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The ACA held its EGM in Birmingham on Monday 8 December and agreed to change its name to Fish Legal and to join forces with the Angling Trust in England, with a proxy vote of 1,484 in favour to 67 against the change. This resounding vote opens an exciting new chapter for the organisation.

Anglers Conservation AssociationWe have sent new membership forms to all English individual members and club packs to all English clubs, riparian owners, commercial fisheries and trade members are being sent out at the moment. Members in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland will continue their membership with Fish Legal. There will be more information available at www.anglingtrust.net and www.fishlegal.net when these web sites go live early in January.

The office will be closed over Christmas, but will reopen on 5 January when we will be happy to answer any questions members might have about the changes.

News from the Legal Department…

The ACA are delighted to have won damages for the Grantham Angling Association following the shocking pollution of the River Witham back in 2002. In the early hours of 3 April, 25,000 litres of chemical fertiliser poured from an agricultural storage tank, made its way into a nearby ditch and flowed downhill into the Witham. The chemical pollution moved slowly along the river, leaving a trail of destruction in its wake, with dead fish obvious for up to 15 km downstream from the point at which the pollution entered the watercourse and raised ammonia levels detected as far as 38km away. Brown trout, chub, roach, grayling and barbel all perished and near to the source of the pollution the chemicals were so concentrated that a dog died within minutes of jumping into the river for a swim. The valve on the tank was allegedly forced open in an act of vandalism and those responsible were never found. The Environment Agency prosecuted the suppliers of the agricultural chemicals, Omex Agricultural, who had supervised the siting of the tank on high ground, in an uninhabited farmyard, with inadequate security. In bringing a civil claim, the ACA won £6,000 in damages for the GAA and also recovered costs.

In an additional case, the ACA defended a spurious claim brought against the Grantham Angling Association by one of its ex-volunteer water bailiffs. The bailiff - now banned for life from the club - claimed for £700 worth of damage to his vehicle after allegedly driving over a loose bit of concrete on the access road to club's fishery. The claim was heard at Grantham County Court on 8th December 2008 but was dismissed on the grounds that the GAA was not liable for the alleged accident.

We are also celebrating a settlement on behalf of the Common Bank Angling Club based in Chorley, Lancashire. On two separate occasions in March 2006 usual suspect United Utilities allowed raw sewage to spew into a feeder stream that led to our member's lake, the Common Bank Lodge. The two spillages were attributed to a failure at a poorly maintained pumping station. Damage to the lake was compounded by a simultaneous diesel spill, allegedly coming from a nearby hospital. Several hundred perch, roach, gudgeon, bream, carp and a few pike were killed - the majority dying slowly from lack of oxygen, with flocks of gulls visiting in the days that followed to pick off the dead fish floating on the surface. Despite this pollution effectively destroying the fishery the club were surprised and disappointed with the Environment Agency's decision only to send a warning letter to the utility company with no further legal action. The ACA took on the case and won £4,000 for the club.

In mid-Wales, the ACA has secured £10,000 for the New Dovey Fisheries Association from Network Rail in recompense for embankment works on the River Dyfi that re-directed the watercourse, leaving precious sea trout pools in an old meander loop shallow and unfishable.

In Alfreton, Derbyshire, we have taken on a new case on behalf of the Excel Hatchery. A pipe owned and controlled by Severn Trent Water burst in September this year polluting our member's fishery, killing a large number of fish and leaving a large amount of deposited sewage in the lake. The club approached the ACA following a lack of response from Severn Trent Water and the Environment Agency. Meanwhile, three months after the burst, the sewage remains in the lake.

In other legal department news, we are pleased to announce that both Guy Linley-Adams, head solicitor here at the ACA and our man in Edinburgh, Bob Younger are both now qualified to practice in Scotland having studied for and passed the Law Society for Scotland's qualifying exams. This will remove the need for the ACA to instruct private agent solicitors in Scotland in order to issue proceedings and will mean that we operate more efficiently and can recover costs more easily following successful settlements north of the border.

