World angling champs set to return to home soil?

The world angling championships could soon be held on home soil for the first time in over 20 years if ambitious plans are given the go ahead.

In a secret meeting held by legendary former Drennan Team England manager Dick Clegg and the Angling Trust, officials from the Canal & River Trust (CRT) investigated the possibility of turning a section of the Aire & Calder Canal in Yorkshire into a venue capable of holding international matches.

The stretch being considered is the Boothferry Aire and Calder Joint Canal Committee-run section between Goole and Great Heck in East Yorkshire. It’s a waterway which is more than up to the job, according to Dick who is international events director for the Angling Trust.

“We have been working hard to get the world champs back to the UK for a while now. We (the Angling Trust)  have been looking at plenty of venues, but the Aire & Calder is one of the closest we have to making it happen as it’s wide and deep enough to satisfy international rules. We just need to sort out some of the issues and it could happen.”

The last time the world champs came to home shores was in 1994 at Nottingham’s Holme Pierrepont when Drennan Team England, led by Dick, not only secured team gold, but saw Bob Nudd crowned world champ for the third time.

“The stretch of the Aire & Calder we are considering is long, straight and full of fish, which makes it ideal for international events,” said John Ellis, national fisheries and angling manager for the CRT.

“The only problem is with access and facilities for spectators, but there are things which can be done to iron these problems out which we will work hard to do as we would love to see international matches held on our waterways.”

The project is just part of a nation-wide series of action plans recently created by the CRT to improve sport for anglers and encourage more people back to the towpath.

The initiatives, which were drawn up following numerous meetings with angling clubs, will see money being spent on improving facilities at venues, as well as increasing participation by holding events.

It’s a move that follows the recent revelation that the charity is being buoyed by a noticeable increase in anglers heading back to the canals in 2015.

“We have definitely experienced a rise in the number of clubs and anglers heading back to the waterways in recent years,” John continued.

“This has been helped by a big drive by us and other organisations and clubs to get people fishing natural water again, as well as an increase in competitions on waterways, which is encouraging match anglers to come back too.”

Events such as the CRT’s own Canal Pairs Championship have seen a remarkable rise in popularity, with record numbers of competitors taking part this year.

John believes this is a positive sign, but despite the increase the forward-thinking organisation is keen to continue efforts to get more anglers involved.

“We still have a long way to go to get back to the glory days when the towpaths were packed with anglers.

“The CRT will continue the drive, working with the other national organisations to help with coaching days competitions and events,” he added.

7lb 6oz chub on a size 18!

The benefits of fining down your tackle for big winter chub were proved by Nigel Davis, who smashed his personal best with a 7lb 6oz fish – topping a list of great specimens banked this week.
A size 18 hook baited with a single maggot was enough to overcome the powerful lunges of the big chub when the specialist, from Fordingbridge, Hants, targeted a Christchurch Angling Club stretch of the famous Dorset Stour.
After a biteless morning fishing with more robust gear and breadflake on the hook, he tackled up with his favourite centrepin reel, a 15ft float rod and a 3lb 2oz mainline tied to a 1.4kg hooklink to try to bring a response from the shy-biting chub.
“As soon as I began trotting I started catching small dace, then a chub well over 4lb,” said Nigel.
“I was so lucky that I had slack water on the inside of my swim, otherwise I wouldn’t have stood a prayer of landing it because the fish was so powerful in the flow and I had to keep it out of the reeds.
“It took me a good 10 minutes to land it, and as soon as I saw it in the net I knew it was a new personal best because it had a belly like a football.”
Moving further east, Jamie Cartwright’s first cast for chub this winter resulted in a 7lb 3oz chub.
It was the only fish of a short evening session on the River Great Ouse for the former Drennan Cup winner, and fell to a CC Moore boilie wrapped in matching paste and fished in conjunction with a PVA bag of crushed baits and pellets threaded on to a coated braid hooklink.
This is the second chub over 7lb to be taken from the popular waterway so far in 2015, and the Northampton-shire Specimen Group member beat it with a size 10 hook and 10lb line.
“This was my first cast of the winter and the best start to a campaign I could have ever wished for,” said Jamie.
“Many river anglers just nick their PVA bag straight on to the hook, but this can come off and just roll downstream in a ball.
“To ensure it stays in one place and that there’s no debris caught on the hook, I thread the bag on to my hooklink instead.”

