Secret lake's huge roach

An untapped day-ticket lake has been uncovered as one of UK’s top roach angling hotspots following the capture of dozens of specimen fish.

Anglers have flocked to Springwater Fishery in Ayrshire in recent weeks after news came to light that huge roach to almost 3lb were being caught on a daily basis, sparking venue comparisons with Stranraer redfin superwater, Lochnaw Fishery.

The catches, which include fish to 2lb 13oz in huge nets topping 50lb, are being taken on the Scottish fishery’s mixed-stocked, Match Lake, with visitors reaping the rewards thanks to an initiative which saw hundreds of giant roach transferred from an onsite fly fishing pool.

Owner Willie Scott said: “We originally stocked some small roach into one of our fly ponds eight years ago and left them alone but then when we netted it in 2013 we were shocked at how big they had become.”

“Since we moved them they have grown even bigger and the fishing has been incredible. An international angler recently visited and broke his personal best at least 10 times in a single session - there are just so many big roach stocked” he said.

It is thought that growth rates could have been boosted by the use of high-protein baits used on the 25-peg lake since the fish were moved.

The exciting discovery looks set to create a tempting prospect for specimen anglers and Shimano and Dynamite Baits backed Darran Goulder is just one of the dozens of anglers who could make the long journey north to take advantage of the sport of offer. He told Angling Times: “There are few waters in England where you can catch the roach of a lifetime but the likes of Lochnaw and now Springwater offer a genuine chance of several fish over the magical 2lb mark.”

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Ton-up at Ridgeway Fisheries

With temperatures rising weights have started to soar on the Cotswold’s Ridgeway Fisheries with anglers filling 100lb-plus nets of carp and silvers.

The four interlinking canal pools, known as Walters Lake are where all the action is taking place and with 73 pegs to choose from you won’t be without a swim if you’re a day-ticket angler. What’s more the lake has recently been restocked with thousands of small carp to boost sport even further.

Depths on the canal average around 5ft and thanks to bank erosion the width is now up to 20m in places meaning pole fishing is not the only tactic which can catch fish as anglers have discovered this spring with small method feeders, bomb tactics and even wagglers with banded pellets taking carp averaging 3lb. Fishing the inside ledge at 4-5m and down the edge is also productive with pellets, maggots, corn or meat too. The best anglers here work between two or three lines taking fish from each. A mainline of around 0.12 with black hydro or Preston 15 elastic should be fine for anything you should encounter in here. If you want to concentrate just on the silverfish, which include skimmers and roach, a 40lb bag can be obtained fishing smaller baits down the middle of the track.

Prices: £8 a day, £5 for children sharing with an adult.
Contact: 01285 860412
Location: Ridgeway Fisheries, Wickwater Lane, South Cerney, Gloucestershire, GL7 5UQ
Facilities: Café, toilets, disabled toilets, bait shop (no casters or maggots), accommodation
Rules: Barbless only, all nets to be dipped on arrival, no floating baits, no bite alarms, no boilies, one rod maximum

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Carp and silverfish galore at Toft Farm Fisheries

Warwickshire's Fisheries is a perfect example of a simple yet effective modern commercial fishery. Its two identical, tear-drop shaped lakes are divided into carp and silverfish waters so you can guarantee you’ll catch exactly what you set out for this weekend. Whether it’s a club match where 100lb of carp is needed to win, or simply a winter session after a few roach, Toft certainly has it covered.  With ample space in between pegs and modern wooden platforms as well, a decent days fishing is always on the cards. Here’s a breakdown of what is on offer:

Carp Lake (55 pegs)
With an island at the east end and a huge body of open water to the west, the Carp Lake is ideal for most methods. The pellet feeder filled with 2mm micro pellets and a banded 6mm pellet will catch carp averaging 4lb steadily when cast to the island. Alternatively, fishing the waggler or pole shallow in open water pegs with maggot or pellet will account for good bags of carp as well as the odd big roach. The anglers winning the matches on here recently have only been fishing a top kit plus two sections, where the near shelf bottoms out at around 6ft. 81lb of carp and roach was taken off peg 46 recently using this method, with 4mm, 6mm expanders and meat proving the best baits.

Silverfish Lake (34 pegs)
With a uniform depth of around 6ft and a central island at only 13m away from each peg, the pole and feeder tend to rule here. Dobbing tight to the island reeds with bread accounted for a 107lb mixed bag of barbel, roach, skimmers and F1 carp for one anger recently. A fairly strong elastic is advised so the fish can be pulled from the snags. Try fishing on the deck down the track with 4mm soft pellets over micros and maggots to find skimmers to 3lb. The margins are also noted to produce the odd big carp to 10lb on dead maggots – which were moved from the Carp Lake into the Silverfish Lake to boost catches weights.

