EA backs down over Broads barriers
THE BATTLE to stop fish barriers being placed around an important bream spawning site on the Norfolk Broads took an important twist this week after the Environment Agency admitted to ignoring suggestions made by its own fisheries team about the dangers of such barriers.
Earlier this year the EA granted Natural England a permit to block off Hoveton Great Broad in order to ‘combat turbidity and promote better weed growth’.
The Angling Trust and Broads Angling Services Group challenged the EA’s plans and, following a judicial review, it looks likely that the permit will be removed, as Fish Legal solicitor Justin Neal revealed. He said:
“The EA Fisheries team warned the higher powers at the Agency of the impact these barriers could have, but none of this information was made available to the public. The EA has admitted to failing to properly consult on the application, and it now looks likely that the court will approve an order to quash the permit.”
Hoveton Great Broad would have been blocked off
WANTED! £100 reward for barbel catches!
MEMBERS of an angling club are being offered the chance to claim a £100 reward for catching a 3lb-plus barbel from the Great Ouse.
The cash incentive has been created by the committee at Buckinghamshire’s Olney and Clifton Fishing Association to encourage more people to go fishing and help establish a foothold for the species in the river around Olney.
The club’s match secretary and head bailiff, Ian Barnes, said:
“15 years ago barbel were common on the Great Ouse, but numbers have since dwindled.
“The EA has done a fantastic job reintroducing barbel into the river over the last few years and as a result, catches are now being recorded both upstream and downstream of our stretch at Olney.
“Barbel are the missing piece of the puzzle for our club, so hopefully this incentive will draw in a few more people.”
Members who successfully catch a 3lb-plus barbel can submit their claim by contacting Ian on 07761384822. An annual membership for OCFA costs just £25 from www.olneycliftonfishing.co.uk
15 years ago barbel were common on the Great Ouse, but numbers have since dwindled
Catfish are breeding in UK rivers - is this good or bad for angling?
A JUVENILE catfish has been caught from the River Trent and, while it won’t break any records, it could have a huge bearing on the future of Britain’s waterways.
Far larger specimens have been reported from rivers, including the Thames, in recent years, and they’ve always been regarded as one-off, fluke catches. But this ‘kitten’ suggests that the species may have started to breed in our running water venues. This development has sparked debate over whether the predatory species should be left to flourish as a viable angling target, or eradicated on the grounds of it being an unwanted alien invader.
Calum Fox, who banked the tiny cat, explained how his catch unfolded:
“At first I thought it was an eel, but when it surfaced and I got a better look I realised that it was very different from anything I’d normally catch,” he said.
“It came from a spot where anglers have had their tackle smashed by unseen monsters, believed to be large catfish or sturgeon. Perhaps those beasts were this fish’s mum and dad!”
Calum Fox with a baby catfish caught from the River Trent
So, is it possible for Wels catfish to breed in the UK’s relatively cool waters? Dr Paul Garner, an expert on all things fishy, sees no reason why not.
“I can’t think of any substantiated reports of people seeing them spawning, but I’d say there is no reason why they shouldn’t have spawned in the river,” said Paul.
“If you look at the range of Wels catfish, you’ll see that they breed in waters much colder than ours. Someone needs to spend a bit of time on the Trent next summer with proper fishing gear and do a bit of clonking!” he added.
A larger Trent catfish caught in 2018
While it seems there’s little doubt, therefore, that the catfish caught by Calum was born in the River Trent, the question remains whether the species will be a welcome addition to our river system, or an unwanted non-native pest that will upset the ecological balance of our waters.
Opinion among our readers appears divided. Some, like Alex Fanshawe, relish the prospect of targeting these hard-fighting monsters. Alex said:
“A river catfish from the UK is the pinnacle of all domestic angling dreams as far as I am concerned.
“They have been breeding in our river systems for decades, and represent no threat to our native aquatic life if you’re willing to take a holistic view. Nature has found a balance, as it always will.”
Others were fearful of the impact the species might have, with Italian angler Andrea Penso warning of the impact Wels catfish have had on fisheries in his home country.
“Cats are part of the reason our rivers are now messed up, compared to several decades ago,” he said.
“They’re everywhere and have had a huge impact on our native fish species. But since everyone seems to enjoy a lengthy tug of war with an ugly fish, nothing will be done to eradicate them. I just hope that England’s outstanding chub and barbel fisheries will not be affected by their proliferation.”
These sentiments were echoed by Simon Clarke, a passionate catfish angler who is also managing director of tackle firm of anglers regularly doing battle with huge catfish from UK rivers remains a long way off at present.
“While I love catfish, in my opinion they shouldn’t be in our waters because they’re simply not native. Until global warming has a significant and sustained impact on our water temperatures, they won’t be a fish we’ll regularly see.
“Our population of Wels catfish is at the northernmost latitude in Europe, other than a few in Sweden. As a result, our summers are shorter and cooler than those in southern countries, which leads to lower water temperatures and poor breeding success for catfish.
“We know they’ve been in the Trent for up to 30 years and in the Thames for possibly 70 years. If they haven’t established themselves in that time frame, I think we’ve got a fair old wait yet before they breed successfully and really settle.”