56lb 14oz carp a landmark for its captor

Ian Stott caught his first British fifty with this 56lb 4oz brute from Wellington Country Park.
The mirror, known as Scruffy Bob, fell during a weekend session at the Berkshire big-fish water. “I was left completely stunned,” said the Gardner-backed angler. “After seven years of trying I had at last bagged myself my first UK 50lb carp.”
Ian, who caught the same fish at 49lb 10oz more than three years ago, arrived at the lake at 6am on Friday and patrolled the water for six hours before settling in a swim known as the Up and Over in Bramble Bay.
“As I came around the path near Turtle Corner I saw several patches of tiny bubbles hitting the surface, followed by quite a few bigger ones,” said Ian. “I opted to set up in the Up and Over swim, knowing that I could wade out and cast down into the corner I had seen the activity in should I want to.”
Having introduced about 100 boilies around each rig after dark, Ian woke at 5.30am and got the take shortly afterwards.
 “As I picked the rod up, I tightened the clutch down and I could feel the cold water between my toes – I had forgotten to slide into my chesties. That was soon forgotten, though, as the carp started to strip a fair bit of line from the reel.”
After prising the fish away from an overhanging tree, Ian controlled it on a short line and gathered it in the net.
“I had a feeling that it was going to be a bit of a unit,” he said, “but I was stunned when I peered into the mesh.”
Ian fished pop-up boilies on rigs made with 25lb Gardner Trickster Heavy and size 4 Covert Mugga hooks.

Connor Barlow beats the cold to take carp and F1s...

Partridge Lakes

Covey Canal Lakes (54 pegs)

Bitterly-cold conditions, coupled with a north-westerly wind, saw weights plummet, but the fishery still produced some consistent sport.

Top rod from peg 47 on Canal 2 was Connor Barlow, who started the match on maggot at 6m fishing in deep water, and then later switched to the margins fishing the long pole down the edge to take small carp and F1s to finish on 45-8-0.

Second place from peg 67 on Canal 3 was Jason Berry, who stuck it out on the long pole for most of the day, fishing single maggot to weigh in 40-2-0.

Result: 1 C Barlow, Daiwa/Guru, 45-8-0; 2 J Berry, Wigan Angling Centre, 40-2-0;

3 A Twist, Matrix Leigh Tackle & Bait, 38-11-0; 4 J Howarth, Tri-Cast Highfield, 36-8-0; 5 L Bamber, Matrix Leigh Tackle & Bait, 36-6-0; 6 T Madden, Sensas NW, 35-15-0.

Scottish loch springs surprise with a 35lb 8oz pike

Here’s proof that you don’t have to fish the popular UK trout reservoirs to catch monster pike. Dave Turley slipped the net under this 35lb 8oz predator – from a loch in Scotland.
The 52-year-old Scottish Pike Anglers Club member latched into the huge fish while fishing with his friend Stewart Mcmath during a pike fishing trial on Lake Menteith, near Stirling.
The pike, which was tempted on a small Bluey deadbait cast close to one of the 750-acre venue’s islands, set a new personal best for the Chapelhall-based rod, who caught a 27lb specimen from the same loch last year.
As well as raising eyebrows, the catch will no doubt raise questions as to the coarse fishing potential of the fly fishing venue, which only opens to pike anglers two days a year. Said Dave: “You just don’t know what’s in the lake as we only get to fish it twice, and one of those days is lure-only.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if there was something much bigger lurking down in its depths.”

