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Around 8,000 fish in Ely have been re-homed by the Environment Agency due to spawning being too successful.

Large numbers of healthy juvenile roach, rudd and common bream have been thriving in two fishing lakes near Ely but there were so many fish they were competing for food.

Fisheries officers from the Environment Agency carried out exploratory netting in the lakes to identify the number of fish and the species living there.

As a result, more than 500lb of fish were moved to local fisheries on 3 and 15 December, including the popular angling venues at Cambridge Fish Preservation Society’s Barnwell Lake, Cambridge and Mundford Angling Club’s Buckenham Lake in Ickburgh, Norfolk.

Fisheries officer Justin Mould said: ‘During the winter months we try to re-home as many fish as possible from overcrowded lakes to angling club waters in need of a stock boost.

‘This is all part of the service provided by the Environment Agency and is paid for by anglers’ rod licences.’

The intervention by the Environment Agency will boost fish stocks and improve angling at the receiving lakes.

Source: www.environment-agency.gov.uk

All the organisations participating in the creation of the Angling Trust have now undertaken the necessary constitutional steps to wind up their existing operations and form the Angling Trust on 5 January 2009.

The National Federation of Anglers (NFA) held an Extraordinary General Meeting at the National Water Sports Centre in Nottingham on Saturday 6 December to approve the dissolution of the NFA and the transfer of its assets and staff to the Angling Trust. The meeting was attended both by individual and club members who voted 30 to 2 for the resolution.

The National Federation of Sea Anglers (NFSA) held an EGM at Buckfastleigh in Devon on Saturday 6th December at which the membership approved the proposals to allow the winding up of the NFSA and the transfer of its assets to Angling Trust. Including proxy votes, the membership supported the 3 proposals by a margin of 418 to1, 418 to 1 and 412 to 8 respectively.

The Anglers’ Conservation Association (ACA) held its EGM in Birmingham on Monday 8 December and agreed to change its name to Fish Legal and to become a part of the Angling Trust with a proxy vote of 1,484 in favour to 67 against the change.

The National Association of Fisheries and Angling Consultatives (NAFAC) and the Specialist Anglers Alliance (SAA) had both approved the merger with their respective memberships earlier in the year and therefore there are now no constitutional reasons for the merger not to go ahead as planned at the start of 2009.

All the organisations are now writing to their existing individual, club, riparian and fishery owner members with information about the benefits on offer from the Angling Trust. These include free public liability insurance for individual members, along with the innovative Fish For Free scheme which can earn Angling Trust members more than the cost of their subscription in cashback on fishing tackle and the annual rod licence. For angling clubs and riparian and fishery owners, there is a new discounted insurance package on offer which will offer savings of hundreds of pounds on existing cover.

Terry Fell, Chairman of the NFA commented,
“This is a very historic occasion both for the NFA and the sport of angling as a whole. The NFA has been in existence since 1903 and has a wealth of history; however the board believes that now is the right time to bring together all of angling’s assets and create one Governing Body for the sport. There is a huge wealth of expertise and experience in the Angling Trust and we are all looking forward to working with the other parties involved. The success of the Angling Trust will rely upon the support of the angling community and I would urge anyone who has an interest in the sport to join up and support The Voice of Angling: the Angling Trust.”

Richard Ferré, Chairman of the NFSA said,
“The NFSA is proud to be a part of the formation of the Angling Trust. Sea anglers share an interest in many issues with their freshwater counterparts and we will be much stronger if we pool our resources. The new Angling Trust will build on the work we have undertaken for many years, lobbying for greater protection for marine fish stocks and running national and international competitions on and off shore.”

Stephen Marsh-Smith, Chairman of the ACA said,
“The ACA’s unrivalled record of taking polluters and others to task will be continued by the Angling Trust under a new brand: Fish Legal. All clubs, fisheries and riparian owners in England should join the Angling Trust and Fish Legal to benefit from this unique legal protection. Now that we are one organisation, we will be able to link the legal work with proactive campaigns to change policy and practice and to stop damage to fisheries happening in the first place.”

Mike Heylin, Secretary of SAA said,
“We have finally achieved the dream of a united front for angling with Angling Trust. Now we have to do the hard work of delivering for the nation’s anglers and the fisheries they enjoy. I urge all anglers to join as soon as they can. It takes money to defend angling from national as well as European policymakers.”

Martin Read, Executive Chairman of NAFAC said,
“It has been a long time coming, but now the talking is over its time for action.”

Trevor Johnson, Chairman of Milton Keynes Angling Association, commented,
“One body – speaking with one voice for England’s anglers – is now the only way forward if our sport is to survive and prosper. But let no-one think that it is all done and dusted...that all we have to do now is go fishing. If this is going to work anglers have to put their hands in their pockets and give Angling Trust their support – whether they fish for bass off Cornwall, carp in Milton Keynes or trout in a northern beck. Old rivalries and narrow interests are going to have to be put aside and everyone, at all levels, must work for the common good of our sport. That will not be easy for some...but it has to done.”

Mark Lloyd, Chief Executive of Angling Trust commented,
“the Angling Trust will not only continue the work of all these bodies, but it will also do much more. We will now be able to represent all anglers much more efficiently and effectively. All the staff of the organisations involved are working flat out to make sure that everything is in place for the launch in January. We all hope that every angler’s New Year resolution will be to join the Angling Trust.”

Source: www.nfadirect.com

I'm sure all of you who fly-fish for pike have at least one or two poppers in your ever expanding collection of flies. If not, I highly recommend you invest in a few or if possible make a couple. My fly box primarily consists of 80% surface lures from mid August to the end of September, especially the Popper. Now I'm not suggesting you follow my train of thought in any way, it's just my preferred line of attack during the autumn months.

I still remember the fist pike I caught using the popper like it was yesterday. I had bought a couple in the Netherlands in 98 and had taken them up to Scotland with high hopes of them being everything "Henk" the tackle shop owner had so vehemently promised they would be, and how right the old boy was! The sheer rush I received when I saw the water boil behind it as I stripped it across the surface has stayed with me to this day. I just don't get the same thrill while fishing with a Streamer, Bunny-wobblers or a Bomber under the surface. To visually watch my lure slowly creeping its way back towards me supersedes by far any other form of Pike fly-fishing. I also tend to concentrate a lot more during a session of popping as well. Coupled with the anticipation & frequent rushes of adrenaline that cause through my veins, I am literally quite drained at the end of the day.

