Plans revealed to expand Club Korum scheme
One of the country’s leading tackle brands has increased its efforts to bring more new blood into angling via a forward-thinking initiative.
Club Korum’s ‘I Heart Fishing’ has helped bring thousands of youngsters into the sport via a series of in-depth coaching sessions at a host of commercial fisheries and officials are now on the hunt for ambassadors to help advance the big recruitment drive.
Former world champion Tommy Pickering has been heavily involved in the scheme and is confident the move will entice more juniors to become involved in angling.
“We're going to see angling promoted to a whole new audience all over the UK and I'm looking forward to getting more new anglers into this great sport," explained Tommy.
To get involved in the scheme email info@korum.co.uk
Date for River Wear champs revealed
The extremely popular River Wear Champs is set to go ahead again this year with officials revealing a provisional date for the contest.
Anglers from all over the country travel to the north east waterway to take part in the event and the Environment Agency have announced their intentions to host it on September 22.
All Durham City AC controlled stretches and the Dunelm AA section at Chester Moor are expected to be used and you can find out more details by emailing peter.scott@nwl.co.uk
Big carp on the feed at Todber Manor
The lakes at Todber Manor are clear of ice and the fish have been feeding well, with the best catch this week being taken by Cliff Dunston who netted a series of fish to 23lb 12oz during his latest session.
After setting up on Big Hayes, the venue regular decided to use boilies at the Dorset complex and was rewarded with 16 fish during a hectic 30-hour session.
A two day stint on the same water produced 18 mirrors and commons to 18lb to Martin Lewis on CC Moore Live System, while Kerry Lees used the same bait for 10 double figure fish.
For more details on the complex visit www.todbermanor.co.uk
Makins Fishery to undergo major revamp
One of the country’s leading commercial fisheries has revealed plans to revamp the site in 2013.
Thousands of anglers visit Warwickshire’s Makins Fishery every year and bosses are now aiming to attract holidaymakers by creating a park which will be able to hold up to 35 touring caravans at any given time.
Alterations have also been made to several waters, with Lake Three being opened to fishermen again after a period of being used exclusively as a stock pond.
Over 2,500lb of small carp have been introduced, with work to new pegs on the water set to be completed in the coming weeks.
For more details on developments at the venue visit www.makinsfishery.co.uk
Revolutionary new glug from Nash Bait
THE team at NashBait has come up with a revolutionary new concept in bait dips known as Magma Glugs.
They comprise of a unique two-part system whereby you firstly dip your bait in the adhesive liquid and then immerse it in the powdered attractor to dramatically boost the appeal of your hookbait.
The two compartment tubs contain a PVA friendly Magma liquid in the top and a dry powdered attractant in the bottom. Once you have glazed your hook bait with the Magma liquid simply roll it in the powdered attractor to give your bait a new dimension. The Magma liquids and the powdered attractors are tried and tested fish feeding triggers that will actively disperse throughout the water column offering huge instant attraction in the vicinity.
The uses for Magma Glugs are endless, but the big edge they provide over other bait glugs is the fact that the natural powdered attractors are very water-soluble, and are at their most effective in this form - far more so than you could ever achieve with plain boilie or paste baits.
There are four different flavour combinations available in the range and they will be in the shops by the end of the month for a price of £8.99.
CHILLI LIQUID ‘N’ SALT POWDER
This is the one to give your baits a spicy kick. The hot chilli Magma liquid is not only great for use with single hookbaits but it has also proved particularly effective when fished over small beds of particles.
L030 LIQUID ‘N’ GLM POWDER
The L030 is, by its very fishy and salty nature, a brilliant hookbait glug, and with the added adhesion in the Magma liquid the L030 will cling onto any type of hookbait - even when dipped straight into the pot. The powdered Green Lipped Mussel extract is regarded as one of the most potent fish attractors known to the angling world.
SQUID LIQUID ‘N’ BETAINE POWDER
Now in Magma Glug form - NashBaits world-renowned Squid extract just got better. Squid is one of those attractors, which, used on its own, will provide a huge edge for any hookbait - carp literally home in on it! Combined with Betaine, one of the most stimulatory attractors available, it looks set to be a winner.
