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Happiness is 150lb slimy river bream!

Well I just love catching bream and this week has been a real treat for me. Went off to Bramerton for an evening session and managed to catch 32 big fat slabs for 150lb of fish in total. Absolutely brilliant fishing from the river Yare its got to be the river of the Year excuse the pun..

I set up two feeder rods one with corn one with bread and carefully walked out both lines so they were the exact same distance out to the feeder. Now there is nothing so wonderful as the smell of continental ground bait on a mild moon light evening by a wonderful river full of bream and the site of those quiver tips banging round as a big slab takes your bait, I was in heaven. After catching 25 and the time approaching 11pm I told good friends Andy and Steve, this is it lads, its time to break the 30 barrier. Concentration and several fish later I had clonked up 32 bream! I know if I had stayed on fishing till 4 in the morning I would easily have had well over 200lb of fish as many were in the 7lb bracket but its not about how many or how much its about having a great time catching fish and I love it..

27lb of Roach on the pole feeder!

What do you do when the flow is too fast but the roach are biting? Answer use the pole feeder.

So just how do you use a pole feeder. Well its a pretty simple method but works a treat when the flow is pushing through and making it hard to control a float set up.

Heres how I go about it.

Tackle: I use a number 8 soft set elastic in my pole any softer and its hard to hit the bites next you need to get yourself a pole feeder and one of Nick Larkin's pole feeder bite indicators.

The bite indicator is rather cunning in its simplicity it is a length of lighter pole elastic and to attach it to your main line you thread a small silicone sleeve on your main line and peg one end of the indicator on to the main line. You then attach the loop at the other end along with your main line loop on to the stonfo connector on you pole elastic. Then you simply pull the main line through the silicone sleeve that holds the indicator in place forming a loop that allows the fish to pull on the lighter elastic first. To find out more head on over to Nick Larkin's website on Nisa feeders at www.nisafeeders.co.uk Its a great method and certainly catches those fish when its flowing to hard for a float so give it a go you might get a bit addicted to it even...

The River Yare Nick Larkin day Supported by the EA who are working hard for you to improve angling access and opportunities.

Nick Larkin supported by the Environment Agency gave a brilliant lesson on feeder fishing on the mighty river Yare today for those that wanted to learn how to master the feeder on this brilliant river.

The Yare has in case you didn't know been fishing its socks off recently with some very big bags of roach coming out of the stretch. Today the wind was a bit too much but Nick Larkin gave us all a good lesson on how to fish it and those that came along all had a great day and learned loads. We all caught lots of roach and a few skimmers for good measure this has to be the best river fishing for roach in the country at the moment so if you love catching roach then make sure you get down there for a session.

Steve Lane, Environment Agency Fisheries Technical Specialist, said: “We’re really pleased to be able to help more people enjoy the exciting fishing that can be found in the tidal rivers of the Norfolk Broads. The quality of fishing in the Broads is getting better and better and the River Yare is currently making headline news in the match angling world.” Steve went on to say: “We are working with Great Yarmouth and Norfolk County Angling Association and our partners to improve access for anglers at this popular venue. Participants will be able to fish from twenty angling pads we have installed upstream of the pub, designed to provide firm, level pegs on the bank that was previously too soft and wet to fish from comfortably.” “This is a great example of the work we’re undertaking as part of the Broads Fisheries Action Plan to provide better access to angling opportunities” said Steve. “Across the Broads area we’re working in partnership with the Broads Angling Strategy Group, the Broadland Flood Alleviation Project and the Broads Authority to deliver real benefits for anglers.”

Left: Steve Lane from the EA with a fine roach bream hybrid.

