Ireland's premier festival gets underway. This morning saw the first casts of the 2013 Lakelands and Inland Waterways World Pairs Angling Championships. 128 anglers from across Europe went to pegs in the counties of Cavan, Leitrim and Fermanagh to compete to win the glittering prizes, trophies and cash on offer. Started in 2012, the Lakelands and Inland Waterways World Pairs Angling Championships is the richest coarse match in Ireland.
National Fishing Month attracts record numbers into angling. This
year’s National Fishing Month (NFM) has shattered its 15,000 target,
setting new records for the number of people who were introduced to the
sport via more than 300 special events throughout the country. When the
final figures are tallied, it is likely that participant numbers will
be closer to 16,000, much to the delight of the NFM organisers. It
began with a flying start back in mid-July when more than 1,000 people were
coached in coarse and game fishing by the Professional Anglers
Association (PAA) and the Game Angling Instructors’ Association (GAIA)
at the CLA Game Fair at Ragley Hall, Alcester.
Jan Porter's joy at public goodwill. The last twelve months have been particularly difficult for angling legend, Jan Porter. He has been facing a lengthy battle with cancer, but it seemed he was winning. On August 24th, he posted on Facebook how he was pleased to learn that his treatment for a secondary tumour on his liver had been going well.
Match ace gives pupil a lesson to remember. When Simon Price drew next to Middy and Bait-Tech-backed match ace Lee Werrett on a recent competition, he knew that he would have his work cut out to beat the Welsh commercial fishing maestro. As expected, all Simon could do was watch as Lee put together a match-winning 225lb net of carp, fishing paste on the short pole, while he struggled. Simon explained: “I approached Lee after the match to see if he would be able to pass on any tips regarding paste fishing, as it is certainly not one of my strongest methods.
Keith Arthur retires from talkSPORT radio. Well-known angling commentator Keith Arthur has announced that he is to retire from his role as presenter of the popular weekend radio show 'Fisherman's Blues' on talkSPORT. The move comes after a 14-year stint on the show for Keith, who is one of angling's most recognisable faces. His role as host on Sky Sport's Tight Lines programme is unaffected.
Big-money event planned at top Irish venue. One of Ireland’s best-known match fishing venues, Lough Muckno is to host a big-money festival, starting at the end of the month. Taking place between September 30th and October 4th, the festival has been sponsored by the Irish tourist board to the tune of €10,000!The five-day event is set to offer top-quality match angling for roach, hybrids and bream. Muckno has a reputation as being among Ireland’s most accessible venue with parking behind 220 pegs, and all sections are within two miles of the town, so no long drives.
Top team win Match This team champs. Daiwa Dorking have won the second Mega 'Match This' Team Championship final. The match was contested by 22 of the country's best clubs, including national squads from England, Scotland and Wales. Teams battled for top spot across both Match and Specimen lakes on a cumulative points score system, with cumulative weight coming into play in the event of a points tie.
Zac Brown wins Maver Match This Final. Zac Brown has become the third Maver Match This Champion, banking the £50,000 winner's cheque following a close match at Larford on Saturday. The Preston Innovations Delcac team man weighed in with 52. 460kg to clinch victory from former champ Andy Powers by just 960g.
The date for the Frank Barlow & Steve Toone Memorial Match has been announced.
The popular event that remembers two angling greats is on the River Trent at Long Higgin on Saturday, September 21st. The draw is at the Stratford Heaven pub at 9am, with fishing from 12pm to 5pm. Tickets are just £25 a head.
Andy Power has just added the prestigious UK Championship to his already bulging trophy cabinet!After a tense fourth and final round at an out-of-sorts Barston Lakes, all Andy needed was a fourth in section to take the coveted trophy. That was narrowly enough for the Preston Innovations hot prospect to pip Garbolino-backed Richie Hull, thanks to his superior weight advantage of a whopping 241. 423kg over four heats!Richie managed a section third on the final day and was left cursing his luck as just another two ounces would have seen him finish a point higher and the 2013 champion. Alas, it wasn't to be and he had to settle for an almost as impressive runners-up spot, ahead of a string of top names.
Scores of top anglers are set to do battle for the prestigious Maver Mega Match This weekend extravaganza!
The 2013 Mega 'Match This' Final takes place on the Match Lake at Maver Larford Lakes this Saturday, 31st August and will be shown on Sky TV in the autumn. Competing are some of the top names in the UK, including Fish O Mania champ Jamie Hughes, former Match This champ Andy Power, England International Tommy Pickering, Maver's own Andy Kinder and Match Fishing and Pole Fishing's very own Tom Scholey!
The Maver Mega 'Match This' event is the richest angling competition in the history of the sport offering one lucky angler the opportunity to lift the converted 'Match This' trophy standing over half a metre tall and receive the minimum £50,000 first place prize. This year's final will once again see 24 of angling's best from up and down the country compete for the sport's richest ever prize. There will also be an equally prestigious team championship event taking place on Sunday 1st September, which will see National representation from England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland as well as International representation for the very first time from team Poland.
Arrow Valley Country park has recently played host to a Learning Disability Match run by Bromfords HUB at Studley.
Good weather was ordered for the day. To celebrate Bromford’s, a Midlands Housing Association and Support Service 50th Anniversary they provided the main trophy, the Bromford Cup, and the Bromford 50 Cup for the nearest weight to 50lb.
At the draw each angler was presented with a Participation Certificate and Goody tackle bag kindly donated by the tackle trade and angling press.
The England Ladies steamed to victory this weekend, taking gold in the World Championship held on the River Sava in Radece, Slovenia.
The event involved 18 teams and after day one the England Ladies were lying in eighth place, but only 12 points away from gold in an incredibly tight frame. Winning the event, however, came as a big surprise as the team thought they were out of contention before the weigh-in on day two. Their unpredicted score of just 18 penalty points won the second day, though, and pushed them to the top of the podium overall.
Southern aces win Match Fishing Team Championship. Daiwa Dorking have won the Match Fishing Team Championship on the Warwickshire Avon at Evesham, scoring a remarkable 61 points out of a possible 70. The team, made up of Simon Willsmore, Darren Davies, Will Raison, Michael Buchwalder and Ian Didcote, beat second-placed Shakespeare Superteam by a 12-point margin. The squad's manager, Simon Willsmore, explained: “We are quite fortunate as most of us know the river well, and lessons learnt over the Bank Holiday festival helped us to formulate a good plan.
Pole Fishing editor wins at EveshamMatch Fishing and Pole Fishing magazines' group editor, Jon Arthur, has today become the 30th winner of the Wychavon Championship – after weighing in 11-15-0 from Peg 11 on Evesham’s Crown Meadow. Jon, who also won the contest back in 2011, pocketed a £3,000 winner's cheque, after a late barbel saw him clinch victory by a margin of just 5oz. Jon caught the barbel on a piece of worm, fished over a bed of chopped worm and caster. He explained: “At first I wasn’t sure what I had hooked, I thought it was an eel or a tench – when I saw it was a barbel I had my heart in my mouth! Fortunately, I managed to scoop it, and with my bloodworm fish it proved enough to win on the day.