Until they do, Simon revealed that the burgeoning catfish population in UK rivers could actually help to eradicate a non-native species considered to be a scourge of angling.
“Crayfish make up a large portion of their diet, so they could actually help to tackle the UK’s population of American Signal crayfish, which are a truly threatening, invasive species,” he said.
Another shot of Calum Fox’s Trent catfish that got people talking
Angler given 'Flame of Hope' award for fishing cancer charity
A PENRITH angler has received a special commendation in the Cancer Research UK Flame of Hope awards after raising nearly £15,000 for the charity.
Mike Smith (36) was honoured with the Pioneer of the Year award after his ‘Bite out of Cancer’ initiative inspired hundreds of anglers to donate the weight of every fish they caught in money.
Mike was inspired to fundraise for the cancer charity after losing both his grandfather and his dad to the disease.
A Bite Out Of Cancer’s Mike Smith with the award
For more on A Bite Out Of Cancer read our interview with Mike - click here.
WORLD record brown trout!
A COLOSSAL brown trout eclipsing the current world record of 42lb 1oz has been recorded from a canal in New Zealand.
The incredible fish measured 44lb 3oz on the scales and was taken on a spinner from the Mackenzie Hydro Canals, located near to the South Island town of Twizel.
Its captor, who’s requested to be referred to as Seamus from Turangi, decided to keep the prized trout and donate it to the local Razza Bar and Bistro to be stuffed and hung up proudly next to the bar’s other mammoth catches on display – including trout of 38lb 2oz and 38lb 9oz.
The world record brown trout at 44lb 3oz - what a monster!
Figures reveal low response to fishery incidents - do we need more bailiffs?
THE angling community is deeply concerned for the safety of our sport after damning figures were revealed about the Environment Agency’s response to fishery incidents over lockdown.
Obtained by a Freedom of Information request, they state that between March 23 and August 21 this year, the EA’s National Incident Recording System received 2,924 reports of fishery incidents across England. Just 103 were registered as ‘attended’.
The EA’s National Incident Recording System received 2,924 reports of fishery incidents across England. Just 103 were registered as ‘attended’
‘Fishery incidents’ include poaching and fish disease – but the EA states that it had to prioritise certain incidents over lockdown. A spokesperson told us:
“During the national lockdown we had to limit some field work due to Government guidance on how to manage the risk of contracting Coronavirus, but we continued to respond to the most damaging incidents which could have seriously harmed the environment.
“Over the course of the summer we carried out many fish rescue operations that were essential to protect vital fish species.”
The EA also told us that the figures might be slightly misleading:
“Some of the 2,924 incident notifications may have been from the same source. Others could have been unsubstantiated, while others won’t have been appropriate to attend, or not have been within our remit.”
Many believe the EA is underfunded
While there’s no doubt the EA faced an unprecedented and challenging time, and that these figures may not tell the full picture, this can’t continue – as angling ambassador, Rob Hughes, explains:
“To be honest, I’m not surprised by the figures. Over lockdown there were many problems, ranging from members of the public trespassing on fisheries right through to poaching.
“There was bound to be a high level of incidents, and the poor response time is indicative of just how underfunded the Environment Agency is.
“However, we can’t excuse these figures and people should not get away with poaching. The whole Covid situation has been a learning curve, and hopefully the EA can learn from these statistics and be better prepared in future.”
Martin Salter, Head of Policy at the Angling Trust, gave its view on the issue:
“The Trust is disappointed at the lack of activity on the ground by the Environment Agency during the lockdown period and after, but is pleased that normal service has been resumed,” he said.
What can be done to help the Environment Agency protect fisheries?
But has it? According to Adrian Lane, of Fishery Watch, the UK’s largest independent voluntary water keeper network, problems are still occurring.
“Last week we had a call about a man killing an 80cm pike. He’s admitted to it – I’ve received messages from him doing so – but when the incident was reported to the EA it showed no interest.
“We also received reports from a man fishing a canal who watched someone catching bream and putting them in a bucket to take away. Again, he called the EA, which was unable to help due to having nobody in the area. The problems are ongoing, and we can’t let it go on like this.”
It was Adrian who submitted the FOI request to the EA, after receiving an alarming number of calls from anglers during lockdown saying that they weren’t getting any help.
“People have called in desperation after failed attempts with the EA,” he says,
“and we will try and help out where we can.
“We made 41 calls to the police about fishery incidents over lockdown, and every single one was attended. Officers have even stayed on afterwards on occasions and helped clear up rubbish. It would be great if the EA could refer people to the police if its staff can’t attend an incident.”
Asked where he believes the EA’s problem lies, Adrian says:
“The last thing I want to do is criticise the people on the ground.
“I have great relationships with my enforcement officers, who are as passionate and caring about our fisheries as we are.
“I think the problems come from the top, and until more funding is made available our fisheries are in a perilous place.”
