The setting for these championships was out of a picture book. Sitting between mountains on either side the river ran through a beautiful tree lined valley with a track allowing easy access to the pegs but more to the point it was crammed full of fish.  Vimba, barbel, odd carrassio and bleak were to make up the bulk of all catches with long pole being the only method worth considering except for the odd bleak weight being taken on 4/5 meter whips.

The venue had been used in previous years for the world youth team championships and a European event so some information was available in advance of the match. Even so nothing could fully prepare the team for the kind of fishing that was in store.

18 teams competed in this 20th championship and the match length stretched from near the angling club house up to the town bridge. From downstream end peg A1 to upstream end peg E18 the depth varied considerably from top 4 pole sections deep to top 6 deep. Floats used varied from 3 gr to 8 gr and hook sizes 12 to 18.

Practice went well with all the team registering at least one day when they caught 10 kilos in the allotted 4 hours. The Vimba were averaging around 200 grams with the largest pushing 500 grams making them the number one target species.

It was always going to be a difficult match to win with the strong Hungarian, Czech, Croatian, Italian and host nation Slovenian teams having spent many previous hours fishing the venue. 

After day one England were seemingly out of contention when they recorded 38 points and 8th position behind Croatia on 26 points.

Day one result.
1. Croatia 26 points
2. Hungary 30 points
3. Italy 31 points
4. Spain 31 points
5. Czech Rep 34 points
6. Germany 34 points
7. Poland 36 points
8. England 38 points

Except for an odd tweaking the management team saw no reason to change tactics for the second day and went into the match with a really positive attitude hoping to make the podium.

To make up the 12 points deficit on leaders Croatia and eventually beat them by 4 points was incredible but even more so was the fact that they demolished all the 7 teams in front of them from day one.

Day two result
1. Engand 18 points
2. Belgium 30 points
3. Italy 31 points
4. Hungary 32 points
5. Croatia 34 points
6. Czech Rep 37 points

Overall result.
1. England 56 points
2. Croatia 60 points
3. Italy 62 points
4. Hungary 62 points

Individuals.
1. Jana Gresova Czech Rep 2 points
2. Matea Minanov  Croatia 3 points weight
3. Simona Pollastri  Italy 3 points
4. Anja Groot Holland 5 points weight
5. Helen Dagnall England 5 points

England team scores. Helen Dagnall 5 points. Wendy Locker 10 points. Julie Abbott 12 points,Emma Pickering 12 points. Sam Sims 17 points.  Jeanette Halliday reserve.

Jana Gresova the Czech angler retained her championship gold medal that she won last year in Holland when once again she recorded a perfect 2 pts score over the 2 day competition.  Ex World Champions Wendy Locker of  England and Simona Pollastri of Italy have both competed in all 20 world championships since its conception in 1994.

Dick Clegg OBE International Events Manager stated  “I was proud to be there to see this magnificent winning performance that must go down as one of the best team results ever. The whole squad should be justifiably proud of what they achieved in Slovenia and I can only congratulate them and their superb management team on winning Gold. I know I am always making an issue about funding,  but surely this result will give the ladies a great boost in their search to find a sponsor.
Dave Brooks manager, Joe Roberts coach and Ed Warren did a brilliant job in organising the team and I am sure that Jeanette Halliday who was making her World Championship début will continue to be part of the squad.

I personally would like to thank all the companies who provided goods for our fund raising efforts and in particularly Sensas who once again supplied all our groundbait.”  

Coach Joe Roberts was over the moon. Joe said “Terrific venue, terrific fishing, terrific team. This was a proper fishing venue and England always seem to excel when there are loads of fish to catch.”

Manager Dave Brooks who has been in charge for the past four years, but has attended every Ladies World Championship for the past ten years was almost lost for words.  Dave is quoted as saying “ I have seen the team win Gold, Silver and Bronze medals, but this must be the best comeback on record to go from 8th to 1st and win by 4 points after being 12 points behind is unbelievable.  It's a just reward for all the effort and hard work the team put into their fund raising just to make sure that an England team could take part in the World Championships.

They are a great bunch of girls to work with and all of them are brilliant anglers and totally committed to team work. It was an honour to be able to work with them and I look forward to defending the title next year in Portugal. Thanks to everybody who helped us get there.”

Source: Angling Trust Fishing News

Mr Benyon was responding to strong representations from the Angling Trust, the national representative body for anglers, and fishery owners along the Kennet Valley in Wiltshire and Berkshire following last months’ devastating pollution of all invertebrate life along a 15 kms stretch of this famous chalk stream by a tiny amount of chlorpyrifos which entered the river via the combined sewerage system.

