At last, a proper carp show that isn’t down south, as Cudmore Fishery in Staffordshire hosts The Great Northern Fishing Show over the weekend of July 16th and 17th.

Shimano, Nash, Fox and Wychwood are just a few of the exhibitors that you can expect. Korda will be in attendance too, hosting one of its interactive Carpfest events, where you can join members of the Korda team fishing for carp to 30lb on one of the complex’s waters. With a host of advice, demos, giveaways, competitions and big-name carp anglers on hand as well, it’s set to be an enjoyable and informative day out. Being a show that covers all coarse disciplines, there’s a shedload more on offer too, for those that dabble outside of carp fishing.

Moreover, Advanced Carp Fishing will be there with sister publication Total Carp, so come along and meet the team. Tickets cost £6 per adult and £4 per concession.

At last, a proper carp show that isn’t down south, as Cudmore Fishery in Staffordshire hosts The Great Northern Fishing Show over the weekend of July 16th and 17th.

Shimano, Nash, Fox and Wychwood are just a few of the exhibitors that you can expect. Korda will be in attendance too, hosting one of its interactive Carpfest events, where you can join members of the Korda team fishing for carp to 30lb on one of the complex’s waters. With a host of advice, demos, giveaways, competitions and big-name carp anglers on hand as well, it’s set to be an enjoyable and informative day out. Being a show that covers all coarse disciplines, there’s a shedload more on offer too, for those that dabble outside of carp fishing.

Moreover, Advanced Carp Fishing will be there with sister publication Total Carp, so come along and meet the team. Tickets cost £6 per adult and £4 per concession.

Ian had proven to be unbeatable on Furzton Lake over a 12 month period due a method he had devised which incorporated the use of a spod to introduce large quantities of bait at distance.

Despite Ian’s willingness to show his rivals the secret to his success, spodding was outlawed at an AGM in an attempt to put a stop to his winning ways.

Determined to have the last laugh, Ian has developed an unbaited feeder rig solely for the purpose of introducing free offerings at a smiliar distance. The result on his first outing was a fantastic 60lb winning catch of quality bream.

Ian commented “It was great to prove I can still win without spodding. The new device I’ve made involves using a cut-down bird cage feeder with brass rods at the ends to stop the bait falling out instantly, and a number of straps from a spod running on to a swivel to attach it to the line”.

The win was not only a victory for Ian’s innovation, but it also helped him mark a memorable occasion – “the match was the Terrie Tap memorial. He was a great friend of mine and a very well-known angler in these parts who sadly passed away reently after a long battle with illness”. Ian went on to say “It was nice to win an event fished in his honour, especially as he was one of the people who applauded my spod approach”.

Richard had a two line approach and fished one at 5 metres and the other at 13 metres to fish paste over sweet corn from peg 51 on Meadow pool to win the match with 124lbs 10ozs of carp to 12lbs. For the first hour Andy concentrated on the short line, but this only resulted in foul hooking a couple of carp which all came off, and seemed apparent at that stage that pellets were the wrong thing to feed. The second hour of the match Andy went onto the 13 metre line to start with corn on the hook, but once again he was only getting line bites. For the next three hours he kept catching carp, the biggest at around 12lb, and every time the bites slowed down more corn was potted into the swim which brought an instant result. After the fourth hour Andy proved that the tactics were working to net 18-20 carp. In the last hour of the match the fish had backed out which lead to Andy fishing at 16 metres on the paste to get a bite, but after having two fish on this line Andy had to give up on this method due to the wind. For the last thirty minutes he came back onto the short line which resulted in his last carp to give him his winning weight.

Richard Aherne said “I fished at Tunnel Barn Farm the week before and finished in sixth place, and managed to have a chat with Lee Richards and Bill Hill who both said that pellet and paste had been working well . This is my third year I have entered the Fish ‘O’ Mania qualifiers and I was lucky enough to get four qualifier tickets this year.”

“After I weighed in on Saturday it just didn’t sink in, and I was over the moon with my weight as I had some good anglers around me who had struggled. My intention on the day was to just enjoy myself and I certainly did that, and to be honest it still hasn’t sunk in that I won. I am really looking forward to the grand final, and have been told that it is a great experience and a great day to be a part of – let’s just hope I can catch some fish on the day.”