Prices: £7 a day
Contact: Ester on 07934 237103
Location: Toft Farm Fisheries, Kites Hardwick, Rugby, Warwickshire, CV23 8AD
Rules: Barbless hooks only, no keepnets unless in matches, no cat or dog food
Facilities: Toilets, Parking, tea and coffee at weekends

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Head to Westlands Lake to bag up on F1s

Much like the recent weather, the F1 fishing has been hotting up at Westland’s Lakes and anglers have been cashing in with bags up to 200lb from the complex’s Little Tench and Island Ponds. F1s to 6lb 12oz have even been banked from the margins on the prolific Middle Lake.

Visitors are enjoying some cracking sport on the other five day-ticket lakes too with big tench and big bream starting to feature from the Tench Pool. On the 25-peg Little Tench Pool, anglers have been feeding pellet and maggots little and often via a cad pot to catch F1s shallow.

These are all averaging around 2-3lb – with ide, skimmers and the odd big carp making appearances also. Elastics don’t need to be too strong on this lake too as most fish average around the 1-4lb mark. Meanwhile on the 25-peg, match-style Island Pool, visitors have been bagging up as well. This pool is similarly stocked to Little Tench with mainly F1s being landed by anglers fishing waggler or pole tight to the islands. These features are situated at around 13m away with just 2ft of water – making them ideal places to target in the summer. Attack these areas using hookbaits like corn or pellets to good effect. Alternatively, if you prefer more of a chilled session then head to the Canal Pond where all the carp and F1’s have been removed and replaced with quality silverfish. 30lb nets of barbel, chub, ide and tench are now coming out thanks to the new stocking programme to help offer a diverse fishing experience.

Prices: £5 a day per rod, Loyalty card available for OAP’s and Disabled
Contact: 01964 541192, www.westlandsangling.com
Location: Westlands Angling, Hornsea Road, Sigglesthorne, Hull, HU11 5QLY
Rules: Barbless only, no keepnets, fishery own pellets, do not discard bait into the water,  no meat in any form, groundbait by feeder or pole cup only, No nuts or particles unless prepared by a recognised bait manufacturer, no bait boats, unhooking mats to be used, no fixed rigs, no artificial baits
Facilities: Toilets, tackle and bait shop, loyalty card, food on match days, disabled access

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Strike silver at Portland Waters

We might be six weeks into the river shutdown, but anglers who want to catch chub can still get their fix from stillwaters up and down the country.

Take Portland Waters in Nottinghamshire, for example. At first sight this complex near Newark appears to be your typical commercial fishery but recent catches here are more like those you would expect from the nearby River Trent in a couple of months.

Matches at the fishery have seen huge bags of silverfish netted as Radcliffe on Trent’s Mark Baker discovered when he won a recent Angling Times Bait-Tech Supercup event with 60lb of chub from the Portland’s Old Wood Lake earlier this month.

There are five day-ticket lakes to choose from at Portland and they’re all stuffed with silverfish, alongside the more expected carp. We recommend the in-form Four Island Lake, where, chub, barbel, roach, rudd and carp and can all be targeted specifically depending on what you wish to catch.

This 30-peg pool is square in shape but its four islands make each swim more like a canal with pegs on the inside and outer part of the lake. The islands are reachable with 12 metres of pole and like a canal, the deepest water can be found down the middle (5.5ft) with around 2ft in the margins on the inside and across. The barbel go to nearly 7lb and anglers can catch these by design by fishing down the edge with maggots or meat.

The chub average around 2lb and in past summers anglers have bagged 80-90lb of them by feeding a couple of pole cups filled with chopped worms or alternatively catapulting casters and fishing double caster on the hook tight to the far side or down the egdge. There are also some big roach and rudd to over 1lb, and again, these can be targeted specifically by fishing either down the middle or tight to any reed beds with typical redfin favourites like caster or hemp.

If you do want a real red-letter day and catch more 200lb, though, you need to target carp and these can be located by feeding a line down the bottom of the near ledge with your top-two-plus-one as well as across either to an island or one of the gaps between which are known to hold fish using corn, maggots, meat or pellets. 

The carp average around 3-4lb but avoid fishing too light as the odd ‘lump’ up to 14lb can make a surprise appearance. On warm days fishing up in the water with a banded pellet will pay dividends as will paste fishing close-in. Most pegs fish well in summer but pegs 18-22 on the inside are the most consistent.

If you prefer more of a natural style of fishing then head to the Old Wood Pool where you can imitate what Mark Baker did in catching a big bag of chub on maggots but there are also tonnes of roach and skimmers to enjoy too. This pool was also recently stocked with thousands of ide which will take a liking for maggots or casters but it’s not all about silverfish as nets of carp can also be sought with pellet waggler the top tactic.

