The three year research programme by Substance has surveyed and interviewed thousands of anglers and demonstrates the valuable contribution angling makes to communities by improving the environment, helping young people gain new skills and contributing to the local and national economy.

The report has been welcomed by the Angling Trust who called for a more joined up approach in government to maximise angling's social impact. Mark Lloyd, Angling Trust Chief Executive said:

'This work, by the independent and highly-respected research team at Substance, provides invaluable evidence that angling is really important to millions of people and their communities. What is clear is that anglers not only protect and improve the water environment, but that their sport plays a vital role in contributing to well being, social cohesion and keeping young people out of trouble. We call on the Home Office, and the health and education departments to embrace angling as a mechanism for improving wellbeing and skills.'

Fishing for Answers, is the final report from a three year study of angling by research company Substance funded by the Big Lottery research fund. It is to be launched at a conference in London today sponsored by the Angling Development Board. It will outline how angling is about far more than fishing:

• 25% of anglers said that they were involved in environmental improvement work
• 22% volunteered in teaching or coaching formally and informally
• The UK is a leader in the field in angling based youth education and inclusion work
• Angling organisations have helped restore and develop local waters as genuine community assets, bringing people together and reducing crime and anti-social behaviour
• Angling can stimulate the economy in rural areas and coastal towns through tourism, particularly outside of the traditional season. In one case study angling tourists contributed around £1 million a year to a remote rural area

• Can assist good health and well being - as a preventative measure helping to reduce stress and as a treatment to restore health after strokes, cancer treatment, mental illness, inactivity or trauma.
• Can involve intense physical activity - although often thought of as a sedentary sport, the research found that 34% of game anglers surveyed said that their fishing involved high levels of intensity physical activity; and around half of all anglers saying that it involved moderate physical activity.
• Is a gateway activity that can lead to participation in cleaning up the environment, rivers and beaches - over a quarter of anglers surveyed said that they took part in some environmental improvement work.
• Helps young people reconnect with education and avoid crime.

Source: Angling Trust Fishing News

I have seen and learned to appreciate that there is beauty in flatlands and that the Cambridgeshire and the Lincolnshire Fens, with their ‘big skies’ have an attraction all of their own; that there is nowhere on the planet matching the colour of the wild flower filled banks of the narrowest  lanes you must use to reach the streams tumbling off the Devon moors; and that urban trout are to be cherished.

Life today is pacey, and in my Executive life, moving around Britain, involved either the cramp of the  Shuttle, or of flying landside at subsonic speeds on our motorways slowing only for police cameras. The idea that there was something down there, was often masked at the window seat by cloud; or impossible to consider in the need to preserve one’s own skin amongst the millions of wheels on similar missions on an M-something.

But there is, and so much, and only the era of semi-retirement (for we must never STOP!) yields some time to find it and marvel at it. And fish!!

I have always kept a record of my fishing days. I presume that the hope of an increase in my catch rate would suggest that my angling skills were improving, and that was the motivation for doing this. But I think it was more than that, and symptomatic of a personality which thrives in variety, and enjoys the challenge of the same.

Also, I have always insisted that there is more to fishing than catching fish, and over time, that has consisted of buying fishing books, both contemporary, quite a few, and a small number of older editions; the odd bit of old tackle, mainly wooden reels; religiously reading my monthly  subscriptions to Trout & Salmon, and Fly Fishing & Fly Tying; planning our  annual overseas trip with great pal, David Fraser; plotting and planning my next season...and searching out new waters!

So the latter evolved naturally into my ‘quest’.

Establishing at the outset, that I had already fished in a number of counties, the attack on the remainder began in earnest. This entailed use of the internet in the main, and also Fish & Fly’s outstanding, ‘Where to fish’ directory. Fly Fishing Forum was another great source of information, once one has learned to filter out the nonsense banter which some correspondents seem obsessed by.

I soon learned that, having established a Blog, this served as a point of reference to those who may, initially, have been undecided by the unexpected request for permission, or information!
It is February 2012, and I have ‘netted’ thirty seven [37] of the forty six English counties.

I have a contacts book of dozens, without whom, I would be floundering. It is a testament to the extraordinary fraternity (and sorority) of anglers that so many have expressed interest and encouragement, passed on their knowledge, and offered invitations and given their time to my ‘mission’. I have to thank the Conservation Officers (Tim, Paul, and Andy) of the Wild Trout Trust, Fisheries Officers of the Environment  Agency, for much helpful advice....they, and the chaps I have fished with, are all acknowledged in my Blog.