SWEETCORN LIQUID ‘N’ HEMP POWDER
If you’re a fan of artificial baits or tipping off your hookbaits with plastics then this combination is ideal. The sweetcorn Magma Glug is brilliant when used as a neat glug for plastic baits, and adding the hemp powder gives your bait a whole new texture and dimension. During trials we also discovered that this one was the most effective to fish with zig rigs or floaters, as hookbaits treated with the Magma Glug release tiny hemp particles into the water column to attract fish from above and below the hookbait.
Maggots score for Monks Pit thirties brace
CARL Sharp’s run of good form has continued into 2013 with a stunning weekend session on Monk’s Pit in gruelling conditions.
The West Midlands rod banked two thirties and a stunning winter twenty from the Cambridgeshire water while all around him blanked.
The 28-year-old, who chose a swim at the shallow end of the lake, endured a fishless first night but decided to stay put after failing to spot signs of carp anywhere else.
He said: “I decided to get back in the swim and stick it out on the baited areas with nothing else to go on. The rods had only been out for 10 minutes when the left had rod pulled up tight and I was playing my first carp of 2013, which I played with care as the spot was surrounded by dying Canadian pond weed.”
The fish went 22lb 8oz and inspired him to top up the spot with maggots and Solar’s Up and Down Mix groundbait.
Having lost a fish during the hours of darkness, he didn’t have to wait long for another chance and soon a 36lb 8oz mirror was resting on a previously frosted unhooking mat.
“I could feel that there was definitely another chance on the cards and decided to trickle bait in over the two spots that I'd got working for the next couple of hours, finally calling it quits at 3am.
“This proved effective as the left hand rod gave up one more of the lake’s jewels in the shape of a 33lb 1oz mirror.
“It was just mind blowing winter carping. It had got so cold in the night that the net was stuck solid to the boards and I had to splash it with water to free it.
“The craziest thing about it was that I never saw a sign of a carp or even so much as a line bite all weekend - they just came out of the blue.”
Carl fished maggots on a Solar Spiker Pin on a D rig with a size 8 101 hook and eight inches of Solar’s Easy Strip material.
Silverfish dominate at Messingham Sands
The Oak Tree Pond at Messingham Sands once again proved it’s ability to produce top winter sport when the top four shared almost 100lb of silverfish between them during the latest event.
Leading the way on the day was Mike Chadwick who topped the pile with 27lb 12oz. The Hull-based ace used pellet on the pole line to net plenty of skimmers to just about edge out Tony Noon who was on the next peg and eventually settled for second spot with 24lb 11oz.
For more details on the venue visit www.messinghamsands.co.uk
Big plans for Fish O' venue
DAY ticket anglers are being asked for their input on how to improve one of the UK’s biggest commercial fishery complexes after it unveiled bold renovation plans for 2013.
Following the shock departure of former boss Cyril Brewster, the owners of Cudmore Fisheries - the home of the £30,000 Fish O’Mania final - have said that feedback via social media websites and internet forums will feature heavily in its quest to provide ‘the ultimate fishing experience for anglers of all disciplines.’
A number of investments are already being planned at the Staffordshire complex this year, including the creation of two new ‘snake-style’ lakes and a
major re-stocking programme that will benefit all of the existing day ticket and match waters.
There will be increased emphasis on specimen anglers, with large numbers of big carp set to be introduced to the popular Avoca Lake, and there has also been a reduction in day ticket prices at the award-winning complex.
“We want to focus our attentions on our customer’s views and opinions, so we are inviting fishermen to assist us through our website, as well as via Facebook and internet forums,” said a fishery spokesperson.
“This is going to be a big year at Cudmore as we’ll have new match waters, thousands of pounds of new fish, plus we have simplified the day ticket pricing with fishing on all the pools now set at £8 for two rods.
“The entire team at the fishery want the anglers to feel that they are really part of the place, and not just paying customers. We want them to feel that their opinions and ideas will be taken on board.”
To help ensure that all of the expansion and stocking plans are implemented smoothly, Cudmore bosses have hired the services of leading fisheries scientist Dr Bruno Broughton.
He said: “Cudmore is already one of the best fisheries in the UK, but it’s great to be involved with a team that still strive to better their complex and have such an emphasis on the opinions and needs of their anglers,” said Bruno.
For further information please visit the website at www.cudmorefisheries.com or contact 01782 680919.
Two carp for over 72lb
ROBBIE Fielding landed two fish for more than 72lb on the famous Essex Manor syndicate – the first fish to be caught from the venue in 2013.