Finally, we would like to thank two clubs for very kindly donating funds. Methyr Tydfil Angling Association donated £5,000 and Grantham Angling Association have given £1,000 following the successful conclusion of cases on the Taf Fechan and the Witham respectively. We are extremely grateful for these generous donations that will be ploughed back into our work to protect fisheries and the freshwater environment.

All that remains is to wish all our supporters a very Merry Christmas and a united New Year.

Source: www.a-c-a.org

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Published in Latest UK fishing news

Nearly 4,000 juvenile fish have been released by Environment Agency fisheries teams in and around London rivers today Tuesday 9 December.

The Hogsmill at the Open space on the river Hogsmill, Beverley Brook at Richmond Park and the River Wandle near Ravensbury Park are now the new homes for the young fish thanks to a yearly stocking programme by the Environment Agency.

The batches of two year-old barbel, chub, roach and dace have been specially reared and trained for life in the wild at the Environment Agency’s Calverton Fish Farm in Nottinghamshire and were released into three different locations.

Environment Agency fisheries officers released Chub, Roach and Dace into the Hogsmill near West Ewell and the Beverley Brook at Richmond Park. Both are urban rivers and since they have begun to recover from historic pollution and degradation they have been stocked regularly by the Environment Agency. The rivers are still vulnerable from low water levels and at risk of pollution by mis-connections of domestic appliances and industrial accidents. However, these rivers offer valuable wildlife habitat and recreational space in a predominantly urban area.

The Wandle was stocked with Barbel, Chub, Roach and Dace at Hackbridge, Poulters Park, Ravensbury Park and Morden Hall. These areas were affected by a major pollution event in September 2007. The Environment Agency has been working closely with local and national angler groups, landowners and regulators to find opportunities to further improve habitat along the river and provide shelter for smaller fish in high flows and help protect them from predators and pollution events. Previous stocking has shown that fish thrive in the River Wandle because it is so productive.

Environment Agency fisheries officer Tanya Houston said: “The release of 4,000 fish into these rivers will really enhance the local environment. Healthy rivers have good fish populations which form a key element of the aquatic environment and our restocking programme ensures that a wide variety of fish can flourish and give local people the opportunity to enjoy the river within an urban area”.

The Environment Agency carry out more than 500 fish stockings transfers every year. Stocking of fish can bring socio-economic and conservation benefits to fisheries by increasing the numbers and species of fish available for capture, or by restoring stocks lost due to pollution or habitat degradation.

source: www.environment-agency.gov.uk

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Published in Latest UK fishing news

What does your swim look like underwater?

Find out with M & B Contour Map Fishing

M & B Contour Mapping specializes in producing accurate coloured contour depth maps of lakes and Fisheries. The maps show any variations in depth, the position of ledges, holes, sunken islands or any other features. The pegs or swims are shown precisely in the correct position so the fishermen can see exactly what the water depths are like all around his swim.

FACT Launches two posters to save Nation’s fisheries



Fish theft and spread of disease have been the big issues for Britain ’s anglers over the last two years. The Fish Welfare Group, a working committee of Fisheries and Angling Conservation Trust (FACT), recently launched two posters carrying key messages for the health of our fisheries;

Pondwood Fisheries, Berkshire

Located in Berkshire, Pondwood Fisheries is the premier fishing facility for anglers of all categories with three coarse fishing waters, one of which dates back to medieval times and one which is in excess of 30 years old. In addition there is the Snake, a still water course dating back to medieval times which was opened for day tickets in 2002 after widening and extension.

Pondwood fisheries offer carp, roach, chub, perch, rudd and tench fishing as well as some of the best catfish fishing in the South of England.

Reader Review - Jason Barnes, Berkshire - July 2007

Just thought I would let you all know about a lake I go to called Pondwood Fishery. It is the only place I know about where you can guarantee to have an amazing day's fishing.