Too boggy to fish on the Broads? Not anymore! The Norfolk Broads is one of Britain’s best known, most cherished angling locations. It is also a fragile environment – which means we do a lot of work protecting the fisheries here. Recently, for example, we have helped improve a stretch of the River Yare at Claxton, that used to be too soft and boggy to fish from comfortably. We’ve now installed 20 new hard standing fishing pegs on soft rond upstream of the popular Beauchamp Arms public house. This stretch of the river is an incredibly important match fishery, and the new pegs will mean that more of the bank can now be pegged out, to cater for the increasing demand for competition fishing on the Broad’s. More space is now also available to enjoy pleasure angling, with day ticket access to the public available through the controlling club, the Great Yarmouth and Norfolk County Angling Association.

Centre pin reels, Lancaster bombers and Junior matches, quite a week!

Well fishing is full of interesting things lately. I went off to the river Yare to try out my new centre pin reel for the big bags of roach they have been catching up there I tried doing the famous Wallis cast but it was more like the Wally cast! I did get the hang of it in the end and had great fun catching some lovely big roach though. Then it was a day out on all the river section with our Bailiffs team, we were doing ok until we encountered a rather large bull in one of the Earsham sections and decided that it would be best to retreat back to safety of the gate as it was looking a bit huffy with us. Take my advise if you see a bull and it doesn't look friendly go fish elsewhere. Then after all that it was the 3rd Juniors match at Topcroft for a change and the kids all had a great day catching some carp and while we were fishing I was treated to the site of a Lancaster Bomber and a spitfire flying over us it was like being back in the 1940s all over again well almost..

The Lancaster and the Spitfire                               The Bailiffs consider there options while the Bull considers his...                           Lovely stretch at the coal Yard and Jobe with his first, carp good times.... 

The best birthday cake ever!

With the depressing issues of otter predation, fish removal, invasive plants cormorants and all the other issues that plague angling these days its nice to know that sometimes you can just forget it all for a while and celebrate being 51 with the best Fishermans birthday cake ever.. and then when I went out fishing my good friends bought me a lovely centre pin reel and a nice card with a big bream on it life is good..

Update on the outbreak of crayfish plague in September 2007 in the River Waveney 

January 2009 From the Broads Authorities website urgent environmental news...

The outbreak affected the population of Turkish crayfish in the lower river - principally in the Bungay and Beccles area. In order to stop spreading the disease to any of our remaining populations of native crayfish, we requested that river users implement bio-security measures. The Environment Agency advised that we couldn't assume the threat of transmission had disappeared after any specific time period so precautions have remained in place.

To review the situation the Environment Agency carried out a thorough survey of the lower river in late summer 2008. No crayfish were found. Just as we thought it was safe to lift the restrictions, a report was received of a dead crayfish at Earsham Gravel pit. Further surveying of this water body again turned up no crayfish.

In the absence of live crayfish, we estimate all the plague spores have died out by now. It is therefore safe to ease bio-security measures.

Ideally good hygiene and drying of equipment should always be practised when transporting vessels and equipment from one river system to another, to avoid risk of spread of diseases and alien species.

Thanks for all your help in keeping this worrying disease away from our precious stocks of native crayfish. In the future we hope to establish some 'ark' sites in safe still waters that may also help long-term survival of the species.

If you receive any reports of crayfish in this area, please contact the Broads Authority or the Environment Agency.

A very interesting day out with the Environment Agency as they electro fish a section of the river Waveney to monitor fish stock

Jonathan Clarke from the EA and his team met with me on the river and I was able to see how they monitor our fish stocks by taking samples from selected river sections they start by blocking of two ends of a river section with nets and then move up and down the stretch with there boat. The long pole with rings on them have a low charge passing into the water which stuns the fish slightly. They are then netted and put in containers before being measured and scales taken for analysis back at the EA head office. Here a video picture show of the day for you. Tight lines Mark.

Appalling figures for Angling Trust membership!!! read this and hang your head in shame if you have not joined the Angling Trust and don't be tempted to think you as an angler can survive without the voice of the Angling Trust behind us all we can't its as simple as that, good GRIEF less then 1% that is truly pathetic what is the matter with you guys that have not joined for crying out loud 20 measly quid to insure angling has a national voice this really stinks pull your finger out and coff up that 20 quid and JOIN THE ANGLING TRUST NOW!

