Gold Valley waives peg fees for open match anglers.
Gold Valley Lakes in Hampshire has introduced a new policy for its Saturday open matches, meaning that the peg fee will be waived until further notice. The idea is the brainchild of venue owners, and father and son duo, John and Will Raison, who are keen to pay anglers back for their support through the winter. England international and former World Champion Will explained: “My father and I are extremely lucky as we have a core of match anglers who support us right through the year, and so giving them free fishing for a few weeks in the spring is the least we can do.
Incredible one-off bait deal at Chapmans this weekend. Lincolnshire tackle giant, Chapmans Angling is offering a unique one-off deal to customers this weekend – that will see them receive £50 worth of free bait with any sale over the value of £50!With an option for punters to either take a carp pack or a coarse pack, it doesn’t matter what discipline of angling you are into – there will be a bait pack to suit you!Chapmans General Manager, Mark Wilkinson explained: “With the weather starting to pick up, and the water temperature on the rise, now is the perfect time for anglers to get out there and go fishing – and we are sure that this great deal will encourage them to do just that!"As one of the country’s largest tackle retailers, we are fortunate in that we have massive buying power – and were able to buy up a large amount of very good bait at a very reasonable price. "After such a long, hard winter, we’re sure people are keen to get out and enjoy their fishing again – and this fantastic bargain will give them the incentive to do just that. One of the major factors in getting people on the bank in such a difficult economic climate is definitely cost, this huge FREE bait promotion will certainly help them on their way!”In addition to the great deal on offer, Chapmans has also arranged for several star anglers to come down to the store to help advise punters on how to catch at this time of year.
Top tackle company sponsor exciting new league. An exciting new spring league is to take place at Shropshire venue, Weston Pools. Running over the course of four dates, the event is capped at a maximum of 50 anglers, with the overall result being decided on section points. To secure your place, a £10 deposit is required, with a further £32 to be paid on the first match to cover peg fees.
Harrell Confident That Rivermania Will Run This YearMatch fishing legend, Dave Harrell is convinced that his brainchild – an exciting new competition taking in most of the country’s top match rivers – is going to go ahead this year. “I have always felt that river fishing is lacking in a flagship, big-money event to capture the imagination of the anglers,” Dave explained. “For anglers in the Midlands, the Evesham Festival provides a great event for them to get involved with, but there are so many thriving river circuits up and down the country that have no greater prize to fish for – and I want to change that. "I ran a piece in the Angling Times outlining my idea, and asking for potential organisers to come forward, who might be interested in holding a qualifier on their venue.
Expert anglers offer personalised online shopping experience.
Berkshire-based angling retailer, Experience Fishing is celebrating a successful first year in the trade, with the launch of an exciting new website. Staffed by keen anglers, the shop has built its quality reputation around being able to advise anglers on the tackle they need to catch more fish. This philosophy has seen the shop's business grow massively –and they are going to keep the same successful formula going on the online side as well, by actively encouraging customers to phone up with any questions or queries that they may have.
'Match This' Champ has Fisho in his sights. Former Maver 'Match This' Champion, Andy Power contemplated a lie in on Saturday, but was soon glad that he made the effort to get up after winning the year's first Fish 'O' Mania qualifier! Andy was showing as 17th place on the reserve list on the day, but due to a no-show he went on to win at Viaduct Fishery, Somerset. Andy, who fishes for Preston Innovation Thatchers was crowned Maver 'Match This' Champion back in 2011, and made contact with his first fish within minutes of the all-in. Fishing bomb and pellet he took several fish before switching to the pellet waggler with 10mm pellets fished at depth.
First And Second Place For English Teams, And Individual Victory For Alex BonesEnglish feeder teams have taken first and second place in the Van Den Eydne Matrix International Feeder Fishing Challenge, on Belgium’s Gent to Terneuzon Canal. Captain of the winning England Green Team, Match Fishing Editor Alex Bones, also lead from the front – taking individual victory with a perfect two-point score. His team, made up of Rob Wootton (who finished second overall), Grant Albutt, Adam Rooney and Adam Wakelin, had just 15 points after the first day – leaving the other squads with everything to do if they wanted to beat them. Alex explained: “England team manager, Tommy Pickering left it to each of the three teams to formulate their own tactics – and fortunately, I think we got things pretty much right.
