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River Wye Spring Two Day Festival

Organised by local hero Dave Roberts, the River Wye Spring Two Day Festival was another sell out and other great event.

This is an event that Fishing IT is very proud to support and sponsor, through Milo and Bait-Tech.

After day two of last years event being called off, the forecast this year was better with hopes of two days fishing high.

The river was in a great condition in the build up to this match and day one certainly didnt disappoint.

This year Dave worked hard to improve the event and by finding the sponsorship to allow Catch More Media to film and further showcase it. (Video above)

The river has fished outrageously well first day, topped by a superb 57lb by Lee Edwards. 

The cold weather and lack of colour on the second day, has slowed sport to typical winter fishing with a few blanks but still some great weights, and another 50lb winning net. This time by Tredegar's Anglings Mark Jones.

Derron Harper won the event, and deservedly so after being so consistent on this river not only for this festival but the past few years.

Check out the video below for all the details but everyone is once again looking forward to next year as the event grows in stature. 

Weather is always going to be a danger at this time of year but that can be handled that if 50lb keeps winning. 

The Wye remains a river where Anglers continually experience the match of their lives, and long may it continue.

New for 2018 - Milo "Goliath" EVA Bait Bag

The first of our new products for 2018 is this awesome EVA Bait bag.

The bigger brother of the original Redfifty EVA bait bag, this aptly named Goliath will carry a massive amount of bait securely to your peg.

Features include heat welded seams, a zipped lid with clips allowing it to be locked in either full of half opened.

It comes with rigid handles and shoulder strap for easy of carrying to your swim and can be easily wiped clean.

Dimensions are: 50cm x 30cm x 28cm and in stock at Fishing IT now.

RRP is £54.99

For all sales enquiries please email info@fishing-it.com or give us a call in the office on 01443 837579

Fishing-IT to Sponsor Two Day River Event

Fishing IT is delighted to be able to sponsor the River Wye Spring 2 Day Angling Festival for the second year.

Organised by Dave Roberts, the event is sold out again, with a healthy waiting list already being compiled a tribute to how popular and well organised it is.

This years' event takes place on February 21st and 22nd and will be jointly sponsored by Hereford and District Angling Association, and Fishing-IT through the Milo & Bait-Tech brands.

The sponsorship also means the event will be filmed by Catch More Media, and shown through various online channels and social media channels.

There will also be tackle and bait prizes for daily section winners, and the Top 3 in the festival overall.

Woodys Angling Centre has kindly agreed to sponsor the after match buffet.

Last years' Champion Colin Harvey is kindly donating a trophy for the big fish prize, and Catch More Media are sponsoring this with a cash prize of £50.

The event will once again be hosted by the brilliant The Plough Inn and It's set to be a brilliant two days fishing.

Keep your eye out for further updates and coverage of this event.

Match This Final 2017

Saturday September 2nd 2017 marked the conclusion of the seventh annual Maver Mega Match This event at Maver Hayfield Lakes. Twenty four qualifiers staged at the country's top commercials starting in April right the way through to August had produced twenty four (24) of the UK's best match anglers and, arguably the strongest big money final EVER on paper. All of whom were competing for the richest prize in UK match angling history at a massive £70,000 and to have their name forever written into the history books and onto the iconic Mega Match This trophy alongside the biggest names in the sport.

Anglers drew for their pegs the night before during a special gala evening event, which was staged at the superb onsite Hayfield Fishing and Shooting Lodge with all competing finalists and their guests enjoying food, drink and live entertainment. Upon the draw being complete, many of the competing anglers were still none the wiser as to who they felt would be in with a chance at the following day's purse such is the standard of fishing on offer on Dannies (Island) Lake. With some very good anglers in good areas, the 2017 Grand Final was a tantalising prospect!

Come the morning of the match, spectators turned out in their droves thanks largely to conditions on the day being much kinder than the previous year and the efforts of the Hayfield Lakes staff, with outside bars, food and entertainment all contributing to a fantastic day out for supporters and bystanders. The standard of sport was, once again, fantastic with competing anglers finding fish shortly after the all in was signalled at twelve noon.

After the first hour of the competition, a number of anglers had begun to put their stamp on the day's events and were making their presence known during the opening stages. One such angler was current Fish O Mania Champion and MAP backed Jamie Hughes. Jamie had drawn Match This peg number 1 (permanent peg 3) close to the railway line, which was an area that didn't produce in 2016's final. However, Jamie was into big fish early on finding a number of carp up in the water to shallow tactics putting himself in early contention.

Further along on Match This pegs 8, 9, 10 and 11 (permanent pegs 19 - 25) an interesting battle between Kieron Rich, Andy Power, Rob Wootton and Chris Cameron had begun to emerge with all four men getting off to a great start. With two hours of the match gone, no one was able to single out a clear leader amongst them.

For those anglers that had drawn on the 'Wood bank', things got off to a slower start. Local rod Andy Bailey, who many had tipped as being a potential favourite going into this year's final given his extensive knowledge of the venue, like many, were struggling. With the sun being late to make its way round, much of the bank remained in the shade for a large part of the match with it being noticeably cooler for the twelve finalists that had drawn Match This pegs 13 - 24. It wasn't until much later on in the match the sun made its way round and action started to hot up with Colmic's Jamie Wilde getting into his stride alongside commercial mastermind, Andy Bennett. Maver's own Sam Brown also found the fish at this point and was gaining some serious ground on the front runners with rumours circulating on the bank he may well have nudged his way in front with three hours gone.

However, the crowds were beginning to gather behind Kieron Rich, Andy Power, Rob Wootton and Chris Cameron, all of whom were still catching steadily with very little between them. Rob Wootton was still catching well on bomb and pellet and looked to be leading the field, but previous Champions, Andy Power and Chris Cameron were still in the running and were both fishing superb matches in their own right.

As the match entered the final stages, Preston's Andy Power really upped the ante and was now landing more fish than anyone else around him. Chris Cameron (Middy) also staged a late charge catching some very large fish late on. Between them, both men were looking good for being the first man ever to win the Mega Match This final for a second time. Rob Wootton (Dynamite Baits), however, was also still catching steadily on the bomb and pellet, but his early lead was now looking a little less certain as the match entered the final sixty minutes.

As the match wore on and approached its conclusion, Rob Wootton's place at the top of the field was looking more and more in doubt with Andy Power and Chris Cameron finding big fish late on. Unfortunately for the anglers pegged on the opposite bank, just as soon as the fish had showed a willingness to feed, they had stopped again leaving Andy Bennett looking like the only man capable of challenging the top few.

Upon the final hooter sounding, it was Rob Wootton who had the final say with a decent-sized carp gracing his net within the allowed fifteen minute time limit. It was genuinely too close to call at the end of five hours with opinion on the bank divided as to who had done enough at the end of another thrilling finale involving three anglers, two of which were former Champions vying for their place in the history books. Social media was alive with predictions and hypotheses following live updates from Andy Kinder and Graeme Wall, but nobody knew who had done enough.

Upon the scales making their way round, weights on the river bank were extremely close with very little separating Match This peg 1 - 6 (permanent pegs 3 - 15). Andy Power was the first of the three front men to weigh in, confirming a weight of 37.050 kilos to take the lead topping Jamie Hughes' 31.500 kilos. Andy's lead was short lived, however, with Rob Wootton confirming a weight of 42.175 kilos instantly quelling the hopes of Andy Power fans both on the bank and at home watching via social media. If Chris Cameron was unable to top Rob's weight, would this be enough to see the Leicestershire based rod crowned 2017 Maver Mega Match This Champion?

Chris weighed in 39.800 kilos meaning all eyes were now on the 'Wood bank', where only one angler was rumoured to be in with a chance of cutting Rob's celebrations short. Maver's Sam Brown weighed in 27.425 kilos, which remained the best recorded weight until the scales reached Manchester-based Andy Bennett. After three weighs, Andy confirmed a final weight of 36.675 kilos with just Jamie Wilde to beat. Upon the scales arriving with Jamie, his mid-match run of form saw him return 28.375 kilos.

Upon the last remaining finalist weighing in word had reached the main stage that Rob Wootton was the new 2017 Maver Mega Match This Champion. Despite fantastic last minute efforts from both Andy Power and Chris Cameron, Rob held his nerve and stuck to his game plan and emerged victorious topping what many regarded before the final as being the strongest field of twenty four (24) anglers ever in a Mega Match This final.

Upon being confirmed the seventh Mega Match This Champion in as many years, Rob was soon swarmed by the angling press just moments after receiving the iconic trophy and soaking with crowd with a nice vintage. A huge congratulations to Rob, who incidentally, was the very first man to qualify for the 2017 Mega Match This Grand Final. Rob now cements his place in angling history as being the seventh Mega Match This Champion and receiving £70,000 alongside previous Champions Andy Power, Les Thompson, Zac Brown, Chris Cameron, Peter Upperton and Jon Whincup.

Shortly after being confirmed Champion, Rob commented:

"A couple of early fish short on the pole before a great run on bomb and pellet gave me a pretty good first half of the match before my peg dwindled and I just picked up odd fish as others started to catch up. Luckily, I managed to hold on and my forty two kilos was enough to win the jackpot prize of £70,000 - a massive amount of money".

"I've got to thank Maver for running the event and also Hayfield Fishery, all the guys that came to support me and, finally, my wife. I put a lot into my fishing and she has to be quite understanding".

Fish o Mania Final 2017

Saturday see's the years first big money final as the 25 finalists compete for one of the most prestigious titles in UK Match Angling.

The even live on Sky Sports will see one lucky winner crowned Fish o Mania Champion and walk away with a cool 50k.

Not forgetting the runner up also pocketing a very handy 10k!

The full list of finalists are:

08/03 Steve Jackson Viaduct Fishery, Somerset (130 pegs) 64.15kg

11/03 Stephen Openshaw Heronbrook Fishery, Staffordshire (150 pegs) 54.88kg

25/03 Paul Blinkhorn Tunnel Barn Farm, Warwickshire (180 pegs) 82.81kg

26/03 Richard Chapman Colemans Cottage Fishery, Essex (130 pegs) 41.96kg

01/04 Robert Giles Viaduct Fishery, Somerset (130 pegs) 81.11kg

08/04 Andy Power Woodlands View, Worcestershire (150 pegs) 70.76kg

12/04 Tony Curd Monk Lakes, Kent (150 pegs) 60.78kg

15/04 Andy Adams Barford Lakes, Norfolk (130 pegs) 47.49kg

19/04 Colin Scott Partridge Lakes, Cheshire (200 pegs) 38.70kg

22/04 Jason Redgrave Makins Fishery, Warwickshire (150 pegs) 47.40kg

06/05 Adam Richards Tunnel Barn Farm, Warwickshire (180 pegs) 74.56kg

10/05 Ross Harold Monk Lakes, Kent (150 pegs) 60.78kg

17/05 Jamie Hughes Lake View, Leicestershire (130 pegs) 53.64kg

20/05 Steve Barraclough Hallcroft Fishery, Retford (150 pegs) 61.09kg

21/05 Lee Kerry Lindholme Lakes, South Yorkshire (200 pegs) 90.78kg

24/05 Steve Cooke Messingham Sands, North Lincs (160 pegs) 93.41kg

27/05 Jason Collins Colemans Cottage Fishery, Essex (130 pegs) 94.35kg

03/06 Lee Bennett The Oaks Lakes, North Yorkshire (180 pegs) 96.59kg

04/06 Ben Sharp Maver Larford Lakes, Worcestershire (130 pegs) 57.27kg

07/06 Chris Weeder Jnr Boldings, Bridgenorth (130 pegs) 59.93kg

10/06 Keith Pentland Woodlands, Thirsk (150 pegs) 63.37kg

14/06 Steven Hamilton Partridge Lakes (200 pegs) 68.2kg

17/06 Will Raison Gold Valley Lakes, Aldershot (130 pegs) 95.82kg

21/06 Dave Roberts Lindholme Lakes, South Yorkshire (300 pegs) 113kg

01/01 Markus Billen Germany Qualifier

The event also has a new sponsor this year with Vanarama, now the principle sponsor of the event.