The Baitcraft fieldtester landed a fish known as Hank at 42lb and a 30lb mirror in a four-hour period after dark.
Following a quiet first night of a 48-hour session, Robbie went for a walk and tracked down the carp.
He said: “As I approached one of the end swims the water looked slightly brown in colour. I jumped up a tree and could see the bottom was kicking up in clouds of clay and noticed the odd suspect appearing out of the cloud.”
After setting up in the swim, Robbie presented Baitcraft Super K pop-ups on hinged-stiff rigs and fired out 100 free offerings with a baiting stick at about 8pm.
“I thought I had spooked them, but at about 10pm the right hand rod was away and after a good fight I was photographing a winter thirty.
“I left the rod in and got my head down and at 2am the middle rod was away and after a short battle another fish hit the spreader block. After help from my mate with the weighing we decided on a weight of 42lb. The photos were done and the fish was returned to fight another day.
“I put both rods back out again and another 100 baits, and fished until the following afternoon and packed up a happy man with a winter brace including one thirty and Hank at 42lb.”
Anglers enjoying excellent river roach sport
MATT Jackson set himself the target of catching a 2lb-plus roach this winter - and he achieved his goal with this fine 2lb 12oz specimen from the Hampshire Avon last week.
While most anglers stayed indoors to shelter from the recent icy blast, the Salisbury-based factory worker made the short trip to his local stretch of the waterway and was rewarded with a brace of redfins for over 4lb.
With heavy rain putting a bit of colour back in the water he headed to an area where he’d caught fish to 1lb 13oz a few days earlier.
“The levels hadn’t risen at all but after half an hour without any twitches I was beginning to wonder whether or not the roach were still in the area,” the 25-year-old told Angling Times.
Any doubts were dismissed, however, when two quick taps on his rod tip saw him connect with a decent fish.
“After a tense battle in the flow I slipped the net under a roach which I knew would beat my target. Sure enough it tipped the scales to 2lb 12oz and I couldn’t have been happier.”
The action didn’t end there though, with a second of specimen of 1lb 6oz falling to his tactics which consisted of a single maggot on a size 14 Drennan Wide Gape Specialist hook and a 3lb Supplex hooklink over a bed of liquidised bread and CC Moore Intense Hemp.
Another angler to land a brace of big river roach was Tom Marshall who broke his personal best with a 2lb specimen from a stretch of the River Thames close to his Oxford home.
Having taken a 1lb 12oz fish on a large piece of feeder-fished breadflake, he rebaited and it didn’t take long for his new pb to fall for the trap.
“There has been a boom of big roach in the waterway and I’ve come close to a new best several times but always fallen short. As soon as I saw this one in the bottom of the net I knew I’d finally cracked it,” said Tom.
Zander need protection
‘Zander need protection under national byelaws, just like any other coarse fish.’
That’s the call being made by club officials and specimen anglers who claim that stocks of the predatory species in historic venues such as the Fens have plummeted.
Because of their classification as ‘non-native’, any zander caught from the UK‘s natural waterways can be freely taken for the pot. Ashley Brown, secretary of Kings Lynn AA which controls around 85km of Fenland drains and rivers, believes this is just one of the factors behind the decline and wants the species afforded some form of protection, so that stocks can be monitored.
He said: “Catches of zander on the Fens are down about 80 per cent and many anglers have abandoned the area – it’s a real shame. Poaching is rife in East Anglia, and predatory species always bear the brunt. There’s no doubt this has had a huge effect, but there’s also been a big increase in Chinese mitten crabs across the Fens, a highly-invasive species that eat zander spawn. Between the two of these problems, the fish don’t stand a chance - something needs to be done, and quickly.”
One man to have witnessed the decline first-hand is specimen angler Steve Younger. He’s in agreement with Ashley: “Poaching can’t be the only problem because, if anything, pike fishing on the Fens has got better in recent years. But the last time I caught a small zander was over six years ago, so that tells you they either aren’t spawning or eggs aren’t hatching, and that is why I believe mitten crabs are to blame. If the authorities aren’t going to give them the protection we have all been calling for since the turn of the decade, the very least the Environment Agency can do is monitor the stocks,” he said.
