The event on Saturday was organised by the Canal & River Trust, the charity that cares for 2,000 miles of the nation’s historic waterways, in partnership with Burton Mutual Angling Association. 

Around 50 local people headed down to the canal by Hillfield Playing Fields to have a go at one of the nation’s best loved pastimes. The day was a useful opportunity for Burton Mutual to recruit new members and also formed part of the Trust’s work to get more people fishing on the nation’s canals and rivers.

Qualified coaches were on-hand throughout the morning to show people the basics of fishing and share their knowledge with both beginners and more experienced anglers.  

In the afternoon a family match took place with youngsters pairing up with an adult to try their hands at catching the largest weight of fish. The winners were Holly Nicholls and her mum with a combined weight of 1lb 12oz. Holly also won the prize for the biggest fish with a perch weighing in at 14oz.  Michel Smith & John Harper came second in the pairs match with a combined weight of 14oz. Third place was shared between Hayden Nicholls and his dad Carl and William Harvey and his dad Paul with both pairs catching 10oz.

Becca Dent angling development manager for the Canal & River Trust said; “We had a great day on Saturday and it was lovely to see lots of new faces on the canal, trying something new and, most importantly, having fun.

“Some kids that came along had never held a fishing rod before but they left completely addicted so hopefully we’ll see some of them back on the canal in the future – in fact the local angling club signed up 15 new junior members which is brilliant.

“This is exactly the kind of event we want to run with angling clubs across the county as part of our efforts to get more people fishing and we’d love to hear from other clubs that are keen to work together in this way.

President of Burton Mutual, Dave Clark said; “It was a great day. A lot of keen coaches and helpers put in a lot of time and effort which certainly paid off and we are very grateful to all of them. To me the greatest part was when you saw the faces of the children actually catching a fish and being so proud.

The Trust and Burton Mutual Angling Association would like to thank Stretton Parish Council for the use of their facilities.

Source: Canal & River Trust Fishing News

The committee meetings are attended by programme makers and editors from household favourites such as Countryfile and The Archers, current affairs programmes such as Costing The Earth and Farming Today and from the many BBC radio and TV news channels.

This appointment will not only provide an opportunity to highlight issues of concern to Britain’s three million anglers, such as the plight of marine and freshwater fish stocks, but also to get more coverage of angling on the many BBC TV, Radio and Digital channels. His appointment coincides with the first broadcast of The Big Fish on BBC2 at 8pm on Sunday evenings, which is the first prime time BBC series about fishing since the widely acclaimed ‘Passion for Angling’ a generation ago.

The Committee comprises 21 members including the Chief Executive of the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority, the Former Private Secretary to HRH The Prince of Wales, a Professor of Animal Welfare from Cambridge University, and the Policy Director of the Soil Association. It meets three times a year in Bristol.

Mark Lloyd said: “I am delighted to have this opportunity to represent fish and fishing at the heart of decision-making around the BBC’s rural, environmental and news output. For too long, angling has been virtually invisible on our national broadcaster’s many channels. I want to see it recognised for the vital role it plays in our nation’s culture and communities, and embraced by the BBC. Many of the issues affecting fishing are not only of interest to the huge community of anglers, but to millions of other people who care about the state of the marine and freshwater environment. It’s very welcome to see a new BBC2 series The Big Fish, which, I’m sure, will help our efforts to recruit new anglers. However, I will be pressing the programme-makers to make sure that this is not just a one-off and that angling gets a fair deal on national TV for years to come.”

Source: Angling Trust Fishing News

Went to Oakley Fisheries Bromley.

Good little fishery. It is a farm lake with a good number of 5LB-10LB fish. But some good lumps in there in 20's. Have caught a number of carp on pellets and paste for tench. Bread works well too. Only costs £7.00 so not bad value.

The site has coffee and tea and toilets but no food, plenty of shops nearby though.

Only downside on one side of the lake it is near a main road which can be noisy at times. Doesn't spoil the day though in my opinion.

In first place and the first angler to qualify for the final in November was Steve Maher with a fantastic catch of roach for 30-0-0. Steve fished bolo float over groundbait with maggot in 10ft of water and caught steady throughout the match.  The roach were to a pound and a quarter. He used a size 18 hook 0.10 hook length. He was in Section A on the County Ground, just above the footbridge in Frankwell car park.

Second to qualify was local star Adam Williams. He caught dace from the start on bolo and waggler with maggot. Adam also had two good chub, roach and perch in his section winning bag of 18-3-0. He was on peg 19 above the footbridge in B section Quarry.  The third qualifying place went to Doug Foreshaw on peg 53 in section C in the quarry near the tennis courts. Doug was struggling with about a pound of silvers in the first two hours and decided to switch to the pole. He had a few more small dace and roach, then got into something bigger a 6-1-0 chub. He played it for quite some time and landed it on a no 5 elastic. This completed his total weight of 12.1.0.

