FIVE anglers fished for three hours to take an astonishing 1,411lb of conger eels, while fishing from Alan Bennett’s Plymouth-based charter boat ‘Vagabond’.The biggest of the day was this massive 93lb 1oz specimen, which was taken by 32-year-old Mark Nelson from Mountain Ash, Mid-Glamorgan. Mark, whose previous best eel was a 60lb beast, used 50lb-class […]

England International George Smith beat off some stiff competition to win the prestigious 2002 NFSA Guernsey National Shore Championship, which were held on the picturesque island of Herm in the Channel Islands.The Championship final saw the heat winners from all over England competing for the coveted Guernsey Sweater and the title of NFSA Guernsey National […]

EUROPEAN Commission officials are desperately seeking alternatives to a decimation of the North Sea’s commercial fishing community, after their scientists advised a one year ban on cod fishing. The Commission’s scientific committee has now been charged to come up with a fresh plan that will form the basis for discussions at the fisheries council at […]

BRITISH Disabled Angling Association officials put their call for a more inclusive and fraud free concessionary licence for disabled people to Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Minister Elliot Morley MP., at a specially arranged meeting at Whitehall.With the backing of the Environment Agency, the British Disabled Angling Association (BDAA) delegation of Director Peter […]

THE Carp Society has strengthened its governing body by recruiting Mark Gregory and RMC boss Ian Welch to the board of directors. A spokeman said: “Mark brings a high degree of integrity and skill to the society from his wide and varied role as an office in the South Yorkshire Police. “Mark has also been instrumental in […]

SOME of the top specialists in the Midlands have seen a roach they consider to be ‘way over’ the long standing British record of 4lb 3oz.The monster fish, which is thought to be approaching 5lb, is not a resident of the much talked about Linch Hill Fishery in Oxfordshire. Instead the fish has been spotted […]

ONE of the Midlands’ top match outfits, MAP Garbolino Starlets, shone in the Sensas European Challenge All Winners Final on Luxembourg’s River Moselle.Starlets had qualified by coming through a series of teams of five fish-offs over the last few months, seeing off outfits from right around the country to win the chance to represent the UK […]

AVON Festival organiser Dave Fisher says that the rejuvenated match will be back bigger and better next year. The match had been on the sidelines since 1993 until Dave took up the mantle and reorganised it this year. So popular did the move prove, despite the bad publicity surrounding the poor fishing on the venue, […]

AN 86lb conger eel taken by Bill Harkness, who lives in Paignton, Devon, could set a new IGFA light line record.Bill used a 20lb-class Normark Titan 2000 rod and a Shimano TR2000 Charter Special reel, which was loaded with just 15lb breaking strain Trilene line.The big eel was taken from a mid-Channel wreck during the Torbay […]

WEYMOUTH, a mark with a big reputation and an impressive annual program of international events, has now received a further boost to its world status with the official news of being selected as host port for two world angling championships between 2004 and 2005.Weymouth and Portland will host the 2004 World Mens and Ladies Shore […]

NFSA ENGLAND SHORE TEAMS FOR 2003CIPS WORLD MEN’S CHAMPIONSHIPBrazil, 24th May to 1st JuneSteve Allmark – Dover, Kent; Chris Clark – Lymington, Hants; Ian Golds  – Havant, Hants; Paul Stevens – Worthing, Sussex; Bernard Westgarth – Darlington, Co Durham; Trevor Rooney (Travelling Reserve) – Eastbourne, Sussex; David Rowe (Manager) – Bovey Tracey, DevonCIPS WORLD LADIES […]

NFSA PM Boat FestivalDespite the severe weather conditions, Poole Harbour threw up some good fish for the 2002 NFSA Personal Members Boat Festival. Sizeable wrasse up to over 4lb, pollack, plaice, bass and pouting were all caught in numbers. Gurnard, bream and two codling weighing a little under 3lb were also taken.A huge thank you […]

FORMER world champion and England international Tommy Pickering has left Daiwa’s consultancy team to join Preston Innovations.Tommy will now become a Preston-sponsored angler and will also play a major role in product development as well as representing the Telford-based company at various events throughout the year.He explained: “I thought I knew about Preston Innovations and […]

Final Embassy Challenge qualifier, Fossdyke Canal, Saxilby, LincsLINCOLN anglers Paul Andrews and Alan Houlton celebrated in style after claiming the remaining two seats on the Embassy ‘Eagle’ – Embassy’s exclusively chartered Boeing 737-200, which will fly 80 finalists to a £21,000 Embassy Challenge Final in Spain next May. With the Fossdyke Canal – the oldest […]

IF you’ve ever wanted to fish the Carp Society’s Horseshoe Lake in Gloucestershire, then this could be the opportunity you’ve been waiting for. This beautiful lake produces some of the very best looking fish in the country with the best so far topping the 40lb mark. 30lb fish are a frequent occurrence and the bailiffs have […]