With so many options and different species to go at other than just carp anglers need not wait for the rivers to re-open to experience silverfish heaven in Nottinghamshire. Simply pay a visit to Portland.

Prices: £6 a day, £5 concessions
Contact: 07818 552307, www.portlandfishing.co.uk
Location: Portland Waters, Longhedge Lane, Sibthorpe, Newark, Notts, NG23 5PN
Rules: Barbless only hooks, no keepnets, no cat or dog meat, no floating baits, no boilies or nuts, no hooks over size 12, no dogs
Facilities: Clubhouse/café, toilets 

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Second White Acres title for Paul Holland

Paul Holland has taken his second White Acres festival title in a matter of weeks after triumphing in the Dynamite Baits Festival last week – after a nine-year wait for a title at the Cornish venue.

The Guru-backed matchman ended the week as the only angler to score a perfect four section wins.

Reading-based Paul’s week didn’t start too well with only a  third in section from the split zone on Trewaters and Jenny’s Lakes, which meant only a perfect four sections wins would see him in with a shout – and even then he’d need other angler’s scores to work for him.

But work they did and he racked up nine maximums to post that perfect score. Runner-up Johnny Maddison and third-placed Rob Wootton both scored 35 points with three wins and a second to send the big-money prize heading to Berkshire.

After that opening-day blip, Paul was off to another split section on Trelawney and Twin Oaks Lakes. Despite not making the top four overall, Paul’s 107-4-0 of carp from Trelawney peg 23 got his quest off to the start he needed.

Porth Reservoir was next for Paul and he won the lake with 22-1-0 of roach and skimmers from peg 33 using the waggler with maggot and caster to add a few more quid to the kitty.

Thursday saw peg 36 on Bolingey Lake come out of the bag and he showed no mercy with a massive 211-11-0 for another lake and section win, fishing pellet at 8m to bank carp into double figures.

Paul was now within striking distance of the lead, and a good final day could deliver title number two. Pollawyn Lake peg 13 awaited, and although not in the race to win the lake, 73-10-0 of carp gave him the nine points needed. With scores working in his favour, the title was his.

Overall: 1 P Holland, Guru, 36pts;
2 J Maddison, Mosella Quaker, 35 (dropping six points - 516-3-0);
3 R Wootton, Shimano/Dynamite Baits, 35 (dropping six points - 418-3-0);
4 R Brennan, Stourport, 35 (dropping five points – 426-3-0);
5 L Thornton, Middy/Bag’em Baits, 35 (dropping five points – 412-12-0);
6 S Conway, Shakespeare, 35 (dropping five points – 403-15-0).

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Solar-powered fish!

A fishing club that’s used solar panels to improve sport at its flagship fishery has seen growth rates of fish increase by almost 50 per-cent.

London’s The Dell Angling Society (TDAS) has admitted that the ground-breaking aeration device, that incorporates the same technology used by homeowners and farmers that transforms sunlight into environmentally friendly electricity, has turned around the fortunes of its self-named water in Woolwich, London.

Before the installation of the technology the venue had been blighted by low oxygen levels and stunted growth rates of resident carp, but now the once frequent calls to the Environment Agency to help prevent fish kills at the venue are firmly in the past.

“We used to have so many problems that really threatened our water, but the fishery is booming and it’s all thanks to this solar-powered aeration system,” said TDAS committee member Colin Cleary.

“Our biggest fish used to be around the 20lb mark but we now have carp on the brink of being 30lb and they are getting bigger by the day.”

“The solar panels charge several batteries that create enough energy for us to run the aeration system both day and night when required and our oxygen levels are now as high as they can be.”

The new technology has been implemented at a fairly small cost with the club leaning on the expertise of forward-thinking member Stuart Sweeden and he added: “I have worked with fish tanks and pumps in the past and I used my knowledge of that field to build something that has stopped this beautiful lake turning in to an abandoned mudpit.”

“It cost us less than £1,500 and it has breathed new life in to the fishery. The sport has improved, the carp are getting bigger and feeding heavily and it is a small price to pay for such a big improvement.”

*For details on how your club can implement a similar system email The_Dell@hotmail.co.uk*

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Alan Stagg lifts the Drennan Cup

“I’ve dreamed of this moment since I first started targeting big fish and to think that my name will now sit alongside some of the greatest anglers of all time just blows my mind.”

These are the emotional words of Alan Stagg, who has this week been crowned Drennan Cup Champion.

The Basingstoke based fishing fanatic took the most coveted prize in specimen angling after votes cast by specimen fishing’s elite put him well ahead of the rest of the field in this year’s competition.

At the end of the 2014/15 season Alan had amassed an impressive five weekly awards in his quest for the famous Drennan Cup and ultimately it was the Gardner tackle employee’s versatility and ability to catch some of the biggest specimens from both still and running water that saw him secure the prestigious title.

