Barford Fish O Mania Qualifier Moved To Makins

[TF_geepsterParticipant]

Fish O Mania Qualifier Rearranged

Angling Trust and Matchroom have announced today that the Fish O Mania qualifier scheduled for Wednesday 21st April at Barford Lakes in Norfolk has had to be moved to Makins Fishery in Warwickshire on the same date for fish welfare reasons.

Barford suffered an outbreak of KHV last year, and although the fishery is now well on the road to recovery, Fishery Manager Sarah Thomson did not want to run such a large, tightly-pegged match so early in the match calendar and risk the recovery of the fishery. Sarah said: “obviously we are very disappointed not to be able to host such a high-profile match with the Angling Trust, but the welfare of our fish is absolutely paramount.â€

[TF_red_hydro]

Nice to see common sense prevailing

No doubt it won’t go down well with some people but at least Sarah has put the fish first and not her bottom line

~clap ~clap

[TF_justin case]

Thats a shame but a good call none the less, and if Sarah doesnt know them lakes no one does

[TF_daveroberts]

I fished the Barford qualifier last year and loved the place and was gutted when I heard of their troubles.

This is a very sensible decision and I wish them all the best and look forward to returning again soon.

Well done Sarah!~clap ~clap

[TF_andynorth2003Participant]

Totally the right thing to do, but surely they could have decided this before the entry closed and the drawer was made.

I didnt enter Barford cos its too far away.
However I fish Makins most weekends so it would have been my first choice of venue out of the qualifiers.

Good old Angling Trust !!!

[TF_Waveney One]

@andynorth2003 wrote:

Totally the right thing to do, but surely they could have decided this before the entry closed and the drawer was made.

I didnt enter Barford cos its too far away.
However I fish Makins most weekends so it would have been my first choice of venue out of the qualifiers.

Good old Angling Trust !!!

It is the right thing to do but Barford and Larford might be close in the spelling but that is about all! I am sure that a lot of people from around here will return their tickets for Barford so there will be loads of tickets available for Larford.

Perhaps they ought to have a new lottery just for Larford tickets.

[TF_Waveney One]

What an idiot, didn’t read it properly, I see it is Makins not Maver Larford, my apologies, but the thoughts are the same even if the joke doesn’t work now!

[TF_mosellajase1]

same here would of gone for that wot a load of b*****s how can they do that after the draw the is just becoming one big joke~sick ~sick ~sick

[TF_andynorth2003Participant]

Why dont they reopen the entries for Makins, giving people the opportunity to enter given the change of venue?

Not sure how the people would go on who had got Barford tickets, but I dare say there will be a few passed back in anyway given the distance between the venues.

What you reckon Jase ??

[TF_Rhino]

Sensible decision by Sarah who always looks after the fish first.

I didnt apply for Barford as it fell in the middle of Whiteacres Milo Festival but I normally apply as it is held on such a great set of fisheries.

Makes you wonder why Makins wasnt used in the first place, ahead of some other venues…..

[TF_mosellajase1]

just shows you andy this fisho is just getting a joke and every year i look forward to TRYING to get tickets lol

[TF_andynorth2003Participant]

Totally out of order to change it after the drawer.

The voice of angling – nice one !!

Any one else got an opinion, other than me and Jase ??

[TF_BazzaParticipant]

There’s no pleasing some people.

[TF_carpmagicParticipant]

How can it be the Angling trusts fault? Surely the decision has been made by Sarah at barford i would think today? Are the angling trust supposed to have a crystal ball for this sort of thing?

[TF_skimmer_roo]

is it not the welfare of the fish as well thats being thought of here as well?, the owners know there water better than anyone, do they not???
makins is awell known venue as much as barford, so wots the problem , one minute someone says he dont mind makins as he fishes it every week then he’s slaging it off? work that out?

[TF_andynorth2003Participant]

Dont know the venue or Sarah, so cant comment on the specific details of the problems they have had.

As I said before, it is totally the right decision to have changed the venue if they feel that fish welfare is at stake.

What I cant understand is why the Angling Trust, who surely were fully aware with the issues at the fishery and you would expect have been in contact with the owners, waited until less than a week after the drawer to make the change of venue.

Surely this could have been done a couple of weeks ago, thus allowing people to enter the correct qualifiers.

[TF_red_hydro]

I personally can’t see how why the Angling Trust is to blame.