Variable weather conditions faced the anglers on Saturday at Moorlands Farm Fishery with it remaining windy all day and mostly overcast, with a brief but heavy rain shower in the early afternoon. There were some good weights on the day, but unfortunately many struggled for bites all day.

Runner-up Andy Benwell tried hard to make it two on the trot as he won this match last year. Andy (Predator AC) fished paste over pellet at 6 metres and 13 metres from Peg 2 on Bank pool to take a net of carp to 10lbs, totalling 103lbs 9ozs. Third place fell to another AWA Shima angler Glyn Reynolds who drew Meadow 8 where he fished paste down the edge for 89lbs1oz net of carp to 13lbs. In fourth place was Steven Seaborne from Ross-On-Wye also on Meadow from peg 54 where he weighed in 87lbs 12ozs of carp and skimmers. Mark Malin (Team Mosella) finished in fifth place with 80lbs 13ozs from peg 17 on Bank pool.

Now I’m no expert on fish longevity but I am a reasonably qualified observer and I would say the bream currently appearing in the match nets will be anything from eight to 15 years old. They have managed to keep out of trouble for quite some time before re-appearing.

We have experience on rivers that have been denuded of fish, yet last year many of our big rivers fished better ‘…than in living memory’ to quote anglers such as Wayne Swinscoe, in respect of the Trent.

I recall writing last year that if the fish in the Wensum have been eaten by cormorants, why haven’t those in the Yare, a tributary of the same river?

We sometimes have to accept that we get things wrong, and while I have absolutely no doubt that cormorants and goosanders eat millions of fish, they don’t eat enough to cause terminal damage – otherwise the Trent, Thames and Yare would have been fishless years ago.

I still maintain that our ‘enemy’ predators, currently listed as otters, cormorants and goosanders, don’t cost us anywhere near as many fish as illegally stocked zander and catfish – even barbel, notorious fry and spawn eaters that they are.

KHV, often caused by back-door deals for illegally imported fish, has killed more carp than otters will manage in the next 100 years.

I am entirely and completely behind any moves that will make protecting our fisheries from all predators a viable proposition, but I meanwhile hope that we can put our own house in order and stop doing stupid things ourselves.

Author: Keith Arthur – Angling Times Blog

The England Team Managers have named an unchanged squad to the team that brought home the silver medal last year in South Africa. The England Ladies Team for 2011 are; Helen Dagnall, Julie Abbott, Samantha Sim, Emma Pickering, Samantha Perkins, and Wendy Locker and David Brooks (Manager).

The England team are strong contenders for bringing home the gold medal this year with their mix of experience and youth. Unfortunately the England Ladies team have not got a sponsor this year and it has to be recognised that this team representing England are having to self fund their way into the Championships. The team will be carrying out fundraising activities and raffle tickets are also being distributed in order to help raise additional funds to assist the team.

The competition will take place on the river Arno just upstream of Florence and is close to the venue that the ladies fished in the previous World Angling Games held in Italy in 2000. The main species will be chub, bleak carrassio, catfish and the odd big carp.

This year will see all angling disciplines compete in various locations in Italy over the same week in the World Angling Games.

Dick Clegg, OBE, International Events Manager stated “The World Angling Games is the competition that CIPS hopes will escalate angling into the top sports to be recognised by governments worldwide. It brings together more than 50 nations fishing in many different disciplines in both salt and freshwater.”

“England need to be represented through the Angling Trust in as many competitions as possible and in freshwater we will see eight teams in the coarse fishing section, of which this Ladies team is just one. Unfortunately along with the Veterans and the Anglers with Disabilities team the Ladies have no sponsor this year and will have to find almost £2,000 each to compete.”

“I am personally asking for public support by asking you to buy, or indeed apply for and sell raffle tickets to enable them and the other teams to take part. All the money received from the sale of tickets will go towards the teams expenses.”

Tickets will be on sale from various tackle shops and individuals during the next couple of months and anyone who would be interested to sell any to assist the International teams, whether they are individuals, Tackle shops or Fisheries can apply by contacting Sandra Drew, Competitions & Events Manager at Angling Trust on 0115 9061 301 or email; sandra.drew@anglingtrust.net

Kevin is already proving his worth following a spate of recent wins on the commercial match curcuit including a resounding victory at Partridge Lakes, Cheshire, beating a 50-strong field.

