth epidemic.
The good news is the lake is showing good form boasting a 7.0.0 bream last week. Skimmer bream, roach, rudd, and perch are the mainstay in sport at present. Anglers taking fish on maggot hookbaits with the pole waggler and feeder all successful - depending on wind conditions.
The club is hoping to run some Tuesday evening matches throughout May and June - details to follow later. The current 5 hour match record stands at 29.15.0 of bream by yours truly.
Middlesbrough's New Marske Reservoir also remains open. A noted big carp water in the summer months now offering roach to 0.8.0 along with perch and gudgeon.
Further information including details on membership tel: Steve Bland at Anglers Choice on (01642) 899288.
Quality carp made their presence felt during the Carpvale Open at Moor Monkton on Sunday and nobody deals with them better than Dave Wright.
The red hot Armley regular used his knowledge to good effect and promptly topped the scoresheet. Pole with both corn and maggot across to the two islands off peg 11 extracted 9 hard fighting specimens for 30.10.0 down the margins.
Paul Clarke of Normark on the adjoining peg netted the same number as the winner but of a smaller stamp and had to settle for second best on 25.2.0.
Round two of the Teesside Friendly League got underway on Maple Lake at Sessay and tension mounted when a mere one ounce decided the outcome.
Pole Pullers George Webb swapped between corn and maggot on the long pole catching small carp off the farside ledge from peg 28 to nudge ahead registering 17.10.0 at the scales.
Man to miss out was Terry Shaw of Anglers Choice on the adjacent peg . Again it was down to far bank pole work in search of small carp under the pound mark mainly on the maggot.
Others in the frame: P Rambow Jnr (Pegasus) 16.7.0; M Calvert (Oaks) 16.0.0; P Taylor (Oaks) 15.10.0 and R Brown (Carp Crazy) 15.5.8.
At the Woodlands complex Carlton Miniott - Maver Barnsley Black's Andy Oldham beat the 95 big turnout recording the week's best score a bag of 62.1.0 during Sunday's Open.
Skylark lake fished well and produced the top 4. Andy on peg seven enjoyed an arm-aching session taking over 50 carp (best 4.0.0) falling to pole and corn tactics on the 11 metre line. The fish were packed tight within this area and Alan Mendies on peg 8 replied with 43.2.0. from third place J. Chapman of Keenets 29.10.0 off peg nine.
Woodland Lakes Saturday Opens - Partridge & Skylark (65 rods): 1st J McGarrell (Map Elton) 32.4.0 Skylark 24 - all carp including a fully scaled common of 6.0.0. to groundbait feeder and corn; 2nd R Wilkinson (Newman Scott) 31.5.0; 3rd A Scotthorne (Shimano Mustad) 25.5.0.
Dragonfly Mallard and Swallow (48 rods): 1st G. Jubb (Diawa Goldthorpe) 41.13.0. Quality carp on pole & corn off Mallard corner peg 19; 2nd M. Lenihan (Lym AC) 38.4.0; 3rd A. Waistell (Map Elton) 37.12.0.
Horseshoe Lake's end peg 30 proved the match winning draw during Raker's latest open when Harehill WMCs Rick Johnson weighed in 21.8.0.
Rick alternated between near and far side attack on the pole and maggot and except for one good sized carp his net consisted of mostly small carp and roach.
Andy Geldart of Barnsley jnr's was relegated to runner up spot securing carp to the pound. Pole and maggot at 16 metres tight to bushes accounted for 19.2.0 from peg 14.
Weights were down on the normally prolific Silksworth Lake and competitors had to scratch for crucial team points during the first fixture of the Sunderland FAC Teams of Four series.
Stuart Hopson galloped ahead on 6.3.0 off peg ten in the bay. Opting for the pole at ten metres into open water feeding groundbait and switching between maggot and pinkie 5 good skimmers backed by gudgeon and tiny roach left Elm Trees Willie Henderson well adrift on 3.3.0. However Willie gained his revenge as Elm Tree topped the table by a single point.
Teams: 1st Elm Tree 27 points; 2nd (Middlesbrough Anglers Choice) (Darlington AC B) 26, (Dick Clegg Metro).
The opening round of the Ferryhill & District Alan Reids Bankmaster Fly Championships kicked off on Lockwood Beck Reservoir and there was some excellent sport with rainbow trout to 3.12.0 making up returns. Cats whiskers and black buzzers deadly on the day.
Consistent Kevin Lanceley of Haltwhistle edged in front with an impressive 28.4.0 from Nigel Hales of Corbridge 19.8.0 and Jeff Darwin of Haswell 17.12.0.
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