It has 2 lakes and a snake river. The first lake has an amazing amount of catfish and some big carp in it - it is the only catfish lake I know where you can guarantee to catch a cat in the day time. Some of the catfish I have caught (pictured below) are a 32lb 5oz fish and the other was 38lb 7oz. I have caught so many cats here it would take the whole site up to show you them all - like I said before, AMAZING !!

The second lake is great for the whole family. It has a lot of carp and anyone can catch in this one. I took my little boy fishing for the first time the other week and below is a picture of him with his first carp ... now I can’t keep him away from the place. So much for my peaceful weekend away from the kids ha ha !! But thats what kind of place Pondwood is - great family run lakes.

The last water at Pondwood is called the snake river which has carp, tench, roach, perch and pike. This is where I caught my personal best carp of 32lb floating bread of the top ... amazing !! I know it seems like I’m going on a bit but if you’ve been there you will feel the same way as I do. All this for a tenner a day ... can’t be beaten.


Uk Fisherman would love to hear from any other anglers who have good or bad experiences of Pondwood Fishery. We would especially like to hear from anyone connected with Pondwood Fishery who would like to comment on this review.
Paul @ UK Fisherman

Please note the views expressed on these review pages are not necessarily endorsed by UK Fisherman.

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Middy "Baggin" Wagglers - courtesy of Middy Tackle

Description:
The Middy Baggin wagglers come in two colours, white and camo. They are available in a variety of weights to suit all situations. Pre-loaded, they make casting and shotting a doddle.

  • the camo finish waggler is and ideal float for margin use or for up against reed beds
  • the white finish wagglers are great for attracting carp in open water.
  • interchangeable base weights ensure minimal extra shotting is required.
  • Each float is designed and tested for balance and flight in the air
  • An ideal float for commercial carp fisheries !

Review:
These baggin wagglers from Middy are amongst the best floats I have used at carp and general commercial fisheries.

Casting (even quite long range) is a doddle with the weighted base and with a range of weights available as well as the handy intechangeable base weights, you have a waggler suitable for all types of fishing. Available in straight and insert varieties, the Middy Baggin Waggler is suitable for all conditions.

Score:

Where to buy The Middy Baggin Waggler:
The Middy Baggin Waggler is available from all good tackle suppliers or from Middy Tackle.

For more information or to order these excellent wagglers, visit www.middytackle.com

A big thank you to Middy Tackle for supplying UK Fisherman with these floats for review.

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Priory Farm Fishing Lakes, Surrey

Fishing Diary February 2008A quick jaunt down the M25 and I was soon driving down quiet country lanes just outside Reigate in Surrey, on my way to sample the excellent fishing at Priory Farm Fishing Lakes. The sun shone through the window and I was full of the joys of spring and looking forward to some well earned time away from work.

Priory Farm Fishing Lakes offer superb coarse and carp fishing on four lakes, all well stocked with crucian carp, roach, perch, tench, rudd, bream, and of course, stunning carp to 30lb. A mere 20 miles from Central London, Priory Farm Lakes are within easy reach and members only fishing means the lakes remain under fished and the quality of the fish is always second to none.

Priory LakeI met up with Ian Ford, the Fisheries Manager at Priory Farm who drove me up to the car park. He suggested I try out Priory lake, as despite the recent cold weather, it had been fishing reasonably well.

The fishing on Priory Lake offers great year round sport and according to Ian, the carp, which are close to the original wild carp, will definitely give you a good fight !!

Most baits had been working well Ian remarked and taking his advise I set up two rods, one with a method feeder and single boilie cast as near to the island as I dared and one with a waggler fished hard on the bottom with pellets for hook baits. I offered only a few morsels of loose feed as I expected that bites might be hard to come by after a cold night.

Bites were indeed hard to come by, in fact they were pretty much non existent. I was also troubled by the resident swans who were certainly in feeding mood, even if the fish weren't. After a couple of hours on Priory Lake with no action whatsoever, I decided enough was enough and moved the short distance to Hogtrough Lake where I hoped for better luck.