Poppers themselves
Most fly tackle shops that have a Pike fly-fishing section now supply a range of ready made surface lures from Divers, Skipping bugs, Sliders, Wiggle bugs & off course Poppers. Many also carry a range of finished Popper heads which come in all manner of colours, materials and sizes. Unfortunately though I found that most Popper heads on the market were quite small in comparison with some of the 20cm streamers I had been using and found during a couple of seasons that I was only able to attract Pike in and around the 1kg - 2kg size bracket. This I have attributed to most of these popper heads being developed primarily for the American Bass angling market and not for us Pike fly-fishing enthusiasts.

Then Last year while trawling the net I came across a company called Edgewater fly-tying materials that had not one but two separate popper head products. The first being the Boiler Maker Popper Head. Loud poppers that get a big fishes attention! Super durable with a concaved face for good sound! And the Master Blaster Heads, large heads to attract big fish! now armed with larger popper heads I obviously needed a larger hook especially with a longer shank and this I found in the Mustad 3401 4/0 long shank hook. Unfortunately though this hook doesn't have a kinked shank and after just one or two tussles with a fish I was finding the head would come loose and spin around the shank. Since then I have now changed over to the 4/0 long shank Wapsi Popper Hooks and have found that the foam heads have lasted me several outings before either needing a repair or full overhaul. The Tail Another aspect I found a bit disappointing with Poppers bought from a tackle shop, is the length of the tails tied in behind the popper head. On average they range from between 50mm to 70mm and personally I feel this is too short. (Yet another attribute from the American Bass angling market). I have two specific designs which are now working well for me and catching bigger pike.

The first which I call "The grim reaper" gets given a black head. I then tie on top of the remaining section of visible hook shank a 5mm wide 80mm length of white rabbit tail and then on either side of it I tie a black feather so they curl outwards also around 80mm. This whole new popper has now given me a total length from tip to tail of around 135mm for not much extra weight. I always tie in some red hackle directly behind the head, just to finish it off. To say this popper has a wicked action through the water is an understatement. As you strip it forward the feathers pull in tight to the hook but as it stops they swing back outwards coupled with the wobble action from the strip of rabbit fur and the loud popping noise it gives off, I am getting an extremely active surface lure.

Weed guards
The old adage is," if you aren't fishing the structure's your not fishing for predators!" Poppers can be fished out in open water but your best results will come from stripping your Popper past visible & non-visible structures like reed beds, water lilies or even a submerged tree stump. This is why a weed guard is an absolute must when fishing structures .With all my Poppers I have a weed guard tied in. Don't use a thin monofilament here as it will more than likely snap within the first decent fight. I use a very thick mono (100lbs breaking strain). With heavy mono it not only lasts longer but helps prevents snagging up a lot less. I would also recommend giving it a decent loop from the back of the hook to the front. If tied in to close to the hook and the under body of the head It becomes hard to set the hook in the pikes mouth. This is also another reason for the wider loop.

Eyes
In the early development stages of these flies I used to apply eyes to the popper but found they would eventually disappear over the course of a days fishing, so I don't bother with them any more and to be truthful I personally don't think it makes any difference especially with surface poppers.

Another surface lure I must recommend are mouse imitation flies. I always dedicate an hour to using a few every time I'm out fishing. As soon as I arrive at the first patch of water lilies I slip one on and yes as I mentioned in my last column you are not going to get a lunker with this fly but to trick a pike (even a jack) into taking one is great sport.

Lastly, and I'm speaking from experience here, I have noticed that when stripping my popper back, most takes, if not all, occur while the popper is stationary. Every now and then you will notice a pike is interested by the wake it is leaving directly behind the fly, but most takes are from below and are literally quite violent Affairs..... SO STAY ALERT!

The Author: Simon Graham
Further Information: pikeflyfishingarticles.blogspot.com

Nearly 4,000 juvenile fish have been released by Environment Agency fisheries teams in and around London rivers today Tuesday 9 December.

The Hogsmill at the Open space on the river Hogsmill, Beverley Brook at Richmond Park and the River Wandle near Ravensbury Park are now the new homes for the young fish thanks to a yearly stocking programme by the Environment Agency.

The batches of two year-old barbel, chub, roach and dace have been specially reared and trained for life in the wild at the Environment Agency’s Calverton Fish Farm in Nottinghamshire and were released into three different locations.

Environment Agency fisheries officers released Chub, Roach and Dace into the Hogsmill near West Ewell and the Beverley Brook at Richmond Park. Both are urban rivers and since they have begun to recover from historic pollution and degradation they have been stocked regularly by the Environment Agency. The rivers are still vulnerable from low water levels and at risk of pollution by mis-connections of domestic appliances and industrial accidents. However, these rivers offer valuable wildlife habitat and recreational space in a predominantly urban area.

The Wandle was stocked with Barbel, Chub, Roach and Dace at Hackbridge, Poulters Park, Ravensbury Park and Morden Hall. These areas were affected by a major pollution event in September 2007. The Environment Agency has been working closely with local and national angler groups, landowners and regulators to find opportunities to further improve habitat along the river and provide shelter for smaller fish in high flows and help protect them from predators and pollution events. Previous stocking has shown that fish thrive in the River Wandle because it is so productive.

Environment Agency fisheries officer Tanya Houston said: “The release of 4,000 fish into these rivers will really enhance the local environment. Healthy rivers have good fish populations which form a key element of the aquatic environment and our restocking programme ensures that a wide variety of fish can flourish and give local people the opportunity to enjoy the river within an urban area”.

The Environment Agency carry out more than 500 fish stockings transfers every year. Stocking of fish can bring socio-economic and conservation benefits to fisheries by increasing the numbers and species of fish available for capture, or by restoring stocks lost due to pollution or habitat degradation.

source: www.environment-agency.gov.uk

Environment Agency delivers a stocking packed with 1,250 barbel to the Thames River. Christmas has come early on the River Thames this year as the Environment Agency delivered a stocking packed with 1,250 barbel to the Thames River last week.