More anglers join 2lb roach hall of fame

To catch a 2lb river roach is seen as ‘the holy grail’ for many anglers but to catch one on float tackle is special – this week two anglers joined this exclusive club.
Roach fanatic Billy McDonald used traditional trotting tactics with stick float and maggot on the River Test at Timsbury to bank a haul of big roach topped by a 2lb 8oz specimen.
The Milton Keynes angler made the long drive to the Hampshire venue a trip to remember when he netted roach of 1lb 1oz, 1lb 2oz and 1lb 10oz, followed by his biggest, which was just 1oz off his personal best.
However, the day could have been even better for Billy had he not lost an even bigger fish at the net.
 “I lost two other fish that looked about the same size as the two-pounder, along with a third fish that was much bigger. I was gutted at the time, but to catch so many stunning roach in a day made this one of my best-ever trips,” he said.
Billy caught all his fish, along with dozens of trout and grayling, by targeting a 7ft-deep glide with red maggots as feed and on the hook.
 His stick float rig was made up of 4lb reel line with an olivette positioned a couple of feet above a 2.5lb hooklength and a size 16 hook.
Big-fish man Lee Chatfield also used trotting tactics to bank a stunning 2lb 3oz roach.
The Sonubaits-backed specialist from Sussex  fished an unnamed chalk stream where, like Billy, he also used a stick float and maggots to record a bulging 65lb net of dace, perch and barbel to go with what is his first-ever 2lb river roach.
Lee’s tackle consisted of a 14ft Drennan Acolyte float rod, a Dave Harrell 12xNo4 alloy stick float, 3lb mainline, a 0.11mm Powerline hooklength and size 18 Drennan Wide Gape match hook.
Both fish follow the captures of a number of big redfins since the turn of the month.
The best of these was a 3lb 8oz monster landed by carp angler Jake Baxter from the Norfolk Broads last week.

40lb 14oz 'Moonscale' is a venue record

A Lancashire forty is a fine specimen, and this big mirror carp broke the venue record at Borwick Fishing in Carnforth.
The 40lb 14oz mirror was caught on Jimmy’s Lake by Luke Worthing, who added an 18lb 12oz common in the session.
He said: “I arrived at the lake with a strong south-westerly wind blowing. Someone was already set up in the swim I fancied, so I popped round for a chat.
“As I was talking to the other angler a few fish started showing in that area and, with the guy due to leave later that afternoon, I started getting my gear sorted out to move in after him.
“I got in at 4pm, dropping one rod on a known spot and casting the other two towards the showing fish. At 9.30pm I got my first take from an 18lb 12oz common.
“The rod was repositioned with a yellow wafter hookbait and a few catapults of Solar Club Mix boilies scattered over the top.
“At 11:30pm the same rod was away again, and this one seemed different. At first it felt like a catfish. It flat-rodded me and charged off down the lake. It surfaced 20 yards in front of the swim two down from where I was.
“After a battle in the margins, and freeing it from a weedbed, I realised how big it was when a long, pale flank broke the surface.
“I peered into the net and it was a fish called Moonscale, the biggest carp in the lake. I caught her in May last year at 37lb 4oz.
“On the scales she went 40lb 14oz – a new pb, a venue record and a northern forty. I was buzzing.”

The Big Fish winner relives his TV triumph

“The Big Fish totally changed my life, as I’d never really ventured further than my local river.”
So said James Stokoe, winner of the hit BBC2 series Earth’s Wildest Waters: The Big Fish.
Newbrough, Northumberland-based James triumphed in the show’s dramatic finale in Zambia where he beat off competition from fellow contestants Sam and Dan in a thrilling two-day fish-off on the Zambezi River.
Negotiating murky, dangerous waters and wild animals, the trio targeted several species, and it was an 8lb tiger fish on fly tackle that effectively gave the 33-year-old the verdict, he told Angling Times.
“It felt totally surreal just to get on the programme, never mind win it. I’ve never really ventured far from the River Tyne with a fishing rod in my hand so it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to go to these locations. The fish and the fishing were just mind blowing. I’m still on a comedown!” he said.
Filming for The Big Fish took place between April and July this year in 10-12 day spells, but it was only after the final episode was screened that James could break his silence.
The latest in a long line of angling success stories recently shown on terrestrial TV channels, the hit series was presented by Ben Fogle and featured commentary from guest judge Matt Hayes and local fishing experts.
So what does the winner rate as his favourite locations?
“As a country I’d have to say Zambia. The African wildlife and scenery was totally different to anything I’ve ever experienced before, it was spectacular. To catch a tiger fish on fly gear was something that was on my bucket list too.
“From a fishing perspective it was British Columbia, where I had a 130lb white sturgeon. The biggest fish I’d ever caught before this was an 18lb salmon, so I absolutely smashed it –  this thing was 6ft 4ins long.
The Big Fish has totally opened my eyes to styles of fishing I never thought I’d enjoy and re-lit my passion for the sport!” he concluded. 