The top six on the day were as follows;

1- Steve Maher 30.0.0
2 - Adam Williams 18-3-0
3- Paul Downes 17-0-0
4- T Chalk 16-2-0
5- D Ashington 14-14-0
6- T Moreton 14-4-0
 
With only two RiverFest qualifiers remaining for this year the next RiverFest qualifier is on the Yorkshire Ouse, Hunters Lodge to Linton on Ouse on Saturday 24th October 2015

Source: Angling Trust Fishing News

Water Matters - an influential publication launched today (Tuesday, September 15) - outlines the actions that need to be taken over the next five years to halt and reverse the loss of aquatic life and restore a healthy water environment.They include:

• Stopping pollution of waters by making polluters pay and improving incentives to protect and enhance waters;
• Managing floods and drought naturally to alleviate the impacts of climate change;
• Using water wisely by reducing abstraction and demand;
• Creating, protecting and restoring places for freshwater species and other wildlife to thrive.

Water Matters has been published by the Blueprint for Water, a coalition of 16 leading environmental and fishery organisations - which includes the Angling Trust - and representing some six million people. It is part of Wildlife and Countryside Link, a wider forum representing 46 voluntary environment organisations.

Acting Chair of Link's Blueprint for Water Group, Hannah Freeman, said:
"Over the last 30 years our freshwater species have declined by 76 per cent.

"Despite such losses less than one per cent of the UK's entire river length and only a small proportion of wetlands are formally protected.

"Water Matters advocates us all working together to manage our water more sensitively, bringing sustainable benefits to the economy and a future full of wildlife-rich places that everyone can explore and enjoy."

Mark Owen, Angling Trust's Head of Freshwater, said:
"All anglers want clean, healthy waters in which to fish and reversing the decline in the natural environment is essential in providing that.

"Measures to maintain and restore water habitats as well as long-term planning for water management are vital for the future of angling."

Also launched today was the Farming fit for the Future publication setting out a vision that delivers benefits for farming communities and industries as well as restore natural environments.

Link's Director, Dr Elaine King, said:
"Farming and water are so closely linked. We therefore want the Government to take an integrated approach to ensuring that our land and water can provide us with life's essentials: healthy food, clean drinking water, protection from flooding, secure livelihoods and access to beautiful green and blue spaces with thriving nature."

Download Water Matters HERE (4MB PDF)

Source: Angling Trust Fishing News

The focus of the court case is on habitats that are protected by law and known as Natura 2000 sites (1). They include national treasures like Poole Harbour and the Rivers Avon, Wye & Eden, where pollution is having a harmful impact on species that should thrive in these habitats. The UK government is required by law to take all the necessary steps to ensure they are at good health by December 2015, but it is not going to achieve this (2).

This is because current action is not sufficient to tackle the scale of the problem. To protect these special habitats adequately, WWF, the Angling Trust and Fish Legal want the government to use all the tools at its disposal to ensure these precious places are properly protected and restored for people and wildlife.

This would include Water Protection Zones (WPZs), which were identified by the Environment Agency in 2009 as its preferred tool to reduce pollution if voluntary measures were not successful. (3)

David Nussbaum, Chief Executive, WWF-UK, said:
"The health of our rivers and lakes is one of the most critical concerns for WWF-UK, the Angling Trust and Fish Legal. Not only are they vital for important species such as Atlantic salmon, bullhead fish, bittern and kingfisher, but they are also important for recreational activities such as fishing, walking and birdwatching, which provide a vital income for rural communities.

"We are calling on the government to use the tools at its disposal to tackle the issue. We hope this legal action will lead to a rethink of the approach of the government and Environment Agency so that we can see real improvements in these precious places."

Mark Lloyd, Chief Executive for the Angling Trust and Fish Legal, said:
"Poor land management is causing soils carrying nutrients and pesticides to wash into our precious rivers, seriously harming some of our most important fish species, such as Atlantic salmon, stocks of which have plummeted in recent years. This pollution is not only bad for fish and wildlife, but also anglers who contribute billions to the economy every year.

"We must ensure the necessary measures are in place to stop this pollution, and give our rivers and lakes a chance to recover and thrive."

Now that permission for Judicial Review has been granted, the case will proceed to court later in the year. If successful, and its actions are found to be unlawful, the government will have to identify the regulatory steps necessary to tackle pollution affecting these areas.

