One angler to also catch was Paul Hands, who followed last weeks 9lb 10oz Zed with a stunning fish weighing 10lb 3oz which he caught just as light was coming off the water.

The Verulam AC Predator Day on Sunday saw members make the best of the improving conditions landing Zander to 10lb 8oz.

Source: Bury Hill Fisheries

Slovenia will host the FIPS-ed World Championships from 6th – 13th September and manager Mark Downes has retained the same squad who fished in Croatia in 2014.

Mark Downes said “2015 looks like being a good but difficult year for our teams, we travel to Slovenia in September for the World Championships on a venue that is notoriously peggy but full of fish. Despite poor World Championships last year, we are retaining the same team. Young Callum Dicks, after a good showing last year, deservedly retains his place.

Drennan Team England World Championship Squad 2015
Alan Scotthorne, Sean Ashby, Des Shipp, Will Raison, Steve Hemingray, Callum Dicks.
Travelling with Mark Downes and Mark Addy will be Lee Kerry and Matt Godfrey.

The FIPS-ed European Championships will be staged in Minsk, Belarus on 21st–28th June with the championships being held on a rowing course in the capital. Making his debut at full senior level after a stunning career so far at U18 and U23 level is 3 time World Junior Champion and recent individual winner of the Sensas Challenge 2015, Matt Godfrey.

Mark Addy said “Matt is an outstanding young angler, we have been monitoring his progress for some time and Mark Downes and I both feel we must get him involved at senior level as quickly as possible.”

Drennan Team England European Championship Squad 2015
Sean Ashby, Matt Godfrey, Steve Hemmingray, Will Raison, Des Shipp, Alan Scotthorne.
Travelling with Mark Addy and Mark Downes will be Callum Dicks and Cameron Hughes.

England will be looking to defend their title at the Fish 'O' Mania International on Sunday 19th July at Cudmore Fishery. Will Raison and Des Shipp will compete and attempt to make it 3 successive wins for Drennan Team England.

Drennan Team England Fish O Mania International Team 2015
Will Raison and Des Shipp

After a break from the match angling calendar the Home International Championships is back and Drennan Team England will travel to Innescarra, Ireland. The England management feel that this competition provides an opportunity to blood new talent and England have selected 3 former under 23 anglers in the squad to fish alongside established internationals.

Drennan Team England Home International Championship Squad.
Matt Derry ( former U23), James Dent (Former U23), Cameron Hughes (Former U23), Lee Kerry, Will Raison, Alan Scotthorne, Simon Willsmore, Manager: Mark Downes and Mark Addy

Source: Angling Trust Fishing News

People who fish illegally are poachers. The police understand that poachers are often involved in wider criminality, including theft and drugs and that several million anglers represent a valuable source of rural intelligence. This is why it is increasingly important for all stakeholders to work together, sharing intelligence and mounting joint operations accordingly.

The VBS remains a pilot project in SE England, but all anglers throughout England can contribute to the process, regardless of location, by reporting offences in progress or any information either to the EA on 0800 80 70 60 or anonymously via Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

The Angling Trust's National Enforcement Manager, retired police officer Dilip Sarkar MBE, said: "The VBS exists to principally support the EA in the fight to protect fish and fisheries, and we are delighted to have the police's support in this endeavour. Likewise, if we can help the police in the fight against Rural and Wildlife Crime - we will."

Adrian Brightley, VBS Project Manager for the Environment Agency, said: "It is great to see everyone working together like this - which sends out a powerful message to offenders. We are all very keen for this to continue."

Source: Angling Trust Fishing News

In this role Nevin will continue to support the Angling Trust's multi-agency approach to fisheries enforcement and its encouragement of partnership working and intelligence-sharing, in order to ensure that fisheries enforcement becomes embedded within the wider framework of Rural, Wildlife, Business, Hate and Organised Crime.

Nevin's volunteer assistance will help the Trust maintain and developed momentum to ensure that Angling Enforcement - one of the sports hot-topics, and a frequent source of frustration amongst anglers - remains at the forefront of its work to protect fish and fishing.

Dilip Sarkar MBE, National Enforcement Manager for the Angling Trust said:
"That Nevin is now an Angling Trust Key Volunteer speaks volumes of his personal commitment to making a positive difference to Wildlife Crime issues - and the very positive way in which the Angling Trust Fisheries Enforcement Campaign is viewed by such professionals. Whilst Head of the NWCU Nevin was very supportive of the Fisheries Enforcement Campaign, and that this continues beyond Nevin's retirement from the police service is a massive bonus for us all."

