Wet weather cannot keep anglers inside

Paul Baskerville with a 15-4 common Alders common

FOR most it was another week best forgot. Parks Trust waters open throughout the city one day – brollies only, no bivvies – and next day down comes the rain. Again, In sheets!

And as this column was going to press...it was starting to rain. Again.

TWO who didn't let it get him down were MK Matchgroup duo Ian Smith and Ian Bagshaw. With even the canal verging on pointless in places they did the logical thing and headed for the depths of one of the largest, deepest pits in the area – Stewartby.

Even that was around three feet up, but fish were feeding and the pair, in between bantering, shared roach to a pound-and-a-half through the session. The matching pair Baggy is pictured holding scaled 2-8 between them.

ALDERS was fishing for some, too. With most getting the odd couple of fish Paul Baskerville had 17 bites in his session – landing 15 fish to 15-4 using ronnie rigs and single pop-ups.

Dave Gordon and Paul Hancock shared eight fish between them in their session.

OUT making the most of a quick trip Derek Bradbury netted a 14-6 pike from a local water. A quick trip to the canal saw Anthony Layton with pike of 8 and 6lb.

Ever-wandering towpath light tackle lure-man Den Buller has been getting fish most days – usually perch which he's more than happy with.

ROB Bara had a canal pike within 15 minutes of starting his trip. Regulars reckon around 30 snappers were caught at Willen over the weekend, and a week or more back a 19-6 was landed from the lake.

AS the latest floods were moving down river towards Olney, the club's Andy Garner got in quick for perch of 2lb+. Roach to 10 ounces and 1lb+ skimmers were also being caught in that area.

NEXT month is due to see road closures as MK Council contractors carry out major repairs on the Watling Street canal bridge at Fenny and the Black Horse one at Linford, if you're planning trips round those areas...

NEXT month, depending on floods and just how saturated the ground is (so it might not even happen) the Environment Agency is scheduled to begin clearing some of the fallen trees and other debris on the Ouzel in, and downstream of, the Sparkes Meadow area.