with KINGFISHER

BOTH match and pleasure reports from the past fortnight, would indicate that the forthcoming holiday would be better spent indoors than in search of fish.

Like most anglers, however I am rarely put off by past reports and prefer to look on the bright side - things can only get better!

Certainly the weather forecast should help, with the sharp frosts of late replaced by warmer, if wetter, conditions.

The wind may blow a bit but there is little doubt in my mind that anglers will find the discomfort worthwhile, or at least more worthwhile than the cold.

You would be right to assume, from what you have read so far, that the fishing was not great last week and you would be very right.

Few anglers, pleasure or match, were able to raise a smile when they lifted out their net - if they had put it in, that is.

Some fisheries that fished poorly the previous week, actually got worse and there were very few exceptions - though there were a few surprises.

Amongst them was Pilsworth, the subject of some terrible press from me over the summer and autumn, produced a very decent winning weight of over 18lbs - though there was nothing really for anyone but the winner. So Pilsworth will not be on my possibles list - for this weekend nor the holiday.

No! Only fisheries that offer a decent chance of a few whichever peg I get will be on that, and there are a few thankfully.

Copthorne, where there is a decent mixed head of fish to provide the likelihood of action regardless of conditions, will probably top that, though it is a close run thing between there and Bradshaw Hall (for the same reason).

At Copthorne carp, surprisingly, have featured in the best catches, with chub to around a pound and small skimmers making up the rest. You should be looking for 25 pounds plus from the match lake and an attack with pole/pellet should be enough to get them interested.

Just be careful here not to overfeed, little and often is a well worn phrase, but really does apply - with the emphasis on little.

That lake produced an 18lb winner last Saturday, in a match in which Hyndburn veteran Arthur Hargreaves was runner-up by a mere two ounces. A similar match on Sunday, with a few more anglers, saw another local veteran, Nelson's Terry Clark, collecting some money (for fifth place) and both matches produced a fish or two for almost everybody.

There have not been many anglers on local stretches of canal, not surprisingly, though if I were to choose a length with the most potential for the coming week (maybe a quick session with that new pole on Christmas day) it would be Burnley's straight-mile.

Here you might find that breadpunch and/or caster is producing enough good skimmers to ensure you are late home for dinner.

It certainly promises more than some other local lengths where a single bite would represent some sort of success. Bites are, of course, what you are after at this time of year with any thought of selecting better quality fish put on the back burner till later. If you have a full day at your disposal then, with this in mind, look no further than the commercials.