“It was my birthday and I was in my garden having a celebratory drink and I got the phone call telling me that I’d won and my jaw hit the floor. I could hardly speak as it was the best present I could have ever wished for,” a delighted Alan told Angling Times.

”I’ve had the Drennan Cup in my sights ever since I started targeting big fish and many all of my fishing heroes have their names on the cup and I’ve been close in the past, but words can’t describe what this means to me. It’s such a huge honour because the unique aspect of this competition is that the winner is decided by votes from your fellow anglers and there’s no bigger accolade than that.

Alan’s campaign began last May when he ended a seven-year quest to beat his bream personal best when he slipped the net under a huge 17lb 3oz that was backed up by another fish weighing 16lb 12oz during a session at a southern gravel pit.

His incredible run of form continued on the same venue a few weeks later after netting one of the biggest braces of all time with a combined weight of 34lb 11oz.

The first trip to a new water saw him gain with his third weekly award when he adopted a float-fishing approach to achieve a long-time ambition of catching a rudd over the magical 3lb barrier.

It took him hours to locate the fish but when he found them he landed specimens weighing 3lb 5oz, 2lb 7oz and 2lb 5oz.

He then switched his attentions to running water and proved why he’s regarded as one of the most gifted all-rounders in the sport when his second river session of 2014 on a tributary of the River Thames produced a 15lb 8oz barbel.

It was only fitting that his fifth and final Drennan weekly award saw him join an elite group of anglers who have banked 3lb-plus roach from both still and running water.

The 3lb 3oz 8 dram fish was the first ‘proper’ roach he’d ever banked  from a river and came from a southern chalk stream caught on feeder fished maggots.

“It really was a dream season for me as I achieved so much and banked fish that I’ve been after for so many years,” Alan continued.

“To have come out on top of a field of anglers that’s made up of such well-respected and genuinely inspiring people is a huge honour, but to have my name on the famous Drennan really is as good as it gets.”

Leading the chasing pack in the 2014/15 Drennan Cup competition was Angling Times columnist and Peg One consultant Paul Garner.

He finished his campaign with a total of three weekly awards for impressive specimens such as a huge 12lb 10oz tench, a 3lb 11oz 8 dram rudd and a 4lb 2oz 8 dram personal best rudd.
The remaining places in the top four were filled by well-respected big fish anglers Brian Ingram and Mike Lyddon.

Drennan Cup sponsor Drennan International have again been delighted with the continued popularity of the competition and congratulated Alan on his victory.

“Congratulations to Alan on a richly deserved win.  In all sport, rewards are generally directly proportionate to the amount of effort & practice invested, and I know first-hand how much time Alan puts into his fishing, Said Stewart Moss of Drennan International.

“I’ve personally bumped into him several times on various venues banks over the years and he really is an expert specimen angler and will be an exceptionally popular Drennan Cup champion.”

What they win:
1 Alan Stagg, £2,000
2 Paul Garner, £1,000
3 Brian Ingram, £500
4 Mike Lyddon, £250

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It's a record for RiverFest

A record-breaking year for the sport’s biggest matches continues this week after Riverfest reached a historic landmark by gaining over 2,000 ticket applications for the first time ever.

The big money competition has been a revelation since its creation in 2013 and now event organisers at the Angling Trust have been forced to run a ballot for places this year for the first time as a result of its immense popularity.

Officials have now staged the draw to decide who will compete in the 24 qualifiers, with almost 70 per cent of the heats oversubscribed.

The news comes just weeks after Fish O’Mania once again posted record application numbers.
Angling Times columnist Dave Harrell was the brains behind RiverFest and he said: “It is fantastic news for river fishing and I am overwhelmed at how well supported this tournament has become in such a short space of time.”

“A lot of people said there wasn’t a demand for big money river fishing events but this has blown that theory out of the water. There will be a £35,000 prize pot available to those in the final on the River Wye in November and it’s great that thousands want a shot at the title.”

Venues including the Severn and Warwickshire Avon were amongst those in demand, although the three qualifiers on the Trent proved the most popular.

With a large number of people left disappointed at the prospect of being left on the reserves list, discussions have already opened up to potentially revamp the system next year and Dave added: “There is no reason why we can’t hold bigger qualifiers to cater for more people. We wouldn’t do that at the detriment of the fishing but if an organiser thinks it is feasible, we would open up more pegs for next year.”

TOP FIVE MOST POPULAR QUALIFIERS

60 anglers take part in each heat, with three qualifying for the final
1. River Trent, Holme Marsh – 156 (ticket applications)
2. River Trent, Burton on Trent – 155
3. River Trent, Newark Dyke – 152
4. River Severn, Bewdley – 148
5. River Severn,Worecester to Upton - 145

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Huge prize pot for this year's World Pairs

The race is on for a share of the £20,000 cash pot up for grabs in this year’s World Pairs Angling Championships.