Source: Angling Trust Fishing News

Anglers, environmental groups and river users joined Ministers and business leaders in celebrating the news - recognising that the Thames Tideway Tunnel is needed urgently to tackle the issue of discharges of untreated sewage into the river and ensure the capital's sewerage system is fit for the 21st century. The tidal Thames is home to more than 120 species of fish, tens of thousands of which have perished in recent decades in periodic pollution incidents including the catastrophic 450,000 ton sewage overflow of June 2011 which affected West London and caused a major fish kill.

See: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-13693265

On Monday, Bazalgette Tunnel Limited, a new special-purpose company appointed to take the project forward, received its licence from Ofwat as a new regulated utilities business, separate from Thames Water. At the same time, Thames Water announced a much lower than predicted cost of the project to customers. The company's current average household bill for water and wastewater of around £370 per year is now expected to remain at that level, before inflation, until at least 2020.

The Angling Trust has been working hard with local angling and environmental groups, including our colleagues in the Thames Angler's Conservancy, to press for the Tunnel to be be built as soon as possible.

Mark Lloyd, Chief Executive of the Angling Trust said:
"Anglers have been at the forefront of the campaign for a cleaner river and an end to the fish kills that have blighted this great and improving tideway. As the national governing body for recreational fishing the Angling Trust was proud to a founder member of the Thames Tunnel Now coalition that pressed for the building of this much needed 'Supersewer' and we are delighted that is finally going ahead."

Martin Baggs, CEO of Thames Water, said:
"It's no exaggeration to say this is a truly momentous day for London and the River Thames. I want to thank everyone who has played a part in getting us this far. It's a historic achievement and I look forward to supporting Bazalgette Tunnel Limited in ensuring the project is delivered safely, on time and to budget. The strong competition for both construction and financing has driven down costs for our more than five million bill payers.

"Our current annual bills already include £7 for the tunnel and this will eventually rise to a total of £20 to £25, before inflation. This is sharply down from the original maximum estimate of £70 to £80 set four years ago. The really good news is that cheaper finance and other efficiencies mean that this hugely important piece of national infrastructure can be built while keeping our bills at or around their current level, before inflation, for at least the next five years."

Environment Secretary Elizabeth Truss said:
"The Thames Tideway Tunnel will be a fantastic example of world leading British engineering at its best. It will also boost economic growth across the capital, generate more than 9,000 jobs and bring huge benefits to the natural environment by protecting the Thames from sewage.

"Today's announcement brings us one step closer to finally modernising London's ageing sewerage system. In the 21st century, the most dynamic city in the world should not have a river that is polluted by sewage every time there is heavy rainfall."

Andy Mitchell, CEO at 'Tideway', the delivery organisation for the Thames Tideway Tunnel, now owned by Bazalgette Tunnel Limited, added:
"Our task over the next seven years is quite simply to make sure London has a sewerage system capable of meeting the capital's modern-day needs. Everyone in the team is excited and can't wait to get started.

"It's not just about cleaning up the river, important though that is. Nor is it just about building a tunnel. It's about making sure we transform the River Thames, making it central to the capital's wider social and economic well-being. This is a once in a generation opportunity and we are determined to raise the bar in every way, not least the way we treat local communities potentially most directly affected by construction works.

"Through our commitment to remove excavated materials by barge, the opportunity to rejuvenate the river as a transport artery will be a particular focus for us."

The Thames Tideway Tunnel will stem the flows from the 34 'combined sewer overflows' (CSOs) identified by the Environment Agency as the most polluting. The £4.2 billion project will connect up with the Lee Tunnel. This has already been constructed by Thames Water to take wastewater otherwise destined for the river to Beckton sewage works, East London, from early in 2016.

Along with Thames Water's recent expansion of the five sewage treatment works on the tidal Thames, the two tunnels will greatly reduce the 39 million tonnes of untreated sewage that currently overflow into the tidal River Thames via CSOs in a typical year.

Source: Angling Trust Fishing News

Conditions were far from ideal with a band of high pressure to begin with bringing with it very hot and humid weather. Later on in the afternoon, thunderstorms from off the continent rolled in with torrential rain resulting in a very wet finish for competing anglers.

Pairs Result:

Winning pair on the day were Mega Match This finalist, Peter Upperton (Middy) and partner, Rob Taylor (Daiwa Dorking). Both anglers managed to top their respective sections giving them an impressive two point score overall and cumulative weight of 222-05-00 to confirm a comfortable victory. The result was particularly significant for Pete Upperton, who will now go into this year's Mega Match This final having won one of Larford's Premier events, and from off the Match lake to boot!

