THE top angling news nationally and, I suppose, locally this week relates to some new Government legislation. The nett result of this action will be a fairly dramatic increase in the price of maggots.

Personally I cannot see why it has taken the Government so long to crack down on the maggot farms in relation to the disposal of the waste from the carcasses used for breeding. Much of this stinking stuff was being buried, or actually spread on the land as fertiliser, now it must be either incinerated or rendered down.

No doubt, as breeders unable or unwilling to comply fall by the wayside, prices will rise.

I'm sure however, the situation is not so dramatic as to provoke national periodical headlines such as "Maggot Price Panic," or "Maggot Prices to Rocket." The real facts are that no one yet knows the effect of the legislation on prices.

The vast majority of anglers, if they really had a mind to, could easily manage without buying a maggot from one year to the next - as many already do.

It is a convenient bait, but not necessarily the best. As casters they are much better locally but, I suggest, not essential. In any case we don't buy many pints these days at all.

When the Ribble was really on song, and when I used to travel to fish Midland rivers, I purchased white maggots by the gallon.

Similar quantities were required, turned into casters, when I fancied a day's waggler fishing for break at a local reservoir.

The rivers are not what they used to be, and I can get by with bread, corn, paste and pellets if I want. Worms are good at the right time on the river, lobs in particular, and most of my bream fishing is done these days with redworm and/or sweetcorn.

Hemp is great for roach on the canal, and you could use a few tares. Caster is, nevertheless, the very best all-round bait for canal pleasure fishing. Roach love them, and there are times when bream will look at little else.

Casters are great for laying down a carpet of feed to attract and hold a shoal of fish eventually, and for gentle loosefeeding to keep them interested without scaring them.

In short I cannot imagine life without casters for the canal, and I don't have to. Even if maggots do cost £3 a pint in the near future it will have hardly any effect at all on the canal angler and, as I've pointed out, there are plenty of other baits to use. No panic necessary.

Caster has, as it happens, been producing good numbers of fish from just about all local venues of late. The lovely weather (set to return this weekend) has resulted in improved catches everywhere.

The bream are either getting ready to spawn, are spawning, or have spawned on the canal near you. Whichever it is the chances of decent catches is excellent.

They will, usually, accept just about any bait at this time of year, but I prefer caster. Do not be tempted to fish too heavy. Though bream are generally bottom feeders you may find them eating ravenously in mid-winter right now. Very lightweight waggler tactics, on a soft actioned rod, are just about right.

Big nets of carp are being reported from just about all the nation's commercial fisheries. Those in the North-west are no different and pellet, where allowed, is doing the business.

Floating bread, fished with waggler tactics, is also working. Where you can use it though, it has to be pellet.

You don't have to pay some of the inflated prices now charged for this type of fishing, it is available for less.

Progressive clubs, such as Todmorden AS, have developed club waters to a similar standard and, especially when grant money has been awarded to help with a water's development, day tickets are often available - they have to be. Cliviger Fishponds, on the outskirts of Burnley heading towards Todmorden, is one such water. Brilliant is how secretary Ray Barber describes the fishing, with mixed bags of tench, carp and bream reaching 50lbs regularly.

These small waters are available to non-members for £3 per day, but you must get a ticket prior to fishing or it will be £6. The Monarch garage in Cliviger has them.

This club is great at always getting a share of whatever is on the go, and that is no accident. Hard work and persistence is the key, and a keen memory for that important adage - if you don't ask, you don't get.

And so, you will not then be surprised to learn, they have benefited from the National Lottery.

Not a pittance either. No less than £97,000 has helped the Society to recover the one acre water at Lumbutts, New Mill Dam, after it had suffered over 50 years of silt problems caused by repeated flooding. It has cost a total of £120,000 to remove more than 5,000 tonnes of silt and to create some new pegs, including some specially for the disabled. Thousands of new fish - carp, tench, roach and bream - will rejuvenate the fishery, which sees a grand opening junior match today.

Their Town House fishery has also seen some re-development, following an £11,000 grant, and a grand match (to mark the re-opening) is to be held on June 12.

It is to be an open match and tickets (priced £5 including food) are available from local tackle shops. There will be an extra pool on the day to add prize money to a long list of prizes and trophies.

Membership to the club is still open, cost is £32 (including once only joining fee of £10) for seniors. Concessions are of course, made and, I am advised, juniors qualify up to the age of 16 FROM BIRTH. If the club really has anglers from birth, I think there should be a one year and under category for matches - don't you?

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.