Best of luck to all the finalists, its set to be an absolute awesome final.

Bait-Tech Signs Top Stars! 

Ipswich based bait giant Bait-Tech has added a list of high profile names to their already impressive team of sponsored anglers and consultants to further strengthen the brands place at the forefront of the bait market in the UK and across Europe. 

The team which already boasts last year’s big winners in the form of Fish’O’Mania Champion Andy May and the 2016 Maver Match This & Parkdean Masters Champion Jon Whincup who have picked up a huge £150,000 between them are enjoying huge success using the company’s products and the new recruits will be looking to bolster these titles with further success as well as assisting with promotion and product development.

Joining the brand are; England International Steve Gardener, Ex-Premiership Football star Jimmy Bullard, Daiwa Dorking ‘s Mark Goddard, Maver Match This Finalist Mike Mcmillan and England Feeder Team’s Wayne Bartholomew. 

With these signings we have a broad spectrum of talent added to the team across many different disciplines from feeder fishing on natural venues and river fishing to commercial fishery experts which will be a massive help when it comes to developing future products to bring to market.

2017 marks a big year for Bait-Tech as we celebrate our 10th year anniversary and there will be lots more to come from us over the course of the year. This is a brand to keep your eye on!

Milo Festival - White Acres

15th May  2017

Milo are proud to be the longest supporting sponsors of White Acres Festivals, and one of the reasons why this week is so popular with the top anglers from around the country.

The years event was hotly contested and one of the closest run with three top anglers on equal points after the five days of fishing.

In the end it was Preston Innovation's Andy Power that got the nod as the winner, just beating Welshman Mikey Williams on weight and Dan White on weight and droppers.

Final top 10 anglers are below, and looking how close it was at the top it could have gone a few different ways no doubt making a few nerves jangling!

Match This Qualifier - Woodland View Fishery

18th April 2017

Bait-Tech's Dave Roberts made no mistakes when a favourable draw at Woodlands View Fishery in Droitwich. Dave drew peg 18 on Hay Pool and fished short using expander on the hook and fed 4mm pellet to catch F1’s from 6ozs up to 1lb and carp to 4lbs.

Later, Dave switched to his edge line and fed 4mm pellets with banded hard pellet on the hook to catch Carp to 6lb and end the match with a massive 197-14-00. 

Well done Dave, best of luck in the final

Match This Qualifier - Partridge Lakes

10th April 2017

The first of three Mega Match This qualifiers at Warrington's Partridge Lakes took place on Saturday 8th April with another one hundred and twenty anglers going head to head in a bid to book their place in this year's big money final. 

Conditions on the day meant a slow start for most of the field on account of an overnight frost. Coupled with bright sunshine and next to no breeze at all, the match got off to a slow start. However, as the day progressed, and as temperatures continued to rise, anglers began to catch shallow with a noticeable change in the wind bringing the fish on.

Fishing his third Match This qualifier in two weeks was Daiwa Don-backed Andy Bailey. Having already finished inside the main frame on both the opening qualifiers at Mallory Park and Hayfield Lakes, Andy made it third time lucky with an overall match win from peg 121 on Covey 5. Andy caught F1s up to 3lbs on caster shallow at just 6m to end proceedings with 155-05-00 to book his place in September's Grand Final.

Finishing close behind in second place was Kieron Marsdon (Matrix LBT). Kieron secured an overall lake win from peg 54 on Covey 3 offering 152-13-00 of mainly F1s to the scales at the end of the five hours. Having narrowly missed out on a place in the Grand Final Kieran will now fish the Maver British Pole Championship final in August.

Taking third place on the day was fellow Matrix LBT rod, Gavin Vernon. Gavin also secured a lake win from peg 46 on Covey 2 with 135-15-00 of carp, ide and F1s. Gavin found fish shallow on casters, then swithed to his margins late on with worm finding carp up to 6lbs, also booking a place in the British Pole Championship final.

David Pimlott (Fox International) secured fourth place with 131-06-00 from peg 101 on Covey 5. David found most of his fish down his edge on worm, including a real specimen that registered 23lbs on the scales, helping him take the final British Pole Championship qualification place. 
Fifth place was taken by Mark Lucas (Mosella) from peg 25 on Covey 2. Mark offered 127-13-00 to the scales at the end of the five hours.

Mega Match This Grand Finalist: Andrew Bailey

Maver British Pole Championship Qualifiers: Kieron Marsden, Gavin Vernon and David Pimlott

1st Andrew Bailey (Daiwa Dons) 155-5-0

2nd Kieron Marsden (Matrix) 152-13-0

3rd Gavin Marsden (Matrix) 135-15-0

4th David Pimlott (Fox) 131-6-0

Wye Team Champs

Sunday 26th February 2017

It was touch and go as to whether this years event would take place due to high water levels, but the decision was made to run the match with a slight change to pegging. 10 teams of six anglers fished across the Belmont, Bartonsham and Eign sections. Barbel were expected to be the dominant species, but with the rising water, and lots of debris clogging up the river, they didn't show as well as expected. Belmont section did however produce plenty of dace and roach bites for most.
Top team on the day  was the experienced Wizards squad who scored well in most sections to accumulate only 25 penalty points. The squad was full of Wye experts and was made up of Paul johnson, Mike Johnson, Pete Goulding, Craig Haupt, Steve Maher & Colin Harvey. Runners up were the ever consistent Premier Team Woodys who finished 3 points back on 28. Finishing joint 3rd on 29 points was Shakespeare Super Team and Woodys Academy.
 
On the individual front Top angler on the day was Verne Taylor with a weight of 18-8-0. Fishing for Woodys Academy the Hereford angler caught a bream, a chub and a barbel on groundbait feeder tactics from the bottom end of Eign section. Runner up, catching 4 big chub from Bartonsham, was experienced Wye Rod Martin Challenger, and making up the frame was Welshman Dean knott who caught a mixed bag of roach, dace and chub from the Tennis courts.
 
Pictured. The wizards squad Paul Johnson, Mike Johnson, Pete Goulding, Craig Haupt, Steve Maher & Colin Harvey

Milo/Bait-Tech River Wye 2 day Spring Festival'

This brand new event attracted the cream of the UK match angling to the River Wye, for a 42 peg, 2 day event that would see the winner walk away with £1000. With rising air temperatures, the river switched on for day 1, but with Storm Doris approaching for day 2, there were troubled water ahead.

The Match was fished on the Belmont section around Hereford, and day 1 saw some consistent sport throughout with Dace, Chub, Roach, and barbel feeding freely with the warmer water conditions. Winner on the Day from peg 46 was 4 four times Wye Champion Colin Harvey, who fished blockend feeder tactics with Casters and hemp, to Catch 5 Barbel up to 10lb 8 oz, as well as 2 surprise bream. The Upton on Severn angler weighed 44lb 11oz for the all important section win. 

2nd overall and winning E section with an impressive display of long pole fishing was Welsh international Lee Edwards. The Maver backed, Caerphilly man caught 43lb 2oz of mainly perch and Chublets. From the same section came 3rd overall Craig Curti,s (Cotswold) who landed 9 big chub for 39lb at peg 96.

At the bottom of the tennis courts section a battle of species took place between Geoff Brierly and Former World Champ Will Raison. Geoff caught 7 decent barbel on feeder tactics, whilst Will attacked the river with waggler and maggot to catch 16 chub to 3 lbs. At the weigh in it was Geoffs barbel that clinched the section win by just 3 ounces with 35lb 10oz.

Other day 1 section winners were Deron Harper (Woodys) with 36lb from peg 88, Callum Dicks (Maver) 24-4-0, Dave Roberts (Tri-Cast/Bait-Tech) 16-1-0 and Simon Deakin (Tubertini Ludlow) 12-2-0

The after match talk soon turned from the buzz about what a good match it had been, to the worry about the 'Wall' of water that appeared to be on its way, as the river rose sharply through the upper reaches. No one however, expected what was to follow. By the time the anglers woke the next day, the river had risen over 3 metres and was close breaching the banks. With more to come and also the extreme winds form Storm Doris, there was no other decision to make than to cancel day 2. This meant that the Day 1 results would decide the festival. So it was on weight count that Colin Harvey would take the title  ahead of Lee Edwards and Deron Harper.

Speaking after the event Dave Roberts spoke of the shock at how the river had risen so quickly. 'We had virtually no rainfall on Wednesday so even though we knew there was rain in the Mid wales catchment area, we didn't expect the river to be too bad. When I saw the river on Thursday morning I was gutted. I've never seen it rise so fast.'

It was only later in the day that the real reason for the extreme surge would become apparent. A short video appeared on the BBC wales website shot on Wednesday morning, showing huge waves of water being being forced over the Elan Dam by the extreme winds. This extra surge traveled through the system at high speed

Despite the disappointment of having to cancel day 2, Roberts spoke of his delight that the event had finally come to fruition. 'It's a time of year when we're soon going to be forced to take a break from our rivers for the closed season, and I felt we were missing a big river event to finish the season with. The format has worked with the event selling out in only 6 hours. I already have a waiting list for next year, and we've had great feedback from the anglers. The river fished really well yesterday and I'm sure with a half decent river it would have been just as good today.

I'd like to thank Milo and Bait-tech fro sponsoring the event. As well as a load of cash, the top 3 have walked away with Milo 6M Bolo rods, and all section winners got a £50 Bait-Tech voucher. I think we've created a popular event which will sell out for years to come. I'm delighted that it was a good friend and legend Like Colin, who won the very first event.

Day 1 & Overall Result

1st Colin Harvey (Upton)                          1pt  44-8-0

2nd Lee edwards (Maver)                        1pt  43-11-0

3rd Deron Harper (Woodys)                    1Pt 36-0-0

4th Geoff Brierly (Gloucester)                 1Pt 35-10-0

5th Callum Dicks (Maver)                         1Pt 24-11-0

6th Dave Roberts (Tri-Cast/Bait-tech)    1Pt 16-1-0

7th Simon Deakin (Tubertini Ludlow)     1Pt 12-2-0

Fishing IT to Sponsor Big River Event

Milo and Fishing IT are delighted to announce their backing of a new two day river event.

The event is the brainchild of River Wye regular Dave Roberts and takes place on the 22nd and 23rd February on the River Wye at Hereford.

The river has been fishing well and despite this weekends Arctic blast, the weather looks set to warm up next week.

Dave said " I'm absolutely delighted that we've been able to secure backing for the event".

"My own Bait Sponsors Bait-Tech, are kindly providing bait vouchers for every section winner over the 2 days and Italian tackle giant Milo, are providing some quality tackle prizes for the event".

"Milo is distributed in the UK by Fishing IT, Which is run by top match angler, Andy Neal. Andy was keen to back this event to showcase the extensive product range which covers every discipline in match fishing, including an impressive range of bolognese products. 

