Angling

It’s not long ago that 100lb match catches were just a dream for most, and to achieve the magical festival or final ton would usually involve a ferry crossing to the wild waters of Loch Erne or an even farther trek to Denmark’s Skanderborg or Guden system.

The eleven thousand signatures that followed the recent Otter petition to government looks to have been a complete waste of time and good ‘ink’.

A bitter war of words broke out last week, with the Angling Trust showing its disappointment at the Barbel Society’s decision to go it alone in producing a petition to Government after previously agreeing to work together on the subject of otter predation.

With six weeks to go before the end of another season, it seems, on the face of it a tad early to join in the controversial annual debate regarding changes to the coarse fish closed season regulations.

2018 is looking like it’s going to be the year for major changes in some of the most prestigious events in coarse fishing’s match calendar.

Anglers are often referred to as the eyes and ears of our waterways, and not many of us have never witnessed or reported fish kills due to farm run off or chemical spills.

Earlier in the year I made no bones that the use of contractors by the Environment Agency in its attempts at flood defence was a disaster and the uncaring demolition of trees and bank side cover not only destroyed habitat for fish but nesting birds and all dependant wildlife.

Following the Environment Agency’s lead and their recent changes to rod licence charges, Leeds & District Amalgamated Society of Anglers have made a massive statement to other clubs around the country.

It felt like a “breath of fresh Aire” last week as the river’s rejuvenation took a massive leap forward with the completion of the latest, largest and probably last hydroelectric power station in the country.

My predictions of big changes at the top came earlier than expected in the second round of the Yorkshire Winter League, held on a rising River Aire around Chapel Haddlesey and Beal.

Chapel Allerton’s Andy Hampson returned home from Northern Ireland’s Fermanagh Lakeland a happy man last week.

Browning Team Ossett followed their 2016 Winter League final win with another high-class performance to cement there place as one of the country’s top teams.

Leeds & District have a great history of its anglers’ achievements, with all England national winning teams, individual world champions, and winners of the big tobacco-sponsored events popular many years ago.

Kirkgate Anglers, affectionately known to everyone who now supports a few wrinkles as ‘Edgies’, surprised the trade and local anglers last week by announcing its imminent closure.

Not many trophies have eluded the array of superstar anglers that have represented Barnsley and District over the past 40 years. Last week its next generation filled one of the few vacant spaces in the cabinet and completed the full set.

Now a month into the new coarse-fish river season, it’s always interesting to compare the starts of previous years and, hopefully, put old knowledge to new campaigns.

From world champions, national championship anglers or a junior sat on his local canal with a starter kit for tackle , very few anglers around the country wouldn’t recognise the name or face of Harry Lodge.

Near-blistering temperatures, bright blue skies with no wind, and river levels at normal would usually spell mediocrity and predictions of a tough day on the first big River Ouse open of the season.

Having stumbled across and then read the Angling Trust’s 2017 Manifesto for Angling, the first comments in its introduction show, in my opinion, just how far down the sporting ladder our governing body really is.