The Environment Agency is warning those who fish illegally that the net is closing in after a recent rise in angling offences in the South East. Over the past 6 months, our South East Fisheries Enforcement Officers have issued over 360 offence report forms to illegal anglers. This is already 40 more than this time last year. To crack down on offenders, fisheries enforcement patrols are being stepped up at rivers and fisheries across the region this summer. Fishing illegally can incur a fine of up to £2,500 and offenders can also have their fishing equipment seized. The Environment Agency inspe ..read more

The Environment Agency (EA) has released its Fisheries Annual Report for 21/22 which details how and where fishing licence income is spent. During the financial year 1 April 2021 to 31 March 2022 the EA sold 934,760 fishing licences which generated an income of £21,854,093. So how has this income helped promote fishing? The report – available here – gives details on all the work the EA does with the support of a brilliant network of approximately 1000 partners. These include organisations involved in angling such as the Angling Trust, Canal & River Trust and Get Hooked on Fishing, as well ..read more

The Angling Improvement Fund (AIF) reopens on Friday, 14 April, for funding towards projects involved in tackling the spread of invasive non-native species and measures to increase biosecurity at angling venues. The AIF is administered by the Angling Trust and is just one of the ways the Environment Agency is reinvesting income from fishing licence sales in projects which benefit anglers across England. A total budget of £75,000 is being made available for this round. Applications for up to £5,000 funding are invited from clubs, fisheries and other angling-related organisations. All applicants ..read more

• Leybourne Lakes Country Park in Kent • River Irwell at Bury, Greater Manchester Over 350 bags of rubbish, 25 tyres, an avocado toilet and an abandoned sign saying ‘Cleaning in Progress’ were among items removed from the banks of rivers and lakes during two ‘Big Litter Picks’ organised by the Angling Trust and Nash Tackle and supported by dozens of anglers. The litter picks were in support of Keep Britain Tidy’s Great British Spring Clean initiative and took place at the River Irwell in Bury, Greater Manchester, and Leybourne Lakes Country Park in Kent. Nash celebrity carp anglers Alan Blair ..read more

The Angling Trust have announced the appointment of three new ambassadors to support our work – angling legend Bob Roberts, match fishing star Matt Godfrey (main picture) and tackle retailer Martyn Page, chairman and founder shareholder of Angling Direct. All three accepted formal invitations to become ambassadors from CEO Jamie Cook who said he was looking forward to working with them “to promote, protect and develop the sport we all love.” Jamie added: “In Matt we have one of the most talented coarse competition anglers of his generation who has a passion for supporting youth participation ..read more

This year, National Fishing Month will look to celebrate all forms of angling, spreading awareness of all the benefits that angling can bring to people that have never tried it before. This is your opportunity to get behind the campaign and help introduce new people into fishing or help get people back into the sport. Whether it is running a Get Fishing taster day at your club or fishery, an open day at your tackle shop or providing a discount on day tickets, we want to hear from you. To support your activity we are working on a number of exclusive resources and assets including poster templat ..read more

A re-developed fishing lake for specimen carp weighing up to 33lb has been officially opened at a popular Shropshire fishery and holiday park. Trevor’s Specimen Carp Lake, covering more than one acre, is one of five lakes at Spring Lea Fishery and Holiday Park at Plealey Road, Lea Cross, near Shrewsbury. Councillor Roger Evans, Shropshire County Council member for Longden division, cut the red tape to officially declare the lake open. Owners Salop Caravan Sites will be investing around £2 million in the holiday park and fishery, with all five lakes having been restocked for the new coarse fish ..read more

A fishing day trip to Carney Pools in Bishton, Stafford on 9 May this year for 2 men from Staffordshire has resulted in them each receiving a penalty of £619 for fishing without a licence. Their cases were brought to Cannock Magistrates Court by the Environment Agency on Tuesday 7 December where 27-year old Jon Hill of Dunbar Close, Stafford and 20-year old Sean Hill of East Holme, Hilderston, Stone were each ordered to pay a total penalty of £619. An annual fishing licence would have cost them just £30 each. The penalties include a fine of £440 for fishing without a licence contrary to the Sa ..read more

The Angling Trust has joined forces with bait manufacturers Dynamite and Mainline in urgently seeking clarification on Brexit ruling which will effectively ban UK anglers from taking baits with them on fishing trips in Europe. Since the UK-EU Trade Agreement came into force on January 1st, the export of baits derived from animal produce, such as boilies, requires a European Health Certificate (EHC) to be completed. At present, the EHC for baits of this sort are under the same requirements as exporting animal feed which involves exhaustive and expensive testing, and certification from a vet. To ..read more

We may have a new name on the carp scene after Teddy Cadby contacted Total-Fishing.com following a a stunning series of catches on Northamptonshire’s Welford Reservoir during which he smashed his personal best and beat the lake record to boot with a near 38lb carp known as Baseball Bat. “After fishing was was allowed again following the coronavirus lockdown in the UK, I was straight back on the bank doing multiple nights on my carp syndicate,” explained Teddy, 22, who started fishing at the age of 13. “Welford is a 20-acre reservoir when full and holds a stock of approximately 250-300 carp, wi ..read more