NICHOLAS Cooke got everything right when he banked his first ever double figure barbel from the River Thames in the shape of this 13lb 6oz specimen.
He started his session in a swim near Oxford with a maggot feeder in order to get the fish competing for food before trying a boilie with the hope of picking up a better fish later in the day.
This proved to be the right move for the Gloucestershire angler, who beat his previous personal best for the species by almost 2lb when he tempted the fish with a legered boilie on a size 6 hook.
ONE of the nation’s most popular commercial waters is celebrating having a bumper year in 2006 by offering free fishing for the nation’s anglers in the New Year.
White Springs in South Wales offers quality sport for match, pleasure and specimen anglers alike, and has hit the headlines numerous times over the past year for producing big hits of carp to well over 30lb, as well as numbers of huge specimen perch.
As a means of thanking anglers for their custom, White Springs’ management is offering a ‘2 for the price of 1’ offer for the whole of January at the Swansea-based fishery.
“The past year was unbelievable for us. The complex just keeps getting better and better, and the anglers have been such a special bunch that this is our way of saying thank you and giving them something back,” said owner Vince Lloyd.
To find out more, call the fishery direct on: 01792 885699.
A POTENTIAL record pike-producing Scottish trout fishery could be culled following a spate of illegal fishing by glory hunting predator anglers.
Angling Times is appealing to pike anglers throughout Great Britain to leave Gartmorn Dam alone after we learned the fishery’s management may be left with no choice but to cull the precious specimens.
A number of large Scottish pike recently reported in the angling press have been caught by anglers targeting the 167 acre trout water in Clackmannanshire despite the fact that it is closed to all froms of angling between October 5 and March 31.
ANGLING Times has delivered the best Christmas present anglers could ever wish for after securing a Government pledge to deliver new fisheries laws to protect fish stocks.
Our year long campaign against fish thefts, which included a call from Keith Arthur to boycott the rod licence, helped Labour’s spokesman for angling, Martin Salter MP gain the assurances from Angling Minister Ben Bradshaw.
A hard-hitting Parliamentary Question asked by Martin in the House of Commons prompted Mr. Bradshaw to promise Britain’s 3.5 million anglers that new legislation will be introduced over the coming months.
“Angling is our most popular leisure pursuit with huge social, health and environmental benefits. Our existing laws are out of date and not effective enough. The new laws should mean better conservation and regulation ensuring a better future for anglers,” said Minister Ben Bradshaw.
FLOATFISHED lobworms proved the winning tactic for Matthew Kendall on a recent perch fishing trip to the River Thames.
The 26-year-old graphic designer from Banbury in Oxfordshire took a highly impressive eight perch over 3lb, topped by this 3lb 5oz specimen.
Matthew fed broken lobworms and red maggots to keep the bites coming.
