The club, which can trace its roots back to 1817, currently has fishing rights on the River Irwell and a few small lakes and reservoirs around Greater Manchester. However from this week their members will now be able to extend their angling activities to a 12 mile stretch of the Rochdale Canal, from the canal’s start in Castlefield, through Manchester city centre to Middleton, near Rochdale.

Anglers will be able to fish for roach, bream, perch, pike, carp, tench and eels which swim between the canal’s many locks.

John Ellis, national fisheries and angling manager with the Canal & River Trust, is delighted the Rochdale Canal will soon become a mecca for anglers. He said: “The canal provides a green corridor of peace and tranquillity through the busy urban streets. The water quality has improved greatly in recent years and we are very pleased to welcome Salford anglers as a friendly presence on our towpaths.”

Mike Duddy, chairman of the Salford Friendly Anglers Society, added: “This new agreement is a fantastic opportunity for the city’s anglers to enjoy excellent fishing, right on their door step.

“The rejuvenation of the Rochdale Canal through Manchester is great for anglers but also for walkers, joggers, boaters and cyclists too. It’s wonderful for people to escape to the canal to enjoy a piece of countryside in the middle of the city. I have recently spotted kingfishers and red shanks flying over the water. It’s a wonderful, peaceful place to enjoy a spot of fishing.

“Anyone wanting to fish on the Rochdale Canal should contact the Salford Friendly Anglers Society via www.salfordfriendlyanglers.co.uk. Membership is available free online, as the Society actively encourages people to take up angling as a pastime in a region where so many of the lakes, rivers and canals were polluted by our industrial past.”

In addition to being a member of the Salford Friendly Anglers Society, any angler also needs an Environment Agency rod licence (if aged 12 or over) available from https://www.gov.uk/fishing-licences/when-you-need-a-licence

Source: Canal and River Trust

With only 3 lakes being used, Gold, Middle and Syndicate, and with almost all the pegs being used it was envisaged to be a tough but fair match,  and so it proved with the final result being fairly close and some reasonable back up weights.  It was a slow start though with a cold wind chilling the lakes it took a while for the carp to wake up and feed, and most weights were put together in the last half of the match. 

Steve Botting, the final reserve to get in, took an early lead by taking 7 carp from peg 26 on Gold before they moved off into his neighbours peg.  Perry Stone started to catch at peg 110 on Syndicate and Dave Roberts on peg 43 on Gold also started to catch, and it was thought to be heading for a very close finish.  A couple of carp in the dying minutes of the match finally swung it in Dave Roberts favour and he ended as the match winner with 15 carp all caught on pellet waggler with 103-13-0. 

Perry ‘the bridesmaid’ Stone finished an agonising 2 fish behind with 13 carp for 93-8-0, caught on bomb and pellet, and so he had to settle for 2nd place.  Steve Botting’s fish moved next door to peg 25 where Krzysztof Frackowiak was waiting patiently, after taking advice from Will Raison who told him he would catch late, and he ended up with 11 carp and some bream, caught on bomb and pellet to snatch 3rd place with 85-8-0 from Steve whom finished in 4th place with 70-0-0.

Many thanks to John Raison and his team at Gold Valley for their help and assistance.

The next Fish ‘O’ Mania qualifier now moves on to Moorlands Farm on Saturday 25th April.

Top 6 results
1st  Dave Roberts  (Tricast/Bait-tech) 103-13-0
2nd  Perry Stone (Spro) 93-8-0
3rd  Krzysztof Frackowiak(Wembley) 85-8-0
4th Steve Botting (Reading) 70-0-0
5th  Ian McCulloch (Little Milton) 69-8-0
6th Craig Owen  (Mexborough) 67-6-0

Source: Angling Trust Fishing News

It soon became apparent that the cold easterly wind and heavy cloud cover was having an effect, with most anglers struggling for early bites in the bitter conditions. There were a few fish to be had on method feeder dropped close tight to the island on Dannies, and early reports of fish on pellet waggler on Little Adams.

As the match progressed, there was a battle building between Matt Hall on Adams 17 and Nathan Watson on 16; both using the advantage of calmer conditions and a back wind to fire a pellet waggler to the aerator in the middle of the small lake. There were lots of fish present but they were reluctant to feed. Matt got off to a good start and soon had a four fish lead over Nathan. Gary Thompson on peg 35 also had these fish in range and started with a few fish to the same method.

