Fourteen of the top English ‘loch-style’ boat anglers will be travelling to the Lake of Menteith in Scotland in mid-September for the Home International competition against the host nation, Wales and Ireland.

The England Team (Team England Fly Fishing) comprises the top anglers from the National final fished last year at Bewl Water in Kent. The team is captained by Stafford angler Paul Angell who had this to say about the teams prospects in Scotland.

"With just over a month to go until the Autumn International at the Lake of Menteith, the anticipation and excitement are really starting to build. The England team has a good mix of new caps and experienced internationals, and a great team spirit is emerging.  We are all looking forward to pitting ourselves against the other home nations and believe we have the talent and qualities needed to produce a winning result.

All the teams are strong, but the Scots, on their home water, and with their excellent organization and recent record, will certainly start, on paper, as the favourites.  Having said that,  we are going to be fishing for stocked rainbow trout, which is something most of the teams will be very used to. Who will emerge as the winning team on the 20th September will be largely down to who has prepared best and who has been best able to adapt to the conditions on the day. Of course a little bit of luck is always important, but at this level, luck only plays a minor role.

The Lake of Menteith is a top quality fishery, with clear water, and hard fighting fish. What more could you ask for in an International venue.  At 700 acres it is big enough to provide a real challenge, but not so large as to make fish location a major problem on the practice days leading up to the competition.

Team England will be going flat out to go one better than in the Spring International where the Scots were victorious, beating us convincingly into second place, but no-one should forget that there are four teams of dedicated anglers, all at the top of their sport, all of whom will be giving their all in pursuit of victory. May the best team on the day win.  All I know is that I am immensely proud to be leading a great bunch of guys, and captaining my country at the sport which I love."

Paul Angell – Team Captain

The full team will comprise
Paul Angell (Captain), Glenn Appleby, Tom Bird, Martin Burgess, Howard Croston, Tom Davies, Paul Davison, Anthony Fox, Martin Griffiths, Gary Hedges, John Hood, Paul Kitchen, Mark Macleod and Steve Smalley.

Source: Angling Trust Fishing News

The 2013 BCAC sees the top UK competition carping tournament enter it’s 15th year and this years event will be bigger and better than ever. With a host of new venues, a few tweaks to the format to make it more exciting, and some of the top venues in the UK carp angling scene included, it’s sure to be a great event.

Add increased TV, radio and magazine coverage and you can see why the BCAC is such a great launch pad for angler's careers.

The final of this prestigious carp fishing event will be held at Broadlands in Hampshire from 13th - 15th September 2013

Another venue that has loads of history in UK carping, Broadlands is a beautiful day ticket water situated in the test valley nr Southampton. There’s a very good head of doubles and twenties in the water and it’s the venue that hosts the finals of this esteemed tournament. The eliminators are always exciting here as there is a chance of fish from all round the pond and when we are pegging the swims we look at the lake and see carp all over the place making swim choice very difficult. The 2012 final was again won from a totally different area of the lake and with some further pegging changes we are very confident that a fair final will once again be the order of the day.

Source: British Carp Angling Championships

The Angling Trust and Preston Innovations England Feeder Team Manager, Tom Pickering is looking for talented anglers to compete in a Feeder trial on Saturday 28th September 2013.

The trial will take place at Barston Lakes, Marsh House Farm Lane, Barston, Solihull, West Midlands, B92 0LB.

Anglers who wish to apply for the trial must be of open match standard, and MUST be able to cast and fish at 80 yards minimum. The trial will be fished to FIPS international rules.

The trial is to show the management the angler’s skills, and whether they have the temperament, drive and desire to fish for England.  They will be looking to work with anglers ready for the future.  Next year’s FIPSed Feeder World Championship will be in Inniscarrsa, Ireland in July.

If anyone is interested in taking part in the trial please supply a CV to include; full name, address, email address, date of birth, home and mobile contact telephone numbers, and provide the last two years of feeder fishing and any results and send to Sandra Drew, Competitions & Events Manager, Angling Trust, Strelley Hall, Strelley, Nottingham. NG8 6PE or email; sandra.drew@anglingtrust.net.