“Anglers need to imagine what the future might look like without a national body to represent their needs, and join the Angling Trust now. We have worked very hard before and after the merger to develop the national body but it seems that too many anglers think that others will support the cause for them. Anglers have to realise that having a central body representing their interests, protecting their angling and campaigning to ensure we can all go fishing tomorrow does require a commitment from everyone today.”

DAM RIGHT MR LLOYD WE CANT AFFORD TO NOT JOIN THE TRUST WITH OUT IT ANGLERS WILL HAVE NO SAY AND BE MADE TO TOW THE LINE SET BY OTHERS.I CAN NOT GET THIS POINT OVER STRONGLY ENOUGH IF YOU HAVENT JOINED DO IT NOW YOUR FUTURE AS AN ANGLER DEPENDS ON IT...

 Angling Trust announces restructuring

The Angling Trust has announced a number of cuts to its central operations in Nottingham and Leominster. Despite widespread publicity and the distribution of half a million membership leaflets, the level of recruitment has to date, fallen below expectations. This shortfall, along with higher than expected costs, is threatening the viability of the Trust.

Membership shortfall

Of 4 million anglers less than 1% have joined the Trust – many more were expected to have signed up and, despite thousands of further members of former organisations due to renew in the remaining months of the year, the Board was not confident the organisation could continue to provide sufficient service to members without making savings.

This shortfall, added to difficulties created by the merger, presented a difficult situation which could only be rectified by reducing the overheads of the organisation. Consequently deep cuts have been made and a number of staff have been made redundant. 

"Angling needs the Angling Trust" - Chairman

“These measures are necessary to balance the Angling Trust’s books. It is difficult to conceal the board’s disappointment in the response we have had from anglers. However, we expect to be able to continue at a satisfactory level of service.” Said Dr Stephen Marsh-Smith, the Trust’s chairman.

“More than ever before, angling needs representation at national level to continue the fight against pollution, inadequate legislation, illegal canoeing, poaching, predation and all the other threats facing angling today.” Angling needs to have a strong body to promote our unique sport, increase participation and ensure that the whole business flourishes. For only £20 per angler, this can easily be done, but we need every individual angler to join as a member themselves, as well as their clubs and sponsorship from all those who benefit from the £3billion angling business”. “Anyone can join the Trust today and ensure the sport is represented at a national and international level by completing an application form, visiting www.anglingtrust.net or calling 0844 7700616,” he continued.

Chief Executive Mark Lloyd stated:

“Anglers need to imagine what the future might look like without a national body to represent their needs, and join the Angling Trust now. We have worked very hard before and after the merger to develop the national body but it seems that too many anglers think that others will support the cause for them. Anglers have to realise that having a central body representing their interests, protecting their angling and campaigning to ensure we can all go fishing tomorrow does require a commitment from everyone today.”

Recruit a member

As a valued member you can do your bit to help - all it takes is for you to recruit just one angler; your fishing buddy, or even another club member.

If all of us did this we could grow the membership to more than 20,000  overnight

Back on the Yare.

