LEEDS ASA

THE Kippax Park fishery has been temporarily closed because of a confirmed outbreak by CEFAS (Centre for Environmental, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science) of KHV (Koiherpesvirus), and an update will be issued when the situation alters.

The disease can result in large-scale mortalities of up to 100 per cent among common carp and all varieties. There is no treatment, and any fish that survive become carriers of the disease in future years.

The warm summer will have certainly been a factor as the disease may break out when the water temperature exceeds 16 degrees C. Signs of affected carp are sunken eyes, gill damage or rotten or pale-coloured flesh, mucus on skin that appears to flake off, and a general lethargy of the fish that seem to "hang" in the water and do not "spook" when disturbed.

Carp-fishery owners need to be vigilant as an outbreak will have a serious impact on revenue. Anglers will generally find that a number of disinfectant measures will be in place in an attempt to restrict the spread of the disease. The fact that lower temperatures are in the not-too-distant future will be a help.

The number of local tackle shops is on the decline, with JT Rogers at Crossgates the latest to go, so the message is use them or lose them.

Result of the charity match at Nun Monkton Pools and the Nidd mouth: 1 T Hewson 12lb 5oz, 2 P Baron 11lb 3oz, 3 S Thompson 9lb 12oz. Result of last Sunday's match at Ulleskelf: 1 DH 20lb 14oz, 2 GB Ass 11lb 10oz, 3 B Higgins 8lb 13oz. Result of the Wednesday match at Moor Monkton Pools: 1 A Gallant 92lb 5oz, 2 S Jeffreys 90lb 14oz, 3 M Gallagher 87lb 15oz. Result of Sunday's match: 1 S Cromie 119lb 5oz, 2 B Fisk 88lb 14oz, 3 T Bainbridge 52lb 14oz. The Lower River Aire continues to fish well. In a match held by member club New Burley, an 8lb 3oz bream was caught, which is exceptional fish for this river.

BRADFORD CITY AA

THERE has been usual autumnal weather this week, although Storm Ali brought some strong winds and bands of rain. Rivers have stayed at good levels, rising and falling almost daily in response to the rain. Met Office forecasts are for more of the same, but also give out yellow warnings for wind this weekend. Again, game anglers will be disappointed if they are not able to get out onto the banks as the end of the trout season approaches, but river anglers stalking barbel and chub will be pleased. Anglers must continue to take care on wet, slippery banks and if wading in elevated river levels.

Reports from our members have been thin on the ground this week, despite as many as 12 anglers reported to be on the Aire last Sunday. Lee Isaac, our bailiff at Oakworth, reports the chub piling on the weight and responding well to 8mm pellets, corn and other baits, though carp have been less active. Regular sightings of a barn owl around dusk have added to some anglers' visits.

Brian Connell found fishing at Shipton poorer than usual, but had a small bream taken by a 3ft pike as it was being reeled in. Phil Bailey was on the Aire for a four-hour session during Storm Ali and discovered a new technique of 'dapping with 4mm bead flies' to bring some good-sized grayling and two quality trout to hand. Anglers continue to report good numbers of fish from the Swale at Topcliffe, where the seal was resident earlier in the year. Local clubs have considered adding stock to compensate for their losses, but catch returns suggest that this will be unnecessary.

The KHV outbreak at Kippax Ponds means that we have put an immediate temporary ban on keep-nets as a precaution to help prevent the virus being introduced to our still-waters. Please will anglers also observe strict clean, check and dry procedures for all their tackle, after every visit to a fishery.

Club members have been out again this week on conservation and habitat improvement. Remedial work included replacement of some trees planted at Broughton last winter which have failed to thrive. The Wild Trout Trust has also electrofished the river as part of research into how fish populations have responded to the in-and besides-river work the club has delivered over the last 18 months. Clearly marked returns boxes have also been provided at each end of the Gargrave length, and anglers asked to submit a catch return after each visit. We will use this data to monitor how the fishery performs over the coming years.

