There will be cash prizes for adults, and vouchers for juniors, aged 15 and under. 

• Registration and entry fees from 8:00 on the day and the competition runs from 8:30 until 3:30
• Heaviest fish and normal fishery rules apply
• For the second year Northumbrian Water have offered a ‘Golden Ticket’ to win a 2013 Northumbrian Water Explorer season permit, valued at £834
• Each competitor will receive one free entry and there will be the opportunity to purchase additional tickets

After three consecutive years of podium finishes the England Veterans team failed to win a medal in the World Angling Games in Italy last year to finish in sixth place, but they are determined to regain their number one seeding.

The squad has only one change from the last two years, with Joe Roberts replacing Stan Binge. The squad is; Don Slaymaker, Roger Marlow, Dicky Carr, Terry Lancaster, Joe Roberts and Dick Clegg OBE (Manager).

Unfortunately the Veterans team have no sponsorship again this year and must cover their own expenses to participate in the World Championships.

This particular venue where the Veterans are competing has been very lucky for England in the past, with the ladies winning both team, and individual gold.

The flow of the river is controlled by a dam upstream of the venue and the main species of fish, Borga is one of the most difficult of all fish to catch. Bloodworm and joker will play a major part in the Championship and local knowledge is also important, so the England Veterans team will have to beat a strong Portuguese team on their own soil to win gold.

The Angling Trust wish the England Veterans team the very best of luck in competing in the World Championships in Portugal and every success at bringing home the medals.

Source: Angling Trust Fishing News

Despite all this the ever reliable Woodlands View still provided some excellent weights and a close finish with several anglers all in with a chance going into the final hour. The top five anglers all recorded over 80lbs and the lowest weight to take a 10 peg section was 36lbs.

Winner was Jamie Hughes (Maver and Bag em Baits) aged 28 years of age from the Wirral who put 118lbs 1oz on the scales from peg 5 on Barley Pool. Jamie fished pellet feeder all day with meat on the hook to take an all carp catch with fish to 8lbs.

Jamie Hughes said “I kept it very simple during the match to fish one pellet feeder rod to the far bank as it was terrible conditions and very windy. This was my first qualifier fished so far this year with three more to go so I am made up to get through to the final, which will be my second time".

Runner up from peg 4 on Arles was Jon Arthur with 101lbs 15ozs. The bulk of his fish were taken shallow on the long pole. He caught a few better fish in the afternoon on the short pole. Jon had carp to 10lbs in his catch. Steve Rothery almost made the long journey from West Yorkshire really worthwhile to record 90lbs 5ozs for third place from Arles peg 8. He caught some 20 assorted fish on the waggler topping these up with fish on the pellet feeder and later on to the short pole with his best fish being 6lbs. In fourth position was Craig O’Brien who caught 86lbs 5ozs on the feeder from Barley 15. Peter Goodwin took 82lbs 11ozs down the edge on maggot from Ghost peg 22.

On Saturday 28th April 2012 the fifth Fish ‘O’ Mania qualifier heads to Lakeview Fishery at Holwell, Leicestershire.

Source: Angling Trust Fishing News

The event utilised all the large open lakes at the fishery so it was no surprise, therefore, to find the fish still generally shoaled up in their “winter quarters”. Because water temperatures are still low many carp are cruising shallow trying to find that layer of warmer water and it was these fish which were targeted by a lot of the anglers, and so provided the source of most of the leading weights.

Steve Cooke, better known as 'Cookie' to everyone on the match circuit became the third Garbolino match ace to qualify for a place in this year’s grand final of the Fish ‘O’ Mania on 14th July.

Top anglers Steve Cooke and Phil Ringer found themselves on adjacent pegs in the middle of Lake 1 and not surprisingly, a real battle ensued. Eventually it was Garbolino sponsored Steve from Retford, Nottinghamshire who came out on top to win the event with an excellent 146lbs 6ozs of carp to 12lbs all bar one being taken on the pellet waggler.

Steve Cooke said “I had just driven back from fishing a festival at Whiteacres leaving at 5am that morning to arrive at Makins at 8.45am ready for the draw. I noticed Phil Ringer had drawn so I decided to have a laugh as I had been away fishing for a week with him and Steve Ringer at Whiteacres, so I walked over to Phil and told him to come and look at my peg 8, knowing that this would be next to his peg. He could not believe it, but then I had to come clean and admit that I had not even drawn. To my amazement I actually drew peg 9 next to Phil with only 20 or so pegs left to draw at the time”.