In a recent letter to Mr Benyon Angling Trust campaign chief Martin Salter wrote:

“Experience from other countries as well as the catalogue of environmental disasters caused by chlorpyrifos, of which the upper Kennet is but the latest, must surely tell us that the current controls are simply not fit for purpose. In fact the Angling Trust wants to know why a lethal chemical like chlorpyrifos is allowed to be used anywhere near a river or watercourse. Apparently the 15 kms wipeout of invertebrates between Marlborough and Hungerford may have been caused by as little as a couple of spoonfuls and was almost certainly the result of an irresponsible domestic disposal. We hope you will agree that the the sooner we follow the lead of Singapore and America and ban the domestic use of chlorpyrifos the better off our rivers will be.”

The incident on the Kennet was the latest in a series of scares involving chlorpyrifos, which is regularly used on lawns and golf courses and for treating termites, leatherjackets and frit flies. The same chemical was responsible for wiping out insect life on a large stretch of the River Roding in 1985, the River Wey in 2002 and 2003 and led to a significant number of fish being killed on the River Ouse in Sussex in 2001.

Following the incident on the Kennet, people were advised not to allow water from a stretch between Marlborough and Hungerford to come into contact with their skin.

In America the US Environment Protection Agency has placed limits on its domestic use and the chemical was banned outright in Singapore for use in termite control in 2009.

Mr Benyon, who is also the Conservative MP for Newbury, has asked officials to draw up measures to restrict its sale in Britain. He said:

"I'm firmly on the side of those who want to make sure this never happens again.
I think something as toxic as this should only be available to people with the qualifications to use it safely. I've asked Defra's chemical regulations directorate to provide me with advice and I will act upon it. We want to make sure in the medium to the long term that we are protecting rivers like this from pollution incidents, whether they come agricultural use or personal use. Somebody could have just been cleaning out their garden, trying to clean algae out of their fishpond. We don't know.”

Mr Benyon added:

“In any river such an incident would cause me great concern but I am particularly upset that this should happen in my local river. I am really angered to hear of the devastating impacts for the ecology of the Kennet. This type of pollution is totally unacceptable.”

Mark Lloyd, Chief Executive of the Angling Trust, welcomed Mr Benyon’s support. He said:

“We have been pushing for much tougher controls on how this stuff is sold. This is a product that is supposed be for use by professionals only yet it can be bought on-line by any Tom, Dick or Harry who will then be in possession of an environmental time bomb. It is plain wrong that chlorpyrifos is freely available to everybody for without proper disposal methods it can cause a huge amount of damage to rivers and streams and the wildlife they support.”

He added:

“We are also calling on the government to improve the facilities for the disposal of dangerous chemicals. Up and down the country people will have bottles and tins of all manner of pesticides which, if rinsed out into the drains can be fatal to insects and the birds and fish which feed off them.”

The Angling Trust campaign has been picked up by the national media including the BBC, the Times and the Telegraph.

Source: Angling Trust Fishing News

The internet giant had taken down the adverts when the scam was exposed on taken up by BBC Radio 4’s You and Yours programme, but they have since re-appeared.  Searches for “buy rod licence” or “fishing licence” on Google generate a list of results that are headed up with sponsored links to the offending sites - rodlicence.net and rodfishinglicence.com.  The only place where anglers should buy a rod licence on-line currently is from www.postoffice.co.uk or alternatively over the counter in a Post Office.

The Angling Trust, who first raised this issue back in March, is very concerned that the sites are likely to be affecting rod licence sales because unsuspecting anglers are finding that the cost of a licence has rocketed.  A government ban on all marketing by its agencies in the past three years has reversed a decade of steadily-increasing rod licence sales and as a result revenues to the Environment Agency have been decreasing each year.  Because of the marketing ban, these unscrupulous companies are able to take advantage of anglers trying to buy their rod licence on the internet, and they pay Google a fee for every angler who clicks on one of the sponsored links.

Angling Trust Chief Executive Mark Lloyd said: “surely Google make enough money without having to benefit from a scam that rips off hard working men and women who are simply seeking to comply with the law and buy a rod licence to support the work of the Environment Agency which maintains, improves and develops fisheries in England.  We urge them to do the decent thing and remove these sponsored links to these appalling sites for good.  It is suspicious that the sites were removed when Google’s spokesman was put on the spot on the radio, but then mysteriously re-appeared.”