Our annual meeting is next Wednesday at Laisterdyke Cricket and Athletic Club on Broad Lane (7.30pm). All members are urged to attend as we have some very important propositions about keep-nets, landing nets and unhooking mats. Volunteers are also required to fill vacancies on the general committee. We regret to announce that John Stark has had to resign as match secretary for family reasons. We'd like to thank John for picking up the role at short notice, and for the work he's done to improve arrangements over the last six months. All our planned matches have therefore been postponed until further notice, and we will announce a new match secretary as soon as we can.

Finally, please could we ask anglers to keep their eyes open. One of our members dropped a Simms wading belt in midweek, probably just upstream of the railway bridge on the Aire between Broughton and Gargrave. If anyone finds it, please call Jim Munden on 07940-814431.

BRADFORD No 1 AA

We will be hosting the annual Calder Championship open match on Sunday. It carries a £500 first prize, and there are still plenty of tickets available (£15) from Simon on 01274-571175. All our stretches of the River Calder will be closed for this match, draw at the Railway Inn in Brighouse at 9am, with breakfasts available from 8am.

Knotford will be closed from tonight until Sunday evening for a carp match. The River Ure at Roecliffe will be closed on Sunday for an outside booking.

Following the confirmed case of KHV at Kippax Park, we urge all anglers to ensure all nets, slings and unhooking mats are completely dried and, where possible, disinfected before fishing any waters. The dip tank at Knotford must be used on entry to the site, and failure to do so will, and has, resulted in a ban from the club. It's in everybody's interest to ensure that diseases such as this aren't spread from infected waters.

All members are invited to this year's annual meeting on Wednesday, October 10 at the Moorlands Club in Cleckheaton. This is your opportunity to have a say in how the club is run, vote on proposed rule changes and volunteer for the committee. Please remember to bring your yearbook as there will be no entry without it.

KEIGHLEY AC

As the record-breaking summer comes to an end, anglers can look forward to better fishing conditions on our autumn waters. Pegs, trimmed and refurbished on the Aire, brought a flurry of activity along the river, resulting in some fine fish being brought to net.

While anglers reported catches in various swims downstream from Silsden, those who opted for the higher waters in Kildwick fared even better.

As every angler knows, the right tactics are critical to success. After one Keighley member found that he was attracting too many small fish and minnows to the bank, he switched to waggling with triple maggot, resulting in a double-figure haul of good-sized roach and chub. Three days later he was back among the fish on a different part of the river. This time stickfloat and chopped worm led to another large catch of brown trout and chub.

We still want to hear from anyone willing to share their family photos of anglers past or present. Please get in touch with club secretary Dennis Freeman on 07980-338225.

Our annual meeting will take place at the Rishworth Club in Bingley on November 20.

SKIPTON AA

We will be holding a members' fly-only match on Embsay Reservoir on Sunday (draw 8am, fishing 8.30am-11.30am). The match will be initially pegged before competitors rove upon a given signal, and the winner will be decided by the number of fish landed, irrespective of size. Entry is £5 and the competition is also open to members of the River Aire & Whinnygill Section. The River Aire is fishing well, with only 11 days of the brown-trout season remaining before the close on October 1. The best fish of late has been a 1800g cockfish that took a fly offered by bailiff Dave Martin.

LISTERHILLS AA

Result of the annual Ian Smith Memorial Charity Open match on the Leeds-Liverpool canal at Rodley: 1 G Watson 4lb 8oz (catch of perch), 2 R Movley 3lb 10oz (including a tench), 3 S Crossley 3lb 4oz. Section winners: S Walton 2lb, R Thorne 1lb 8oz (by double default), N Storr 2lb, R East 1lb 4oz. The match raised £132, which was split between Cancer Research and the British Heart Foundation. For this Sunday's canal match, contact Roger on 07532-115556. There is also a match the following week at Armley.

BINGLEY AC

The next club match is on Sunday at Sunnydale (draw 1pm, fishing 2pm-7pm, contact Adi on 07783-332705 to book on). Entries for the Bruce Howard Specimen Fish Trophy Open should be with the club secretary by October 31 (see website for details).