The History of Wheelock Angling Society

by Edward (Ted) Howarth the former Secretary.

I first fished the water now known as Crabmill in 1939 when it was only a large pond, there was a tree in it and a hedge down one side, and the only fish I caught were Rudd.

It all started with a group of friends having a drink in the Cheshire Cheese public house in Wheelock one evening in 1948, and during the conversation fishing was mentioned. The men in question were J. Bennett, F. Bailey, J. Wall and L. Thompson.

F. Bailey who was a Butcher said he had been talking to a Farmer at Crewe cattle market, and the Farmer Mr. Young from Crabmill Farm near Warmingham said he had a small Flash on his land, and would like to sell day tickets for the fishing.

It was agreed that F. Bailey and L. Thompson would arrange a meeting with the Farmer and suggest that he rent the Flash to a club. This meeting took place and terms were agreed but the Farmer still insisted that he should be allowed to sell day tickets also, and they could only fish from the 16^th June until 30^th September.

That was how Wheelock Angler’s, the then name of the club was formed in 1948 with L. Thompson Chairman, J. Bennett Secretary and J. Wall Treasurer.

After the war in 1948 I cycled from home to see if the pond was still there and was surprised to see how much bigger the pond had become, and noticed the sign which said Wheelock Angler’s water, day tickets at the farm 2 shillings and sixpence (12½ pence in today’s money). I enquired about the club and along with my Father decided to join.

The following year 1949, Mr. R. J. Aspey was made President, Dr. A. Henderson, Mr. A. Young and Mr. G. Johnson were made Vice Presidents and the club fee per year was 12 shillings (60 pence in today’s money).

Mr. F. Bailey presented a silver cup to the club for the angler with the best aggregate score from all the matches; Mr. F. Bailey won the cup himself in 1950 the first season it had been fished for.

It soon became apparent that the club was being run very haphazardly so a group of members decided to call an Annual General Meeting during 1954 to discuss the club and it’s future. At this meeting the clubs name was changed from Wheelock Angler’s and Wheelock Angling Society was born. Mr. J. Bennett was elected Chairman and Mr. Arnold Darlington was elected Secretary/Treasurer. The elected committee was F. Ellison, J. Palin, L. Thompson, Edward Howarth, V. Lea, Arthur Darlington and H. Mason.

The club headquarters would be The Cheshire Cheese in Wheelock, with committee meetings held on the first Thursday in every month at 8pm. The membership would be 60 members, and the Secretary was to open a bank account with the Westminster Bank, it was also agreed to run open sweep matches to obtain money for the stocking fund.

In the meantime Roach, Perch, Tench and Bream were transferred from ponds and other waters to the Flash and then an advert was seen in The Angling Gazette about King Carp, this advert was discussed and the Secretary was instructed to inquire about these fish and how much they would cost. After the inquiries were made an order for 250 four-inch King Carp was placed with Major Leney of Hazelford Fisheries, Surrey.

These fish arrived on 30^th November 1957 and were stocked into Crabmill Flash. By this time the size of the Flash had increased quite dramatically, this was due to Brine extraction so consequently the land subsided.

The club was Match orientated and continued as such, being well run throughout this period.

In November 1960 Mr. Young served the club notice of the termination of the fishing rights on Crabmill Flash due to him selling the farm. The Secretary was instructed to contact the new owner, a Mr. Trigger immediately, this was done and to meet the new owner’s terms it was agreed to increase the membership to 100 and the annual subscription to be 16 shillings (80 pence today) per season.

At the 1960 A.G.M. it was agreed to take on 100 non-competitive members, the annual subscription for these would be £1. With the increased funds this enabled the club to rent a length of the River Wheelock at Occlestone and stock this with trout.

In 1961 sadly the Chairman Mr. J. Bennett passed away and Mr. P. Coppenhall was elected to be Chairman until the next A.G.M.

At the A.G.M. in 1961 Mr. P. Coppenhall was elected Chairman with no other changes to officials or committee.

At this A.G.M. it was decided to build stages with walk ways up to them along the rushes side of Crabmill to enable more angler's to fish the matches etc. as the fishing was excellent. It was agreed not to retain the fishing on the River Wheelock because of the pollution from the chemical tip at Malkins Bank.

The officials of the Society carried on the same until 1966 when Mr. T. Kay was elected Chairman.

At this time due to an Income Tax demand for £27 eighteen shillings (£27.90 pence) the Secretary was instructed to transfer the Society’s account from the Westminster Bank to the Sandbach Building Society.

In September 1967 Mr. Trigger the owner put Crabmill Farm up for sale.

At the October meeting in 1967 the Secretary reported that he had agreed with the new owner Mr. Lea to pay an annual rent for the Flash of £150.