Angling club beats local council in legal battle
SOUTH Wales angling club has won £39,000 in damages and legal costs after winning a seven-year battle against its local council. Rhymney and District AS launched the case after its Deri Lake was drained, without warning, by Caerphilly County Borough Council back in April 2013.
“The council came to de-silt the lake. It didn’t warn the club, and it opened an outlet pipe through which fish were sucked until there was only 6ins of water remaining,” said Andrew Kelton, the club’s legal representative.
An image of how the lake was left by the council
Club members who turned up the next day were greeted by a scene of devastation, with most of the fish they had stocked just a few years earlier either dead or struggling in what little water remained.
“When the club asked the council for compensation, it claimed that Rhymney had no proof of the fish being lost, and this remained its position for seven years,” Andrew added.
Club Secretary Jesse Pugh measuring the depth
Reflecting on the final outcome of the case, heard at Cardiff County Court, the club’s honorary secretary Jesse Pugh said:
“It’s a massive boost and will set us up for 10 years or more. I’m just worried they’ll put my council tax up after we beat them!”
Rhymney Lake in normal conditions
UK anglers call on record captors to "submit claims" and "ignore the trolls"
THE VAST majority of anglers believe that Matt Atkins and Wayne Mansford, captors of record-breaking perch and carp respectively, should submit official claims for new British bests.
Not long after making the extraordinary captures, both anglers admitted they were having second thoughts about applying for records for a range of reasons, chief among which was the amount of online abuse they received from ‘trolls’ – individuals who use the internet to mock and discredit fish.
Matt Atkins was not sure if he would submit a claim for this record perch of 6lb 4oz
One man who’s fully aware of the unwanted attention that can follow a big fish capture is Neill Stephen, current joint holder of the British records for perch and chub. He’s adamant that the two anglers shouldn’t let the trolls get their way.
“I have every sympathy for those on the receiving end of negativity,” he said.
“These are two incredible fish and the captors should only be congratulated.
“I don’t see how applying for a record makes any difference. The catches have already been publicised and the application process is just one simple form. The fish either do or don’t meet the criteria.”
Neill has noticed more negativity about Wayne’s 75lb 2oz carp, and while he laments some of the changes in carp fishing over his lifetime, he believes that people should be allowed to enjoy whatever form of the sport they choose.
“We’re living in a world where more people like to target big fish,” he added.
“It’s a different type of fishing to what used to be around, but why shouldn’t people enjoy it? Choose what you enjoy, and let others do the same!”
Wayne Mansford with a massive 75lb 2oz carp - will he claim the record?
The trolling of catches online seems to be a growing problem, and it’s not just specimen anglers targeted either. Browse Facebook for any length of time and you’ll see young kids right through to veterans having their catches ridiculed, with one of the main accusations being that the fish ‘don’t look the weight’ or that computer software has been used to make them look bigger.
This latter accusation was levelled at Matt Atkins soon after pictures of his amazing 6lb 4oz perch were published. However, it appears that anglers as a whole are now becoming fed up with the online critics and their baseless claims.
Angling Times reader Michael Bilbie said:
“They’re just jealous keyboard warriors, who probably don’t know one end of the rod from another - pathetic! People should be congratulated for catching records and PBs. I saw the photo of the potential record perch and it looks the size stated all day long.”
These sentiments were echoed by fellow reader Ross Hunter, who said:
“Claim the record, forget the haters, because they’re just that – haters who wished they could have caught the fish themselves.”
The controversial subject of fish ‘not looking the weight’ in catch photos is as old as the hills, and it remains the main bone of contention in the digital era too. Yet, as legendary angling photographer Mick Rouse points out, images can be misleading. Mick, who was head of photography at Angling Times for decades and ‘snapped’ countless famous fish, said:
“By using computer programs like Photoshop or wide angled camera lenses you can make fish look bigger, but it’s not as simple as that because it can be difficult to make smaller species look their true size.
“Take roach for example. It’s tricky to make a fish of 3lb look the weight, and the same goes with perch. If you put their dorsal fin up, they look much larger, but with the fin down, as was the case with Matt Atkins’ fish, they look smaller.”
Mick added that while we do occasionally get anglers who lie about fish weights, these are generally known ‘individuals’.
“In the end, they’re only lying to themselves,” he added.
“I like to think that truthful anglers are in an overwhelming majority.”
Photo quality seems to be all important when it comes to silencing online fishing trolls
52lb of bleak secures win from unfavourable peg
A STAGGERING 52lb 5oz of bleak sealed victory in the star-studded Wye Champs for river ace Hadrian Whittle.
The contest, fished on a rapidly rising river, turned out to be the perfect storm for a big weight of bleak, which was Hadrian’s only real chance of victory after drawing an unfavourable peg.
“I was placed on permanent peg 28 on Belmont 1, which is known as one of the last places you want to draw!
“However, with a rapidly rising river I was fairly happy, because I knew there was a chance that the bleak would come into play,” he said.
After a slow start and a look on the feeder, Hadrian switched back to a 2.5m whip and caught 600 bleak before switching to a 1.6m whip and catching another 930.
“By this time, I was flying,” Hadrian added,
“and I checked my watch to see there was an hour and 20 minutes left. In this time I had another 530 fish!”
