New Preston's DVD to be launched
The Absolute Match Fishing television Series, hosted by Tommy Pickering, is now available on DVD.
Following its huge popularity since its broadcasting on Sky Sports, the double DVD disc set is available for £9.99 and includes 30 minutes of previously unseen footage.
Tommy fishes all over the country, with guest appearances from anglers such as Des Shipp at Barston Lakes, Lee Edwards on the Wye, Andy Findlay paste fishing at the Glebe and Lee Kerry on the Stainforth and Keadby canal.
There is also footage of Steve Sanders pellet waggler fishing and Emma Pickering fishing the pole and pellet.
It is available from mid-December, find out more at www.prestoninnovations.com.
Specimen roach wins Kennet and Avon Canal match
One fish can make all the difference as Nathaniel Johnson proved when a 2lb roach caught late in the day helped him seal victory in the latest round of South West Winter League on the Kennet and Avon Canal.
The Preston Innovations Thatchers ace had plundered the small fish shoals of his peg – which was in the bay at Darlington Wharf – before switching to caster in search of the odd elusive bonus.
A number of skimmers fell for the approach before the match winning redfin made an appearance.
At the weigh in Nathaniel placed 16lb 9oz on to the scales, with his team mate Liam Braddell taking second place with 14lb 8oz
Roach bags over 50lb falling at club water
A club water that is home to huge shoals of roach has hit top form with bags of up to 50lb being taken on a regular basis.
The northern reservoir has been kept largely under wraps for a number of years but the secret is now out and more anglers are joining the controlling club to sample the delights.
Regardless of what tactic you decide to employ you are almost certain to be kept busy, with pole, waggler and feeder all scoring heavily.
“I can’t think of a better roach venue in the country. The fish average around the 6oz mark but there are plenty over the 1lb mark and every peg is solid with redfins,” explained one local angler.
For more details on the venue and the best rigs for bagging at it, pick up a copy of next week’s Angling Times, on the shelves from Tuesday November 22.
Famous roach river given major boost
A river that was once widely regarded as the best roach river in the country could be set to make a major comeback after officials revealed that thousands of fish were set to be introduced into the venue.
The southern waterway, which has produced redfins over the 3lb mark in the past, has been subject to a special project aimed at boosting fish stocks and the people involved have announced all their hardwork is about to pay off.
“This river has been hit hard over the years by predation and abstraction but this stocking could be the start of yet another golden period,” explained a source close to the scheme.
To find out which river is receiving the makeover and more about the unique project, pick up a copy of next week’s Angling Times, on the shelves from Tuesday November 8.
Bristol Avon hits top roach and bream form
The first two rounds of the South West Winter League on the Bristol Avon proved memorable with the individual winners of each sharing over 100lb of silvers between them.
Maver Bathampton star Graham Hunt took inspiration from match anglers of the past and used a crowqill Avon float and caster to tempt a roach every drop in for a winning bag of 18lb 12oz in the first heat of the competition.
Just a week later, his teammate Darren Gilman found the bream in feeding mode and was able to use the long pole with worm to land specimens to 5lb and eventually placed an impressive 89lb 1oz on the scales.
Huge roach landed in Messingham Sands match
The first silverfish event of the year at Messingham Sands turned out to be a memorable one for Steve Ellis after he netted a 2lb 14oz roach.
After tackling up on the popular Island Pool and the Scunthorpe complex, the former Division One National champion decided to fish casters on a light rig and was rewarded with lots of smaller samples before the specimen made an appearance.
Unfortunately he was unable to gain a place in the frame, with venue boss Kevin Johnson sealing the victory with 39lb 11oz of redfins and skimmers.
Trust ramps up anti-poaching measures
The Angling Trust has this week launched a seven-point plan to tackle the ever-growing problem of poaching from English waters.
The sport’s governing body is set to ramp up a number of initiatives, ranging from the establishment of a new ‘Poacher Watch’ website for reporting fish theft - in a similar way to its Cormorant Watch site - through to a pilot scheme that will allow voluntary bailiffing by angling club members alongside Environment Agency officers.
The plan also includes furthering the recently-launched Building Bridges programme, under which the Trust has appointed two members of staff to work with member clubs and fisheries to address illegal fishing in parts of the South West and the East of England, as well as collaborating with the National Wildlife Crime Unit, a special police task force, to raise awareness of the offence of poaching within regional police forces.
For the full story, plus reaction, see today’s Angling Times.