Which are my favourite rivers?

I think urban streams are special, for these are in need of constant care, and thanks to the efforts of such organisations as the Wandle Trust in South London, and Greenstreams (and Sprite) in Yorkshire,  it is now possible to fish what were distressed waters, such as the Wandle, the Colne and Holme.

The care of privately owned water such as Paul Jenning’s beat on the Chess has produced a small fishery of real class; the Shep in Cambridge is a triumph of regeneration, as is Andrew Flitcroft’s stretch on the Gwash in Rutland.

So I guess my preference is for those intimate streams, as opposed to the pristine or the wide spate!

As season 2012 approaches, I am plotting.

I expect the three counties of the North East to be conquered. I have identified accessible waters in Cheshire, West Midlands (surprisingly) and the Isle of Wight. I will struggle with Merseyside and Bedfordshire, but Essex will be difficult, but achievable.

Author: Tony Mair

Keep reading www.afishermansjourney.com to see how Tony get's on.

The season saw 86 anglers gracing the banks, not all of whom did full weeks, and it also saw 1115 carp landed totalling over 11.5 ton of fish of which 173 were commons and 74 were 30's.

The biggest carp to come out in the first season was 39 lb and landed to both Gary Johnson on the first week and Trevor Horne on the fourth week. 
The biggest common to come out also landed to Gary Johnson on the first week at 34 lb 10 oz.

The first season also saw a few memorable moments outside of the fishing, the first of which was on the first week.  The guys wanted to meet the locals for a few drinks and Dean told us he would show the French how to drink, then proceeded to wobble back to his bivvy mumbling the phrase “they done me” no fishing was done that night. Let’s not forget that Gary also set the lake record at 39 lb & the Common record at 34.10 lb

Week 4 saw the Happyhookers arrive (a carp forum of course) and catch 68 carp 7 of which were 30’s. In that same week Steve (Roadie) was offered the stock pond if his luck didn’t change, Shirley (Mrs HH) stole John’s (Happyhookers) first 30+ from his rods while he was in the loo (I think he took his sounder box with him every time after that), Mark (Codger) ribbing everyone, Happyhooker telling jokes every time he was at the table, Jenni (Mrs Honka) telling a few stories maybe she shouldn’t have and of course we must not forget Trevor (Happy Honka), alongside matching the lake record, he also informed the locals that he caught a blow job (he was trying to say “Petit pike” and instead he said “Petit pipe”, let’s just say he may need to brush up on his French for next year.

Week 5 saw Chris and Paul Wenham smash the lake by landing 86 fish between them, this gave Chris the record for the most carp in one week by any one angler, he landed himself 56 fish and let’s just say he was very tired when he left and he was doing his best not to fall asleep in the car on the way back to the airport.

Week 11 had three lads from Cumbria caught 42 fish between them, but one of the lads managed to catch too much sun despite being advised to cover up or sit in shade, I think I must have gone through a couple of bottles of after sun. 

Week 13 saw the first local French angler grace the banks of the lake, Johan Bonnefond from Limoges stayed for two nights and managed to land himself a 30 lb fish, a PB for Johan.  He enjoyed himself so much he decided on another visit a few weeks later.

Week 15 (June) delivered the lake a mini heat wave, with the temperature steadily climbing to 40 Degrees, but despite the heat the five guys on the lake managed to land themselves 29 fish between them.

Following the hot spell, week 18 was very wet, it showered pretty much all week, in fact it rained so much that one of the lads on that week (Chris) needed me to take him to Decathlon for some waterproof clothing.  That week also provided a few pranks between the guys, including Clinton hiding behind a bush and tugging on Jacks line, I have never seen anyone run so fast for a bite only to find out there was no fish.

Week 24 saw Andy Lane and his son Sam arrive for a second visit, he upped his catch from his first visit five weeks earlier and has booked for next year with his entire family.
It also saw Tom Suckling and Ian Dixon have a mad few days, their early evening catches went mad on two occasions when all four of their rods went screaming off within 30 minutes, at one point they were not in a position to land one of their fish and I had to land it for them.