The batch of 18-month-old fish was released in three areas along the river as part of an Environment Agency project to give the declining barbel population a boost.

The fish have been marked with a small orange spot in the translucent skin adjacent to the eye. The marks will help the Environment Agency keep track of how the population is developing in the coming years.

Anglers are being asked to do their bit by reporting any catches of barbel which have the distinctive orange spots. Working closely with local anglers the Environment Agency will be able to build a more complete picture of the fish’s movements and survival rates.

Environment Agency fisheries officer Lizzie Rhymes said: “Our aim is to see these barbel flourish in areas of the Thames where numbers have declined. When the fish reach maturity, we hope they will spawn successfully and continue to boost barbel populations.

“The stocking is part of the Upper Thames Barbel Project, which we started in 2005. The project identified areas of the Upper Thames where barbel populations are threatened. We have also begun a programme of habitat restoration to improve and create new spawning grounds. Stocking juvenile barbell in the river is designed to complement this work.”

Barbel, which can live up to 25 years, indicate high quality river habitat. However, the species faces many pressures which threaten populations in the River Thames. These pressures include a lack of suitable spawning grounds, and an inability to reach important habitats as a result of impoundments.

To spawn, barbel require shallow gravel areas with fast flows. Hatching larvae use still shallow bays to feed and avoid predators. As juveniles grow, they use faster flows on shallow gravels. These habitats are required if larvae are to survive their first critical winter. In rivers without suitable spawning grounds nearby, adult barbel will migrate over 30 km to spawn.

The fish have been bred at the Environment Agency fish farm at Calverton, near Nottingham, which produced half a million fish last year. They were released on Thursday, 4 December, between Buscot and Newbridge. This follows on from last year’s stocking programme which targeted the upper reaches of the River Thames between Hannington Bridge and Cricklade.

Lizzie Rhymes added: “We plan to monitor these barbel during our annual fisheries monitoring programme. However, we are also asking all anglers fishing the River Thames to look out for these marks. If anyone is lucky enough to catch a barbel, and it is marked, we would like to hear about it.”

“We carry out more than 500 fish stocking transfers every year. Other stocking programmes this winter will be taking place on the river Cherwell, Great Brook, Enbourne, and Thame. Species due to be stocked into these rivers include: chub, dace, roach and bream.”

If you catch a barbel, please contact Chris Bell on 01491 828358.

Source: www.environment-agency.gov.uk

Lac de Madine – France – 31 st August – 6 th September

Sponsors:

• Ehmanns Fishing Tackle – Courtesy of Northern Carp
• Formula Carp Advanced Bait Solutions
• Matt’s Tackle – Eastbourne

This would be my third year in the competition since 2005, I missed 2006 due to various problems, so Steve fished with his brother-in-law that year. As soon as the notifications came through our cheque was in the post by return, no way did we want to miss this 10 th Anniversary return to Madine. We were both like kids, planning a new adventure, which it always is, but sadly life was to overtake us.

On the 15 th of June, Steve, my long time fishing partner and good friend died, a devastating blow to all who knew him. At the time I would have pulled out, but Lesley, Steve’s wife asked me to carry on in Steve’s memory which I of course agreed to do.

So, the first thing was to find some one to stand in for Steve, my good friend Paul stepped up to the mark and agreed to partner me. Paul is no stranger to French fishing with fish up 58lb to his credit so I was confident we could hold our own. After contacting the WCC Headquarters all the necessary changes were made.

During the Spring and summer I had been busy contacting various companies to try and get some sponsorship organised Ehmanns Tackle a German company put me in contact with Gary Thompson at Northern Carp/Pondskater their UK agents who agreed to provide us with Bivvies for the competition, boy were we glad of those but more on that later. A long chat with Paul from Matt’s Tackle in Eastbourne secured our lead requirements, they make a brilliant riser lead, just the job for our needs. Our usual baits supplier agreed to supply the bait so all was sorted. Not quite, a couple of weeks or so before the comp an email from the bait supplier advised that he was shutting the business Aaaaaaagh no bait what now? After a quick phone call Gary agreed to supply some bait as well as the bivvies and in due course the bivvies and about 12 kg with dips arrived, this would be a big help but was no where near enough. Following a chat with a mate I contacted Tony Mills at Formula Carp and without hesitation he agreed to help out, what a star, a few days later 20+kg of bait plus dips and pop ups arrived at my home. So we owe and must say a big thank you to all of our sponsors whose support and generosity helped to make our competition a successful one.

We planned to leave on 29 th August and were booked on the 10am ferry from Dover, not having the luxury of Steve’s truck we were taking two vehicles to cope with the gear and bait, plus the boat, outboard and batteries etc. I met up with our friends Paul and Darren who were, once again also in the competition and we proceeded to rendezvous with Paul just outside Dover. As usual Paul got pulled in by customs, fortunately, after having a good laugh about the amount of gear he needed to go fishing, they decided not to hold him. Once loaded onto the ferry it was up to the restaurant for a much needed hearty breakfast

An uneventful journey through the lovely French countryside saw us pulling into Madine at around 5.00pm French time. As the lake appeared a tinge of sadness came over me that Steve was not with us, well in body at least, although I am sure he was there in spirit and then, as I looked around a smile crept over my face as I thought of what Steve would have said and the excitement that would have been in his voice had he been there looking out over this fantastic venue.

Bivvy City was already starting to fill up with many people arriving earlier this year, we soon found Birdy ( Rod Bird) and Thingy ( Mark Barton) friends from previous years, Rod, like us has fished the competition since 2005 at Amance and fishes under the Scottish Flag, well someone has to! We soon had the bivvies set up and got ourselves sorted ready for the social of the next couple of days. Unfortunately there was nowhere to get anything to eat, we had expected to find food available but this hadn’t materialised so Paul and Darren kindly threw together a curry which we all heartily tucked into and quickly demolished along with a few beers, nice one guys. A trip to the Intermarche was planned for the morning to pick up some extra food as we hadn’t catered for these first few days, believing there would be a cafe/bar on site, not a major problem and soon sorted.