Having got myself a new heavy feeder rod I took off in the evening for another session on the River Yare for those big bream. Mixing up the ground bait with some casters, micro pellets and corn it looked like it was going to be good evening and I was hopeful that a big bream would be the first fish on my new rod. I like to hair rig all my baits for bream normally so I used a single grain of corn on a short hair rig to a size 14 B911 hook. As the flow was not too bad I could get away with a one and half ounce open feeder but it can really push through hard on the Yare so sometime a 2 or more is needed. Out went my feeder and bait and I poured myself a cup of coffee. Its never a static method fishing the feeder and regular casting to top up the ground baited area and keep the feed going in was needed. After about 15 minutes the tip wacked round and a nice fish was on. People say that Bream don't give much of a fight and that may be true of bream in still waters but on this tidal water with a fast flow they really put up a scrap and are great fun to catch. After a good account of itself a lovely big bream just over 6lb surfaced and slipped into my landing net, brilliant fishing. Now with my new rod truly christened in style I went  on to have a great evening fishing with several more bream falling to my hair rigged sweet corn. As the session wore on the bites became more difficult so swopping over to single corn and two caster did the trick then it was over to a  corn and bread combination to tempt the final fish of the evening. Add to that the beautiful surroundings and peace and quiet as the stars came out to adorn the sky it all made for a perfect fishing session with my good friends Andy and Steve. In the angling times I noticed that commercial fisheries are now putting in flood lights so anglers can hold matches on them and there was a pole to ask if people thought river matches were likely to come to an end. As I packed up and went home along the river I wondered to myself what its all coming to. The thought of fishing under flood lights like a football arena and those fish being subjected to this kind of pressure just does not appeal to me at all and seems to have little regard for the fish themselves. No for me the rivers will always be the place to go wild and natural with a true beauty that commercials will never capture. Check out  Mark Pollard catching bream on the Yare in this UTube video

This cartoon says it all really...

The lovely River Yare and some big bream

Took off this evening for a session on the river yare at the Beauchamp arms near Langley in Norfolk with the EA officers Graham Gamble and Steven Lane who are such a great help to the club and the Broads angling strategy group as well as being great anglers themselves. We had a great evening catching some lovely big bream on sweet corn it was brilliant I love catching bream from the rivers such a lovely place to be with barn owls gliding over the marshes and flocks of geese flying over the river. Its not always about the fish a large part of it is just being there. Tight Lines Mark.

National fishing week

What a great day! Loads of people having a go at fishing for the first time and lots of fish being caught as well after a good old downpour. However there was one thing that put the damper on the day and that was a large male otter present in the common pond diving into our fish and killing them! This is bad news indeed  as we were hoping the otters would stay in the river and leave our common pond fish alone. Considering they cleared out 40,000 pound worth of fish stocks last year from the club pit there is only one course of action to take. We are endeavouring to open up the pathway all around the common pond round the back end and would encourage all dog owners to walk along here and let there dogs go in the water as much as possible. By doing this we hope to make the otter avoid this pond and go back to the river if we don't they will destroy our fish stocks as they have done  in the club pit. Any way back to National fishing week. It was very well attended with 30 or more people through out the day and the children that came will of course get the chance to take part in our junior matches and win some great prizes this year thanks to everyone who helped out and we look forward to seeing you all at the other club events this year. Mark.

Broads angling strategy group meeting

The meeting with the BASG and the Broads Authority over the contentious banning of anglers from 24 hour mooring took place tonight at Dragonfly house Norwich and was very well attended by all parties.

It was clear that failing had been made but despite the resentment and frustration felt by many anglers who have complained to the BA over this there did seem to be the chance for a way forward. It is expected that the BA will issue a press release in the next few days detailing how this issue is to be addressed and it is hoped that this will resolve the issues in providing angling opportunities that have now been lost. Its fair to say that up until now there was good progress being made with the BASG and the BA and EA all working well together but it is also fair to say that this current issue has caused a great deal of upset that should have been avoided. For myself I see this issue and many like it the reason why all anglers need to join the Angling Trust and support the one voice you have to represent  your sport. So no doubt there will be more to come on the BAs actions and its outcomes. In the meantime though its National fishing week coming up this Saturday and I will be down there with the others looking to have a good day and enjoying teaching some youngsters the wonders of fishing. Hope your all enjoying your fishing glad its cooled off a bit now as well phew its been hot..

Tight lines Mark.

Last day of the Level 2 Angling course night fishing at Dunburgh and Junior teaching sessions.

Well at last we have reached the end and have become level 2 angling coaches Hooray!

