Blackcountryfishing
  • Home
  • Where to Fish
  • Species
  • Baits
  • Watercraft
  • Tackle Shops
  • Local Canal Guide
  • Angling Clubs and Organisations
  • Licence and Permits
  • Local Match Results
  • Angling News
  • Angling Events
  • Online Videos
  • A Life In Angling
  • Resource Links
  • About Us
  • Contact Us

CANCER RISKS FOR ANGLERS HIGHLIGHTED BY AFFECTED ANGLING STAR BOB ROBERTS

27/1/2020

1 Comment

 
Picture
Bob Roberts has warned the anglers to take the risks of skin cancer more seriously.
Bob Roberts hopes his warnings will help save other anglers, after skin cancer has also struck many of his close friends.
​

The River Trent and all-round ace has had surgery to try to save his life.
​

The Doncaster, South Yorkshire, angling journalist revealed: “I visited the doctor a few months back with a slight concern.

“He took one look and said matter-of-factly: ‘Yes, that’s cancer.’ Not exactly what you want to hear.

“I may have thousands of friends and followers on social media, but if you ask me how many of them have been invited to eat in my home, we are talking around 20.
​
“Out of those people, I am the fourth to have surgery for skin cancer in recent times.

“That’s incredibly high odds by any standard, don’t you think? One in five, and what do we have in common? We are all regular anglers.”
 
Sun cancer risk for anglers

“Anglers spend a lot of time near water,” Bob continued.

“The sun’s rays shine down on us, and they also reflect back at us from the surface of the water.

“We are exposing ourselves twice without a second’s thought about the consequences.

“How many of us apply sun blocker or skin protection before we go fishing? Too much trouble?

“Check those odds again. One in five. It came as a shock to me.
“I’m assured my cancer will not spread to other organs, but success does not come with a guarantee.
 
“I’ll be back in hospital next month for a second op to repair the first one cosmetically.

“The alternative was months of daily visits to Sheffield for radiotherapy.

“Does using a bit of sunblock sound alarmist, or does it make common sense?”


Time to raise cancer awareness
 
Bob stressed: “Think about it. If you are an angler, do yourself a favour. It’s a small precaution to take if it means one in five can avoid a great degree of pain and worry.

“It is time to raise awareness, as we don’t take the issue serious enough,” concluded the former top matchman.

The National Health Service recommends high-factor sunscreen, dressing sensibly in the sun, and limiting the amount of time that you spend outside during the hottest part of the day.

NHS advice is to check your skin for signs of skin cancer regularly, to help lead to an early diagnosis, increasing your chance of successful treatment.

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/non-melanoma-skin-cancer/
Source: Anglers Mail
1 Comment

POACHERS STOPPED BY FISHERY WATCH

23/1/2020

1 Comment

 
Picture
A new volunteer bailiff group Fishery Watch has managed to rescue fish from poachers. Adrian Lane founder of the scheme managed to stop two men who were attempting to steal fish from a free fishing venue in 
Gloucestershire. Adrian from nearby Lydney explained “I received a phone call from a member of the public at 5pm saying that people with lights on their heads were at Marion's Pool in Coleford, so I quickly attended. I would have liked some support but two calls to local helpers were not answered so I decided to get down there myself. There is only one way into that fishery, and as soon as my car was spotted, two people with eastern European accents shouted at each other and ran through bushes. I quickly went to the peg that they were on and saw a carp landing net that was held down by a large rock. In it were about 30 roach, tench, four carp to 6 lb and a large pike of just over 10 lb which I safely released.”
“I have reported the incident to the Environment Agency and the local Police. It was a quality net which I retained for evidence, and could be put to good uses. The venue is in the Forest of Dean owned by the Forestry Commission and is currently free to fish. This was our first successful operation although I have also heard of a similar event in Oxfordshire, our waterkeeper saving fish from poachers. Our organisation has really taken off, with a number of area coordinators already appointed including in Wales.”