Despite the groundswell of opinion, when contacted by Angling Times, the EA said that it had no intention of looking into the issue. “We have no plans to change the level of protection because zander are non-native, invasive and potentially damaging to native fish stocks. Giving zander the same protection as native fish would undermine efforts to control their spread," said a spokesman.
Nevertheless, Neville Fickling, former pike record holder and secretary of the Zander Anglers Club, said that he and others would continue to lobby for change.
He said: “Since the new fisheries laws came into force in 2010 we’ve been talking to senior members of the Angling Trust in the hope that eventually, when the time is right, zander will be afforded the status of an acclimatised non-native fish species, valued as a sport fish as it is across mainland Europe.”
Schoolboy banks 28lb fish from top commercial
Many experienced carpers have lined the banks of Stafford Moor in recent weeks, but it was schoolboy Harry Hooper who stole the show when he banked this 28lb fish.
The Somerset-based rod made the short trip to the complex and pitched up on the prolific Beatties Lake.
His alarms eventually burst into life when the mirror picked up his single Mainline Baits Cell pop-up tipped with a piece of corn.
Several other anglers have also been kept busy at the complex, with Peter George taking a 25lb 8oz fish from the favoured Beach Swim on the same water.
For more details on the complex visit www.staffordmoor.co.uk
Doncaster DAA launch canal fishing initiative
Club anglers are being reminded that they are still able to take advantage of a ‘buy two, get one free’ offer when booking matches on a prolific canal.
Doncaster DAA have created a scheme to promote the fantastic sport available on the South Yorkshire Navigation and New Junction Canal and any out booking over 10 pegs on two separate occasions will be given the opportunity to stage another contest for free.
For more details call Martin Warne on 07771 986849.
Specimen angler bags brace of 5lb plus chub
Packing up after a blank opening period would have been the easy option for Paul Elt buthe will be glad he stuck at it as he eventually fooled a brace of 5lb plus chub from his local waterway.
The Cambridgeshire-based all-rounder constantly fired maggots into the swim for over two hours without a single indication on the float but his perseverance was more than worthwhile when the first big specimen fell for a bunch of grubs flavoured with Dynamite Baits Red Fish Liquid.
It didn’t take long for the float to shoot under again, with another fish of a similar size being netted.
“With temperatures so low and no bites to show for my efforts early on, I did begin to question my sanity but a little patience soon turned it in to a red letter day,” explained Paul, who used 4lb mainline and a size 16 hook.
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Burghfield to go syndicate
ONE of the country’s most famous big carp waters is set be turned in to a syndicate after being taken over by new owners.
Burghfield Main Lake in Berkshire, home to the highly sought after Burghfield Common, has been purchased by Advanced Angling after previous owners CEMEX put their whole portfolio of waters up for sale.
Some of the biggest names in the sport including Terry Hearn and Nigel Sharp have targeted the venue in the past, and the lake’s biggest resident was most recently caught by current British record holder Oz Holness at a weight of 57lb 8oz.
Anglers could previously fish the 94-acre lake for less than £100 a year, but from April 1 it will be run as a syndicate costing £500 a year. There will also be a winter membership ticket available running from November 1 – March 1 for £150.
As well as the Main Lake, Advanced Angling have taken control of the Burghfield Blue Pool and Gold Lake, a stretch of the River Kennet which runs close to the waters and Chertsey Lake. The Blue Pool and Gold Lake are both available for exclusive group bookings for £180 and £160 for 24 hours respectively. Chertsey will be run on a syndicate basis costing £450 a year.
Anyone interested in putting their name down to join the syndicates should call Advanced Angling on 0844 8004408 or visit: www.advanced-angling.com.
Match fishing legend banks personal best chub
Match angling legend Denis White had two reasons to smile after the latest match on the Yorkshire Ouse as he netted a 5lb 14oz personal best chub which helped him take a spot in the frame.
The former England international drew peg 254 on the Linton stretch of the waterway and took a gamble by fishing a groundbait feeder packed with maggots to the far bank in search of an elusive bonus fish.
It was a ploy that came good, with his only bite of the day coming from the big specimen which secured second place.
Deep water spot produces 43lb 3oz linear
CLIFF Kemp has been in a rich vein of form this winter and just a week after landing a 35lb 2oz mirror he headed to a different venue and helped himself to this stunning 43lb 3oz linear.