Big roach brace seals canal victory
Canals are renowned for their ability to produce lots of small fish but Craig Howarth proved they are also home to much bigger specimens when he netted roach of 1lb 6oz and 2lb 2oz during the latest event on Yorkshire’s Calder and Hebble.
The Maver NW White ace fished caster on the long pole line after drawing on the Crematorium Length and was able to take victory after he landed the impressive brace and lots of bits for an overall total of 6lb 5oz.
Runner up Dave Colbran wasn’t far behind and had a bonus bream to thank for his 5lb 13oz netful.
Roach bags dominate reservoir match
A decision to target roach during the latest event on Bough Beech Reservoir paid off for Myles Levy when he landed a winning 59lb 3oz of redfins.
Conversations before the draw suggested that a huge bream bag could take the individual spoils in the final round of the London and South East Superleague but Milo Bordon ace Miles ignored the banter and went all out with a simple pole and caster approach to land a string of plump fish to just under 1lb.
Garbolino Banstead’s Adam Lee secured the runners up spot with a level 45lb while Russ Grimes completed the frame with 33lb 5oz.
Fishery boss says 'It's all venue owners' duty to check rod licences"
‘Every fishery boss in the country should check rod licences before they are allowed to set foot on their lakes.’
These are the words of a commercial boss who insists that visitors fish within the law and will even buy a permit on behalf of any angler that turns up at his water without the necessary paperwork.
David Howarth owns Green Haven Fishery and Caravan Park in Boston, Lincolnshire, and is one of only a few UK fishery owners that make it their responsibility to check licences after becoming disillusioned with the Environment Agency, whose bailiffs have visited the site just once in the last 15 months.
Many venue bosses believe that it is ‘not their job’ to perform licence checks, fearing the confrontation with those anglers that choose to avoid spending the £27 for a yearly permit.
But David insists that since he began he has experienced none of the problems forseen by fellow fishery owners and believes that if others follow his example it will only produce positive results.
“If I have to buy a licence to fish at my own lake then there’s no way that I’m going to let anyone else that comes here fish without one,” he said.
Free fishing show this weekend - not to be missed!
Anglers are urged not to miss the free entry Big Fish charity fishing show taking place this coming Saturday, 3 September, featuring a host of stars, a carp match and a kids ‘fishing camp’.
Great Linford Lakes in Milton Keynes is the venue and the day includes casting, rig making and bait demonstrations from top carpers such as Colin Davidson, Derek ‘The Don’ Ritchie and Jerry Hammond, plus keen angler and Eastenders star Scott Maslen.
The kids fishing camp is being hosted by Nash Tackle, and the show also features a 24 hour carp match, cookery and falconry displays, laser clay shooting and archery, plus bouncy castles, a hog roast and an all-day restaurant and bar.
For more information see www.thebigfish.tv or call 07414 255519.
Matt Hayes back on TV - and you decide what he fishes for!
Fishing celebrity Matt Hayes has this week been signed up by the Discovery Channel for a new television series.
Angling Times first revealed that Matt had filmed a pilot called ‘24 Hour Rod Race’ in the Spring, and as a result of that initial recording, the project has now been commissioned for screening by Sky in 2012.
And AT readers can also play their part in the series by voting for the shows they want to see made.
A delighted Matt said: “It’s great news to be back working with Discovery – anglers have been asking me for a long time when we’d be making something new and this is a project I’m really looking forward to getting stuck into.
“And to celebrate the programs we’re asking Angling Times readers to vote for the shows you want me to create. I want to make this the greatest series we’ve ever produced – a series where anglers are involved from start to finish.”
*To have your say in the species Matt fishes for, see the latest copy of Angling Times - out today!
Half a 10mm boilie fools big roach trio
Brian Cox banked his third 2lb-plus roach in succession with the capture of this 2lb 7oz specimen from Stenhill Fishery in Devon.
Following recent redfins of 2lb 2oz and a personal best 2lb 10oz from the same venue, Brian returned for another trip and hit the jackpot again when he offered half a 10mm boilie.
The Collumpton-based rod wrapped Marukyu 131 and 161 groundbait around a 1oz swivel lead, and presented the bait on a hair rig with a size 12 hook, 4lb hooklength and 6lb mainline.
“Roach like this are as rare as a 40lb carp in the South West and it has taken me 28 years to catch a 2lb’er, then three come along at once! These fish are very difficult to tempt but I put my faith in half boilies to pick out the bigger fish in the shoals,” he said.