Hadrian Whittle and his 52lb bag of bleak
SAVE OUR SEVERN! - Anglers unite as plans for mega-dam are revealed
ANGLERS are being urged to join an action group and challenge a proposal to build a dam on the River Severn amid fears it will cause catastrophic flooding. Save Our Severn (SOS) has been set up by a team of Shropshire farmers and residents to counter Severn River Partnership’s plan, which would see a £40 million water barrier built on the river within one mile of Shrewsbury town centre.
The Severn River Partnership’s plan, would see a £40 million water barrier built on the river within one mile of Shrewsbury town centre.
The partnership, which is a consortium including the Environment Agency, Shropshire Council and Severn Trent Water, believes a dam would protect 2,500 homes south of Shrewsbury from flooding and pave the way for a massive development of up to 47,000 newbuilds.
Following an independent investigation carried out by SOS, however, the action group is arguing that the dam would be too small and could overflow within just 2.5 days of a full flood – submerging at least 10,000 acres of farmland and riverbank.
The news is a cause for concern for a number of angling associations, including Shrewsbury Anglers Club, which owns six popular stretches of the Severn in the area. Its secretary, Chris Wood, told us:
“Last winter’s floods were devastating and if we have similar cases, this dam could spell disaster. Aside from it creating a barrier to migratory species like salmon and eels, it’s likely we’ll see immense flooding.
“The dam will also need to release water to stem the floods which, depending on the volume, could remove large areas of gravel downstream and change the river’s topography. Local residents need to seriously consider whether they think this is the right course of action.”
Now, the action group is raising as much awareness as possible to highlight the damage a dam could potentially cause. SOS’s joint chair, Ed Tate, said:
“Flooding is a serious issue on the Severn and we want to see a good solution to the problem, but building a dam isn’t it. We’ll create a petition to try and thwart the plans, but making people aware of what’s happening is our primary goal right now.”
Save Our Severn
FOR MORE INFORMATION
join the SOS action group, visit www.saveoursevern.com
Tributes roll in for Britain’s oldest matchman
Frank Posiak, Britain’s oldest match angler, has died at the age of 94 after a short illness.
Having fished around 10,000 matches, Frank was loved by his fellow anglers and tributes have poured in from all corners of the angling community.
Members of Long Eaton Angling Federation, of which Frank was a life member, shared some of their stories.
“My favourite Frank Posiak moment was when he won a match on the ponds with 27lb,” said Pete Allwood.
“He was stood on the bank behind peg 8 with his hands on his hips and a massive smile on his face. Me and Alan Wright stopped to ask him if he had caught carp. ‘Yes’ he responded. Tench? ‘Yes.’ Bream? ‘Yes.’ Big perch.... ‘YES! Can you lift my net out, please, I might fall in!’ RIP Frank, your smile will be sadly missed.”
Club member Daz Lewis added:
“It’s so sad that another one of our great family of anglers has gone. He was a true gentleman of our sport.”
Frank still fished well into his nineties
Latest Environment Agency Fisheries update
Hello from everyone at the Environment Agency,
We are pleased to bring you the latest updates on our fisheries work. For Team EA, we have had a busy month, with the unsettled weather leading to multiple reports of fish in distress due to the impact that warmer temperatures have on oxygen levels in our waters. We deployed aeration equipment to several fisheries including Colliery Plantation in West Lancashire where oxygen levels were restored after three days and we have been giving advice to a number of fisheries owners.
We continue to check our fish passes for flood damage and have been arranging repair work where needed as it’s vital that our fish passes work as well as possible.
We were also pleased to announce that fishery improvement funds have just been confirmed for a host of river and stillwater improvement projects – this will see some great work on river and stillwater fisheries take place later this year. £91,750 from rod licence income is being used to fund eight projects across the Lancashire county area and is being matched by partners resulting in an overall investment of £200,000. We are also currently working on the latter stages of potentially securing additional funding that will provide further boost to our rivers and fisheries!
Increasing patrols and enforcement
Over the past month, we’ve focused more patrol efforts on the Border Esk, Ehen and Eden alongside our regular patrols after we received reports of anglers taking salmon where they shouldn’t, as well as cases of some anglers fishing without licences or being club members. We’re reminding everyone that you must obtain a licence to fish as well as necessary permissions to access a fishery. All of the money we receive from rod licence sales funds work to protect and improve our fisheries and will benefit the angling community.
We worked closely with the Police and Lake District National Park Authority over the bank holiday weekend to patrol as many hotspots for offences as we could. The lakes often see illegal camping and fishing but we were pleased to report good behavior in general.
We continue to work with the Police and Angling Trust across Cumbria and Lancashire and have again helped with the annual specialist training undertaken by Wildlife Officers. The course run by the Police has gained popularity every year and this year over 50 officers attended.
Our fishery officers also delivered additional training to Lancashire and Merseyside Police Wildlife Officers on fisheries legislation and the negative impacts of poaching game fish, stealing coarse fish from angling club waters and rivers, poaching and smuggling elvers, fish disease, alien fish and plant species and how we can work together to reduce fisheries crime.
