Delayed 'Fur and Feather' match fished through ice on canal

Most fishing clubs have a Christmas match, traditionally titled a Fur and Feather, writes Grantham Journal angling correspondent Dave Coster.

There might not be any fur involved these days, but the winner often gets a turkey, while additional seasonal gifts are provided for other competitors.

However, last December’s Lincoln and District event, scheduled for the Fossdyke Canal at Saxilby, had to be cancelled due to the waterway being severely frozen.

The match eventually took place in January and while the canal was once again iced over, it was not deemed too thick for anglers to cope with.

Once decent sized holes had been broken out, the competition turned into a close-run affair, with plenty of small fish being caught on both the popular Roadside and Bridge sections.

Local Lincoln angler John Small took first place with a creditable 7lb 12oz of roach, caught at eight metres with pole tackle using a combination of groundbait and pinkies. He was on the Roadside stretch, whilst runner-up Alister Ogilvie from Boston was drawn on the Bridge section, and used similar tactics to put 7lb 8oz of roach on the scales. Local angler Mark Briggs completed the frame with 7lb, again a catch of mostly roach.

The second round of the Johnson and Smith-sponsored Winter League took place on the same sections of the Fossdyke the weekend before and was again blighted by bad weather. But on that occasion it was a chilly westerly gale that made good tackle presentation very difficult.

Lincoln angler Gaz Thompson ran out a clear winner with 9lb exactly, mastering the wind and surface tow by fishing close in with a short pole. His catch of small silver fish was boosted by two whopping perch, both well over the two-pound mark.

Well-known YouTuber Keith Clifton was runner-up with 8lb 6oz and Steve Gilbert was third with 7lb 2oz. All the top weights were in the early numbers close to the bridge by the old Indian restaurant. It is worth noting there is ample car parking in this area, a rarity on most of the popular waterway.

Regular weekend Lincoln matches will be taking place right up to the end of the season at Saxilby, which takes 40 minutes to reach from Grantham.

With regular bait going in, it could be well worth a look midweek for some productive pleasure fishing sessions. The nearby moorings in the small village park are also very good at this time of the year, but check the club’s website first because they sometimes have junior matches and teach-ins on that stretch.