“I had one carp on feeder and the rest on pellet waggler and 8 mm pellets on a 11.6g max waggler rod to 6lb main line and 0.20 hook length to a 16 Guru QM1 with a banded pellet, and caught about 16 fish. This is the sixth time I will have fished in the Fish ‘O’ Mania grand final after winning it in 1999, but this will be my first time fishing a final at Cudmore Fisheries”.

Stuart Belton from Newark on peg A20 on Lake 2 just pipped Phil Ringer for second place with 127lbs 13ozs. Stuart caught a couple of early fish shallow on the waggler but then found some “lumps” down his right hand margin on luncheon meat the biggest being 15lbs. Phil Ringer secured third with 121lbs 13ozs catching carp to 10lbs on the pellet waggler.

Tim Dabrowa, also in the hot area on Lake 1, took fourth spot with 72lbs again on the pellet waggler. Fifth was Sean Huggins who weighed 68lbs 14ozs from Peg 26 on Lizard, and sixth was Marc Jones with 66lbs 2ozs from peg 4 on Lake 5.

On Wednesday 25th April the Fish ‘O’ Mania action moves to Woodlands View, Droitwich, and it will be interesting to see who will join the Garbolino star anglers, Stephen Tucker, Simon Fry and Steve Cooke in the line up to the grand final.

Source: Angling Trust Fishing News

1. An all round (Carp, Coarse, Game and Sea) consumer event with a controlled retail element (only 15 retailers will be exhibiting) – our focus is on manufacturers/wholesalers and those at the forefront of innovation within the industry. Purchases can be collected from a designated retailers collection area to prevent the need for visitors to lug around gear all day. It will also mean that the exhibition hall itself does not resemble a giant warehouse full of cardboard!
   
   
2. Free to attend for under 13’s. All other tickets are £8 when bought in advance and will be sold through seetickets.com.
   
   
3. Full of interactive angling and non angling features designed to ensure a great family day out - indoor glass feature lake with flowing water and 500 seat theatre, outdoor live fishing environment - non angling features include - a crèche, indoor fairground, circus skills and even a Spa.
   
   
4. Hourly prize giveaways for those visiting.
   
   
5. A true showcase event for our industry in an environment that does justice to the size and diversity of our market.

Interested?
Contact Simon, Chris or Lisa on 0845 1800101 or email sales@anglingmedia.com

Grant Fear has a strong background in coordinating angling-related projects in London and is well-placed to work with communities across the capital to encourage people to fish their local waters.

There are a large number of excellent angling waters in London, many of which have been cleaned up by the environmental charity Thames21 over the past decade. As well as the River Thames, there is a network of rivers, canals, reservoirs and ponds throughout the capital, but information about where to fish can be hard to come by for young people.

London Angling Development Manager Grant Fear said: 'London is a fantastic place for angling, and many of our best fishing spots are under-utilised. I am thrilled to have this opportunity to make the sport more accessible for Londoners and to help ensure its sustainability into the future.'

Angling is an excellent activity for young or disaffected people as it encourages concentration, understanding of, and respect for, the natural world and builds a range of skills. It has been shown to have a transformational effect on many young people who have got into trouble in the past. Additionally, the presence of anglers on the waterside can help prevent litter, graffiti, vandalism and reduce the rate and fear of crime. Recent research has highlighted the important role that anglers play in maintaining and improving water environments.

Environment Agency Fisheries Specialist Lawrence Talks, said, 'I am excited about the opportunities for developing angling in London and our partnership with Thames21 and the Angling Trust will help give Londoners the opportunity to try fishing, learn about wetland wildlife and get involved.'

The Angling Trust's Chief Executive Mark Lloyd said: 'Grant's appointment is supported by Sport England and will expand on some existing good work such as getting angling included in the London School Games. He will be aiming to increase the training and coordination of coaches through two London Angling Action Groups and will also improve the availability of information about where to fish in the capital, particularly through Angling Trust member clubs and fisheries.'

Thames21 Chief Executive Debbie Leach said: 'This initiative will be fantastic for both new and existing anglers in London. In Grant's previous role with Thames21, he was responsible for introducing thousands of people to the sport. Now, this important new partnership between Thames21, the Angling Trust and the Environment Agency will help create a vibrant, developing angling scene in London which opens up a range of opportunities and ways for people to enjoy and progress in angling.'

