The Feeder Team are:

Tom Pickering (manager)
Glenn Lawrence  (coach)
Steve Ringer
Phil Ringer
Mick Vials
Rob Wootton
Dean Barlow
Adam Wakelin

Eddie Bridon and Will Freeman will also be travelling and working with the squad this year.

Tom Pickering said: “There are no changes this year as lads have been magnificent in recent years, and with winning the event over the last two years we will be trying to win three on the trot. Apart from the South Africa Carp team, there is not a team that have done this.

"There have been other major championships on this canal so we do know a little bit about it. I think it will be a good fishing match, which is exactly what we want.

"The England Feeder Team would like to thank the Angling Trust, Preston Innovations and Sensas for their support as we could not do what we do without them.”

Dick Clegg, OBE, International Events Manager, said: “Since Tom was appointed manager of the England Feeder Team they have become number one in the official FIPSed world rankings due in no small part to the professional way he has approached these Championships.

"It has not come as a surprise to me that he has decided to take the same squad to Serbia after the team's successes over the last two years and I dearly hope that they can retain their title and make it an unprecedented three golds in a row. I would like to join Tom in thanking Preston Innovations and Sensas for their continued financial support of the Angling Trust's Feeder Team.”

Source: Angling Trust Fishing News

Committed to reducing rural crime of all kinds, Mr Tipping’s trip to a fishing pool in South Muskham, near Newark, was all about discussing with local anglers what they can do to help the police protect fish and fisheries.

The Commissioner was keen to raise awareness of the value and importance of anglers passing information about criminal activity – including wildlife crime – to the police, agencies and partnerships such as the cross-border Operation Traverse.

“Nottinghamshire Police already works closely with Lincolnshire Police and Operation Traverse – teamwork which is greatly assisted by up-to-date intelligence from the angling fraternities,” he said.

“Anglers and members of the local communities who know the rivers and fishing spots well are ideally placed to keep us in the picture. By reporting incidents to the police they become a vital cog in the wheel that tackles offenders and prevents crime.”

Operation Traverse is a multi-partnership operation that includes a growing number of police forces, the Angling Trust and Environment Agency. It helps to raise awareness of fish theft, wider related criminality and organised crime as well as encouraging a coordinated response to poaching.

Kevin Pearson, the Angling Trust’s Midlands Regional Enforcement Manager, said: “We're really pleased to be working in partnership with Nottinghamshire Police and the Environment Agency to tackle poaching, rod licence evasion and angling-related crime. Having the support of Police and Crime Commissioner Paddy Tipping is a significant move forward as it demonstrates to the angling and rural communities that their concerns are being taken seriously.

'We must understand that policing is intelligence-led - meaning that it is essential for anglers to report all incidents to the Environment Agency and police. Only then will the true extent of our problems be quantified and offenders brought to book.

“It is vitally important that we all contribute to Operation Traverse by calling the Environment Agency on 0800 80 70 60 for suspected rod licence offences, or the police on 101 to report criminal offences including fishing without permission and the theft of fish, or 999 if a crime is in progress. Ask for a call reference number and request feedback.”

Dilip Sarkar MBE, Angling Trust’s National Enforcement Manager, said: “Operation Traverse remains an extremely important initiative and we are delighted to welcome Nottinghamshire Police aboard as a formal partner. We have listened to the concerns of anglers in that force area, particularly in respect of the river Trent, and now need to work together to support the Environment Agency and police in protecting fish and fisheries.”

Nottinghamshire Police has its own angler liaison officer: Special Constable Haddon Smith, who joined Commissioner Tipping at South Muskham. Acting as point of contact with anglers and water bailiffs in the Sherwood area, he also goes on patrol with them.

Source: Angling Trust Fishing News

Several thousand outfalls were given ‘temporary’ deemed consents at the time of privatisation of the water industry in 1989 (see note 1), because there were no legal permits for these discharges at all. The Environment Agency is now trying to draw up bespoke environmental permits so that they can take enforcement action against water companies in the event that discharges from the remaining poorly-regulated sewage outfalls pollute rivers, lakes or coastal waters.

However, in order to draft modern permits which will help them meet water quality standards, the Environment Agency require information from water companies concerning the frequency and content of their discharges.

The information received shows a very patchy response from the water companies with some, such as Anglian Water, United Utilities and Yorkshire Water, not having made much progress at all, whilst Wessex Water and South West Water have made the most progress. The delay in progress is because companies have repeatedly failed to provide the information required by the Environment Agency.

The water companies have been given a deadline by the Environment Agency of the end of January 2016 to provide full information about these discharges. If they fail to meet the deadline, the Angling Trust and Fish Legal plan to use their newly secured right to request environmental information directly from the water companies (see note 5) to find out exactly how much raw sewage is being discharged from the remaining 1,968 sewage outfalls and how regularly.

Mark Lloyd, Chief Executive of the Angling Trust & Fish Legal, said: “We will be watching closely to see if any companies fail to meet the Agency’s January deadline. It is simply unacceptable that these huge companies have failed to provide the necessary information a quarter of a century after these supposedly temporary consents were granted by Parliament.

"Anglers, swimmers and watersports enthusiasts have a right to know what is polluting their waters and we expect the Environment Agency to be regulating the industry properly.”

Source: Fish Legal Fishing News

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