The closing date for all applications is by no later than 7th September.

Please note in order to take part in the trials you must also be an individual member of the Angling Trust.

Anyone successful to be invited for a trial will be contacted with further details.

Source: Angling Trust Fishing News

Groundbreaking Research into Elite Performance in Match Angling

Angling Trust Team England has a long-standing record of success in international competition in coarse, game and sea disciplines. However angling is not generally seen as a performance sport. The Angling Trust has collaborated with sports scientists from the University of Chester and developed a world-leading research project to investigate the key traits required to become a world-class match angler and provide evidence-based guidance for selecting and developing future talent.

During the 2013 Fish ‘O’ Mania weekend, Team England’s Alan Scotthorne MBE and Will Raison along with Craig Jones, Fish ‘O’ Mania finalist, were fitted with a heart-rate monitor to record heart-rate data for the duration of the match. In addition, each angler was videoed to enable performance analysis during the match. This builds on earlier work with AT’s Team England Men’s Shore team, who were the subject of testing during the 2012 Fips-mer World Shore Angling Championships. This work aimed to understand the physical and physiological load imposed on sea anglers during competition. The data has been gathered over a 12-month project and will be used to enhance coaching, talent development programmes, planning and preparation of elite teams in Home Internationals, European and World Championships in addition to gaining a scientific understanding of the demands of the sport. The research is due to be completed in September.

Ben Thompson, Talent Development and Competitions Manager said; “England are widely recognised as world leaders in match angling and we want to strive for improvements in all areas of performance. We hope this research will allow us to develop support systems for anglers from grassroots to elite level and ensure continued success for our National teams.”

Graham Cobden, Research Assistant at University of Chester said; “The data collected from Will Raison, Alan Scotthorne and Craig Jones, is one of the world’s first investigations into the physical demands of competitive elite coarse angling. By developing a greater understanding of these demands, physical, nutritional and psychological strategies can be implemented to optimise angling performance at both domestic and international competitions to increase the chances of success. Furthermore, the information can be used to enhance coaching and talent development programmes to make sure that the next generation of elite English anglers are adequately prepared for the demands of elite competitive angling to make sure that England's angling success continues.”

Source: Angling Trust Fishing News

Despite the recent hot weather, Temple Lake at Bury Hill Fisheries has continued to throw up a good number of thirties reported over the last week or so.

Fishing his annual five-day session on Temple last week, regular Mark Savage managed 5 fish which included a stunning BIG mirror weighing 36lb as well as mirrors of 26lb and 27lb along with two commons weighing 22lb and 23lb. Fishing pegs 9 and 10, Mark fished Mainline IBs tipped on a snow man presentation with a red 10 mil pop up seeped in cream with a pink avid sight stop tight to the island margins. Baiting was heavier than usual with IBs as the conditions were very hot with all the fish showing signs of being spawned out. After failing to catch on his usual long hook length, Mark changed to fish a size 12 long shank on a snow man presentation with a short hook length. It pays to do something a little different and for those who are catching bream, increase the size of the hair.

Dave Mckeown also had a good session on Temple a week ago catching a brace of mirrors weighing 27lb 10oz and 31lb 9oz. Fishing peg 14, Dave caught both his fish simultaneously. He was playing a fish on his right hand rod and as he got the fish in front of the swim his middle rod ripped off, thinking the line had been picked up by the fish he had on, he dropped the rod off the buzzer and opened the bail arm whilst he carried on playing the first fish. After landing and returning his stunning 27lb 10oz Mirror, Dave then decided to sort out the middle rod which had a slack line, once he tightened back up he realized there was another fish hooked which had given him the run whilst playing the first fish, luckily this fish was also landed OK weighing 31lb 9oz. So two fish in 5 mins?

Dave caught both his fish tight to the island margins on 14mm Cell tipped with white fake corn which he fished over a small bag of crushed cell with 30 freebies. Pictures of Daves fish are shown below.