Hogtrough lake is the youngster at Priory Farm although the lake is maturing nicely with the island and bank side vegetation growing rapidly. Apparently the fishing can sometimes be a little harder than the other lakes although the rewards are well worth putting in the extra effort, especially if targeting the resident hard fighting carp which go to 30lb.

As I neared Hogtrough Lake, I noticed there was one other angler trying his luck so I decided to pick his brains about what methods and baits worked well on Hogtrough. The angler in question turned out to be George, a regular at Priory Farm Lakes for many years. George was fishing the pole at 4m and because of the cold weather, with water temperatures not much above 0 deg c, he was using extremely fine tackle and tiny baits.

George, a regular at Priory LakesHe explained that he always fished a different swim at Priory Lakes, still keen to learn as much about the fishery as he was when he first fished the lakes over 16 years ago.

Although he was keen to pass some of his knowledge onto a newbie like myself, he certainly wasn't going to reveal all his secrets that he had amassed over many years of studying and fishing and the lakes at Priory Farm.

He was keen to retain a certain edge over everyone else ... and who can blame him.

George estimated that a crowded day at Priory Lakes would see a maximum of around 10 anglers on each lake. Compare this to a day ticket commercial fishery and you can see why this members only fishery is so attractive.

I could have stayed talking with George all afternoon but I had come to sample the fishing, so decided I had better get back to it. Using the same two methods I had started with on Priory Lakes, I recast my rods and hoped that as temperatures had risen slightly from the morning session, I could tempt a few fish to have a quick meal.

Unfortunately, this was not the case and the net stayed dry all day. George did manage one perch of around an ounce but I'm sorry to say that was all. Strangely though I was not too disappointed. For a townie like me, being in such stunning countryside with only the sound of the trees rustling in the wind and the odd bird singing was pleasure enough. Of course I would have liked to catch some fish, but that can wait until next time.

So what are my first impressions:

  • Stunning location
  • superbly maintained lakes and pegs
  • un crowded and under fished
  • easy to find and get to (even for me in West London, the drive was only around 45mins)
  • really friendly and helpful fisheries manager (Ian Ford)

I can't wait to get back to Priory Farm and try my luck once more.

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Published in Diary
Make your fishery pools stand out from the rest !!

How many times have you lost potential customers to your fishery because your website had little or a basic minimal graphical reference to your pools?

We can draw them to a high standard and blend them to match your existing site for inclusion. With over 10 years experience of graphic design packages, we can create a detailed plan of your pool for use on the web, print or other marketing material to help you promote your fishery.

Knowing how difficult it is to convey the size and layout of a large asset as a fishing lake, we focus on creating a visually impressive image for you to advertise the best features of your lake and help to attract more business. We like to work closely with our clients and offer a fast, efficient service at every stage of development. Customer satisfaction is paramount and we will work hard to turn your project around.

We also have the facility to create 3D fly-over animations to further communicate your lake layout effectively. These can be included, compressed, on your website in the form of a downloadable movie or as an interactive marketing tool that you could supply to generate business.

Contact us today for a quotation, you won’t be disappointed.

Call Duncan Buckley on: (0)7801 286294 quoting the UK Fisherman website.

Portfolio:

Weston Pools Fishery (Oswestry) – Contracted through Countrywide Fisheries to provide layout drawings for three of their pools. Drawings used as signs mounted around the site.

Manor Farm Fishing (Sandy, Bedfordshire) – Contracted through Countrywide Fisheries to provide a pool map for use on their website and brochure material (www.manorfarmfishing.co.uk).

Eastmoors Lake (St Leonards, Dorset) – Provided a lake layout drawing for use as a road sign and for inclusion on their website (www.fishinglake.co.uk).

“I congratulate you on a very good representation and a prompt service.”
Nick Hoare (proprietor) of Eastmoors Lake.