Nevin Hunter added:
"Throughout my time as a Police Wildlife Crime Officer I was constantly involved with tackling illegal angling related offences. Most recently this was part of conceiving and setting up Project TRESPASS to tackle the scourge of poaching in all of its forms.

"I am keen to bring my skills and experience to support the Angling Trust. Anything I can do to help the organisation bring anglers together and train law enforcers about protecting and conserving fisheries will be time well spent and I am looking forward to working with the Trust and my former colleagues in the law enforcement community."

Source: Angling Trust Fishing News

Many opted to target the large head of skimmer bream and ignore the roach with any carp that were caught, as in previous years, counting for just 1lb regardless of size. As the festival neared its conclusion, the event turned into an out and out feeder match with anglers offering dead maggots or pinkies over groundbait fed via small cage feeders in an effort to compete with near gale force winds experienced on the chalet bank in particular.

Overall winner of the 2015 Larford Silver Fish Festival was Jamie Harrison. Jamie fished a superb festival finishing with a perfect four point score overall taking four section wins out of four.

The opening day of the event saw Jamie draw peg 26 in 'B' section on the burr bank. A difficult section saw just two weights into double figures recorded with Jamie sharing the section win with MAP's Matt Pillay, each offering 10lbs 6oz to the scales.

Jamie drew peg 14, again on the Speci burr bank, on day 2 - this time in 'A' section. Fishing a small cage feeder with single dead red maggot on the hook, Jamie ended proceedings with 18lbs 9oz, which confirmed a comfortable section win more than doubling the weight of his nearest challenger on the day, Adrian Quoroll.

By the midway point of the competition, Jamie was in the lead with a perfect two point score, closely chased by Maver's own Matt Blackmore and Mark Jones (Tredegar Angling Centre). Matt Blackmore enjoyed an excellent first days fishing winning 'D' section on the chalet bank from peg 66 with 20lbs 6oz. This was then followed by a second in section on the Tuesday with a 6lb 2oz effort from peg 16 in 'A' section to give him three points. Tredegar's Mark Jones also found himself on three points at the midway stage. Like Matt, Mark recorded a section win on the opening day from peg 58 in 'C' section on the chalet bank followed by a second in section finish from 'B' section on the Speci burr on day two.

Day three confirmed another section win for Jamie, who finished the day with 17lbs 7oz from peg 72 in 'D' section and, once again, established himself as a comfortable winner. Both Matt Blackmore and Mark Jones lost a little ground following a fourth in section finish from them both. It was at this point that Maver's Dave Smiddy and Richard Vaughn managed to creep into contention, each finishing second in their respective sections to earn a cumulative score of six points.

Going into the final day, Jamie was a clear leader with Dave Smiddy and Richard Vaughn behind on six points and Matt Blackmore, Mark Jones, Mark Warne (Maver) and Andrew Murphy all on seven points. Jamie was odds on favourite to win the festival overall with few betting against whether he could manage a fourth section win out of four. Jamie drew peg 58 in 'C' section on the chalet bank - the very peg rival Matt Blackmore had drawn the day before and struggled from.

Undeterred with a less than favourable draw, Jamie needed a fourth place finish or better to top the festival. Fishing a small open end feeder with groundbait and dead reds on the hook, Jamie found skimmer bream and odd roach to finish the day with a modest 10lbs 2oz and a fourth straight section win. Maver's Dave Smiddy also won his section to finish three points behind in second place overall, beating Richard Vaugh by a single point, who claimed third place on weight just ahead of Maver's Chris Bradney.

A huge congratulations to Jamie, who fished a fantastic festival. In fact, his perfect four point score has never been achieved by anyone else since the competition first began! Speaking to Jamie after being confirmed 2015 Champion, he commented "It's been a difficult week with weather conditions and all, but I kept things simple throughout. I had no intention of fishing the pole at any stage during proceedings and felt confident that fishing the feeder at around 30m would produce the results. In fact, my shorter 15m line did not produce at all throughout the week".

Jamie went on to say "I think the key to my success was fishing with a lighter feeder than most, which meant my presentation was much better than those who were using heavier feeders given the nature of the soft, silty bottom. It was a difficult trade-off between using a feeder with the weight needed to reach the fish, but also trying to ensure presentation was not adversely affected by using to heavier-a-feeder. I also feel that by using braided line I had much more control and was able to pick up on the tiniest of bites. I also fed very little getting through just half a pint of maggots all week. All these factors combined gave me a slight edge I feel".

Jamie has been actively seeking a place in the England feeder team and, by his own admission, has fished nothing other than the feeder for around eighteen months. Given his performance on this year's Larford Silver Fish Festival, he is more than on his way to breaking into the team!

A big thank you to all the anglers that took part.

Source: Larford Lakes

2014’s competition saw 29 anglers take to the water, with Graham Hayward landing 8 fish for 21lb 12 ¼ oz to become English National Youth Champion.  Each year’s National Final also determines the England Youth Team for the following year’s Home International Youth Loch Style Championship.  The top 10 rods from this year’s National will qualify to represent England in the summer of 2016, when Ireland will be the host nation.

The cost of entering the Youth National remains the same for 2015 at £30, and covers boat hire, a fishing permit and the services of a boatman/woman during the final.  20 boats have been reserved on Saturday 23rd May for anglers wanting to get some last minute preparation and practice.  These should be booked direct with Grafham Water Fishing Lodge, quoting practice for the Youth National.

“The English National Youth Final is, without doubt, the single most important opportunity for any young fly fisher keen to pursue their sport at the very highest level by representing their country', says England Youth Team manager Clark Colman.

“With ten Youth Team places up for grabs, the pressure to get it right on the day will never have been higher, so the ability to remain cool and sportsmanlike both on and off the water, and to trust both their abilities and instincts, will be paramount for all competitors.  I and the rest of the final-day team are greatly looking forward to welcoming all anglers and their families to Grafham in May, and we wish them the very tightest of lines for what will surely be a tremendously exciting weekend for youngsters and adults alike!' 

Ben Thompson, Senior Competitions & Talent Manager at the Angling Trust, said; “This is a great opportunity for youngsters to get a taste of competitive fly fishing.  The emphasis is on fun and enjoyment, but for serious anglers being recognised as National Champion is a huge achievement, and the opportunity to represent England in 2016 is another big incentive to do well.  The competition is open to all, so I’d encourage anglers from all over to come along, enjoy the occasion and get involved in competitive fly fishing.”

To book your place at the Youth National and find out more information about the event, please visit www.anglingtrust.net/eyf  and download an application form. 

This should be returned to;

Angling Trust, Competitions Department, Strelley Hall, Main Street, Strelley, Nottingham, NG8 6PE

Source: Angling Trust Fishing News

The squad will consist of brothers, Steve and Phil Ringer, Mick Vials, Adam Wakelin, Dean Barlow, Rob Wootton, and current Ultimate Barnsley Blacks team captain, Glenn Lawrence (coach), Tom Pickering (manager) and Adam Rooney (assistant).

The competition will be held in Holland on the Ghent to the Terneuzen Canal on the 11th – 12th July 2015.

Tom Pickering, England Manager said “I am really happy with how the squad has now developed and everyone knows what the World Championships is all about.  We now have to try and dominate, and find the next level of anglers who can compete at World Championship level.  We have great challenges and exciting times ahead.”

Dick Clegg, OBE, International Events Manager commented on Tom’s England selection stating “'After last year’s resounding win in the FIPSed World Feeder Championships on Irelands Iniscarra reservoir I would have been surprised if manager Tom Pickering had made any changes to last year’s squad.  Indeed since the inaugural event in Italy the team has gone from strength to strength, and are now ranked number 1 in the world.  I am sure that the venue in Holland will hold no fears for Tom and his men so we can surely expect another podium place.”

The Angling Trust and the England Feeder team would like to thank the sponsors Preston Innovations for their continued support.

Source: Angling Trust Fishing News

The 8km towpath, which runs from Piccadilly Basin in Manchester city centre to Portland Basin in Ashton-under-Lyne, will be resurfaced with an all-weather path and widened as part of the project. Proposals also include improvements to access points to the canal for pedestrians and cyclists.  

Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) is working in partnership with the Canal & River Trust, which cares for the nation’s 2,000 mile canal network, to deliver the improvements along the canal.

The result will be a high quality shared space route for cyclists, walkers, joggers and anglers, and will link local communities and the city centre.

Julie Sharman, Head of Enterprise with the Canal & River Trust, welcomed the start of the works. She said: “This project will improve the towpath for everyone making it accessible for cyclists, walkers, joggers, anglers and boaters. As well as providing a safe off road route we hope many more people will use this improved towpath for leisure giving local people a great opportunity to use our network to increase activity and to enjoy the canal side environment.

