Trust boss calls on anglers to contact their MP
FOLLOWING the release of the Angling Trust’s report to government titled ‘When We Fish Again’, Trust CEO Jamie Cook has now called on all anglers to write to their MP.
The newly appointed boss of the Angling Trust made the rallying call in an article on the Trust’s ‘Lines on the Water’ blog earlier today.
He said:
“We’ve been delighted with the overwhelmingly positive reaction to the report. It’s provoked a lot of interest and feedback.
“We’ve made sure every MP in the country has received a copy and our next job is to get them to persuade ministers to adopt our plans to get us back fishing.
“I need every angler reading this to send a short email to their own MP asking them to back our plans to ensure fishing is at the front of the queue and that we are allowed out on the bank as soon as it is safe to do so. We’ve made this as easy as possible – it takes less than two minutes – and it really will make a difference.”
An easy link has been set-up on the Angling Trust website to aid this process: Contact your MP.
For the full blog visit: Lines on the Water.
Will you be writing to your MP? Let us know…
Should angling clubs refund their members?
TAKE a look at some of the photos in the magazine over the past two weeks and you’ll see that anglers are, as always, finding ingenious ways to bring some much-needed humour to the worrying situation currently gripping the country.
Funny videos and entertaining indoor fishing challenges have brought smiles to all our faces, but one topic where opinion has been more divided is the issue of refunds of syndicate and club membership fees for the period where fisheries are closed.
Some anglers are seeking compensation for missed fishing time on expensive tickets, despite the fact that angling clubs still have to pay rent on their waters, and many rely on income from memberships just to stay afloat.
Oxford’s Linear Fisheries is one of Britain’s most popular venues, and staff recently announced plans to freeze direct debit payments for syndicate members from April 1 until the fishery reopens.
“For us, it’s the moral thing to do,” says head bailiff Ian Roper.
“People can’t go fishing, so we’re not going to charge them for it.”
Despite the financial implications of the move, Ian says that the welfare of their regular anglers is the main priority.
“We’re a business, and we know we’re going to take a big financial hit by taking this decision, but we’re trying to do what is best for our members. We also closed our doors a few days before the official Government announcement. Again, this was because we felt that it was the right decision.”
Further south, Wimborne and District AC (WDAC) are compensating their members’ missed time in a different way.
“We’ve extended memberships by the period of the lockdown, thus not penalising members for a situation outside their control,” a club spokesperson tells us.
“It seemed to be the moral option, as many people will be suffering from reduced earnings and increasing financial pressure. It’s also a positive step to help our members, and our way of reciprocating their enthusiasm and loyalty.”
But not all angling clubs have felt the need to compensate their members, including Warrington Anglers Association, one of the biggest club in the north.
“We’ve only had one member ask for a refund,” says secretary Frank Lythgoe,
“but most of our members know that they have a responsibility to the club. We’re not a business like a gym, with members who join just to use our facilities – we’re a proper club, with members that support us through thick and thin.”
As a large club, controlling 33 miles of canal, over 160 acres of stillwater fishing and 60 miles-plus of river, Warrington AA rely heavily on subscriptions to cover their costs.
“Just like any other year, we have rents and various other expenses, and without income from memberships we wouldn’t be able to meet these obligations,” Frank explains.
“But we’re lucky, as we have fantastic members, who are all in this together with the club.”
Over in the Midlands, Shrewsbury AC secretary Chris Wood reveals that their members were following a similar path.
“None of our 250 members have mentioned refunds,” he says,
“and to be honest, I’m not quite sure why someone would expect a pay-out. Sure, it’s frustrating that we can’t fish, but the closure of fisheries isn’t something that the club have decided – it’s a government measure that’s there to protect people’s safety.
“If we lost membership income as a result of the lockdown, the club would suffer. Thankfully, our members are happy to continue supporting the club while respecting the Government’s decision.
“At the end of the day, this won’t last forever, the water and the fish will still be there when we are allowed on the bank again. Let’s look forward to that.”
Permitting angling will be great for the UK economy
ONE of the main benefits of angling highlighted in the recent Angling Trust report provided to Government officials, was the money the sport brings in.
Fishing makes a substantial contribution to the UK economy
Generating £4 billion annually, angling makes a substantial contribution to the UK economy and is one of our most popular pastimes.
Some 40,000 jobs are linked to fishing through either, manufacturing, retailing, distribution or fishery management.