People were arriving steadily now and soon the Irish lads arrived, Frank, Dan and Vinny their runner, this was their first time so they were really buzzing. We had become acquainted on the WCC Forum over the past few months so it was good to put faces to names. It was a nice warm evening as nine of us all settled down with a few beers and the inevitable Carp talk took over. It was fascinating to listen to how the Carp scene was developing in Ireland, like going back in time. Secret pools and stockings and for most waters a 20 is still a target fish to excite people, don’t you envy them and their enthusiasm is so infectious, great guys and good anglers as they were to prove. Saturday morning dawned bright and sunny it was going to be a cracking day, kettle on and a couple of mugs of tea had me awake, a nice hot shower and now I was ready for something to eat, after a trip to the Intermarche breakfast was duly sorted and as quickly disposed of.

I wanted to get the boat check done so we could register once that was done we could relax, with the boat check done and our boat certificate in hand we walked over to the HQ to register. As always Marney and Marianne had everything organised in their usual efficient way, we were no 11 which means we are no 11 to draw for our peg tomorrow night at the Gala Dinner so there will be plenty of pegs to draw from. That’s was it, all insurance document checked and registration forms completed it was job done. We could now just chill, until the draw on Sunday evening and the all important peg draw.

Deciding to have a better look at the lake we walked along the bank towards the dam, once past the beach it became very evident that the fishing was not going to be easy as thick kelp beds stretched out for 50m or more in front of many swims., there was going to be a lot of boat work needed to land fish and bait swims. We had been warned so it was no major surprise although far more abundant than we had expected, all our information indicated that the fish patrolled close along the back of the weed. Back in Bivvy City other anglers confirmed that most areas appeared similar, many reported seeing fish showing just off the back of the weed confirming the info we had, no point in worrying at this stage, it was all down to the draw. We had a great time over the rest of Saturday and Sunday it was mainly one big social talking carp fishing and renewing acquaintances from previous years. Bivvy City was now a seething mass of carp anglers with cars, vans and trailers loaded to the gunwales with gear and bait for the week ahead, the atmosphere was electric.

Sunday evening arrived and we all made our way to the main hall for the Gala Dinner and the peg draw, outside the main entrance the beer stalls were doing brisk business. Inside the hall throbbed with the clammer of 250 anglers, plus the runners, marshals and officials, the whole building buzzed with anticipation. Once the meal was done and all the official speeches were out of the way we got down to the important bit of the evening, the peg draw. Our friends Paul and Darren were up before us and drew a peg in the Jet Fish section on the small island in front of the HQ, they seemed happy. Now it’s my turn and as I walk up on the stage the air is electric, shake hands with all the officials, at last there it is, the sphere holding the containers with the peg no’s in. Here goes then, shake um about or just take one, oh hell just take one, what is it? Section H, peg Indyline 1 were the hell is that! As I leave the stage a guy hands me a map of the lake showing the pegs and giving directions how to reach them. It looks good we’re on the main bank down past the main dam, past the marina, we’re the first peg in the last section on this bank with nobody to our immediate right, this could be a cracking draw!

As Monday morning dawns everyone is on the move early, a lot of teams have to get to the boats to be transported out to the islands, as we are on the mainland we can take it a bit more leisurely. After breakfast we get packed up and make the 10 minute slow drive to our swim, once there a quick inspection confirms we can drive to the back of the swim, brilliant. By early afternoon the bivvies are up, rods made up ground bait mixed, we are sorted and ready to go.

Looking out over our swim confirms that it commands a lot of water, to my right is large bay along the small dam which is about 400m long with no anglers along it and in front of us is open water to the back of the small island again some 400m away with nobody fishing on our side. But as we stand there our hearts drop, kelp, kelp and more kelp, in front of us the kelp stretches out some 125m from the bank without a break, on my right the whole bay is solid kelp as it sweeps round in an L shape in front of us, it doesn’t look good. At 3.00pm the rocket goes up to announce the start, it’s game on and a small armada launches onto the lake, Paul out in the boat is having to row as the kelp is so thick it keep clogging up the prop on the outboard. Once pass the weed he soon realise via the sounder that it is featureless sand all the way across to the island, the back of the kelp is the only feature so that’s Paul sorted. Markers are placed and out goes 20kg of particles and pellet with 5kg of Ehmanns Legend of Octopus boilies over the top, hook baits are straightforward bottom baits to start off, all held in place with 5oz riser leads, keep it simple. Now to sort out my rods, after what seemed like an eternity a hole in the kelp about 10ft by 15ft is eventually found so in goes 10 kg of particle and 3kg of Formula Carp Nutcracker boilies, hook bait is a snowman rig . Down along my right hand margin I had kelp right up to the edge for about 20m then a wide strip of reeds with about 4m of clear water before the kelp started so another 10kg of particle was placed along the front of the reeds with another 3kg of Nutcracker boilies with a snowman rig fished over the top, although this area was quit shallow I felt confident about it.

The last 2 days had been very clear and warm but the weather was on the change as the wind increased and the clouds rolled in. It was a lovely evening as we settled back with a beer to see how things developed, for now we had done everything we could. We had heard that Dave lane had had the first fish an hour and a half into the match 5.75Kg /12.7lbs, not the biggest but it was a fish. As nothing showed in front of us we settled down for the night in our new bivvies it had been a busy day. Initial impressions of the bivvies was excellent, they are well made roomy and easy to erect, home from home, it seemed that they would get a good testing this week as some very rough weather was forecast.

I woke several times during the night sitting out to watch the water and listen, nothing, not a sound that would betray the presence of any fish. After breakfast we rebaited and lightly topped up the swims, the weather is overcast with moderate wind which is due to strengthen as the day goes on. Unfortunately while doing this I tore a calf muscle climbing back out of the lake and was in absolute agony, fortunately I had Ibuprofen tablets with me and they helped to take the edge off the pain, just got to grit my teeth and get on with it. We learn from the marshals that 7 fish were caught last night, the biggest going 22.3Kg/49.02lbs so at least the fish were on the feed. With no action during the day we rebaited the rods an d settled down for the night, the winds were picking up and as the white caps started to break in front of us both Paul and I said that we hoped we didn’t have to take the boat out in that lot. By about 10pm the storm had broken over us and the wind and rain was lashing straight in at us, zipped up in the bivvies all we could do was pray everything held as the weather was ferocious. We need not have worried they stood solid as a rock without a murmur and not a drip did they let in, well impressed.