The backing has been endorsed directly from the Italian owner, and legend, Milo Colombo who visited the River Wye a few years back for the Autumn Festival."

We'll bring you the results from the 2 day event as they unfold.

UK Champs 2017

Hot on the heels of Fish o Mania and Golden Reel announcing details on this years competition Nigel Harry Fishery Manager at Barston Lakes and UK Champs coordinator has released theirs.

The Dates are:

The qualifying round will also be limited to 80 anglers, the top 40 anglers from the qualifier will gain entry to the championship.  

The 40 places may be reduced to allow past winners who haven't qualified a place.

To compete in the qualifying round you must be committed to enter the championship proper and be able to attend all 4 rounds.

Any past winners will be exempt from qualifying

Fish o Mania 2017

It seems to be a week for big match news, this time the Angling Trust have released details on some changes that effect the application process for this years Fish o Mania.

Tickets will go on sale from 30th January 2017 using a new on line booking system, making the allocation of places quicker, easier and significantly more efficient.

The new system will also ensure that successful applicants can get a maximum of two tickets for the tournament. The Trust have invested heavily in improving the booking system which allows anglers to book, pay and receive their tickets instantaneously.

Tickets will be released in two rounds, round 1 will be open from 10.30 am on 30th January until midnight on Thursday 9th February and anglers will be able to book a maximum of 2 tickets. Round 2 will open at 10.30 am on Tuesday 14th February and remain open until the final qualifying round in June, there will be no restriction on the number of tickets anglers will be able to book.

Further changes will see the removal of the reserve lists. Cancellations will now be re-listed in the online system and sold on a first come first served basis. A ticket news subscription option is available for anglers seeking cancelled places.

Ben Thompson, Senior Competitions Manager for Angling Trust said “The historical ticketing system was a lottery and it has been a frustration for many that luck of the draw dictated whether people had the opportunity to fish in this brilliant competition. This solution ensures that successful applicants will get the chance to fish in at least one qualifier and those who want to enter multiple events can still do so. It is a fairer, more efficient system to the one we have used in the past and it is very easy to use. Over the course of 2017 we will use this booking system for all of our competitions.”

Guidance on how to book tickets for the competition will be available on the Angling Trust website from Wednesday 18th January.

The website will be live from Monday 23rd January, one week before tickets go on sale. Members are encouraged to visit the site and familiarise themselves with how it works prior to the 30th January. A short step by step video will guide members through the booking process and will be available from Monday 23rd January. The Angling Trust will be contacting its members to provide them with their unique log in details. The online booking system can be found at www.anglingtrustevents.net

2017 Qualifiers:

1. Wednesday 8th March – Viaduct Fishery, Somerset – 130 pegs, 1 qualifier

2. Saturday 11th March – Heronbrook Fishery, Staffordshire 150 pegs, 1 qualifier

3. Saturday 25th March – Tunnel Barn Farm, Warwickshire 180 pegs, 1 qualifier

4. Sunday 26th March – Colemans Cottage Fishery, Essex 130 pegs, 1 qualifier

5. Saturday 1st April – Viaduct Fishery, Somerset – 130 pegs, 1 qualifier

6. Saturday 8th April – Woodlands View, Worcestershire 150 pegs, 1 qualifier

7. Wednesday 12th April – Monk Lakes, Kent – 150 pegs, 1 qualifier

8. Saturday 15th April – Barford Lakes, Norfolk – 130 pegs, 1 qualifier

9. Wednesday 19th April – Partridge Lakes, Cheshire – 200 pegs, 1 qualifier

10. Saturday 22nd April – Makins Fishery, Warwickshire – 150 pegs, 1 qualifier

11. Saturday 6th May – Tunnel Barn Farm, Warwickshire 180 pegs, 1 qualifier

12. Wednesday 10th May – Monk Lakes, Kent – 150 pegs, 1 qualifier

13. Wednesday 17th May – Lake View, Leicestershire – 130 pegs, 1 qualifier

14. Saturday 20th May – Hallcroft Fishery, Retford – 150 pegs, 1 qualifier

15. Sunday 21st May – Lindholme Lakes, South Yorkshire 200 pegs, 1 qualifier

16. Wednesday 24th May – Messingham Sands, North Lincs – 160 pegs, 1 qualifier

17. Saturday 27th May – Colemans Cottage Fishery, Essex 130 pegs, 1 qualifier

18. Saturday 3rd June – The Oaks Lakes, North Yorkshire – 180 pegs, 1 qualifier

19. Sunday 4th June – Maver Larford Lakes, Worcestershire 130 pegs, 1 qualifier

20. Wednesday 7th June – Boldings, Bridgenorth – 130 pegs, 1 qualifier

21. Saturday 10th June – Woodlands, Thirsk – 150 pegs, 1 qualifier

22. Wednesday 14th June – Partridge Lakes – 200 pegs, 1 qualifier

23. Saturday 17th June – Gold Valley Lakes, Aldershot – 130 pegs, 1 qualifier

24. Wednesday 21st June – Lindholme Lakes, South Yorkshire 300 pegs, 1 qualifier

2017 Final:Saturday 8th July – Cudmore Fisheries, Staffs

Bait-Tech Trophy 2016

Fished on the same weekend as the Milo International Day, this video produced by our friends at fishingmania.it gives further insight into the Italian style of commercials, and the links Fishing-IT has with them.

Milo Day 2016

You've read the blogs, now see the video of the International Milo Day.

Commentary is in Italian, but features Milo's Steve Gardener and Andy Neal and is definitely worth a watch.

Paul Bick becomes Riverfest 2016 Champion

Shakespeare Superteam / Bait-Techs Paul Bick is the new 2016 RiverFest champion after weighing in over 55lb 2oz over the two day event that was held on the River Wye.

The final was a tough affair with many finding the cold wintery conditions tough going.  Paul took a healthy lead of 46lb 4oz of Barbel and Chub after day one, and with some overnight rain going in the river it fished a lot harder on the Sunday with no one able to match his tally.

He still had a bit to do on the second day though as hot on his heals was Paul Downes and Nick West, but his second days 9lb was plenty enough for him to lift the title.

RiverFest Final 2106, River Wye

1 Paul Bick, 55-2-0. £12,000
2 Paul Downes, 44-15-0, £6,000
3 Nick West, 42-4-0
4 Sean Ashby, 33-13-0
5 Tom Noton, 33-2-0
6 Steve Clark, 26-7-0

To view the full results please check out http://match-angling.co.uk/viewresults_public.aspx?rid=1024

DHP Tackle Awards 2016

Voting is now underway for the DHP tackle awards 2016.

To place your vote please visit https://r1.dotmailer-surveys.com/f52fgbf-a623aze3 and make your choices.

We're not bias of course, but there are plenty of quality Milo and Bait-Tech products listed worthy of a tick (hint hint!)

Riverfest Final Qualifiers!

Last weekend saw the final riverfest qualifiers take place.

On Sunday (30th Oct) an incredibly low and clear Warwickshire Avon made for a very fair competition for the final Riverfest qualifier of 2016.

With very few bonus fish showing it was an out and out small fish match and England Team Manager Mark Downes loves just that. Mark drew peg 30 running on to the boat club on Myton fields and took full advantage of a spare peg either side of him. Alternating between punch and chopped worm early on for small roach and perch he then switched to waggler and caught over half his 11lb weight on that in the last few hours.

Second and third in the match were just above Mark with John Brookes taking second with 9-6 just ahead of John Urruty who had 9-3.

Qualifiers for the big RiverFest final on 19th/20th November are;

Mark Downes
Ed Warren
Simon Fry

Saturday saw the penultimate one held on the Ouse at Hunters Lodge to Linton on Ouse on Saturday 29th October 2016 with 55 anglers fishing.

Winners going through to the grand final are;

(A zone) Hunters Lodge - John Mills (Tri-cast Calder) Peg 189 11lb-2.5

(B zone) Linton Top - Dave Pollitt (Mirfield Willy Worms) Peg 249 4lb-4

(C zone) Linton Bottom - Bob Cranmer (Matrix Halifax) Peg 279 19lb-14

Match Fishing TV Welcomes Andy Neal!

Fishing It's Andy Neal is a guest in the Match Fishing TV Studio's this week discussing the latest match news from around the country.

Too see the video, click the link below!

Milo Hook length Box - Review by French International Olivier Wimmer

Milo Hooklength box

Fishing for Silvers or Carp, I prepare and use hooklengths for all my fishing rigs. In order to cope with the many situations encountered, I must have a substantial amount and variety of them so prepared for all circumstances.

Until now, I had not found a box both small enough and significant capacity to store all my different hooklengths. 

This is now sorted with this clever model from Milo.

The UK RRP price is £24.95, and well worth the money.  Check out your Milo stockist for details or email sales@fishing-it.com if you have any problems in sourcing them.

Bait-Tech Supercup Final - Barston Lakes

Watch the footage  presented by Bait-Tech's Tony Curd and Andy Neal of the final of the most prestigious title in club fishing.

Match This - Tunnel Barn Farm, Shrewley, 13th August 2016

A good turn-out at the ever-popular Tunnel Barn Farm saw one hundred and two (102) anglers attend this penultimate Match This qualifier. With just one more qualifier remaining, time is fast running out for those anglers hoping to book their place in this year's Grand final that have yet to do so. Conditions for this latest qualifier were warm and sunny with the resident carp and F1's responding well and feeding in numbers up in the water. As per previous year's events, the standard of fishing was exceptional with twelve of the thirteen sections being won with in excess of 100lbs!

Claiming the last but one place in this year's Match This final was Stephen Openshaw. Steve is no stranger to the Match This final having narrowly missed out on a cheque for £3,000 back in 2013 when he finished just outside of the main frame in fourth place. Steve drew peg 6 on the prolific Jenny's lake and fished caster shallow for most of the match to weigh in a superb 224lbs at the end of the five hours. Steve will now take part in this second Match This final and will be hopeful of bettering his 2013 finish.

Finishing runner-up on the day was Richard Bond (Matrix Image). Richard secured a lake win from peg 12 on Canal with an equally impressive 206-13-00. Richard caught on caster fished both over to the far side and up in the water before coming down his edge late on to find some bonus carp up to 6lbs to boost his overall weight.

Rounding off the top three finish was Marc Rodger. Marc drew peg 8 on Jenny's and also fished caster up in the water for most the match to end proceedings with 197-08-00

New Product Launch

New From Milo - Introducing The H Frame Landing Nets.

The Square shaped frame adopted by Milo has specific strength qualities over and above the traditional spoon shaped nets.

Commercial fish farmers who require strong framed nets that aren’t going to buckle, use this shape which has huge benefits when scooping through the water. 

But, don’t take our word for it, pick one up and see for yourself. Solid, reliable and not going to let you down whether you are landing small fish or huge commercial carp.

It also has a dual mesh, so cuts through the water with ease making netting more efficient and accurate and a wide opening to guide the fish into.

Sizes available are:
18 inch - £12.99
20 inch - £13.99
22 inch - £14.99

Ask your local Milo stockist for details.

Match This Qualifier - Heronbrook

Match This - Heronbrook

Ninety eight (98) anglers attended the second and final Mega Match This qualifier event at Heronbrook Fisheries of the 2016 campaign. Conditions on the day were ideal with temperatures remaining mild coupled with plenty of cloud cover. Fishing on the day was, as per usual, of a high standard with very little separating second place through to eighth place. It was Meadow that produced the majority of the top weights on the day with the winner, Adam Richards, leaving the rest of the field trailing in his wake.