Entries are now being taken for the Lakelands and Inland Waterways event in Ireland, which was won last year by England Feeder Team duo Adam Wakelin and Rob Wootton

The match is now in its fourth year and has been a huge hit with anglers both in the UK and on the Continent, attracting some of the best matchmen around to enjoy natural wild angling on Ireland’s prolific Lakelands area over five days of fishing in mid-September.

Match dates for 2015 are Monday, September 7 to Friday, September 11 and the generous sponsorship continues, with 15,000 Euros being put up by the Lakelands & Inland Waterways body alongside additional funds from partners Fermanagh-Omagh District Council, and Leitrim and Cavan  County Councils.

That means over £20,000 of money to be fished for along with the Daiwa Cup, an individual event that runs alongside the main pairs battle with more cash and top tackle from the Scottish company. For just £85 per angler all in, entry won’t break the bank either.

“I’d not been to Ireland for ages until brother Phil and I fished the pairs, and I was amazed at how good the fishing was!” said World Feeder Champ Steve Ringer, who has finished second in the last two years. “The sport is just incredible with 10 kilos of roach and hybrids on almost every day and a really top class of angler. When you’re up against the likes of Bob Nudd, Tommy Pickering, Kev Ashurst and Cathal Hughes, you can see just what a prestigious event the pairs has become.”

Venues for this years’ event include some proven favourites and possibly new stretches on known waters.

With big bream not dominating, the event will suit the angler targeting roach and hybrids on pole and feeder and the massive prize fund makes this the richest coarse match in Ireland.

Topped up with tackle and vouchers from Daiwa plus goodies from Bait-Tech, it’s an event well worth crossing the water for.

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Charity aims to get angling in every town

Angling charity Get Hooked on Fishing is set for its biggest year ever in 2015 with the introduction of six new centres of excellence.

The Environment Agency-backed scheme, whose aim is to introduce thousands of youngsters into the sport, is opening up the extra angling locations in a bid to provide more opportunities to first-time anglers across the UK.

New centres of excellence will be established at Clywd, Buckinghamshire, North and South Yorkshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire to give the project a nationwide presence as well as helping staff to increase the amount of coaching sessions they can hold.

Sarah Collins, Chief Executive for the charity, said: “My aim is to get GHoF on every street corner in the UK as we believe kids from all backgrounds can benefit from it and in turn this will benefit angling.

“We now have events planned for Scotland and Wales this year, which we never had before, including our popular family fishing days where mums and dads as well as kids can have a go at sea, coarse or game fishing for the first time.”

The charity will also be running more than double the amount of events this year after joining forces with the Angling Trust, with both bodies set to co-host more than 30 coaching days to help get more kids into fishing.

The events will see dozens of top anglers providing one-to one instruction to beginners, including matchman Darren Cox, predator angler Sam Edmonds and Shimano backed carper Iain Macmillan. Each of the sessions, some of which will take place at top UK fisheries, will also allow visitors to sign up to the Angling Trust, buy a rod licence, join an angling club or book further coaching sessions as a way of encouraging them to stay in the sport once hooked.

With the increasing demand, Sarah is now appealing to the public for more help. “You don’t have to be a fully licensed coach or top angler to come and help out at the family days,” she said. “The kids will always have their guardian on site so this removes the need for accredited coaches which makes it easier for people to volunteer” she said.

World feeder champion Steve Ringer is also supporting the scheme and believes it is vital to the future of angling. “There are not many avenues into the sport for kids these days, particularly in match fishing, so we need schemes like this otherwise the sport won’t have a future,” he said. “GHoF is a simple and effective way of getting kids interested in fishing and enjoying the outdoors and I encourage people to come and take part.”

Four steps to becoming a fully-fledged angler at a GHoF Family Fun Day…

Step 1: Have-a-go sessions. Simple instruction to help people catch their first fish

Step 2: Have-a-go yourself. Overseen by a Level 1 coach, with anglers left independently to catch fish on their own.

Step 3: Top tips. Expert advice to existing anglers to further improve their abilities.

Step 4: Opportunities. Further coaching and events as well as club opportunities to encourage them to stay in angling.

Want to take part?