45lb carp reward before dark

At this time of year it’s great to get a fish under your belt and head home before dark – and it’s even better when that fish weighs 45lb.
“It was meant to be an overnighter,” said Adam Honeysett after catching this big mirror carp from a windswept pit in southern England.
“But after catching the fish so quickly I decided to go home rather than do a night, so my session only lasted four hours!”
The Kent angler added: “I arrived at around 1pm and I decided to do a lap of the lake to see what I could see.
“On my way round I was lucky enough to spot a fish ‘head and shoulder’ in an area where there was no angling pressure, so I decided to go in there.
“I put three single hookbaits out to the area at about 110 yards, placing them about 20 yards apart. After about an hour, the bobbin on the middle rod pulled up tight and after a hard, slow, heavy battle I landed this 45lb mirror.”
Adam fooled the fish on a 10ins hinged stiff rig made with 20lb Rigmarole Camh2o and a size 6 Fox S3 hook. Hookbait was a 15mm Nash Amber Strawberry pop-up screwed into a Rigmarole bore ring.

Stu Conroy shows class in the freeze

Brookside Fisheries
Snake Lake (22 pegs)

Things were desperate in the cold, and scratching tactics came to the fore for many.
Former England man Stu Conroy relied on his canal fishing experience to take 49-0-0 of F1s and a few ide on maggot from peg 49, fishing light rigs across to the far bank at 12m.
Ross Wightman followed with 35-2-0 of F1s from peg 25, as he too used maggot across and down the middle into the deep water at 6m.
Result: 1 Stu Conroy, Kamasan/Sensas, 49-0-0; 2 R Wightman, Drennan NW, 35-2-0; 3 M Pleavin, Lionel’s Tackle, 24-8-0; 4 Steve Conroy, Drennan NW, 21-2-0; 5 N Rogerson, Ashton Angling Supplies, 20-2-0; 6 S Birchall, Challinor Sports, 14-2-0.

Proud Bob Church awarded well-deserved MBE

Angling legend Bob Church described the moment he received his MBE at Buckingham Palace as one of his ‘proudest moments ever’.
Bob received the prestigious accolade for his services to angling during an incredible career as one of the most decorated fly fishers in UK history and one of the most passionate, enthusiastic and best-loved anglers this country has ever produced.
His medal tally includes team golds at the World Fly Fishing Championships in 1987 and 1988, plus a European team gold in 1990 – and Bob was also a regular contributor to Angling Times for more than 28 years.
It certainly was a day to remember for the founder member of the Northamptonshire Specimen Group, who travelled to Buckingham Palace with his wife Jeanette, daughter Nicola and son Stephen where he was presented his award by the Princess Royal.
“It was so surreal to be with my family in the ballroom at Buckingham Palace, surrounded by others from so many other walks of life, including those receiving knighthoods for services in Afghanistan – and there was little old me about to get an MBE.
“I felt so proud,” he said.

4lb 6oz perch from wales!

Rivers and stillwaters across the UK continue to produce some of the best big-perch fishing ever, with both worms and lures accounting for huge stripeys.
First angler on this week’s list is Graham King (pictured), who made a visit to a stillwater in South Wales to smash his personal best with this 4lb 6oz specimen.
He and two friends fished a combination of maggots and worms to land large numbers of perch. They had 10 fish between them, and Graham backed up his four-pounder with another perch of 3lb 5oz.
A simple leger rig coupled with a soft Avon-style rod and a size 2 circle hook was the secret to the Worcester angler’s success.
“The trick to catching these perch was using a set-up with minimal resistance, so that’s why I was fishing slack lines with a really long drop on my bobbins,” said Graham.
“I struck at any movement on my indicator because perch are such aggressive feeders.”
Father and son Gary and Sam Edmonds know a thing or two about targeting predators on lures and the two fish pictured below are the fruits of a couple of short sessions on a southern river.
First came Gary’s 3lb 15oz perch, which was backed up with other fish to 2lb 5oz and is his 100th fish over the 3lb mark.
A couple of days later the pair returned, and this time it was Sam’s turn to bank the biggest perch, weighing 3lb 12oz.
Gary used a chatter bait rigged with a Berkley Havoc Pit Boss trailer – a Berkley Havok Rocket Craw was Sam’s lure of choice.
“It was really windy, which made it really hard to feel what was going on, but it’s definitely worth getting out there even if the conditions aren’t perfect,” said Sam.
“This is the fourth different perch weighing 1oz under the 4lb mark we’ve caught this year.”

