Angling round-up: Campion gives a champion display...

Mark, a member of Brentwood Angling Centre's squad, fished the sluice bank where he used a quivertip and feeder to land 17 bream and a perch.

Alternating between pinkie and maggot baits kept his fish feeding throughout the day, to the amazement of the rest of the field.

With a bright sunny day following an overnight frost the usual bream hot spots on the Lake Meadows grass bank and houses bank failed to produce the goods.

John Musson fishing the grass bank made the best of a bad job to take second place with three skimmer bream totalling 4lb 6oz.

Geoff Byatt fished a few pegs further along to claim third place with two skimmers for 2lb 10oz.

Even roach proved elusive in the unfavourable conditions, although Steve Marchant took a good specimen weighing over a pound.

There was an exciting finish at the Northlands Park Pike Open where Terry Rance snatched victory on his last cast of the competition.

With just minutes to go Terry had just a single pike of 5lb 12oz to his name, and he had resigned himself to the runner up spot.

His fortune changed as he began to tidy his gear prior to the whistle when another pike took a fancy to his ledgered lamprey bait. This last minute fish scaled 6lb 8oz giving him a winning total of 12lb 4oz.

Second place went to Roy Turner who was only able to fish the first four hours of the match. However fish of 6lb and 3lb 8oz, one taken on a sprat and the other on a plug, saw him in the prizes for the second match running.

Third place went to Barry Kipling with 5lb 13oz, followed by Graham Istead with 5lb 8oz and Fred Woodcock with 4lb.

The next Northlands Park Open pike match will take place on Sunday, February 27. More information in next week's Angling Echo.

Gloucester Park continues to produce an unseasonable number of tench, with a number of anglers taking more than a dozen fish.

Steve Fuller fished the cockle bank to land eleven tench, two crucians, and eight chub for a total of 26lb 6oz. He fished a maggot feeder casting tight to the Island.

Steve's companion Trevor Collins concentrated on the roach to take a 17lb 12oz haul. Trevor fished a pole to take numerous quality roach on caster baits.

There will be an open match at Gloucester Park this Sunday. Anglers should meet at the western end of the island at 7.15am for a 7.30am sharp walkoff.

Match entry will cost £6 with the usual day ticket payable on the bank.

For more information telephone Mick Toomer on 01268 282317.

(Right) John Musson displays his second placed bream haul

Steve Marchant took this big roach at Lake Meadows

Prim and proper

Billericay firm, Unbar-Rothon, staged a six-hour match at Hockley Angling Club's day ticket water with Doug Prim finding the lake in obliging mood.

He took a commanding 21lb 2oz to claim first place with colleague Dave Penberton's 10lb haul earning him runner-up spot. Philip Allot took third with 6lb 15oz.

Canvey Angling Centre held a five hour long match on Hockley's day ticket lake.

Despite the windy conditions making presentation difficult Les Wisbeech once again came first with a quality 34lb 2oz haul consisting mostly carp.

Les used red maggot fished tight to the bottom to take his impressive catch.

Paul Marsh took second with a similar bag of 32lb 14oz.

Chub bonus for Basildon

Basildon and District Angling Society travelled to the fire station stretch of the River Chelmer for their latest match.

Reports were rife of roach feeding but the 15 competitors were pleasantly surprised to also find a good number of chub in the Chelmsford water.

Local expert John Martin claimed the day's spoils. John fished the pole for the first two hours of the match before deciding that wagler tactics would be more productive.

His decision was proved correct as he immediately caught three good chub in quick succession.

He then went on to take some roach and quality perch for a winning weight of 9lb 1oz.

John used maggot and casters as his tempter. Runner-up was Terry Piccollo who fished the pole to land two good chub and a few roach and perch for 7lb 9oz.

Sea shorts

Bait and Tackle's evening match gets underway at Westcliff tomorrow.

Fishing times will be from 8pm to 11.30pm.

The match is fished with worm baits only and is £10 to enter plus £5 super pool and £1 Golden Peg (which currently stands at £11).

Telephone 01702 617764 for further details.

Another date for your diary is the Thorpe Bay open beach match on March 16.

This match will be fished in conjunction with Southend Angling Centre and Shakespeare.

Fishing times are from 9.30am to 2-30pm and will be held from Thorpe Bay to Chalkwell.

The first prize will be the heaviest fish with second going to the heaviest weight as per their normal standard.

Twenty-one members from a London club fished Dungeness on Sunday. The top weight was 12lb, but of most interest was that 511 fish were weighed in.

Conditions round-up: Cod scene is worst in memory

The lack of fish is beginning to affect everyone.

All people involved in the trade are finding this year one of the worst they can remember. Normally the boats can find up to 20 codling a day at this time of the year, but even experienced skippers like John Rawle are some days not even finding a single fish.

However, hopefully the worst will soon be over.

The sprats have thickened up again but they should soon be gone.

Southend boats

Rumour has it that there were a couple of codling caught from the number two buoy.

Sunday's nice weather saw boats well down river after roker with no success.

One of the local trawlers had over a ton of skate wings last week.

Southend pier

Still very little to note apart from a few flounders close inshore.

It will soon be worth trying for the odd early plaice with ragworm baits towards the gut.

Southend beaches

Not much during the day but plenty of small fish at night.

River Crouch

Only a few dabs and whiting to be found, even out in the barrows.

River Blackwater

When the weather allows only the odd codling and roker to be found with a few dabs and whiting.

West Mersea

Much the same - very few sizeable fish to be found.

Stanford

Still good flounder fishing to be had although the size is getting smaller.

One or two small school bass are also showing.

Canvey, Tilbury, Gravesend

Tilbury is the best of a bad bunch with a few flounders and the odd school bass.

North Kent coast

Little to report apart from reasonable flounders fishing from the rivers.

Thamesmead, Erith

The odd flounder and eel falling to ragworm and Devon peeler crab.

River Orwell

The flounders are moving towards the sea end of the river now.

Sea round-up

Contact Bait and Tackle's Ray Power on 01702 617764

Converted for the new archive on 19 November 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.