clicking here - Angling Trust

ANGLING TRUST
NEWS
AUTUMN/WINTER 2010
We’re
winning!
THE VOICE OF ANGLING
Mark Lloyd, Chief Executive
Many people said that it would be impossible to set up a single
organisation to represent anglers of all disciplines. It has
indeed been difficult, but with the support of our members and
generous donors, we have succeeded. The Angling Trust is now
firmly established and much of the hard work involved in setting
it up is now complete. We are very grateful to everyone who has
continued to support us and to all the new members who have
joined us over the past year.
Here are a few highlights of the past year:
• Securing support from all three parties for our Angling
Manifesto on the eve of the General Election.
• Getting the Fisheries Minister to agree to designating a
senior civil servant as a point of contact for the Angling
Trust to represent recreational sea anglers’ concerns.
• Winning six freshwater environmental campaigns
ranging from barriers to fish migration to surface water
pollution.
• Fighting successfully for more than £20,000 in
compensation for two angling clubs on the River
Wharfe affected by pollution and continuing to pursue a
further 65 legal cases on behalf of our members.
• Providing legal advice on more than 210 separate
matters for member angling clubs, syndicates and
individual riparian owners on issues ranging from
access to zander.
• Applying, alongside WWF-UK, for a Judicial Review
of Defra for the failure of the Environment Agency’s
River Basin Management plans to implement the Water
Framework Directive.
• Launching two new national angling competitions
and finding £40,000 sponsorship for the unsponsored
England coarse angling teams.
• Successfully delivering a pilot project to address
poaching and illegal fishing in the Swindon area through
our Building Bridges project.
• Supporting a nationwide Crimestoppers initiative to
protect fish health by providing a confidential helpline
for anglers to report illegal fish movements and imports.
• Launching the Fred J Taylor Award for environmental
stewardship to promote the work that anglers do to
protect and improve the environment.
We’re beginning to develop a track record of success in many areas,
which you can read more about in the pages which follow. There
remains a huge amount to do, but we now have the foundations in
place to build the organisation so that it can achieve more for all
anglers and angling.
More angling clubs, riparian owners and fisheries continue to join us
every week and as a result of this growth we are developing a new
membership package with even better value insurance. We will write
to all our members in these categories with more details of the new
subscription rates in the very near future.
We have also negotiated a fantastic new benefit for our individual
members: every member now qualifies for a big discount on all sea,
game and coarse fishing tackle bought from our new trade partner
Angling Direct online and in their shops. Their web site (www.
anglingdirect.co.uk) is easy to use and standards of customer service
are excellent. There’s more information on page 3.
Members also continue to receive free public liability insurance for
all their angling activities worldwide (excluding USA & Canada) and
are still eligible to join our Fish For Free loyalty programme which
includes more than 200 retailers. Points collected can be redeemed
for fishing tackle, the EA rod licence or donated to the Angling Trust.
Therefore, as well as supporting all our work, you can easily save
much more than the cost of membership by shopping with our
partners.
ANGLING TRUST
NEWS
New Membership
Rates
Juniors Join for Free
Adult Membership subscription rates have remained at £20 for
the first two years of the Angling Trust’s existence. The Board of
Directors has agreed that individual membership rates should be
increased to £25 next year.
In addition, from 2011 individual junior membership will be made
free of charge for under 18s and we are introducing a new Youth
category of membership to make subscriptions more affordable
for young people. We have done this to build a sustainable future
membership of the Angling Trust in the long term and to encourage
new participation in angling in a time when the sport has to vie for
the attention of young people against competition from Facebook,
mobile phones and computer games!
About £1 of this increase is because inflation over the past two years
has increased the costs of printing, stationery, wages and all the
other costs associated with running a membership organisation.
Under the age of 18 on 31st December 2011: 18 - 22 years of age on 31st December 2011:
22 years of age and above on 31st December 2011:
In addition, the organisation is now doing far more for angling than
we were capable of when we first launched and we are offering new
membership benefits that are worth much more than the new rate.
New adult individual members and renewals will remain at £20 until
January 2011.
We will be developing new membership benefits for junior and youth
members over the coming year, with the help of sponsors.
Fish Legal
Currently, 45% (i.e. £9) of individual membership subscriptions
supports the work of Fish Legal, the other £11 paying for the Angling
Trust’s activities. From 2011, £10 (40%) of the new £25 subscription
will go to Fish Legal and £15 to the Angling Trust, to ensure that the
cost of administering and marketing memberships can be met, and
leaving enough funds to pay for all the other work of the Trust.
Many of our members make donations in addition to their
subscription and we are very grateful for this support.
Building Bridges –
it works!
Radoslaw Papiewski - AT Building Bridges Project Officer
The Angling Trust received funding from the Environment
Agency this year to deliver an experimental project to
help anglers from Eastern Europe understand UK angling
laws and customs. The main aim was to encourage them
to fish legally as part of angling clubs and at commercial
fisheries. I was employed for one day each week by the
Trust to lead this project in the Swindon/Chippenham/
Tewkesbury area. I have focussed on working with angling
clubs and fisheries in this area and I believe that the
project has been a great success.
We started by surveying angling clubs and fisheries to find
out what problems they were experiencing and whether
they would be willing to be involved and found that there
was widespread support for the project. With their help, we
organised several events and competitions that saw Eastern
Europeans fishing alongside English anglers. We translated
several clubs’ rules into Polish and have provided a standard
notice for fisheries to display in 5 languages. The notices have
proved very popular and many fisheries have put them on
FREE
£10
£25
Win £1,000 of tackle vouchers!
The current membership rates still apply until the end of this year and
we have launched a campaign to encourage you to recruit just one
new member before Christmas. On the back of the address sheet
that came with this newsletter is a membership form. Simply get
someone to fill in this form and we will enter YOU into a prize draw
to win £1,000 of vouchers for Hardy, Chub or Greys tackle. We are
very grateful to Richard Sanderson at Hardy Greys for generously
donating this prize.
Please help us to grow our membership so that we can do more to
fight for the future of your fishing. Many thanks for your support.
noticeboards and on pegs. They are available for download on
the Angling Trust web site or by contacting the office.
I am working closely with existing Polish angling social clubs
and helping to set up new ones in the local area. These clubs
will ensure that all coarse fish are returned carefully to the
water and will help generate a culture of compliance with the
laws and byelaws of this country.
We succeeded in getting an article into a Polish magazine with
a circulation of nearly 200,000 readers, warning about the rules
governing import of live fish just before Christmas when there
is a high demand for live carp in the Polish community. We
also had a series of Anglers Guide articles published in the
same magazine which covered the most important aspects of
fishing ethics in the UK.
There’s lots more work to do elsewhere in the country and we
are currently bidding for more funds from the EA to extend this
successful pilot project, with the help of volunteers, to other
areas where there have been problems of poaching. Watch
this space!
0844 7700616 www.anglingtrust.net [email protected]
breaking news
Your Membership just
got even . . . .
BETTER!
20%
off
RRP for Angling
Trust Members on ALL
your fishing gear at:
AnglingDirect
Angling Direct, the UK’s largest tackle retailer, is offering
all Angling Trust individual members a fantastic new
membership benefit - 10% off everything on their website or
internet prices and in all Angling Direct stores. Most items
on the website are 10% cheaper than RRP meaning a
massive saving of up to 20%!
Claiming your discount is simple. In store, simply show a valid
Angling Trust membership card. For shopping online, we will
send ALL active members a new discount code by e-mail
every few months. Your first discount code is ATRUST10. Just
enter this discount code and your Angling Trust membership
number when you checkout and your purchase will be
reduced by another 10%.
In addition, Angling Direct will provide regular exclusive
discounts for Angling Trust members on specially selected
products. We’ll tell you all about these special deals in our
e-updates, along with other Angling Trust news.
.co.uk
Angling Direct has a huge stock of game, sea and coarse
fishing tackle and clothing at very competitive prices so
there’s something for everybody. The web site is really easy
to use and their customer service is excellent. This unique
discount for Angling Trust members means that you can
easily recoup your membership subscription in no time –
it’s a no-brainer!
This fantastic new discount is yet another great reason to join
the Angling Trust, so tell your friends about the huge savings
available and give them the membership form we’ve
printed on the back of the address sheet that came with this
magazine.