“Some of the route already has a good quality surface, near the Etihad City of Manchester Stadium and Piccadilly Village for example, but other areas will become much more accessible once an all-weather track is laid. At last it will be possible to cycle or walk the entire length of the Ashton Canal on a hard surface, providing new opportunities for commuters and city dwellers who want to re-connect to nature.”

Once completed later this year, Ashton Canal’s towpath will become one of the routes in the first phase of TfGM’s cycleway network, part of their DfT funded Cycle City programme.

The Cycle City programme is funded by a £20 million grant, awarded in 2013 as part of a national funding scheme to provide increased and improved cycling infrastructure to Greater Manchester.

There are currently a number of improvement works taking place across Greater Manchester that are part of the programme. In addition to Ashton Canal, areas like Salford, Stockport and Rusholme are amongst those that will benefit from Cycle City improvements, which will also include better cycling facilities at key transport interchanges and a partner school programme that educates students on the benefits of cycling.

Councillor Chris Paul, Member and Cycling Champion of the TfGM Committee, said: “Cycling is great; great for fitness and great for the family budget. It reduces congestion, and it's sustainable, and we aim to change Greater Manchester's travel culture and increase cycling from 2% to 10% of journeys over the next ten years.

“By providing a high quality route as part of an extensive network, we want to link local communities together, and with the improvements along the Ashton Canal, people will find it easier than ever to travel to employment, education and leisure opportunities by bike."

The whole project along the canal towpath will take about 21 weeks to complete. While the improvement work is carried out, short stretches of the towpath will need to be closed, which will result in diversions being put in operation. More information will be available on the Canal & River Trust website www.canalrivertrust.org.uk.

Learn more about TfGM’s ambitions for cycling in Greater Manchester by visiting www.tfgm.com/cycling.

Source: Canal & River Trust

The £65,000 Fund will make awards of up to £5,000 to eligible organisations for buying equipment, to make habitat improvements or for projects that get people fishing and support the aims of the National Angling Strategy ‘Fishing for Life’.

Importantly, applications to the Fund from commercial fisheries are welcome and clubs and organisations do not need to be members or be Angling Trust affiliated to apply.

Potential applicants are invited to visit the National Angling Strategy page at the Angling Trust website, where they can download a copy of the application form, eligibility criteria and additional guidance.

Applications must be posted or emailed to reach the Angling Trust by Tuesday 17th February 2015, and successful organisations must be able to spend the award by no later than the end of March.

Sarah Chare, Head of Fisheries at the Environment Agency, said:

“This fund is just one way we spend rod licence income with partners to support anglers.  I am looking forward to see the great results these projects will bring.”

Mark Lloyd, Chief Executive, Angling Trust said:

“I am delighted that these funds are being made available from rod licence sales to help angling clubs and commercial fisheries improve their facilities for the benefit of fish and fishing.  Because of unavoidable delays to the announcement of the fund, we urge applicants to get in touch as soon as possible.  We will work very hard to respond rapidly after the deadline for applications so that people can get on with spending the money in preparation for the new season.”

Source: Angling Trust Fishing News

To help restore fish numbers, specialist fish contractors, MEM Fisheries, transferred fish from the Aylesbury Basin at the end of the canal and also from Westbrook Mere, a popular carp fishing lake in Hemel Hempstead. The fish were caught using large nets, placed in special bins filled with clean water and transported by trailer to the canal.

John Ellis, national fisheries and angling manager at the Canal & River Trust, said: “Back in 2013 pollution entered the canal near the village of Buckland killing a vast number of fish and affecting the fishery along a two mile stretch of the canal.  Thankfully we have now been able to restock the canal by relocating fish from the canal basin and those donated from the Boxmoor & District Angling Society who

Dick Pilkinton, from Tring Anglers, said: “Our fishery was massively affected when the canal became polluted and it got to the point when there was a huge part of the canal that couldn’t be fished. On average it would take eight years for the fish population to recover on its own so I’m delighted we have managed to speed this process up and once again fish this part of the canal.”

Mike Heylin OBE, secretary to the Boxmoor & District Angling Society, said: “This lake is principally a carp fishery so when we heard that the canal needed some extra fish we  offered the Trust and Tring Anglers the opportunity to take some roach and bream as really we had too many  in this water. Having too many fish in a small lake can be bad for fish health and growth so we wanted to reduce the numbers whilst also helping to restore stocks in our local canal.  By donating these fish also means our carp will flourish and should grow on well now.”

Source: Canal & River Trust