With a spell of unseasonably mild weather accompanied with strong winds, the Bedfordshire-based Fox consultant headed to a nearby day-ticket lake which he thought would be good for a bite.
With no fish showing when he arrived he headed for a swim in the lea of the wind that offered an island and an area of deeper water to target.
It proved to be a wise move and even torrential rain throughout the duration of his session couldn’t dampen his spirits as he landed five carp including three twenties and a 32lb 3oz specimen along with the huge linear.
All of his fish were taken on scaled down snowman rigs consisting of 12mm Hartford boilies and half a pineapple Proper Job Pop Up in conjunction with a small mesh bag of salted sweetcorn.
These were mounted on size 8 SSBP hooks and 10lb Illusion XS Soft hooklink and a 12lb fluorocarbon mainline.
Cliff said: “As with all winter fishing, other than where long range is required, it is important to use a fluorocarbon main line to keep everything stealthy and out of sight.”
8lb 14oz chub is one the biggest ever caught from a river
THIS is a picture of one of biggest chub ever landed from a river, weighing in at a colossal 8lb 14oz.
It was banked by Simon King from the ultra-tough Fishers Green stretch of the River Lea in
Hertfordshire, and marked the successful culmination of a decade-long campaign by the 51-year-old to land a ‘monster’ from the popular southern river.
The Osprey Specimen Group member smashed his previous personal best for the species by a whopping 15oz after landing the fish, which is the biggest specimen banked from the venue since Neill Stephen’s record-shaking 9lb 4oz chub caught in February 2012.
Simon (51), a company director from east London, used a boilie hookbait in a bid to avoid the venue’s notorious crayfish population, and also took another fine chub weighing 6lb 2oz in the same session.
"People might think that there are loads of 8lb chub out there with regular pictures appearing in the press, but many big fish are re-captured, so to bank a near-9lb chub like this, which I strongly believe is an unknown specimen, is more than I could have dreamt of,” he said.
“Due to the coloured water and increased flow the true size of the fish didn’t register until I went to lift the net. It was so heavy I really thought it was snagged up on something, and then when I peeled back the mesh I was terrified by the sheer size of the fish – it looked truly massive!”
Simon used a smoked salmon-flavoured boilie from All Season Bait Developments, and presented his offering on a short coated braid hooklink in conjunction with a 2oz lead on a safety clip and 10lb mainline.
“There aren’t that many bigger, solitary chub in the river these days and the crayfish can demolish standard baits like worm and bread in minutes while you’re waiting for fish to make an appearance, so that’s why I use boilies and a coated braid hooklink. I agree with Neill Stephen, who believes that it must be the crayfish part of the fish’s diet which has been pushing the weights of these chub up significantly in recent years.”
Best cod sport for years say experts
THE unprecedented run of big cod has continued this week with two fish over the 40lb-barrier caught from along the south coast.
Experts have claimed the past 12-months have produced the best sport for the species in several decades, and Dominic Camilleri backed-up this bold statement when he landed a 40lb 12oz specimen from Shoreham, East Sussex.
The West Sussex-based rod started the day with a pb of 15lb but soon smashed that with a 25lb fish falling for his cuttlefish hookbait. Determined to up his best again, he rebaited the rig and it didn’t take long to achieve his goal.
“As soon as I hooked it I knew it was a big fish and it did its best to shed the hook. We couldn’t believe the size of it when it came to the surface and there was a huge sigh of relief when we finally got it on the boat,” said Dominic. “The fish surpassed all my expectations - it was a once in a lifetime session,” he added.
It was a similar story further east where, fishing off the coast of Dungeness, Kent, David Simes landed a 40lb 14oz specimen – the biggest from the region in over 20-years.
After boarding the private Nessun Dorma boat, he and his dad Richard headed two miles off shore and it wasn’t long before the huge cod found his bait.
A 30-minute fight followed but the real problems began once he got the fish to the surface. “We got it alongside the boat and when we went to net it we realised it was too big to fit in! We panicked to start with as we knew it was a monster and in the end we just had to lean over the side and lift it up by the gills,” explained David.
Local shops have also been inundated with reports of big fish in recent weeks and Seagull Fishing Tackle boss Tony Hills said: “There are so many whiting off the south coast for the cod to feast on and as a result they are getting bigger by the year. This winter has been the best in recent memory and I think the best is yet to come – I certainly wouldn’t rule a 50lb cod out.”
