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.
Floating crust lures big Fen rudd
There aren’t many more impressive sights in angling than a big rudd, and this 2lb 7oz personal best was netted by James Howes during a visit to a water in the Cambridgeshire Fens.
The 28-year-old from Diss in Norfolk, landed the fish during a short two-hour evening session after work.
A traditional offering of floating bread crust produced the only bite of his visit and the new ‘pb’ was beaten with 4lb line tied straight through to a size 8 hook, fished in conjunction with a small Drennan surface controller.
“I fed small bits of floating crust on a little-and-often basis and waited until the rudd started taking the bait with confidence and then made my cast, which was definitely the key to my success,” said James.
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!
Big rudd haul taken on classic tactics
Classic up-in-the-water ‘wag and mag’ tactics lead to the capture of this impressive 2lb 7oz rudd for Steve Russell.
Targeting a Surrey lake, the company director from Ascott-under-Wychwood, Oxfordshire, added numerous other fish to just under the 2lb mark, while his three mates also got in on the action too, with a string of fish to a best of 2lb 5oz.
Full details of the bumper session, along with the tactics used, only in tomorrow's Angling Times.
Specimen rudd fall to freelined bread
The simplest of tactics are often all that are needed to catch the fish of your dreams, as Gareth Goldson proved when he took a big haul of stunning rudd on freelined breadflake, topped by this 2lb 5oz example.
The 29-year-old tennis coach and consultant for Hardy and Greys and Dynamite Baits banked a string of fish between 1lb and 1lb 12oz, as well as a brace of ‘twos’, when he tackled secret Fenland venue with 3lb line and a size 12 hook.
Classic floatfishing tactics result in brace of 2lb rudd
A short evening session floatfishing on a small Norfolk stillwater saw Rich Wilby land no less than 40 fish, with this brace of 2lb rudd being the highlight.
The Airfield Lakes owner caught all of his fish from close to set of lily pads with a single grain of corn fished shallow on a size 16 hook which was tied directly to his 3lb mainline.
He said: “I spend most of my fishing time sat behind bite alarms, so it was really nice just to have a few hours floatfishing.”
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!
See it, cast to it, catch it!
A fine piece of opportunism lead to the capture of this immaculate rudd by John ‘the vicar’ Broughton.
He was struggling for bites during a match on Astwell Mill, belonging to Towcester and District AA, when he saw the bright golden fish swim by his peg.
Wasting no time at all, John dropped a freelined caster right on its nose and the fish took it without hesitation.
Fellow competitors joked that it could have been a case of ‘divine intervention’ helping him to make the catch, but either way, someone up there must have been smiling down on him!
For more info about the club’s waters, log on to www.tdaafishing.co.uk
Massive catch of rudd taken!
Tony Charman – father of noted big-fish angler Duncan – proved he’s more than capable of catching specimens himself when he landed a very impressive 11 2lb-plus rudd in a session.
The Alton, Hampshire-based angler included giants of 2lb 14oz and 2lb 12oz in the catch from in-form Frensham Great Pond in Surrey.
Tony, 79, sprayed maggots and fished maggots on the hook to take a catch that is among the best to come from the venue.
*For the full details of the catch, see next week’s Angling Times, on sale Tuesday 12th July.
First cast produces big rudd for angling coach
Angling coach Andy Loble showed that he could do as well as teach on a recent specimen hunting session when he landed a 10 rudd haul topped off by this 2lb 7oz stunner.
The Gardner-backed angler fished a large southern Stillwater to net the big fish which broke his previous best for the species by over a pound – on his very first cast.
Andy fished at a range of 30 yards over a clean patch between weed beds to tempt the fish presenting white maggots on a size 14 hook using a light, semi-fixed maggot feeder bolt rig. This was fishing over a bed of CC Moores hemp, buckwheat and blechan.
Massive rudd banked by carp angler!
There can be few better-looking fish to save a blank with than a huge golden rudd like this superb 3lb 8oz specimen, caught from Daiwa Manton New Lake by Pete Foster.
The 45-year-old was enjoying an overnight carp fishing session at the Lincolnshire venue when he spotted a group of fish on the surface of an island margin which he suspected might be rudd.
After casting a trimmed down hookbait to the area, the next morning he got a run at first light, resulting in the new personal best.
“It was pouring with rain and the fish came in among a large ball of weed. When I peeled this away, it looked absolutely stunning on my landing mat,” he added.
“The rudd were among the first fish to be stocked into the lake 11 years ago and over the years a few have been caught, but nothing approaching this size!“
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.