Grant will be hosted by Thames 21 from its London office and he can be contacted on grant.fear@thames21.org.uk or 07969 645 201

Source: Angling Trust Fishing News

There is still a limited amount of funding and other support available to organisers to support their events. For Angling Trust/Fish Legal members only, the deadline for applications has been extended until next Wednesday, 25th April. Please download the funding criteria HERE and application form HERE which should be sent to Naidre Werner (naidre@thesourcefor.co.uk). Please mention in the covering note for your application that you are a member of the Angling Trust/Fish Legal.

If you are planning to organise NFM events again this year and are ready to put the dates of your events on now then please go to www.nationalfishingmonth.com/organisers/organiser-registration/ and fill in the details.

Don't worry if you have forgotten your password, just email Naidre Werner from the Angling Trades Association (naidre@thesourcefor.co.uk) or give her a call on 0845 459 9956 and she will help you out. Deadline to fill in your events online and be in time to receive booklets etc. is 1st July.

This year, Dean Macey has agreed to continue as our celebrity endorser and so you will be seeing press releases going out soon to promote NFM. Naidre will be sending these press releases through to you for your own use, but if you would like to add the details of your local newspapers and radio stations etc to her press list, then please send her the details. It's important that we get as much coverage as possible for NFM.

The Angling Trades Association will be sending out your Participation Forms, Get into Fishing Booklets, Manuals, Certificates and prizes for raffles with NFM carrier bags. Where possible, there will be items of tackle from the trade to send out too, but if you would like something specific, please would you let Naidre know as soon as possible so that she can make specific requests to ATA members.

Naidre will be keeping all registered organisers up to date with what is happening on a regular basis - please contact her if you have any questions.

All our best wishes from everyone at UK Fisherman. We are sure that National Fishing Week 2012 will once again be a resounding success.

Source: Angling Trust Fishing News

The Environment Agency created the angling badge for the Scouts 3 years ago, and nearly 50,000 packs were requested by Scout troops. However, the take-up was limited because many scout leaders didn’t have the necessary angling skills. This new joint initiative by the Angling Trust, with funding support from the Environment Agency, will enable expert licensed coaches to help Scouts get their angling badge and learn how to fish.

Clubs, fisheries and coaches will initially be matched with scout troops via the Angling Trust’s County Angling Action Groups, which have been set up by the Angling Development Board, which was incorporated into the Angling Trust at the beginning of this month. Licensed coaches and angling clubs and fisheries that have achieved the Clubmark quality standard will be used, to give the Scout troops confidence that they are working with individuals and organisations which have met the necessary requirements to work with young people. All scouts taking part will be given free Angling Trust junior membership and reduced rate fishing by fisheries and clubs.

Jackie Sheldon, Head of Participation and Performance with the Angling Trust explains “Angling is an ideal activity for scouts as it combines practical and mental skills with awareness of the natural environment and is something they can all enjoy irrespective of physical abilities. The Angling Trust will be building on this initiative over the coming years, with the support of our members, to make sure that every scout has the opportunity to get their angling badge.”

Mark Lloyd, Chief Executive of the Trust said: “I cannot imagine any activity that is more suited to the ethos of the Scout movement than fishing. I hope that this initiative from the Angling Trust will enable thousands more young people to have the opportunity to discover the joy, wonder and sense of adventure that angling offers.”

Richard Wightman of the Environment Agency explained: “we have supported the Scout angling activity for about a decade. But while their enthusiasm for fishing was as high as we would all anticipate, delivery of angling activity was more problematic – for a variety of reasons. By directly linking the much expanded Angling Trust coach network to the Scouts who want to go fishing this new approach gets right to the heart of the issue.”

Any scout troop interested in the scheme can contact their nearest Angling Trust Regional Officer through the development section of the website HERE.

Source: Angling Trust Fishing News

Someone had to compete against the torrential weather conditions and win on the day, with none other than Simon Fry as he made the best of the bad conditions and landed 9 carp up to 12lb from peg 45 on Gold Lake to secure his place in the grand final in July.

The Starlets and Garbolino backed star from Stratford-upon-Avon fished pellet with a method feeder to win with 72-14-0.

