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.
Bury Hill Fisheries tench and crucians on the feed
They say you never lose your angling touch and Barry Ryan proved just that when he banked this impressive 80lb plus mixed net during one of his first outings for over 25 years!
The local rod decided to book a tuition day at Bury Hill Fisheries with resident coach Russ Evans and was into fish from the off, with 10 tench, 14 crucians and plenty of small perch falling to maggot and pellet from Milton Lake at the Surrey complex.
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.
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.
Tench and bream match a huge success at Bury Hill Fisheries
The latest silverfish only event at Bury Hill Fisheries ended with the top six sharing over 300lb between them.
With carp not counted, it was the bream and tench the competitors went in search of and it was Adam Lee who managed to create the perfect approach to fool a winning 61lb 1oz haul.
After drawing peg on the Old Lake at the Surrey complex, the Banstead-based rod decided to use groundbait feeder and corn tactics to attract slabs to 6lb plus a bonus 2lb crucian.
Runner up Robert Taylor recorded 57lb 4oz, with Guildford AC rod Bradley Gibbons finishing off the frame with 53lb 6oz.
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 male tench banked from home counties pit
An 8lb 1oz male tench was the reward for John Pepps when he presented an unusual hookbait combination at a South Hertfordshire Club Lake.
Fishing a 16mm halibut pellet chopped in half and tipped with a piece of yellow fake corn, 46-year-old John banked the fish during the David Saunders Memorial Match organised by The Tenchfishers.
It was the only tench banked in the day session, and was taken after John opted to fish a Polaris float fished two rod lengths out on a spot the local rod, from nearby Pinner, had baited with hemp and corn.
He used 8lb line and a size 8 hook to beat the fish, which fell 1lb 4oz short of his personal best.
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
Lid lifted on top silverfish stillwater
Angling Times this week lifts the lid on the greatest ‘silverfish only’ stillwater in the land.
The lake is located within the walls of one of the country’s best carp bagging complexes but the management have left one pool free of mirrors and commons and it has turned into a popular haven with match and pleasure rods alike.
Huge hauls of barbel, chub, tench and bream have been recorded in recent weeks, with countless triple figure nets being taken.
What’s even more impressive is that virtually any tactic is capable of scoring heavily, with long pole, margin fishing and feeder approaches all in deadly form.
To find out more about this top silverfish haven, pick up a copy of this week’s Angling Times, on the shelves from Tuesday August 9.
A double after two years
A two-year quest for a double figure tench ended in success for Pete Wilson when he achieved his goal with this 10lb 3oz specimen.
It made an appearance when the 49-year-old from Southampton visited a southern stillwater and put his faith in long range tactics with inline feeders, which he had adapted himself.
The fish smashes his previous best for the species that stood at 7lb 12oz after it was fooled with artificial casters presented on a hair rig tied to a size 14 Drennan Super Specialist hook.
Mega tench haul for Stagg
Specimen ace Alan Stagg was left exhausted on a recent session while waiting for his target species to get on the feed, after bagging over 150lbs worth of tench in just a few hours.
Looking to land the big rudd of Surrey’s Frensham Great Pond, the Gardner-backed rod passed the time before the golden specimens got their heads down by landed over 45 fish between 3 and 6lb 8oz.
“It was great fun but frantic,” said Alan. “There was a spell where I just couldn’t keep two rods in the water at the same time, the tench just went mad. I got through 5litres of hemp and corn to keep the shoal in my swim. It was a great way to stay busy before the rudd came on the feed as the sun went down.”
All the fish fell to double white maggot popped up 3inches off the lake bed, fished over a bed of Sonubaits hemp, 2mm Spellets and dead maggots using feeder tactics with a short hooklink. The maggots were flavoured with Sonubaits Supercrush Green liquid.
11lb 6oz tench tops huge brace
Big fish man Simon Lavin continued his excellent run of form with a superb brace of double-figure tench, topped by an 11lb 6oz specimen.
The Sunbury-on-Thames based angler, who hit the headlines earlier this year with a 20lb 2oz British record bream, took the fish from a southern stillwater during a 45-hour session.
Both the ‘eleven’ and the accompanying 10lb 6oz fish fell to feeder tactics, with maggot on the hook.
*For pictures of the 11lb 6oz tench and further detail, see next week’s Angling Times, on sale Tuesday 5th July.
Cartwright on the tench, again!