Bluebell ‘50’ mirrors Terry Hearn’s Mary

Nineteen years to the day after Terry Hearn’s capture of Mary, Kev Hewitt slipped the net under his own 55-pounder.
At just an ounce under the weight of Terry’s record-breaking Wraysbury carp from 1996, Kev’s capture of Dave from Swan Lake on the Bluebell complex in Northamptonshire had a remarkable symmetry about it.
Kev, who first saw the iconic photographs of Mary on television show Tight Lines as a 12-year-old, was even using ESP’s Terry Hearn- named rods.
“I was only 12 years old but I remember seeing Terry and the iconic photo,” said the Swindon angler. “Fast forward 19 years to the day and I find myself holding a new personal best of 55lb 12oz. Dreams can come true!”
The 31-year-old added: “The lake had been fishing slow and there had not been a fish out in three weeks.However, the weather looked bang on. Strong winds and moody skies is big-fish weather, especially at this time of year. It could just be the catalyst needed to switch it on, so when I saw the forecast it was a last-minute decision to go down to Swan Lake for a 48-hour session.
“I had my first bite from a 23lb common off a baited area at around 90 yards and then had another fish of 37lb 6oz on a mini ESP PVA bag with a single grain of ESP artificial corn balanced as a hookbait.
“On the second morning the same rod was away again and this time a slow, steady big-fish battle resulted in the new pb slipping into my net.
“Three fish in 48 hours is a great result, topped with the big one that means this was a session I will
never forget.”
The Hinders manager, who caught Dave last autumn at 53lb 4oz, used a new CC Moore PVA bag mix inside mini solid bags and tied a 3ins ESP Sinklink hooklink to a size 6 hook.

Divorced carper turns wedding bands into handy net clip

A carp angler who fished so much his bored wife divorced him melted down her wedding ring to form a net clip.
Alan Curtis admitted he was on the bank ‘almost every night’ before his partner ditched him. Not wishing to waste the valuable jewellery, he decided to turn the metal into a useful clip to keep his net in place when not in use.
“I just wanted to fish,” said Alan. “I was a bailiff at the time and fishing almost every night.
“She left me on the grounds of abandonment and I thought I’d melt the ring down, add a bit of gold and turn it into a net clip. It gets a great reaction on the bank when people see it and I tell them about it.
“There’s been no contact between me and my ex-wife so she doesn’t know about it.”
Alan’s quirky piece of tackle was spotted by carp tutor Adam Penning when the pair fished together at Ladywell Fishery in Essex earlier this month.
“I asked Adam what he thought it was made of,” said Alan. “He couldn’t believe it when I said it was the old wedding ring.”
The clip was created 15 years ago and Alan, who has since remarried, says his fishing/life balance is much more in check these days.
“I was just desperate to go fishing at the time,” said the Cambridgeshire rod who grew up carping in the Lea Valley.
“I still love it and was recently working back down in Essex and doing two nights a week in between, but it’s a bit trickier now the nights are drawing in.”

Midweek joy at 45lb pb carp

This beautifully photographed autumn carp gave Chris Abbott his second forty of the year during a fruitful session.
The 24-year-old set a new complex record at Norfolk’s Nar Valley Fisheries with this 45lb 2oz mirror from Lake Geneva, and also caught a 30lb 12oz common and two other mirrors of 37lb 4oz and 33lb 12oz during his 72-hour stay.
Having lost two fish on the Monday of his midweek session, Chris’s dejection turned to elation as he snared the 30lb 12oz common and a 33lb 12oz mirror on Tuesday morning.
The feeding spell repeated itself on Wednesday morning as a 37lb 4oz mirror at 7am was followed by the big one just over an hour later.
Chris, from East Dereham in Norfolk, told Angling Times: “At 8.15am I received a single bleep and saw my rod-tip pull round on the solid clutch.
I then had to walk back at least 20 yards to get the stretch out of my line and guide the fish away from any danger.
“When the fish was at around 100 yards it started fighting and, as I eased it closer to me, I was sure it was a good one. As it came in close to the margin
I caught a glimpse of it and I knew then that I was attached to something very special. My legs had gone to jelly at this point while the fish was trying to flat-rod me.
“Finally, around 20 minutes later, the big mirror slipped over the net cord.
I was absolutely buzzing! I phoned my mate David Selley, who was already on his way down to photograph the 37, and told him the good news.
“We weighed the beast and she went 45lb 2oz. I was absolutely over the moon to have broken my pb for the second time this year and to have caught my second forty from
this venue.”
Chris fished to a small island of rocks at 120 yards and baited with about 1kg of a prototype boilie from Wensum Baits. He fished 15mm hookbaits on Korda IQ D rigs.

