AS always at this time of the year the weather plays a big part in what sport an angler can expect to find on virtually any type of water.

Flooding usually puts rivers out of bounds whilst sudden temperature changes can kill off sport just as well as a severe frost can ice over canals and still waters to prevent any sort of fishing.

At the moment the local stretch of the canal seems to have been affected by a combination of heavy rain, temperature changes and icing over which have collectively knocked the fishing for six.

Some well known canal anglers have experienced several blank days over the last two weeks and those that have met with more success have not had all that more in the way of catches.

The Skipton Angling Association’s open match on New Year’s Day was probably a victim of the keen overnight frosts a couple of days earlier followed by a mild day and then more low temperatures on match day.

The attendance was commendable but only one competitor managed to hook a tiny roach which dropped off the hook while it was still over the water. None of the rest even enjoyed the pleasure of seeing a bite.

Only the basin in Skipton town centre has produced fish and even then it has been a struggle. David Fenn fished for three hours in decent conditions without catching anything and as he began to pack up his float went under.

The result was a good canal bream of about 1,590g (3:8:0) which took a lobworm fished just off the bottom. Further efforts resulted in two more bites and two more good bream but both managed to shed the hook.

Skipton AA members who have fished Whinnygill Reservoir over the holiday period have found the fish to be quite responsive with decent roach and bream turning up in catches.

The bream have been landed from six metres (20 feet) of water using a swim feeder loaded with maggots while float fished maggots have accounted for half a dozen roach or more and the odd skimmer.

Future prospects will depend upon the weather but if the River Aire remains at a decent level then good grayling fishing should be available on the Skipton lengths for both the fly and bait anglers.