The Angling Trust is very grateful to Angling Direct for its
generous support and we know this fantastic new membership
benefit will encourage more anglers to join and to renew their
subscription each year.
Grab your tackle now at: www.anglingdirect.co.uk
www.anglingtrust.net
Advert designed and supplied by Signature Creative Solutions Ltd. on behalf of Angling Direct in association with The Angling Trust. Tel: 01920 460330 / www.signaturecreative.co.uk
ANGLING TRUST
NEWS
Where Does our
Money Go
?
Mark Lloyd
All sensible freshwater anglers buy one. A lot of specimen
anglers buy two. It’s one of the many annual rituals in fishing:
along with paying our club subscriptions, getting a hook stuck
somewhere in a body part and falling in, we all buy a rod licence.
Together we paid nearly £26 million to the Environment Agency (EA)
in rod licence fees last year, a figure which has risen steadily for the
past decade. The Government contributes about £9.4 million, a
figure which has remained precisely the same for the past decade.
Anglers are therefore each year contributing a larger and larger share
of the cost of the EA’s fisheries management in England and Wales.
We all know that cuts are coming, so it looks as if we will be funding
an even larger percentage of the costs in the next few years. Do you
know what is being done with your money?
The Angling Trust has been asking the Environment Agency this
question in some detail over the past year, as we promised in our
campaign strategy. We’re starting to get some answers as well. In
the past, the only information that was released to anglers was a
pie chart, splitting up the expenditure into activities. We welcome
the fact that the Agency is now taking steps to produce a summary
report of the work it does with our money, which will be available to
all anglers. We also welcome the new, detailed reports setting out
how fisheries funds are used in each region, so that we can compare
Thames Region with the North East and question any differences.
However, we feel that there needs to be a more fundamental review
of the way in which our fisheries are funded, particularly in light of the
forthcoming cuts to public expenditure. We are very concerned that
anglers’ money is being, and will be, diverted into other functions of
the Agency, rather than on improving and developing fisheries for our
benefit. We don’t feel that the Agency has the structures in place to
listen to what anglers and fisheries want from the money they pay,
or to let us know how they have spent our money. We also feel that
we’re not getting value for money from our rod licences, and want to
see the funds spent more intelligently.
We have been working on proposals, which we have discussed in
principle with the Fisheries Minister and with senior Environment
Agency staff, to reform the way that our fisheries are managed
and funded. We have found that several fisheries, charities and
conservation organisations support these proposals as well.
We want to hear what our members think. Please let us know
your views as soon as possible so that we can feed them in to our
discussions with Government and the Agency.
In principle:
1. We support the continued delivery of the Fisheries statutory
duty by an integrated Environment Agency.
2. We support the continued requirement of freshwater anglers
to pay a rod licence fee, but wish to see greater transparency
and accountability for the application of these funds.
3. We wish to see Government funding for fisheries, which
largely supports salmon and sea trout monitoring and
enforcement, maintained and the principle that coarse and
trout licence revenue should not be spent on migratory fish
preserved.
4. We are opposed to the creation of a separate national body
and/or regional bodies with responsibility for fisheries.
5. We propose the creation of a national committee comprising
representatives of the Angling Trust, fisheries and wildlife
organisations and senior EA staff and board members to
advise the EA about delivery of its fisheries function and other
activities which affect fisheries.
6. We propose that the Regional, Fisheries, Ecology and
Recreation Advisory Committees should focus once more
on fisheries and conservation, and lose responsibility for
recreation and navigation.
7. We believe that the Agency should be reformed to become
an effective regulator rather than a regulator and a delivery
body. Delivery should where possible be carried out by the
Angling Trust, the Angling Development Board, Rivers Trusts,
the Riverfly Partnership and other third sector organisations,
which are much more cost-effective.
8. We would like to see dedicated, specialist fisheries officers as
a single point of contact in every catchment.
We believe that the Angling Trust and its members could play a much
larger role in the management of fisheries and the development and
promotion of angling. It’s what we care about most and we know our
local rivers, canals and lakes better than anyone.
For example, we think that volunteer bailiffs could once more walk
our riverbanks, working alongside the Agency’s highly trained, but
highly expensive, enforcement teams. The volunteers can check
licences while the Agency’s staff gets on with the real work of
tackling polluters and organised poachers. Last year the Agency
spent £2 million on checking rod licences; that just can’t be right!
Clearly there is much more detail to our proposals and we’ll keep
working on them as we receive feedback from our members.
Ultimately, our aim is to get a better deal for fisheries, and for anglers
to have a powerful influence over the way that our money is spent.
0844 7700616 www.anglingtrust.net [email protected]
ANGLING TRUST
NEWS
A Unique Legal Resource for Angling
Fish Legal – as the legal arm of the Angling Trust in England
– is a small but vital part of our new organisation, currently
comprising just two solicitors, a paralegal and a secretary.
Fighting polluters through the legal system on behalf of our
members is a significant deterrent to polluters who know that as
well as prosecution by the Environment Agency they can face a
civil claim for compensation from Fish Legal.
However, our expert in-house legal team does much more besides
fighting these cases, and works for the wider benefit of angling in
ways that are sometimes overlooked because they are not always
headline-grabbing news. So far this year, our lawyers have given expert legal advice on
more than 210 separate matters to member clubs, syndicates and
individual riparian owners on legal issues ranging across the legal
spectrum. This advice is an invaluable benefit for an ever increasing
number of members; the equivalent advice from a high street
solicitor – should you be lucky enough to find one with the necessary
expertise – could cost hundreds, if not thousands, of pounds.
position of member clubs leasing fishing rights on certain reservoirs,
who were concerned that the new legislation would expose them to
large maintenance costs.
Following these representations DEFRA stated: “We have taken
account of representations made during consultations and adjusted
the definition of reservoir undertaker to ensure that the burden on
recreational users of reservoirs is proportionate. If, for example,
a club’s lease is only for fishing rights, they won’t be caught at
all… From our discussions with the Angling Trust and Fish Legal
we anticipate that many recreational users of small reservoirs will
have short term arrangements (vast majority for less than 7 years,
with many only for 2 or 3) for use, which do not involve them in the
responsibilities of undertakers as now defined in the Act.”
Our lawyers also campaign tirelessly to open the filing cabinets of
government agencies and other organisations which hold data that
directly affects our members’ interests. They have made several
applications to the Information Commissioner (and his Scottish
counterpart) for the release of data concerning anything from
pollution on the River Test, to the number of fish escaping from
salmon farms in Scottish lochs.
Fish Legal continues the work of the ACA throughout the UK
in its own right, employing an additional part-time solicitor in
Scotland, and remains a separate legal entity to reflect and enable
this. However, it is very much a central part of the Angling Trust
in England, and its work is funded by a portion of individual
membership subscriptions along with the extra amounts payable
by clubs and riparian owners opting for Fish Legal membership in
addition to the Angling Trust.
This advice helps our members across the country stand up to
and resist threats to angling and the environment. Fish Legal
produces a variety of fact sheets for members on topical issues,
from “Ownership of Fish, Poaching and Trespass” to “Fishing in Tidal
Waters”, although these are never a substitute for speaking to one of
our solicitors with the specifics of a problem.
Fish Legal also provides invaluable support to the Angling Trust by
explaining new legislation, developing our campaign agenda within a
legal context, and advising on responses to important issues such as
bait-digging and access restrictions.
The change of name from the ACA to Fish Legal, and the
organisation’s partnership with the Angling Trust has meant that
some people feel that the work of the ACA has stopped. In fact, the
work of Fish Legal has expanded considerably since angling unity
was achieved, and its unique legal expertise is now complemented
by more extensive lobbying and campaigning carried out by the
Angling Trust.
There is much more information about the work of Fish Legal in
the separate Autumn Update mailed out with this newsletter. If
you would like additional copies of the Fish Legal publication, then
please phone 01568 620447 during office hours or e-mail:
[email protected].
Specialist knowledge
Fish Legal’s unique specialist knowledge is also used to influence
new developments in law which affect our fishing and the marine
and freshwater environment. This can be very involved and complex
work that requires an extensive understanding of the law, so that the
implications for angling can be properly assessed when responding
to government consultations.