Wednesday arrives with light rain continuing throughout the morning keeping everything nice and wet. After bailing out the boat which had some 8inches of water in the bottom we got the rods sorted and repositioned The riser leads supplied by Matt’s Tackle in Eastbourne worked a treat, even at 125 yrds plus Paul was able to get them up over the kelp and retrieve his rigs without resorting to the boat which saved a lot of time. Other than a couple of large silver bream it had been another quiet night for us with no sign of Carp in our area, but we remain confident. At the moment everyone in our area is struggling, this is the only down side with fishing a match like this, you can’t move if the fish aren’t there, you have to wait it out and hope you can pull the fish in. Although the wind is in our favour there are a lot of anglers on the large island before the fish get to us.

The overall tally was now up to 31fish with a new WCC record, a superb Common Carp of 23.7Kg/52.02lbs, well done that man, not easy fishing in last nights conditions. In the lead currently are the Irish lads Dan O’Kelly and Frank Melia, nice going guys!

We continue to build the swims up so as to hold any fish that may move in for as long as possible but so far we have seen absolutely no sign of any Carp despite constantly scanning the water. The Bream however continued their constant pecking at the baits so I stopped using the pellet and they disappeared, on the premise that the activity could draw the Carp in Paul elected to continue with the pellet, time will tell. Due to my injured leg Paul is being an absolute ace and has done all the boat work which saves me having to clamber up and down over the rocky bank in front of us, thanks mate, that’s what you call team work. It had been another damp drizzly day and as the light faded the rain became more persistent so we retired to the bivvies.

In the early hrs, 2.55am to be precise, of Thursday morning my right hand rod along the reeds rattles off and I dived out of the bivvy only to collapse on the floor in agony (bloody leg), once I managed to get to the rod I bent into that satisfying thump, fish on. It was a spirited fight so I suspected that it wasn’t a massive fish, but it was a fish. As it kept diving into the kelp I just prayed I wasn’t going to have to try and launch the boat, luckily the fish kept moving and was soon in front of me, by which time a fairly comatosed Paul was at my side with the net (damn he can sleep)! Clambering down the rocks Paul neatly netted the fish and brought it back to the mat, a nice plump little Mirror weighed in at 6.45kg /14.22lbs. After carefully sacking the fish for official weighing later in the morning I quickly got the rod back in position, fortunately both of my marks were an easy cast and the rods had been previously marked up ready for such an eventuality. As the excitement passed I realised I was soaked it was raining quite hard but I hadn’t noticed, as I dried myself I could hear the odd fish crash out in the bay, things were on the up. An early call to the marshals saw them at the bivvy by 7ish with Leon Hoogendijk, well known Dutch angler and the official photographer, weight confirmed and a couple of quick snaps and I could thankfully return the fish no worse for its ordeal.

Great we’re off the mark, it turned out that the fish heard during the night were most likely small cats; quite a few had been caught during the night. The tally is now 53 fish with English pairing Andrew Judd and Andy Truckle soaring into the lead with 4 fish for 58kg/128lb, fantastic. Of the 53 fish caught 9 are over 30lb+, 8 are 40lb+ and 2 are 50lb+ including a new match record fish of 23.7kg/52.25lb not bad fishing in anybodies book. A phone call to our mates Paul and Darren confirmed that they were catching but not Carp, loads of Bream and several small Cats had them very frustrated. A lot of teams still had not caught, at least we had a fish so were going in the right direction.

It had been a better day weather wise but the fishing remained very slow with no further sign of those elusive Carp. Paul spent a lot of time out in the boat constantly searching for any small feature that may prove to make the difference but to no avail. Past the kelp it was as barren as a desert with no change in depth or bottom make up. Paul kept both his rods at the back of the kelp, one tight to the edge the other about 2m off and continued to bait quite heavily. Given last nights activity I decided to leave the left hand rod in the hole in the weed for one more night and keep the right hand rod on the reeds, both rods receiving several kilos of particles and boilies. We had a German pair next to us, it was strange, because of the shape of the point we are on, their bivvies are only 30ft away from ours. They are a really nice couple of guys, had the weather been better we could have had a bit more of a social, but as it was a lot of time was spent in the bivvies out of the, at times some what incessant rain. This evening was dryer so we had a few beers and chatted as best we could, they were really cheesed off with the bream, having to constantly take the boat out to land them, no riser leads!

Saying our goodnights we settled down for the night, I sat out till late but saw and heard nothing so retreated to the sleeping bag. It seemed like I had just fallen asleep when the right hand rod sprang into life, a more careful approach got me to the rod and I once again bent into that welcome thump as the carp made to get away and then it was gone, gutted or what, that fish could have made all the difference. Still it seemed like the fish may be out there, in numbers or not I did not know, but lets get the bait back out there, I also reeled in the left hand rod and cast that to the same area but further off the reeds. The rest of the night was quiet, with no more action to any of the rods.