Adam (Browning) drew peg 26 on Meadow and fished the majority of his match up in the water with pellet to find both carp to 5lbs and F1s in numbers to weigh in a final 198-13-00.

Preston man Frankie Gianoncelli finished in second place - the second time he finished runner-up in a Mega Match This qualifier this year - with 151-07-00. Frankie drew peg 16 on Meadow and also fished pellet shallow to find carp and F1s to effectively qualify for the Maver British Pole Championship final for a second time.

Third on the day was Matthew Dawes (Drennan North West). Matt drew peg 21 on Meadow and, like Adam and Frankie, fished pellet up in the water to find carp. Matt also fished pellet long across to the far bank to find bonus golden tench to end the match with 150-02-00 and a place in this year's British Pole Championships.

1st Adam Richards (Browning) 198-13-00 26 (Meadow)

2nd Frankie Gianoncelli (Preston Innovations / Sonu Baits) 151-07-0016 (Meadow)

3rd Matthew Dawes (Drennan North West) 150-02-00 21 (Meadow)

4th Paul Blinkhorn 130-09-00 7 (Meadow)

5th Dan Hull (Dynamite Baits) 130-08-00

Match This Qualifier - Colemans Cottage 23rd July 16

1st Ross Harold (Matrix) 234-00-00
2nd Marc Rodger (Mosella / Bag 'Em Baits / Baits2Fish) 162-00-00
3rd Jimmy Brooks (Middy) 151-08-00
4th Simon Colclough (Browning Wickford) 143-05-00
5th Richard Bond 136-00-00

Plenty of sunshine coupled with blistering temperatures welcomed the anglers that took part in this year's Mega Match This qualifier event at Coleman's Cottage in Essex. Anglers were spread across both Wood and Pathfield lakes with Wood producing the better sport.
Making his way through to his first Match This final in style was Matrix man, Ross Harold. Ross drew peg 24 on Wood and started his match offering 6mm pellet up in the water at 6m before going long at 13m over to the far side pads, again with 6mm pellet, to find carp in numbers. Ross fished a superb match beating the rest of the field by a clear margin weighing in a massive 234lbs.
Taking runner-up spot, and qualifying for this year's Maver British Pole Championship final, was Marc Rodger (Mosella UK / Bag 'Em Baits / Baits2Fish). Marc drew peg 30, also on Wood, and fished pellet both up in the water and long to end the match with 162lbs of mainly carp.
Jimmy Brooks (Middy) secured a lake win from peg 11 on Pathfield to finish in third place overall. Jimmy fished pellet up in the water, but also found fish to the method feeder to weigh in 151-08-00 at the end of the five hours

Match This Qualifier 16th July - Partridge Lakes

Another sell out qualifier at the popular Partridge Lakes complex saw one hundred and twenty (120) anglers attend this latest Saturday qualifier event. Conditions on the day were very pleasant with plenty of sunshine resulting in the resident carp, F1s and chub showing a willingness to feed up in the water. The standard of fishing was, once again, superb with very little separating those anglers that finished in the top eight overall. Great weights were taken from all over the complex with no one lake in particular running away with the day.

Next to make his way through to the 2016 Match This Final was David Brown (Jnr). The Poplars AC rod drew peg 86 on Covey 4 and fished the most part of his match with caster shallow at just 6m. As the match approached the final stages, David switched his focus to the margins and offered soft hook pellet to find bonus fish down his edge to 7lbs to end the match with 149-03-00 to win by a narrow margin.

Finishing close behind in second place was Lee Bennett (Trafford Tackle & Bait). Lee drew peg 9 and confirmed a lake win on Marsh with 145-15-00. Lee caught on caster up in the water for the majority of the day to weigh in 145-15-00 of F1s.

Rounding off an incredibly tight top three finish was Angling Times' Ben Fisk. Ben picked up a lake win from peg 129 on Covey 5 with a level 136lbs of mainly F1s with eleven carp and some bonus chub.

1st David Brown (Jnr) (Poplars AC) 149-03-00 86 (Covey 4)
2ns Lee Bennett (Trafford Tackle & Bait) 145-15-00 9 (Marsh)
3rd Ben Fisk (Angling Times) 136-00-00 129 (Covey 5)
4th Stephen Openshaw (Lingmere) 132-15-00 137 (Covey 6)

Fish o Mania Qualifier - Gold Valley 25th June 2016

Winner of the penultimate Fish ‘O’ Mania qualifier with a total weight of 102lb 2 oz was Adam Southgate who drew peg 103 on Syndicate Lake at Gold Valley Lakes, Aldershot. Adam managed to catch the majority of his fish on the waggler at 25m using pellets but also found two bonus carp for 30 lb by dobbing meat on the pole.

Preston Innovations Delcac angler Eddie Green came very close to making it to the final for the second year on the bounce. Fishing Middle Lake Eddie weighed 88 lb 4 oz for second overall and a comfortable lake win. While the remainder of the lake struggled for bites Eddie caught the majority of his fish dobbing on the long pole and a couple on the pellet waggler. A couple of lost fish would prove costly, and denied Eddie his second final appearance.

Third place went to Army (Fosters) Match group angler Greg Victor, who caught 79 lb 7 oz of carp from peg 115 on Syndicate Lake using the method feeder and also some shallow on the pole at 16m.

With a full list of 60 reserves it was disappointing to see 28 empty pegs in this qualifier. Although some anglers had informed the organiser that they could not m

Other results;

4th. Ben Emery 76 lb 8 oz. 

5th. Mark Harrington 70 lb 21 oz. 

6th. Mathew Crowe 67 lb 12 oz.

7th. Steve Jackson 67 lb 3 oz. 

8th. Craig Meadows 65 lb 0 oz.

9th. Kevin Parker 64 lb 13 oz.

10th. JamesTaylor 63 lb 14 oz.

The very last qualifier of this year heads to Garbolino Lindholme Lakes on Wednesday 29th June 2016.

Match This Qualifier 25th June 2016

Maver Hayfield Lakes, Doncaster, 25th June 2016

1st David Burley (Champion Feed) 154-5-0

2nd Paul Wright (Halkon Hunt) 149-4-0

3rd Mark Stainsby (Barnsley Bait Co) 121-4-0

4th Dave Wright (Bobco) 95-14-0

5th Steve Openshaw (Lingmere Fishery) 94-4-0

Qualifier number fourteen on this year's quest to find the twenty four Mega Match This finalists marked a return to Maver Hayfield Lakes. A sell out field saw one hundred and twenty anglers line the banks of Little Adams, Big Adams and Island lakes. Expectations were high given the venues recent run of form leading up to the qualifier, but given the number of anglers on the day, and more unseasonal weather, weights were a little lower than midweek, but there was still very little between the top ranking anglers on the day.

It was local rod, David Burley (Champion Feed), that did enough to secure his place in the 2016 big money final. David, who is a regular at the venue, drew peg 29 on Little Adams and opted to fish most of his match shallow on the pole and on the waggler to find carp to around 8lbs. At the end of the five hours, David offered 154-05-00 to the scales to secure a narrow victory.

Finishing close behind David from neighbouring peg 27 on Little Adams was Paul Wright (Halkon Hunt). Paul fished the majority of his on the long pole with pellet, but endured a slow start to proceedings before finding the fish. Later on, Paul switched to his inside to find some bonus edge fish to 12lbs and end proceedings with 149-04-00.

Third place on the day was secured by Barnsley Bait rod Mark Stainsby. Mark drew peg 46 on Island and secured a lake win with 121-04-00. Mark caught on both the waggler and the method feeder, but struggled to find fish in numbers having to alternate between methods on a regular basis to keep fish coming to the net. At the end of a busy five hours, Mark had over twenty carp up to approx. 7lbs to put plenty of distance between himself and fourth placed Dave Wright.

Pole Fishing Masters - Tunnel Barn Farm 15th June 2016

The Pole Fishing Magazine Masters took place this week at the prolific Tunnel Barn Farm.

A hugely popular event run with military precision by the lads at DHP, and what better venue than TBF to host it.

The eventual winner was Andy Bennett who retained his title from last year with 3 section wins and only beating Des Shipp by 2oz on weight it was that close!

Paul Holland was 3rd after also having three section wins but lower weight count and young Jordan Holloway 4th after winning the match outright twice and one second in section. Jordan had a higher weight total from the other 4 anglers who also scored 4 points after two wins and one second.

Well done to all who fished and especially to Andy Bennett for another superb performance to retain his title.

Mega Match This Qualifiers W/E 12th June

Larford Lakes, Stourport-on-Severn, 12th June 2016

1st Jon Whincup (Frenzee / Bait-Tech) 157-14-0

2nd Ian Didcote (Garbolino / Bait-Tech) 119-2-0

3rd Sam Collett (Guru / Dynamite Bait) 104-3-0

4th William Raison (Daiwa / Old Ghost) 97-10-0

5th Zac Brown (Preston Innovation / Sonu) 94-0-0

As was the case for Saturday's qualifier, conditions for this latest Match This qualifier event at Larford Lakes proved difficult. The resident carp had just finished spawning and a thunderstorm halfway through the match, which brought with it, torrential rain made fishing on the day a real challenge. However, weights as always, were good considering the cards the anglers had been dealt.

Next to make his way through to the 2016 Match This Grand Final was Frenzee's Jon Whincup. Jon, who will now have a second opportunity to try and claim angling's most iconic piece of silverware, drew peg 64 on the Match lake and caught carp short on pellet and 'dobbing' up in the water. Jon found quality carp to 12lbs to put a final 157-14-00 on to the scales to confirm his second consecutive Match This final and his second victory from a Larford qualifier!

Finishing in second place was Ian Didcote (Garbolino / Bait-Tech / Match Craft). Ian drew peg 6 on the Match grass bank and started his match fishing pellet up in the water at distance before coming short at 6m midway through the match with worm. Going into the final throws of the match, Ian still had it all to do with around 30lbs in his net, but a switch to his edge with maggot over groundbait proved dividends with carp in numbers up to 12lbs obliging. Ian ended the day with 119-02-00.

Taking third place was young Sam Collett. Rounding off a very successful weekend indeed, which saw him finish runner-up at Lakeview Fishery the day previous, Sam ended the match with 104-03-00 taking carp up to 20lbs. Sam started his match dobbing for cruising fish before switching to meat down his margins for the final half of the match to finish strong.

Lakeview Fishery, Leicester, 11th June 2016

1st Matt Godfrey (Match Fishing / Drennan Barnsley Blacks) 78-8-0

2nd Sam Collett (Guru / Dynamite) 67-13-0

3rd Ken Daws (Lakeview) 66-13-0

4th Tom Scholey (Match Fishing) 61-1-0

5th Rob Lee 55-0-0

Spawning fish and atrocious weather conditions the day before the match and overnight did their best to hamper this debut Mega Match This qualifier at Leicester's Lakeview Fishery. That said, despite things conspiring against the sixty four anglers that fished, it at least produced a level playing field for those hopeful of a place in this year's Match This final.

Winner on the day, and making his way through to his first Match This final, was Match Fishing editor, and Drennan Barnsley Black's Matt Godfrey. Matt drew peg 12 on River and started his match fishing maggot over to the far side before changing to pellet. Then, later on in the day, Matt looked down his edge, again on pellet, to slip the net beneath a handful of bonus fish to offer a final 78-08-00 to the scales. Matt is a popular finalist, and will for sure to be one to look out for. 

