BIRMINGHAM Anglers Association vice president John Williams is the star guest speaker at an angling conference being organised by British Waterways. John will be speaking in favour of lifting the close season on rivers at the forum, which is being held in Reading on February 22. Angling writer John Bailey will be putting the case […]

WE’RE not sure what’s going on but for the second time in a week a match record has gone in the middle of winter.First it was the record at British Waterways’ Blythe Waters that went, thanks to an amazing 106-2-0 bag Sheldon’s Wayne Russon took from peg 12 of the Bridge Pool. Amazingly Wayne fished […]

ONE of the Midlands’ best veteran match anglers, Fred Bailey, passed away peacefully last week aged 87.Fred, who lived close to the River Severn, didn’t started match fishing until he was 40, yet he took to it like a duck to water and was probably the most prolific winner of matches in his heyday of […]

LABOUR backbenchers may revolt against parts of the Government’sHunting Bill because they believe it sets a legal precedent that could leadto the abolition of angling, horseracing or dog racing.Under pressure from Britain’s three million coarse, game and sea anglers,MPs are backing amendments scrapping the tests of “utility” and “leastsuffering” against which the Bill says any form […]

EXPERTS at the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea are warning that deep sea fish stocks are in danger of collapse. Any fishing done at depths over 400 metres is regarded as deep sea, but this activity has increased rapidly in recent years as it’s become harder and harder to catch fish like […]

HALF a million pounds of extra funding is being made available for fisheries projects as a result of an increase in the sale of fishing licences. The money will come from the Environment Agency, who say sales are five per cent up and that they can consequently help fund an extra 47 projects on coarse […]

POLICE officer Mick Watson, the mastermind behind The Durham Angling Community Education Programme (DACE) that is now nationally known as ‘Get Hooked on Fishing’, crowned an extraordinary year by being awarded the coveted The Queens Police Medal for Distinguished Service in the New Years Honours list. Mick is the first recipient of this award in the […]

ONE of the most successful match fishing line brands of recent years – Silstar Matchteam – which disappeared a couple of years ago, is once again being offered to dealers.The product is being made available by Matthew Fisher, the one-time boss of DAM, Silstar and Eurostar in the UK, through his new venture, Fisher Outdoors.When […]

SPECIALIST bait firm Richworth Products is to sponsor one of the best known day ticket carp complexes in the UK – Oxfordshire’s Linear Fisheries.The move follows an unexpected split from long time sponsor Shimano.Len Gurd of Linear commented: “Everyone associated with the fishery is pleased to have Richworth on board and we are positive the association […]

Angler killed by freak wave is named by policeAN angler killed after a wave swept him off a pier has been named as Stephen Garnett.Forty-five-year-old Mr Garnett, of Armley, in Leeds, was one of three people who were fishing at the Northumberland port of Amble when weather deteriorated on Thursday afternoon.The others managed to get […]

THE National Federation of Sea Anglers has announced the England teams selected for the CIPS World Boat Championship and SALC Home Boat International for 2003.They are as follows: HOME BOAT CHAMPIONSHIP Weymouth, England, May 22-24Steve Clements (New cap) – Plymouth, Devon; Paul Hart – Grays, Essex; Glen Milligan – Locks Heath, Hants; Colin Searles (New cap) – Southampton, […]

IRISH MATCH CALENDAR 2003 May 31 – June 2 South Munster June Open – Inniscarra Lake, Co. CorkDraw Village Inn, CoachfordBookings – Anglers World Holidays 01246 221717Kings Angling Holidays 01708 453043June 4 – June 6 South Munster Vintners Cup – Inniscarra Lake, Co. CorkDraw Village Inn, Coachford Bookings – Anglers World Holidays 01246 221717Kings Angling Holidays […]

THERE’S a grand up for grabs for the winner of the forthcoming Swansea Bay Cod Festival thanks to local sponsors Gladiator Commercial, a specialist van insurer.The event, which takes place on January 5 at the Swansea Yacht and Sub Aqua Club, is one of the biggest angling competitions of the year in South Wales attracting […]

 A FESTIVE season session aboard Steve’s Webber’s Minehead, Somerset based boat ‘Osprey 1’ ended with smiles all round after Peter Allen boated this cracking whiting weighing 3lb 15oz. This fish is a new record for the Bristol Channel, beating the old record, caught in 1991, by 5oz.The British record of 6lb 12oz was caught off […]

STARLETS and England captain Mark Downes had just the sort of Christmas visit he didn’t want, when thieves stole his fishing tackle from his van. Hindsight is a great thing, but Mark will be wishing he hadn’t loaded his car up the night before in readiness for a match. He probably did that so as […]