At the 1967 A.G.M. the committee decided to increase the competitive section to 130 and they to pay annual subscriptions of £1. The non-competitive section be a maximum of 70 paying £1 five shillings (£1.25) each and 50 Juveniles paying five shillings (25 pence) each.

At the 1968 A.G.M. E. Howarth was elected assistant Secretary.

On 4th December 1969 at the A.G.M. A. Darlington was elected Chairman and E. Howarth was elected Secretary, and a new set of Society rules were drawn up.

In December 1970 it was decided to move headquarters due to the retirement of the Cheshire Cheese landlady Mrs. Venables, to the Nags Head Wheelock.

During 1971 the fishing on Crabmill Flash deteriated badly with Roach, Rudd, Perch and Bream being caught with ulcers on them, this proved to be a disease called Columnaris which decimated the fish stocks in Crabmill, so much so that only Carp, Tench and large Bream survived. Due to the large fish losses the membership suffered and a restocking campaign failed to improve the situation on the Flash.

There was some good news in 1971, the Secretary acquired the fishing rights on another water called Plex Flash, which contained Roach, Rudd and Perch, on condition that the Society removed the course fish and stocked the lake with Trout. This was done and the course fish were transferred to Crabmill Flash. Plex Flash turned out to be a successful Trout fishery.

Mr. J. Dodds was elected Chairman also in 1971.

In March 1972 bird watchers reported seeing Cormorants feeding on fish in Crabmill Flash, and Mr. H. Bickerton was elected Chairman.

In September 1973 the Secretary had been in discussions with a Professor Williams over the Columnaris problem at Crabmill Flash and the Professor advised the Secretary to stock Crabmill with predators to consume any diseased fish and recommended Catfish as these would pick up the dead fish from the bottom of the lake. The Secretary got in touch with the local North West Water people at the time to obtain permission to stock these fish into Crabmill. Consent was given and as an Aquarists shop in Middlewich was closing down and had a number of Catfish for sale, 100 3inch to 4inch Catfish were purchased. The majority of these were stocked into Crabmill with a few being stocked into Plex. Restocking of Crabmill with any other species of fish was stopped so that the Society could monitor the situation.

Also in 1973 due to further subsidence the drain ditch along the hedge at Crabmill no longer worked, so the Farmer had a drain pipe fitted from the end of the lake directly into the River with a flap valve fitted to prevent the river running into the lake, and also the field drain was diverted into the road end of the lake.

There were also reports from members that large Carp were being seen in Crabmill, and some members were trying to catch them.

In 1975 the water in Crabmill became gin clear and the Canadian pondweed grew prolifically making the Flash almost unfishable, so the committee decided to introduce fertilizer in the form of Steamed Bone Flour, this was successful in colouring the water and subsequently the weed died.

Also during 1975 and 1976 it was noticed more and more carp anglers were joining the Society and attending the A.G.Ms.

In 1977 due to further subsidence at Crabmill the River Wheelock overflowed into the lake for the first time but no ill effects were reported. Also in this year the rushes side of the lake became stable so it was decided to remove the stages from this bank, and Mr. Eric Roberson was elected President of the Society.

On the 19/10/1977 I caught the largest known carp in Crabmill at the time at 23lb 10ozs.

In 1978 I caught a carp on the 16^th June, opening day on Crabmill at 19lb 12oz, I caught the same fish on 8^th September 1979 at 23lb 5ozs, this fish was packing the weight on

.

This fish went on to be Crabmill’s first 30lb carp in 1981.

Also in 1979 25 small carp were transferred from Crabmill to Plex, and the Secretary obtained the fishing rights to a small pool on Mr. Hancock’s land.

Due to the number of 20lb plus carp being caught from Crabmill at this time the ratio of Match anglers to Carp anglers was now 60% to 40% approximately.

In April 1982 after a long negotiation the Secretary informed the committee that the Society had obtained the fishing rights on Brereton Heath sand quarry and it was agreed to stock this lake with 400 Ghost Common carp, 100 Mirror Carp, plus Bream, Tench and Roach. The lake already had a stock of Perch and Pike.

Crabmill at this time was now one of the top carp waters in the North West.

In February 1983 very sadly H. Bickerton the Chairman passed away, this was a big loss to the Society as he was an excellent servant to the Society, A. Howard was elected to the Chairman’s position to replace him.

By 1984 the ratio of Carp anglers to Match anglers had changed dramatically and was now 80% to 20%.

In 1985 the headquarters of the Society was moved from The Nags Head at Wheelock; due to major alterations taking place there, to The Iron Grey in Sandbach.