Taking runner-up spot was young Sam Collett (Guru / Dynamite Baits). Sam drew peg 12 and confirmed a lake win on Stream weighing in 67-13-00. Sam caught on pellet over to the far side before switching to his margins late on with maggot to find carp to 3lbs.

Finally, in third place on the day was local rod, Ken Daws. Ken drew peg 15 on Canal and fished pole and pellet for most of the match to find carp to around 6lbs for a final weight of 66-13-00.

Match This Results

Gold Valley Lakes, Hampshire, 28th May 2016

1st Des Shipp (Preston Innovations) 172-06-00  Peg 50 (Gold)

2nd Jake Gallagher (Spotted Fin) 152-00-00 Peg 51 (Gold)

3rd Mark Wynne 85-08-00 Peg 110 (Syndicate)

4th Peter Upperton (Middy / SSP Baits) 76-12-00 Peg 9 (Gold)

5th Charlie Dalton 72-10-00 Peg 56 (Gold)

Warm sunshine and temperatures approaching 20°C greeted the eighty two (82) anglers that attended this year's Match This May Bank Holiday qualifier event at Hampshire's Gold Valley Lakes. The warm settled weather switched the carp into feeding mode with many anglers having cruising fish in front of them upon arriving at their pegs. As a result, much of the field concentrated on shallow tactics offering pellet up in the water on either the waggler or the long pole.

Booking his place in his first ever Match This Final was Preston and England International, Des Shipp. Des drew peg 50 on Gold and fished most of the match on the pellet waggler to take an all-carp catch with individuals to over twenty pounds to finish with a superb 172-06-00.

Fishing from the very next peg along was young Spotted Fin rod, Jake Gallagher. Jake fished an impressive match pushing Des all the way matching him fish for fish for the duration of the match - the only difference between the two at the end of the five hours was a 21-07-00 carp. Jake offered an equally impressive 152-00-00 of carp to the scales, the biggest of which weighing 13lbs, to finish runner-up.

Securing a lake win from peg 110 on Syndicate, and finishing in third place overall, was Mark Wynee. Mark fished most of his match on the pole at 14.5m offering pellet up in the water to find carp up to 14lbs for a final 85-10-00.

The Glebe / Mallory Park, Leicester, 29th May 2016

1st Jamie Hughes (MAP / Bag Em) 241-08-00  Peg 1 (Lake 1)

2nd Peter Upperton (Middy / SSP Baits) 168-12-00 Peg 54 (Lake 3)

3rd Jason Collins (Preston Innovations) 154-08-08 Peg 30 (Lake 1)

4th Chris Barley (Dynamite Baits) 145-06-00 Peg 58 (Lake 3)

5th Rob Wooton (Shimano / Dynamite Baits) 140-00-00 Peg 30 (Foundation)

Another day and another Match This qualifier. Again conditions for this second qualifier hosted by The Glebe / Mallory Park were very pleasant with plenty of warm sunshine bringing the resident carp on in numbers both up in the water and down the edges late on in the match.

Next to book his place in the 2016 final was MAP's Jamie Hughes. Jamie is no stranger to Match This having qualified for the prestigious final twice before as well as securing a place on the podium back in 2011. Jamie approached the qualifier very differently from the remaining sell-out field by choosing to adopt a much lighter approach than normal using small diameter lines and small hooks - a prospect many would wince at who know the venue well. However, it is somewhat of a trademark of Jamie's now winning him lots of big matches having also recently qualified for this year's Fish O Mania semi-final. Jamie drew peg 1 on lake 1 and fished pellet up in the water and to depth before switching to his margins late on in the day to end proceedings with a massive 241-08-00, beating the rest of the field by over 70lbs!

Taking runner-up spot was current Match This Champion, Peter Upperton. Pete took a lake win from peg 54 on Lake 3 with 168-12-00. Pete caught carp on the long pole to begin with offering pellet up in the water before moving down his edge late on with meat over groundbait to find carp to 14lbs.

Finishing in third place on the day was Preston's Jason Collins. Jason drew peg 30 on Lake 1 and caught most of his fish down his edge on both corn and maggot over groundbait taking fish to 8lbs for a final weight of 154-00-00.

Milo Festival - White Acres

In one of the best week’s weather of the year, the fishing really heated up in the Milo Festival.  174 Anglers competed in one of the most popular festivals of the year with a host of big names in the hat hoping to pick up the winner’s cheque on the Friday night.

The week started with a lot of big weights, Carl Williams started well with a superb 186lb from Trelawny which was the best weight on day one.

Day two was similar to the first day with Jamie Wilde on Bolingey catching 191lb for top weight on the day.  Most sections through out with the exception of Porth were being won with over 100lb’s of fish.

Half way through the week there were several in contention and on max points but it was Welsh International John Harvey that led the way.  But with such a long way to go it was still anyone’s guess as to how it would pan out, and as the week went on any dropped points from the leading pack could be crucial.

Unfortunately for John, the Thursday saw him 4^th in section with his chasers winning sections meaning the lead was changing hands with Alan Scotthorne climbing to the top with 35 points and only one days fishing to go.

The draw was all important on the final day and dropping even one point for the top ten could mean the difference between getting on the stage or not.

Leader Scotthorne made no mistakes on a decent peg on Porth, and went on to win the lake and the festival after weighing 22lb.

Speaking to Alan after the match he told us “I’ve got a good track record on Porth so felt comfortable going there on the last day knowing I would need a section win”. “I was over the moon to draw 38 as I’ve won the lake from 37 on a previous festival so knew what was in store for me”. “I had a lovely match, I caught 40 skimmers on feeder in the first half of the match before switching to pole and catching another 40 topped off by a big bream and larger skimmer”. “This gave me 22lb and a lake win”. “Luckily this was enough to seal the victory for me. A brilliant week!”  

As well as the winners trophy and cheque, Alan took home one of the new Milo Xbox 1 as a prize that was donated along with the other prizes by Milo and Fishing IT.

Second place went to Mike McMillan who finished up on the same points as Alan but had a lower dropper meaning he was second.  Mike also won a Milo Superba 11ft Waggler Rod as did third placed Carl Williams.  Again Carl enjoyed a great week and finished on the same 36 point total as Alan and Mike but with a lower dropper point.

In fourth place was Sam Powell with 35 points, fifth was the early leader John Harvey with 35 points and a lower dropper.  Sam and John won a Milo Premiership Feeder Rod as well as their prize money.

Sixth and seventh place was White Acres regulars Paul Holland and John Whincup.  Paul winning the same premiership feeder rod and John taking back a Milo Brooklyn Roller.

The final three placings for the main frame went to Martin Holmes, Jake Gallagher, and James Dent who all tied on 33 points but placed by the dreaded dropper points.  Martin won the Brooklyn Roller and both Jake and James won a Milo Superba Keepnet and EVA Stink Bag.

To confirm the top 10 placings:

                        Name                          Points              Dropping         Total Weight

1^{st                              ALAN  SCOTTHORNE                     36                                8 Points                        374lb 09oz}

2^{nd                             MIKE McMILLAN                              36                                5 points                        491lb} 

3^{rd                              CARL WILLIAMS                              36                                3 points                        501lb 06oz}

4^{th                              SAM POWELL                                  35                                8 points                        415lb 12oz}

5^{th                              JON HARVEY                                   35                                6 points                        412lb 12oz}

6^{th                              PAUL HOLLAND                               34                                7 points                        378lb 01oz}

7^{th                              JOHN WHINCUP                              34                                5 points                        387lb 10oz}

8^{th                              MARTIN HOLMES                             33                                7 points                        427lb 11oz}

9^{th                              JAKE GALLAGHER                           33                                7 points                        379lb 04oz}

10^{th                           JAMES DENT                                      33                                6 points                        371lb 02oz}

It has been a fantastic festival with great fishing and entertainment for all the competitiors that took part.  Next years Milo festival will take place on W/C Saturday 6^th May 2017.  Early booking is highly advisable so please contact White Acres if you wish to attend.

Pictured below is the winners being presented with their prizes by Fishing IT's Andy Neal

Fish o Mania Report - Makins Fishery 

This Fish’O’Mania qualifier held at Makins Fishery on 27th April 2016 kicked off with an unseasonal hard frosts, one of the worst of the year in fact. With the weather forecast warning of a tale of four seasons, the mood at the draw was decidedly dubious, despite the fishery having been fishing well recently.

Unfortunately the offs at the met office were spot on with several heavy showers and several spikes in temperature occurring throughout the day. 

This definitely impacted the fishing, and was to such an extreme that a number of anglers dry netted. It was clear the fish were quite tightly shoaled in certain areas giving those anglers lucky enough to locate them a reasonable day’s fishing.

Lake 5 on Phase 1 dominated the day yielding four of the top six and producing some respectable backing weights too. The winner was Londoner Przemek Solski. Przemek drew end peg 28 on Lake 5 and caught a good stamp of carp to 12 lbs fishing short on meat to record a brilliant 94 lbs 8 ozs. Brendan Haigh from Doncaster was virtually opposite Przemek on peg 15. Brendan used pellet and corn down the edge to catch mainly carp in his total of 66 lbs 12 ozs. His biggest fish was around 15 lbs.

Third spot went to Fisho regular Stephen Openshaw . Stephen a fishery owner from the Wirral drew peg 10 on Little Reptile pool and put together a great weight of 65 lbs 8 ozs fishing pellet down the edge. England man Lee Kerry took fourth with 62 lbs 12 ozs from Reptile 4.

The Fish‘O’Mania trail goes back to Tunnel Barn Farm on Saturday 7th May 2016.

Fish O Mania Qualifier 15 - Makins Fishery

Fish o Mania XV - Makins Fishery

Its another midweek match for the Fish o hunters this week as we head to Makins Fishery in Nuneaton.

Makins is a massive fishery, so is well capable of accommodating big matches such as Fish o Mania Qualifiers.

There are a total of 18 lakes on the three phases of the Makins complex but the lakes that are going to be used tomorrow have been confirmed as:

Lake 3, Lake 5, Lagoon, Lizard, Crater, Snake, Paddock, Reptile, Little Reptile, Severn, Inner avon, Avon, Thames, Derwent.

It would be almost impossible to pick where the winner is going to come from tomorrow out of that lot!

The match rules at the venue are as follows:

Match Rules

1 Immediately on arriving at your peg keep nets must be stretched out on the bank. 15 minutes beforethe start of the match your match steward will shout "nets in" and only then can nets be put in the water.

2 All keep nets and landing nets to be soft fish friendly nets.

3 Minimum of 2 keep nets to be used and both must be in the water from the start of the match.
On phase1 the fish must be split evenly with a maximum of 80lb in any net, 80lb to 90lb to count only as 80lb, above 90lb angler disqualified
On phase 2 and 3 There must be 2 nets in the water from the start of the match. Fish must be split, carp above 2lb in one net and silverfish and carp below 2lb in another net. Maximum of 80lb in any net, 80lb to 90lb to count only as 80lb, above 90lb angler disqualified.
We have spare nets freely available for a £20 refundable deposit.

4 Barbless hooks only 

5 The only feed pellets allowed are Dynamite Baits green swim stim or any pellets brought from our bait shop. Maximum of 4 bags on phase1 and 2 bags on phase 2 and 3. No other feed pellets to be taken to the bank. You can use any make of groundbait, sweetcorn etc as feed in reasonble quantities.

6 Each angler is allowed 1/2 pint of hook pellets which can be any carp friendly pellet. No marine hallibut pellets or trout pellets. You are not allowed to feed hooker pellets.

