THE fourth round of the Winter Pairs League took place on the silver and gold ponds at Kia-Ora Fishery and it was for silver fish only.

It proved to be a good event with everyone catching and the result was a very close affair.

The top pair on the day were Calvin Lemon and Paul Elworthy, who had a three-point total and shared £100 prize money.

Calvin won the silver pond with a catch totalling 2k 800g from peg nine, on the dam wall. He began fishing a six-metre pole with red maggots on a 22 hook and fed some cereal feed at the start. Small skimmers came steadily plus a few small roach. After a couple of hours he switched to an 11-metre pole and continued catching the same species again on a single red maggot.

Elworthy, drawn at peg nine on the gold pond, took second place with a catch of 4k 250g. He had a good end to the five-hour session when he netted a superb perch around the kilo mark, which boosted his total. He caught it along with odd skimmers, roach and two other perch on a three-metre pole with red maggots on a 22 hook.

At first, he fished a pole at eight metres with red maggots on a 22 hook to catch six skimmers plus a couple of roach. Cereal feed with pinkies, maggots, casters and corn attracted the fish.

Runners-up Paul Marks and Brian Sussex had a four-point score and shared £60 prize money.

Marks (Exeter Angling Centre) had the top catch on gold pond, putting 4k 700g on the scales at peg 26, on the dam wall. He began feeding cereal and micro pellets at eight metres, targeting the resident skimmers. Leaving it to settle, he started fishing a crowquill waggler float and baited an 18 hook with a single caster.

Loose-feeding casters attracted roach and he caught steadily, including samples to 250g plus a 500g tench, perch of 300g and five small skimmers. He did not fish the pole line because the fish kept coming steadily.

Sussex drew peg 10 on the tree-lined bank where he had a 1k 900g catch for third on silver pond. He fed cereal plus micros at eight metres plus casters close to a sunken cage. Starting on caster hookbaits to a 20 hook, he caught a few roach before switching to eight metres and maggot baits, which brought him around 30 small skimmers. A spell on a three-metre pole added more roach, perch and rudd.

Third were Paul Astridge and Gary Thornton (ALS VDE) who had five points and received £40. Astridge was pegged at No. 8 on silver pond and scaled 2k 750g. He fed some cereal plus pinkies and used a five-metre pole with pinkies on a 22 hook to catch lots of small roach. To speed up his catch rate he fished at two metres for a spell. He also caught 10 skimmers when he fished an 11-metre pole with red maggot hookbaits on a 20 hook.

Thornton scaled 3k 200g from gold pond peg 21 where he started on a five-metre pole with maggots or pinkies on a 20 hook. He caught roach to 12oz and two tench of 300g and 500g. Swapping to an 11-metre pole with red maggots on a 20 hook, he caught eight skimmers.

The section winner on gold pond was Zac Newton, who had 3k at peg 25 and won £10. He pole-fished soft pellets on a 16 hook at eight metres and 13, having fed cereal with micro pellets and dead maggots. He caught several skimmers up to 500g plus two roach.

The silver pond prize of £10 went to Paul Roach at peg three. Worm baits brought him a crucian carp at 14.5 metres, soft pellets tempted a skimmer, tench, four crucians and a roach at 11 metres and 12 roach came to bread punch and pinkies at five metres.

THE first round of this year's Express & Echo League takes place on the Grand Western Canal on Sunday, from 10am-3pm.

The match length will take in the 'cut' at Greenway. Depending on the entry, there could be a section on High Banks or towards Sellick bend. The only recent news of any catches in the area was just one, by an angler fishing the disabled peg near Greenway Bridge. He used a waggler float with maggots on the hook and caught roach.

All members are welcome to fish the match but places must be booked with match secretary Mark Thorogood on 01626 889931. The peg draw is in the car park at Greenway from 8.30am.

SUNDAY'S competition at Luccombe did not see such big weights but catches were consistent for the time of year. The top catcher was Alan Dossett (Dawlish), who put a winning 34lb of carp to 3lb on the scales from a peg on larch pond. He used maggot hookbaits over loose offerings and pole-fished at 11 metres for the catch.

Pegged on birch pond, Exeter's Debbie Stevens took the runners-up spot with a 23lb catch of carp to around 3lb. She used a seven-metre pole and fished either pellets or corn on the hook.

Stephen Barrell was third with a 21lb 8oz net on birch pond. He fished a long pole at 14.5 metres and used corn hookbaits presented over maggot and corn feed.