I would just like to thank Sally Pizii, Jim and all the others who delivered this course it has been brilliant and we all really enjoyed it as well. From day one we all new we would have a lot to learn but thanks to Sally and her team the learning was made fun and interesting and the course was never ever boring or unchallenging. For any of you out there who are thinking of becoming angling coaches all I can say to you is GO FOR IT! There so much you can give to others if you really want to and the good news is that now we have become level 2 coaches we can recruit more youngsters into the sport and share with them our passion for angling. Our Kingfisher angling courses we are running in September are already booked up and were looking forward to teaching a whole new generation of young anglers the skills they need to take up this life long learning and fantastic sport of ours. If you want to know more about the course just drop me an email or say hi to me on the bank and I will gladly tell you more about it or better still go to the Angling trusts website and sign up for it yourself. Or even better book yourself into our NATIONAL FISHING WEEK ON THE 18TH OF JULY AND WE WILL TELL YOU ALL ABOUT IT WHILE HELPING YOU TO CATCH SOME FISH!

The junior matches are starting soon so don't forget to book in for those, we have some great prizes this year and as well as all that if any of you want to take advantage of our angling coaches then just drop me an email and we will arrange an angling coaching session for you on the subject of your choice! Cant be bad.

I have been avoiding the day time and going night fishing at Dunburgh which has been wonderful I love this river section. We have had a problem with people fishing there with out there EA licences and have successfully caught them and reported them to the EA officer who we work closely with to put a stop to it. On the night I had a lovely bag of roach dace and perch and a few bream to put the slime on the cake! Today our volunteer organiser Lloyd and our level 1 angling coach Eric ran our junior teach in season at the common pond and they all had a great time. Angling truly is a wonderful pastime and I am a lucky man to be able to play such a big part in it as secretary of this fine club. Here are some pictures of the last few days for you. Tight lines and happy fishing Mark.

Any one lost a quiver tip at Falcon meadows?

Mark

Roger Harrison and I fished Falcon Meadow yesterday, 26th, and I found a

quiver tip; about 55cm long push fit.  Any takers give them my email address

and I'll sort out return.

Falcon Meadows Match what a lovely day

It was hard going but it was really enjoyable all the same. The weather was mild and over cast not to hot and having decided from the start to leave my pole at home and concentrate on my float fishing I had a great day searching for the roach and dace among the reeds beneath  the water. Started off using a waggler then changed over to a very delicate canal float at there was virtually no flow and the roach were really hard to tempt. I like it when its hard though makes it much more interesting to fish. It was nice to see our match secretary David win the match knocking me into 4th position and we all had a good day. Next match will be at my favourite river stretch Dunburgh so I'm looking forward to that one. By the way the club t shirts and caps are now finished very smart indeed and on sale at the hobby horse in Bungay for 9.99 each.

A peaceful evening followed by a hectic day..

Went to my favourite river at Dunburgh for peaceful and relaxing evening fishing with my friend Lloyd and we just chilled out watching the river drift by and catching a few fish. I wasn't bothered at all if I was catching loads of fish I was just really glad to be by the river taking in the scenery. I couple of Buzzards flew past on the other bank behind the trees and as the evening set in and the darkness brought out the bats and the midges we were in a world of our own. I just love rivers so much, its a joy to be by them watching the world go by and taking it all in. When we packed up at 10.30pm I spotted something glowing in the grass by the bank, what's that I said to my mate? Oh look, wow! its a glow bug, very cool indeed, why you could almost have used it as an isotope on the end of your rod it was so bright.

So that was very enjoyable, then it was off home to bed and up early for the 5th day of my Level 2 angling course. Very busy with everyone doing there session plans and risk assessments and then delivering there coaching programme while being keenly observed by our tutors. This was followed by a child protection work shop to teach us about this aspect of coaching as we have to take our responsibilities to the kids we teach very seriously to insure they are kept safe at all times. By now I was flagging a bit and my concentration was ebbing away but we finished the day with some good feed back from the group and our tutors about how the course has gone. All of us agreed we had learned a great deal and were looking forward to obtaining our level 2 certificates and taking on our role as level 2 angling coaches.