He continued: “The Government must lift the senseless marketing ban on the Environment Agency that stops it spending any money to promote licence sales. The rod licence income is vital to funding protection of our fisheries and supporting the work of organisations in the voluntary sector helping to deliver the National Angling Strategy.  Anyone who knows anything about business will tell you that if you stop marketing a product sales will fall, and that is exactly what has happened with rod licences.  The situation is made worse by these scammers taking money from anglers to sell them a licence they could buy for £20 less via the Post Office web site or counter.”

“If you use Google search and come across these sites advertised we encourage anglers to use the quick and easy “Send feedback” option at the bottom of the screen to let Google know you are not happy to see these scammers appearing.”

Source: Angling Trust Fishing News

The England Team (Team England Fly Fishing) comprises the top anglers from the National final fished last year at Bewl Water in Kent. The team is captained by Stafford angler Paul Angell who had this to say about the teams prospects in Scotland.

"With just over a month to go until the Autumn International at the Lake of Menteith, the anticipation and excitement are really starting to build. The England team has a good mix of new caps and experienced internationals, and a great team spirit is emerging.  We are all looking forward to pitting ourselves against the other home nations and believe we have the talent and qualities needed to produce a winning result.

All the teams are strong, but the Scots, on their home water, and with their excellent organization and recent record, will certainly start, on paper, as the favourites.  Having said that,  we are going to be fishing for stocked rainbow trout, which is something most of the teams will be very used to. Who will emerge as the winning team on the 20th September will be largely down to who has prepared best and who has been best able to adapt to the conditions on the day. Of course a little bit of luck is always important, but at this level, luck only plays a minor role.

The Lake of Menteith is a top quality fishery, with clear water, and hard fighting fish. What more could you ask for in an International venue.  At 700 acres it is big enough to provide a real challenge, but not so large as to make fish location a major problem on the practice days leading up to the competition.

Team England will be going flat out to go one better than in the Spring International where the Scots were victorious, beating us convincingly into second place, but no-one should forget that there are four teams of dedicated anglers, all at the top of their sport, all of whom will be giving their all in pursuit of victory. May the best team on the day win.  All I know is that I am immensely proud to be leading a great bunch of guys, and captaining my country at the sport which I love."

Paul Angell – Team Captain

The full team will comprise
Paul Angell (Captain), Glenn Appleby, Tom Bird, Martin Burgess, Howard Croston, Tom Davies, Paul Davison, Anthony Fox, Martin Griffiths, Gary Hedges, John Hood, Paul Kitchen, Mark Macleod and Steve Smalley.

Source: Angling Trust Fishing News

Add increased TV, radio and magazine coverage and you can see why the BCAC is such a great launch pad for angler's careers.

The final of this prestigious carp fishing event will be held at Broadlands in Hampshire from 13th - 15th September 2013

Another venue that has loads of history in UK carping, Broadlands is a beautiful day ticket water situated in the test valley nr Southampton. There’s a very good head of doubles and twenties in the water and it’s the venue that hosts the finals of this esteemed tournament. The eliminators are always exciting here as there is a chance of fish from all round the pond and when we are pegging the swims we look at the lake and see carp all over the place making swim choice very difficult. The 2012 final was again won from a totally different area of the lake and with some further pegging changes we are very confident that a fair final will once again be the order of the day.

Source: British Carp Angling Championships

The trial will take place at Barston Lakes, Marsh House Farm Lane, Barston, Solihull, West Midlands, B92 0LB.

Anglers who wish to apply for the trial must be of open match standard, and MUST be able to cast and fish at 80 yards minimum. The trial will be fished to FIPS international rules.

The trial is to show the management the angler’s skills, and whether they have the temperament, drive and desire to fish for England.  They will be looking to work with anglers ready for the future.  Next year’s FIPSed Feeder World Championship will be in Inniscarrsa, Ireland in July.

If anyone is interested in taking part in the trial please supply a CV to include; full name, address, email address, date of birth, home and mobile contact telephone numbers, and provide the last two years of feeder fishing and any results and send to Sandra Drew, Competitions & Events Manager, Angling Trust, Strelley Hall, Strelley, Nottingham. NG8 6PE or email; sandra.drew@anglingtrust.net.

The closing date for all applications is by no later than 7th September.

Please note in order to take part in the trials you must also be an individual member of the Angling Trust.

Anyone successful to be invited for a trial will be contacted with further details.

