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 Barnton & Frodsham Angling Club has a history going back for over sixty years. It controls the fishing rights over three pools and a stretch of the River Weaver at Anderton NaturePark and two small pools in the Cheshire countryside. The Club also owns a three-acre pool near the village of Whitley.
We run an extensive programme of matches for senior members throughout the season, the matches for the juniors are mainly in the summer months. The junior matches are invaluable to young novice anglers as there is always help and advice on hand for those struggling to catch. The junior Xmas match offers prizes to every participant whether or not they manage to catch fish !
The club, as do angling clubs in general, contributes to the environment, when undertaking work to prevent silting of their waters, thus preserving habitats for wildlife  that may otherwise be lost. Over the years a substantial number of trees and water plants have been planted by the club, and again as a by-product of our activities, wildlife habitats have been enhanced. As a result the areas in and around our waters are home to a variety of birds, insects, amphibians and small mammals. There is even a terrapin which has been living in one of our pools for a number of years. Not native wildlife perhaps but nevertheless the subject of a good deal of interest when he (?) appears!
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Mark Emmison took home the top pay-out at the end of the Club’s traditional August Bank Holiday last week at Heesom’s Pool as he put 16-8-0 on the scales. Drawn on peg 20, Mark fished worm and maggot on the pole at 5 metres to land a succession of crucians and perch. 
Up at four, no shave, just quick ablutions and off to the bottom cistern (or junior pool or lad's pit take your pick, they are all the same water), only I'm on Shank's pony and it takes me twice as long to get there as it used to. When I finally do get there the air turns blue. The bank in one swim is absolutely covered in CRAP, lager cans, food wrappers, luncheon meat and sweetcorn tins and two disposable barbecues. It took me half an hour to clear it all (three bags full) and I had to leave the barbecues for a long while because they were still hot. I was furious! 
Friday the 10th August saw the beginning of my annual trip to the Ebro, after last years dismal failure I decided to leave Pete & Paul at home and book a professional guide and to help pay for his services I took along my two son in-laws Steven & Ed. Our guide Dan Sales started to earn his money by meeting us at the toll booth at Tortosa and leading the convoy to Caspe and “The trip of a lifetime. (
Having had a pop at specimen hunters and matchmen in part one, I now turn my bucolic glare on angling in general, so brace yourself for another unremitting session of whinging and moaning from this particular well past his prime old git. (
I love my night fishing sessions, it plays havoc with your body clock but hey, I get some of my best catches in the hours of darkness. You may have read of my unsuccessful attempt at fishing the prebaited swim on the Weaver on the opening weekend of the season, (