Fisheries management creates thousands of jobs
In the ‘When We Fish Again’ report, the Trust called upon the findings of The European Anglers Alliance, who suggested that in Holland, where fishing has continued to be permitted throughout the pandemic, the contribution to the economy has nearly trebled.
The lack of anglers on the bank throughout the lockdown has also seen an increase in vandalism, fish theft and poaching, which has economic impacts on fisheries and our enforcement services.
Korda and Embryo boss, Danny Fairbrass, was keen to comment on this issue, in the report he said:
“We have 25 lakes from Yorkshire to Oxfordshire, and almost every one has been vandalised or fished illegally during lockdown.
Our staff and volunteers have spent significant time repairing damaged fences and providing a human presence to deter vandals and poachers.
Property has been stolen, and we have serious concerns that some of our fish may have been stolen as well.
Fellow fishery owners across the UK have complained of similar illegal activity, forcing them out of isolation to protect their livelihood.
With fishing safely re-introduced this would eradicate all of these issues overnight.”
Korda and Embryo boss Danny Fairbrass
The Trust reinforced the point that anglers themselves are they eyes and ears of our waterways, and letting them return to the banks will ease the pressure on public services.
To read the full report, please visit Angling Trust.
The Angling Trust’s Volunteer Bailiff Service patrolling the banks
“Matches in future will require cooperation and common sense” - Dom Garnett
IT’S only been a few weeks since my final pre-lockdown fishing match, but already it seems a lifetime ago.
The reaction of clubs and fisheries was interesting in those strange early days of the virus. Many matches were cancelled, but the bigger venues tended to crack on, albeit with social distancing measures.
For my money, though, a smaller club match seemed the safest bet. And so, with just a handful of competitors and some proactive ideas on keeping Covid-19 at bay, I joined the lads from Taunton AA for a knock-up on the canal.
So how would they manage to compete without risking a bout of virus? Well, for starters, wider-than-usual pegging and fewer than 10 anglers would help – I wouldn’t have fancied a 50-pegger on a busy commercial fishery!
Match organiser Dan Baldwin had also identified the two biggest risks of any match: the draw and the weigh-in both tend to encourage a scrum of anglers at well under two metres. Pegs were therefore all drawn by one person, with everyone else at a safe distance.
Talking of that magical two metres distance, it might seem that we’ve been conscious of it forever, but before the lockdown, the message really hadn’t got through to most of the public! Our competitors were highly compliant, though, and took it with their typical banter (“I’m not social distancing, I just don’t like you lot!”). Does it also help that pole anglers already think in metres?
The same could not be said for the passers-by, however. From groups of friends acting as if it was a picnic, to runners panting their way along a narrow towpath, it felt like the safest place to be was right on the water, facing the other way!
I had an unmemorable match. I kicked myself for not bringing a long whip, as the regulars stole a march with hordes of small bleak and roach.
Nor did my usual chopped worm approach work. Two measly rudd were the sum of my bonus fish, while my neighbour Steve Kedge netted a tench and two solid perch to sail into a huge lead.
If playing a tench on light line wasn’t perilous enough, the next challenge would be the weigh-in. Again, match organiser Dan stepped in while onlookers were reminded to keep their distance. The main possible transmission risk would be each angler’s keepnet, but with disposable gloves and hand gel on standby it was no recipe for danger.
For me, the match was a strangely heartening experience. The world can’t shut down forever and at some stage match fishing has to continue but it will require cooperation and common sense.
"We survived the winter and we'll survive this too" - UK tackle shops vow to beat Covid-19
On March 23rd Boris Johnson declared that all non-essential shops in Britain had to close to the public – and these included hundreds of fishing tackle outlets spread right across the country.
But rather than getting downbeat, owners and staff at these stores are remaining optimistic, and are hopeful of a surge in customers once the sport returns to normal later in the year.
Nottingham’s Matchman Supplies is one such shop. Although they’ve been forced to shut, they’ve been able to keep things ticking over through online trade.
“Fingers crossed, we’ll get through it,” says sales assistant Bill Bywater.
“The final stock deliveries were done the day after the government’s announcement, so we’ve got quite a bit of tackle to sell online before we open our doors again.
“It’s strange here at the moment,” he adds.
“We’ve usually got three members of staff in the shop, but now we’re coming in one at a time to sort out online orders.”
Bill hopes this trickle of trade will be enough to pull them through these unprecedented times.
“I’m optimistic that we’ll get through it. The people I worry about are the small tackle shops that don’t sell online. These guys could really struggle,” he says.
Graham Duckworth owns just such a shop – J.T Rodgers Ltd, in Leeds. As a traditional, local tackle shop, Graham has no online sales presence.