Source: Angling Trust Fishing News

Angling Trust Team England has a long-standing record of success in international competition in coarse, game and sea disciplines. However angling is not generally seen as a performance sport. The Angling Trust has collaborated with sports scientists from the University of Chester and developed a world-leading research project to investigate the key traits required to become a world-class match angler and provide evidence-based guidance for selecting and developing future talent.

During the 2013 Fish ‘O’ Mania weekend, Team England’s Alan Scotthorne MBE and Will Raison along with Craig Jones, Fish ‘O’ Mania finalist, were fitted with a heart-rate monitor to record heart-rate data for the duration of the match. In addition, each angler was videoed to enable performance analysis during the match. This builds on earlier work with AT’s Team England Men’s Shore team, who were the subject of testing during the 2012 Fips-mer World Shore Angling Championships. This work aimed to understand the physical and physiological load imposed on sea anglers during competition. The data has been gathered over a 12-month project and will be used to enhance coaching, talent development programmes, planning and preparation of elite teams in Home Internationals, European and World Championships in addition to gaining a scientific understanding of the demands of the sport. The research is due to be completed in September.

Ben Thompson, Talent Development and Competitions Manager said; “England are widely recognised as world leaders in match angling and we want to strive for improvements in all areas of performance. We hope this research will allow us to develop support systems for anglers from grassroots to elite level and ensure continued success for our National teams.”

Graham Cobden, Research Assistant at University of Chester said; “The data collected from Will Raison, Alan Scotthorne and Craig Jones, is one of the world’s first investigations into the physical demands of competitive elite coarse angling. By developing a greater understanding of these demands, physical, nutritional and psychological strategies can be implemented to optimise angling performance at both domestic and international competitions to increase the chances of success. Furthermore, the information can be used to enhance coaching and talent development programmes to make sure that the next generation of elite English anglers are adequately prepared for the demands of elite competitive angling to make sure that England's angling success continues.”

Source: Angling Trust Fishing News

Fishing his annual five-day session on Temple last week, regular Mark Savage managed 5 fish which included a stunning BIG mirror weighing 36lb as well as mirrors of 26lb and 27lb along with two commons weighing 22lb and 23lb. Fishing pegs 9 and 10, Mark fished Mainline IBs tipped on a snow man presentation with a red 10 mil pop up seeped in cream with a pink avid sight stop tight to the island margins. Baiting was heavier than usual with IBs as the conditions were very hot with all the fish showing signs of being spawned out. After failing to catch on his usual long hook length, Mark changed to fish a size 12 long shank on a snow man presentation with a short hook length. It pays to do something a little different and for those who are catching bream, increase the size of the hair.

Dave Mckeown also had a good session on Temple a week ago catching a brace of mirrors weighing 27lb 10oz and 31lb 9oz. Fishing peg 14, Dave caught both his fish simultaneously. He was playing a fish on his right hand rod and as he got the fish in front of the swim his middle rod ripped off, thinking the line had been picked up by the fish he had on, he dropped the rod off the buzzer and opened the bail arm whilst he carried on playing the first fish. After landing and returning his stunning 27lb 10oz Mirror, Dave then decided to sort out the middle rod which had a slack line, once he tightened back up he realized there was another fish hooked which had given him the run whilst playing the first fish, luckily this fish was also landed OK weighing 31lb 9oz. So two fish in 5 mins?

Dave caught both his fish tight to the island margins on 14mm Cell tipped with white fake corn which he fished over a small bag of crushed cell with 30 freebies. Pictures of Daves fish are shown below.

Adam McGinnis was another angler to have a good session on Temple last week fishing peg 14. Starting his session on SAE Bait Developments B1, Adam landed a stunning 27lb 4oz mirror before losing 2 fish which prompted him to switch to a new bait, SAE Bait Developments B2 (which he is prototyping) which resulted in a further three fish, all mirrors weighing 24lb 14oz, 25lb 14oz and the much sort after Double Row Linear at 31lb dead. Adam also lost one further fish. During his session Adam fed 7kg of boilie resulting in 7 runs and 4 fish, which again goes to show that heavy feeding can trigger the fish to feed. Pictures of Adams fish are shown below in weight order starting with the 31lb Linear.

