Fish weights and records - Rob Hughes

With the New Year now well underway, many of us will be setting ourselves targets. ‘Go more often’, ‘win more matches’ or ‘catch a new PB’ will be popular goals, while the more ambitious among us may harbour even loftier aspirations such as ‘win a Drennan Cup weekly award’, ‘qualify for a big-money match’ or even ‘try to catch a British record’! 

On that note it was interesting to see the recent news from the BRFC regarding the records claims from the end of 2020. Five were submitted, three were accepted, and two rejected. Well done to the new record-holders. In freshwater, the crucian carp record of 4lb 10oz was equalled by Craig Smithson and accepted by the committee. The potential record perch of 6lb 4oz was, however, temporarily rejected on a weight issue. A ‘more precise scales test’ was requested by the committee, as they couldn’t agree on an accurate weight.

I rarely weigh fish these days unless they are especially meaningful or particularly big. I’ve no interest if a carp I might catch is 24lb 6oz or 28lb 2oz. I have, however, got a small set of digital pocket scales for my perch and dace fishing, but they don’t weigh ounces properly – they weigh them decimally, so half-a-pound is recorded as 0.5 on the display. Crazy! You’d think that the manufacturers would get that bit right.

One thing’s for sure, before I head out for my next session targeting dace, I’ll have to invest in a slightly more dependable set of scales. Unlike with 20lb-odd carp, I will have every interest in whether that big dace I dream of catching weighs 15oz or 1lb!

The bigger the fish, the less ounces matter – and vice-versa, of course!

Why river fishing is set for a boom - Rob Hughes

Obviously, with matches still currently off the agenda for many, there are a lot of anglers who can’t do what they would normally do. 

Some commercial match fishing venues have taken the opportunity afforded by lockdown and the time of the year to close in order to undertake maintenance after what have been a ridiculously busy few months. Others are open just for pleasure fishing so it’s still possible to “sack up” even if it’s not in a competition environment.

It’s been interesting, looking at social media, to see how people have been getting their fishing fix during this recent mini-lockdown. Rivers seem to be getting a bit more traffic, and high-profile match anglers like
Des Shipp and Steve Ringer have been heading off to them in search of very different fishing to their norm.

Chub seem to be a real favourite among match anglers, and there’s good reason for that. They’re such obliging creatures. They really pull back and are always great fun on float tactics, in particular. Whether you’re fining down and catching nets of smaller ones or heading out after bigger specimens, it’s one of the best times of the whole year to have a go for them too.

Chub are definitely one of the go-to fish at the moment. It’s interesting to see that my local club, Frome Angling Association, is already organising some post-lockdown river matches. Could this new-found interest be a sign of things to come?

There’s no doubt that chub are an enjoyable species to fish for

It’s a golden age of fishing on tv! - Rob Hughes

IT’S GREAT that angling is getting so much extra media coverage at the moment. 

Over the past month I’ve seen loads of high-profile stars supporting fishing. I even saw a hero of mine, Linford Christie, getting out on the bank. I didn’t even know he was an angler, but he absolutely loves it! Sports stars. Film stars. Celebrities. Loads of them want to be seen, and photographed, with a rod in their hands.

The awareness of angling and the angling environment is being seen more in newspapers, on TV and as part of online newsfeeds. This is not only good for the image of our sport, but also beneficial for tackling the issues that affect it, such as pollution and litter. 

Speaking of the telly, the big cheeses at the top of the main channels are reaping the benefit of broadcasting more angling. My weekly programme On The Bank is being shown more often on BT Sport and is getting some great figures. Bob Mortimer and Paul Whitehouse are back on the Beeb very soon and are incredibly popular among anglers and non-anglers alike. Ali, Spoons and Dovey are back on ITV4 with another series of Monster Carp too.

S4C is bringing out a Welsh angling programme with Julian Lewis Jones at the helm, and I’ve also heard BBC Scotland is planning a show. There’s never been so much angling on the telly, and with such a diverse mix on offer there’s something for everyone, whatever their level or the species they fish for. Long may it continue.

Mortimer and Whitehouse are popular with anglers and non-anglers alike.

Even the toughest can love our sport

As you’ll no doubt be aware, a greatly extended Take a Friend Fishing scheme is about to kick off for the summer, and I can’t wait!

