ANGLING: Green has salmon to smile about!

Mike Green with a fly-caught 10-8 salmon

And in globe-trotter Mike Green’s case that turned out to be seven double-figure salmon on the fly in one outing – within 50 miles of his Northampton home!

Together with friends he’d gone all the way to Christmas Island – a favoured old haunt – in pursuit of giant trevally, only to find that sustained angler pressure had resulted in the area being, in his own words ‘fished out’.

Back home and a lot of dosh lighter he heard that the stillwater salmon fishery near Grafham had temporarily re-opened, and headed over with three friends.

Result: they shared 13 salmon (only one under 10lb) plus 45 brownies, many of them seven-pounders – all caught on fly tackle and returned.

“The first intention had been to catch big GTs while wading off a tropical beach. As we failed abysmally at that, catching double-figure salmon on fly so close to home was an excellent pick-me-up.”

GETTING out pre-snow Dan Bull had a 5-10 chub from Olney’s Ouse. Getting out POST snow, Tuesday evening for an hour after work, Phil Mapp banked a five-pounder from the tiny River Ouzel.

SUNDAY was a complete white-out for most, locally, and the majority of scheduled matches were cancelled Saturday evening on the strength of a weather forecast which, for once, proved extremely accurate!

CASTLE ‘Ashby’s midweek do on the Brickyard saw Mick Hewlett win with 36-8 with Frank Pizamenti on 22-12 and Chris Camplin 21-2. Also midweek Gilders’ Danny Currie netted an 18lb pike at ‘Ashby.

OLNEY’s pre-snow Tuesday Ouse open saw 13 rods total 129lb of silvers with the lowest weight 7-14! Neil Shearn won with 13-13 and Andy Webster had 12-14 while Alan Carr and Paul Caton both put 11-14 on the scales.

But the fish had shoaled up a lot tighter by the time Saturday’s open was fished on the same pegs. Pete Hawley won that with 15-5 as Steve Brooks had 13-8 and Jan Cebula 7-8...but fourth place fell to just 1-6...

TOWCESTER Vets midweek canal do, on the Gayton Piggeries length, went to Gren Reed with 1-7 as Gerald Green caught 1-5 and John Balhatchett 1-1. At least the weights were all roach.

FIXTURES: Sunday, Castle rearranged Christmas match, Canons, 07787 146411. Boxing Day (Dec 26) at Drayton, be first to catch a common on the day and win the Boxing Day Cup plus your dayticket fee back.