Week 30 arrived along with four guys from Sheffield, one of which (Wim Snape) had been in the movie the full monty.  The guys managed to land 107 fish in the week, the most fish caught by any one group. A fantastic time was had by all with some great banter, laughs to the point some of us got a belly ache (Wim and his imitation accents are to blame for that one and Mark Trippett (Trip) and his numerous costume changes).  Trip almost managed to break the record for the most fish in a week with 52 fish, however a last night of celebrating meant he slept rather than cast his rods out.

A great year for the lakes first season, now the lake is closed the carp will be fed the maximum they need to continue growing as long as the weather permits and I can’t wait to see how next year starts and see how the carp have grown.

The lake opens its gates on the 31st of March next year and I can’t wait to see what the second season brings.

Thanks to everyone who supported the lake and to those of you who came and fished the lake, I couldn’t have asked for more for my first year.

Check out the catch reports for the year: http://www.carp-fishinginfrance.com/catch.htm

Check out the catch Gallery for the year: http://www.carp-fishinginfrance.com/gallery_catch.htm

Check out Previous news feeds for the catch report write ups over the year: http://www.carp-fishinginfrance.com/news.htm

Also check out the reviews the lake has received the first year: http://www.carp-fishinginfrance.com/comments.htm

This event attracts around 150 competitors from the UK, Jersey, Guernsey and Alderney, each hoping to land the biggest fish, or the one that got away last year and break another British record.

Teams and pairs of anglers each year take to the rocky shore line of Alderney to compete for the largest catch, within a number of categories.

For more information about this event contact telephone Dick Smith on 01481 822198 or Mark Harding 01481 824884

Source: Visit Alderney

Following a 3 year battle and concerted attempts by water companies to prevent an appeal, Fish Legal has finally managed to get the case referred to the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU). The Judge at the Upper Tribunal (UT) in London has prepared some legal questions to ask the CJEU to help decide whether water companies are "public authorities" under European legislation, and therefore subject to public scrutiny.

Fish Legal acting on its own behalf and as the legal wing of the Angling Trust with its 350,000-strong membership of angling clubs and individuals, has been battling to challenge a series of decisions, firstly by the Information Commissioner, and then the Upper Tribunal in an earlier case which held that water companies are not public authorities and therefore not covered by European Legislation and UK law - which meant their filing cabinets could remain shut.

As long ago as 2009, Fish Legal asked water companies for information on sewage discharges and clean-up operations at the thousands of combined sewer overflows (CSOs) in England and Wales. Two companies - United Utilities and Yorkshire Water - said they were not "public authorities" and therefore did not need to provide the information by law. United Utilities took about 2 years to get the complete information to Fish Legal, whose lawyers believe the information should be available by right and not just at the whim of the water companies.

The Judge's decision to refer the case to the European courts is exactly what Fish Legal wanted and is the next step in getting the companies to open up to inspection by anyone who wants to know what their local company is doing to their watercourses or beaches.

The Judge will ask the Court of Justice of the European Union to answer questions which help to understand what a "public authority" is in European legislation and whether bodies like water companies are included.

Justin Neal, Head Solicitor for Fish Legal said: "it has taken 3 years to get to this position and we may have to wait another two years for the European Courts to provide answers to these questions. Nevertheless, we hope that common sense will prevail and that they will conclude that the privatisation of the water industry didn't take information out of the hands of the general public."

Leading barrister, David Wolfe, who provided the legal advice and representation for FL, commented, "I have been pleased to assist Fish Legal in getting the case the CJEU. I am optimistic that the CJEU will give an answer which will help everyone wanting information from water companies and other privatised utilities."

Mark Lloyd, Chief Executive of the Angling Trust and Fish Legal said: "Water Companies should not be able to hide what they are getting up to. Water quality and quantity affect us all, and our legal team are committed to doing all they can to get access to this vital information not just for anglers, but for everyone who cares about the state of our rivers and coasts. This case could take five years for us to win, but it will be of benefit to generations of anglers and environmental campaigners."

Source: Angling Trust Fishing News

The Angling Trust is in there fighting on your behalf to get the best possible deal for anglers. We have attended several meetings of the new Defra Licensing Review group along with representatives from the RSPB, Natural England and others. There are more of these meetings planned, and we are currently undertaking a major research project to develop detailed case studies of the damage caused by fish-eating birds based on the information that our members and others have sent us.