APRIL
18, 11am-4pm. Family Fishing Day, Walthamstow Angling Trust, Walthamstow Reservoir, London N17 9NH

19, 11am-4pm. Family Fishing Day, GHoF Ealing, West London UB5 6UR

MAY
27, 10am-3pm. Family Fishing Day, West Midlands Angling Trust, Kingsbury Water Park, WarwickshireB76 0DY

30, 11am-4pm. Family Fishing Day, Peterborough, Orton Pond, Orton Waterville, Peterborough PE2 5UU

JUNE
28, 10am-3pm. Family Fishing Day, East Midlands Angling Trust, Barnwell Country Park, Oundle PE8 5PB

JULY
3-5, Scottish Game Fair, Scone Castle, Scone, Perth PH2 6PL

18-19, 10am-4.30pm. Fish O’Mania Final Weekend, Cudmore Fishery, Staffordshire ST5 5HW

24, 11am-4pm. Family Fishing Day, Alders Farm Fishery, Milton Keynes MK17 9AH

25, 11am-4pm. Family Fishing Day, Bradshaw Hall Fishery, Bolton BL2 4JW

26, Hillingdon Fun Day, Little Britain Lake, Cowley, London UB8 2JH

28,11am-4pm. Family Fishing Day, Tyneside Angling Trust Sea Angling at the National Glass Centre, Sunderland SR6 0GL

31, CLA Game Fair, Harewood House, Leeds LS17 9LG

AUGUST
8, 11am-4pm. Family Fishing Day, North East Angling Trust, Leazes Park Lake, Richardson Road, Newcastle NE2 4BJ

9, Hillingdon Fun Day, Little Britain Lake, Cowley, London UB8 2JH

15, 10am-4pm. North West Angling Trust, Fir Tree Fishery, Wigan WN6 9JB

16, 10am-4.30pm. Family Fishing Day, South West Angling Trust, Bitterwell Lake, Bristol BS36 2UF

22, 10am-4pm. Family Fishing Day, East Angling Trust, Suffolk Water Park, Ipswich IP8 4JS

26, 10am-4pn. Family Fishing Day, South East Angling Trust, North Lake, South Hill Park, Berkshire RG12 7PA

30, 11am-4pm.  Family Fishing Day, GHoF Ealing, West London UB5 6UR

31, 11am-4pm. Family Fishing Day, Bedfordshire Angling Trust, Swiss Garden, Old Warden, Biggleswade SG18 9EP

SEPTEMBER
20, Tidefest, Thames Estuary, London

25- 27, Glasgow Angling Centre Open Weekend, Glasgow Angling Centre, Glasgow G22 5HT

To find out more about Get Hooked on Fishing, make a donation to the charity or volunteer at events, email Sarah on hello@ghof.org.uk or visit their site at www.ghof.org.uk.

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The Wars of the Roses revisited

The War of the Roses is one of the oldest rivalries in sport, especially in football, cricket, rugby and now fishing. Next month, two teams from each respective county will do battle over two legs at two separate fisheries, to help raise money for the England Veterans Team to compete in the World Championships this year. Leading the white rose of Yorkshire will be Dick Clegg, International Events Director for the Angling Trust and a devout ‘Yorkie’ from Barnsley.

“This is a very important, long-standing rivalry and us Yorkies need to put right the defeat of King Richard III during the battle of Bosworth in 1487! This Richard the Clegg OBE is going to batter Danny the Sixsmith! None of our international teams are eligible for funding from any public bodies and only a handful of our teams are sponsored, yet they all consistently deliver at world level. We hope these two fundraising events will help our Veterans team get to Portugal and bring back the gold. We’d like as much support as possible and I’m recruiting from everywhere, I’m looking for mercenaries but I’m not paying!” joked Dick.

Holding the red rose for Lancashire will be captain Danny Sixsmith, an England veterans team member from St Helens who is feared on many North West waters. Danny said that his side will be more than ready for the challenge.

“So this Richard the Clegg is going to batter us is he? We’d have to fish with no hooks for that to happen, he’s not got a prayer! It’s going to be a great two matches at two fantastic venues, I’m getting the troops ready!” he said.

Each side will comprise of forty anglers, with the first leg at Partridge Lakes in Warrington on Wednesday 6 May, followed by the return leg at Lindholme Lakes near Doncaster on Wednesday 20 May. There will be pools and a raffle on the day and spectators are welcome. Historically, the Wars of the Roses consisted of several conflicts between the Houses of York and Lancaster between 1455 and 1487. The final victory went to the Lancastrian Henry Tudor, who defeated Richard III of York at the battle of Bosworth Field. The term roses refers to the badges used by the two opposing sides. 

GET INVOLVED

To register your interest in fishing for each side, telephone Dick Clegg (Yorkshire) on 07534 267512 or Danny Sixsmith (Lancashire) on 07917 320244.