7 Bait bans: No bloodworm or joker. Only fish friendly baits.

8 Maximum of 2x 300g tins of luncheon meat, 1 x 400g tin of catmeat preferably used as hook bait. No additional cat meat/Luncheon meat to be used in groundbait.

9 Floating baits may only be used on the hook, no feeding of anything that floats. If your club rules do not allow floating baits you cannot use them here.

10. No bait to be thrown in the lake at the end of the match. Please put it in the green bins

11 All litter must be put in the bins provided. .

12 No dogs allowed on the fishery

13 Any problems must be reported immediately to the bailiff.

Best of luck if your fishing, the weather has been a bit hit and miss this week with even some snow falling today but tomorrow looks like its going to be mainly dry with highs of around 8c.

As ever we'll try and bring you the results as soon as possible.

Fish O Mania Qualifier 13 - Partrige Lakes Fishery

Partridge Lakes plays host to tomorrows 200 peg Fish o Mania Qualifier that will see two anglers progress into the semi finals.

The complex in Warrington is one of the finest in the UK, evident in the numbers they get attending the weekly open matches.

There are a total of 394 pegs on partridge, spread over 70 acres and 15 lakes so despite there being 200 on there you certainly shouldn't feel claustrophobic!

Last Sundays match saw 95 anglers compete, with 85 there on the Saturday. Figures that many will find enviable.

The recent match results at the venue are well documented on their own Facebook page, but as a summary:

Tuesday: 32 Anglers on Covey 5&6, Spey
1st Paul Jones 115lb 5oz - Spey Peg 4
2nd Ste Bennetto 97lb 4oz - Spey Peg 6
3rd Paul Blinkhorn 92lb 9oz - Covey 5 Peg 131

Sunday: 95 Anglers on Covey, 1,2,3,4,5,6 & Ribbon
1st Paul Balmforth 103lb 3oz Peg 83
2nd Ste Burgess 90lb 0oz Peg 73
3rd Peter Keenan 84lb 15oz Peg 61

Saturday: 85 Anglers on Covey, 1,2,3,4,5,6 
1st Daz Shaw 111lb 7oz Peg 34
2nd Kev Gallagher 89lb 30z Peg 75
3rd Andy Bennett 80b 3oz Peg 8

So as you can see, the venue is more than capable of holding big matches and still performing well throughout.

The forecast for tomorrow is for it to be a glorious spring day, with blue sky's and highs could reach a staggering 15c.

All typical commercial baits work, but worm down the edges and caster shallow seem to be doing a lot of damage at the moment.

The site is that vast that it is difficult to do the venue justice in one small post like this, but visit their website for more details.

www.partridgelakes.co.uk

Good luck!

Rule wise at Partridge they are:

Barbless Hooks Only
14s Maximum Hook Size
Above bait bans apply.
In-line method feeders only
No Elasticated Methods – except for Guru X-Safe
Six (6) pint bait limit per Match.
1 Kilo Ground Bait (In addition to the 6 Pints above)
Two (2) keepnets, or more, must be used from the start in all Matches.
All keepnets to be placed drying on the bank behind your peg and not put in the water until 15 minutes before start of match.
A 66lb limit in each net with fish distributed evenly between nets.
No swinging fish in, a landing net must be used for every fish.
No bait to be thrown in after the Match. Bait Bins are Provided
No pole cups over the water before all in.
No fishing over airator ropes.
Match official decisions are final.

Fish O Mania Preview - Barford Lakes

Barford Lakes in Norfolk is the destination for this weekend's qualifier, and in the lead up to this match (and unusually for Fish o Mania) there were spare tickets available.

There is a total of 8 lakes managed by the fishery, three main match lakes on site and another 4 in close proximity to the fishery.
They are:

Barford Pleasure Lake (35 pegs)
Barford Top Lake (15 pegs)
Barford Match Lake (32 pegs)
Barford Training Lake (7/8 pegs)
Colton Lake (40 pegs)
Railway Lake (62 pegs)
Willow Lake (35 pegs)
Abbey Waters (30 pegs)

All the lakes (with the possible exception of the small training lake) will be used for the qualifier so with 130 fishing and 219 pegs on the fishery there should be plenty of room.

There is a well stocked tackle shop onsite and portacabins that serve hot and cold refreshments, as well as confectionary.

Weather wise for Norwich tomorrow its looking like a cloudy day, with some showers developing through the day. Light wind and temps of around 7c.

The last couple of match results we could find are: 

Saturday
Barford Match Lake - Open Match
1 Adam Major 118 lbs 7 ozs Peg: 5  
2 Matt Wiles 81 lbs 13 ozs Peg: 28  
3 David Jarvis 77 lbs 4 ozs Peg: 21 

Thursday, 
Railway Lake - Open Match
1 Graham Kettle 43 lbs 11 ozs Peg: 48  
2 Chris Knights 37 lbs 15 ozs Peg: 60  
3 Daniel Brydon 36 lbs 8 ozs Peg: 40 

Railway Lake - Open Match
1 J Brooks 141 lbs 4 ozs Peg: 56  
2 Warren Martin 86 lbs 12 ozs Peg: 42  
3 Paul Ashford 75 lbs 3 ozs Peg: 8

A variety of methods works well on the lakes, but favoured methods seem to be method feeder, corn/ Pellet on the pole and Pellet Waggler, so its another venue where you have to be prepared! 

Please make sure you read the Keepnet policy below, but any queries ask the fishery staff.

The Rules for Barford:

Fishing Rules:

Manufactured Barbless hooks only - max hook size standard size 8 or equivalent.

Anglers to lay their keepnets and landing net out behind their peg on arrival.

Keepnets to enter lake 15 minutes before the start of the match.

Lifting and dropping allowed but no suspending of bait other than by a float.

No surface fishing.

Free running leads and feeders only (Method feeders - inline and flat bed only) - no elasticated feeders of any type.

4" minimum hook length for feeder or ledger.

No Floating pole method - line between pole tip to top of float - minimum of 6" and maximum of 1 metre.

Minimum 12" of line between bottom of float and hook.

When fishing within 1 metre of bankside vegetation no line limit applies.

No bubble floats.

You can not feed with a pole whilst fishing a rod.

No hand-lining – unless necessary i.e. broken top section, foul hooked fish (pulla kits/bungs permitted).

Your boundary is halfway between you and the next angler.

Bait Rules

No Peanuts.
Groundbait allowed - 2 kilo limit.
Luncheon meat - 2 small tins one 340gram tin allowed.
Liquidised & riddled baits not to exceed 1 kilo or a 3.3 pint bait box.
Fishery purchased feed pellets only.
Paste, hook/banded/expanda pellets & boilies are allowed for HOOK BAIT ONLY.
Boilie & Pellet Hook Baits to be stored in small tub (no larger than a 1 pint bait box).
All feed baits to be used in moderation.
NO BAIT to enter the water after the match - please take it home or use the bin provided.

Keepnet Policy:

50LB MAXIMUM IN A KEEPNET - 3 NETS MAX.
COLTON LAKE - 8 Carp in a net - 3 NETS MAX.
PLEASURE LAKE - 8 Carp in a net (2 NETS MAX) - Additional keepnet for silver fish and small carp (under 2lb).

If keepnets have the allocated amount in, then you may alternate the fish evenly between each net.

Keepnets to be DRY when brought on site.

Lay nets out behind your peg on arrival - put in the lake 15 minutes before the start of the match.

Movement of fish between nets is not permitted at any time.

Your weight will be disqualified if you have 65lb+ in a keepnet (or Pleasure and Colton Lake more than 8 carp in a net) and 3 nets have not been filled as stated above.

Keepnets and landing nets should be of a suitable size and be carp friendly material.

No rocks and stones inside keepnets.

Bait and tackle that is visible on an anglers peg will be deemed as in use.

Midweek Match Results Thurs 14th April 16

Hayfield Lakes

Wednesday, Adams
1st Robin Goforth 78-0-0 Peg 81
2nd Mike Pryor 65-0-0 Peg 47
3rd Craig Priestly 49-0-0 Peg 35

Manor Farm Leisure:

Wednesday, Island Pool, 7 Pegs
1st Barry Duggan (Baileys of Warwick) 102-0-0 Peg 16
2nd Richard Merry (Arthurs) 97-14-0 Peg 14
3rd Terry Winstone (Bonehill Mill) 97-4-0 Peg 36

Packington Somers:
Wednesday, Solihull Angling Centre Open, Molands
1st Chris Newton 143-8-0 Peg 29
2nd Phillip Canning 118-5-0 Peg 46
3rd Danny Tresigne 104-13-0 Peg 44

Partridge Lakes:

Tuesday, Covey 5&6 36 Pegs 
1st Ste Burgess 95-7-0 Peg 131
2nd Kev Gallagher 81-15-0 Peg 156
3rd Kev Webster 73-8-0 Peg 164

Thursday, Covey 1,2,3,4,5 40 Pegs
1st Steve Openshaw 104-13-0 Peg 54
2nd Andy Bennett 93-14-0 Peg 73
3rd Dave Whitehouse 91-10-0 Peg 63

Let us know your results news@fishing-it.com

Mega Match This Qualifier - Woodlands View

Mega Match This Qualifier - Woodlands View

Results

1st Simon Skelton (Maver) 130-12-00 19 (Hay Pool)

2nd Michael Williams (Thatchers) 112-08-00 25 (Front Deans)

3rd Gavin Todd (Okendon Tackle)108-12-00 46 (Back Deans)

4th Andy Power (Preston Innovations) 108-08-00 15 (Barley)

5th Marc Rodger (Mosella / Bait-Tech / Mega Baits) 97-10-00 48 (Back Deans)

6th Myles Levy (Spottedfin) 83-10-00 61 (Back Deans)

7th Steve Ford (Daiwa Old Ghost) 81-10-00 36 (Back Deans)

8th Jon Arthur (Drennan) 75-12-00 5 (Front Deans)

Ninety (90) anglers attended this year's qualifier event at Woodland View, Droitwich. Conditions leading up to the qualifier had been relatively poor with plenty of heavy rainfall colouring and cooling the water. Events on the day started off pleasant with some sunshine, but shortly after the all in was announced, the heavens opened and temperatures dropped. Despite the difficult conditions and the venue having been fished heavily during the week, it was a close affair with little separating the top four.

Topping the field, and next to book his name in the 2016 Mega Match This Grand Final, was Maver's own Simon Skelton. Simon drew peg 19 on Hay pool and started his match on the pole offering corn over fishery micro pellets. Simon found himself having to resort to the tip at certain points in the match on account of the bad weather, but still managed to find odd fish to weigh in 130-12-00. Simon will now take part in his third Match This final at Maver Larford Lakes on Saturday 3rd September and will definitely be one to look out for having made the podium once before.

Taking runner-up spot and narrowly missing out on the final was Preston Thatchers rod, Michael Williams (Tredegar AC). Michael recorded a lake win from peg 25 on Front Deans with 112-08-00 of carp and F1s fishing pellet on the long pole both up in the water and to depth with odd fish also falling to the bomb.

Gavin Todd secured third place overall from peg 46 on Back Deans finishing just under 4lbs behind Michael. Concentrating his efforts on the long pole, Gavin caught up in the water on pellet and to depth on corn to offer 108-12-00 to the scales.

