ESTHWAITE has had a fantastic start to the new season with many good catches and Sunday's Open Day was a resounding success.

The first heat of the Ninth Shakespeare-sponsored Esthwaite Open Pairs was fished by 20 competitors coming from all over the north of England.

They landed 115 rainbow trout totalling 233lb 4oz, including time bonuses. Alistair Beaumont and Dave Morris won with 12 for 28lb 1oz with Mike Frith and Dave Holt second with 12 for 27lb. Both pairs qualify for the final in September.

Winning tactics were medium-sink lines and lures.

Many of the competitors later entered a distance casting competition won by Mike Laycock with an impressive cast of 29.5 yards.

There was much interest in the fly-tying demonstration by Dave Burke giving some the chance to tie their first fly. The fishery provided free instruction, both casting and general fishing techniques, with Patrick Arnold and a record 15 anglers benefiteing from this, some catching their first rainbow. The day concluded with the presentations by Dave Burke.

Since stocking on March 1 there have been some tremendous catches of rainbows by boat users. Over three days Paul Atherton recorded 36 to 6lb 8oz on lures and nymphs. While practising for the competition Mike Frith took 25 to 2lb 8oz and Andrew Esplin 16 rainbows to 5lb and a superb 2lb plus brown. Mike Laycock had a double figure catches with many trout to 6lb 8oz mostly on sinking lines and lures but some on floating and intermediate lines with nymphs and Buzzers.

This augurs well for waters that opened yesterday (Thursday) - Ghyll Head and High Newton for rainbows and Kentmere and Knottallow for browns.

Around the waters that have remained open for rainbows during the winter Bigland has fished exceptionally well with the best recent catches all from Mike Fearon with 21, 18 and 15 over three visits on yellow fritz lures and nymphs. On mild days there have been hatches of small black buzzers. The Troutmaster Final fish-off is on Saturday, March 31, with anglers from Bigland and Watendlath competing for places in the final.

Wych Elm has again fished well with all the best catches falling to buzzers. Mark Cornthwaite had 17, Hugh Whittam 14, Dave Holden 12 and Duncan Cannon 10.

Across at Farletonview the Troutmaster fish-off was won by Graeme Bell with eight on various lures. Others catching well include: Grant Higson with 12, Geoff Waites with eight,. Ian Ritchie six to 6lb 8oz and Steve Cowperthwaite landed one of 7lb 8oz, another of 6lb 2oz together with three others.

g g g g ESTHWAITE pike angler Steve Booth landed a superb 28lb specimen from a boat while James Goodall took five to 23lb on trolled deadbaits from the bank at Grasmere. From Coniston the occasional pike to 12lb has been taken with a 9lb catch at Loughrigg Tarn plus good catches of roach to 1lb on small swim feeder and red maggot.

Bigland has produced pike to 10lb, Ulverston Canal small pike to 5lb and on the Lancaster Canal between Holme and Burton pike to 6lb have fallen to light lures.

At Tewitfield the winner of the fourth pike match of the Winter Series was Steve Croskell with a 13lb specimen caught on a sardine with Steve MacCrae second with one of 12lb 2oz.

After the competition was over Geoff Waites landed one of 18lb while Mike Gregory landed an 11lb 12oz common carp in pristine condition on single maggot bait together with quality roach to 1lb 8oz.

g g g g THE final round of Kendal and District Anglers' Winter League was fished at Littledale, Caton, where Del Francis and Pete Burgess were in contention to win the overall Series.

On the day the winner was Ian Campbell with 34lb 11oz. Second was Mike Harrison with 27lb 6oz and third Del Francis with 14lb 3oz, just enough to give him the title for the second year running.

At Ratherheath there have been catches of carp to 18lb on boillies. Expect the tench to start moving soon and the water also should fish well for roach and rudd.

Now the water level is starting to drop at Gatebeck Tarn quality carp up to 10lb have been caught on float-fished maggot. The bream should soon start to move.

With the stocking of approximately 50 good chub into Banks Pond, courtesy of the Freshwater Biological Association, this water should fish well.

At Sandhall Ponds a common carp of 15lb and other carp to 8lb have been taken on boillies.

g g g g SEA fishing remains slow with occasional flounders at Greenodd, Priory Point and Kingfisher on lugworm. Small codling to 1lb have been caught at the north end of Walney and at Silecroft, also on lugworm.

Buzzer