Adam McGinnis was another angler to have a good session on Temple last week fishing peg 14. Starting his session on SAE Bait Developments B1, Adam landed a stunning 27lb 4oz mirror before losing 2 fish which prompted him to switch to a new bait, SAE Bait Developments B2 (which he is prototyping) which resulted in a further three fish, all mirrors weighing 24lb 14oz, 25lb 14oz and the much sort after Double Row Linear at 31lb dead. Adam also lost one further fish. During his session Adam fed 7kg of boilie resulting in 7 runs and 4 fish, which again goes to show that heavy feeding can trigger the fish to feed. Pictures of Adams fish are shown below in weight order starting with the 31lb Linear.

Paul Harrison was another angler to find success on Temple catching 3 fish, 2 of which were pb's. His 3rd visit, having blanked on the previous 2, Paul opted to fish peg 12 and pretty soon had fish showing over his baits, but after two days he still had no carp to show for his efforts. Having decided to stay on an extra 24 hours, Paul was quickly rewarded when a pristine common weighing 19lb graced his net. This fish was caught from one of the spots that fish had been showing for 2 days, and it fell to a snowman rig, with a B1 Bottom bait and a contrast boilie pop-up, which is a great combination. Later that evening Paul was rewarded with a new PB, a stunning mirror weighing 27lb 8 oz (almost a leather but with a few scales) which fell to a contrast boilie snowman rig. The hat trick came at 5.00am the next morning from the same rod when Paul landed a stunning 30lb 8 oz mirror which was yet another personal best. This too was caught on a contrast boilie snowman rig. Pictures of Pauls 30lb 8oz and 27lb 8oz mirros are shown below.

Turning to the Old Lake, catches have really picked up following the recent hot weather with the last few days seeing a flurry of activity which has seen a number of anglers reporting multiple bags of up to a 18 fish per session which has included a few twenties, which is a good sign for those fishing this weeks 24 hours carp open on Saturday/Sunday.

Old Lake regular Sean Tilling had a cracking session this week catching 17 fish to 23lb 7oz which included three fish weighing 19lb plus. Sean fish the front bank catching on Cell over 3 kilo of pellet.  Another angler to report a sleepless night was Karl Harris who managed 15 fish during his session on peg 4, which also included a 22lb common and a number of upper doubles.

Anyone wanting to fish this weekends Carp open on the Old Lake, we have a pair of tickets still available, please contact the tackle shop for further details and to book your place.

Source: Bury Hill Fisheries

Director of Calendar Girls and Made In Dagenham, Nigel Cole confirmed
to direct Fisherman's Friends movie next spring.

Ageism set aside as casting begins late 2013.

Current single "Mary Anne" to feature on soundtrack.

London, 26 July 2013: Ealing Studios have today confirmed that British film director Nigel Cole, responsibe for massively successful British feel-good movies ‘Calendar Girls’, ‘Saving Grace’ and ‘Made In Dagenham’, will direct the movie based on the trials, tribulations and tragedy during the rise to fame of Port Isaac’s folk and shanty 10-piece, The Fisherman’s Friends.

Due to start filming in Spring 2014, director Nigel Cole said: “I am very much looking forward to making the film. It will be a truly British movie.”

The film, which is written by Nick Moorcroft and Piers Ashworth (St. Trinian’s 1 & 2), will start casting in late 2013. Contrary to normal Hollywood casting requirements, young and beautiful is not the priority. The key roles of the ten Fisherman’s Friends will cross all ageism boundaries and range from 45 to 80 years of age.

Barnaby Thompson, one of the producers, said: “The story of the Fisherman’s extraordinary rise from singing in the local pub to playing the main stage at Glastonbury is truly unique. We can’t wait to get down to Port Isaac to start shooting it”.
 
The Fisherman’s Friends new album One And All will be released on 19 August through Island Records. The first single to be taken from the album ‘Mary Anne’ is already a hit with radio and has been chosen by Ealing Studios to feature on the film’s soundtrack. ‘Mary Anne’ was sung by the late Trevor Grills.
 
Mary Anne, is available as a single on iTunes now

‘ONE AND ALL’ is released on 26 August 2013 via Mighty Village/Island Records.