Simon Fry said “The weather on the day was horrendous with really strong rain and winds, but I drew an area where I knew it can be reasonable to fish. My plan of attack was to fish the method feeder across towards the middle of the lake just 10 yards short of the rope to go for carp. One or two people said that I was in with a chance with only an hour to go, so I thought I needed a good last hour. Unfortunately I did not have a bite for the last 40 minutes of the match, but my fish must have been a decent size to win me the match."

“I felt sorry for the angler in second place as he was so close behind me and we have all been in that position. I was familiar with the venue as having fished the UK Champs and Drennan Knock out cup, but having said that I have not fished at Gold Valley since last summer."

Not far behind Simon was local rod, Jonathon Budd from Elstead who missed out on qualification by a mere 10oz. Fishing mini boilies with a method feeder at peg 63 on Middle Lake, Jonathon caught a similar number of carp up to 12lb for 72-4-0. Fish ‘O’Mania stalwart, Steve Jackson came close yet again in third place with 68-10-0, also catching carp to 12lb on pellet and method feeder from peg 121 on Syndicate Lake.

The Angling Trust would like to thank John Raison and his team at Gold Valley Fisheries for contributing to a smooth match.

1st Simon Fry Garbolino Starlets AS 72-14-0
2nd Jonathon Budd Farnham AS 72-4-0
3rd Steve Jackson Garbolino 68-10-0
4th Glen Butler Bowlers Angling 61-10-0
5th Ryan Watson Daiwa Dorking 50-8-0
6th Geoff Vallance PI Delcac 49-10-0
7th Frederick Thompson Andover 47-7-0
8th Mark Brennan Blandford Forum 44-10

The Fish ‘O’ Mania excitement continues for 2012 with the third qualifier to take place on Saturday 21st April at Makins Fishery, Nuneaton, Warwickshire.

Source: Angling Trust Fishing News

With six fish topping the magical 35lb mark, Alex Windle-Hills stunning 38lb 4oz mirror tops the list of BIGGIES closely followed by David Hopkins much sort after Ghost weighing 38lb. John Carson and Mark Chandler both caught mirrors weighing 37lb 4oz whilst Jody Derbyshire caught a stunning mirror weighing 37lb 2oz, Mark Simmond’s caught a 36lb 10oz mirror and Gez Schifano caught a 35lb 2oz mirror as part of a three fish haul.

The first few days of April have seen a huge increase in BIG FISH action with a string of anglers reporting multi catches with a good few thirties mixed in.

Below is a quick run down on a few of the latest catches, for further details please refer to the fishery catch reports on our website.

• Mark Chandler caught a stunning brace of thirties during his recent visit, both mirrors weighing 37lb 4oz and 33lb. Mark caught both of his fish on homemade pop ups from peg 5.
• Jody Derbyshire ended his Easter weekend session with a stunning mirror weighing 37lb 2oz, which he caught from peg 13 on a Cell boilie.
• Martin Simmonds managed a cracking brace of thirties during his visit, Robin Hood at 36lb 10oz and a stunning linear weighing 34lb 10oz. Martin fished peg 13 also catching on Cell.
• Matthew Ardley managed three mirrors during his session weighing 34lb 4oz, 29lb 6oz and 22lb 2oz. Matthew fished peg 12 and caught on Cell.
• John Carson managed five fish during his session, three mirrors weighing 34lb, 29lb and 26lb and two commons weighing 23lb and 20lb. John fished peg 6 catching on Cell and a 5 bait stringer.
• Peter Mitchell caught a brace of commons weighing 32lb 11oz and 29lb 12oz.
• Nick Shah managed five fish during his recent session, mirrors weighing 30lb and 24lb and commons weighing 25lb 8oz, 25lb, 24lb and 22lb. Nick fished peg 3 catching on Cell boilies.
  
• Chris Carpenter also managed a 30lb mirror which he caught from peg 4 on Cell.
• Glen Turner managed three fish this weekend, which included mirrors weighing 29lb 8oz, 26lb 11oz along with a sub twenty.
• Simon Longhurst managed 4 fish during his Easter session, two mirrors weighing 25lb 5oz and 24lb 12oz and two commons weighing 27lb and 22lb 4oz. Simon fished peg 9 also catching on Cell baits with PVA bag and pellet.

Two recent catches from Bury Hill Fisheries, Surrey

Source: Bury Hill Fisheries