For example, Fish Legal directly influenced the Environment
Agency’s implementation of new ‘enforcement undertakings’ which
will be available for certain pollution offences as an alternative to
criminal prosecution (see Fish Legal Autumn Update). Fish Legal
lawyers also encouraged the government to take into account the
0844 7700616 www.anglingtrust.net [email protected]
NEW! Member Benefits
Angling Trust members now qualify for these
exclusive new discounts. We’ll be bringing you
news of even more membership benefits as they
occur. We’ve got some really exciting deals in the
pipeline so “watch this space” and keep checking
our website and e-updates for news on how you
can easily get your membership subscription
back when you support the companies that in turn
support the work we do for the future of fishing.
20% off Quiller
Publishing’s Fishing and
Country books
The Angling Trust is excited to announce that
we have teamed up with Quiller Publishing Ltd to
offer a special 20% discount on selected books
for our members. Quiller are Britain’s leading
countryside publisher and as well as numerous
books on coarse, sea and game fishing, they
offer an enormous array of titles on shooting,
gundog training, deer stalking, ferrets, falconry,
equestrianism, cookery and humour.
Buy now in time for Christmas! Full
details and a selection of book reviews
for this great offer can be found on our
website’s Membership Benefits page or
call Quiller Publishing on 01939 261616
for more information.
20% off
Mainoaks
Farm Holiday
Cottages
Mainoaks Farm Holiday Cottages are offering a 20% discount on
self catering accommodation at Mainoaks Farm to all members
of the Angling Trust on telephone bookings. Accommodation
includes exclusive fishing for Mainoaks Farm Holiday Cottage
guests on “The Tunnel Beat”, a secluded 2 mile stretch of the River
Wye in Herefordshire. Set within a private estate in the heart of The
Wye Valley, the river here has not been fished for the last 15 years.
Both game and coarse fishing is available for salmon, trout, pike
(of over 30lbs!), numerous barbel, dace, roach, eels and perch.
See: www.mainoaks.co.uk.
Call 01600 891448 for more information and quote your
membership number to get this great discount.
These pages supported by:
3 months FREE
subscription to
Will Raison’s
exclusive
e-magazine
PLUS 20% off ALL V2V products
Angling Trust members get three free magazines PLUS this fantastic
20% discount from V2V off:
• Will Raison’s exclusive e-magazine “A World Champion’s Angle”
• Will Raison and Neil Machin instructional DVDs with loads of
match winning tips and tactics
• “Match Tactic Academy Sessions” - spend a day with Will
Raison and get hands on instruction and demos in a small group
setting
Visit the Membership Benefits pages on our website for full details
on how much YOU can save and for details on your member only
access code.
Buy One Get One Free on LitterBuggy®
LitterBuggy® is a pocket sized reusable plastic container which has a
removable lid. Any waste that is pushed into it cannot escape. This is the
fastest way to dispose of line, hooks, shot, etc. and
keep the banks tidy and free of dangers to wildlife.
“An essential bit of kit. Every angler should have
one. A sure fire winner” - Coarse Fisherman
“Absolutely perfect for anglers. The ideal gift”
- Improve Your Coarse Fishing
“A neat little tool that stores discarded line safely”
- Total Carp
“Convenient, safe and well designed” - Carp World
We are able to offer members a fantastic two for the
price of one deal when you send a cheque for £5.95 to LitterBuggy Ltd,
Newton upon Derwent, York YO41 4DG. (These really do work – I carry
one in both my game and coarse bags. You’ll wonder how you managed
without one! Ed.).
20% off Match-Weigh Scale
Calibration and Fishing Scales
Match-Weigh provide a calibration and traceable certification service
for fishing clubs and anglers. Being keen anglers with many years
experience in the weighing machine industry means Match-Weigh can
offer a unique and professional service.
A full range of new fishing scales are
also available for 20% off.
Call 01359 270685 and quote your
membership number.
10% Off Aerators from
Aquaculture Equipment.
Aquaculture Equipment are manufacturers and
suppliers of fish farming, fish keeping, water
treatment, oxygenation and lake aeration
equipment for coarse and game fisheries.
This offer is worth between £110 and £600!
Does your club or fishery need a new aerator or
other equipment? See www.aquacultureequipment.co.uk
Call Aquaculture Equipment on 07715 007 964 – don’t forget to
quote your club or individual membership number when you call.
Can you or your company offer Angling Trust members a benefit like the ones above?... ...we will feature your company and logo on our website,
15% off Marmax
Recycled Plastic
Fishing Pegs and
Platforms
Marmax produce 100% Recycled Plastic Fishing Pegs and Platforms
which are completely weatherproof, won’t rot, corrode or splinter and
have a roughened ‘anti-slip’ surface. They’re made from heavy duty
brown recycled plastic which is environmentally friendly, reduces
landfill and is a perfect solution where footings are permanently
embedded in water. Ideal for exposed situations and requiring very
little or no maintenance - a good long term investment for your club or
fishery. See www.marmaxproducts.co.uk
Call 01207 283 442 and
quote your membership
number and “Angling
Trust 2010” for 15% off.
A FREE WILL from Premier Plus Ltd
AND a FREE Initial Financial Consultation!
Premier Plus Ltd. is a small dedicated team who work to
develop long term relationships with their clients.
We ensure the financial requirements of our clients are catered for
throughout the different phases of life, applying our knowledge
and professionalism to every aspect of their finance.
Just contact Brian Gibson on 01480 477774 or email:
[email protected] to arrange your free Will and
consultation.
Please consider leaving a legacy to the
Angling Trust.
Premier Plus Ltd are Independent
Financial Advisers and are
authorised and regulated by the
FSA. www.premierplusltd.co.uk
A THIRD OFF OnlineFishing.tv
All members of The Angling Trust are
now entitled to nearly A THIRD OFF
membership to top angling TV channel
OnlineFishing.tv
The website channel is making far more
new angling TV shows than anyone else, has over 320 programmes
to view online, and is adding at least 12 new shows EVERY month.
Just visit www.onlinefishing.tv/promo/angling-trust to find out
more, and to access your special DISCOUNT CODE which will
give you your six-month viewing ‘season ticket’ for only £20.
STOP PRESS!
Look out for a mini insurance
certificate containing summary details of your FREE £5m
insurance with your next renewal letter. Every individual member
benefits from the reassuring public liability insurance supplied by our
insurers Perkins Slade Ltd. More details available on our website or
from Perkins Slade on 0121 698 8140.
Coming soon an exclusive Angling Trust
“Sea Angling Blog”
with content written by Malcolm
Gilbert, a well respected campaigner
and activist who has fought for
decades to protect marine fish
stocks. More about this on our
website and in e-updates
Raffle Winners
The Angling Trust Spring 2010 raffle
raised over £8,000; thank you to
everyone who took part. The lucky
winners were:
1st Prize: £2,000 in cash - Mr K Bramham, Rotherham.
2nd Prize: £1,500 of Daiwa tackle - Mr C Felton, Kings Langley,
Hertfordshire. 3rd Prize: £750 of Daiwa tackle - Mr Bill Rankin,
Tunbridge Wells, Kent. 4th Prize: £350 of Daiwa tackle - Mr B
Culley, Loughborough.
Don’t forget to fill in your tickets for the Christmas raffle
included with this newsletter.
@
Many thanks to Daiwa for their continued sponsorship of our raffles.
st@y
in touch!
Are you receiving our e-news and updates?
If not, please e-mail [email protected] with
your membership number and we will add your
address to our database.
We only have a valid email address for about 60% of our
members! If you want to receive news about our work
and the world of angling, please SUBSCRIBE NOW.
We will also send discount codes for Angling Direct by
e-mail, so you need to be signed up to receive your code
automatically. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Caught a Whopper?
All anglers love reading about big fish so we are in the process of revamping the Record Fish pages of our website. The new sections will
go live in the New Year with exclusive content from current and former
record holders including some of the tips and tricks that gave them the
edge and resulted in a massive fish on the bank or in their boat.
If you make a claim for a record fish with the British Record Fish Committee
don’t forget to let us know too – we’d like to include news about your record
fish claim on our website and in newsletters. All the info about making a
record claim is available on our website or by calling 0844 77 00 616.
Buy a Badge...
Did you know the Angling Trust have quality
cloth and enamel badges for sale and that
these are now available to buy online? Cloth badges
cost just £3.00 and enamel badges are only £3.50.
