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Under the watchful eye of Bury Hill's BIG FISH tutor Eric Bailey, young Bradley Gibbons aged 11 caught the fish of a lifetime yesterday, a stonking 13lb 12oz zander.

Catching his first ever zander, Bradley was fishing with his dad John. Fishing swims 46 and 47 eric tackled the pair up with a light ledger rig and single size 4 hooks and following recent successes opted to fish a Mackerel fillet to the lily beds, the pair also caught 3 smaller fish but also lost 2 or 3 as the fish were in a finicky mood.

A 13lb 12oz zed is a huge fish by any standards, but for an 11 year old to catch such a fish on his first ever zander trip is a well deserved feat, congratulations Bradley and Eric.

Source: Bury Hill Fisheries >>

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News

Our AGM & prize presentation evening will be held on Friday 27th February 2009 at Ashington Community Centre starting at 8pm sharp, the AGM will be preceded by a prize presentation for our juniors and a short update on how the juniors have fared in their match series against other local clubs this past year, starting at 7:30pm, would all match anglers in possession of trophies from last season, please return them Barry Ginnaw as soon as possible please.

Would members please note that Moor Farm will close for it's annual shut down on Monday 12th January 2009 until 7th March 2009, no fishing whatsoever will be allowed during the closure period.

Catch Report

Goose Green

Adam Tester fished peg 7 on Heron Lake at Goose Green on the 17th Feb, Adam fishing bread punch reports catching a bag of Roach, but the day was topped off by a 3-0-0 Common Carp.

Craig Burgess fished Canada lake at Goose Green on the 18th February, Craig started off using bread & sweetcorn fished on the bottom but missed the only bite he had. He then tried some floating crust towards the margins, after a few minutes Craig was into a 4lb Common carp which came in easily, Craig then lost another carp which slipped the hook straight away, not to be outdone by the fish Craig persevered with floating crust and was rewarded with a 7lb common which put up a real struggle.

Moor Farm

Closed

Duncans Pond

Reece Woodhams fished Duncan's Pond on the 17th February, Recce fishing with hair rigged corn reports the capture of a 13-0-0 Common carp on a bolt rig.

River Arun

No reports

River Adur

Mark Dibble fished the River Adur below White Bridge on the 15th February. Mark reports the river as still fining down after the flooding last week, but his speculative session did produce a fish. Using groundbait feeder fished pellet, the third cast saw the tip drop back gently in a way he didn't even recognise as a bite. A couple of minutes later Mark picked up the rod to reel in & found what he thought to be a good Skimmer hanging on the end. The Skimmer turned out to be a perfectly lip hooked & very lethargic 3lb Mirror Carp! After that it went quiet.

River Rother

No Reports

Prologic Quick Release adaptors. No matter what your angling discipline, these handy little adaptors will save you masses of time on the bank as they can be used on everything from landing nets to storm poles!

Sometimes it's the little things that can make all the difference; and such is the case with this quick release adaptor from Prologic. OK, you can't use it on the hook, so in that respect it's not going to catch you any more fish, however, if we are talking about time-saving devices which allow you to set up and break down your tackle much faster on the bank, then look no further.

For review purposes, 'it' should be 'they', as I've been using a number of these adaptors for some time now, and for a number of different uses. I use them on my storm poles, on bank sticks, and even on my landing net pole. To be honest the applications are endless - if it has a standard thread, you can use an adaptor on it!

Quick release adaptors/connectors (call them what you will) have been around for quite a while, it's just that I've never come across any that I felt were up to the job. I've used some of the bayonet type in the past, but I found the fittings left a lot to be desired and before long you had an element of play. This was ok if using on storm poles or such like, but if using on banksticks or buzz bars, they could hamper indication when the idea is to have everything quite solid. When I say used, it should actually be borrowed, as my mate spent no small amount on a set of four to make his four rod set up nice and smart, though when I borrowed his alarms & buzz bars (and thus the adaptors) for a week on Birch, I have to say they left me less than impressed - within the hour I'd whipped them all off in order to get a solid set-up!