Finishing just 4oz shy of Gavin was Preston's Andy Power. Andy confirmed a lake win from peg 15 on Barley to wrap up a very successful week's fishing at Woodland View having qualified for this year's Fish O Mania final the Wednesday before. Andy continues to look for his fifth Mega Match This final in six years - an astonishing track record!

Fish o Mania - Viaduct Results

Congratulations to Dan White who's won the Viaduct Fish o Mania qualifier with a superb 210lb from peg 112.

Dan found the viaduct Carp in a hungry mood and caught some proper munters by fishing pellets shallow.

He was a country mile infront of the rest of the field, and secures his place in the semi finals.

Full Results

1st Dan White 210lb 11oz
2nd J Kirk 146lb 2oz
3rd S Tucker 110lb 5oz
4th S Keifer 110lb 4oz
5th P Stone 104lb 4oz

Midweek Match Update 6th April 2016

Yesterday saw 150 Anglers battle it out for a place in the Fish o Mania Semi Final at Cudmore. Woodlands View in Droitwich was the host, who are well equipped for hosting big events such as these.

Literally on cue when the match started a very strong wind picked up making conditions challenging for a lot of competitors, but it didn't stop the fish from feeding.

Andy Power, turned up as a reserve, and with 20 no shows got a ticket and a good draw in the corner of back deans. An angler of Andy's calibre on a decent draw makes no mistakes, and he went on to win the match with 130lb. Second place went to local youngster Jordan Holloway who weighed 118lb and third was Welshman Rob Jones with 114lb. 

Other midweek match results from around the fisheries:

Hillview Fishery, Wednesday:

1st Gabriel Skarba 192-4-0
2nd Rich Brewer 160-8-0
3rd jnt Lee Payne 154-4-0
3rd jnt Dave Huggins 154-4-0

Manor Farm Leisure, Wednesday

1st Tony Brooks 127-4-0
2nd Richard Merry 116-8-0
3rd Ronnie Pharaoh 109.4-0
4th Terry Winstone 89-0-0

Monk Lakes, Wendnesday

1st Mark Parrett 87-08-0
2nd Maurice Leask 82-08-0
3rd. Sean Clifford 60-0-0
4th. Antonio Poynter 57-02-0

Packington Somers, Weds Solihull Angling Centre Open

1st Danny Tresigne 105-11-0
2nd Lee Davies 93-14-0
3rd Neil Careless 93-4-0
4th John Burchell 82-14-0

Partridge Lakes, Tuesday

1st Daz Shaw 92-11-0
2nd Andy Bennett 92-09-0
3rd Steve Avison 64-02-0
4th Martin Liptrot 63-14-0

Rolfs Lake, Wednesday

1st Ian Frain 38-8-0
2nd Andy Quarmby 37-11-0
3rd Martin Worrell 27-12-0
4th John Bennett 25-12-0

Fish O Manai Qualifier IX - Woodlands View Fishery
Wednesday 6th April

Woodlands View is another one of the countries oldest and most established fisheries in the UK. 

It has hosted umpteen big events over the years, and the team there are experts at hosting such prestigious events as the Fish O Mania Qualifiers.

In fact following tomorrows match the venue will host a Mega Match This Qualifier this coming Saturday!

The venue has 7 lakes in use for this event, those being Front and Back Deans, Arles, High, Ghost, Hay and Barley. The venue is such that it is almost impossible to predict where there winner will come from although Front Deans, Arles and Ghost would be the favourites.

Pellet and Corn have be working well lately, and will probably be the main line of attack for the regular anglers there.
The forecast tomorrow is pretty good, with a dry day in store with highs of around 10c and a light westerly breeze so conditions should be favourable.

Recent match results there from last weekend are as follows:

Saturday Deans 
1.J Dale (Peg 1) D27 66lb 14oz 
2.Steve Thorpe (Total Angling) D51 57lb 4oz 
3.Andy Pollard (DGL) D1 55lb 4oz

Sunday Arles & Front Deans
1.R Wilson (St Stephens) A37 98lb 12oz
2. Wayne Mellings (Maver Midlands) D21 72lb 9oz
3. A Christy (Woodlands) D33 67lb 14oz

If your there fishing, then good luck and we will bring you the results as soon as we know them.

The fishery rules for Woodlands are as follows, but you can also find them on the Fishing IT Website http://www.fishing-it.com/fishery-focus/woodlands-view as they are one of our featured fisheries.

Woodland View feed pellets are the only feed pellets allowed on the fishery.

NO GROUNDBAIT OF ANY TYPE. NO PASTE OF ANY TYPE
The only baits that area allowed are: Maggots, casters, worms, sweetcorn.

Luncheon meat hook only bait not ot be loose fed.

Maximum Pole length 16.5 metres.

3 Keep nets to be used in ALL matches if you have caught 100lbs+ of fish at Woodland View Fishery at any time.

All silver fish in one net ,all other fish to be split 50/50 between the other 2 nets.

NO JPZ PELLETS,NO BOILIES, NO POWDER ADDITIVES.

A maximum of three bags of Woodlands feed pellets can be used during any match.

Total quantity of baits allowed during any five hour match is eight pints in total.

The maximum quantity of worms allowed in any match is one kilo. (one kilo of worm equals three pints)

A maximum of six pints of sweetcorn is allowed in any match. (ten 

300g tins is equivalent to six pints)

Barbless hooks should be used at all times.

No hooks larger than size 12 to be used.

No braid allowed or method type feeders allowed.

The ONLY FEEDERS you can use are;Cage Feeders,Swim feeders,Open Ended Feeders,In Line pellet feeder (Not elasticated.)

When fishing a pole a float must be used at all times and floating in the water.

Mega Match This Qualifier 1 

The Glebe / Mallory Park, Leicester, 2nd April 2016

1st Simon Fry (Garbolino) 203-12-00 46 (Lake 3)
2nd Tom Edwards (Dynamite Baits)180-00-00 3 (Lake 1)
3rd Brett Chapman (Got Baits) 174-00-00 1 (Lake 1)
4th Ryan Lidgard 139-08-00 4 (Lake 1)
5th Neil Stones 139-08-00 48 (Lake 2)

This year's Mega Match This qualifier campaign began with a sell-out event at the ever-popular Glebe Fishery in Leicestershire. Anglers were pegged across Glebe lakes 1-7 with twenty anglers also pegged on Foundation Lake at Mallory Park. Conditions for this opening qualifier started off very poor indeed with torrential rain making its presence known until around midday, at which point, the sun made an appearance and very quickly warmed things up.

Winner on the day, and the first angler booking his place in 2016's minimum £50,000 Grand Final, was Garbolino-backed rod, Simon Fry. Simon drew peg 46 on Lake 3 at the Glebe and started the match fishing 8mm pellet on the bomb to take quality fish up to 14lbs. Later, when conditions improved, Simon switched to 6mm pellet on the pole to add more quality carp to his overall catch to offer a massive 203lbs 12oz to the scales. Simon also qualifies for this year's Maver British Pole Championship final, which takes place at Maver Larford Lakes on Sunday 21st August.

Finishing in second place was Tom Edwards (Dynamite Baits), who drew peg 3 on Lake 1. Alternating between a maggot & groundbait feeder and hard pellet on the long pole, Tom found carp in numbers to win the lake with 180lbs exactly.

Finishing close behind in third place was Got Baits rod, Brett Chapman. Brett found himself stationed on neighbouring peg 1 on Lake 1 and opted to fish a maggot and groundbait feeder for most of the match before switching to his margins late on, again with maggot, to end the day with a level 174lbs.

Qualifier for Grand Final: Simon Fry (Garbolino)

Cefn Mably Winter League Final Round

The final round of this popular league was held on Easter Sunday in difficult weather conditions at the South Wales Fishery.

Going into the match, there were a few anglers that were looking to claim the title so it was to be an interesting day.

Cwmbran Nobbler Nick Belcher was one of the front runners and proceeded to put in a fine performance in to win the match and the series.

On the day, 2nd place went to another Nobbler in Rob Skellet, who went on to claim the 3rd spot in the league on weight after tying on points with Fishing IT's Ian Exall

Full Results Were:

1st Nick Belcher (Cwmbran Nobblers) 71-12-0
2nd Rob Skellet (Cwmbran Nobblers) 63-12-0
3rd Jon Cali (Cefn Mably) 44-8-0

Final League:  
1st Nick Belcher 14pts
2nd Ian Exall 19pts 310-12-0
3rd Rob Skellet 19pts 289-4-0
4th Neil Morgan 20pts 252-0-0
5th Ian Driscoll 20pts 236-14-0
6th Chris Hall 21pts

Pictured (L to R) Rob Skellet, Nick Belcher and Ian Exall

Fish o Mania Qualifier VI Sunday 27th March
Gold Valley Lakes

There can't be many anglers in the country that haven't heard of Gold Valley Lakes!

With a history spanning back over 20 years, Gold Valley Lakes is one of the UK's oldest commercial fisheries.

With five lakes on the complex, it has literally been there and done it for many years as far as hosting big matches are concerned and if you are a well travelled matchmen you will no doubt have visited the venue.

The weights in recent weeks have been pretty good and consistent, the past four opens have been won with 89lb, 83lb, 155lb, and 94lb so we've no doubt someone will be in for a good day. Recent trends have seen a lot of people fishing the bomb, with meat or pellet on the hook. But Gold is the type of venue that you need to cover your options as well, so also be prepared with a waggler and the pole.

The weather has been a little milder this week too, and with cloud and highs of around 10c on Sunday it could see the fish moving around a lot more than they have been.

Rules wise, Gold Valleys policies are pretty standard, but be mindful of the net limits and the need for separate nets for silvers.

BOILIES may be used as hook bait only
NO NUTS or BEANS
NO PARTICALS ARE PERMITTED EXCEPT HEMP / CORN
NO CAT & DOG FOOD etc…
NO BREAD
NO FEEDING OF SURFACE BAITS
NO FIXED BOLT RIGS
BARBLESS HOOKS ONLY
NO LEAD SHOT above no 8
NO KNOTTED NETS
NO MORE THAN 80lb IN EACH KEEPNET
Silver fish, including Crucians are to be kept in a separate net from all other Carp
KEEPNETS must be pegged out on the bank and not put in the water until 10 mins before the start of the match
NO RUNNERS – SPECTATORS – HELPERS ARE ALLOWED ON THE BANKS (Blue badge holders see J.R.)

There is of course a well stock shop and club house on site that serves food and drinks to fuel you up for the day.

Good luck to those that are fishing, as per Saturdays qualifier we'll bring you the results as soon as we know them.

Fish o Mania Qualifier V - Lakeview Fishery Preview

The Fisho trail rumbles on, this Saturday see's qualifier 5 take place at the picturesque Lakeview fishery in Melton Mowbray.

Lakeview's main match lakes are: Serpent - 25 Pegs, Lagoon - 25 Pegs, Marina - 26 Pegs, Reef - 26 Pegs, Stream - 20 Pegs, River - 20 Pegs, Canal - 30 Pegs and Oasis - 20 Pegs. All are predominantly Canal style and well stocked with Silvers, Chub, Barbel and Carp up to 4-5lb.

Pellet and Corn seem to be the favoured baits there, although Worm, Caster and Maggot all work well.

The recent match results from there have varied from lake to lake, but Reef seems to have thrown up the biggest weights over the past month or so. 
Winning weights over the past four weeks have been: 65lb 7oz from Stream, 102lb 13oz from Reef, 46lb from Stream and 88lb from Serpent. So it has been quite variable from lake to lake!