Jamie Cartwright continued his amazing year by taking another big hit of tench this week, topped by a new personal best.
The Northampton Specimen Group member took eight fish during a short trip to the Bawburgh complex, including tench of 8lb 8oz, 9lb 9oz and 10lb 5oz.
See next week's Angling Times, out Tuesday 28th June, for a full report and pictures of the biggest of Jamie's haul.
Biggest tench of the year confirmed at 13lb 10oz
More news on the season’s biggest tench have emerged – with the official weight of the specimen recorded at a massive 13lb 10oz.
The story of the massive fish broke yesterday on www.gofishing.co.uk but details remained unconfirmed.
However, further investigation has revealed the fish now stands as the best 2011 – beating Chris Muir’s 13lb 4oz specimen that was caught only days before.
For further details, keep in touch to www.gofishing.co.uk
Stagg gets among the big tench
Following a short break from angling, Alan Stagg got right back into the swing of things with a cracking four-fish catch, topped by this 9lb 10oz tench.
The Basingstoke rod, who finished runner-up in this year's Drennan Cup competition, spent 24 hours at a 20-acre Oxfordshire pit, where he used maggot feeder tactics to take his haul.
Full story in next week's AT.
Biggest tench of the year banked!
Rumours are circulating that the biggest tench of 2011 has been taken.
News of the fish, believed to be close to a staggering 14lb, broke in the last hour following a tip-off to the Angling Times newsdesk.
It’s believed the fish was caught from a Sussex day-ticket complex – but exact details have yet to be confirmed.
It’s been a great week for big tench, with Chris Muir landing a 13lb 4oz specimen from a southern pit just days ago.
For more details stay close to www.gofishing.co.uk
Tench sport hotting up as specimen anglers target the species
Terry Lampard got his spring tench campaign off to a flying start this week with the capture of a fish of 11lb 5oz from a Surrey gravel pit.
The huge specimen, which is the largest example of the species landed anywhere in the country this season, was taken by the 63-year-old along with two smaller tench and a bream weighing 11lb 8oz during a 48-hour session. It marked a change in luck for Dorset-based Terry, who struggled at the 100-acre venue last season.
“The bream are normally quite easy to catch there, and while this is not a straightforward tench water, you can normally get a few if you stick at it. Last year I barely had a bite from either though – it was certainly a hard spring. This year is a lot better and the venue seems to have switched on – some of the carp lads have been having quite a few tench as well.
“I caught the big one an hour after dark and it was a long and deep fish that I would expect to weigh more than 12lb if it gets caught later in the spring,” said Terry, who targeted an area close to a band of heavy weed in 12ft of water.
The fish, which is 7oz shy of Terry’s pb, fell to a 10mm CC Moores Odyssey XXX boilie tipped with a small piece of rubber sweetcorn and presented over a bed of hemp, corn, caster, maggots and a few hookbait samples. His other tench and bream took artificial caster rigs fished in conjunction with an inline feeder.
Elsewhere, Norfolk-based specialist Darryn Stolworthy also got in on the action with a fine trio of spring tench weighing 10lb 13oz, 9lb 8oz and 7lb from Colney Lake on the Bawburgh complex near Norwich.
The 41-year-old fished a short overnight session at the 28-acre pit, which is owned by the Norfolk Anglers Conservation Association (NACA), and put his faith in rubber casters and light inline leads.
“I took the two biggest within about 10 minutes of each other, not long after casting out early in the morning,” he said. “Then the action dried up and I only had one more bite between then and the next morning.
“The biggest fish had a really wide frame and fought really well,” added Darryn, who presented his baits over a lightly spodded area of hemp, caster and dead maggots on the silty edge of a gravel bar in 12ft of water just 20yds from the bank.
Finally, further south, Steve Burke took eight tench during a 45-hour session at his own Wingham Coarse Lake in Kent, the two best fish pulling the scales round to 9lb 2oz and 10lb 4oz.
All of his haul came from a solid gravel spot at the base of a bar in 7ft of water that he’d found while out in a boat on the venue.
“It fought that well, I thought I’d hooked a carp at first! The fish had a huge frame and was empty – the tench in here tend to spawn at the beginning of July. Hopefully I’ll catch it again in a few months!” said a delighted Steve, whose all-important bait was a fruit-flavoured Active Baits Solutions 14mm dumbell fishmeal boilie tipped with plastic sweetcorn on a size 10 Korum S3 hook and 8lb line.