Those on Dannies were finding the going tough, with the wind running the full length of the lake putting the fish off the feed. Even those caught early tight to the island seemed to switch off and anglers were forced to switch between pole, pellet waggler and method feeder to keep fish coming.

Best weights on Dannies came from 4th placed Craig Goldstraw with 56-12 from peg 44 and 52-3 from Martin Holmes on 14.

Big Adams was also tough with only pockets of larger carp feeding intermittently.

Meanwhile the battle for the top places was between the 3 anglers on Little Adams lake, with Matt Hall having a good late burst to take the win weighing 79-8 consisting of 13 carp to 9lb on 8mm pellets fished between 18 inches and 4 feet deep.

Gary Thompson caught steadily to finish 2nd with 60-6 for second spot, and Nathan Watson was left rueing his slow start to finish 3rd with 58-7 .

Matt Hall , now of Shakespeare Super Team was delighted the have qualified for the grand final but others will hope for another chance in better conditions.

Source: Angling Trust Fishing News

The Canal Pairs Championship is being organised by the Canal & River Trust, the charity that cares for 2000 miles of the nation’s historic waterways, and the Angling Trust.

Hosted by the Loughborough Soar Angling Club on Sunday 12th April, the match is the first of 11 regional heats with the top five pairs from each match going through to the final in October.

The competition will see pairs of anglers score points based on the weight of fish they catch. As well as being invited to compete in the national final the pair with the most points will receive up to £200 cash prize. In the national final, pairs will be competing for a top prize of up to £4000.

John Ellis, national fisheries & angling manager for the Canal & River Trust said; “Angling on the nation’s historic canals and rivers is great, they’re packed with fish and offer wonderful, accessible fishing for people of all ages.

“This is a showpiece event for canal angling and we want to see lots more people following in the competitor’s footsteps and discovering the fantastic fishing that can be enjoyed on their nearest canal or river. There are still places available and I’d encourage anyone interested to sign up fast.”

David Kent, from the Angling Trust said; “Providing a top, national competition for pairs of anglers is something the Angling Trust has been looking to do for many years. To achieve this using many of our fabulous canal fisheries is a significant milestone in our efforts to offer a really comprehensive calendar for our match angling members. Very importantly it also enhances the increasing collaboration between the two organisations.”

Tickets for the match are priced at £20 per angler (£40 per peg). Entry forms are available via the Angling Trust website at www.anglingtrust.net/competitions, or alternatively by emailing sandra.drew@anglingtrust.net.

The Championship final will take place on the Birmingham & Fazeley Canal on 24th October. 

Source: Canal & River Trust

Witnessed by Bury Hill bailiff Clive Elson, John Keatley was the lucky angler to catch Nemo on Monday 23rd. The bite came at around 9am and the fish was landed at a record weight of 39lb 8oz to give John a new PB. Fishing to the far margin from peg 9, John used a basic knotless knot hair rig in conjunction with a small inline lead and cell boilies as bait.

The second thirty this week was caught by junior bailiff Eddie Kelly who had a good session up on Temple landing two fish and losing another one. The first fish of his 24-hour session was a lovely 16lb 12oz common, which was followed by a double hook, following which Eddie managed to land one of the fish the result being Friar Tuck which weighed a respectable 33lb 8oz. Tactics used were small pva bags fished with inline leads and blowback rigs. Cell the successful bait.

Lastly, a polite reminder for from Bury Hill Fisheries to members wanting to re- join Temple this year to do so as quickly as possible. They also have a few places available for new members who might wish to join their specimen Carp Club.

Source: Bury Hill Fisheries

The total value of the funded projects, including match funding and in-kind contributions, is nearly £200,000, all of which will contribute to the delivery of the National Angling Strategy.  15 of the projects are coarse angling oriented, including one benefiting canal anglers, with 2 club projects improving access to wild trout streams in North Yorkshire and in Devon.  The funded projects are expected to generate in excess of 17,000 additional fishing visits/ trips per year and 7 projects plan to install accessible pegs for disabled users and families.

Launched in January, the fund received a huge response, with more than 200 applications.  Due to the success of the scheme, plans are now being put in place for another round in the summer of 2015.

Individual highlights include:

• creating an entirely new angling venue in a residential area;
• money to purchase storage facilities for a canal-based club;
• fish refuges and other measures to control cormorant predation;
• otter-proof fencing and gates at a club stillwater;
• restoring a traditional tench fishery;
• opening a disused stretch of the Severn to angling;
• Improving access to brown trout river fishing for elderly, beginners and military veterans.