“I was absolutely gutted when we were forced to close,” he says, from the safety of his garden.
“I didn’t take over the business to make loads of money, it was just to pay the
bills and to keep the local angling community’s tackle shop going, so when the news hit it really hurt – especially after one of the worst winters for fishing in
recent memory.“In fact, things had just started to perk up and we’d had two good weeks of business before everything ground to a halt.”
Currently, Graham is looking into what government grants he is eligible for, and despite the bleak short-term outlook, he has faith in the future of his shop.
“We survived the winter and we’ll survive this too,” he says.
“As much as the current situation hurts, we have enough customers to keep going, and once the ban has been lifted anglers will hopefully be out in numbers.
“Everybody needs to keep their chins up. We’ll get through this.”
Dan Brydon, owner of Norfolk’s Wensum Valley Angling, also thinks that angling will thrive once the fishing ban is lifted.
“I get the feeling that people won’t want to risk going abroad this year, which will mean more people spending their holidays fishing here in the UK,” he tells us.
“Some may even be put off booking holidays in advance over the next couple of years and that would give angling in this country a real boost.”
While Dan is able to sell odd bits and pieces on eBay, it won’t be enough to keep his shop going. But alongside some financial help from the government, he has come up with an ingenious idea that should help to keep his shop afloat.
“We’re selling corona vouchers,” Dan revealed.
“These give anglers up to 25 per cent free once they can return to the shop. For example, you can buy a £100 voucher, and we’ll give you £25 free on top.
“My mate jokingly came up with the name, but we’ve already sold a few, so hopefully they’ll keep us going while also encouraging people to return to the shop once we’re all out and about again.”
Interested in buying some corona vouchers? Contact Dan Brydon on
01603 929090 or 07766 658948.
Get the bivvy up to support our NHS
A keen catfish angler is calling on other anglers to throw up the bivvy and spend a night in the garden this Friday, to show support for the NHS.
Fifty-five-year-old Steve Stewart, who is a member of the Catfish Conservation Group, came up with the idea after seeing a post from a friend on Facebook, who had set their bivvy up out the back of the house to get their fishing fix.
Dorking based Steve told Angling Times:
“A light bulb went off for me this morning, when I noticed my friend’s Facebook post.
“I thought how cool would it be if the fishing community could come together as a group to support our NHS staff.”
Steve also revealed that like so many others the NHS is very close to his heart…
“It’s a personal one for me as my daughter is a front line worker.
“A great deal of us are sat at home, some with children that need amusing. So as anglers lets show our support this Friday in a way we know how.
“If anyone can make a small donation, I’m sure it will be greatly appreciated.”
Steve has set up a JustGiving page and aims to raise £500 for NHS staff, click the link to donate
No licence refund...for now
THE Environment Agency have confirmed that they are not currently offering out refunds for fishing licences as a result of the current COVID-19 lockdown.
There have been growing calls on social media for the Agency to provide some compensation to anglers, who have not been able to get out on the bank due to social distancing laws.
A spokesperson from the EA told Angling Times:
“We do not know how long the restrictions on movement will apply and so do not know what impact Coronavirus will have on people’s opportunities to go fishing over the rest of the year.
“We are not currently offering a refund on licences or other options such as extending the period of time a licence is valid. We are, however, continuing to review the situation and will take any action at the appropriate time.
“In the mean time we urge anglers to follow government guidelines on leaving the house only when necessary.”
For all the latest updates on how Coronavirus will impact your fishing, head to our ‘Lockdown Lowdown’ page.
Support hub launched for angling businesses
THE Angling Trust has set up a support hub and hotline for all angling organisations following the Government ban on all non-essential movement.
Fishery owners, fish farmers, tackle shop owners and angling clubs can access the helpline, as well as information regarding financial support that could be available, by visiting the Angling Trust website.
Trust chief executive Jamie Cook, also revealed he has written to the Government in a bid for clarification on whether fishing could be classified as permitted exercise during the lockdown.
“It’s clear that the only permitted activities that have been specified are walking, running and cycling for the purpose of local daily exercise,” says Jamie. “Therefore until further notice we should all refrain from fishing. This is about saving lives and supporting the NHS.
“However, we have written to the Sports Minister highlighting the benefits to both physical health and mental wellbeing that angling provides and that we are ready and prepared to offer whatever support the Government or Sport England require now, or in the future, to get people back fishing as soon as is safely possible.”
Clubs, fisheries and other angling organisations seeking support should visit:
