CRAVEN Summer League competitors once again failed to connect with the big fish when they fished the sixth match of this year’s series last Sunday on the Coal Bunkers length of the canal at West Marton.

Conditions could have been better with a strong wind blowing down most of the match length and the temperature was slow to rise in the initial dull weather.

The fish fed well throughout the three-hour match but consisted almost entirely of small roach, ruffe and perch.

Match winner Ernest Ramsbotham, landed the only big fish when he hooked an eel weighing 570g (1:4:4) and together with a solitary small roach he achieved a winning weight of 600g (1:5:4).

All the remaining top positioned anglers weighed-in small fish including some very small roach and ruffe.

Their weights were: 2 Kenny Wright 460g (1:0:4); 3 Russell Heaton 290g (0:10:0); 4 Mark Bradley 240g (0:5:8); 5 Simon Chenior 220g (0:7:12) and Andy Wharton 180g (0:6:8).

With just two matches remaining to be fished (Broughton Road, July 31 and Coal Bunkers, August 7), the leading competitor, Russell Heaton is in a strong position with points from only five matches whereas all the others are using six results with the best six from eight counting.

The leading positions are: 1 Russell Heaton112 points, 2 Kenny Wright 103, 3, Richard Thornton 101, 4 Simon Chenior 98; 5 Keith Brown 93, and 6 Ernest Ramsbotham 90.

Elsewhere in the Skipton area the sport has been variable probably due to changing nature of the weather. Whinnygill reservoir has gone off the boil with nothing of note being caught recently.

Even the big brownies have been conspicuous by their absence and it is assumed that they are now seeking coarse fish fry for a change of diet. One new fish to turn up has been quite a number of small gudgeon from close in to the side.

Anglers fishing Embsay reservoir are catching a reasonable number of blue, tiger and rainbow and brown trout on the fly and the worm. Plenty are in the takeable size range but the bigger fish are proving hard to locate.

On the River Aire some decent brownies are coming to the net mainly on the fly but the coarse fish, including grayling, are few in number at the moment. The river is in good condition running just above normal and may receive some extra water with a forecast of heavy thundery showers.