“We also have a growing number of members 1.200 followers on Facebook and it is growing by ten a day and we have just had our first public meeting. We have had six fisheries that are experiencing problems contact us for help. Asking us to monitor their waters including our first trout water. I have also contacted several local authorities with public park venues and they are interested in what we can offer. We are also beginning to raise funds to support the organisation. Our target is £3000 which is all that we need to run it for a year. Any help with this would be much appreciated concluded the former area coordinator of the Angling Trust's Voluntary Bailiff Service.”

For anyone wishing to help Fishery Watch, they can be contacted on 01594 888134.
​

Source: Anglers Mail
1 Comment

WIN A DAY ON THE BANK WITH YOUR ANGLING HEROES

17/1/2020

0 Comments

 
Picture
Ever wanted hit the bank with your favourite fishing icons? If so, the Angling Trust's latest raffle competition is right up your street! No matter what style of angling you follow - be it coarse, sea, game or specimen - the five incredible fishing experiences up for grabs will certainly tickle someone's fancy. 
They are:

• A day's sea fishing for five with Jeremy Wade

• A day's trout fishing for two on the River Test with Paul Whitehouse

• A day's coarse fishing for up to four with Dai Gribble

• A day's carp fishing for four with Rob Hughes

• A day's trout fishing for six on the River Nadder with Charles and Alex Jardine. 


TO ENTER THE DRAW

​Tickets cost just £5.00 and can be purchased at www.anglingtrust.net/fishdraw the draw opens on Monday 20th January 2020 and closes on Saturday 14th March 2020.

​The winners will be announced on Thursday 19th March 2020.

​
Source: Angling Trust
0 Comments

BIODEGRADABLE BAIT 'FIRST' BY ENTERPRISE

14/1/2020

0 Comments

 
Picture
Biodegradable Baits
Starting this coming spring, Enterprise's huge range of imitation hookbaits and plastic terminal tackle items will contain an additive that helps them to break down fully within just a couple of years, compared to the 200 to 300 years it currently takes with plastics.
Enterprise, which has sold around 25 million units of its imitation corn hookbaits alone since launching them as a market-first back in 1999, has been working on the new products for a number of years, as the company’s Chris Hornsby revealed.

“As the market leader in imitation carp and coarse baits, we felt that it was a no-brainer for us to make our baits biodegradable.”

“We began looking into it five years ago, but the additives available back then adversely affected the products. For example, we ended up with rock-hard plastic maggots, which were far from ideal. But extensive trials of the new additive has shown that the baits looked and felt exactly as they should, and catch reports confirmed their effectiveness had not been compromised.”

Although Enterprise has made a big investment in the new process, anglers will welcome the news that the price of the new offerings will mirror that of the old.

“We’re absorbing the cost because we feel that the benefits to the environment, and the positive message we will be sending out, far outweigh any financial gain.

“From early spring 2020 we will be running out some of our most popular items, such as pop-up sweetcorn, containing the biodegradable additive. These items will be identified by a round sticker on the front of the packaging. Eventually all of our products will have it.

Until now the angling industry has been slow to embrace environmental issues, so we’re proud to set the ball rolling.”

Indeed, the forward-thinking move by Enterprise will not only be welcomed by environmentally-aware anglers, but also fishery owners, some of whom have banned plastic baits.

Richard Wilby, who runs Airfield Lakes in Norfolk and several other waters said: 

“This is a great development. Currently I don’t allow plastic baits on any of my venues because they’re always ‘fishing’, which can be a problem if a rig is left out due to a crack-off or bite-off from a pike. I look forward to seeing these new baits and hopefully being able to allow them again in my lakes. It’s an excellent move by Enterprise, and good luck to them.”
Source: Anglers Mail
0 Comments

Tackle Giant Fishtec To Close Down

12/1/2020

0 Comments

 
Picture
The UK's ‘biggest’ mail order fishing tackle retailer is to cease trading.
In a surprising move, Fishtec embarked upon a major ‘closing down’ sale, ready to cease its operations at some point early in 2020.