Big-pellet ban at top fishery Meadowlands

One of the country’s top commercial fisheries has banned the feeding of big pellets after anglers complained that fishing at the venue was becoming ‘too one-dimensional’.
Jack Harness, owner of Meadowlands Fishery near Coventry, has banned the use of both 6mm and 8mm pellets on the grounds that visiting matchmen and pleasure anglers were getting fed up of having to fish at long range just to get bites.
By enforcing the ban until April 2016 Jack hopes that the fish will move into more accessible areas during the winter, which in turn will encourage anglers to adopt more than one tactic to target them.
“Everyone that came here before this ruling was put in place fished the bomb at 30 yards or more, and anglers were catapulting pellets to feed the fish – so that’s where they would always be and weights were suffering because of it,” said Jack.
“Banning these sizes of pellets stops anglers being able to catapult feed at that range. I haven’t just done this on a whim, as I first consulted other fisheries and top anglers.
I think it’s the right thing to do to improve sport here.
“I also think it will help to improve fish welfare, as the large pellets take over a day to break down, which isn’t good for the water or fish digestion,” he added.
The controversial ruling, which still allows the use of 6mm and 8mm pellets as a hookbait, brought about mixed reactions on social media, but many top anglers have already voiced their support of the ban including top matchman and venue regular Joe Carass.
He told Angling Times: “It seems to be a trend sweeping across the UK on venues with plenty of open water that anglers are feeding the fish at range and making it impossible to catch closer in.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if other venues soon follow suit.”

16lb 7oz river barbel slips up to two anglers

This 16lb 7oz barbel is proof that some of the UK’s biggest specimens live in small rivers.
Luke Ayling followed up his recent capture of a 16lb 1oz fish from the River Thames when he switched his attentions to its much smaller   tributary, the Thame in Oxfordshire.
He scaled down bait size, too. Instead of the large homemade hookbaits that he uses on the Thames, the local specialist chose to incorporate Lone Angler Ocean Pride 14mm barrel baits wrapped in matching paste into his combi rig.
His Thame barbel beats the current river record of 16lb 2oz caught last year. And to show just how good he is on a variety of waters, Luke went on to land his first-ever barbel from the River Itchen – a fish of 13lb 4oz.
“I’ve really been on a roll recently and you’ve got to ride your good fortune while you can. Every big-fish angler knows that it doesn’t last for long,” said Luke.
“I can honestly say that my Thame fish was the hardest-fighting barbel I’ve ever hooked. The battle was a little hairy, to say the least.
“Then, just to cap it all off, a friend and I decided to have an hour’s barbel fishing on the River Itchen after a very successful day after grayling, and I achieved a very
long-standing goal of catching a real chalk stream barbel.”
Incredibly, the very same barbel that gave Luke his River Thame record also provided a day to remember for Philip Almond when he took part in a match with Cuddesdon Mill Village Anglers Association.
After losing a big barbel within 30 minutes of the beginning of the contest, he stepped up his tackle.
That proved to be the right move as his legered piece of meat was taken by the 16lb 7oz fish along with two chub of 4lb 14oz and 4lb 4oz, which combined to make a winning haul for Philip.

Hammond sees off stars to take Drennan/Rive Silverfish Festival

Drennan/Rive Silverfish Festival (Sat/Sun)

White Acres (84 anglers)

Oxfordshire angler Derek Hammond has beaten a star-studded field to claim the Drennan/Rive Silverfish Festival at the weekend.

He scored 14 points over the two days and had a weight aggregate of 48-5-0 to take the title ahead of Grant Albutt. He also scored 14, but could only tally 46-11-0 when the maths was done. Jon Jowett also scored 14 points.

Seeing off an 84-strong field that included top French anglers and much of the current Drennan Team England side plus a host of household names from the UK match scene, Drennan Oxford man Derek had a rousing Day 2 to thank for his £700 victory.