Mark Lloyd, Chief Executive of the Angling Trust & Fish Legal said:

“The Environment Agency and the Angling Trust hope to be able to repeat the Fund in spring 2015 if there is sufficient rod licence income available to pay for it.  Thank you to all the organisations that applied - it clearly demonstrates the demand across the country for better facilities and the desire of clubs and fisheries to make these happen, through their commitment of match funding.”

Rick Warner, the Angling Trust’s National Angling Strategy Manager said:

“We plan to streamline the process to make it easier to submit an application and will be delivering workshops around the country to help clubs, fisheries and angling projects with their funding bids.  We will contact previous applicants who met all the criteria and invite them to apply again at that time.”

Sarah Chare, Environment Agency Head of Fisheries, said:

"We were delighted with the number of applications the Angling Trust received. There are some really good projects planned, from new fish refuges and revitalising disused stretches of river to improving access and creating new angling venues. This is just one way in which the Environment Agency uses rod licence money for fisheries and it is great to see it go further by working in partnership.”

Buy A Rod Licence Today

You can buy your rod licence online from the Post Office at www.postoffice.co.uk/rod-fishing-licence, at your local Post Office or by phoning 0344 800 5386.

Buying a rod licence online from the Post Office website is easy, and saves both time and administration costs, meaning that more of the income can be spent on improving fish stocks and fishing.

Source: Angling Trust Fishing News

The event was the first opportunity for the many Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) present to meet representatives of the European Anglers Alliance (EAA) and the European Fishing Tackle Trade Association (EFTTA) to hear about the importance of angling to the economy, environment and rural development. 

The Angling Trust played a lead role at the launch which took place in Brussels on the 25th of March and which follows the publication of the Angling Trust’s Manifesto for Angling, which was sent to all major UK political parties last week.

The event was chaired by the President of the Forum, MEP Norica Nicolai (Romania, ALDE).

Angling Trust Vice-President Mike Heylin, who is a Board Member of EAA said in his speech at the event:

“25 million people regularly fish across the EU, the biggest EU constituency. They must be better taken into consideration by their EU representatives”. 

Mark Owen, Head of Freshwater at the Angling Trust, gave a presentation on the role of anglers as “guardians and protectors of the aquatic environment”, using the Voluntary Bailiff Service as an example of partnership working with the Environment Agency in England.  He also pointed out the social role of fishing organisations through projects such as Get Hooked on Fishing to benefit young people and those with physical and mental disabilities.

Jean-Claude Bel, CEO of EFTTA explained the purpose of the establishment of this informal Forum in the EP and stressed the economic and social importance of angling in the EU.  He highlighted some important economic figures about the sector (1 kg of fish caught by a recreational fisherman brings 200-300 EUR to the economy and the economic ripple effect sees more than 39 billion EUR annually and 800,000 jobs).  Mr. Bel then explained how the development of these low-environmental impact activities can be an important tool for rural development: “Angling tourism brought 280 million EUR into the Irish economy in 2012, more than golf”.

In her presentation, Anna Gueorguieva, senior Advisor at the World Bank presented the World Bank development strategy currently being implemented in the Danube delta region, in which recreational fisheries proved to be a sustainable driving force to tackle the fisheries management and rural desertification problems.

MEP Norica Nicolai concluded the event by insisting on the economic potential of recreational fisheries: “Our passion can also be a key for job creation and economic development”, she declared.

The next event of the Forum, “The European sea bass recreational fisheries and its long term management”, is scheduled on the 14th April. It will be chaired by MEP Alain Cadec and the Angling Trust’s Marine Campaigns Manager David Mitchell will be attending the event.

Source: Angling Trust Fishing News

Subject to all tickets being sold, there will be 10 main prizes in the final ranging from £500 for 10th place, up to £12,000 to the winner. Section prizes of £250 will also be paid out every six pegs on both of the final days. A teams of three prize has been introduced for 2015. The teams will be made up of the three anglers who get through from each of the 24 qualifying matches with £450 paid to the winning team.  

There are some major changes in the way tickets will be allocated for this year’s competition. Due to the incredibly high demand in 2014, the Trust has introduced a three-week window for applications which will open 23rd March and close on 12th April. This means no tickets will be allocated until after the closing date and entrants do not make payment when they submit their entry.