'Match This' Final Place For Maver’s Ray Lamb
Maver-backed rod, Ray Lamb has secured the first place in the Maver 'Match This' Final, after winning 2013’s inaugural qualifier at Woodland View Fishery near Droitwich. Ray drew Peg 4 on High Pool and fished the long pole down the inside at 14 metres and short at six metres to finish the match with 55-09-00. The first Mega 'Match This' qualifier of the 2013 campaign was attended by 68 anglers. A hard frost the night before and the persistent cold weather leading up to the event, resulted in a difficult day's fishing for most.
Daiwa Dorking’s Mark Goddard In £50K FinalMark Goddard has become the second person to secure a place in the £50,000 Maver 'Match This' Final, after winning at Gold Valley Lakes near Aldershot. The qualifier was attended by 78 anglers and conditions leading up to the event were far from ideal, with temperatures most nights of the week dropping below freezing, coupled with bitterly cold easterly winds during the days. The winner on the day, and booking his place in the 2013 Mega 'Match This' final, was Mark Goddard (Daiwa Dorking). Mark drew end Peg 119 on Syndicate Lake and opted to fish a small Method feeder at 20 metres, alternating between a variety of small hook baits to keep fish coming to the net.
Truth Is Out Over April Fool Arapaima!Match Fishing Magazine can reveal that the story ran on Monday regarding Des Shipp banking a massive arapaima was, in fact, an April Fool hoax. The piece was the brainchild of DHP’s Digital News Editor, Tom Scholey, who penned the story with the help of Pole Fishing’s Editorial Assistant, Matt Godfrey, and DHP Chairman, David Hall. Tom commented: “We love a giggle here at DHP, and after talking the idea through with Des Shipp and Will Raison, we decided to run with the story. To be honest, I think a lot of people cottoned on to the fact that it was a hoax straightaway – but we did manage to catch a few people out! I think most of the people who cottoned on found it funny, which is the main thing.
Steve Ringer, Matt Godfrey, Andy May, Rob Wootton And More. . .
The May issue of Pole Fishing Magazine is on sale now, and packed with fish-catching ideas from the UK's finest anglers.
World’s First 'Commercial' Carp Fishing TournamentThe world's first documented commercial carp fishing tournament has taken place in Kentucky, USA, and carried a first-place prize of $10,000!Hosted by the Kentucky Department Of Fish And Wildlife, the two-day contest saw the winning team weigh in over 10,000lb of fish – and at the same time go some way towards saving the native fish population of the area's waterways!Kentucky has been badly affected by the spread of the none-native Asian carp, and particularly the silver carp sub species, that have reaked havoc on waterways across the United States. Over the course of the contest, only non-native specieswere allowed to be weighed in, meaning the event ridded the local ecosystem of tens of thousands of invaders. The competiton proved a real hit among local anglers, and spectators, with some people travelling over 200 miles just to watch the event taking place! Click here to watch a YouTube documentary about the contest!. .
Exciting New Dimension To Popular TV Angling ContestThe 2013 Preston Innovations UK Angling Championships are set to get underway soon, and to spice up the sport a little this year, a new angler rankings system has been created by the organisers. The system grades the anglers based on their performance in the last three years of the championships. Well-known angler and event promoter Rob Hughes has plans for even bigger things with the aim of increasing awareness of angling, encouraging new blood into the sport and opening the door for “young pretenders” to step up to the oche and take on the big fellas of the game. “The UK Champs are great” announced Hughes, “but the problem is, from the outside, angling appears boring.
Festival Win For Middy/ Bag 'Em Ace. Lee Thornton has won the Bag 'Em Matchbaits Heronbrook Easter Festival with a seven-point score. Fished over three days, the event attracted 60 of the country's finest anglers – with Lee finishing top after tying for first place with Paul Conroy, but taking the verdict on weight countback. Lee explained: “I have been looking forward to fishing in this three-day competition that is now in its second year of inception although, to be perfectly honest, when I booked in back in February, in the back of my mind I was half expecting to be fishing paste! "That said, I felt that a few of the things that I had learned by fishing through the winter would benefit me now for this festival (ironically, I think the water temperature was lower than two months ago!)"With the water temperature being so low, I felt that the only things worth taking to the venue would be maggots, micro pellets, 4mm Bag 'Em Expandas and a slice of bread.
