GOODIFORD Mill fishery was in excellent winter form for a specially arranged competition that attracted 29 anglers.

They had to endure a cold wind but everyone caught and the average catch per man was 11lb.

The £95 cash prize for top spot went to Bridgwater angler Paul Jones, who put 19lb 8oz on the scales. He drew peg 24 and fished a six-metre pole with either maggot or caster hookbaits presented over cereal feed. He caught lots of skimmers and roach averaging around the 6oz to 8oz mark.

Runner-up Kevin Diment, from Exeter, had a 17lb 9oz catch at peg seven to win £75 prize money. He fed some cereal with micro pellets and fished over it with a 10-metre pole baiting a 20 hook with white maggot.

The catch was made up of a big bonus fish in the shape of a superb perch of 2.5lb, plus a tench of the same size. Additionally, he had roach and skimmers.

Close behind in third place was Gary Thornton (ALS VDE) who had a 17lb 3oz catch to win £55. He drew peg one where he fished maggot baits over cereal feed and fished poles at both nine and 13 metres.

He caught steadily throughout and included skimmers and roach to around the 1lb mark.

Brian Sussex took fourth place with a catch totalling 17lb and won £30 prize money. He drew peg 32 and opted to fish a waggler float with caster hookbaits on an 18 hook. He fed three balls of cereal at the start and loose-fed casters regularly.

He attracted skimmers and roach to 1.5lb and 1lb, respectively.

The final main place went to Steve Hayman at peg eight. He scaled 16lb 10oz and won £20. He pole-fished at 13 metres with 4mm pellets fed to attract the fish into the swim. Soft pellet hookbaits soon brought him a few roach plus some quality skimmers to 1.5lb.

The fishery is available on a day ticket basis, which costs £7.

WE are now several weeks into the new year and all anglers fishing Exeter and District Angling Association waters must be in possession of a current permit.

They are available at all tackle shops locally and cost £36 adult year, £5 junior year, £5 day ticket and £18 for a senior citizen or disabled angler.

ON Sunday, the annual inter-club competition takes place on the Taunton Canal between Exeter, Bridgwater and the local club.

All members are welcome to fish but must book in with the match secretary, Mark Thorogood, on 01626 889931.

The actual match length will be decided on the day. The peg draw takes place in the Wickes car park, off the road into the Taunton town centre, at 8.30am.

LUCCOMBE ponds at Exminster have resumed the midweek events.

Catches have been consistent for the time of year with Torquay angler Shane Harper topping the latest catches with a 25lb net of carp plus silver fish. He was pegged on Larch pond where he used pole tackle fishing maggots down the margins. He attracted the fish by feeding casters and hemp. Runner up was Dave Reeves, Dawlish, who had a similar catch of fish for 21lb. He fished on Birch pond with a pole at five metres and baited his hook with corn.

Third place went to Peter Barrell, of Exeter, who had carp and silver fish totalling 17lb. Float tactics with maggot hookbaits brought the fish to his peg on Larch pond.

The Sunday competition saw a big improvement in leading weights despite it being a cold day.

Top catcher was Debbie Stevens, of Exeter, who was pegged on Oak pond where she put good figures of 45lb 4oz on the scales.

She had small carp that were caught on a seven-metre pole with maggot and corn hookbaits. Feeding the swim with maggots and pellets kept the fish interested.

Runner-up Stephen Barrell fished his peg on Sycamore to record 40lb 5oz. He had carp that were caught fishing an 11-metre pole with corn or pellet hookbaits.

Geoff Hill, of Dawlish, completed the main frame with a 25lb catch of carp from Birch pond. He started on a pole but went to rod and float with corn or maggot baits.

AFTER a few lean weeks, Salmonhutch coarse fishery, near Crediton, is back in the news with quality carp — showing the water levels are good and of a reasonable colour.

Cullompton angler Carl Welch enjoyed a good session on the island pond where he legered flavoured boilies and corn.

He had eight carp with the best a 22lb linear mirror, a 19lb common and two 18lb mirrors.

Copplestone angler Simon Snell used boilie hookaits to tempt a 16lb common and James Edmonds, of Crediton, had a 14lb common on the same bait.

Exmouth's Jason Tackall netted a nice 22lb mirror and fellow Exmouth angler Barry Wood took a 15lb common on white chocolate boilie.

Chris Ryan, of Okehampton, float-fished maggots on Rosemary pond and caught lots of perch.

Crediton angler Vic Turner also fished on Rosemary and caught perch.

The Western pond gave junior angler Oliver Seymore a personal best 4lb common. He was using his new equipment and caught the fish on a peach boilie.

