FOR the second year in a row Ashington's Tony Hart has lifted top prize at the Lord Devonport Disabled Anglers Challenge at Sweethope Loughs. George Mitchelini and Colin Briggs took top place in the boat pairs section while Colin Alson weighed in the heaviest single fish at 8lb 4oz and Simon Lowe took the award for angler of the match. The award for best fly bag went to D Parker of Durham. Alan Heads was top wheelchair angler and the Team of Four trophy was won by R. Parker, G.Greaves, Bruce Haliday and A Moonbracy. The annual general meeting of the Hirst Park Trout Ticklers will be held in Hirst Park Middle School, Ashington, on Wednesday. On Sunday, September 16, the club that has fished Derwent, Fontburn and Grassholme reservoirs will be fishing a local reservoir and the club's annual presentation of prizes will take place at a disco/buffet night on September 21. During milder periods the fish at Witton Castle Lakes are readily taking off the top or just under the surface with CdCs, Black Shipman's, Diawl Bachs and Daddies accounting for good numbers of fish. Full permit anglers have taken fish from 2lb up to 5lb. The River Wear is back down to low levels with sea trout in many pools not even entertaining a fly. More water is required to move these dour fish further upstream. For 20 minutes Derwent Reservoir regular Graham Johnston of Craghead must have thought he stood a good chance of beating the fishery's six-year record of 19lb 6oz but the magnificent rainbow that took his yellow Powerbait weighed in 11oz short at 18lb 11oz. S Angus, with a well conditioned fish of 4lb, had the heaviest rainbow of the week at Grassholme while A Smith and B Embleton both had fish of 3lb 5oz. Intermediate and floating lines coupled with traditional wet and dry flies are the order of the day at Cow Green. It was another excellent week at Blackton where S Middlemass recorded a bag of 22lb 8oz. At Fontburn G Rice had six for 20lb. The Northumberland County Blind Association held their annual competition at the fishery with 41 anglers raising £700. G Appleby took first place and £200 with 12 for 31lb 4oz. Seven rainbows weighing in at more than 4lb have been recorded at Kielder Water's south abutment lodge this week while Mick Davison took fish of 4lb 2oz and 3lb 14oz from the bank at Little Whickhope. At Lockwood Beck, sport has started to pick up. Mike Ayton, fishing Diawl Bach, had the best fish of the week at 12lb 10oz on Diawl Bach. Mark Sivills, from Brotton, returned to Scaling Dam to take a further 12 for 25lb 8oz on the new £25 two-rod permit. Eleven-year-old Thomas Robinson from Eaglescliffe had the week's heaviest fish at 5lb 4oz. Dave Dale from Guisborough had the week's heaviest fish taken on fly at 4lb. | 