A random computerised draw will determine ticket allocation for each of the qualifiers and the Competitions team will publish the list on the website then contact entrants for payment. There is a caveat to this process, to prevent abuse by anglers applying for all tickets with the intention of only fishing a few. The Angling Trust has stipulated that anglers must pay for each successful entry. Failure to do so will result in their full allocation of tickets being withdrawn. Any tickets remaining after the random draw will be sold on a first come first served basis.

TICKET APPLICATION AND ALLOCATION PROCESS
23/03/15 – 12/04/15  Open for entries
13/04/15 – 14/04/15  Random draw and publish list on website
15/04/15 – 25/04/15  AT contact entrants for payment for tickets
27/04/15 – 01/05/15  Tickets issued via post

Angling Trust Ambassador Dave Harrell, the creator of the competition, said, "We are delighted to have been able to increase the size of the competition, giving an additional 240 anglers the chance to qualify for the final. We've got some great new venues as well as established favourites and we'll have an additional 12 anglers in the final this time. It's going to be a great competition!"

Ben Thompson of the Angling Trust said “The demand for tickets for this competition is huge and we have acted to make the process as fair as possible to those who want to enter. We are in the process of developing an online entry system meaning it will be even easier to apply for RiverFest and our other competitions in future.  We expect the online system to be live by the summer of 2015.”

The final will take place on the River Wye at Hereford over the weekend of 14th/15th November and an additional section below the old river bridge will be included for the first time. Spectators will be welcome to watch the final, free of charge and there will be a bookmaker present on both days for competitors and public to have a flutter.

QUALIFIER VENUES AND DATES
1. Sat 20th June – River Calder, Mirfield
2. Sat 27th June – River Swale, Morton
3. Sun 5th July – Bristol Avon, Newbridge to Saltford
4. Sun 12th July – River Trent, Newark Dyke
5. Sun 19th July – River Tyne, Corbridge to Wylam*
6. Sat 25th July – River Trent, Holme Marsh*
7. Sat 1st August – River Weaver, Northwich
8. Sat 15th August – River Soar, Sutton Bonnington
9. Sun 16th August – River Yare, Langley
10. Sat 22nd August – River Tees, Bowsfield to Yarm
11. Sun 23rd August – River Nene, Orton*
12. Sat 29th August – River Don, Sprotborough
13. Sat 5th September – River Severn, Bewdley*
14. Sun 6th September – Great Ouse, Littleport
15. Sun 13th September – River Wye, Breinton to Eign
16. Sat 19th September – River Severn, Bridgnorth
17. Sun 27th September – River Trent, Burton
18. Sat 3rd October – River Thames, Medley
19. Sat 10th October – River Severn, Upton
20. Sun 11th October – River Medway, Barming*
21. Sat 17th October – Warwickshire Avon, Eckington
22. Sun 18th October – River Severn, Shrewsbury*
23. Sat 24th October – Yorkshire Ouse, Hunters Lodge to Linton-on-Ouse
24. Sun 1st November – River Nene, March
 
*NEW VENUES

Final
14th/15th November – River Wye, Hereford
1st Reserve Weekend  21st/22nd November – River Wye, Hereford

The competition is open to Angling Trust members only. Entry fee is £25 per qualifier. Closing date for entries is 12th April 2015, entries received after this date will not be processed in the random draw. To download an entry form and to find out more information visit www.anglingtrust.net/riverfest

Source: Angling Trust Fishing News

The anglers were joined at Barston by some of the world’s top match anglers such as Des Shipp, Matt Godfrey, Callum Dicks, Joe Roberts, Tom Scholey, Frankie Gianoncelli and Sensas U18 manager Steve Sanders. Day one of the event was all about learning international style tactics and techniques as anglings' equivalents to Wayne Rooney, Steven Gerrard and the like delivered a series of workshops and masterclasses in the morning covering pole and waggler fishing, feeding styles and presentation, bloodworm and joker fishing as well as terminal tackle and preparation required to compete at international level. The afternoon saw the anglers take to the water and put into practice all they had learned during the morning session.

Day one prepared anglers for Sundays match, North v Midlands v South and with temperatures dampened by a cold East wind, the fishing was expected to be tough. Despite the inclement weather anglers caught an impressive 191lb 13oz. Skimmers and roach made up the majority of the anglers weights, along with the odd F1 and tench. Barston Lakes proved to be the perfect venue for both anglers and parents. 