We’ve already enjoyed two weeks of TAFF in July, and that spell gave me the opportunity to test a theory that even the hardest nut can be cracked with a spot of gentle fishing.

And they don’t come much tougher than Mark ‘Billy’ Billingham MBE, a guy many of you will recognise from Channel 4’s SAS Who Dares Wins TV show.

Billy used to fish when he was younger, but his distinguished military career, body-guarding, and TV work over the last three decades has not given him a lot of time to enjoy our sport.

We’re both patrons of a military charity called Phoenix Heroes and planned to meet up to talk about promotion work. But he was also the perfect candidate for a quick trip to reintroduce him to fishing – TAFF isn’t just about taking kids to the bank.

Being former SAS, he lives near Hereford with the River Wye on his doorstep, so we headed to a beautiful stretch run by Angling Dreams, based in Ross-on-Wye.

He loved it. Like many of us, from whatever walk of life or career we chose to follow, life can be 100 miles an hour with not a lot of downtime. He said a few times that a trip to the river was exactly what he needed to just chill out and relax. We all know that feeling! There’s no question that he ‘got it’ and a return trip is definitely on the cards... exactly what TAFF is all about.

Rob Hughes and Mark Billingham with a Wye chub

Anglers are not to blame for the litter on our watercourses - Rob Hughes

The scenes on the River Severn around Shrewsbury recently were shocking. Litter everywhere, and people in and out of the river and surrounding fields not caring about any damage they caused. 

Shrewsbury Angling Club (SAC) was left to pick up the pieces and clear up the mess, which members did admirably. Not only did they clear up the problem, but they took it a step further and raised awareness of the issue in the local community. The result? Local papers and news agencies picked up on the story, took up the issue with the fine people of Shrewsbury and surrounding areas, and the club was applauded for its good work. The following weekend the banks were left much tidier, with the added benefit that angling was seen to be at the heart of the solution not the problem – for once. 

How often does Joe Public look at angling as being a cause of problems rather than a cure? It’s stories like this that make non-anglers look at us with more sympathetic eyes.

We know that the majority of us are involved in angling due to our love for the outdoors, not a complete disregard for it. We are not to blame for most of the litter on our watercourses, especially rivers, but sadly we often have the finger pointed at us. 

One length of fishing line gets dropped unwittingly and we’re in the news. How lovely to see us up there for the right reasons. Well done Shrewsbury AC!

Shrewsbury AC members collected and disposed of 39 bags of rubbish.

For more of Hughes’ Views pick up Angling Times magazine every Tuesday!

Should we shut down for spawning carp? - Rob Hughes

There was an interesting discussion across social media recently asking whether it is acceptable for fisheries to close completely when the resident carp are spawning.

We don’t do it when the roach or tench are spawning, and we certainly don’t do it when the pike and perch are either. In fact, we often target these species when they’re at their highest weights during these periods. 

Right now, we’re bang in the middle of carp spawning season and I’m sure we all agree that targeting any fish when they’re spawning is not the done thing. The truth is that they’re unlikely to feed anyway, but the risk comes during the immediate aftermath.

Many fisheries are carp orientated, and when the resident fish look like spawning, or actually start to spawn, the fishery closes, often for up to two weeks. I get that catching carp is an occupational hazard of tench and bream angling, so that might be risky, but if you’re a general coarse angler wanting to avoid carp you potentially lose your sport because something you don’t fish for needs a break.

Often as a result of numbers of anglers, and certainly as a result of financial value, carp are the dominant species in fisheries and set the benchmark for fishery practice and management. But what about matches? Spawning fish put matchmen and organisers in a precarious position.

I believe in the argument that spawning fish, whatever they are, should be left alone and also have a recovery period, but should whole lakes close down for carp? 

We don’t consider shutting down for tench.

Don’t knock these angling newbies! - Rob Hughes

I’ve seen a bit of talk on social media lately from people complaining about ‘pop-ups’ as they call them. These are groups of people who aren’t lifelong anglers but who’ve just spent a few bob on a box and a £30 nettle-thrasher and are out there on the bank, treating it like it’s a party, being loud and spoiling everyone’s day.

The thing is, we were all there at one stage. Not necessarily antisocial anglers, but beginners coming into a new sport, not knowing what to do, or how or where to do it. Back in the day, it’s likely that we had someone to guide us through those early stages.