Fisherman's Friends Videos:

When it comes to fishing holiday locations, there are few so vibrant and varied as the North East of England. Famed as the home of Craster Kippers and the historic home of Grace Darling, the North East has long been a top coastal destination and one at the top of fishermen’s lists.

Thanks to a surprising summer of sunshine, the region has even more to offer those who like to spend their breaks surrounded by fishing twine and fresh catch, making it the perfect time to plan a fisherman’s tour of the North.

Start your trip at Craster, or even further north at Seahouses, and sample the best smoked kippers the coast has to offer. Pitch up a little down the coast in the small village of Alnmouth and cast off the bridge to find flounder all year round, and eels June through to October.  You’ll need lightweight tackle as the river is narrow, and you’ll only need to hike your bait a little distance to land it in the middle of the flow. Don’t forget to take an umbrella and chair too, there’s currently a nice selection over at Decathlon nestled among their fishing collection.

Once you’ve landed your catch, head over to nearby Alnwick and take in some magic of a different kind. Home of the castle featured in the Harry Potter films, Alnwick boasts a fantastic selection of restaurants and pubs, including the Treehouse restaurant in Alnwick gardens.

If you like to eat fish as well as catch it, head a little farther down the coast to Amble where you’ll discover the excellent Old Boat House restaurant, which nestles inside the towns old RNLI building. Not long opened, this little gem has been receiving some rave reviews thanks to its simple menu, which takes full advantage of the fresh local catch as well as local produce. Stay in one of the town’s B&Bs, many of which look out on to the harbour, and book yourself on to a puffin cruise to get closer to other local wildlife. If you’d like to fit in some fishing, you can charter yourself a boat or try fishing for mackerel and flatties off the side of the pier.

For those who want to take a taste of the North home from their travels, but haven’t left enough room in their suitcase, it’s possible to order Craster kippers online to last you until your next trip. 

June 2013 :: Here is the latest fishing report for Nineoaks Angling Centre near Aberaeron, Ceredigion in West-Wales.

Coarse Fishing: 24th June
Mr Gareth Thompson of Pencoyd, Bridgend float fishing on two maggots in the Main Lake topped his mixed bag of Roach and Carp off with a fine specimen 2lb Roach. His reason for fishing here was because of the quality Roach that can be regularly caught. His best Carp during the past couple of days was one of 8lb. Other anglers besides Carp were catching plenty of Roach, Tench, an occasional Chub and a few Barbel. Surface fishing as usual has been excellent, as has the margin fishing. Most baits have been doing well, with many being encouraged to try fresh or frozen mussel, and being surprised at how good a bait it is, including Ron Cousins of the Angler's Mail!

Coarse Fishing: 20th June
Carp and coarse fishing is now in full swing with plenty of good fish coming out. Afternoons and early mornings best with floating baits such as bread, dog biscuit or extra-thick toast! Whole cooked muscle (fresh or frozen but not in jars of preservative) great for the carp; pieces muscle good for the Roach. Quite a few of our small Barbel regularly coming out. The Chub are caught less frequently. Good Bream and Tench from the House and main pools. Mark, our local Grass Carp specialist can selectively pick his fish, he's pictured above with a late evening caught 11 3/4lb grassie on dog biscuit.

Trout Fishing: 20th June
Early mornings or the last hour of the day best for some really hard fighting Rainbows and Blues.
Coarse Fishing: 14th June, The Carp have just finished spawning, and so in a day or two, once their hormones have subsided, they will be ravenous. Meanwhile, there have been plenty of Carp, Roach, Tench, Bream, Grass Carp, Chub and small Barbel coming out on all sorts of baits. As usual sweetcorn, bread, maggots and luncheon meat all doing well and catching plenty. Fresh or frozen mussels, hooked through the gristle patch, and fished close in are doing really well. Don't over complicate your rigs - just keep things simple and on a light rod for the best fishing.

Peter Chisholm caught a large grassie from the House Pool (pictured above). Local lass, Los Fallon has again upped her pb to a credible 16lb 2oz, with a spawn bound Common Carp (pictured above at 14lb) when she caught the same fish before it had put weight on for spawning. Caught on dog biscuit. Mr John Yeonmans, from Llandudno, with a lovely Mirror from the House Pool.