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Trinity Waters caters for all tastes

There's growing pressure on modern fisheries to provide anglers with a diverse fishing experience but Trinity Waters in Somerset certainly offers that and much more. Comprising four unique lakes, the fishery sets a standard of angling that meets the desires of pleasure anglers, matchmen and specimen carpers alike. So whether it’s a bag of silverfish or a 30lb carp that makes you tick, Trinity certainly has the goods to deliver. Here’s a breakdown of the lakes:

SITE 1

Woodland Lake (31 pegs)
Woodland is the main match pool and is the lake to fish if you’re in search of big nets. Current match and pleasure weights are rolling in around the 80lb mark – although a 120lb bag of carp was recorded recently on the pellet wag fished 3ft deep at range. Paste will soon come into play down the edge when the weather warms up, whereas the Method feeder or pole fished short on the deck with maggot and caster will account for 40lb-50lb bags of roach, tench and skimmers all year round.

Ash Lake (20 pegs)
This six-island water has the potential to produce triple-figure nets of carp, crucians and tench in the summer; however 50lb bags are currently coming out on small bits of paste. Fish down the track and on the deck with the pole and feed micros via a cad pot to catch. The Method feeder with worm segments on the hook to the islands will also work as the weather warms.

SITE 2

Wildmarsh Lake (78 pegs)
Wildmarsh is a hit with both carpers and matchmen as it offers a shot at big carp to 16lb as well as huge nets of bream averaging 5lb. Boilies and PVA bags of pellets cast into open water will find the carp, as well as the odd big bream to 11lb which have been caught by carpers in the past. If you’re a pleasure angler though there are plenty of mixed fish stocked including tench, barbel, chub and small carp as well. Alternate between the pole and pellet down the edge or the Method feeder in open water with paste or maggot to catch a range of species.

Chandos Lake (8 pegs)
Known as the specimen carp lake, Chandos has suffered a drop of form during the winter however the fish are starting to feed again. Carp to 29lb are stocked – and an encouraging 21lb common was banked just last week. Over hanging willow trees, lily pads and islands provide plenty of features to cast your boilies and PVA bags of pellets at, with bright pink or yellow pop-ups proving the most successful hookbaits of late.

Prices: £6.50 a day, £4 concessions
Contact: 07896982567 or 01278 450880, www.trinitywaters.co.uk
Location: Trinity Waters, Straight Drove, Bridgwater, Somerset, TA5 2BQ
Rules: Own keepnets can be used BUT MUST GO IN WATER DRY – two nets to be used for carp and silvers, barbless hooks only, no stalking of fish, unhooking mats for large fish, use bait in moderation, no boilies (apart from Wildmarsh and Chandos lake), no rods to be left unattended, no floating baits.

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Yoke Hill Fishery is back with a bang

After more than two years of being a members-only water, Yoke Hill Farm Fishery has once again opened its doors to day-ticket anglers.

The three lake, former match, venue in Northamptonshire is back with a bang as visiting anglers have been bagging up with carp, barbel, chub and silverfish on all three of the fishery’s pools. The top lake to go on at the moment seems to be the Wilfreds Weir which is stuffed with elastic stretching fish including barbel to 10lb and carp averaging around 5lb. This is a 14m wide canal style pool where anglers find fishing across to the far side with the pole works well with baits like corn, maggots, pellets or worm for the barbel which put up a good scrap on light gear.

Another favourite for pleasure anglers is the figure-of-Eight Lake where currently anglers are reporting nets to 50lb of carp averaging 5lb and silvers. With two islands and some open water in the gaps there are plenty of features for anglers to aim at but as the weather warms, fishing in the margins with typical commercial baits works just as well.

Prices: £6 a day

Contact: 07868 038484

Location: Yoke Hill Farm Fishery, Oundle Road, Upper Benefield, Northants, PE8 5AS

Rules: Barbless only, fish in keepnets of four hours max, no floating baits, no bread

Facilities: Disabled access, lodge with terminal tackle and bait, café, toilets

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Big Fish Off gets second series in 2016

The second series of The Big Fish Off has been given the green light.

As you read these words creators of the hit show are working on the next action-packed series that’s received the full backing of broadcasting giants ITV.

Filming of five new episodes hosted by executive producer Ali Hamidi and Dean Macey will begin this May and will feature four shows at popular venues in the UK and one that’s likely to be filmed in Thailand.

The huge success of the first series was largely down to the fact that its wide spectrum of celebrity guests and exiting angling challenges helped bring fishing into the homes of a whole new audience and that winning format will remain unaltered for series two, which will also be broadcast on ITV 4.

Ali has also revealed that the huge list of stars that already want to be part of the next instalment include former footballer Neil ‘Razor’ Ruddock, boxing legend Steve Collins, Radio 1 DJ Scott Mills, actor and Comedian Bobby Davro and former Olympic athlete Sally Gunnell.

“I’ve known that we had the thumbs up for the second series for a while now and it feels great to be able to officially announce the news,” said a delighted Ali.

“It’s a great show that has a winning format as the celebrity guests really were the key to getting non-anglers into the Big Fish Off and believe me this next series is going to be even better with new challenges, huge laughs and great banter.”