What’s even better is that P&P is included. Buy one
for yourself or as a present for a friend. Go to our
website or call 0844 77 00 616 to order by phone.
The Carp Society’s
Winter Show
Come and talk to us on our stand at the Carp Society’s
Winter Show 27/28 November at Sandown, Esher,
Surrey and find out how the Angling Trust works for carp anglers. We’ll
have information there about our Crimestoppers Initiative to track down
illegal fish movements and organised poaching.
Calling all JUNIOR members
– tell us what you would like to see in a new
Newsletter for junior members. Please send us
your ideas by emailing [email protected] or
calling 0844 77 00 616. We want to hear from YOU! Remember, membership for under 18s is completely
FREE from 2011!
in our e-updates and the next issue of this newsletter. Get in touch with Will Smith – [email protected] or call us on 0844 77 00 616.
Meet the Team...
In each issue of our Newsletter we will be meeting an Angling
Trust member of staff. Here we introduce Will Smith...
What is your role within the Angling Trust?
I am the Trust’s new Membership Manager. This involves the day to
day running of our small Membership Team office in its task to grow
Angling Trust membership figures by recruiting and retaining more
members.
How did you come to be employed by the Angling Trust?
I started off as a volunteer in reply to an appeal for help by Keith
Arthur in the Angling Times. Volunteers are essential to the Angling
Trust and we need more to help run the events we attend. If any
readers can help out I would love to hear from them...
What is the best part of your job?
Working within an angling organisation gives me opportunities to
meet and talk to other anglers and it’s always interesting to hear
what other people are (or aren’t!) catching.
What is the worst part of your job?
Seeing the photos of pollution fish kills we receive. People don’t
realise how devastating this can be and that it can happen to
their club too. Luckily Fish Legal (the legal arm of the Angling
Trust) provides a safeguard for its club, fishery and riparian owner
members when these things happen. Explaining to clubs who have
had their waters polluted that the Trust can’t do as much for them
as we could if they were Fish Legal members is always hard and is
another reason why clubs should join us. Thankfully, lobbying against
pollution and over abstraction are a big part of what the Angling
Trust do on a day to day basis for all anglers too, so hopefully these
incidents will become rarer and rarer in the future.
A Glitch in
the Matrix?
Will with a doub
le figure barbel
What do you do when you are not working?
If I’m not out on the Teme coarse fishing for barbel, chub or grayling
or fly fishing for this river’s beautiful wild brown trout I will be
spending time with my family. My two small children are becoming
adept at float fishing the Teme and always manage to catch
something. I’m working on their fly casting too!
What did you do before joining the AT?
I managed the internet arm of a successful design agency but
wanted to do something different from looking at screens full of
website code all day!
In the next issue we’ll interview another member of the Angling
Trust and Fish Legal team. Don’t forget to call 0844 77 00 616 or
email [email protected] if you can volunteer to help at an
event or promote us on forums, Twitter and Facebook.
membership benefits. If you are a club official
or member who knows someone who hasn’t
joined the Angling Trust as an individual then
please explain the benefits and point out that
everything they need to know can be found at
www.anglingtrust.net.
By Alex Bones – GURU brand
manager, Bait-Tech and Shimano
consultant.
Our individual membership fees (& optional
donations) serve to back the Angling Trust in
their fight to
As well as match fishing Alex has
preserve and
Respected match angler, (with a
a passion for specimen angling.
protect what
lesser known passion for specimen
anglers often
fish), Alex explains why the Angling
overlook and
Trust’s clubs need to spread the
consider ‘a given right’. Additional
word and help sign up their individual members.
support will allow us to continue
enjoying the pastime we adore
Often Anglers who belong to a club that has joined the Angling
and help preserve nature and the
Trust think they have automatically become individual members too,
surroundings we love to enjoy. Get
but that’s not the case. The Trust has 1,400 clubs constituting around
the word out there amongst your
450,000 club members yet Angling Trust individual membership is
club members – JOIN NOW!
hovering around the 13,000 mark! How come so few of these 450k
have signed up as individual members? There’s clearly a glitch in the
Wise words from Alex - it’s
Matrix somewhere!
easy to start signing up your
fellow club members and
The Angling Trust needs more individual members to give additional,
we’ll help you do this. If you
essential support to angling and that’s one of the many reasons I
want membership forms and
joined. Financial support isn’t the only key area, joining also provides
a dispenser for your club or
a stronger voice for anglers when the Trust meets with government
would like an Angling Trust
Alex with a good ca
bodies; essential when discussing topics like pollution, predation and
tch of
representative to meet your
poaching … or how the Environment Agency spends our rod licence
carp taken on match
tactics
club members to explain
money.
why they should sign up and
support the Trust as individual
And that’s not the only incentive to join. Individual members, like
members too call us on 0844 77 00 616
me, enjoy a host of additional advantages on top of what their club’s
or email [email protected]
Angling Trust membership offers them. These include discounts on
tackle, the ‘Fish For Free’ scheme, free insurance and other exclusive
“
”
0844 7700616 www.anglingtrust.net [email protected]
Fred J Taylor Award
We are delighted to announce that Peter Rolfe is the winner of
the first Fred J Taylor Award for Environmental Stewardship in
the world of Angling, sponsored by the Angling Trust and the
CLA Game Fair.
Peter was selected for his work over nearly four decades studying
and conserving crucian carp, a species which has suffered a
dramatic decline in numbers due to destruction of its habitat and
hybridisation with feral goldfish and other carp. Peter was awarded
with the Fred J Taylor Award at the CLA Game Fair in July, along with
a cash prize of £1,000 to spend on furthering his work.
In the 1970s, Peter restored, created and managed several field
ponds for the benefit of crucian carp, tench and a host of other
wildlife. Thousands of field ponds, once a common sight in the
British countryside, have disappeared through neglect or deliberate
infilling. In the 1980s, as secretary of his local angling club, Peter
created two larger lakes, and restored two half-acre lakes dating
back to Saxon times. The latter he still manages as fisheries and
wildlife reserves. In 1989, he set up a business raising water plants
and fish, including crucian carp and tench. He and his partners went
on to create more than 20 new ponds, providing thousands of fish for
stocking elsewhere.
Meet an Angling
Trust Member
In this issue of our Newsletter we meet one of our Angling
Trust members, sea and coarse angler John Holmes, from
Herefordshire. Read on to hear about John’s favourite pastime...
What type of fishing do you do?
Mostly sea fishing with the focus on skate, tope and shark. I also do
some coarse fishing for carp, chub, barbel and pike.
What are your favourite pieces of fishing tackle?
I make a lot of tackle and rate my own homemade sea fishing rods
and rapid release landing net as highly as anything available in the
shops.
How long have you been fishing for and why did you start?
I have been fishing for 60 years. I was taken fishing for the first time
by an older friend, and caught a few small perch AND the fishing
bug! I joined my local angling club, which ran weekly trips to the
rivers of Kent and Sussex. Clubs are so important for new anglers
and all anglers should support their local game, sea or coarse fishing
club (...too right! Ed.)
Where do you usually go fishing?
I now live in Herefordshire and have access to a local carp syndicate
and to various stretches of the rivers Teme, Wye and Severn. I also
make regular trips to Loch Awe, Argyll, for the pike fishing. I find
these wild Scottish lochs magical and also enjoy the wildlife such
as buzzards, golden eagle, osprey and wild cat. Fishing is about
much more than just catching fish and that’s why it’s so great for
youngsters to get them out amongst nature.
Tell us about your best catch
The catch that gave me the greatest buzz was in October 1998.
My personal best (PB) pike was 10lb until, on the day in question,
I hooked into a pike of 12lb 4oz, a new PB. Fish number two was
18lb 8oz, fish number three was 26lb 2oz – so, 3 PBs in one day.
Amazing!!!
Why did you join the Angling Trust?
I joined the Angling Trust because I believe that ALL anglers, coarse,
game or sea, should belong to the organisation that can and will fight
our cause in these days when our rights as anglers are being eroded
on so many different fronts e.g. nature trusts, water authorities, local
authorities etc.
Now in his mid-seventies, Peter has just completed a book (Crock of
Gold – Seeking the Crucian Carp, Mpress Ltd. 0845 408 2606 or at
www.calmproductions.com) about crucian carp. This is the only book
devoted entirely to this threatened species.