So phew, very busy indeed and tomorrow its the match at Falcon Meadows just hope I don't fall asleep.

Tight lines Mark.

Dougie and Tony's pole fishing lesson,  Molly and Gerald discussing fish , then indoors they were tying rigs with Sally, and out side was this really beautiful moth sitting on the wall. Life is wonderful really despite all the bad things in the world there is still a great deal to be happy about. Happy fishing, even our juniors had a great day catching some fish  on the first fishing lessons of the year well done!

Whoah! pike on look at it go...                      Yes victory is mine says Alex..           The girls are great at catching fish and both had a nice catch of roach on the day.. 

June the 16th is here at last and I return from an all night session on my favourite river..

The time was 4pm in the morning we had sat through a heavy storm with fork lightening but hey who cares were fishing and its great to be out by the river again. As  the river is where I have always found my deepest peace, there can be nothing more calming then to sit by a river and watch the sun go down. As the night take over and the bats and owls come to visit all worry of the day fade away and you can take time to collect your thoughts. And then as the early morning mists roll down the river bank and herons fly over head all is calm. I love fishing so much I hope you all had a good first day of the season and look forward to seeing you on the bank some time. Tight lines Mark.

The storm is raging out side, then we are set up  and fishing, Terry got a lovely bream and we were greeted with a rainbow as the evening began.

Bailiffs Team is ready to go

As part of all the changes the club is going through as we attain club mark status we now have a new baliffing team who will be on the bank checking your cards and licences. Go here to find out more about them.

All in a days work for an angling club secretary

Otter predation issues, endless phone calls and emails from the press and media all ignoring the real issues looking for cheap readership figures rather then reporting the urgent need for something to be done, cries of cull the otters going out what utter rubbish! We don't want to be killing things we want to be saving them for gods sake! fish, otters, eels, water voles, honey bees, great crested newts, badgers the list goes on and on. Now we hear that beavers are being released but the real issue with all these creatures we put back into the environment is where is the consultation the long term studies of there impact on our rivers. Ask yourself why are we in such a mess with otter predation now and the answer is because the ground work that should have been done before they were released was not there. Or to put it another way its no use bolting the stable door once the horse has escaped! So while the debate goes on and the meetings continue important though they are (and they are) we must bear the consequences of our thoughtless actions because we do indeed reap what we sow. So what is the answer , well how about pulling the money out of your wallet and making the effort to join the Angling Trust so that your voice is heard above the nonsense that is drowning out common sense not that there's much of that left in the world these days sigh...

Well after the Otter meeting at Bungay community centre read all about it here I spent the next two day on my level 2 angling coaching coarse for some light relaxation yeah right.. But hey it was really good stuff. We covered loads of new things this weekend and the tutors put us all through our paces learning to deliver our coaching sessions I had no idea there was so much to being an angling coach. We also did our first aid training and I was feeling a bit queasy when we saw this picture of a man with a treble hook in his eye ball! Very nasty. I remember when I was a lad going spinning for pike and catching my dad in the cheek with a lure when I was casting out but in the eye oh that is horrible. All the more reason to teach safe fishing practises to our young anglers and ban those nasty little kids fishing kits that have spinners with barbed hooks in them no no no.. use barbless hooks and give kids a safe fishing kit a little whip and a disgorger is much better or you could end up like this poor guy. I see kids on our rivers all the time unsupervised with out a clue believe you me they need an angling coach to teach them how to fish safely so get them signed up to our coaching programme.

Fish welfare and safety on the bank is what we must teach our young anglers if we are to avoid accidents like this.

So fish safely and use barbless hooks better still get your kids to come along to our coaching sessions and let us teach them how to be safe anglers for you.