Fish restocking
Our teams over in Norfolk have been busy installing a new fish pass on the river Wensum in Norwich. The development of this fish pass means that fish and eels now have access to an extra 5,000m of the river – a great boost for the fish population.
Environment Agency staff have also been busy near Thetford, releasing 10,000 young dace into the River Thet. The fish were part of a very large batch of dace that spawned at our National Fish Farm.
Our fish farm had a record-breaking year, with half a million fish restocked across England – our largest ever tonnage of fish! 12.3 tonnes of fish were produced at the farm in Nottinghamshire in 2019 – compared with 11.6 tonnes the previous year – an increase of 6%. In 2017, the amount of fish bred at the farm was 9 tonnes. The farm also bred over seven million larvae. We bred these at the farm for an extended period of time to ensure the larvae were more likely to survive.
Restocking our rivers not only helps boost fish populations but also supports a healthy ecology and benefits anglers.
Don’t forget to stay in touch!
Our teams work round the clock to respond to environmental incidents, including pollution or fish in distress. If you discover any Illegal fishing, pollution or incidents harming the environment please report it to the Environment Agency on 0800 80 70 60.
You can stay up-to-date with the latest news and information from the Environment Agency on Twitter and Instagram at @envagency or check out our Facebook page.
Extra £1.35m to be invested in fishery projects
Following a boom in rod licence sales this summer, the Environment Agency revealed that £1.35m of additional income will be invested in fishery projects, with an extra £400,000 being pumped into fish farming and research.
The news follows hot debate on where the new income should go, and it seems that the EA is investing it to safeguard the future of our sport.
An EA spokesperson told us:
“Securing £1.35m will benefit our angling community, as it will go to our Fisheries Improvement Programme and the Angling Improvement Fund (AIF) to support local projects across England.
“These projects have already had a big impact, with the AIF helping to fund more than 500 angling projects.
“An additional £400,000 will go towards new equipment at the National Fisheries Laboratory, Calverton Fish Farm and new technology to monitor fish populations.”
The EA is reviewing where further income will be allocated. Watch this space for further developments.
To submit a proposal for the Angling Improvement Fund, visit: www.anglingtrust.net/aif
The money has been generated from a boom in rod licence sales
Anglers urged to help in fight to protect our waterways from pollution
THE Angling Trust is taking a stand against the growing threat of pollution in UK waterways with a new drive that aims to preserve not only our fishing, but also the health of the whole aquatic environment.
Named ‘Anglers Against Pollution’, the campaign is demanding better monitoring of our waters and proper enforcement of laws and regulations, leading to more efficient and stringent prosecution of those found guilty of large-scale pollutions.
The campaign is demanding better monitoring of our waters and proper enforcement of laws and regulations
It follows damaging recent assessments that revealed none of our waters meet European chemical pollution standards.
Britain’s anglers have a long history of striving to protect our rivers and stillwaters dating back to the creation of the Anglers Conservation Association in 1948, and the Trust is hoping that those within our sport will once again step up to the plate and put pressure on Government by signing the petition that was launched on October 15.
John Cheyne, National Regions Manager at the Trust, is spearheading the initiative, and he told us:
“The waters we fish are in crisis, suffering from all forms of pollution, from agricultural run-off to plastics, chemical pesticides and raw sewage. Time is no longer a luxury we can afford in the fight for our environment.”
The waters we fish are in crisis
The new campaign will not be seeking the creation of new legislation to tackle the growing pollution threat, as John believes that current laws are sufficient – they’re simply not being enforced properly.
“The Environment Agency has seen its budget cut by 50 per cent since 2010, so proper monitoring becomes a real challenge,” he added.
“When it does catch a perpetrator, they get off far too easily. Take water companies. The fine they face is often cheaper than the cost of fixing a pollution issue, so they simply take the hit and continue to offend.
“Now is the time to take a stand. Get behind our new campaign and let’s demand that our rivers, lakes and canals are clean and healthy places full of fish and abundant wildlife for us all to enjoy.”
Match fishing legend's book raises 2.3k for cancer charity
THE very first copy of Tommy Pickering’s autobiography has raised £2,315 for the Anthony Nolan blood cancer charity following an online raffle auction.
A total of 463 tickets priced at £5 each were bought by anglers in the NuFish Southfield Reservoir Match Facebook Group, which is in its third year of raising funds for the charity.
The 1989 World Champ Tommy, who regularly attends matches at the East Yorks venue, told us donating his signed book for the raffle was a ‘no-brainer’.
“My mum died of leukaemia in 2008 and the charity has also supported good friend and Southfield match organiser Andy Renton through his battle with the disease.
“I wanted to offer something a little different to raise money and the book donation was an instant hit – making £1,000 in the first hour of the raffle.The response has blown my mind.”
To generate even more funds, Andy and fellow match organiser Mick Axon created a three-day festival at Southfield Reservoir which attracted 78 competing anglers.
Andy added:
“If it wasn’t for Anthony Nolan I wouldn’t be here, so I’d just like to thank Tommy and everyone who bought a ticket or entered the festival for their contribution to the charity.”