I think this is why I like the Prologic design so much; not only are they extremely strong and durable, but the ball bearing locking system removes the ability to spin, twist, or play. They are, quite simply - solid! They are made from a high-grade precision cut alloy and so can be used for even the toughest of jobs, I've been giving them stick for ages now, and they are still just as good as they day I had them, and the fittings just as tight.

As I say, they might not directly put any more fish on the bank, but when I think about it, they've certainly given me a helping hand. Over winter I've been doing quick overnighters, arriving after dark and leaving pretty much at first light. Setting up in the dark is never great when you've got to erect shelters and set rods up, but these adaptors have shaved loads of time off the job. It takes less than a second to pull the collar down on the connector to release it - far quicker than a bayonet fitting. This means all my storm poles are secured in a couple of seconds, and as I'm also fishing bank sticks on this water, the alarms are attached in seconds also. All of which means the rods are out in double quick time.

The same goes for packing away, and a session I had about a fortnight ago proves perfect testament to their effectiveness. I was fishing a quick overnighter using my brolly, and to cut a long story short, the conditions caught me out; the wind turned really nasty, changed direction completely, and started slating horizontal rain right in and all over me. There was no way I could turn the brolly around on the swim, and with no front on, it was just a case of chucking my gear right under the bed, pulling my bag over my head and seeing it out till morning. Come the morning the rain was still coming down with the temperature barely above freezing, not helped by a biting wind hacking right into me. It was 'proper' grim. No surprise then that the pack up was a mare from start to finish. Even after a brew my hands were freezing, and after only a few minutes spent breaking down rods, rigs, and end tackle, my fingers were already numb, to the point where I was struggling to feel them whilst zipping up my tackle pouch. If I'd then had to start unthreading bank sticks, buzz bars, storm poles and whatever else, I think I'd have screamed! As it was, it took less than a minute to break down the shelter, alarms and banksticks - all thanks to the quick release adaptors. To be honest, they paid for themselves on that session alone.

They've received quite a lot of attention on the bank too, where friends or other anglers have seen how quick various elements tackle go together. I fished a bit of a social at the weekend with a mate I've not seen for ages. Again I did not arrive till I'd got the kids off to bed, and jumped into the next swim just so that we could have a natter and catch up. He's an engineer by trade - and a bloody good one too - and as he helped me set up various odds and ends, the adaptors immediately caught his eye. I told him how I really rated them, though I knew full well he'd make up his own mind irrespective of what I might have to say on the subject! He was still messing with one of them some twenty minutes later after I was all set up and in, and after intense scrutiny, not to mention a thousand testings of the locking mechanism, he finally declared all matter of fact "They're bloody good, these!" ... I could have told him that!

Anyway, they must be good as he rang today to tell me he's bagged a couple of sets for himself. Praise indeed! He got all technical on me (as he often does) and started telling me how mega-expensive air hoses in the automotive industry use similar fittings, though to be honest, as Izaak was screaming for his dinner in my other ear, I didn't hear the rest of it!

Suffice to say they are just the job; strong, durable and extremely effective. I have to point out that I'm not really a fancy gizmo man, and certainly no tackle tart - perish the thought! However, I have to say that I'm properly taken with these. You know how you sometimes find something so good that you can't remember what you did before it came along? Well that's what these adaptors are like - they are just so easy to use, and save me so much time, that I can't imagine being without them again!

The adaptors come in sets of three, priced at just £4.99 from Trevs Tackle, which I find incredible considering how useful I've found them to be. The bonus of course is that at this price you can bag a few sets to do storm poles, landing nets and banks sticks, etc.

Purchase Pro Logic Quick Release adaptors here >>

Fred Jennings OBE, one of the most influential figures in the development of coarse angling, has sadly passed away in his sleep at the age of 76.

West Midlander Fred had a major impact on angling, both at club level and on a national scale.

He was the first full-time executive chairman of Birmingham AA – at a time when they had a staggering 60,000 members (they have 12,000 today) – and was the National Federation of Anglers president from 1973 to 1978.

Fred was also a board member of Severn Trent Water and chairman of its Fisheries Advisory Committee, as well as being the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food’s appointee to the National Water Council.

