GRIMSBY angler Keith Easton netted the biggest haul of the year so far as West View Fishery kicked into full gear.
Fishing in the Wednesday match on the Silver Lake, Easton bagged 123lbs from peg 16 – despite the unfavourable, windy conditions.
Ian Thompson, who is also from Grimsby, was second with 65lbs (peg 37), while Andy Bryant weighed in third with 40lbs, from peg 36.
Last Saturday, 31 anglers flocked to the Silver Lake – and they were greeted by pleasant weather, making for ideal fishing conditions.
A high number of competitors usually makes things tough going, but Hull angler Chris Mack – who was fishing from peg 5 – enjoyed a fine day, netting a grand total of 50lb.
Tom Braithwaite was second, with 23lbs from peg 37, while Richard Jacklin completed the top three, with 22lbs from peg 34.
On Sunday, well-known Grimsby angler Dave Berry was the top man on the Gold Lake – taking 77lbs from peg 12.
Ryan Lidgard was a close second with 52lbs in total, while Ian Marshall finished third, on peg 17, with a 41lb haul.
Frog Hall Fishery, in Legbourne, is another venue that has sprung into life.
Owner Shaun White decided to make a few changes to his waters, which have ultimately tempted the fish into more nets, and anglers have enjoyed better weights as a result.
Paddy Ballans led the way with 48.15lbs, ahead of second-placed Rob Taylor (35.2lbs) and Alan Wood (34lbs) in third.
Grimsby angler George McKay won the following match with 36.4lbs, while Ballans (35lbs) and Taylor (23lbs) backed up their earlier performance with another strong show.
Meanwhile, the pleasure anglers have also been having good results
Chris Foster fished on Tuesday, and bagged 73lbs – mostly carp – although he lost five big fish in the process, which could have taken his haul to three figures.
Over at Saltfleetby, Ricky Ward kept up his form in the Thursday match with a convincing win – he took 42.12lbs, from peg 16.
Next in was Bryn Davies, with 21.12lbs from peg 3, while third-placed Matthew Hassle netted 19.6lbs from peg 11.
On Sunday, veteran Alec Lovesay dominated on the Island Pond, making good use of peg 14, netting 44.2lbs.
Ricky Ward weighed in second with 42.8lbs (peg 4), while Louth's John Grant completed the 'podium' with 39.1lbs (peg 17).
At Messingham Sands, the Oak Tree Pond seems to be getting better and better.
After a long winter – during which the silver fish provided the most sport – it is now carp that are feeding well, making for some memorable days.
Scunthorpe angler Robin White fished 4mm and 6mm expander pellets over 4mm hard feed pellets on a short pole, and this tactic paid dividends as he netted over 350lbs on the day.
Some surprisingly large fish were landed, including one carp over 20lbs, while Darren Cox caught a nice look ghost carp – weighing over 15lbs.
The number of carp visible on the Tripp Lake, during the Saturday Open, was mind boggling, although few were caught by the anglers.
Instead, crucians and skimmers were the main sport as John Palmer (46lbs) edged out Alan Gregory in first place.
The Islands Lake was in excellent form for the Sunday Open and, while Hull angler Tony Noon blitzed the opposition with over 140lbs from peg 63, it was the challenging weights that raised eyebrows.
Most competitors had over 40lbs, and most of these were quality silver fish – with roach upwards of 2lbs, skimmers up to 3lbs and a string of tench.
All of this seems a far cry from a few weeks ago when freezing conditions made 20-30lbs of small fish seem like a good day.
Sunday also saw an open match run on the Swan Pond – Kim Messner was first (50.9lbs) ahead of neighbour Paul Redhead.