“The bosses at ITV loved the ‘Britishness’ of the first series so that’s why we are filming four in the UK and one abroad, which we hope will take us to Thailand.

“I’d just have to take this chance to thank everyone who’s been involved in the show and to all of you out there who have given the series so much praise and support. Without you none of this would be possible.”

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Nine lakes to choose from at Bradshaw Hall Fisheries

Situated in a tranquil valley well away from the urban hub of the main town, Bradshaw Fisheries certainly aims to provide for every type of angler.

Since the complex was taken over by new owners a couple of years ago, it has gone from strength to strength, with all of the nine lakes producing the best action in the their history.

Pole anglers are bagging up on Lake 8 and 9, with the brace of snake lakes the perfect place to land a big mixed net that will be made up on carp, tench, F1s and silverfish. Fish maggot or pellet to the far bank, taking a look down the margins from time to time in an effort to pick out a few bigger samples.

Those that prefer a rod and line attack won’t go far wrong on Lake Four with the Method feeder and pellet waggler both scoring for 80lb nets of carp. This lake is also home to huge numbers of roach and 30lb of them certainly isn’t out of the question if you fish maggots or casters shallow.

Lake Two is the first choice of many specimen anglers and carp to over 20lb falling frequently to boilies, with corn, hemp and casters a better option for bream and tench to over 7lb.

It is also the ideal place to introduce newcomers to the sport, with the smaller and more intimate Lakes One, Five and Six all on fire for roach, perch, skimmers and chub to 3lb.

Experience the magic of Bradshaw Fisheries this week for an unforgettable experience.

Prices: One rod priced at £8 adults and £6 concessions
Contact: Call 01204 307197 or visit www.bradshawhallfisheries.co.uk
Location: Bradshaw Fisheries, Slack Lane, off Bradshaw Road, Bradshaw, Bolton, Lancs, BL2 4JW
Rules: No braided line, barbless hooks only, no cat or dog meat
Facilities: Toilets, café, tackle shop, parking

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Paul Holland wins White Acres Bait-Tech festival

The festival season kicked off at White Acres with the Bait-Tech event, won by Guru ace Paul Holland with a perfect four section wins.

The Reading-based angler landed the £1,500 top prize ahead of Des Shipp by virtue of having a better dropped result; each angler discards their worst score of the week to give them a final tally.

Paul’s dropped second in section bettered the third of Des to see him finally win a festival after nine years of near misses. It left him rightly chuffed, the victory being a pay-off for time spent getting to know the intricacies of the Cornish complex.

“The win has been a long time in coming and you do need a good run of draws as certain sections can have terrible pegs but it’s not all down to luck as people like Des and Steve Ringer win their fair share,” Paul said. “You need to be ready to catch the carp when they decide to have a feed but also to get out of the mind set of fishing just for carp. Silverfish are so important and I’ve spent this winter fishing for F1s at Tunnel Barn Farm so I could get used to working pegs for the full five hours, getting the timing of changing lines right and keeping something going in the net. I’ve always had one day that’s let me down in the past so for it to all come good is brilliant.”

Day 1 saw Paul heading to Jenny’s Lake and peg 15 got his campaign off to a flier with a lake and section win with 142-3-0. That was made up of 10 big carp and around 50lb of roach and skimmers on meat fished short on the pole.

Day 2 saw him off to Trewaters and peg 31 where he picked off small carp on the bomb with bread and corn before finding some bigger carp on meat at 7m in the final few hours for 69-10-0 and another section win.

Bolingey Lake peg 17 halted his charge slightly on Wednesday as he took second in the section with 117-0-0 of carp on bomb fished to the several spots close to the island with bread on the hook.

He got back into contention with a section win from Pollawyn Lake peg 29 on Day 4, weighing in 71-4-0 of carp and skimmers plus around 7lb of roach. With 90 minutes to go in this match it was what Paul described as ‘do or die’ as he’d been feeding positively with 10mm cubes of meat on his bomb line. This gave him five carp and two F1s to just get him in the clear for the valuable six points.

“I fancied drawing peg 16 on the Twin Oaks Lake on Friday and got it. But the way the pegging was in this festival, pegs 15 and 17 were also in so there was less room, plus the far bank had been cleared so there were no holes in the reeds to fish the feeder into,” Paul explained.

“120lb had won the section the day before and I felt I could get this by fishing meat on the pole. It was a slow start on the bomb and I was falling behind, but a change to 13m with meat got me off the mark with some carp.

“All the time I was loosefeeding meat on the bomb line and I did catch four fish casting a meat feeder here but it was slow, although the final hour came really good for me with a run of carp on meat short.”

Paul had taken 146lb to win the section and lake, further swelling his coffers and confirming his long-awaited win.

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