It’s 8.00am Friday morning, 24hrs to go, so it’s all or nothing, I had already decided that both rods would go along my right hand margin, Pauls options on the other hand were limited all he could really do was plug away at it. I really felt for the guy he had worked so hard at it, I desperately wanted him to catch. Once Paul had got himself sorted with his swim baited and baits repositioned, he very kindly offered to sort mine out, but I said I would managed. Although the leg was far from right I wanted to sort myself out for the last night, once out in the boat it was very much as Paul had described, a clear sandy bottom coming off the reeds for about 4m with the depth averaging 4ft to 4.5ft. I elected to keep the right hand rod on the reeds; after all it had produced two runs, and place the left hand rod tight to the kelp. With both areas baited with particle and 5 kg of Formula Carp Nutcracker boilies scattered over them, a pva bag of broken boilies and crumb with a snowman rig was placed in each area, I felt really confident that we would get more fish tonight. The expected rain came later in the afternoon and continued well into the evening, we had a few beers with our German neighbours, wished each other good luck and turned in. For the next couple of hours we got absolutely battered by the wind and rain but remained totally secure in the new bivvies. Several times I got up to a screaming indicator only to find the wind had ripped the line from the clips. Just after midnight the alarm sounded again, suddenly I realise the wind and rain had dropped considerably it was a run, scrambling out to the rods the left hand one was flying. I picked up the rod and it arched over into full fighting mode and a heavy lump thumped away on the other end, with my heart in my mouth I started to play the fish some where out there in the dark, it’s steady plodding power told me this was a better fish. Strangely the fish seemed to be staying in the small area of open water and I steadily begin to gain ground on it. Then I could feel the kelp, I had been ready for it as I knew that by now the fish must be close to the band of kelp at the edge of the clear area. By holding the rod high I was able to keep the fish moving and before I realised, it was in front of me. Not being able to wake Paul I slid down the rocks the best I could and fortunately she went into the net the first time. Try as I might I couldn’t lift the net from the water, the leg wouldn’t allow me to get the leverage to lift and keep it away from the rocks. After a couple of yanks on his indicators Paul emerged from his pit and on seeing my predicament gave me a hand, as he lifted the fish onto the waiting mat he looked at me with a big grin on his face and just pulled the net back. In the torch light laid this gorgeous great big Mirror, probably a high 30, I was over the moon, onto the scales and, yes, 19.8kg/43.652lb. Hey, we could be on for a section win at least, let’s get that rod back out pronto after securely sacking the fish I quickly got the rod baited and recast to the same position. As I settled back in the bivvy with a nice cuppa I just knew I had this daft grin on my face that would not go away. The rest of the night was uneventful so we ended up with the two fish for 26.25kg/57.871lb.

As Saturday morning dawned the marshals and photographers turned up and the fish was quickly reweighed and photographed, with the weight confirmed that fantastic great carp was slipped back into its watery home to fight another day.

That’s it then, the whistle has blown its all over except the singing, once everything is packed away its back to HQ for a shower and change before the presentations. It turns out that peg 9 in our section had another fish last night and ended up with 33.5kg/73.85lb securing the section win, never mind there’s always next year.

Andrew Judd and Andy Truckle, England, won with a very respectable 140.4kg/309.529lb; Second place went to Kevin Hewitt and Mark Bartlett, England and third went to Pascal Gallion and Tim Mack, Luxembourg, congratulations to all the prize winners.

The total number of Carp caught during the match was 94 fish for1272.05kg/2804.39lbs, that’s an average weight of 29.83lb per fish.

As for us, we finished a respectable 19 th overall quite pleasing when you consider that out of the 123 teams taking part 90 (180 anglers) did not catch. I would like to come back and try again next year; hopefully I will be able to.

As always we had a great time, met some great people, rekindling old acquaintances and making new friends, what could be better

Once again our sincere thanks to all our sponsors, your support and generosity is greatly appreciated.

This one was for you Steve, we tried hard and we enjoyed every minute, as you would have said that makes us winners, it’s the taking part that’s important.

See you on the bank

Cheers
Ralph Dennett

 

PENTAX Announces Winner of Digital SLR Camera in Photography Competition. Your chance to claim up to £100 cash back on Pentax SLR Camera.

The NFA and PENTAX U.K. are delighted to announce Richard Bowler as the overall winner of their Angling Photography competition and recipient of a top-of-the-range K10D PENTAX Digital SLR Camera.

Richard Bowler’s picture of a mayfly was the first monthly winner of the competition back in June and proved to be the best overall, from the monthly competition heats.

Competition judge and professional wildlife photographer, Tony Wharton, who chose Richard’s mayfly as the top picture commented, “Richard Bowler's excellent shot of a Mayfly is by far the best image of the competition. It's an excellent close-up shot by any standard, requiring the most demanding of photographic techniques. It is bitingly sharp, with a perfect image, size and depth of field, while the background is commendably diffused with no distractions. What's more, the subject is regularly to be seen by anglers at the water's edge and is of direct relevance to the sport of fishing.”

Those wishing to review the entries can visit the website at www.nfadirect.com/pentax where all the angling images we have received are on display. The gallery will remain online, so that anglers can continue to get inspiration to pack their camera with their tackle, and emulate some of the pictures we have received over the competition period.

Following the conclusion of the photography competition, PENTAX U.K. is now offering anglers up to £100 off a brand new PENTAX K20D Digital SLR or £50 off a PENTAX, lens. To take advantage of the offer, anglers must visit the NFA website, www.nfadirect.com and download the information pack which includes a list of participating retailers and details on how to claim your cash back.

Tom Goldspink, Marketing & Communications Manager at the NFA commented, “The sheer volume and quality of entries that we have received for this competition just goes to show how many anglers enjoy taking pictures when they are on the bank. Our thanks must go to the Division One National sponsor, PENTAX and Tony Wharton, who have kindly donated the prizes and helped anglers with their top tips and advice”.

Source: NFA Direct

November 2008

The ACA has secured a settlement for one of its commercial fishery members. After terse negotiations, insurers have paid out £3,500 to compensate Cuttle Mill Fishery in the Midlands for the damage they suffered following pollution with milk over the Christmas period back in 2006. The milk, which spilt from a tanker in a nearby haulage yard, entered the fishery via a feeder stream. The oxygen levels in the receiving water fell dangerously low and, despite the best efforts of the fishery owner to limit the damage using bunding and aerators, large specimen carp and a number of roach were lost. The timing could not have been worse for the fishery which had to close at what is usually one of its busiest times of year with anglers hoping to escape for a peaceful days fishing over the festive season.

In Wales, the ACA continues to fight for damages on behalf of the Islwyn & District Anglers following the devastating chemical pollution of the River Sirhowy, in Gwent, by a private company situated on the banks. The ACA has now issued a claim in court. In May 2007, whilst decommissioning a chemical treatment plant, the company emptied treated effluent onto the floor of the treatment plant building which subsequently found its way into a surface water drain that discharges into the Sirhowy. Despite being successfully prosecuted by Environment Agency Wales for breaches of the Water Resources Act 1991 and the Salmon and Freshwater Fisheries Act 1975 the company is determined to defend the ACA civil claim in court.