Mr. Lea the owner of Crabmill was in some financial difficulty in this year and offered to give the Society a 10 year lease on the water for the sum of £10,000, and as the Society had only £5,000 in the Building Society the committee decided to sell 4 year memberships to the members the following year in order to raise the extra £5,000 required.

In August 1985 Mr. E. Burgess offered to take on the job of selling day tickets to anglers at Brereton as he lived very close to the water. His offer was accepted and he still does the job today.

January 1986 saw the Secretary negotiating with the owner of Crabmill to extend the fishing time on Crabmill from the end of September up until Christmas this was agreed.

The River Wheelock again overflowed into Crabmill and the committee decided to build up the riverbank with sandbags until a proper job could be done, and in the meantime to inform North West Water and the S.S.S.I. people to try and get some financial help.

On 28^th May 1986 the officials of North West Water and those of the Subsidence Board met with the Farmer and the officials of Wheelock Angling Society to discuss the problem of the River Wheelock overflowing into Crabmill and the outcome was very frustrating, with one party blaming the other i.e. subsidence causing the problem on one side and the extra weight of the flood water on the other. It became obvious that no help was forthcoming unless the Society agreed to sell day tickets at the fishery; this would be the only way the Society would be able to obtain grants.

On the 22^nd June 1986 I caught the fish known as "BOB" at 26lb 13oz.

This was the largest known carp in Crabmill at this time.

I also caught the fish called "ARFER" on 23^rd July 1986 at 25lb 8oz.

In July 1986 a boat and trailer were purchased from Biddulph Sub Aqua club to help remove snags etc. from Plex Flash, this water was now changed to a mixed fishery due to the poaching of the Trout.

In October 1986 the contractor completed the floodwall at Crabmill, but in September 1987 due to very heavy rain the River Wheelock again overflowed into Crabmill.

In December 1987 Crabmill was properly designated an S.S.S.I.

August 1988 the Secretary obtained the fishing rights to Railway Flash in Clay Lane.

At the 1988 A.G.M. members voted to resign membership of Cheshire Anglers Association due to their lack of help and support.

In December 1988 the riverbank was again built up at Crabmill to try and stop the river overflowing at a considerable cost to the Society.

It was agreed by the committee to introduce Identity Folders to members due to reports of non-members fishing Society waters.

The 1989 A.G.M. saw subscriptions rise to £30 per season and a new rule introduced saying that no member could fish Society waters after 31^st December until a new card had been obtained.

The adult membership at this time was restricted to 160 and the closed season on Brereton Heath Lake was removed.

In 1990 a machine for making fool proof I/D cards for members was acquired by D. Colclough and proper application forms for membership were introduced, also Society car stickers were introduced to make the Bailiffs jobs easier.

February 1991 saw the resignation of the Chairman A. Howard so K. Dallow the Vice Chairman took on the role of Chairman until that years A.G.M.

July 1991 saw Plex Flash badly polluted by farm slurry and silage effluent. No help was forthcoming from the Water authority although they knew what the problem was and where it came from.

The 1991 A.G.M. saw P. Laurie elected as Chairman with J. Howard elected as Vice Chairman.

It was agreed to restock Plex Flash with carp from the other Society waters.

In 1993 it was decided to build a car park at Crabmill due to member’s cars being vandalized and the congestion this was causing on Crabmill Lane, this was done and a gate was fitted with a lock to stop unauthorized entry.

May 1994 saw the resignation of the Chairman P. Laurie so the committee elected the Vice Chairman to the position and T. Miller to the Vice Chairman’s position.

In September 1994 to prevent any further vandalism to member’s cars at Plex Flash the owner allowed the Society to take their cars through a gateway and park them in the orchard.

The 1994 A.G.M. on November 1^st saw the alteration to the close season on Crabmill, this would now be January and February and night fishing would be allowed all through the season.

It was also agreed at this meeting to fit combination locks to all the access gates to the waters.

The Secretary was thanked for his 25 years service and was presented with a new carp rod and reel and his wife was presented with a crystal vase for her support.

In February 1995 the river was again overflowing into Crabmill after heavy rain so a 4-inch square mesh fence was erected along the riverbank to prevent the loss of any fish. The N.R.A. visited Crabmill to look at the problem of flooding but a usual no help was forthcoming, and it was obvious they saw Crabmill as a temporary reservoir in flood conditions.

1995 saw the resignation of the Chairman so T. Miller was elected Chairman with K. Dallow elected Vice Chairman until the A.G.M.

October 1995 saw the Society signing another 10-year lease on Crabmill.

At the A.G.M. on 7^th November 1995 T. Miller was elected Chairman and K. Dallow was elected Vice Chairman. It was also decided at this meeting to relinquish the fishing rights to Railway Flash; this was due to poaching problems, Bailiffs being threatened and very few members fishing the water.