A day at the common pond, happy anglers lovely fish and clearing up after the tossers! (Don't be a tosser! is the BBCs anti rubbish campaign)

A great day at the common pond where our junior member Harry finished his lessons on pole fishing as a part of my level 2 angling coaching. As well as this we had our team of volunteers taking part in R.I.P. the river improvement parties and clearing up two big bags of rubbish that the tossers had left for us all to wallow in shame on them! Then we got some lovely fish and just missed catching the big carp that were cruising about in the sunshine. Heres some pictures of it all for you ahh fishing I love it.

Juniors learning new skills            Lovely crucian carp being caught and golden Rudd to brighten the day  but oh dear look at all this rubbish we cleared up support us and help stop the tossers join RIP the River improvement parties! Remember don't be a Tosser take your rubbish home with you.

Angling Trust action on Otter Predation and important meeting in Bungay on the 5th of June on this serious issue

  Fact: one otter can eat 137lb of fish in just one Month! Fact: there natural food source is depleted Fact: in one year that's 1,638 lbs of your fish stocks gone! Fact: Otters also eat water fowl, water voles and eels which are also declining in numbers. We have created in imbalance that must be put right. For the otters sake and for the fisheries and rivers that are now suffering heavy losses.

As the issue of Otter predation and its serious impact on our fisheries and rivers is something that anglers clubs and fisheries can no longer ignore, the Bungay Cherry Tree Angling club is to hold a meeting at the Community Centre in Bungay on the 5th of June at 7.30pm. Guest speaker Chris Burt from the Angling Trust will deliver a presentation on the issue that will explain how the Specialist Anglers Alliance and the Angling trust arrived at where we are now, which starts from the initial involvement in ’99, thorough to fencing, funding etc. It will then include information from the EA regarding funding, they are well aware that they have not provided funds for anyone to date, but need to do so.

Other key speaker affected by this issue will be present and the meeting is open to all clubs, fisheries and individuals  in the local area who have been affected by Otter predation. Its purpose is to highlight the seriousness of this problem and to collectively bring together all affected parties in this local region in order that the Angling Trust our governing body can then take this information and evidence away with them and use it to work with Natural England, DEFRA the EA and local government to address this issue on behalf of angling and the environmental body's. If your club or fishery has faced fish losses or closure due to Otter predation I urge you to attend this meeting, this problem is not going to simply go away and it is the duty of every angler and conservationist to insure that our rivers, fish stocks and otters themselves are part of a natural and well balanced ecosystem and biodiversity.

A recent article written by the popular artist and fisherman Chris Turnbull and  published in this months edition of Coarse Angling Today, entitled "Death on the Wensum", issues the stark warning of the effects of the continued and seemingly unchecked release of otters onto our already pressured waterways. It is the most accurate and telling report on the subject I have read in a long time I suggest you nip out to your news agent and buy a copy like I did today.

So the cards are on the table the meeting is set and now we wait to see what kind of reaction we will get from you our club members and all affected, believe you me if you don't bother to come to this meeting and the otters continue to deplete our rivers and still waters you will only have yourself to blame. Anglers can not afford to be apathetic, there is simply too much at stake so come along and make your voice heard.

 Do you remember that big fish you got last year from the river? well it needs a voice to protect it, and that voice is you.

Otter Predation Meeting

with guest speaker Chris Burt from the Angling Trust

Bungay Community centre

7.30pm

Friday June the 5th 2009.

Be there...

Passing on the pleasure of fishing.