In Leicestershire we are representing the Gopsall Fishing Club after illegal in-river dredging on the River Sence. It is thought that the dredging destroyed spawning grounds and also altered the river width due to the excavation of the river bank which affects the river flow. The Environment Agency decided not to prosecute for the offence, even though those responsible were forewarned that any damage caused as a result of their works could result in criminal prosecution.

In further Scottish news, the ACA has been forced to refer another case to the Scottish Information Commissioner following the Scottish Government's refusal to release fish farm inspection reports relating to rainbow trout farming operations in Loch Lochy. The Scottish Information Commissioner will decide whether the Scottish Government is justified in withholding dive reports, mortality reports, grid plans and a containment audit report that relates to recent escapes of rainbow trout into the loch. The ACA represents the Lochaber District Salmon Fishery Board in this matter after escapes of farmed fish into the Lochy system from the floating cage farm operated by Kames Fish Farming Ltd.

Other news...

The ACA will be holding an EGM on Monday 8 December in Birmingham to vote on a resolution for the ACA to take part in the unification of angling and conservation organisations. There is much more information about these plans in the autumn update which will be arrive with all members this week and on the temporary web site for the Angling Trust: www.anglingunity.co.uk

If you can't make the EGM, please complete the proxy voting form included with the mailout in the postage paid envelope. You could send back your raffle books at the same time...

Thames21, a charity working in the London area, is organising a free training day for anyone wanting to organise river clean-ups at Fishmongers' Hall on Monday 24 November. Please go to www.thames21.org.uk for more information.

The Artist Richard Bramble is donating 10% of profits to the ACA from members' orders of his new Brown or Rainbow Trout porcelain 30cm dinner plates at £35 each, which are from a set of Trout and Grayling designs available on plates, mats, boards and clocks by the artist. When ordering, either by telephone 01935 815236 or online at www.richardbramble.co.uk Just mention 'ACA' for the donation to go through.

Finally, Hugh Miles is hosting a 'sort of world premiere' in Dorset of his new series of films "Catching the Impossible", with stars Bernard Cribbins and Martin Bowler present, but with red maggots instead of the red carpet. All proceeds go to the ACA and the Wimborne Angling Club. The films will be screened on Tuesday 25 November and Tuesday 2 December at the Barrington Theatre in the centre of Ferndown, near Bournemouth. Tickets are just £5 from: Bob Simmons, 1 Cuthburga Rd. Wimborne, Dorset, BH21 1LH Tel: 01202 889283 Please make cheques payable to Wild Wise Ltd. and enclose an SA

Source: Anglers Conservation Association

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Having been an avid Saltwater fly-fisherman for many years in South Africa I eventually crossed over to Fly-fishing for Pike once I moved back to Europe in 95 & two of the main aspects I have had to change with regards to fly-fishing for this species was not only having to deal with learning how to chuck much large flies but I have also had to change the way I retrieved the fly as well.

Saltwater fly-fishing to me although as technical as any other form of Fly-fishing didn't need much finesse. Sure, any saltwater fly-fisherman who has fly-fished for bonefish off the flats in Cuba will tend to disagree but overall I found the art form a tad slap n dash. Warmer, clearer water played a big part in why my retrieval was fast and furious, and off course obviously the species I was targeting, Barracuda, Garrick, Salmon, Jack Trevally, Shad (Tailor), Stump nose.

When I moved back to the U.K and started Fly-fishing for pike I brought the same gung-ho approach, and spent the good part of 2 seasons with very few fish to show for it, and so a drastic change in my approach was needed in order for me to become more successful as a pike fly-fisherman.

So I started reading as much literature as I could find, about my intended quarry the Elusive "Esox Lucius". Something I encourage all novice Pike fly-fishermen to do.

With living in the tropics all those years I hadn't taken into consideration the changes of season, which are more apparent in Northern Europe and thus have a much more adverse affect on not only the Pikes feeding habits but also its metabolism and general movement habits during each of these seasons.

After month or so of reading I set about practicing different retrieval techniques at different speeds & depths, And it wasn't long before I started to reap the benefits.

About two years ago I was float tubing on a smaller stretch of water in the forests here in Kuru Finland and It suddenly dawned on me while stripping back my fly that Fly-fishing for Pike was, if not very similar to the other passion in my life "Cricket".

Now I know what you're thinking.Simon you're talking a load of bollocks, but if you stop and think about it for a moment my words aren't that far from the truth. Trying to explain the game of cricket to a layman can take day's even months. (Which batsmen battles against a spin attack? Whether to bowl left arm over the wicket? How many fielders should be placed in the slips or on the off side? When should the captain declare his team's innings?) The list goes on & on and even then, until they have sat down and watched a five-day test, enjoyed it, and understood all the games subtle nuances will they have a better appreciation of the game. The same principle applies with Pike fly-fishing. (What fly to use? Surface or fast sinking, Flash streamer or a white/black bodied Bunny. What fly works best with the line you are using at that specific place you are fishing? Whether to use a floating or intermediate line. How long should one let a fast sinking line drop before retrieval? Should I retrieve the fly fast or slow? What action can you impart on the fly with the line you are using with the retrieve you use? The list went on and on, and even now after 14 years of fly-fishing for pike I find myself learning every time I venture out.

Here in Finland especially the Southern parts many of the lakes Are extremely dark due to the run of from the hundreds and thousands of bogs, which litter its landscape. For a pike fly-fisherman this makes the effort of chucking some fluff with the chance that a Pike will spot your fly even harder. Added to that, time of year, depth & area fished will eventually all come down to how well presented your fly is in the water. In Northern Finland (Lapland) the lakes are for want of a better word 'crystal clear' and so it is possible to not only get away with using much darker flies but your retrieval of that fly can be far more quicker & erratic due to the Pike having much better visibility. Also waters that far north never really get over warm and so during the short season Pike can be found at all depths and are extremely active.