Trout Fishing: 14th June
Daddies, suspended buzzers, Montanas, Diawl Bach nearly all fly types doing well. On the hot days with clear blue skies fishing has been hard, overcast days with light breezes have been best. No outstanding fish or catches, just good regular Trout Fishing with the average Rainbow or Blue being caught at 2.25lb each with some much bigger.

Following the recent success of Team England Angling’s under 18s and under 23s teams in France, England are now undisputed World Match fishing champions. FIPSed, the world governing body for angling, last week issued new world rankings, based on competition results from the past 5 years, and England is number 1 in six of the ten categories and in the top three in three others.

Mark Lloyd, Chief Executive of the Angling Trust said: “This fantastic achievement by the teams is a credit to all the Team England anglers and to the many volunteers who support and manage them.  We are immensely grateful to all the sponsors who support individual teams and we hope that this runaway success will attract additional financial support from companies who want to be associated with a winning team.  The Angling Trust has a new Talent Pathway programme to develop talented anglers which is already generating new Team England squad members whose job it will be to try and maintain this standard in the future.”

Dick Clegg OBE, International Events Manager said: “to achieve this standard across the board at an international level is proof that our team management systems are the best in the world and I congratulate every angler who has contributed to this success.

We are now seeded number one in six of the ten FIPSed coarse fishing disciplines that we compete in, and it's time that we receive some government funding. I can't think of any other sport that is as successful as we are and yet we don't get the recognition that our achievements deserve."

It should be noted that a number of the teams have attained this unprecedented achievement without any form of sponsorship support whatsoever.

The success has been achieved by the teams own commitment in supporting each other through fundraising activities as well as their own significant contributions out of their own pockets.

If you are interested in becoming one of our invaluable team sponsors please get in touch with the Angling Trust via their website.

The new FIPSed Rankings:

• Nations - No.1 (sponsored by Drennan)
• Under 23 - No.1 (sponsored by Drennan)
• Under 18 - No.1 (sponsored by Sensas)
• Euros - No.1 (sponsored by Drennan)
• Clubs - No.1
• Veterans - No.1
• Ladies - No.2
• Carp - No.3 (sponsored by Korda)
• Feeder - No.3 (After 2 years competing in this competition, sponsored by Preston Innovations)
• Disabled - no ranking (unable to fish every year due to lack of funding.)

Source: Angling Trust Fishing News

In the Angling Trusts' new grassroots, all discipline points league, anglers can compete at national level with other competitors in a "virtual fishing league" and will be able to compare results with team mates and other club competitors around the country. The National Fishing League runs from 3rd August 2013 to 30th March 2014 but registration is open NOW so get on board by following the simple steps below to register...

Information for Anglers - How to Fish in a League Competition:
The Angling Trust National Fishing League is free to enter for all individual anglers. Just go to www.anglingtrust.net/nfl and follow the prompts to register and obtain your Unique Participation Number.

Then, enter one of the National Fishing League competitions run at a registered club or fishery and begin collecting your National Fishing League points for the chance to become the Angling Trust County, Regional or National League Points Champion in your chosen discipline.

We'll send all registered entrants more info on the league competitions later but for now, register your place

Information for Clubs and Fisheries - How to Host a League Competition:
Hosting a National Fishing League competition is a great way to encourage anglers to become part of your club fixtures or to enter your fishery competitions.

Host clubs and fisheries need to be Angling Trust members and should simply call the Trust's membership team on 0844 77 00 616 (Option 1) during weekday office hours and pay the one-off £25 registration fee to enter all their fixtures as points counting events.

Non-member clubs and fisheries who would like to host a competition can join the Angling Trust and pay the registration fee on 0844 77 00 616 (Option 1).

You've got to be in it to win it so go to www.anglingtrust.net/nfl and become part of this great new league NOW.

There's more info for clubs, fisheries and individual anglers who want to enter the league in our Briefing Paper HERE.

The Angling Trust National Fishing League is brought to you in partnership with Sport England and the Angling Times.

Source: Angling Trust Fishing News