Tommy at the book presentation – with Southfield match organisers Andy Renton (Left) and Mick Axton
How Brad Hancock won the £25,000 Parkdean Masters title
Some big names have clutched the famous silver Parkdean Masters trophy and £25,000 winner’s cheque. Brad Hancock can now add his name to that list after a tight finish to this year’s final on Jenny’s Lake at White Acres in Cornwall.
Brad is, by his own admission, more of a club angler where matches are concerned but also enjoys specimen hunting for big barbel and chub on the Rivers Don and Trent. He’s also a regular at White Acres, fishing the residents’ matches and the occasional festival, with some success.
Making his Parkdean debut, the Sheffield man weighed in 57-9-0 of carp, F1s and carassio from peg 35 to just get the nod by one carp ahead of Ben Dales’ 52-6-0. Victory left him stunned at not only the biggest match win, but also that £25,000!
Parkdean resorts Steve Griffiths presents 2020 champion Brad Hancock with a cheque for 25k
“I’ve fished White Acres for nine years, but have never got close to doing well in one of the big festivals, let alone making the Parkdean final,” Brad said.
“This year qualifying was a bit different. Because of Covid, there were no spring festivals, so the top eight weights from all the residents’ matches through the summer went through, and I was one of those. I also finished in the top eight of the Preston Innovations festival.
“Jenny’s Lake is not one I know well, having only fished it a few times, making it hard to work out a target weight and where you wanted to draw.
“I got the impression that pegs 15 to 17, 21, 4, 7 and 8 were banker draws, so when I got peg 35 it seemed as if I was far away from where I wanted to be! But it looked like being a tight, low-weight match where flyers might not be as good as we all thought.”
At the peg
“Peg 35 gave me the point of one of the islands to cast to with a feeder, and my mind was made up when I plumbed up my pole line at 13m – it was just 2ft deep! I couldn’t see me catching enough to win there, so it was looking like an out-and-out rod match.
“The swim was a little deeper close to the island at around 3ft, getting a bit deeper the further away I came from it, so I settled on fishing the pellet feeder with three dead red maggots on the hook. I thought pellets might be too selective, so I went for maggots to try and catch everything that came along.
“The opening hour wasn’t great, and I only caught a small F1 and a carassio casting a 20g pellet feeder to the island. This lack of action seemed to be the case everywhere.
“In hours two and three, I started to get indications on the tip, showing me fish were there. That helped me decide to stay on the feeder. I began casting more regularly, every three or four minutes, to get some bait in and try and get the fish to have a go. Three carp and some carassio went into the net, but they were small carp.”
Brad kicked off with mainly small carp and carassio
Moving away
“As the match wore on, bites from casting to the island seemed to be fading. Moving a few feet away from the island into deeper water helped, and I snared a couple more carp and some carassio and F1s, but was having to cut right back on how often I was casting. It became obvious there were fewer and fewer fish in the peg. A sixth small carp showed up late in the day.
“In the closing stages, the cameras were behind me, so I knew I must be doing something right! Thinking about my total weight, which I felt was around 50lb-plus, it was in the region of the pre-match target I’d set, but a little bit of me thought that someone somewhere must have caught a bit more than me.
“When my weight was confirmed and I knew I’d won, it was a mad moment and a real shock! Just one fish separated Ben and me, that’s how close it was. I guess I was in disbelief that it had happened to me!
Fishing jargon buster!
All hobbies come with their own unique language, but in fishing tackle companies seem fond of baffling us with exciting-sounding labels that often go unchallenged. It’s time we dug beneath the hype to reveal what those terms really mean!
High-modulus carbon
A bit like saying ‘3am in the morning’, describing a carbon rod as ‘high-modulus’ is using extra words that add nothing. Modularity is basically a material’s stiffness, so a high-modulus rod is relatively stiff and won’t flop around like wet spaghetti. But all modern rods are relatively stiff and the term ‘high’, without any context, tells us nothing.
Gear ratios
What would tackle companies plaster their reel boxes with if gear ratios didn’t exist? Since time immemorial, reel buyers have been told about their prospective purchase’s gear ratio and we’ve all had to stand in the tackle shop nodding as though we know what the hell it means. Well, a reel with a 4.9:1 (said ‘4 point 9 to 1’) ratio will turn its spool 4.9 times for every one turn of the reel handle. And what does that tell you? Unless you know the circumference of the spool, not a lot!
Reel buyers have long been told about their prospective purchase’s gear ratio
Hydrostatic head
You can almost picture a carp brand’s product developer donning a white lab coat and picking up a clipboard as he or she announces their latest bivvy’s ‘hydrostatic head’ rating. Measured in thousands, it’s a figure that sounds technical and cutting edge, but in reality it’s just how much water can sit on a fabric until it leaks. A 10,000mm rating means a column of water 10,000mm tall (that’s 10 metres) can press down on your brolly before it can’t hold back the liquid.