The Rules at Lakeview (taken from www.lakeviewfishery.com

)are:

LAKE VIEW FEED PELLETS MUST BE USED

1 KILO OF WORMS (Max) (Must be cleaned off before chopping)

5 PINTS OF MAGGOTS AND CASTERS (Total) (This includes live and dead maggots)

2 KILO’S OF LAKE VIEW FEED PELLETS (Max)

2 x 350 gram TINS SWEETCORN (Max)

NO LUNCHEON MEAT

NO MEAT BASED PET FOODS OR OTHER MEAT BASED PRODUCTS

NO FLOATING BAITS OF ANY KIND (Bread, Dog Biscuits, Etc.)

NO BOILIES OR NUTS ON MATCH LAKES

NO BLOODWORM OR JOKER

1 Kg MAX OF GROUNDBAIT – (NO BALLING IN – CAN ONLY BE FED BY POLE CUP OR FEEDER)

MAXUMUM POLE LEGTH 16 METRES

NO FLOATING POLES

NO FEEDERS TO BE USED ON MATCH LAKES

BARBLESS HOOKS ONLY – MAXIMUM SIZE 12

NO FREE LINING ON POLE – A FLOAT MUST BE USED AT ALL TIMES
FISHING FROM PLATFORMS ONLY

MINIMUM OF 2 KEPNETS TO BE USED IN ALL MATCHES
ALL NETS TO BE LAID OUT ON BANK IN MATCHES AS SOON AS A COMPETITOR ARRIVES AT HIS PEG AND PUT INTO THE WATER 15 MINS BEFORE THE START OF THE MATCH

FISH TO BE SPLIT EVENLY BETWEEN NETS
MAXIMUM OF 60LBS PER NET – WEIGHTS IN EXCESS OF 60LBS PER NET WILL BE KNOCKED BACK TO 60LBS.

ALL FISH OVER 4OZS TO BE NETTED – ALL FISH TO BE PLACED IN KEEPNETS FROM THE LANDING NET

FISH MUST NOT BE ROLLED DOWN THE NET AT WEIGHING IN

Following this match there is another qualifier at Gold Valley Lakes on Sunday 27th. 

Will look at the preview for that match tomorrow.

New Angling Show To Launch on BT Sport

Two former Sky Sports Angling presenters have struck a deal to launch a new Angling TV show with BT Sports.

BT has signed a three-year contract with rights holder Rob Hughes - who has presented and produced the majority of Sky Sports’ fishing content for the past 17 years - and will attempt to bring the sport to a wider audience.  Rob will be accompanied by Andy Ford who was also a presenter on the former tight lines show that was recently axed.

The deal will give BT the rights to competitions, including the UK Angling Championship and British Carp Angling Championships, leaving Sky only with Barry Herne's Fish’O’Mania Final.

The team will be producing programmes based around 15 events including Maver Match This, Parkdean Masters etc but there will be a real mixture of angling content - so it won't just be a carp fishing show, or a match fishing one. 

There will be plenty of fly fishing, lure fishing, sea angling and general features for all to enjoy.

Put simply, if you like watching fishing on telly, there will always be something for you. 

There will also be a new style of magazine show to champion all we do. That will be 12 programmes in addition to the 15 event shows, which is hugely exciting for Angling.

In addition to the broadcasting, the new series will be backed up by online content.

Dates of the new shows will be released in the future, but the new programme is expected to be aired later in the year.

Pictured below are Rob and Andy

Kirkwood is into the finals again

Fish o Mania Qualifier IV - Solhampton Fishery

Manchester Angler Kerry Kirkwood is on his way to Cudmore again after winning the latest qualifier at Worcestershire Fishery Solhampton.

Kerry who also qualified last year from the Oaks has booked his place in this years finals after weighing 113lb 15oz from Dragonfly lake.

In second place and just 10lb behind was Robert Brennan who weighed 103lb 12oz from valley lake.

Third place went to Neil Colcombe with 102lb again from Valley Lake and fourth Paul Blinkhorn with 77lb from Partridge Lake.

Kerry joins Jamie Hughes, Matt Greening and Chris Kitchin in the semi final fish off at Cudmore Fisheries on July 8th.

The next qualifier is at Lakeview fishery this coming Saturday 26th March.

Fish o Mania Qualifier IV Preview

SOLHAMPTON FISHERY

Saturday 19th see's the Fish o Mania qualifier head to the beautiful Solhampton Fishery in Worcestershire.

The forecast for the area is dry but overcast with a light Southerly Breeze and highs of around 8-9c.

The lakes have been fishing well right through the winter with plenty of 100lb+ winning weights recorded. The last three matches (held on Kingfisher) have been won with 110lb, 110lb, and 82lb so there are plenty mouths wanting feeding! 

Solhampton has 7 lakes on the complex being Badger, Buzzard, Duck, Dragonfly, Kingfisher, Partridge (Canal style) and Valley. This give a total of 190 pegs with 130 of them being used for Fish o Mania.

Favoured baits at the moment seems to be pellet and corn, but worm and caster also works as the weather starts to change for the better.

All the lakes have features, even if they may not be obvious! There is underwater bowls and sunken Islands on a lot of the lakes so make sure you have a good plumb about when you get to your peg!

Also if you draw on dragonfly, this has depths up to around 9-10ft so deep rigs maybe required!

Some specific rules to be aware of are:

No Keepnets or Landing Nets - These are all supplied by the Fishery

2 Pints Maximum of Maggot and Caster

No Dead Maggot

No Hemp & Ground bait

Bread used as punch only

No meat

Fishery Pellets to be used

All Fish to be landed in a landing net and not swung in.

For the full set, please see the Solhampton Fishery website.

http://solhamptonfishery.co.uk/documentation/rules/

There is also a cracking cafe on site, where breakfasts and rolls are available for you to fuel up for the day ahead.

If your fishing then have a good day at this superb fishery, we'll try and bring you updates when and if we can via our social media pages and the full results when available.

130 competitors gathered at the picturesque Hayfield Lakes, Doncaster on Saturday 12th March 2016 for the third Fish ‘O’ Mania qualifier on a cool misty morning. The fishery had recovered well after the recent heavy rains and although there was a cool south easterly breeze blowing the weather looked set fair. Recent 200 lb weights on this venue added to the expectation of a good days fishing.

As the match got under way, reality soon dawned that that the cool wind and was having an effect, with most anglers struggling for early bites in the conditions. As last year, the aerator on Little Adams had a fair number of carp around it, and those anglers who could fire a pellet waggler close to it started to catch fish.

Alex Lill and James Stones on pegs 31 and 32 respectively had the breeze behind them and were soon catching carp, as did pegs 16, 17 and 18 opposite. Chris Kitchin on peg 17 where last year’s winner came from seemed to be taking an early lead, fishing close to the aerator with his pellet waggler set between 5 and 6 feet deep.

Meanwhile many anglers were struggling for bites, with fish only showing in tight pockets. Those in  the high 50’s on Dannie’s had such a pocket of fish and early reports showed a close contest was developing, with Marc Rodger, Shaun Sanders, Andy Oldham, Andy Butler and Jason Smith all catching carp on pellet waggler . Others on Dannie’s were finding the going tough.  

Adam Playford and Ryan Bennett were catching a few carp on 12 and 13, but didn’t look to be a treat to those in the 50’s. Big Adams told the same story with Lynden Grimmett, Steve Cooke and Geoff Keeling amongst the few to be catching odd carp.
It was clear that the carp were hanging in mid water, and those with carp coming to pellet waggler found that a change to pop up boilie fished at up to 5 feet off the bottom would bring in a few extra fish.  Paul Christie on Adams 16 netted 3 decent carp in consecutive casts on this method to give Chris Kitchin on peg 17 something to think about.  Chris, however carried on catching carp to 10lb on 8 and 10mm pellets, despite having difficulty reaching the aerator with his feed as the wind had picked up.

Shaun Sanders, Andy Oldham and Jason Smith in the 50’s on Dannie’s were in close competition too, with Jason Smith edging ahead to finish with 89 lb and second overall. Andy Oldham was close behind with 74-8 for third place, and Shaun Sanders weighed in 67-15 for fifth.

On Adams Alex Lill had 73-14; 10 lb more than the next peg James Stones, giving Alex 4th place. Opposite these two, the battle was won by Chris Kitchin on peg 17. The civil servant from Leeds put 97-12 of carp to 10lb to win the match outright and take the third qualifying place for the Fish ’O’ Mania final in July. Chris was especially delighted to qualify, and the day erased the bad memory of the previous Wednesday, when a 500 mile round trip to Viaduct only yielded a blank!

Despite some disappointingly low weights, where many anglers failed to weigh in, Hayfield showed it’s potential as a well maintained and well managed venue where better weather conditions and warmer water temperatures would give considerably better results.

Thanks go to Robin and the enigmatic Noelie for a friendly and colourful atmosphere, and good luck to competitors hoping to emulate Chris on the next qualifier at Solhampton on Saturday 19th March.

* Article attributed to the Angling Trust*

Greening Wins At Viaduct.

Hereford Angler Matt Greening won the second Fish o Mania qualifier at a wet and windswept Viaduct Fishery to book his place in the Cudmore semi Final. 

The 26-year-old carpenter from Hereford drew peg 115 and fished the bomb with and pellets he landed carp to 8lbs right from the start of the match.

 After battling not just the fish but the cold wind and driving rain Matt weighed a superb 160lbs 11ozs which was 30lbs clear of his nearest rival.

in second place was Incomes manager Chris Porter, from Southampton, who again caught on the bomb and pellet for an all carp weight of 129lbs.  A mere 1lb below Chris was local angler Byron Woodsford, who weighed in at 128llbs 2oz.

The Fish‘O’Mania XXIII finals weekend has been extended to include a Friday match where the 32 qualifying anglers will compete for 16 places in Saturday’s show piece event where the top prize has been increased to £50,000.

Finals weekend takes place at Cudmore Fisheries, Staffordshire on Friday, July 8 and Saturday, July 9. Saturday’s Grand Final will be broadcast live on Sky Sports.

Viaduct Fisheries Full Result 

1 – M.Greening – 160.11
2 – C.Porter – 129.00
3 – B.Woodsford – 128.02
4 – P.Hardwick – 121.00
5 – T.Williams – 119.04

The next qualifier takes place on Saturday 12th March at Hayfield lakes in Doncaster.

Fish O Mania Qualifier 1 - Tunnel Barn Farm 5th March 2016

There were two Fishing-IT Anglers in the top 3 today at the first Fish o Mania Qualifier at Midlands Match Fishing Mecca Tunnel Barn Farm.

On a bitterly cold day the winner, and the first to qualify for this years final was the ever consistent Jamie Hughes (MAP) who weighed a huge 141lb 5oz from Canal Peg 1 Dobbing Bread and Maggots.

In second place was Andrew Mann (Milo / Bait-Tech) with 83lb 14oz from Canal 6 and in third place was Fishing-ITs Andy Neal (Milo / Bait-Tech) with 65lb 8oz from Canal Peg 8.

Full Results:

1st Jamie Hughes (MAP) - 141lb 5oz
2nd Andrew Mann (Milo / Bait-Tech) 83lb 14oz
3rd Andy Neal (Milo / Bait-Tech 65lb 8oz
4th Andrew Geldart (Matrix / Dynamite Bait) 58lb 4oz
5th Sam Collet 57lb 7oz
6th James Thirkhill 57lb 6oz

Congratulations to Jamie on his qualification from the team at Fishing IT.

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