Fishtec has marketed itself as the ‘UK’s 
largest and best mail order fishing tackle retailer’.

Its retail outlet in Brecon will also close after the big clearace sale. It’s there that bargain hunters have been snapping up price-slashed items over recent weeks, saving over 50 per cent.

Fishtec, is part of the much larger BVG Group Ltd, also based in Brecon.

BVG runs a number of mail order, internet, catalogue and goods distribution businesses covering sports, home and gardens and nutrition.

BVG also have the Total Fishing Gear brand, popularised by big carp ace Dave Lane and in the past by popular all-rounder Matt Hayes. TFG will be kept.

With over 750 employees, BVG remains strong and is one of the largest employers in the area. It was visited by Prime Minister Boris Johnson soon after his initial appointment in May.

BVG boasts of having over 30 million visits to its various websites each, has distributed four million orders overall to its customers, and has annual sales of £140 million.

Why Fishtec chose to close

Allan Crawford-Plane, marketing director of Fishtec: “The decision to close Fishtec was based on declining sales and the impossibility of making a profit on general fishing tackle retail.

“With the growth of sales with low prices on places like Amazon and eBay, the profit margins are too small.

“The only way forward is to focus on growing our particular brands like Total Fishing Gear. These will continue to operate using their own websites.

“We will guarantee all existing customer orders at Fishtec and will run a closing down sale with tackle of other brands marked down at up to half price.

“No staff are being made redundant as they are being absorbed into the other brands like TFG,” Allan added.

In a totally seperate move, BVG’s Airflo brand, which makes fly-fishing tackle, has been taken over by the American company Mayflower Outdoors. It will continue to operate under the Airflo brand name, still based in Brecon.
Source: Anglers Mail
0 Comments

ENVIRONMENT AGENCY’S ANNUAL REGIME STOCK THOUSANDS OF BARBEL INTO UK WATERWAYS

10/1/2020

0 Comments

 
Picture
Thousands more barbel have been stocked into rivers across the country thanks to the Environment Agency’s annual stocking regime – and they now want you to get out there and catch them!

Over the last decade the authority has bolstered populations of the species on several waterways through a series of winter stockings, and if early 
figures are anything to go by December 2019’s additions are looking to be the largest yet.
The Derwent, Nene and Severn are just a few rivers to obtain a barbel boost although the Great Ouse has received the most – with 1,400 year-old fish finding their way into four locations across Bedfordshire and Buckinghamshire.

Kye Jerrom, Fisheries Technical Specialist for the Environment Agency’s team, said: “It’s already been a bumper year for us but Wednesday 11 December was our most satisfying, as we released 1,400 perfectly formed juvenile barbel to the upper reaches of the river Great Ouse.

“These stockings aren’t random but part of a huge effort alongside a carefully designed conservation programme to protect and develop the barbel stocks of the famous waterway.

“The stocking sites have been hand-selected based on the habitat they offer to young fish, which include refuge from high flows and predators, but are also ideal for foraging and future spawning too.

“We look forward to the year when we’re not heading to Calverton to pick up more barbel, safe in the knowledge that the fish in the river are doing their thing independently – hopefully that’s not too far away.”

In a further delight the barbel stocked by the EA all feature a distinctive blue dye marking under their bellies to help signify that they are stocked fish.

Anglers are now being called upon to catch and report these barbel in a drive to monitor the river’s populations for years to come.

Loughborough Soar AC were just one of a selection of clubs to receive stock from the Environment Agency and their committee member Rob Thompson said:

“The EA have just split 800 barbel between our Pillings and 11 Arches stretches on the River Soar and each have a blue dye mark under their bellies.

“Following the introduction of these marked fish we will be reliant on anglers reporting their catches so that the EA can assess their spread and progress.

“The idea is that further stockings will be made in the future so a much bigger picture of the River Soar’s barbel stock’s and health can be determined.”