Sarah should be applauded for having the guts about making this late decision to move this qualifier and putting her fish first and her bottom line last

I am pretty sure there would be more moans if 130 anglers went there and most struggled

[TF_andynorth2003Participant]

skimmeroo said
“makins is awell known venue as much as barford, so wots the problem , one minute someone says he dont mind makins as he fishes it every week then he’s slaging it off? work that out? “

Where did I slag Makins off?
One of the best fisheries in the country and well deserved of a Fisho qualifier. imo

Just would of liked to have had an opportunity to enter the qualifier?

[TF_skimmer_roo]

did i mention any names??

i think not!! lol

[Kingsway Allstar]

I would of applied for a ticket at Makins because its local to me and i fish there a bit with teams of 3 but i wouldnt apply for Barfords because of the distance i would have to travel. Im sure this could of been dealt with better imo.

[TF_Nigel.]

If i remeber, Sarah also cancelled a Maver pairs last year.
I spoke to her 3 weeks ago about a UK Champs round at Barford, and she said it was recovering well, but she wont over fish the pools, and she is rotating the pools and taking the time to make sure it recovers to its former glory.

Barston had KHV a nearly 3 years ago, and has recoverd well, (1,200 won a carp match last summer) it takes time, but she is doing the right thing my canceling this match.
She doesnt want anglers coming and having a bad day, i canceled a CIPS match 3 weeks ago, we dont want anglers coming and doing poor, we would rather they come back at a later date and have a great time.

Good luck Sarah.

[TF_cheffieVRSParticipant]

I would have applied for a ticket at makins!!!!

[TF_Nigel.]

I would also have applied for Makins, its only 20 miles away for me, mind you i blanked there on Sunday, lol.

[TF_andynorth2003Participant]

I dont want it to come across that I’m having a dig at Barford.
At the end of the day, its their decision to do what they have done and lets hope they can host Fisho qualifiers in the future.

I just find it frustrating that with Fisho tickets so difficult to get hold of, to then change the venue so soon after the drawer seems stupid.

Again, not a which hunt, but should the Angling Trust have spotted this earlier or should the fishery have held their hands up sooner to allow for the alternate venue to be in place sooner and in time for people to enter the correct qualifier ??

Nice to get a bit of debate going again on this site (sick of reading OT threads about football and other rubbish)

[TF_NW Cut Angler]

@carpmagic wrote:

How can it be the Angling trusts fault? Surely the decision has been made by Sarah at barford i would think today? Are the angling trust supposed to have a crystal ball for this sort of thing?

~clap ~clap ~clap

Despite all the doom mongers and those wanting Fish O Mania to fail it seems not to be the case just as this decision will not create major problems either.

[TF_jono]

if this was changed a month ago then i would have applied for a makins ticket , its local to me compared to a midweek trek to barford norwich.

its just the timing of things that has upset people!!

[Anonymous]

I wont comment about the reasons that have made the change of venue neccessary but what i’d like to say is a big congratulations to Alan who is the owner of Makins.
Its nice to see that all the hard work carried out by Alan and his team at the fishery over the last 12 to 18 months has finally paid off and resulted in the fishery being recognised as being worthy of holding a Fisho qualifier again.
Its not gonna be won off any peg but what i’d like to say is that if most of the venue is used to host the qualifier then the vast majority of the anglers will have a decent days fishing which is unlike a number of venues in the calender.

Well done to Alan and the team ~clap

[fishfearmeParticipant]

Its funny how the “local” anglers are keeping quiet about this.Does anyone still fish there?

[TF_mickeym]

Im not sure what Barford is like never been, but i knwo makins and this will be peggy as anything………….still luck of the draw i guess.

I know where id want to draw……..

[TF_mosellajase1]

got no chance of a ticket just going to turn up on the day and see if i can get on

[TF_wozz]

fishfearme, no locals are bothering to reply as only 2 or 3 of the regulars managed to get a ticket so were not interested!!
On the fishing side its still a great venue, last weeks match on railway, 2 days after the ice thawed was won with 69lb of F1s, followed by a 59lb and lots of 30s and 40s.
The main lakes at Barford have been fishing hard, as have most other places over the last 2 months. The week before the cold set in i won a winter league round on the match lake with 162lb, so there is certainly still a massive head of fish in there. The problem is that just as the lakes were starting to produce how we expect them to, the cold snap started, and we have had a lot more snow out here than most places so consequently the fishing has been limited to a few ice free areas, and obviously been hard, so no-one, including Sarah can really tell how the fish will respond to increased pressure once the weather improves, and the big weights start again.