Runners-up in alphabetical order: Avon Roach Project, Mr Jeff
Marley (nominated by the York & District Amalgamation of Anglers);
Otterspool Angling Club, Watford; River Erewash Foundation; Sankey
Angling Club.
Photo: left to right - Peter Rolfe with the Fred J Taylor Award,
Hugh Miles with the Arthur Oglesby Award with Bernard Cribbins.
What do you do when you
are not fishing?
I am now retired with a
son and daughter and five
grandchildren and I’m kept
busy with jobs for them. I
also make my own fishing
rods and make and repair
other items of tackle.
Give us a fishing Top Tip
(or two!) to share with other
Angling Trust members.
Don’t take your fishing too
seriously, enjoy it and relax!
John is pictured (right) with top skipper
Andrew Allsop and John’s PB Porbeagle
Shark weighing a fantastic 119lb!
Thanks John. As explained above fishing is a great way to
encourage young people into the great outdoors so why not
sign-up a junior member to the Angling Trust or help start a
Juniors section at your club. If you would like to be included in
a future “Meet a Member” article like this one please call us on
0844 77 00 616 or email [email protected]
Photo competition
- send us your stories and pictures...
We are always looking for interesting items from current
members to go on our website and newsletters. Please help
us by entering our photo competition in any of the categories
below. The top ten photos and stories in each category win a
free Angling Trust enamel or cloth badge:
• Where do you fish? - If you have a favourite place to fish
please submit a photo with the name of the river, fishery or
mark and tell us why you enjoy this particular spot.
• Best Fish Caught – A call to all our youngest members for
your photos of the best fish you have ever caught. Entries
from members aged 18 years and under only please.
• Fish of the Season - What’s the best fish you’ve caught so
far in 2010? Send us a short story about the capture and a
picture.
Email your entries and hi-res pictures to [email protected]
or send photos with postal entries to The Angling Trust, Eastwood
House, 6 Rainbow Street, Leominster, Herefordshire HR6 8DQ.
Competition T&Cs available on request or from our website.
0844 7700616 www.anglingtrust.net [email protected]
ANGLING TRUST
NEWS
Freshwater
Environmental
Campaigns
by Mark Owen
Local Campaigns
We have won several campaigns to protect and improve rivers
and stillwaters throughout the country since our last newsletter
was published. It feels as if we anglers are at last being taken
more seriously at a senior level in external organisations and
agencies; when the Angling Trust writes to protest about an
issue, we generally get a positive result for our members. All
this work is part-funded by WWF-UK and the HSBC Climate
Partnership for the next 18 months, with growing support from
our members’ subscriptions and donations.
Mark Owen
Investigates Red
House Gill Soil
Erosion on the
River Wear
Sussex Ouse Campaign:
The first barriers to fish movements are being removed so that
sea trout, chub and barbel in particular can migrate into the upper
catchment to spawn.
Heigham Sound Campaign:
Following pressure from the Angling Trust and local anglers, the
Broads Authority was persuaded to modify dramatically planned
dredging at Heigham Sound, which threatened to release toxic
algae into the water. The Authority agreed to protect its open water
dredging operations, increase monitoring and to create standby emergency fish refuges. The pilot dredging scheme has been
completed with no fish kills but we have grave concerns as to the
long term dredging plans and continue to liaise closely with local
anglers.
River Don, Sheffield Flood Defence Work:
Bankside vegetation and trees that were being removed for flood risk
management have been saved after the Angling Trust intervened.
The angling club will alert the Environment Agency (EA) if any
branches present a flood risk. We are working at a national level to
encourage this level of engagement to be common practice.
Last winter the EA carried out work in an attempt to alleviate flood
risk which we consider entirely ineffective and damaging to the rivers
upstream of Sheffield. Over 20,000 tonnes of gravels were removed,
entire trees were winched out of the river banks and fish passage
issues were made worse by uncovering historic weirs. Meetings
on site and pressures at a national level have resulted in the EA
conceding the damage that has been done to the water body status
and presently they are acting on plans agreed with the Angling Trust,
Wild Trout Trust and the Salmon & Trout Association to mitigate
against the damage. We have used this example at a national level
to demonstrate the madness of spending taxpayers’ money on
causing damage to rivers which will then require taxpayers’ money to
put right again!
Costa Beck Campaign:
National Work
River Loddon Campaign:
We have appointed a consultant who, using cutting edge scientific
techniques, is leading the way in identifying the causes of pollution
in this small Northern beck. In partnership with Fish Legal, we are
shortly to present to the Environment Agency our demands that they
take action to finally address the various sources of pollution – many
of which have been ongoing for many years, much to the frustration
of the Pickering Fisheries Association.
River Wear Campaign:
We have employed consultants from the University of Sheffield to
report on the sources of soil erosion that are smothering spawning
gravels in the Wear. If our fears are confirmed that this is caused
by surface run off from near-by residential and industrial estates, in
partnership with Fish Legal, we will be pressing for EA action.
Our Rivers Campaign:
Thousands of our members have already voted in the Our Rivers
Campaign Awards for their best and worst rivers. Voting for the
Awards closes on October 31st 2010, with the final results being
announced the following week. If you read this in time, then please
visit www.ourrivers.org.uk to vote for a river, whether it be a perfect
stream or bereft of fish and other wildlife.
Blueprint for Water:
The Blueprint for Water campaign continues to set the agenda for
water management and a new document offering clear objectives
for the new coalition government to deliver will be launched at the
House of Commons in November. We will keep all our members
informed of progress.
0844 7700616 www.anglingtrust.net [email protected]
ANGLING TRUST
NEWS
Marine
Environmental
Campaigns Update
Despite the fact that 1.9 million
people in the UK go sea angling
successive Governments have
been reluctant to protect,
develop or even recognise the
sport and the many benefits
it brings to the UK. For this
reason developing relationships
with Government departments
and agencies has been a key
priority for the Angling Trust in
order for the interests of sea
anglers to be taken seriously by
decision makers and dealt with
at a national level.
David Mitchell, Marine
Environmental Campaigns
Manager
“I firmly believe that UK sea anglers have no choice but to
put their collective weight behind an organisation that stands
a chance at better protecting our seas for us and future
generations of anglers. What’s £25 a year for even just a slim
chance of more and bigger fish to catch?”
“Stick our heads in the
sand and hope that
lots more fish might
magically appear
around our coastline
is not the way forward.
I am not a “political”
angler at all, but the
changes I have seen
even in my lifetime
worry the hell out of
me. The least we can
do is to give these
guys at the Angling
Trust a shot at making
things better.”
Henry Gilbey, TV presenter, writer,
photographer and consultant
Over the past three months I have been working with the volunteers
on our Conservation and Access Group to set a strategic agenda for
sea angling and lay solid foundations for the future.
Marine Conservation Zones
Marine Management Organisation
We have been working with Natural England to increase their
understanding of the needs and concerns that sea anglers have
over marine conservation zones. We arranged for Natural England’s
Marine director, James Marsden, to spend a day out on a charter
boat from West Mersea with RSA representatives on what was his
first engagement with anglers.
We have been liaising closely with the new Marine Management
Organisation since its formation earlier this year and have been
pushing the MMO and the local sea fisheries committees to enforce
conservation measures such as bass nursery areas properly.
Since then we have arranged another successful event
accompanying a senior Natural England marine specialist on a
kayak fishing session in Devon where he took time to understand
the unique concerns kayak anglers have over MCZs and for Natural
England to see another side of sea angling. Events like these have
helped build lines of communication between anglers and decision
makers where before, none existed. We are now working on a
memorandum of understanding between Natural England and the
Angling Trust.
Nationally our representatives on the Marine Conservation Zone
Projects are continuing to look after the interests of sea anglers
and we have attended, and will continue to attend, meetings with
anglers and MCZ representatives to answer questions and provide
information on the Angling Trust’s work and the local issues arising
from the continuing negotiations over marine conservation zone sites
and any potential restrictions.
Bait collecting
We are working towards a national agreement to secure the future
of bait collecting around the country. This is an issue that has the
potential to affect all anglers, whether fishing from boat, shore or
even kayak. The right of anglers to collect bait has come under threat
from a number of sources and the Angling Trust, with the help of
Fish Legal, is tackling these challenges head-on and pushing for an
agreement to be reached at a national level to address these threats
and prevent any unnecessary restrictions.
