A badly coloured Swale carrying an extra 18 inches ruled out any big chub nets for the 11th annual River Swale Preservation Society Lower championship writes JEFF HERBERT.

Barbel, eels and perch were the target for the 115 competitors and Otley's Steve Edson lifted the trophy with 30-4-0.

Drawn below Helperby Village, it was two hours into the match before a fish was hooked and lost. Utilising stick float and double red maggot over caster and hemp loose feed, five barbel were successfully landed including specimens to 7-8-0 adding a single chub to finish way out in front.

Darlington's Ken Close, runner-up in the recent Upper Swale championships, came second again weighing 19-2-0. Pegged downstream of Helperby footbridge float fished wasp grub tempted three good chub backed by an assortment of chublets, dace and eels.

In teams of four, Darlington Grubbers won on 34-15-0 from Aireborough Reds 32-9-8.

Experienced Tees rods Darlington Angling Centre seized control during round four of the Drennan Northern Division winning by 13 points on the middle reaches at Over Dinsdale and Sockburn.

Star man Chris Gowling scooped individual honours netting 17-7-0. Fishing above Bells Wood on peg 104 Chris fed groundbait, casters and corn at the onset then loose fed throughout. Stick float and caster accounted for plenty of chublets, dace and roach plus a surprise perch of one pound on the corn.

Mark Coyne of CAC three pegs upstream took a splendid roach and dace bag of 15-8-0 on long pole, short line, maggot and caster approach.

Darlington's success on the day pulled a few points back but Middlesbrough Newman Scott still hold an impressive 42 point advantage overall.

Others: Dave Smiddy, MNS, 13-2-0 from Jim Stevenson Bigwaters, 12-13-0.

Teams on the day: Darlington AC 59 points; Cleveland AC 56, MNS 55

League leaders: 1 MNS 257 points, 2 Darlington AC 215, 3 CAC 205, 4 Map Elton 202, 5 Strikemoor Baits 172, 6 Yarm 68

RSPS Regular Steve Hodson stormed ahead recording 51-4-0 during the Ripon Piscatorials Helmsley Cup on the River Ure.

The venue was fining off nicely after midweek floods and Steve located chub on the noted cages peg above Hewick Bridge. Bomb and maggot encouraged five early specimens before a switch to waggler alternating maggot, bread and wasp grub swiftly produced another 13 along with dace and a bonus perch of 2-8-0.

Graham Skirrey of Turners Tackle pulled out an 8lb barbel in his otherwise chub and dace net of 36-2-0 off the Hutton Beck mouth on stick float and grub.

Other results: Woodlands Lakes Saturday Open: 1 Dave Gill, Group 5, 33-5-0, carp on the pole and pace; 2 Ian Bowman, Map Elton 30-6-0; 3 Mick Phillips, Penrith 28-5-0

Woodland Lakes Wednesday Open: 1 Steve Fearnley, Normark, 51-13-0, carp pole and meat; 2 Mick Phillips, Penrith, 51-9-0; 3 Alan Gregory, Map Elton 38-8-0

Harrogate and Claro Open Lingerfield Gravels: 1 Martin Dodsworth, Harrogate, 26-2-0, highbrids and one tench, feeder and maggot, joint 2nd Bill Kingsley, Claro and Peter Wright, Knaresborough 10-8-0

Armley Wednesday Open, Carpvale Pool: 1 Dave Wright, Armley, 108-10-0 ,carp and tench, long pole and paste; 2 Bernard Guy, East End Park 52-8-0; 3 Brian Husthwaite, Selby 37-10-0

Tadcaster APA Open, River Waugh, Smaws Ings: 1 J Eastwood, Castleford, 15-7-0, three bream plus one perch, feeder and worm; 2 Steve Smith, Aireborough 13-10-0; 3 Terry Morgan, Marsh Tackle, 9-10-0

Beaumont Open, Trimdon Station Ponds: 1 Dave wood, Dunelm, 23-12-0, carp and roachpole and maggot; 2 Alan Kelly, Turners Tackle 17-8-0; 3 Bobby Allen, Durham 15-4-0

Trout news

Oliver Black and Red Buzzers, rule for big rainbows on Redworth Jubilee Lakes. Evenwood's Shaun Houghton, grassed super one of 16-12-0 to an olive buzzer. Angling are averaging three trout a session.

Leightion Reservoir, 95 rods, 349 fish, 53 limit bags. An excellent week, Dawsons Olive, Daddy longlegs, Bibio, and orange muddlers deadly. Top catch by Middlesbrough's Gary Watson, who grassed rainbows up to 8-8-0.

Scaling Dam: 212 anglers, 234 fish, 1 limit bag. Rainbows in the 1-2lb bracket responding to worm and fly.

Grassholme: 297 visitors, 623 fish, 28 limit bags, rainbows to 6 lbs.

Hury: 216 rods, 5103 fish, 23 limit bags, rainbows to 8lbs.

Blackton: 131 anglers, 223fish, 4 limit bags, rainbows to 7lbs, small dark pattern flies proving best.

Derwent: 500 visitors, 1114 fish, 61 limit bags, North Bank, Dam Wall and Cronkley best areas. Floating and sinking lines with Hoppers, Dawsons Olive, Black and orange fritz accounting for rainbows to 8-14-0.

Fontburn: 361 rods, 646 fish, 26 limit bags. Scott Walker, of Newcastle, landed heaviest rainbow of 16-8-0 to a worm hook bait on his first catch of the day then followed it with a fish of 13-8-0 on his next cast.

Kielder: 168 anglers, 192 fish, 9 limit bags, rainbows nudging 6lbs.

Fixtures

Saturday August 26: Bradford No 1 AA Charity Rosebowl, River Calder, Tickets on (01274) 571175.

Helperby AC River Swale. Bradford City AC, Staveley Lake Championships. Tickets (01423) 547537.

Woodland Opens Carlton Miniott.

Sunday August 27: Idle and Thackley AA Open 45 pegs, River Swale, Swainby. Tel: (01274) 618569.

North Central League (5), River Ure at Boroughbridge. Durham City AC Open, D Fox Series, (3), River Wear around the city (0191) 3842450).

Yarm AA Danby Cup on the Lower Tees.

Thornaby AA Extra match, Middle Tees at Sockburn. North York South Durham Federation Norman Dunne Memorial, River Tees at Over Dinsdale, (01325) 262082.