The next Northlands Park Pike match will take place on Sunday March 11th.

Anglers should meet at the Northlands Park Car Park from 7.00am for a 7.30am walk off. Fishing time will be 8.00am till 3.00pm.

Baits will be restricted to sea dead baits and artificial lures. Anglers may use one or two rods. In this match the prizes will be awarded by total weight rather than the biggest individual fish.

No competitor can take more than one prize.

Entry will cost £5 with the usual day ticket payable on the bank.

For more information ring Mick Toomer on 01268 282317.

Sea spoils for SAAS

The first match of the 2001 NFSA Essex Division Boat League saw ten teams of four anglers competing at Brighton marina.

The weather was horrendous with nine to twelve foot swells and strong north easterly winds making things very uncomfortable for all involved. Indeed, three boats turned back before the match got underway.

However, despite the conditions, fish were caught with the winners spoils going to Southend AAS with a 59lb 5oz haul consisting of seven pollack and four pouting.

Canvey island AC claimed second spot with eight pollack totalling 54lb 4oz. Hornchurch's Bretons AC were third with a 36lb 4oz bag.

Top individual weights: 1. Eddie Weitzel (Canvey) 31lb 6oz; 2. Rollo Rollings (SAAS) 25lb 9oz; 3. Andy Mason (Canvey) 22lb 14oz.

Best fish: Geoff Rutherford - 14lb 2oz.

Aquatels is quiet

A very quiet week has passed at Basildon's Aquatels fishery, possibly down to anglers wrongly thinking the lake is closed due to the foot mouth outbreak.

Small jack pike have been commonplace but the larger fish have evaded capture, with plenty of silver fish coming out of the quays bay.

The Cranes Farm Road water has just worked out another deal for season ticket holders, with 10 per cent off prices when you spend ten pounds or more at Stanford Tackle Centre.

Double delight at Hockley

The latest four matches held on Hockley Angling Club's Day Ticket water saw many weights in double figures with all the lakes fishing well despite the cold weather conditions.

Essex Angling held the first match which saw Jim Hodges take first prize with 22lb 5oz of mostly carp.

Peter Marshall was runner-up with a quality roach bag of 12lb 12oz. Martin Andrews took third with 10lb 5oz.

The second match saw Pat Pike take the spoils with a mixed bag for 25lb 8oz.

Richard Mansfield was second with 23lb exactly. Geoff Long claimed third spot with 8lb 12oz.

Bretons Angling Club staged the third match which saw David O'Leary claim the winner's honours with a 14lb 9oz bag. Paul Abrahams was 2nd with 7lb 2oz. Third post went to Peter Hurst with 6lb 4oz.

Dave Emmings held the last match which saw Del Smee take first place with an all-carp catch of 25lb 9oz

John Mascheter took 13lb 13oz for second and Jim Hodges claimed third with 11lb 8oz.

Father and son bag up

Anglers have been travelling from far and wide to fish for trout at Billericay's Greenoaks fishery.

Biggest haul of the week fell to the father and son team of Martin and Tim Golding, who managed 17 fish between them.

Black and green viva goldhead flies gave the pair the action, with the pick of their fish scaling 5lb 14oz.

Bill Ward, a fireman from Dagenham, banked three rainbows and returned a cracking 5lb 6oz male brownie from his day session.

Ray Terry made the long trek from Huntingdon just to fish Greenoaks to be rewarded with five fish to a best of 4lb 5oz.

Carl finds variety to spice up visit

With his usual venue closed due to the foot and mouth outbreak Southend angler Carl Barton made his first ever visit to Basildon's Gloucester Park Lake.

Despite arriving relatively late in the day he was amazed to take a personal best 59lb 8oz haul!

Carl fished the middle of the cockle bank casting a groundbait feeder to the island. Alternating between worm and maggot bait he landed a stream of carp, tench, and crucians. He also netted several big roach, a chub, and his first ever barbel.

Stanford angler Steve Cooper was another angler to visit Gloucester Park for the first time when he found his regular water closed down. He also fished the cockle bank, but concentrated on the roach using pole tactics and caster baits. When he weighed in at the end of the day he found that his haul, consisting of numerous roach and a single chub, scaled 18lb 6oz. His best roach scaled 1lb 9oz 8dr.

Brian Peck fished the cockle bank to take a double figure roach catch in a few hours on Sunday morning. The following day he returned to the with pal Steve Smith lake hoping for an even bigger catch.

They arrived to find that the harsh overnight frost had left the lake with a covering of ice. Fortunately fishery manager Mick Toomer was at hand to break them individual holes, and soon after starting fishing they were getting bites.

The fish were much shyer than the previous day. However their maggot and caster bait fished on waggler tactics saw them take good bags considering the cold bright conditions.

Junior angler Ricky West fished the Gloucester Park big bay to take two personal best carp. Casting whisky boilies close to the island Ricky opened his account with a personal best common carp of 13lb. wo hours later the same rod rewarded him with an even bigger mirror carp of 15lb 8oz.

Whilst the foot and mouth outbreak has caused the closure of many waters, and open areas, Gloucester Park, Northlands Park and Lake Meadows remain open.

There will be an open match at Gloucester Park on Sunday. Anglers should meet at the western end of the lake slightly earlier than normal at 7.00am for a 7.15am draw and walk off.

Fishing time will be 8.15am till 2.15pm. For more information ring Mick Toomer on 01268 282317.

Brian Peck shows the smaller of his two roach catches.

Ice man cometh - Steve Smith took this Gloucester Park roach haul through a hole in the ice.

By Stuart Hillis

Reporter's e-mail: stuart.hillis@notes.newsquest.co.uk

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