1K/2K/3K carbon weave
Strap yourself in. This is properly dull. These figures refer to the density of the carbon, noticeable in the ‘lattice’ effect seen on uncoated rods. Carbon fibre is supplied in continuous sheets and the K figure denotes how many thousand carbon filaments they contain. The more Ks, the heavier the material. Cheaper rods will feature 3k carbon weave, which is a good all-rounder balancing weight and strength. 2k and 1k are rarer and lighter.
Fuji reel seats
Often prefaced by the word ‘genuine’ in a rod’s marketing blurb, having a bona-fide Fuji reel seat is often presented as a badge of honour, but why? Fuji is a brand hailing from Japan and is best known for its quality rod fittings (including guides and handles), but the company produces various ranges, from budget to high end – so don’t get too excited by it all.
Having a bona-fide Fuji reel seat is often presented as a badge of honour
‘200D’ fabric
Another term often found in catalogues and on websites without explanation, the ‘D’ number used to describe fabrics on clothes and brollies is – like a pair of tights – the denier rating. The higher the number, the thicker and tougher your new jacket or shelter will be. Simple.
Anti-frap tip
Staying with the circular things that channel line the length of a rod (guides? Eyes? Rings? Call them what you like!) this peculiar phrase has crept into widespread use in the last decade or so. A ‘frap’ (or, more commonly, a ‘frap up’) is when your line tangles around a guide during a cast, so anything ‘anti-frap’ must be a) brilliant and b) really clever, right? They’re certainly effective, but they’re just rings with tucked-away bowed legs.
They’re certainly effective, but they’re just rings with tucked-away bowed legs
Bi-conical mini extensions
Poles are the place to go if you want jargon! We’ve covered the descriptions of carbon already, but a term that’s currently doing the rounds is ‘bi-conical mini extensions’. It sounds wondrous and futuristic – like a bionic man – but, broken down, it just means two (bi) cylindrical diameters (conical), so the extension can fit on different pole sections at either end.
SiC guides
No, not ill girl scouts. SiC guides are yet another term that gets bandied around with little explanation. Written with two capitals and one lowercase letter because...er…science, SiC is silicon carbide and in this usage refers to the lining of your rod’s guides. Silicon carbide is strong, lightweight and incredibly smooth, so it offers very little resistance and won’t damage your line.
Oscillation
What a beautiful word, so beloved of feeder anglers and carpers. The slower the better, so the marketing spiel goes. That’s certainly up for debate, but we’re not here to take on that battle – what does oscillation actually mean? Generally described as ‘slow’ or even ‘super-slow’, it’s just a fancy word for the up and down movement of your spool as you reel in. Not quite so sexy now, eh?
Oscillation - a fancy word for the up and down movement of your spool as you reel in
What does the future hold for our fisheries?
AS THE autumn leaves begin to turn, they herald not just the start of a new season, but also the end of one of the most remarkable summers of fishing on record.
Across the nation, clubs and day-ticket waters have been hit by a tidal wave of new pleasure anglers, giving our sport a much-needed boost. The question now remains: what does the future hold?
Many people will now be going back to work as the furlough scheme ends and, while a return to something like normal levels of angling activity is expected over the coming months, many fisheries and clubs are expanding and upgrading their facilities to accommodate the throng of new anglers ahead of the good weather returning next spring.
A tidal wave of new anglers has given our sport a much-needed boost
Aaron Grantham, manager of Lincolnshire’s Lindholme Lakes, one of Britain’s premier commercial fisheries, experienced such a busy summer that he’s completely restructuring his business plans.
“It’s been scary!” he told us.
“Numbers have dropped a bit in recent weeks, which is a good thing because the fish can have a bit of a rest, but the number of new people we saw was just incredible.
“Around 1,500 anglers visited each week, up from our usual 1,000, with a large proportion of these being pleasure anglers.
“If we can retain just 20 per cent of these newcomers next year it will be a massive boost for the industry, so we’re making some big changes to try to keep these new faces coming through the gates.”
“We’ll often have all our lakes booked on weekends for matches,” Aaron added,
“but from next year we’re going to make sure that we always have a lake or two reserved for the pleasure lads. Every weekend there will be up to 50 pegs to choose from. In addition, we’ll be building between 50 and 100 new touring caravan plots on a new site with a toilet block. We want to keep everyone happy and continue to appeal to the newcomers to our sport.”
Lindholme has big expansion plans
It’s just not day-ticket fisheries that have experienced a dramatic rise in numbers, with angling clubs across the country also experiencing unprecedented demand from new members.
Wiltshire’s Warminster and District are one such club, and its president Richard Curtis revealed how the club was so busy at times that it struggled to cope with the demand.
“It was manic. I spent three weekends solid just sending out membership cards, and we took so much money through PayPal that it shut down our account because it suspected we were money laundering!
“In the 2015/16 season we had 142 members, including just one junior. Now, we have 924 members, including around 150 juniors. It’s a dream situation that I never could have imagined would arise.”
With such a sharp rise in members you’d expect that there would have been problems with crowded banks – as has been the case at some day-ticket carp lakes – but Richard revealed that the club managed to accommodate all the newcomers, and has even expanded its portfolio as a result.