Paul Harrison was another angler to find success on Temple catching 3 fish, 2 of which were pb's. His 3rd visit, having blanked on the previous 2, Paul opted to fish peg 12 and pretty soon had fish showing over his baits, but after two days he still had no carp to show for his efforts. Having decided to stay on an extra 24 hours, Paul was quickly rewarded when a pristine common weighing 19lb graced his net. This fish was caught from one of the spots that fish had been showing for 2 days, and it fell to a snowman rig, with a B1 Bottom bait and a contrast boilie pop-up, which is a great combination. Later that evening Paul was rewarded with a new PB, a stunning mirror weighing 27lb 8 oz (almost a leather but with a few scales) which fell to a contrast boilie snowman rig. The hat trick came at 5.00am the next morning from the same rod when Paul landed a stunning 30lb 8 oz mirror which was yet another personal best. This too was caught on a contrast boilie snowman rig. Pictures of Pauls 30lb 8oz and 27lb 8oz mirros are shown below.

Turning to the Old Lake, catches have really picked up following the recent hot weather with the last few days seeing a flurry of activity which has seen a number of anglers reporting multiple bags of up to a 18 fish per session which has included a few twenties, which is a good sign for those fishing this weeks 24 hours carp open on Saturday/Sunday.

Old Lake regular Sean Tilling had a cracking session this week catching 17 fish to 23lb 7oz which included three fish weighing 19lb plus. Sean fish the front bank catching on Cell over 3 kilo of pellet.  Another angler to report a sleepless night was Karl Harris who managed 15 fish during his session on peg 4, which also included a 22lb common and a number of upper doubles.

Anyone wanting to fish this weekends Carp open on the Old Lake, we have a pair of tickets still available, please contact the tackle shop for further details and to book your place.

Source: Bury Hill Fisheries

London, 26 July 2013: Ealing Studios have today confirmed that British film director Nigel Cole, responsibe for massively successful British feel-good movies ‘Calendar Girls’, ‘Saving Grace’ and ‘Made In Dagenham’, will direct the movie based on the trials, tribulations and tragedy during the rise to fame of Port Isaac’s folk and shanty 10-piece, The Fisherman’s Friends.

Due to start filming in Spring 2014, director Nigel Cole said: “I am very much looking forward to making the film. It will be a truly British movie.”

The film, which is written by Nick Moorcroft and Piers Ashworth (St. Trinian’s 1 & 2), will start casting in late 2013. Contrary to normal Hollywood casting requirements, young and beautiful is not the priority. The key roles of the ten Fisherman’s Friends will cross all ageism boundaries and range from 45 to 80 years of age.

Barnaby Thompson, one of the producers, said: “The story of the Fisherman’s extraordinary rise from singing in the local pub to playing the main stage at Glastonbury is truly unique. We can’t wait to get down to Port Isaac to start shooting it”.
 
The Fisherman’s Friends new album One And All will be released on 19 August through Island Records. The first single to be taken from the album ‘Mary Anne’ is already a hit with radio and has been chosen by Ealing Studios to feature on the film’s soundtrack. ‘Mary Anne’ was sung by the late Trevor Grills.
 
Mary Anne, is available as a single on iTunes now

‘ONE AND ALL’ is released on 26 August 2013 via Mighty Village/Island Records.

Fisherman's Friends Videos:

Thanks to a surprising summer of sunshine, the region has even more to offer those who like to spend their breaks surrounded by fishing twine and fresh catch, making it the perfect time to plan a fisherman’s tour of the North.

Start your trip at Craster, or even further north at Seahouses, and sample the best smoked kippers the coast has to offer. Pitch up a little down the coast in the small village of Alnmouth and cast off the bridge to find flounder all year round, and eels June through to October.  You’ll need lightweight tackle as the river is narrow, and you’ll only need to hike your bait a little distance to land it in the middle of the flow. Don’t forget to take an umbrella and chair too, there’s currently a nice selection over at Decathlon nestled among their fishing collection.

Once you’ve landed your catch, head over to nearby Alnwick and take in some magic of a different kind. Home of the castle featured in the Harry Potter films, Alnwick boasts a fantastic selection of restaurants and pubs, including the Treehouse restaurant in Alnwick gardens.

If you like to eat fish as well as catch it, head a little farther down the coast to Amble where you’ll discover the excellent Old Boat House restaurant, which nestles inside the towns old RNLI building. Not long opened, this little gem has been receiving some rave reviews thanks to its simple menu, which takes full advantage of the fresh local catch as well as local produce. Stay in one of the town’s B&Bs, many of which look out on to the harbour, and book yourself on to a puffin cruise to get closer to other local wildlife. If you’d like to fit in some fishing, you can charter yourself a boat or try fishing for mackerel and flatties off the side of the pier.

For those who want to take a taste of the North home from their travels, but haven’t left enough room in their suitcase, it’s possible to order Craster kippers online to last you until your next trip.