Winter Piking
In General though Pike fly-fishermen have to contend with two main seasons Winter & Summer and with both seasons come different challenges. I found while living in the UK whether I was fishing in Ireland, Scotland or England that during the winter months the slower the retrieval the better. The question is "How slow is slow?" Well depending on where & what stretch of water you are fishing will depend on quite few many factors. Let's take for instance canals. These stretches of water aren't particularly deep and so I would use an Intermediate slow sinking line and count down until I knew the fly was lying on the bottom. This would take anywhere between 10 to 20 seconds. I would then begin to strip back the fly 10cm at a time for at least 4 strips and every now and then a longer strip of around 20 cm. I also have got in to the habit of raising the tip of my rod straight after this longer strip either to the left or to the right. This too imparts another angle of movement in the fly instead of just a straight-line movement back to the shore you are fishing from. Once you have worked the fly across that stretch of water, recast backs across the canal but two meters either side of where you last entered the water. This time count down half the time it took to hit the bottom and start your retrieval. Look at it as if you have a left-hander at the crease and maybe a right arm spin bowler would fair better against him. Always be prepared to try something different I say. This time strip back in 20cm lengths, with every fifth one being a 10cm strip, Remember to raise your rod tip after this short pull. Lowering your rod tip again puts just enough slackness back in the line for your fly to flutter down again before your next 20cm strip. I also encourage to you to get in to the habit of stopping In the middle of a strip every now and then. Over the last few years I have noticed that many of my takes have been during this period where the fly has stopped, so stay alert!

Spring Piking
Springtime for me here in Finland brings new revitalised energy to my Fly-fishing. Here in Southern Finland most lakes thaw out in early April with Pike spawning As soon as they can get close into the shallows and reed bed areas. This period lasts for around two weeks.

This is probably one of the best and most productive times to go Pike fly-fishing here. Pike are ravenous and in my experience just as aggressive as in late autumn. Pike lie close into the shoreline and I am often toiled with the problem of whether to use a floating line or a slow sinking intermediate. As Pike feed at all depths during this period I usually use an Intermediate slow sinking line with a surface lure to start proceedings (Poppers, Ballydoona bombers or even a Bunny-wobbler) Although your line sinks slowly, the short 20cm strip you give imparts a wonderful action in your fly which become irresistible to any Pike lying anywhere in its close proximity. Vary the length of your strip here 10cm, 20cm, and 30cm at a time. The longer the strip the longer the fly will stay under water and its rise to the surface will also be longer. Always try remembering to every now and then raise and lower your rod tip from right to left and stop the retrieve every 3 to 6 strips. If it's an all day session I invariably swap over to a floating line with a fast sinking fly and fish 3m to 8m from the margins. Although the front 4 meters of your floating line sinks with the fast sinking fly attached the action is opposite with the fly rising and sinking in short 10, 20 & 30cm lengths. (Most takes will be as the fly sinks back down).

Summer Piking
Summer time here in Finland is like most other places in Europe extremely hard for the Pike fly-fisherman. Pikes have now moved into deeper water around the 5m to 10m depths due to the rise in the waters temperature at the surface, & the oxygen levels dropping off.

A fast sinking line here is needed coupled with a fast sinking fly. A fly preferably with a lot of flash built in. As I have mentioned before the lakes here in Finland are quite dark and fishing at these depths I want to give myself all the chance I can for a pike to see my fly. The Pike will still be active and quite aggressive but it's getting down to them that put many a Pike fly-fishermen off. The last two yrs though I have been employing a different tactic while fishing at depths. I take two rods on the Boat, fishing from either side of it. I cast the 1st line out 10m to 15metres over a respected drop off with a fast sinking line with a fast sinking fly attached allowing it to fall down into the respected area and then place it in a rod holder, then while that is sinking I then move to the other side of the boat and with the same set up (Fast sinking line/fast sinking fly) cast out 10m to 15m over the drop off. This would have given the 1st fly time to sink to a reasonable depth. Place the rod in the Holder. Now I start to retrieve the fist rig. With this method I am able to use extremely large flies of around 20cm to 25cm in length, as I don't need to cast them all that far.

I start by stripping lengths of between 30cm and 60cm stopping in between each strip allowing the fly to slowly flutter back down. I also raise the tip of my rod either left or right a lot more with this method. To be honest I still haven't caught any monsters using this method but I have regularly had fish in the boat between the 4.5kg & 6.5kg range. This I put down to not finding the right drop off yet but my day will come, as it will with you all. Sure its not classic fly-fishing in the true sense but it brings results especially on those days when it's hot and all you want to do is feel the fly line between your fingers. Once I have retrieved the fly back up to the surface I cast it out 2m either side from its last position and start retrieving the other rods fly. Other than that during the summer months Pike fly-fishing should be practiced either in the early morning or very late afternoon/evening.

Autumn piking
Autumn time here is by far the most prolific and productive season for fly-fishing for pike. It's a chance for me to go out onto a lake armed with just a box of Poppers and my favourite fly the Ballydoona Bomber. But that's another article altogether.

Author: Simon Graham
Wilderness predator fly-fishing in Finland
pikeflyfishingarticles.blogspot.com

Over the past month, fisheries staff from the Environment Agency have been out surveying the fish populations on the rivers Ancholme, Witham, Welland and Nene.

The team has been using an acoustic fish finder which is the freshwater equivalent of the equipment trawlers use at sea. A pulse of sound is fired out from a transducer, and from the strength and direction of the echo received, the location and number of fish can be found.

Using this type of equipment means large areas of river can be surveyed in a few hours, compared to the usual netting method that only covers 100 metres and can take most of the day.

In the past, the areas the acoustic boat has surveyed has been dictated by the need for a suitable slipway nearby for the boat to enter the water, however a smaller boat has now been fitted with the equipment for the first time this year and is able to reach areas of water that were not possible to survey before.

Ecological Appraisal team leader, Chris Reeds, said: ‘The information gathered from the acoustic survey is invaluable in identifying areas of river that fish use for shelter and feeding, as well as giving a good idea of fish distribution over many miles of river. Monitoring fish populations also gives us an idea of the state of the rivers and how healthy they are’.

The acoustic survey is carried out at night as fish move about far more under the cover of darkness and can be detected more easily.

‘It is still necessary to net some fish to find out more about the age and species of fish in our rivers, but for monitoring fish population numbers, acoustic methods take some beating,’ said Chris.

The acoustic survey begins in spring and runs through to the summer routine survey, and then the autumn acoustic survey. All the data is processed during the winter to find out the population numbers and health of fish in rivers.

Source: The Environment Agency