“We’ve acquired a new water, giving us six lakes and two stretches of river approximately four miles long, ensuring there’s plenty of room for people to spread out. In addition, we’ve bought tools to help maintain and improve our fisheries, such as a boat with a weed cutter, which will help to manage our waters and hopefully encourage new members to keep coming. With the influx of cash we can continue to invest in our waters and continue to thrive.”
Warminster AC saw a sharp rise in members
Bedfordshire-based Vauxhall Angling Club also experienced a record year, and even closed its memberships in mid-August after reaching its 11,500 capacity.
Head bailiff Dave Bing, was impressed with the behaviour and respect for the rules shown by club members during the summer.
“At some day-ticket waters I know there have been problems with people kicking off about various things as well as huge queues to enter fisheries,” he says,
“but our members have shown great respect for the guidelines we put in place. I think the difference is that day tickets are a commodity.
“With an angling club, members have made an investment and are part of something. There’s more of a duty of care towards other members and officials. Our bailiffs have also done a great job of ensuring that everyone follows the guidelines set out by the Angling Trust.”
Many of Vauxhall’s new members have been people that have got back into fishing after a long lay-off.
“I’ve talked to lots of people who fished as kids but then started playing football or rugby at the weekend and focused on that as their hobby instead. While these contact sports were still banned, they gave fishing another go, and many of them now say, ‘Do you know what? I’m not sure why I ever gave this up.’ Hopefully they’ll keep coming for many years, and continue supporting us and the sport we love.”
Vauxhall AC reached its capacity
Parkers’ Best Pickup award (in association with Angling Times) winner revealed!
Parkers – the definitive resource for car buying advice in the UK – has partnered Angling Times to bring you the award for the Best Pickup in the prestigious Parkers New Car Awards 2021.
And the winner that has been revealed today (26 October) is the Ford Ranger – one of a total of 21 award-winning vehicles announced by Parkers.
The Ford Ranger wins raw Best Pickup award at the Parkers’ New Car Awards 2021
The Ford Ranger is not Britain’s bestselling pickup by accident. It’s car-like to drive, has a whole fleet of options to choose from and performs brilliantly off-road. No wonder it’s the reigning pickup of the year in the Parkers awards, having already won the title in 2020.
It finishes ahead of the Ssangyong Musso, which is brilliant value and boasts the best towing capacity for the money and the Toyota Hilux, which is a pickup with a long warranty and legendary reliability that’s been updated with the latest tech for 2021.
Keith Adams, Parkers.co.uk Editor, said:
“Pickup drivers have never had it so good, with a choice of capable, powerful vehicles that are also great to drive.
“But right now, the Ford Ranger stands above the rest thanks to its great payload and towing ratings, vast number of options, broad trim levels and fine selection of economical 2.0-litre EcoBlue diesel engines.
“This one of the few pickups that really can function as an alternative to a car.”
Now in its fourth year, the Parkers New Car Awards 2021 reflect the views of Britain’s car-buying public, with winners decided by a combination of the site’s expert reviewers’ verdicts in thousands of miles of road testing and the purchasing habits of the website’s 2.3+ million users actively involved in the buying process.
More details about the Best Pickup award can be found alongside all of the winners in the Parkers New Car Awards 2021 on the Parkers website.
#ParkersAwards2021
RiverFest Final shows the Trent's a silverfish Mecca!
SILVERFISH sport on the River Trent scaled new heights last week when dozens of anglers put together double-figure nets of roach, dace and perch during the RiverFest final.
The prestigious event, which was held on the Burton Joyce stretch in Nottinghamshire, had competitors and match officials comparing the venue’s impressive current form to that of the river’s match fishing heyday of the mid-1980s, when bumper weights were common.
The Trent fished really well in the RiverFest final
One of them was RiverFest’s chief organiser Dave Harrell, who reluctantly moved the final from the River Severn to the Trent for 2020 – a decision that ultimately proved fruitful.
Dave told us:
“I was a little apprehensive with the venue switch, but the results hammer home just how well the river is fishing for silvers at the moment.
“Roach and dace were caught by pretty much everyone competing, with bream, specimen perch and barbel also making an appearance.
“It reminded me of how prolific the Trent was in the 1980s when the power stations pumped warm water through the river. There then followed a spell in the doldrums when the stations were shut down in the 1990s, but it now looks as though the stocks have well and truly returned to the level of 30 or 40 years ago.
“To sustain a healthy head of fish you need good water quality, so I don’t think the Trent is in as bad a condition as some people seem to think.”
One angler who can vouch for the Trent’s current red-hot form is Nottingham lad Tom Noton, who angled his way into fourth place in the RiverFest final with an overall weight of 39lb 12oz.
He said:
“I’ve match fished the Trent for the past eight years and it’s been absolutely solid. The fish tend to shoal up in certain areas, but if you find them you’re in for a real red-letter day.
“Slightly milder winters over recent years have encouraged silverfish to thrive, which could be another reason why the sport has been so electric.”
Tom Norton’s 20lb 9oz bag of roach, dace and perch on day two