August 1996 saw the enlargement of Plex Flash with a floodwall being built at the end of the lake, also a new drain sluice was built and the outlet drain repositioned to the new end of the lake.

The A.G.M. of 1996 saw K. Dallow elected Chairman and G. Nixon Elected Vice Chairman. The largest carp was 28lb 15oz caught by Neil Burgess and the largest catfish was 16lb 6oz.

The A.G.M. of 1997 saw the officials of the Society remaining the same.

The largest carp for the 1997 season was 29lb 2oz caught by Phil Bate.

The largest catfish was 19lb 6oz caught by Graham Hardy.

I caught one of the large mirrors from Crabmill on 24^th April 1998 at 26lb 14oz.

In October 1998 a new large floodwall was built between the River Wheelock and Crabmill to prevent further flooding, and also a new drain to the river was installed, again at a considerable cost to the Society.

At the A.G.M. of 1998 K. Dallow the Chairman resigned and I the Secretary also resigned after 30years in the position. A new Chairman P. Rushton was elected along with a new Secretary D. Summers.

A.Birchall caught the largest carp for the season at 28lb 6oz

and A. Pritchard caught the largest catfish at 21lb 9oz.

At the beginning of 1999 the new Secretary went to the home of the former Secretary Ted Howarth and presented him with a china figure of a Course Fisherman in gratitude for all his services to the Society, he also presented his wife Ada Howarth with some crystal in thanks for her support through the years.

The A.G.M. of 1999 was moved to the United Services Club in Sandbach to afford more room for the meeting. At the meeting I, E. Howarth, was elected as President of the Society replacing E. Roberson who had sadly passed away. D. Colclough was elected Vice Chairman and the other officials remained the same.

R. Case caught the largest carp for the season at 28lb 4oz and T. Miller caught the largest catfish at 25lb 2oz.

The year 2000 the start of the new Millennium saw some major changes within the Society.

The Secretary negotiated the rights to a small pool to use as a stock pond.

A new Constitution was drawn up and the Secretary obtained the fishing rights to two new waters, Cotton Moss a 15-acre lake and Cotton Park a 4-acre lake. The committee discussed the proposed stocking of these waters, as it was believed that these lakes contained very few fish if any at all and it was decided to stock with a variety of fish. Some carp would come from our own water Brereton and we would purchase the best possible fish we could from M. Simmonds, the first fish from him were stocked into these lakes in November 2000.

At the A.G.M. in November 2000 the elected officials remained the same and the members were told officially about the acquisition of the new waters and the stocking policy that had been put in place.

Ian Fradley caught the largest carp for the season at 32lb 8oz.

Shaun Young caught the largest catfish at 27lb.

December 2000 brought the announcement that Foot and Mouth disease had been confirmed in England.

January 2001 the committee reluctantly decided to give up the fishing rights to Hancock’s pools due to the water level being dropped significantly and the poaching and litter problems that the Society had with these small pools.

February 2001 and Foot and Mouth was spreading like wildfire and several cases had been confirmed in Cheshire. The Society decided to close all of its waters until further notice due to the epidemic.

In March 2001 the Secretary had been in negotiations with the Council over the parking fees at Brereton and had managed to obtain parking for the members at a cost of £10 per year, but to get the parking permits the members would have to go to the Council offices at Westfields in Middlewich Road, Sandbach and take along their membership cards and fill in a form.

The Secretary had also been in talks with the rating office of Crewe and Nantwich Council to get the rates reduced or removed from the car park at Crabmill, after some time this was achieved.

During the year more carp and some tench were purchased and stocked into Cotton Moss and Cotton Park.

Finally in July the Society was able to once again open its waters although Foot and Mouth had not been eradicated from the country; however Cheshire had been clear for some time.

At the 2001 A.G.M. the officials for the following season remained the same and the membership were thanked for their patience this year with the waters being closed.

   John Penlington caught the largest carp for 2001 at 28lb 12oz.

  Shaun Young caught the largest catfish for 2001 at 32lb 2oz.

March 2002 and two more carp were stocked into the Cotton waters and the Society lakes have fished very up and down up till now, June.

  The best carp so far this season being a fish from Crabmill at 31lb 12oz caught by Derek Sutton

The Cotton Moss lake record at present caught    by Wayne Cooper at 29lb 6oz.  This fish was stocked from Brereton in June 2000 at 20lb 2oz.

So that is the history of the Society to date, I hope you all enjoy reading it as I have in remembering it and writing it down. I wish the Society and all its members all the best in all it does and hope that it continues for many years to come.