We have joined the campaign to stop the dumping of contaminated
dredged material in Whitsand Bay in Cornwall and have been in close
communication with the MMO over their review into the license to
continue the dumping. We will be submitting a proposal to the MMO
for the dredged material from this site to be used on land, thereby
ending the dumping of it not just in Whitsand Bay but at any other
proposed location at sea. We have also been tracking the progress
of the new Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authorities and will be
following how they develop closely over the coming months.
Meetings with Defra
A big step forward was made in our recent meeting with Defra
when Richard Benyon, the new Fisheries Minister, confirmed to us
that sea anglers are “direct user stakeholders” in fisheries. We are
now pushing towards removing the “commercial” tag that is all too
commonly used to describe our fish stocks and getting recreational
sea angling interests integrated into fisheries management. We will
be reinstating regular meetings between Defra and the Angling Trust
to push for better representation in fisheries policy decision making
and to defend the rights of sea anglers.
We continue to work on a European level to lobby for a reform of the
common fisheries policy and to get sea angling interests represented
at the EU Commission. We have recently taken over the secretariat of
the European Anglers’ Alliance Sea-sub group – of which the Angling
Trust is a member – and will be drawing on the knowledge and
experience of our colleagues in Europe to protect and restore sea
angling for Angling Trust members and all UK sea anglers.
0844 7700616 www.anglingtrust.net [email protected]
ANGLING TRUST
Book of the year
Blood Knots
Luke Jennings
“I’m out of the underpass now. Above me, against the dull red of
the sky, stand the skeletal outlines of the St Pancras gasworks.
Soon, my rod and tackle bags bumping against me as I walk, I
come to a low bridge and push through trailing brambles into
the tunnel. I can see nothing in the darkness except the faint
red semi-circle of the exit, but there’s an echoing drip and the
stone slabs are greasy beneath my feet. When a truck passes
overhead with a booming shudder the drips fall faster.
At the far end, as I step out into the ambient light, the towpath
and the canal widen. At my back, behind galvanized-steel security
fencing and a ragged thicket of wild buddleia, is some kind of
electrical installation. A steel sign on the fencing warns of powergrid
cables beneath the towpath. In front of me is a long oblong of water,
perhaps twenty feet across. Its surface rocks like molten copper.
There is no far bank, just a high wall of mossy brick, weeping with
damp. As I lower my gear to the paving stones, the cold immediately
begins to fold around me. This is the place.
I set up quickly, keen to get my hands back into my gloves. I’m
using an old fibreglass spinning-rod by Rudge of Redditch, heavy
by today’s standards but pretty much unbreakable. The reel,
battered but well balanced, is an Aerial-style centre-pin. The baits
are frozen sprats, mounted by a single treble-hook to wire traces.
Pen-torch in mouth, I knot a trace to the fifteen-pound breakingstrain
monofilament. A small coffin-lead goes between line and trace, to
hold the bait to the bottom. It’s the most straightforward rig possible.
You don’t want to get elaborate in the dark.
A final check. The red bulb of the pen-torch is bright enough to
inspect the knots and swivels, but doesn’t knock out my night
vision. The landing net stands within reach against the bridge. The
rod-rest is jammed securely into a crack between the glazed bricks
at the towpath’s edge. Stripping half a dozen yards of line from the
reel, I send the sprat looping into the darkness. There is the faintest
of splashes and I sense the coffin-lead sinking deeper and deeper,
before, with a tiny slackening, it touches bottom. I reel in until the line
is tight, engage the ratchet, lay the rod in the rest and sit down on
my folding stool. Incline my back against the cold brickwork of the
bridge. Wait.
To begin with, as always, I imagine how it will be. The twitch of the
line at my index finger, the slow tick of the centre-pin’s ratchet, the
shudder of the rod as the fish runs. If it’s big, I’ll have a problem. The
bottom of the canal is a catacomb of old bikes, shopping trolleys and
other detritus. The pike will know every twist and turn, and if given
an inch of line will bore down into the maze and smash up my tackle.
I’ll never even see it. And at the very least I’ll want to see it, because
there’s something elemental in the first sight of a pike.
One overcast autumn morning I hooked one on the pond called Red
Arches, on Hampstead Heath. A boy walking a dog saw the rod
bucking in my hands and wandered up to watch. The fish kicked
deep, going for the weed
roots, but finally I brought it
up. The water was coloured
from the rain, so at first all
that was visible was a dark
shadow, but gradually you
could make out the long
back, the rapacious jaw, the
slow fanning of the pectoral
fins. When I had landed
and unhooked it I held it
up for a moment. River
pike are olive-green, the
colour of stones flecked
with sunlight, but this was
a deep-water fish, as dark
and grim as old armour.
Eyeing its teeth, meeting
its unflinching gaze, the
boy backed away.
‘Jesus,’ he breathed. ‘What is that?’
I told him. And as I slid it back into the water I added that it wasn’t
particularly big, as they went. That there were pike there three times
its size.
‘Jesus,’ he repeated, looking around him as if seeing the city for the
first time.”
“The cold hardens, and the first currents of wind come nosing down
the canal from the east, burring the water’s surface like an iron file.
A few yards away, on the bridge, an occasional car passes, as if in
another dimension. My world has contracted to a box of darkness:
to the walls, the towpath and the black of the water. As always,
there’s the temptation to wind in the bait a little, to check that it’s OK,
but that way madness lies, because you’ll never really know what’s
happening down there.
Nor would you want to, because in an over-illuminated world, a world
whose dark corners are in constant retreat from the remorseless,
banal march of progress, this not knowing is a thing to be valued and
enjoyed. It may be that your hooks are caught in the rusting spokes
of a bicycle wheel, that your bait has already been stripped from the
hook by Chinese mitten-crabs, but this is the nature of fishing. The
odds are almost overwhelmingly against you and that is how you
like it. All that you can do is offer your bait to the water, empty your
mind, and reach for your thermos, your hip flask and whatever other
comforting poisons you’ve brought with you.”
This extract is taken from Luke Jennings’ memoir Blood Knots: Of
Fathers, Friendship & Fishing, which is the Angling Trust’s favourite
angling book of the year; indeed for many years.
To order a copy at the
special discounted price of
£10 (RRP £12.99) including
FREE P&P within the UK,
please contact The Book
Service on 01206 255 777
and quote the reference
‘angling’.
0844 7700616 www.anglingtrust.net [email protected]
ANGLING TRUST
In action
Coarse Anglers - Check Your Flies!
Many people would think that riverflies – the invertebrates that
live in rivers – are something only of interest to fly fishermen,
and not to coarse anglers. This is of course completely untrue.
Most wild coarse fish rely on these insects for food, and so
the health of coarse fish is directly linked to the variety and
abundance of the insect life of a river.
Changes in the insect population over time, or in particular stretches
of rivers, can help pinpoint sources of pollution or other problems.
If the fly life is diverse and abundant at one spot, but half a mile
downstream only includes pollution-tolerant invertebrates, the
Angling Trust, Fish Legal and the Environment Agency (EA) can use
this information to identify and tackle a polluter in between the two
points. It is not feasible for this invaluable information to be gathered
on a regular basis by the EA, but with the help of volunteers, we can
create a national picture of fly life populations and help protect our
rivers.
“Coarse fish don’t just eat groundbait and pellets
– they eat insects throughout the year as well.”
Dai Roberts, Riverfly Partnership
The Angling Trust is a member of the Riverfly Partnership, along with
more than sixty other organisations, which helps train and support
volunteers to monitor insect life in rivers in England and Wales. More
than 50 volunteer groups, or Anglers Monitoring Initiatives (AMI),
have now been set up across the country. However, most of these
have been led by game anglers and we are keen to promote the
scheme to coarse anglers as well and to make sure that the scheme
has national coverage.
Tony Bostock, Chair of the Severn Rivers Trust and of the
Angling Trust Midlands Regional Freshwater Forum is very
supportive of the move to involve coarse anglers in the
Anglers Monitoring Initiative:
“Monitoring fly life is not just of interest to a few fly fishermen
– invertebrates are a major part of the diet of virtually all coarse
fish species, and therefore a healthy invertebrate population is
vitally important to our coarse fish. Anglers’ Monitoring Initiatives
not only generate a wealth of interest and are a very useful way
for anglers to monitor the health of fly life populations in their
fisheries, but they also provide a rapid alert on water quality issues
and pollution problems to enable early action by the EA.