UK FISHERMAN'S VERDICT - **Highly Recommended**

You only have to look at the quality of the graphics above to see what a fantastic product Duncan really offers. They provide vital information for visitors in terms of swim location, layout and the fish you can expect to find at the fishery. Any fishery shrewd enough to hire Duncan will benefit hugely from a first class graphical representation of their fishery which can only add value to their business.

What are you waiting for - Give Duncan a call today on (0)7801 286294
you won't regret it !!

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Published in Various
I had heard on the fishing grapevine that Lizard Fisheries in West Drayton, Middlesex had been fishing well of late, presumably due to the mild late winter weather we have been having. I decided therefore that my first visit of 2007 to Lizard was in order !!

I arranged to meet by buddy Steve there and decided to start on lake 1 and see how the fishing was, before possibly moving on to Lake 2 later on. For those of you who have not fished Lizard Fisheries before, Lake 1 is the "match" lake and holds huge stocks of fish with carp to 10lb+, tench, bream, perch and huge shoals of roach and rudd. Lake 2 is primarily a carp fishing lake, much harder to fish but with carp to 20lb+ being the reward for those who like their fishing a little more challenging.

The conditions were bright and definitely "gusty" to say the least. When I pulled into the carpark after a "leisurely" start to the day, it was clear that the choppy conditions were not going to make fishing especially easy.

Depsite this I adopted my usual tactic at Lizard, waggler fishing, this time slightly overdepth, to try and hold the waggler in place against the stong wind. Unlike my usual summer tactics of using pellets or meat, I thought conditions favoured the good old maggot, so I loaded my size 16 hook with four maggots and loose fed a small handful of maggots every third cast of so.

No sooner had my float hit the water for the first time, it dipped boldy under the surface and I was soon into my first fish of the day, a hard fighting mirror carp around 4-5lb. What a great start !! To be honest I was expecting a tough day and was delighted to catch on my first cast.

The afternoon continued very much in the same vein and I ended the day with 9 carp, the best topping the scales at just under 11lb, plenty of small roach and rudd and a bonus perch late on. As the sun went down behind the trees around 5pm, the weather reminded me that we were still in fact in the winter, and I dediced that having had a great day it was time for home.

Lizard rarely disappoints - fishing is relatively easy on Lake 1 and the fish will take most baits. Bear in mind that it can get very busy at weekends, escpecially in the summer, so get there early. There are quite a few bait bans on Lake 1, so don't take groundbait, boilies (ok on lake 2), oily pellets (such as halibut pellets) or sweetcorn with you. If you are caught using any of these banned baits, expect to be thrown off the fishery. Don't let this put you off however, as Lizard is a great no frills fishery where you are sure to catch.

Lizard Fishery is loacted on Trout Road, Yiewsley, West Drayton, Greater London, England

Til next time, happy fishing!! Paul @ UK Fisherman

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Published in Diary
An afternoon session at my "local" Lizard Fishery tempted Jim and I on a reasonably mild, early October afternoon.

common carp just shy of the 10lb markLizard wasn't really on it's best form and we both found the fishing hard going, despite some early success for me in the shape of a quality looking common carp just shy of the 10lb mark.

There were few signs of fish being caught by the handful of fisherman at Lizard and when the roach and rudd aren't in feeding mood, you just know things are going to be tough.

 

good condition common carp which weighed in at 9lbA couple of skimmers and roach were the only reward over the next couple of hours, followed late on by another good condition common carp which weighed in at 9lb, which is a decent enough fish for lake 1 at Lizard Fisheries.

So, like so many of my fishing adventures, an OK day with a couple of nice fish despite the fishing being generally hard going.


Til next time, happy fishing!! Paul @ UK Fisherman

Submit A Diary Entry: UK Fisherman would be delighted to here from you if you would like to comment on any of our diary entries. To do so, please use the comment box below.

If you would like to submit a diary entry of your own , please visit the CONTACT page.

Published in Diary
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