THERE have been few catches reported from Milton Farm ponds at Payhembury since the new year but slowly anglers are returning to try their luck.

Pond one has been producing some roach and rudd to maggots plus small pieces of meat. The odd carp to 7lb has shown to corn hookbait. The water levels in all the ponds is good. Day tickets are available on the bank and cost £5.

UPHAM coarse fishery is once again producing good winter catches for anglers who have been there over the last week which saw higher temperatures.

Fishing on pond seven, Craig Douglas had a catch of eight carp ranging from 12lb up to 18lb. He took them all on legered boilies.

The same pond gave Adrian Lazarus, of Broadclyst, a 13lb fish.

John Lake, of Exeter, float-fished bread at a swim on pond six and found the skimmer bream feeding. He managed to catch 15 of them. Geoff Crews, of Exmouth, legered with fruit-flavoured boilies to catch 11 carp to 10lb at a swim on pond four. George Boyes, of Exmouth, had two sessions at the fishery and enjoyed good catches.

On the first, he visited pond three where he float-fished with prawns or corn hookbaits. The result was a catch of 11 carp to 4lb plus a tench of 2lb.

The second time he was on pond four where the same tactics gave him a catch of eight carp to 9lb.

HOGSBROOK members fished their silver fish midweek event on the top lake and just one ounce separated the two anglers.

Winner was Dave Whitehall who had a 4lb 1oz catch at peg 16 on the dam wall.

He used a pole at 11 metres and baited with maggots to catch a 3lb plus bream, two skimmers and two roach.

Jason McGrath fished at peg nine on the straight bank where he caught three nice skimmers to total a level 4lb. He feeder-fished with soft pellets.

Peter Collings had a catch of four skimmers taken at peg 11 where he used a pole at 11 metres and baited with maggots to total 3lb 2oz.

The Sunday competition was the seventh round of the winter league and it took place on the top lake.

Dam wall peg 17 produced the winning catch of 22lb 12oz for Jason McGrath.

He caught two carp on a waggler with banded pellet hookbaits and added a third on feeder tackle. His best fish scaled 8lb 10oz.

Runner-up Ken Cox caught two carp and a 2.5lb bream for a 15lb 12oz total at peg 16.

He fished a method feeder with double red maggots on a 16 hook.

The silver fish winner was Peter Kemp who caught skimmer bream on a pole at 11 metres. He used maggot hookbaits at peg 15.

The runner-up was Steve Coombes fishing peg 14 where he scaled 4lb. Red maggots on an 11-metre pole gave him four skimmers. The anglers had to endure a cold easterly wind and the lake was highly coloured. The best carp reported by fishery members over the last week was a respectable 18lb and came from the top lake.

A FINAL reminder to all members interested in pike fishing — a Valentine's Day competition is being held on the Exeter Canal this Sunday.

Tickets cost £5 and are available from the Exeter Angling Centre. The draw takes place at the Lime Kilns car park at 7am. Fishing is from 7.30am until 3.30pm. Two rods are allowed.

BOTH of the Exeter Association ponds at Kia-Ora are fishing well and are worth visiting by members.

Fishing on the silver pond, one angler had a 14lb plus catch taken on a seven metre pole with maggot or caster hookbaits. Fishing a peg on the open bank he had two big perch around 2lb each plus six others. There were eight crucian carp, one F1 carp of 1lb and lots of roach and skimmers.

A peg at the inlet end of the pond produced more than 100 little roach, rudd, skimmers and gudgeon for one angler who used a whip and then short pole.

The gold pond is again in form with plenty of good catches being reported from most pegs along the dam wall.

John Holmes, the Exeter Association chairman, planned to fish for silver fish at peg 24 with a floating island in front of him.

He began catching a couple of good roach on caster hookbaits.

A swap to an 11-metre pole produced skimmers and perch plus the resident carp moved in.

He managed to catch 10 of them on a No. 6 elastic and had two that were over 10lb. The skinners were smaller samples but they scaled 3k and the six perch in the net were all over the 250g mark.

Corn hookbaits produced a catch of eight carp including three doubles for one angler who fished at peg 6. He had them along with lots of skimmers caught away from the big island.

Dam wall peg 20 produced several carp between 3lb and 7lb plus crucians, three tench and lots of skimmers. The successful angler used poles at two and five metres with either maggots or pellet hookbaits. Despite lots of cold water running through the ponds the fish have been in feeding mood.

HONITON Sea Angling Club junior Sampson Roberts was presented with a prize for a Sea Anglinging News competition at the Wyvern Division's presentation meeting in Exeter. Sampson caught a superb small-eyed ray of nearly 10lb to win the prize of a tackle wallet and rod holder.