Due to the perceived decline in fish stocks, as part of the Severn
catchment AMI we are closely monitoring invertebrates along the
main River Severn between the Ironbridge gorge and Bridgnorth
to monitor the possible impact of pollution on the invertebrates
which provide vital food of chub, barbel and silver fish”.
We believe that angling and fisheries groups can play a leading role
in managing our fisheries at a local level, far more cost-effectively
and efficiently than the Environment Agency can.
Groups interested in joining the initiative must have an individual
prepared to act as a local coordinator (to act as a contact point
between the EA/SEPA and the monitoring group) and have members
attend an official one-day Riverfly Partnership workshop, run by
an accredited Riverfly Partnership Tutor. The workshop includes
presentations and practical demonstrations.
Anglers Montoring Initiatives (AMI) generate positive
publicity for angling, help prosecute polluters and are
educational and enjoyable. What’s not to like?
For more information and to discuss possible funding to support
your group, please contact the Riverfly Partnership: Fishmongers’
Hall, London Bridge, London, EC4R 9EL, email: [email protected],
020 7929 6966, or www.riverflies.org.
The Angling Trust and Fish
Legal team (with mascot
Tinker) at Cilfynydd
Kick sampling
the riverbed
Monitoring insects in rivers is a lot more fun than it sounds. The
Angling Trust and Fish Legal staff spent a day learning how to do
it this summer and the whole team really enjoyed the experience.
It’s a great way of getting to know what is going on in your local
river, learning about its wildlife and is very educational for any
junior members of a club. Our staff are setting up an AMI on the
River Lugg in Leominster and will be reporting our findings in future
editions of this newsletter.
The Angling Trust is using the example of AMIs, along with other
voluntary work carried out by anglers, in its national discussions with
government about how we can contribute to the Big Society agenda.
0844 7700616 www.anglingtrust.net [email protected]
ANGLING TRUST
Competition News
Individual National Championship Sandra Drew, Competitions Manager
This year has seen more anglers taking part in the Angling
Trust’s matches and the launch of several new competitions
for our members. We have secured significant new
sponsorship to support our international coarse angling teams
and we will be continuing to work hard in 2011 to improve
match angling for the many thousands of anglers who enjoy
this branch of the sport, in all three disciplines.
Angling Trust National
Championships 2010 Update...
Division 1 National Championship One of the most prestigious angling matches of the calendar year
took place on Saturday 21st August 2010 with 67 teams of 10
anglers fishing the Angling Trust Division One National Championship
on the River Trent. Starlets AS followed up their previous wins on
the Grand Union Canal at Milton Keynes and the River Huntspill to
win their third National title in five short years with 498 pts - 25.44kg. Stephen Collett of Farnborough & District AS took the winning
Individual title with 56.020kg from peg G1.
Division 2 National Championship Local pub team Four Ashes AC went one better than their Division
Three runner up position on the Staffs-Worcs Canal in 2008 by taking
the Angling Trust Division Two National Championship, winning the
title in style on the Erewash Canal from Cotmanhay to Trent Lock on
Saturday 10th July 2010 with 444 pts - 18.97kg. The Division Two
Individual Champion on the day was Steve Winter (Maver Bait Tech)
with 9kg 80g from peg K1.
Cadets, Juniors & Intermediates National
Championship 179 young anglers took part in the Angling Trust Cadet, Junior &
Intermediate National Championships on Saturday 3rd July on the
Trent and Mersey Canal in the Willington area of Derbyshire. Cadets
– 1st Worksop & District AA – 16 pts, Individual Champion – Harry
Keedy, Smartbait Leeds with 930g. Juniors – 1st Pride of Derby AA
– 53pts, Individual Champion – Jake Gallacher with 1kg 500g from
Maver Farnborough. Intermediates – 1st Wakefield AC – 87 pts,
Individual Champion – Josh Reynolds, Wakefield AC with 4kg 20g.
Ladies National Championship It wasn’t until after the second hour of the match that it became clear
that Samantha Perkins, who fished for Starlets AS, was favourite to
be this year’s Angling Trust Ladies Individual National Champion at
the Maver Larford Lakes complex on Saturday 12th June. Samantha
finished with a total weight of 38kg 260g made up of mostly carp to
7kgs to deservedly receive the gold medal. In second place drawn
on Peg 26 on the Burr bank, was Julie Abbott, who also fished for
Starlets AS.
Veterans National Championship The Angling Trust Veterans National Championship took place at one
of the UK’s leading coarse fisheries, Hallcroft Fishery, Retford, Notts
on Wednesday 4th August. Robert Stevens from Challeston, Derby
became the Angling Trust Veterans National Champion with a weight
of 27.260kg.
This year the Angling Trust changed the format of this competition
to make it an open Championship for all individual members of the
Trust. The match was held on the Staffs and Worcester Canal on
Saturday 11th September with 127 competitors taking part. Stephen
Broome took the gold medal and title of Individual Champion on the
day from peg 91 with a winning weight of 11.610kg.
Anglers with Disabilities National Championship On one of the hottest days of the year the Angling Trust National
Championship for Anglers with Disabilities took place at Partridge
Lakes near Warrington on Saturday 26th June 2010 with 6 teams
(36 anglers) competing. The team result saw local team, Partridge
Team NW, have a runaway win with 33 points out of a possible 36
points, with a winning weight of 157.36kg to take the title of National
Champions for 2010.
Schools National Championship The Angling Trust Daiwa Schools National Championship 2010 was
held on Wednesday 21st July 2010 at Hallcroft Fishery, Retford,
Nottinghamshire with 30 teams of 5 anglers per team taking part.
Valley School from Worksop once again won the title for the third
year running with a total of 141 points in the team classification. The
team consisted of; Liam Ainsworth A21, Robbie Moore B12, Dean
Northage C18, Oliver Hipkiss D26 and Lewis Robinson E25.
The Angling Trust and Fish Legal Masters
Championship took place on Saturday 28th
August at Mallory Park Fisheries, Leicestershire.
The Team event was won by possibly the strongest commercial
match team that could have been put together by GURU/
Shimano. It was a fierce battle with several anglers in
contention for individual honours as the match progressed. At
the weigh-in, Steve Ringer, fishing for Guru/Shimano Black,
came out on top with 184lbs.
After hundreds of qualifiers, the grand final of the British Pike
Championships will be held on Saturday 6th November 2010 on
Whittlesey Angling Associations waters near Peterborough.
Preston Innovations World Club Classic Barnsley and District AAS cruised to victory in the inaugural Preston
Innovations “World Club Classic” fished on Warwickshire’s river
Avon on 24th and 25th September, landing a cheque for £7,000 from
sponsors Preston Innovations in the process. Ten of the country’s
top teams lined up for the two day event to find out who would
represent England in next year’s FIPSed World Club Championships
in Serbia. The competing teams had all qualified for this event after
finishing in the top ten of the Angling Trust’s first Division National
Championships earlier in the year.
Totesport.com Fish ‘O’ Mania XVII -
Angling Trust Internet & Postal Auction 2010
This year, for the first time, we are holding an auction to raise
funds for the Angling Trust and its legal arm, Fish Legal, so that we
can do more to protect and improve angling and fisheries. Please
see the auction listing enclosed for more details. Some of the
items have been donated for specific causes, such as the Ladies
Fly Fishers. The funds raised from the sale of these lots will be
ring-fenced for those purposes. Please bid generously and, in the
spirit of this fundraising auction, please encourage others to do
the same. Thanks for your support.
0844 7700616 www.anglingtrust.net [email protected]
Neil McKinnon, a 44 year-old contracts manager from Gloucester,
won the Totesport.com Fish ‘O’ Mania XVII on Saturday 17th July
at Cudmore Fisheries, Staffordshire in the most dramatic style as
he overturned a six kilo deficit in the last half hour to break Tommy
Pickering’s heart and land the £25,000 prize. Nathan Watson won
the Totesport.com Fish ‘O’ Mania Champion of Champions which
was held on Sunday 18th July 2010. The competition featured the
16 men who have won the main Fish ‘O’ Mania competition and
Watson won a dramatic finish as he finished less than 2kg ahead of
Matt Hall.
