W B Clarke ace wins Evesham season opener. Steve Ashmore has won the opening match of the season on the Warwickshire Avon at Evesham, with an 11lb 12oz net. The W B Clarke-backed rod caught a 5lb bream, a 5lb tench and a handful of small perch and silver bream on short-pole, chopped-worm tactics – beating the rest of the 79-man field by a clear 5lb margin. Howard Kaye was runner-up from the noted Peg 35 on the mouth of the River Isbourne.
Emma Pickering wins the Angling Trust Ladies’ National Championship title. England international and former Ladies' National Champion Emma Pickering (Doncaster AA) has won this year's Ladies' National with a 32kg 500g bag, from Colemans Cottage Fishery in Essex. Emma's net contained a mixed bag of F1s, smallish carp and silver fish taken mainly on worm tails. Emma started at four metres on Peg 21, but had to follow the fish out to seven metres to stay in touch with them.
Chance for anglers to pose questions to the stars!A new angling forum has been launched, giving users the chance to have their questions answered by the best names in the business. The aptly named ‘Angling Answers’ has sections for carp, match, coarse, sea and fly anglers – and is powered by DHP Ltd, Europe’s largest independent publisher of fishing magazines. The forum is the brainchild of DHP’s Operations Director Roger Mortimer, who has seen similar forums working well in other sectors, and noticed a gap for a technical and tactical-based forum in the angling market. Roger explained: “All our editorial staff have been encouraged to get involved and they’re inviting their top contributors on board too.
Tom Scholey and Matt Godfrey win Preston Innovations Pairs festival. Pole Fishing’s editorial assistant, Matt Godfrey, and regular Match and Pole Fishing contributor Tom Scholey have won the Preston Innovations-sponsored Parkdean Pairs Festival at White Acres. The duo clinched the win after a tight festival – which saw them tied at the top of the 28-pair field going into the final day. Fortunately for the Daventry-based pair, a favourable draw on the Trewaters complex gave them two section wins, meaning they took victory by a four-point margin.
New forum puts the questions to the experts. A new angling forum is to be launched next Monday, giving users the chance to have their questions answered by the best names in the business. The aptly name ‘Angling Answers’ has sections for carp, match, coarse, sea and fly anglers – and is powered by DHP Ltd, one of Europe’s largest independent publishers of fishing magazines. The forum is the brainchild of DHP’s operations director, Roger Mortimer, who has seen similar forums working well in other sectors, and noticed a gap for a technical and tactical-based forum in the angling market.
Chapmans hosts Garbolino open night. Hull angling superstore, Chapmans Angling is to host a night with Garbolino stars Darren Cox and Steve Cooke. The event is set to take place this Thursday, June 13th, between 5. 30pm and 9.
Consistency shines through for Maver Midlands canal ace. Canal expert Dave Brown has just won the Wolverhampton AA Individual Spring League with a fine display of canal fishing. Fished over six hard-fought matches, two rounds were held on the Shropshire Union Canal at Pendeford, two rounds in Penkridge and two rounds in Wombourne, both on the Staffs-Worcester Canal. To make things interesting, the points were awarded based on the position you finished in the match overall, so you got one point for first place and 27 points for last.
Match Fishing's own Tom Scholey wins Mega Match This qualifier. A lower than anticipated turnout for the latest Mega Match This qualifier, at Cornwall’s White Acres, meant that anglers were given plenty of room, divided between Twin Oaks, Trelawney and Acorn lakes, with the resident carp responding positively to the 23°C temperatures. Winner on the day, and earning his place in August’s Mega Match This Grand Final, was Match Fishing/Pole Fishing magazines’ very own Tom Scholey. Tom made the most of his Peg 15 draw on Trelawney, where he opted to fish 6mm pellets shallow on the long pole.
Fish Legal highlights UK’s low pollution payouts after US firm fined $3. 3million The expert environmental and angling lawyers at Fish Legal, who act on behalf of over 1,000 angling clubs throughout the UK, have highlighted the low level of fines paid by offenders in the UK for polluting watercourses. Fish Legal has this week written to the Sentencing Council welcoming its proposals for tougher pollution penalties, particularly for large companies, but urging it to go much further. This coincided with news from the USA of a paper company being fined a total of $3.
The superb River Thames is set to hold three big matches in September 2013. The Big 3 September Thames matches are The Turner 400– teams of four fished at Radcot, Clanfield and Rushey. Held on Sunday, September 1st – £100 per team. The Swan Individual Open– fished at Radcot and Clanfield on Sunday, September 8th – £20 all in.
England struggle in the World Club Championship. The English representatives in the 2013 World Club Championship, Kamasan Starlets, have finished in a disappointing 17th place in the weekend’s event. The two-day match was fished on the extremely difficult Brian Canal in Italy, a venue that saw the English side struggle to work out the methods needed. They weren’t alone, though, as even the home side, Trabucco Ravenelli, found the going tough with very few fish to be caught.
Car manufacturer backs top Halesowen rod.
Grant Albutt has signed a sponsorship agreement with Sytner Coventry BMW. The deal, which sees Grant receive backing from the huge car firm, is centered around introducing BMW and its subsidiaries to the sport – and it all happened thanks to a chance conversation. Grant said: “I’ve been a loyal customer of the Coventry branch and last time I was here I simply put the question of sponsorship to the sales representative.
Louth ace qualifies for fifth Fish 'O' Mania Final. Former Fish 'O' Mania champion Nathan Watson has qualified for the final for a fifth time after winning the qualifier at Woodland View Fishery. Nathan, who was also crowned ‘Champion Of Champions’ after winning a match between all previous winners, was overjoyed to have qualified once again. He explained: ”I wasn’t that confident when I drew Peg 11 on Ghost Pool, as the wind was pushing over my back, and though I had some room, the windward end of the lake looked far more appealing.
Giveaways galore at tackle shop open day!Total Angling is holding a star-studded open day this weekend and is giving away goodies galore to people who spend over £50 in store on the day. In addition, visitors to the shop will have the chance to meet some of the biggest stars in the angling world. Ian Chillcott, Iain Macmillan, Mark Pitchers and Neil Smith will be in attendance, alongside match fishing aces Ricky Teale, Grant Albutt and Les Thompson. There will be several show-day bargains, including a free Fox goody bag for everyone who spends over £50 on Fox products and a free Total Angling T-shirt for those who spend over £50.
Clegg drafts in Dorking skipper to World Champs Squad. England team manager Dick Clegg has announced that Preston Innovations-backed ace and Daiwa Dorking skipper Steve Sanders is to join his team for the Veterans World Championship. Bosnia and Herzergovina will play host to this year's competition on the River Krupa in Capljina during the weekend of August 10th and 11th. Reigning Veterans World Champion Joe Roberts is in the team once again and is looking to retain his crown, which he won last year in Portugal.