Kevin fished at just 7m loose feeding caster fishing with single red maggot on the hook to take F1′s and Ide averaging 1lb a piece.

Fred fished peg 9 on Twin Oaks opting for both the method feeder and short pole to finish with a fine catch of mainly carp and F1′s for a total weight of 95-03-00 securing 4th place on the day.

He joins a long list of Maver-backed anglers including: Geraint Powell, Matt Pillay, Adam Palmer, Stu Ballard, Steve Mayo, Callum Dicks, Danny Grimsey, Pemb Wrighting & Ian Giddins.

Simon Christian said “I had an island to fish to on the far side down the end of Club pool and fished to the end of the island to the far bank, and an edge swim to the right of me to 9 metres, with an empty peg to the left. I could have gone further to the right, but did not need to as I had a lot of fish within my swim and caught 11 fish in the last hour which were bigger than earlier in the match. I am over the moon to win the qualifier as I do a lot of match fishing, but only started fishing again in the last four years after a 6-7 year break. I decided to branch out this year and apply for some Fish ‘O’ Mania qualifiers, and applied for six, and ended up with two tickets, with this being my first one. I am looking forward to the final, and have got a lot of information from Kieron Rich which will hopefully put me in good stead for the final. Kieron has offered to be my bank runner if he doesn’t make it through from his four qualifiers he has left”.

Blustery sunny conditions with low water faced the anglers in this latest Fish ‘O’ Mania qualifying match at Tunnel Barn Farm, however the fish still fed and there were seven weights over the magic ton and the lowest weight to win a 10 peg section was 63lbs.

Runner up from Canal peg 4 was Chris Telling (Daiwa Gordon League) from Gloucester. Chris a Driving Instructor pole fished chopped worm and caster down the edge at 13metres to finish up with 118lbs 9ozs of F1s, barbel and smaller carp. In third place was Stuart Ballard (Maver Midland/Dynamite Baits) landed 110lbs 9ozs from peg 37 on New pool. Fourth place fell to Carl Jewitt (Blue Bell AC) from Hull, who took 108lbs 8ozs of F1s and barbel from Peg 9 on Canal. Simon Fry (Starlets AS) filled fifth spot with 105lbs 11ozs from Club peg 12.

Moorlands Farm Fisheries at Hartlebury, Worcestershire is the venue for the next Fish ‘O’ Mania qualifier on Saturday 28th May 2011, with just six more qualifiers to go in 2011.

Anyway, we are being force-fed the statement that we need to be using ‘renewable energy’ to produce 35-40 per cent of our electricity within the foreseeable future. To that end anything that moves is likely to have some kind of dynamo, like I had on the back wheel of my bike in primary school, strapped on to it.

The farce of applying hydro-electric schemes to the Thames weirs is that for most of the year there isn’t enough flow to turn a child’s windmill.

The EA has reneged on its promise not to invite proposals for hydropower schemes on the Thames until a test has been carried out at Romney Weir, one of the narrowest and steepest on the lower river that may even have the power of two hamsters on treadmills.

My local weir, Teddington, has even had a proposal for a hydro scheme sanctioned and the ‘investors’, a small charitable group currently working on projects such as ‘Sow a Seed’ and installing benches outside the local library, are proudly announcing that the scheme will ‘generate employment’.

I assume that those employed will be sitting on saddles, pedalling for all they are worth when there is zero flow, i.e. for 10 months of the year.

We have already had several Thames weirs altered for kayaking – slipped under the radar, that – and a completely new river, the Jubilee, dug to take flood waters away from very-expensive Maidenhead and dump them in not-so-expensive Chertsey.

Again, for most of the year it’s not a river but a series of water compounds between dry overflows.

I am delighted that the Angling Trust is punching way above its weight by badgering the EA about its broken promises. The Thames Anglers’ Conservancy www.rivertac.org is also at the forefront of protecting the lower Thames.

If your local river is threatened with similar schemes I urge you to join the Angling Trust, set up your own version of the TAC and fight for that river’s life.