Finishing in second place with a slim weight advantage over third placed pair were Perry Stone (Spro / Yorkshire Bait) and fellow Yorkshire Baits rod, Rob Hitchins. Perry Stone achieved a single point from peg 4 on the Arena lake weighing in a level 85lbs of carp taken late on to maggot down his edge with partner Rob managing a respectable 4th in section from peg 66 on Specimen lake. This gave the pair a cumulative five point score and a total weight of 124-15-00 to finish narrowly ahead of Aiden Mansfield and Mark Malin.

Aiden and Mark also managed a five point score with Aid picking up three points from end peg 66 on the Match lake coupled with Mark's two point score from peg 80 on the Specimen lake. Aid caught most of his fish down his edge to weigh in 60-04-00 with partner Mark catching well on the pellet waggler. The two ended the day with a cumulative weight of 121-13-00 to secure a main frame finish and £500.
 

Individual Result:

Picking up individual honours on the day was Middy's Kieron Rich. Kieron drew peg 22 on the Speci burr bank and opted to fish the majority of his match with pole and pellet up in the water to end proceedings with an impressive haul tipping the scales a shade over one hundred and thirty pounds at 133-02-00.

Finishing close behind in second place was Daiwa Dorking's Rob Taylor. Rob drew peg 44 on the Speci chalet bank and caught late on down his edge with meat to weigh in 131-01-00.

Third placed individual on the day was Ryan Lidgard. Ryan drew peg 52 on the Speci chalet bank and caught on pole and pellet up in the water for the durtation of the match to weigh in 123-06-00.

Source: Larford Lakes

The finalists will take part in a random draw on Thursday evening to determine their peg for day one of the two day final, drawing chronologically in the order from which they qualified. The draw for day two will take place on Friday evening with anglers drawing randomly in the order in which they finished on day one, the angler finishing in 1st place on day one will draw first down to the angler in 16th place drawing last.

The move follows feedback from anglers who voiced their concerns over the proposed change to the draw system that would have allowed anglers to hand pick their peg for Saturdays all important second day.

Ben Thompson, Angling Trust said:

“the recent announcement detailing the changes to format and structure have been well received on the whole, more opportunities to enter and increased prize money, however feedback highlighted some unease in regards to the draw process and we have acted with our colleagues at Matchroom Sport to address those concerns. With over 2,000 extra tickets available than in previous years, £50,000 to the winner and £10,000 to the runner up, we expect Fish 'O' Mania XXIII to be the biggest and most exciting to date.”

Details of Fish 'O' Mania XXIII including dates and venues will be available at www.anglingtrust.net/fishomania towards the end of 2015. The competition is open to Angling Trust members only and entry will remain at £25 per qualifier. To join the Angling Trust from just £2.50 a month visit www.anglingtrust.net/membership

Source: Angling Trust Fishing News

The National Junior Canal Championship is being organised by the Canal & River Trust, the charity that cares for 2,000 miles of the nation’s historic waterways, in partnership with the Angling Trust. The competition is open to anyone aged between 12 and 16 with the winner taking home the top prize and being crowned national champion. 

The match is taking place on 24 October on the Birmingham & Fazeley Canal at Curdworth.

The youngsters will be able to gain inspiration from some of the best anglers in the country as the National Canal Pairs Championship is also taking place in Curdworth on the same day.

John Ellis, national fisheries & angling manager for the Canal & River Trust said;

“This is a great opportunity for young anglers to show us what they can do. Canal fishing is the ultimate test of skill and to be crowned the UK’s National Junior Canal Angling Champion will be a fantastic honour for any junior angler.

“Canals are great for young anglers, they’re easily accessible, low cost and full of fish so there’s nowhere better for them to hone their skills. 

“We want to inspire more young people to have a go at angling and competitions like this are a great way of doing that. The match also gives a great opportunity for the competitors to see some of the country’s best senior anglers up close and maybe take a few tips home. With a bit of luck they may be in that position in a few years’ time which is a really exciting prospect.”

David Kent from the Angling Trust said;

“Many of our top international anglers, past and present, cut their teeth on canals. England consistently ranks around No 1 in the world and so it is vital that there is a continuous flow of talented youngsters coming through to ensure that Team England retains and even improves its world ranking. 

“This is a great opportunity for our young anglers to, perhaps, experience fishing in a national competition for the first time and, hopefully, go on to greater things.  However it is vitally important that they enjoy the occasion and I’m sure that they will.”   

The championship is free to enter with 50 spaces available and bookings can be made through the Angling Trust by emailing sandra.drew@anglingtrust.net or telephoning 0115 9061 301 for an entry form

Source: Angling Trust