As part of my level 2 Angling coaching coarse I have to prepare four 1 hour coaching sessions. To achieve this I asked one of our junior members if he would be willing to take part in a session to learn the basics of pole fishing to which he readily agreed. Now its interesting this, but I never thought I would get so much out of teaching my fishing skills to some one else. I did very little fishing myself as this was a teaching session of course, but after an hour of delivering the prepared lesson not only did our junior club member say he had really enjoyed it and learned a lot, but I too had really got a lot out of it myself. It was a great pleasure to see my young pupil catching his first fish on the pole and reminded me of what I was like when I first started fishing, keen, enthusiastic and excited. I mentioned in my last blog entry how much I liked watching floats disappear as the fish takes your bait and it was nice to hear the young lad tell me that it was just the very same thing that he found so exciting there's a mystery and a magic about it that makes me want to go again he told me. So I think I'm going to enjoy being a fishing coach and hopefully pass on some of the knowledge  I have gained over the years to someone else. Funny meeting a fisherman who was 93 years old then reading about Bills love of fishing and his passion for nature and the things around him followed by a young lad of 14 telling me how this hobby of ours was so enjoyable. Its not just the catching of fish there so much more to it then that as any good angler will tell you its a life long adventure of learning and appreciation of the things so many take for granted.

Down in the Fishermans cellar

There's not many fisherman I know who cant resist buying floats and I have quite a few as you can see. I have been collecting floats since I was a boy and have never been able to walk out of the tackle shop without buying one. I don't think there is anything so magical as watching a float disappear when a fish takes your bait. When I was a lad we used to use the old porcupine quill floats to fish for the local roach in our rivers and streams, usually with a loaf of bread for bait or some worms we dug up from the garden. I remember my first really big roach from the tiny river Blyth it weighed just over 2lb and it was the most magnificent creature I had ever seen caught on bread flake with my little orange porcupine float and my fibre class rod, ah such happy days they were. The water held a fascination for me which I have never lost and the brightly coloured floats of my child hood days are still with me now. Perhaps we never lose what we learn as children, those little things that fascinated us then may be seen with older eyes but they still bring great joy to my heart. And as Bill Whiting put it so well, these are indeed sweet obsessions. The last two pictures are me with my granddaughter catching some tiddlers.

Stories of monsters hiding in the club pit from "Sweet Obsessions" by Bill Whiting.

Well I have had a very interesting week. I went to meet a lovely old chap in Bungay called Eddie who was selling his fishing gear, he is now 93 years old and no longer goes. I bought it all from him at a very reasonable price for the juniors and while I was chatting with Eddie he lent me a copy of a little book called Sweet Obsessions by William Whiting. I had never heard of the book but Eddie told me it was all about our club pit and a man who had fished it for over 20 years. Keen to read it I thanked Eddie for the fishing gear and the privilege of hearing his fishing stories and headed home to read the little book. Now I had no idea this book was in print and it turned out to be a most fascinating read. The Author William or Bill Whiting describes his 20 years of fishing at the club pit and the many fine fish he caught during his time there. However what really got my interest was his story of the Monster. This fish was hooked by Bill only 2 times and on both times he tells in wonderful detail how the monster managed to elude him and how it haunted his dreams. Here is a little bit from the book...

Eventually the rod was pulled around violently and the line raced unstoppably into the middle of the lily bed and I had to pull until the line broke I was in a terrible state of depression and vowed not to fish there again. Something was always disturbing my mind though and I had dreams of the monster by day and by night It got to me so much that i began to wonder about my sanity. Willowdown was drawing me like a magnet because of the peace there and the beauty and of course that huge fish.

This huge fish Bill believes to be a big cat fish as he was told by an elderly gentleman about a cat fish he put in the lake in 1962, if so it would now be about 60lb or more and would certainly fit well with the story I have heard about a big fish in the lake. Bill did not like the name club pit so he changed it to Willowdown, a much nicer name if you ask me and one that I would love to change it to.

What really impressed me about this little book is how it captured  the true spirit of angling and showed me what a wonderful history our club pit has got. I know we have had our trouble there over the years with otters, mink and cormorants, but it is still a magical place to fish and I must admit that Bills book has got me wondering if that catfish is still there lurking in the depths somewhere. Here is a lovely poem that Bill wrote about our club pit or Willowdown his name for this wonderful old lake. Bill has now sadly passed away but I would like to thank him for his little book and this poem that expresses so well the magic of angling and why we go fishing.

Willow Down Pool