Roger adds a barbel to his Avon list (From The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald)

Roger adds a barbel to his Avon list

AVON angler Roger Moody is back among the big fish after netting a fine 12lb 12oz barbel from the London Angling Associa-tion stretch of the Avon at Britford.

Roger caught the barbel last week after deciding on a quick visit to the water for a couple of hours or so.

He said: "I didn't expect to do that well. The river was high and dirty and not the sort of condition you expect to catch much, let alone a big barbel.

"I thought I might as well try one swim, cast out the leger and next moment the rod was pulled off the rest."

His barbel joins an impressive list of Avon fish that Roger has caught so far this season from the Avon. They include two bream around 6lb, a roach of 2lb 6oz and several big chub.

The near-record roach reported last week from the Avon at Ibsley was not 4lb 2oz after all.

Checks on the scales revealed the true reading was 3lb 15oz.

Distinct markings have also revealed it is the same roach that was one of a brace of 3lb plus roach caught two weeks earlier at Ibsley by Colin Gillson.

A perch weighing 2lb 6oz was caught by Ames-bury angler Les Rose fishing peg 74 on Popes Lake at Waldens Farm Fishery. He used float-fished worm to tempt the perch, which was among a bag of mixed fish weighing 21lb.

On the fishery's Abbots Lake some good chub have been showing together with roach and a few carp. From the same lake Colin Bissett took a pike of 15lb 8oz on legered smelt.

Mike Simmonds fished the reed swim on Monks Lake and took ten carp between 2lb and 10lb. Other anglers have caught skimmers, roach, rudd and chub as well as few tench, which have started to show.

Two matches - one on Popes Lake and the other on Deacons Lake - produced double figure winning bags.

Barry Frappel won the Popes match with 10lb 8oz, Bunny Warren was second five ounces behind and Paul Stock was third with 7lb 8oz.

Mark Brown did better on Deacons Lake with a winning 29lb 8oz bag. Dave Parvin was second with 11lb, and Gordon Tedd third with 8lb 4oz.

Witherington Farm Fishery's teams of four match on Saturday was won by Witherington Select with 43 points with Barney's Blacks in second place with 35 points.

Paul Barnard was top individual with 51lb 12oz and Julian Heaven was second with 39lb 6oz.

An open match at Witherington last Wednesday was won with a huge bag of 118lb from Barnmoor by Mick Marsh.

Salisbury AC's inter-club match with Test Valley on the Nadder was won by visitor Cliff Carbis with 19lb 2oz, while Tom Baker flew the flag for Salisbury in second place with 16lb.

Anglers visiting With-erington Farm Fishery will be saddened at the death of Ron Ling, at the age of 76. Ron, whose son-in-law Tony runs the fishery, collected day ticket fees from anglers for the last ten years getting around all the lakes in his wheelchair through all weathers.

Ron, who suffered from Multiple Sclerosis for more than 25 years, always had time for a chat and was particularly helpful to anglers visiting the fishery for the first time giving them guidance on the best pegs.

Ron, who leaves two daughters, always said his ten years at Witherington had added ten years to his life. His cheery and helpful nature will be sadly missed.

A thanksgiving service was held yesterday at Alderbury parish church.

Salisbury AC has taken possession of what app-ears to be an illegal "psuedo gill net" found by a club member in the Avon at Stratford.