Bury Hill Fisheries regular, Gavin Cambell braved ice cold conditions at the weekend and was rewarded with a new PB in the shape of 'Shoulders' weighing 31lb 4oz.

Fishing peg 24, Gavin fished a single piece of popped up corn on a sinking snowman rig over a bed of crushed hemp and particle mix just short of the right hand margin into approximately 6' of water. With water temperatures just above 3 degree's, Gavin not surprisingly had had no runs and was about to pack up at 4.30pm when his righthand rod tore off. As the big mirror kited in front of the boat house, all hell broke loose when Bury Hill's best known lady passed in front of the aerators prompting her to make a very strong run up the long bank taking 100m or so of line before Gavin could turn her, eventually landing his prize at 16.38 just as it was getting dark.

Gavin's end rig was a size 8 curved shank hook tied to a super natural hooklink with 2oz dung lead fished with a 6 feet lead core which he fished as a helicoptor set up. Gavin used a Terry Hearn Mark 2 12' 9" 3 1/4 tc rod with a Daiwa SS3000 reel loaded with 10 lb Nash Bullet line.

Source: Bury Hill Fisheries

Fish Legal has won £1,500 damages on behalf of one of its Welsh member clubs after a chemical cocktail polluted the River Sirhowy.

On 27th April 2007, just weeks into the start of the open season, John Otter, Secretary of the Islwyn & District Angling Club in Gwent was called by an alarmed member of the club who had spotted the discolouration in the river. Stretches of the River Sirhowy owned by the club at Blackwood were running white and thousands of fish were killed.

Anglers who have fished Foremark Reservoir in Derbyshire for a generation were hanging their heads in despair last night after a meeting with Severn Trent Water’s health & safety officials who confirmed that two thirds of the reservoir is to be closed for angling due to concerns about health and safety of the public, the anglers themselves and the structural integrity of the dam wall.

Severn Trent’s official said that he was concerned about non-angling visitors getting hooked by fly anglers’ back casts and anglers tripping over on the uneven surface of the dam wall, which comprises a gently-shelving structure built of large rocks. Nearly three miles of bank previously available to anglers will now be closed to all fishing at all times of the year.

Temple's first fish of 2009 smashes through thirty pound barrier!

Bury Hill regular Mark Savage smashed his PB with a new Temple record, the Italian weighing 36lb 2oz.

Bury Hill regular Mark Savage braved freezing conditions on Temple this weekend to bag not only a new PB, but also Temple’s first fish of 2009, a stonking 36lb 2oz mirror known as Italian 1.

Fishing peg 4, Mark who had been on the water since Friday fished a number of different methods and baits before settling on a light running rig and a balanced Questbait Rahja Spice boilie tipped with a fake corn which had been glugged for 3 months in a trick glug. Fishing a size 10 long shank blow back hook, Mark decided to try something different and opted to use a 12” Korda super natural hook length which he pinned down to the lake bed.

With tag number 138134, the big ‘Italian’ is a new PB for Mark beating his previous best fish, Temple’s Ghost which hecaught last year weighing 35lb 4oz. The Italian was last cught in May 2008 weighing 34lb 14oz.

With fish on all lakes now starting to show, expect to see more big fish caught over the coming weeks as the weather starts to improve.

It's back! The renowned Carpin' On show is back for 2009. This fantastic event which is dedicated to carp anglers is the biggest of its kind in showcasing all the latest tackle and bait available to today's angler - and it's available to buy!

Five Lakes Resort, nr Colchester, Essex - 7th & 8th March 2009

Carpin' On has an unbeatable line up of entertainments for anglers of all abilities hosted on the fabulous purpose-built indoor lake - from interactive forums and workshops to live demos and displays, the top angling stars will be on hand to answer all your carping questions and offer tips and advice on how you can improve your angling.

The Angling Trust is giving Anglers with Disabilities the opportunity to fish for England, with the first of two selection events taking place on 8th February on the Stainforth and Keadby Canal near Kirk Bramwith, Doncaster.

England Team Manager Joe Roberts is introducing a northern and southern England match fished to international rules to help identify anglers who are of international calibre. A number of anglers from each regional match will be selected to fish a national trial and have the opportunity to fish for England at the World Championships in Portugal.