The World Carp Championships took place for the very first time
on home soil at Linear Fisheries in Oxfordshire with 20 nations
participating in this very prestigious event hosted by the Angling
Trust. Teams fished for over 72 hours between 7th - 10th October
with some of the finest sponsored anglers in the world taking part.
South Africa won Gold with 45 fish for 264.45kg, Greece got the
Silver medal after landing 11 fish for 85.95kg, Spain came in third
with 13 fish for 58.40kg just beating England to the bronze medal by
a mere 1kg!
Fish ‘O’ Mania XVIII -
Venues and Dates announced so far for 2011
Angling Trust National Championships
For the first time in the history of Fish ‘O’ Mania, Matchroom Sports
and the Angling Trust are pleased to announce that the prize money
for one of the UK’s biggest angling competitions is to increase to
£30,000, and to reflect this change, entry fees are to increase to
£25.00 per match. The last of the 16 qualifying matches will increase
from 130 to 300 pegs to give competitors a last chance to qualify for
the final on Saturday 16th July. Applications will be available online
at www.anglingtrust.net at the beginning of January to Angling Trust
members only.
Division One National Championship – New Junction Canal,
Doncaster – Saturday 6th August 2011
Division Two National Championship – Basingstoke Canal –
Saturday 20th August 2011
Cadets, Juniors & Intermediates National Championship –
Heronbrook Fishery/Baden Hall Fishery – Saturday 2nd July 2011
Ladies National Championship 2011 – Kennet & Avon Canal –
Saturday 11th June 2011
The Shakespeare Redditch Super team earned fifth place overall in
the 31 nation FIPSed World Club Championship with 59 pts. The
team earned its place in the competition after winning the Angling
Trust Division One National in 2009 to go and represent Angling Trust
in the World Club Championships on 12th/13th June on the Lake
Malta rowing course in Poland.
Veterans National Championship 2011 – Partridge Lakes, Culcheth
– Wednesday 3rd August 2011
Drennan Team England proved yet again that they are the
best angling team in the world by winning the World Nations
Championship in Merida on 26th & 27th June 2010 with 32 teams
competing for this prestigious title. Drennan Team England was
pushed all the way by a determined Italian team to take the World
Championship title by just 2.5 points and a letter from Fisheries
Minister Richard Benyon congratulating them on their win.
The Angling Trust Specimen Awards Scheme for sea angling
individual members and members of affiliated clubs is going strong.
Check out the rules on our web site in the competitions section so
that you know how to claim your medal and certificate when you
land a specimen fish from the sea.
England’s Veterans angling team, supported by HV Power
Electrical Systems, was narrowly beaten into silver spot on the
podium by host team Belgium in Ghent from 10th – 11th July. 1st
Belgium 23pts, 2nd England 27 pts and 3rd Italy 27 pts.
The Drennan Team England Youth U22s were well represented in
this year’s World Championships in Mantova, Italy on 24th & 25th
July, scooping team Bronze, with Matt Godfrey taking the Individual
Silver. Sensas England U18s team finished 6th at this year’s World
Championships on Canale Fissero Tartaro in Mantova, Italy in one of
the closest finishes for years.
H V Power Electrical Systems Anglers with Disabilities England Team
took part in the 12th Freshwater World Championships on 7th &
8th August 2010 in France, but unfortunately the England team had
one of its worst results for many years to finish in eighth place. 1st
Czech Republic, 2nd France and 3rd Croatia.
SEA ANGLING
SALC Home International Events
The Irish Team completed a memorable victory in this year’s Home
Nations Boat Championships held in Belmullet, Co. Mayo on 21st
& 22nd of May 2010. The results were: Ireland 888, England 875 and
Wales 813. England are hosts for the 2011 event which is being held
in Weymouth.
The England Men’s shore team won gold at the SALC Home
Nations Shore Championships held at Peterhead in Scotland
from July 1st – 4th. The team travelled to Scotland for their fourth
successive victory to achieve a “Grand Slam” of wins. Senior Team
results: - 1st England 33pts, 2nd Wales 26pts, 3rd Scotland 22pts,
4th Ireland 19pts. Youth Team results: - 1st Ireland 28pts, 2nd
Scotland 27pts, 3rd England 23pts, 4th Wales 21pts. Junior Team
results: - 1st Ireland 30pts, 2nd England 26pts, 3rd Scotland 24pts,
4th Wales 20pts. The FIPSed European Championship was held on 4th/5th
September 2010 on the River Sorraia, Coruche, Portugal. Portugal
took the gold medal position with 30 points, two ahead of Drennan
Team England on 32. Alan Scotthorne took gold by winning section
E both days and amassing over 13kg; while Will Raison had to settle
for Silver with once again a perfect score but less weight, just over
9kg. The HV Power Electrical Systems England Ladies team will take part
in the 17th Ladies World Championships in South Africa on the
30th and 31st October this year. The team will consist of; Sammie
Perkins, Helen Dagnall, Wendy Locker, Emma Pickering, Julie Abbott
and Samantha Sim.
World Champions of the Future?
The England Youth Marine Squad 2010
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FIPSed Sea World Championships
The World Junior Shore Angling Championships were held in the
Grandola region of Portugal from 27th March – 2nd April, producing
an exceptionally tight finish. After the four matches, three teams
were tied in 1st position with 13 points. Sadly the young England
Lions lost out on the countback, and had to settle for the silver
medal behind Italy while Spain came in third.
The Individuals Sea Angling Club, ISAC were granted the honour of
representing the Angling Trust and England at the 18th World Shore
Championship for Clubs. The team secured a very creditable 7th
place overall out of 17 teams in the Championship in the Algarve
from 1st – 8th May.
World Boat Championships – 25th September to
2nd October 2010, Budva, Montenegro.
The team will consist of: Paul Hart (Manager), Colin Searles, Rolf
Marschalek, Gary Galbraith and Cliff Newbold.
Game Angling
England won the Home International Youth Fly Fishing
Championship held at Grafham Water on Wednesday 28th July
2010. All of the 14 England team members caught fish, with John
Mackintosh from Cumbria taking the individual champion trophy
as well. This follows England’s victory in Wales last year. England’s
youth squad are hard to beat on their home waters having won 4 out
of 5 Internationals fished in England over the past 18 years.
Ladies Home International Championship This was the first time that the Ladies Home International
Championship had been held at Llandegfedd. Many of the England
squad had not fished there before this year’s practice sessions
leading up to the main event on 18th June, but they came home with
the GOLD medal. It has been 4 years since England last won gold
medals at the Home Internationals so this year proved to be fantastic
for the team.
Mens World Shore Championships – 7th to 13th
November 2010, South Africa.
The team will consist of: Richard Prosser (Manager), Ian Golds, Saul
Page, Richard Yates, Mark Pinder, Andrew Gallacher and Andrew
Dawkins.
Ladies World Shore Championships – 7th to 13th
November 2010, South Africa.
The team will consist of: Stuart Withyman (Manager), Avril Withyman,
Pauline Ferry, Adele Smith, Jo Hyde, Rachael Jarman and Wendy
Metcalf.
Long Slinging of Sea Leads World Championships –
4th to 10th October 2010, Saint Cyprien, France.
The teams will consist of: Dennis Retter (Manager) A team - Alan
Varley, Jason Carter, Andy Copping, Steve Lewis, and Steve Boyt. B
team - David Richardson, Mark Jakins, Lee Adams, and Tony Jones
(Reserve) Kevin Southey.
In 2011 all disciplines (coarse, game and sea) will be taking part in
the FIPSed/CIPSed World Championships in Italy in the World
Games from 28th August – 4th September.
I would like to offer appreciation and thanks on behalf
of Angling Trust to all the support we receive from our
volunteers who give up their time to assist with our
competitions. Without their help and support we would not
be able to provide competitions on the scale that we do for
our members, as we currently have a competitions team of
just two employed staff, one part-time.
Home International Shore Championships Juniors, Youth &
Seniors – Ireland, Expected late June/Early July.
A big thank you must also go out to all our sponsors who
are absolutely vital to our competitions. If you know any
companies who might be interested in offering additional
support, then please get in touch.
email: [email protected]
Home International Boat Championships – Weymouth, 22nd to
25th June 2011
Sandra Drew, Competitions Manager
Dates and venues announced for SALC Home
International Events 2011