We are taking Mr. Benyon on a visit to a major cormorant roost so he can see for himself the problems these birds are causing. Our Cormorant Control Hotline in partnership with BASC continues to help our members successfully complete the lengthy form filling involved in applying for a license to control fish eating birds. The Angling Trust is also supporting the excellent work of the Avon Roach Project and is helping to ensure that their petition calling for much greater controls of cormorants is presented directly to the minister at Defra along with the feedback we have received from people like yourself via www.cormorantwatch.org.

We expect there to be some announcements of minor changes to licensing procedures in the next few weeks in advance of any major changes which might be announced in the spring of 2012. Ultimately we are looking for much more radical solutions, but this will take time.

The information generated by anglers about the number and location of sightings collected through Cormorant Watch is important in supporting our case and showing the strength of feeling this issue has generated amongst anglers, fishery owners and others involved in the angling industry.

Campaigning on this issue, along with everything else we do for angling, is time-consuming and expensive. Please help the Angling Trust to help angling by making a donation to support our costs, by encouraging every angler you know to join and by renewing your membership promptly (ideally by Direct Debit) each year. The Angling Trust is rapidly becoming a force to be reckoned with, but we need far more support from the angling world if we are to take on more major campaigns such as Cormorant Watch.

Source: Angling Trust Fishing News

Visit the Golden Balls website

The Angling Trust submitted a response to the recent consultation on this subject urging the Environment Agency not to introduce this very unpopular charge.  Trust staff are delighted that anglers’ views have been taken into account.  A rapidly growing number of waters have been infested with signal crayfish, which eat young fish and eggs, burrow into river banks, and can make angling impossible in some waters.  The non-native crayfish also carry a plague against which native English crayfish have no immunity.

Mark Lloyd, Chief Executive of the Angling Trust said:
“signal crayfish are a menace to fish and fishing and every effort must be taken to stop their spread and reduce their numbers.  We are pleased that common sense has for once prevailed.  The EA should never have given permission for them to be allowed into the country in the first place.  To charge anglers and fishery managers for removing such a damaging critter from rivers and lakes would have been ridiculous.”

Licences will continue to be required to ensure that traps are properly designed and that trapping doesn’t cause damage through spread of disease.

Source: Angling Trust Fishing News

The river lived up to its reputation in the first event with a huge 203 lbs Catfish being caught by the French team and what a great fish it was. The event itself could not have been closer with the Dutch pair of Arnout Terlouw and Ron Beugelink just pipping the American Phil King and Tim Haynie by 600 gr in the last hour of the event to create a nail biting climax. The entire event had a tremendous atmosphere that was enjoyed by all and everybody who participated is looking forward to the forthcoming event.

There are going to be a few very slight changes for the next event and these are:

* The draw at the opening ceremony will decide the competitors peg for the first day and the zone order for the event. There will be a draw on each night for the two following nights to see what the peg numbers competitors will fish the following day. The zones will be decided on the first draw and follow on from that so for example if peg B5 was draw at the opening ceremony then on day 2
the competitors would fish in zone C and day 3 zone A.

* Change in possible angling combination: Pair (2 anglers) or Trio (3 anglers) but only 4 rods can be used.

* A clearly identified Team Runner will also be allowed in Pair's combination.

* 50 kg of bait can be used per day and this can be either squid, halibut pellets or boilies.

* If a fish is snagged competitors can call the marshal and it may then be allowed for one of the anglers to go out in a boat to free the fish from the snag. The rod must stay on the bank at all times. The freed fish will count in the event.

The rest of the rules remains the same.

Berkley are the event title sponsor for the second year as well as new sponsors Black Cat, Rod-Box and Carplove who will join PVTV as Zone Sponsors, Reuben Heaton as the official scales sponsor and a large selection of support sponsors.

There will be a tremendous £50,000 prize table for competitors to compete for and the organisers are very grateful to the sponsors for their support in making this possible.

As part of our ongoing commitment to the environment, Friends of the Ebro will continue to campaign for clean riverbanks on the Ebro.

10 places for Hungary and 10 places for Romania have already been snapped up highlighting the interest that there is in the 2012 event. If you would like to secure your place in the event register now by going to the on line registration at www.worldcatfishclassic.com.

Further Details: World Catfish Classic