Carp Team England boss on a 'species hunt'
Carp Team England manager Rob Hughes has paused his quest for huge carp and set his sights on smaller coarse fish.
“Pre-Christmas and pre-lockdown I decided to spend time over the holidays with my 14-year-old son, trying to catch different species on short sessions,” he says.
A big dace, just one of the different species Rob has caught
“We set a few targets, and even fishing just short sessions in the afternoon have been great fun. Trotting maggots on the stick float, maggots and worms on the waggler, drop shotting and jigging, wobbled lures, fly fishing for pike, plus boilies and bread feeders were just some of the tactics we used.
“Once the box was ticked there was no repeating it. It was on to the next challenge.”
Lures did the trick for the perch
Rob enjoyed a phenomenal roach session recently, taking 48 redfins in an afternoon, the majority of which weighed over 1lb.
Just part of Rob’s phenomenal roach haul
“But the highlight of the winter for me has to be a gudgeon a smidgeon shy of 7ins!” says Rob.
This huge gudgeon has been Rob’s highlight so far
Optimism for big summer of match fishing
Match organisers remain hopeful that the sport’s big events, including Fish ‘O’ Mania, Maver Match This and the Division 1 & 2 Nationals, will go ahead later this year.
Although nothing can be set in stone given the current lockdown situation and uncertainty surrounding the lifting of restrictions, Andre Grandjean, Chairman of the Angling Trust’s Coarse Competitions Committee, is optimistic for a summer of big events.
“Our plans are full steam ahead,” he said.
“By June and July, when most of our events are due, we’re expecting that things will be okay to go ahead.
“One concern people have had is how and where we’ll fit the qualifiers for these events in, but most of these don’t start again until after April, and we anticipate that by then these will go ahead as planned, in a Covid-safe way of course.”
Maver’s Andy Kinder is the man behind the mega-money Match This event that unfortunately was cancelled last year. This time though, he’s hoping that event can take place.
“We managed to do around seven qualifiers last year, which frees up a bit of space in the calendar this time round,” he said. “While there’s still a way to go, I hope that the event will go ahead as planned.”
“By June and July, when most of our events are due, we’re expecting that things will be okay to go ahead.”
Fishing in Lockdown 3 - what can you do?
Thanks to the hard work and lobbying of the Angling Trust, fishing is now permitted in the third England lockdown. The rules for anglers are, however, still significantly restricted to comply with the wider lockdown laws.
According to Sport England you can still go fishing as long as:
you are by yourself
with the people you live with
with your support bubble (if you’re legally permitted to form one)
in a childcare bubble where providing childcare
when on your own, with one person from another household while following social distancing.
You don’t travel outside of your local area in order to go fishing
You only go fishing once per day
See the full Sport England guidance here.
The Angling Trust are set to soon release their full guidance but have already made several key points anglers should follow, these are…
We are in a National Lockdown and this must be respected. The law requires a ‘reasonable excuse’ to leave your home or penalties will apply.
The Government has recognised that fishing can be seen as exercise, which is expressly permitted under the lockdown rules, although outdoor recreation is not.
Organised sporting gatherings are prohibited so no match fishing.
The exercise is limited to once a day so no overnight fishing whatsoever.
To remain within the law you should follow the Government’s guidance, and only fish locally. If you have no local fishing available then you will have to take your daily exercise in other ways. Full Government guidance on travel can be found here.
To keep up to date with the Angling Trust guidance visit their website here.
Anglers can now go fishing in lockdown 3
Angling Trust lobbying overturns fishing ban!
Angling Times understands that fishing is one of several outdoor, individual activities which will be allowed during Lockdown 3.0, following lobbying from senior members of the Angling Trust team to Government officials.
Keep an eye on the Angling Trust website today as they are set to release a statement soon with the full story and guidelines for safe and sensible fishing over the lockdown period.
We are thankful for the behind-the-scenes work which goes on, ensuring we can carry on fishing and benefit both our mental and physical wellbeing.
* It’s probably a good time to renew that membership (or take one out) to the Angling Trust!
Stay in touch with the Angling Trust website and Facebook page for the full details
The positives for fishing in Lockdown Three
The break from the bank doesn't have to be all negative. As we witnessed in the first lockdown, it could bring many benefits to fishing as a sport…
Club boom
Mirfield AC in Yorkshire used the first lockdown to create 25 platforms on a stretch of canal.
“You wouldn’t believe how many club books we sold off the back of just doing that,” said club president Martyn Highe.
“We’re going to use this lockdown to create 50 platforms on the River Calder and permanently peg a new stretch of canal we’ve acquired at Knottingley.”
Mirfield AC in Yorkshire used the first lockdown to create 25 platforms on a stretch of canal
Day-ticket improvements
Tony Bridgefoot, owner of Bluebell Lakes, said:
“I’ve been in this position several times before with flooding and I always try to take the positives from a negative situation. This lockdown will give us time to create permanent stock fencing so we don’t lose any fish to floods, and create better drainage to control the flow of water. It’ll also give me time to think about how I implement restrictions on angler numbers across the site, because last spring we had every swim occupied 24/7 and I don’t think it helped the stock or the natural surroundings.”
Bluebell will be using the time to build stock fencing and plan management of returning anglers
Trade catch-up
Fishing surged in 2020, leaving some manufacturers and shops unable to keep up with demand. This hiatus could see a welcome replenishment of stock.
The Angling Trust’s Martin Salter said:
“If we are going to have a lockdown it’s probably the best time of year for it. My contacts in the trade aren’t anywhere near as distressed as they were last spring.”
This lockdown could well have come at the best time of year for tackle shops