Now no-one wants a gang of blokes pitching up with tents and tinnies. But we all know that angling has been shrinking over recent years and we could do with a numbers boost. 

In the current situation, and fishing being one of the few things people can do, now’s the time to encourage more people to try it, especially those who once fished and may still have some kit in the garage. 

As I write this, many lakes are crowded with the initial rush of social distancing anglers, but once things have calmed down a little, and if Government suggestions are right, we will soon be allowed to mix with people from other households.

If it’s safe, and you feel comfortable doing it, wouldn’t it be great if we could take a non-angling pal and their offspring for an evening out and encourage more people to take up fishing responsibly and properly?

Now is the time to encourage more people to try fishing.

You have to give credit to the Angling Trust - Rob Hughes

First things first – I want to say a big thank you for the messages you’ve sent me throughout the lockdown, and also for the personal stories about what fishing means to you. There’s no question that angling is so much more than just something that we do. It’s a part of us, and we’ve got it back. Well done to everyone who has behaved impeccably and followed the guidelines thus far. It’s up to us now.

I’d also like to say a thank you to two people in particular, both key members of the Angling Trust: Martin Salter, whose knowledge and understanding of the political world allowed us to get into the heart of Government, and Jamie Cook the new CEO whose ambition and drive took us there. I genuinely believe that without these two we would still be in the queue to get out of lockdown.

It’s fair to say that I’ve been a critic of the Trust in the past. I still am in certain quarters. I joined and stepped up to the plate as an Ambassador and Consultant (totally unpaid but with loads of grief attached to it, before anyone mentions anything about gravy trains) as I wanted to help. As a sport, angling should punch its weight but it never really has. 

Now look at what’s just happened as a prime example of what can be done with good leadership. Whatever you thought of the Trust in the past, let’s give the new fella a chance. Forget the old and move forwards for the future of our sport. 

Jamie Cook has done a great job so far

‘What I wish I’d known at 20’ - Rob Hughes

Hindsight is a wonderful thing, so for this series, we asked some of angling’s stars what nuggets of wisdom they would share with their 20 year-old selves and why. It makes interesting reading...

Rob Hughes - Carp Team England Manager

“Love every minute and grab every opportunity. If you hear about something, investigate it straight away. The best fishing is always the first fishing, because once you’ve read about it someone else will have already enjoyed the best of it. 

“I was a proper carp tiger when I was 20, fishing the secret waters of Shropshire and Cheshire and not telling anyone anything. 

“I was living in Oswestry training to be a solicitor and it was work, fishing and cars that occupied me. Not a lot’s changed!” 

1989 Carp session in between training

Rob is now manager of England’s Carp Teams

Plans to bring back the burbot...but should we?

Can you imagine having a new coarse species to target in our rivers?

That improbable scenario took a step closer this month after Natural England revealed plans to reintroduce burbot to Britain’s waterways.

Resembling a cross between a cod and a catfish, burbot were once native to British waters, but 50 years ago they became extinct after falling foul to increased agricultural and metal pollution. Now though, with England’s rivers in a healthier state, these predatory fish are set for a comeback under a pilot scheme that’s set to be rolled out once sufficient funding of £80,000 has been raised by the Norfolk Rivers Trust, which is coordinating the new initiative. 

Natural England’s Dave Ottewell said:

“Great efforts have been made to restore our freshwater environment, rectifying some of the historic damage inflicted on these complex systems. 

“The successful restoration of these habitats has led us to a position where we can realistically look towards the reintroduction of this recently lost species into its native range.”

Angling Times columnist, Rob Hughes, was keen to voice his skeptisism of this reintroduction, he said:

“Forgive me for being cynical, but our waterways are already under a significant amount of pressure, especially from predators. 

Zander are being removed as we speak, but now there is talk of introducing a new species that likes snacking on silvers. The mind boggles! 

We need some sense to be shown here, and surely we should be looking at priorities. Get the rivers right, then think about the ‘optional extras’. I mean, how much money is going to be spent re-establishing something that is either going to get eaten, or alternatively will eat other things that quite frankly we haven’t got many of anyway? Surely stabilising and strengthening the aquatic environment should be the number one priority for all of us? 

Wildlife groups, anglers, government and conservationists all have their own personal agendas, often at odds with one another, but ultimately it’s the habitat and ecosystem that matters to all of them. Now there’s a point of common interest we should all be working towards.”