The Didcot rod weighed in 33-8-0 to win the match, added to his 14-13-0 net from the day before, which was enough to win him his section. Those victories put Derek on a perfect 14 points, alongside Grant and Jon.

Every fish really did count with such a narrow winning margin.

Skimmers formed the bedrock of Derek’s net as he drew a peg with form, 15 on the Pollawyn Lake. That’s where Andy Bennett had finished second in the match the day before, and Day 2 saw Derek go one better. He fished short at around 5m with caster and worm over groundbait to bank bank a 3lb perch on worm in the margins plus some roach. Second on the day was claimed by Drennan man Dan Varney with 27-8-0.

The festival started with a comfortable win for England star Callum Dicks on Day 1 with a superb 44-12-0 of roach and skimmers from peg 17 on the fancied high bank of the Pollawyn Lake. The Maver angler caught the bulk of his weight shallow on caster despite the cold and windy weather. Second went to Andy Bennett with 34-2-0 from next door peg 15.

Overall: 1 D Hammond, Drennan Oxford, 14pts (48-5-0);

2 G Albutt, Matrix/Bait-Tech, 14 (46-11-0); 3 J Jowett, Drennan NW, 14 (38-12-0); 4 C Dicks, Maver, 13 (56-1-0); 5 S Willsmore, Drennan/D&A Tackle, 13 (54-11-0); 6 A Bennett, Daiwa/Guru/Bait-Tech, 13 (51-12-0). 

Day 1 result: 1 C Dicks, Maver, 44-12-0; 2 A Bennett, Daiwa/Guru/Bait-Tech, 34-2-0; 3 S Willsmore Drennan/D&A Tackle, 29-7-0; 4 D Davies, Drennan/Van Den Eynde, 26-12-0;

5 D Harpin, Daiwa Dorking, 24-8-0.

Day 2 result: 1 D Hammond, Drennan Oxford, 33-8-0;

2 D Varney, Drennan, 27-8-0; 3 S Willsmore, Drennan/D&A Tackle, 25-4-0; 4 L Edwards, Garbolino/ABC, 25-4-0;

5 D Davies, Drennan/Van Den Eynde, 24-9-0. 

Team winners: Andy Power, John Harvey, Darren Davies and Teddy Lescure, 43pts.

High street shop revival

The tackle industry has been given a boost with the opening of at least five new high street businesses.
Budding entrepreneurs have opened their doors in the Midlands and Manchester in an attempt to ignite a retail revival.
Ryan Haye has started up RD Tackle in Brierley Hill, West Mids, after beginning by selling gear at car boot sales and online.
He told Angling Times: “Obviously it’s a tough business to come into, but we offer great customer service which is key to successful trading. You need to have the products anglers need and the knowledge to go with it.
 “We also have brands that other tackle companies in the area don’t, so that gives us an edge.”
Another shop bucking the trend is Trafford Tackle and Bait in Stretford, Manchester. Business has been brisk ever since the shop opened back in June, according to co-owner Jeff Smith.
“It’s going really well,” he said. “There’s no shop within a 30-minute drive of us, which is a big advantage, and we’re already looking to expand.”
Working with business partner Scott Wilding, Jeff devotes half the shop to carp tackle and the rest to match and pleasure fishing.
“The carp side has been brilliant for us,” said Jeff, who once worked  for Marks and Spencer. “We invested heavily – you have to if you’re to succeed in this game – but it’s starting to pay off now.”
Martyn Edwards decided to open his new shop in Warwickshire, Stratford on Avon Fishing and Outdoors Ltd, not only as a new livelihood but as a way of putting something back into the community.
“I’ve always had a passion to set up shop in the town where I live and fish and know a lot of anglers. My plan is to do more for the area’s youngsters and encourage them to take up the sport,” he said.

Big zander run in the family...

Catching big zander runs in the family for David Benfield, seen here with his latest fish of 14lb 3oz.
The brother of James, who banked a record 21lb 5oz zander back in 2007, tempted the giant on a legered bleak deadbait from the lower River Severn near his home.
The catch sets a new personal best for David, who had waited years to catch his first double after banking numerous fish to 8lb.
“I’ve tried to catch a double-figure zander ever since I was a kid, but I still have a way to go to beat my brother’s fish!” he said.