Angling: Memorial match for Garry's just the ticket

This week I received an email from old pal and top dog of Yarnbury AC, Adie Addy, that, I think, shows what club-match fishing is all about. It reads:

Weeton Lake Fishery played host to the first Gary Parr Memorial Charity Match commemorating the passing of the late venue owner.

Mandy, his widow, now continues to run this fabulous, small day-ticket commercial fishery and, with match organiser Adie Addy, decided it would be a fitting tribute to her late husband to run what is hoped to be an annual charity event, with all the proceeds going to the Freeman Heart Hospital in Newcastle where Gary was treated in the last years before his sad passing.

The match was a sell-out with commercial and river anglers turning up in support to honour and remember their old fishing pal Gary. The high bank pressure on the lake kept the weights down, but venue regular Anthony Scarlett kept the small carp coming steadily throughout the day, responding to pole-fished pellet feeding slop off peg 7.

He put a solid 21lb on the scales which was more than enough to claim the sought-after trophy donated by Mandy Parr.

Second place was Supreme Anglers’ Jamie Brierley who, off fancied peg 1, caught a mixed bag of 12lb 2oz on worm and caster.

Yarnbury’s Adie Addy waggler fished his way into third position with 10lb 14oz of silvers. Fourth spot was picked up by local rod Arron Poole, who put a mixed bag on the scales for 9lb 9oz, fishing the pole off peg 13.

The after-match presentation took place at The Hunters pub where, along with a raffle and personal donations and the generosity of anglers on the day, a total of around £1,000 was raised for the chosen charity. Thank you to all the anglers and friends who supported the event and made it such an enjoyable and successful day.

l At last, a few sunny days, and the week’s highest temperatures of the year proving to be the trigger for local commercials to kick into gear.

Carlton Minniots Woodlands’ complex will, undoubtedly, be the talk of the north with the news of a colossal match catch and new venue record. Usually, a miss-peg Partridge 2 proved a massive hit for Durham’s Johnny Maddison, who, fishing pellet shallow at 14 and 16 metres, caught carp start-to-finish to double trouble the scalesman with a staggering 394-8.

The specialised big three – Woodlands, Sessay and Lindholme – will again dominate headlines as the weather warms for these true mega weights.

But, if net busting is something you fancy trying and nicking a day off work for, some of the smaller fisheries are now close on their heels with brilliant catches reported from Rakers Acorn lake, Poppleton Lakes and Moor Monkton Pools near York.

And, if travelling south, catches of F1s at Barnburgh this week have been staggering.

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Results

Yarnbury AC, Weeton: 1, A Scarlett 21-00; 2, J Brierley 12-02; 3, A Adie 10-14; 4, A Poole 9-09.

Woodlands Lakes, Thirsk, Partridge/Kestral: 1, J Maddison 394-08; 2, M Pearson 130-00; 3, B Lee 112-08.

Oaks at Sessay: 1, C Hall 219-13; 2, C Watson 155-13; 3, C Watson jnr 149-15; 4, D Smith 149-11.

Bobco BSR AC, Raker/Acorn: 1, N Rymer 171-12; 2, D Wright 110-04; 3, A Barker 90-08; 4, M Turner 59-12.

JT Rodgers Summer League, Langwith Anyas: 1, A Jackson 67-08; 2, D Watson 48-03; 3, R Richardson 38-07.

Kippax Park, Osprey: 1, J Wake 100-00; 2, A Lawson 75-06; 3, K Worth 42-12; 4, S Raper 41-00.

Kippax Park, Lapwing: 1, S Pearson 72-06; 2, T Hewson 59-12; 3, P Carter 51-08.

Moorfields Farm: 1, L Wherritt 109-06; 2, S Hoyle 88-08; 3, A Johnson 64-10; 4, G Crane 64-04.