Big mixed bags from the Midlands
London-based anglers Andrew Rowe, son Harry Rowe and friend John Dent enjoyed a very productive coarse fishing holiday in County Longford, in the Midlands region of Ireland, taking big nets of bream, hybrids, roach and tench on simple feeder and float tactics.
The first-time visitors to the Emerald Isle were fishing under the guidance of experienced local guide and guest house owner Kevin Lyons.
Loughs in the Longford and Strokestown areas have been fishing very well this summer for all manner of species. For more info about services provided, email Kevin at info@melviewlodge.com
Has Scottish loch produced a 4lb-plus roach?
Identifying true strain roach and rudd seems to be a hot subject this summer, with numerous fish landed in the past few months which have had anglers reaching for the record books, only to be disappointed later when they discover that their catch is a hybrid.
Another angler who may or may not be joining these swollen ranks soon is Colin Scott, who caught this 4lb specimen while fishing for carp at Culcreuch Castle Loch, in Scotland.
The 31-year-old thinks that the handsome fish, which fell to a 15mm CC Moore Meteor boilie tipped with plastic corn over a bed of hemp and pellet on the 02/7/2011, is a rudd/roach hybrid, but is seeking official clarification.
“Unfortunately there was no one else around at the time to take a better trophy shot, but hopefully someone can identify it for me,” said Colin.
If anyone out there has any idea, visit Angling Times’ Facebook page and let us know!
Monster roach taken on barbel gear
A short barbel fishing session on the Bristol Avon has produced the largest river roach of the season.....and one of the biggest to ever come out of the waterway!
The huge fish, which not surprisingly smashed the angler's previous personal best for the species, fell to a legered 10mm halibut pellet.
He said: "It's not the first time I've caught big roach while barbelling. Last season from the same stretch I pulled out 13 Roach over the 1lb mark to 1lb 9oz....but this fish was something else!"
Full details and more pictures in next week's Angling Times, on sale 19th June.
100lb of rudd banked!
Angling Times has just visited one of the most in-form silverfish waters in the country – and an incredible 100lb weight was the result.
Priory Lakes in Ruskington, Lincs, is traditionally a venue that produces big bags of carp but with the target species spawning, anglers have turned their attention to fish like roach and rudd – with spectacular results.
Shaun Moss was the man who showed us how it’s done, weighing in one of the biggest bags of silver ever taken on a ‘live’ feature.
“It was incredible,” said AT reporter Ben Fisk. “At times Shaun was like a human windmill – striking, swinging in fish and casting his rig back in overhand all in one motion.”
To read the full story, and see amazing pictures, buy next week’s Angling Times, out Tuesday 21st June.
UK Champs venue changed
The venue for the second round of the UK Angling Championships has been changed after host fishery Coleman’s Cottage pulled out.
Scheduled for Wednesday July 13, the match will now take place at Barston Lakes, a fact that hasn’t pleased event organiser Nigel Harrhy.
“The owners (of Coleman’s Cottage) told me that it was too much work for them to have the match and that’s annoying, “ he said.
Full story in next week’s Angling Times, on sale 21st June 2011.
Great start on River Yare
“The best start to the season in decades."
That’s the claim by Keith Ford – match organiser on Norfolk’s River Yare – who tomorrow stages the opening day’s biggest river match.
Eighty five anglers will fish the Gt Yarmouth Open although dozens more have been turned away.
And with the river in ‘perfect condition’ and huge roach topping on the match length, Keith reckons weights could be exceptional making it one of the best June 16ths in recent times.
“I’ve seen the river this afternoon and it looks bang on. Dog roach were topping all over the river. We’ve spent six days getting the pegs ready and it should fish its brains out. The colour is right and the fish are there.”
Saturday’s open match on the river is already sold at 100 pegs as the venue goes from strength to strength.
Personal best roach smashed with 2lb 8oz fish for John Miller
Big roach don’t come much better looking than this 2lb 8oz personal best, which was the highlight of a session at a Northamptonshire stillwater last week for John Miller.
He wasn’t the only one to catch his biggest roach during the trip, as his brother Paul also banked one weighing exactly the same.
Both anglers put their faith in maggot feeder rigs that incorporated short 6lb fluorocarbon hooklengths and size 14 hooks, fished over beds of groundbait, hemp and maggots.
John, from Uppingham in Rutland, and Paul, from Leicestershire, also netted fish of 2lb 5oz, 2lb 1oz and several fish over the 1lb mark.
“I reckon two things were central to our success – following the wind, and keeping the bait going in. We must have spodded our way through about eight pints of maggots,” John told Angling Times.
