Attempted fish theft at Farlows

A determined attempt to steal fish from Farlows Lake was made by a group of Eastern European immigrants at 11.30pm last Friday night. An installed CCTV system detected those responsible and a party of bailiffs and the fishery manager detained those responsible until the Police arrived. The thieves were well equipped with a 300 metres gill net, torches and gaffs, and one of group had stripped off to swim out into the lake and lay the gill net. Alarmingly, despite the lake being well-populated with anglers (there were actually three bivvies within 10 metres of the attempted theft), no one had contacted Boyer Leisure and without the CCTV system many fish would probably have been killed. During the arrest by the bailiffs one of those responsible for the attempted theft resorted to physical violence in a desperate but unsuccessful  attempt to escape.

In this week’s Angler’s Mail there is further evidence of this nationwide problem, with photographs of immigrant workers legally catching fish from the Warwickshire Avon on a daily basis. Clearly, the Environemnt Agency has to amend its bylaws that allow the taking of fish from our rivers.

Plenty of carp coming out of Boyer waters - check out their website www.boyer.co.uk  

 

Further carp deaths

The serious viral fish disease, Koi Herpesvirus Disease has been indentified in two more fisheries – Leigh Sinton Farm Fishery, Leigh Sinton, Lower Interfield, Nr. Malvern, Worcestershire, and Panshill Wood Fishery, Murcott, Kidlington, Oxfordshire. Defra has therefore issued Designated Area Orders prohibiting any movement of fish in and out of the fisheries. The disease was discovered in samples taken following reported deaths of fish.

It became a legal obligation to notify suspicion of KHV Disease to Defra on 6 April 2007 placing it on the same footing as SVC (Spring Viremia of Carp).

Further south, on the Thames, anglers have been contacting the Environment Agency with reports of dead and dying carp being found in the River between Molesey and Tower Bridge. At least 20 fish have been reported and have ranged from between 8lb and 30lb. Several dying fish have been taken away by the EA to the National Fisheries Laboratory at Brampton for examination. Anyone seeing further dead carp is asked to ring the EA emergency number 0800 807060.

 

Free Competition

Angling Intelligence have been in touch with us to let subscribers of Carp-Talk Xtra know they have a great, free-to-enter competition. The prize is a 48-hour session on the exclusive and highly-prolific Wellington Country Park syndicate, in Berkshire. The lucky winner will enjoy a session under the guidance of venue expert and Angling Intelligence Consultant Ken Beech, whose mission will be to ensure as many fish as possible are put on the bank. The venue has excellent stocks of 30s and, by the time October comes around, some of these will be over 40lb. Dynamite Baits have agreed to supply the bait for the session and when ‘Wellie’ carp go on ‘the munch’ they sure get through it!  For more details and to give yourself a chance of winning a session to remember log onto www.anglingintelligence.com

 

Exhibitors flock to Carpin’ On Show

With still six months to go before the UK’s premier carp showat Essex’s Five Lake, next March, over 70% of the exhibitor’s stand space has amazingly been sold already. Many of the big tackle names in carp fishing booked straight away after the last show, making sure they obtained a stand, but recent additions include Nash Tackle, Trakker Products, Rod Hutchinson Developments, Supercat, Hinders, Five Star Baits, JRC Tackle and Edge Baits. Added to other leading manufacturers such a Korda, Solar Tackle, Leeda/Wychwood and Dynamite (full list can be found on the Carpin’ On website at www.carpinon.co.uk ) this year’s show promises to have an unsurpassed array of carp related goods available under one roof.

 

A nice change

I suppose it’s a sign of the times but nowadays it’s not that often that

we get correspondence with something nice to say. Usually, it either someone complaining or slagging off an individual or a company. Maybe I’m getting old but it does seem at times that we’re becoming a bit of a nation of whingers. So we thought the following was worth reporting, especially when you consider how losing your sight might affect you :

“Dear Sir,

I am an angler of over 40 years but for some 15 years I have been registered blind. Many changes in angling over the these years in equipment means that styles have changed and I have concentrated in carp fishing locally in the Lea Valley.

I write with great thanks to the Suffolk tackle shop in Bury St. Edmunds called Tackle Up. Once or twice a year I visit their shop and it’s no trouble to get excellent service and advice about the equipment that suits my needs in the carp section. I would recommend this shop to anyone locally to Bury St. Edmunds and surrounding areas.

Locally to me I use Simpsons of Turnford and again I receive excellent service by learned anglers, with a spool-filling service that is of great assistance. Both these shops assist me without being patronising to a disabled, blind angler.

With thanks to them both,

Mr S. Hall.”

 

A rest is as good as a change!

After 15 years working for Nutrabaits, manager Lee Walton has left the company on amicable terms. Despite a couple of job offers already Lee has decided to have a few weeks fishing to consider his options, and managed a top session recently on a Yorkshire pit with five 20lb-plus fish, including a 35½-pounder and another of 34lb. Did you stock up with boilies before you left, Lee?

Other changes within the trade has seen Aaron Curtis part with Solar Tackle and Graham Slaughter leave his job as brand manager for Venture.

 

£10,000 for Fish Welfare Fund

CEMEX Angling, one of the largest fishery holders in the country, is committing itself to giving £10,000 per annum, for a three-year period, to the Fish Welfare Fund which campaigns for a safer aquatic environment. CEMEX Angling fully endorses the need to secure the future of angling through the development of a cleaner, safer, healthier aquatic environment.

The Fish Welfare Fund is a joint venture by English Carp Heritage Organisation (ECHO) and the Specialist Anglers’ Alliance (SAA) to establish long-term financial support to promote and defend anglers’ rights and practices, as well as campaigning.

CEMEX Angling, which dates back to an 1960s scheme to restore sand and gravel pits, today has 60,000 members and is the largest commercial angling association in the UK.

 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                

Ken Beech with a 42-14 caught from Wellington Country Park on Dynamite Baits’  Tiger Nut boilies in August of this year

Keep looking

A couple of years back at a carp show I had an argument with a bloke who reckoned people like me had ruined carp fishing by making it too popular, resulting in venues being packed out with carp anglers with hardly any room for people like him to fish. My reply was simple, “You’re not looking hard enough.”

I’ll give you couple of examples. How about the rivers of this country? These days many hold carp, some have heaps of them. Okay, the water is moving and this represents a whole load of new problems, but there are some glorious fish to be caught and, likely as not, you won’t run across another angler carp for the whole of your session/season.

Keeping your ear to the ground and meeting other anglers and talking to them can often reap rewards. Sometimes the jobs people have can unexpectedly yield an untold wealth of fishing. Some years ago I met Steve Manning at a slide show I gave in the Midlands. He told me about an estate lake he could fish which his employer owned - better still he was allowed to take a guests or two. I’ve been for single 24-hour session most years since 2001, the fishing has been great - I landed a 20-pounder once. In fact as I write Steve has been on the phone with exciting news - he banked a brace of uncaught 30lb commons last weekend. Needless to say I can’t wait to get back.

The answer to the moaning angler I mentioned is worth reiterating, “You’re not looking hard enough.” ’Nuff said!

Chris Ball

 

Steve Manning (left) helps to bring ashore a nice common from the Estate Lake mentioned by Chris in his  comment  editorial

Korda’s Danny Fairbrass set the ball rolling last December by committing his company to financially support The Fish Welfare Fund, here represented by Ruth Lockwood of EHCO and Mike Heylin of the SAA. Now CEMEX Angling have added their support.