Anglers who would like to fish the matches at Luccombe Ponds and need more information can call Take The Bait on 01626 889444.

UPHAM Farm Coarse Fishery has again started to attract a number of anglers who have managed to enjoy some reasonable sport from the ponds, which are full and have a good colour.

Pond five produced a nice tench of 3.5lb for one angler who float-fished with maggots. Anglers fishing with poles and maggot baits on pond six have caught several carp to 3lb plus skimmer bream and odd tench.

Exmouth angler George Boyes fished on pond three where he used float tackle and baited with either corn or mussels. He netted nine carp, the biggest around the 7lb mark. Exeter's John Lake float-fished bread on pond four to catch two carp of 6lb plus smaller samples.

EXETER Association members have returned disappointing reports from local waters of late.

A year ago, on January 20, the first tench of the year was reported from the Lime Kilns on the Exeter Canal.

Several anglers have fished there recently, targeting the species, but none have shown to date. Feeder tackle with bunches of red maggots normally tempt the fish and over the next few weeks the area is likely to be popular.

On a good note, several anglers have been targeting the pike and a superb fish of 28lb was caught from the Lime Kiln length at the weekend.

The canal is widely regarded as one of the top venues in the South West for the species. Anglers can fish on the canal for £5 per day. Alternatively anglers can join the Exeter Association for £36 per year, which represents excellent value.

Abbrook Pond, at Kingsteignton, attracted several anglers over the weekend but the only catch news is that one angler managed to tempt a couple of carp around the 6lb to 7lb mark on boilie hookbaits. The water is well coloured at present.

The deep pond at Sampford Peverell remains closed to members because there is still a problem with low oxygen levels. However, the weedy pond has produced a good number of small carp to 1lb on float-fished maggots.

Both of the ponds at Kia-Ora have offered good sport over the last week. Anglers fishing swims on the tree-lined bank have caught lots of small skimmers and roach on soft pellet baits fished on pole tackle.

A few crucian carp, along with a couple of F1 carp, have also been reported. Despite lots of cold water running into the pond, the fish have continued to feed. Members are advised to take care as the ground approaching the water is very wet. Fortunately the fishing swims are excellent and of a good solid build.

The gold pond has again produced good numbers of small skimmer bream along with some perch. A catch of more than 70 fish was reported from peg nine where an angler used a five-metre pole and baited with soft pellets. There are some good quality roach to be caught from the gold pond and the recommendation is to either use a waggler float with rod and line or a pole.

The bait to try is a single caster on an 18 or 20 hook. Loose-feeding a few casters will quickly attract the fish.

THE Hogsbrook members' midweek event produced a winning 16lb catch for Dave Whitehall at peg 16 on the top lake dam wall.

He fished a pole at 11 metres and presented maggots over cereal feed. He had quality skimmers to 2.5lb.

Runner-up Wayne Mitchell, at inlet peg one, had a big skimmer plus small fish for a 4lb 5oz total. He fished a pole and baited with maggots, fished over micro pellets. Jason McGrath was third with 3lb 11oz at peg 11 on the straight bank. He used banded pellets on a pole at 11.5 metres to catch three skimmers.

McGrath won the Saturday Winter League round on the bottom lake with a 23lb catch at peg 39, amongst the trees. He used soft pellet baits with a pole at 11.5 metres and caught two carp plus two skimmers. A big bonus came in the shape of the golden peg money, worth £162.

Runner-up Steve Coombes, at inlet peg 25, scaled 18lb 7oz. Pole-fishing maggots over cereal feed, he caught a 14lb 8oz carp plus a 2lb skimmer and small fish. The match was badly affected by an influx of cold water.

EXMOUTH Sea Angling Association members had to contend with the winter snow and ice when they fished the first club event of 2010.

Twenty-four hardy anglers headed out at the weekend on a hunt for the best flounder and most members stayed close to home, fishing the Exe estuary and seafront area.

The Exe produced most of the sport for members and, as is normal practice, fish not destined for the table were returned safe and sound. First prize went to Exeter's Darren Bell, who fished the Kingsbridge Estuary with a specimen of 2lb 5oz for 95 per cent

Second place went to Si May with a 2lb 3oz fish. Third was junior member Callum Kilgannon. Both these anglers, who are from Exmouth, landed their fish at the east end of the seafront.

The Wyvern Division's annual presentation night is being held on Saturday at the Royal British Legion, Legion Way, Alphington, starting at 8pm.