Angling: CARP GIVE A FROSTY RECEPTION AT THE MILL.

Byline: Ron Cousins

AN overnight frost was blamed for the lower than usual weights when Spencer Works AC fished at Mathern Mill Fishery near Chepstow.

Simon Jones, from Oakdale, won with 28lb 14oz of carp caught on paste bait fished at seven metres from peg three on Waterfall Lake.

Penarth member Peter Meese used feeder tactics with luncheon meatas bait to take the second best weight of 18lb 4oz and Cardiff's Russell Palmer was third with exactly 8lb.

No excuses were needed at Port Talbot Docks, where the Winter Leagueendedon a high note with a string of weights of more than 40lb.

Chris Bradley, from Neath, only had six ounces to spare, despite weighing in 54lb 10oz of bream to 3lb caught on ground bait feeder and maggots from a peg on the walkway.

The angler beaten by that narrow margin was Glamorgan Rebels member Mal Entwhistle, from Cardiff.

Steve Ayers, from Pontyclun, kept up his good run at the venue by finishing third with 49lb 8oz and Caerphilly competitor Rob Jones was fourth with 47lb 10oz.

Cardiff butcher Steve Shaw had led the league table for most of the time and carried off the title with a total of seven penalty points.

Entwhistle was second with nine points and Ayers thirdwith 10.

There were also some big weights in the final match of the White Springs Winter League.

Willis Worms team man Nigel Morris caught a winning 82lb of carp and bream when he pole fished pellets up in the water in the Match Lake and was followed by John Harvey, from Risca, with 66lb 5oz from the same lake with local star Mike Williams in third place with 61lb 8oz.

That result was good enough to give Williams the league title with eight penalty points.

Adam Mitchell finished in second place with 10 points while Rob Wiltshire, from Caerphilly, and Blackwood's Ian Exall shared third place after both collected 11 points.

Jeff Parfitt, from Risca, was well ahead in the Newport A A matchon Morgans Pond when he pole fished pellets from peg 86 on the point and caught 25lb 14oz of bream.

His nearest challenger was Cwmcarn member Rob Sims with 11lb 13oz and Martyn Truman, from Newport, came in third with 11lb 7oz.

South Wales anglers again missed the prizes at the Hartleton Lake Open, which ended in a dead heat with Barry Fitchew and Derek Jarman both putting 13lb 11oz of bream and tench on the scales.

Agency issues timely licence reminder

ANY angler aged 12 years or more fishing for trout, salmon or coarse fish in Wales should remember that the Environment Agency rod licence expires on Tuesday. And they must be in possession of the new licence before venturing out to fish after that date.

EA enforcement officers will be patrolling fisheries across the country, asking to see licences and anyone who hasn't bought one will be prosecuted.

"The average fine an illegal angler will pay if they get caught is pounds 150 and they will be left with a criminal conviction," said Andy Schofield, strategy and policy manager for EA Wales. "Is it worth the risk?"

He explained that money from licence sales is invested back in the sport, creating better places for people to go fishing and more fish to catch.

"Illegal anglers really do spoil it for everyone else" he added.

CAPTION(S):

Fifteen-year-old Michael Cleaver from St Mellons demonstrates the correct way to land a big fish as he steers this 15lb Pencil Lake carp into his landing net