Team Midlands prevailed and won the match with 14 points with Team South and Team North finishing with 17 points apiece, Team South nudging into second with a combined weight of 59lb 12oz against Team North’s weight of 58lb 0oz. Midlands angler Samuel Claydon took individual honours with a weight of 18lb 3oz followed by Team North’s Lewis Burrows bagging 14lb 2oz and team mate Kristian Jones finishing third with a net of 12lb 6oz.

England’s Sensas U18 Manager Steve Sanders and Drennan U23 Manager Mark Downes attended to run the rule over the talent on show in advance of U18 trial to select the squad to compete in Serbia at the World Championships in August this year. Fourteen anglers from the Talent Pathway programme have since been invited to attend the trial and they will be joined by two anglers previous pathway anglers including 2013/14 graduate Jacob McNeil, who helped England to a silver medal at the 2014 World Championships. 80% of the anglers to be considered for an England squad place in 2015 have engaged in the England Talent Pathway and given the quality, commitment and dedication shown by the Trust’s team of the talent coaches and international anglers, it’s not hard to see why.

Angling Trust’s Competitions & Talent Officer Frankie Gianoncelli said;

“The progression of the Talent Pathway over the past couple of years has been incredible. This programme offers a young match angler a fantastic opportunity to develop their skills and learn from the very best in the sport! If you are a young match angler and dream of fishing for England or want to become the best angler you can be then I’d highly recommend this programme. The Talent Pathway WILL make you a better angler and improve your ability no end!

On behalf of the Angling Trust I'd like thank our team of talent coaches and the elite anglers for their unwavering support and dedication to the programme. They all give up their time for free to support the next generation of our angling superstars and we are extremely fortunate to have such a strong team. The programme would not be as strong or successful as it is today without their invaluable efforts.”

With the 2014/15 coarse angling programme now coming to a close, the Angling Trust is now planning the next instalment of the programme. Nine regional selection events will begin in June 2015 followed by a series of coaching sessions from late summer through to spring 2016.

For young game and sea anglers, the Angling Trust also run a programme covering loch style angling and shore fishing. To find out more about the programme and how to get involved, contact the Angling Trust by email at talentpathway@anglingtrust.net or visit the website www.anglingtrust.net/talentpathway

.

Source: Angling Trust Fishing News

SCC residents over the age of 19 are able to enrol on our highly regarded Fishing For Skills Angling and Personal Development course.

During this course participants will progress through several different disciplines of angling over a six week period these include:

• Pole Fishing
• Float Fishing
• Feeder Fishing
• Carp Fishing
• Surface Fishing (weather permitting)

The course is themed around Personal and Team Development.  Participants will not only learn new Fishing Skills but will also take part in several Team Challenges.

FLE’s experienced staff will facilitate learning based on the following theories.

• Comfort Zones
• Learning Cycles
• Levels of Awareness
• Leadership Styles 
• Looking to the Future

This course is far more than just going fishing and past participants have developed greater confidence and self esteem, helping them to better prepare for lifes challenges and look ahead to the future in a positive way.

During the course there will be a small amount of written work and extra support is available from FLE tutors for anyone that may need it.

On the final day of the course we visit the famous Sparsholt College and are privileged to be able to fish on their exclusive lake.

After fishing at the lake we take a guided tour of the National Aquatic Training Centre with the view to opening people’s eyes to the alternative forms of higher education available to them.

The courses will be running on a TUESDAY or WEDNESDAY throughout the SPRING and SUMMER.

We will be running one course which is open for SCC residents to book directly onto, and have another 4 courses which we are looking to offer out to LOCAL COMMUNITY ORGANISATIONS.  So if you or a friend have wanted to learn to fish, or if you work with a group who you think would benefit from learning a positive outdoor activity please get in touch with Graham or Tom on 07595 024 363 or email teamfle@icloud.com.

AVAILABLE COURSES

TUESDAYS COURSES

24TH MARCH – 28TH APRIL

5TH MAY – 16TH JUNE

23RD JUNE – 28TH JULY

WEDNESDAY COURSES

8TH APRIL – 13TH MAY

3RD JUNE – 8TH JULY

Please spread the word about this amazing offer.  Spring is just around the corner and it is a wonderful time to be on the bank.

Source: FLE