WHERE BARBEL HAVE BEEN STOCKED…

350 barbel into the River Great Ouse at Sharnbrook

700 barbel and chub into River Derwent, Alvaston Park

250 barbel into the River Nene at Castor

350 barbel into the River Great Ouse at Sherington

250 barbel into the River Nene at Wellington

350 barbel into the River Great Ouse at Haversham

800 barbel into the lower River Soar, Loughborough

250 barbel into the River Severn at Coalport

350 barbel into the River Great Ouse at Harrold Country Park

4200 roach and bream into the Sedgemoor drain
Picture
One of the Barbel with the blue dye-marker
HOW YOU CAN HELP…

If you catch a blue dye-marked barbel you can submit a report to: Jake.Dorey@environment-agency.gov.uk

All barbel reports should include a picture of the barbel showing its dye marking, the date and time of the capture, the barbel’s weight, the location of where it was caught and the angling club that owns the stretch.
Source: Angling Times
0 Comments

Cradley Heath Sports and Social Angling Club AGM 2020

8/1/2020

0 Comments

 
Picture
Cradley Heath Sports and Social Angling Club AGM will be on Thursday 30th January 2020. This will be held at Cradley Heath Liberal Club in the sports bar.
New members are welcome and 10 contests are currently booked for 2020.

Key information:

Date – Thursday 30th January 2020

Venue – Cradley Heath Liberal Club, 60 Upper High Steet,  Cradley Heath, B64 5HU

Time – 8:00 pm

Parking is at the rear of club or on the main road.
Source: Cradley Heath Sports and Social Angling Club
​
0 Comments

End of an era at Kingston Pools Warwick

6/1/2020

0 Comments

 
Picture
Kingston Pools that has now closed
Kingston Pools in Warwick has closed its doors to angling following the sale of the 360-acre arable farm for development. A fishery for more than 40 years, it is planned that the four pools will form part of a green amenity space once housing development has been completed on the site
0 Comments

THE BIG ONE FISHING SHOW AT STONELEIGH IS BACK FOR 2020

1/1/2020

0 Comments

 
Picture
Enjoy a day or weekend at the Stoneleigh fishing show. After a very successful 1st year, its back and its bigger. It's the place to be to shop for tackle and bait for the season ahead, see new product launches and to get advise and instruction from the biggest names in the industry. Midlands's anglers are set for an unmissable fishing show, in its 2nd year running!
Taking over the two giant halls at the easily-accessed Warwickshire location, The Big One Stoneleigh has been confirmed for Saturday 29 Feb and Sunday 1 March 2020. You won't want to miss out on seeing stars and experts on the legends theatre, offering demonstrations and advice.

Stand space is filling up fast, with some of the biggest manufacturers already on board to show off the best tackle and baits for the new season. With the nation's top retailers also booked in, there will be some incredible deals for coarse, carp and pleasure anglers.

Visitors in the Midlands will have a unique opportunity to get their hands on the new season's kit and get buying advice from the experts who created it. From big-ticket items like rods and reels, poles and boxes, to bivvies, bait and thousands of cutting-edge accessories, you'll find everything you need for a successful season..

Your favourite fishing stars will be at the new indoor lake and Main Stage area, hosted by Rob Hughes.

Prices:-

Standard Adult: £12.00

(Early Bird Standard Adult: £10.60 - Save 15% on a standard adult ticket when you use XMAS15 at the checkout.

Concession (OVER 65, STUDENTS AND AGE 12-15): £8.00

VIP Ticket: £45.00
Includes either Coarse / Carp / Match Bucket RRP £60 and VIP Parking

Time: 9:00 am to 4:40 pm

Venue: NAEC, Stoneleigh, Stoneleigh Park, Stoneleigh, Kenilworth, CV8 2LZ, United Kingdom

Early Bird tickets and VIP tickets are on sale now! https://thebigoneshow.seetickets.com/content/ticket-options
Picture
0 Comments

    ANGLING News Articles

    Picture
    Black Country Fishing

    Archives

    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

    Picture
    Picture
Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.