[lewis]

Warren, you should be a politician.

[TF_Bear361Participant]

I really can`t see how the AT can get the blame, and well done to Sarah for putting the fish first. Its just unfortunate thats all it is.

[tournament_pro]

Not too sure why Sarahs getting so much praise to be honest.

Why did she wait until a week after the draw to suddenly realise this ~think, its not as if she hasnt known for weeks on end that the fishery was going to hold a fish-o.

Somat fishy going on here, there is a reason behind this and I find it hard to believe she suddenly woke up one morning and though oh I better cancel fish-o as it may stress my fish

[TF_baitchefParticipant]

Its probably a publicity thing.

[TF_Fordy]

Funny the way Fisho brings out the best, and worst in match anglers.

The worst – pure selfishness and a lack of interest in anything other than getting a chance to win £25,000.

The best – the comraderie and the buzz you get on these matches.

Sarah is the kind of fishery owner who needs support, not criticism. If there were more like her around, KHV probably wouldn’t have got a hold in the UK in the first place.

Makes me laugh the way some think they are entitled to have a pop and dictate the way people should run their business – just because they frequent the place, or want to.

[TF_Decaff]

Fordy
I think people are entitled to question Sarahs decision,or rather the timing of it.
The fishery had obviously thought long & hard about this & like others have said, should be applauded for realising they were not in the position to hold the event.Surely they arrived at this well before the Fisho draw ?

[TF_Fordy]

Why are they entitled to question it? It’s her business, her stock, her fishery, her livelehood. She’s probably acted in the best interests of Barford. The timing is up to her.

Those who didn’t apply for tickets for Barford, but would have applied for Makins – I can see why you’d be disappointed, but if you can’t see a bigger issue here, you are being far too blinkered.

[TF_Decaff]

Thats where i think it’s wrong Fordy,it is her business granted,so she has to run it like one,but Fisho is not her business is it,she is a supplier & if my suppliers left it that late to inform me of such decisions it could end up costing me my livelyhood.

[Kagger]

I haven’t fished a match for approx. 5 years, but I can remember people coming on this forum complaining about a fisho qualifier where there were numerous blanks, dead fish being scooped out of the venue etc etc.

Would you rather Barford had taken a chance and possibly ended up with that situation.

The spring is a stressful time for fish. I saw a lot of fish going belly uplast spring on various waters.

I saw ‘The Creature’ scooped out of bluebell lakes, and other specimens in SEVERAL local waters die for no apparent reason.

There will have been lots of factors taken into acount when this decision was made, including the recent extreme weather.

Those with nothing at stake but their entrance money should pull their oars in a bit and stop criticizing.

[TF_Fordy]

Business is about reputation. isn’t it? Would you say acting responsibly in terms of fish welfare enhances her reputation as a good fishery owner, or reduces it?

The competition continues, the anglers get their day out and their chance of a payday- and the fish aren’t pressured.

[TF_Decaff]

Fordy
i couldn’t agree more & the correct decision has most deinitely been made,for all concerned.All i am saying is that such an important decision must or should have been made earlier allowing the qualifier to be re-arranged before the announcement was made.I for one am certainly not questioning the reputation of the fishery or it’s owners,whom all said & done have had to make a very difficult decision.

[TF_MarcRodger]

GUTTED i love baford was well looking forward to it but its just one of them things. I meet Sarah at the maver pairs final last year she sat behind me while i set up and we was talking about barford she was telling me all about what had happend she was devastated she told me it was just starting to recover but would take a long time. I JUST FEEL SO SORRY FOR THE FISHERY A BIG BLOW I WISH THEM ALL THE BEST IN THE FUTURE….

[TF_Tim_D]

Sarah knew her fishery would be hosting the fisho so why wait all these months to change her mind, what a balls up.

[TF_Yare Rod]

Kagger wrote:

Would you rather Barford had taken a chance and possibly ended up with that situation.

Maybe they should have considered their position when offering their venue for a 2010 fisho?

[TF_Gary K]

I hope noone joined the AT just for the chance for a (local) Barford Fisho ticket as I suspect they will not get a refund of the membership~think

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