24.07.06
BURY HILL DOES IT AGAIN !!
Glen Baker's first fish out of Temple Lake was a beautiful 34lb 7oz mirror caught at 4am whilst on a recent four night trip to the lake. Taking Glen 25 minutes to land, this fish was a real fighter! On the last night of the session Glen also landed a 25lb mirror which he caught close to the aeration system from peg 6..........
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19.07.06
KOI HERPESVIRUS CONFIRMED AT SIX FISHERIES
The Environment Agency has instructed the owners of six still water fisheries in the south, east and midlands of England to cease all fish movements following confirmed cases of Koi Herpesvirus (KHV). Koi Herpesvirus (KHV) was confirmed at these fisheries after the owners reported significant fish losses.........
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18.07.06
THAMES WATER FINED FOR POLLUTING PYMMES BROOK
Thames Water has been ordered to pay nearly £14,000 for discharging sewage into the Pymmes Brook, killing more than 100 fish. The urban brook in East Barnet supports a stock of fish and other aquatic life as well as serving as a popular local amenity, particularly in the Oak Hill Park area........
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17.07.06
YOUNG PEOPLE'S ANGLING PROJECT
The Young People’s Angling Project, hopes to introduce young people to the delights of fishing and along the way develop social skills and environmental awareness. Saturday 22 July sees the start of this innovative project to help youngsters gain confidence and self-esteem with the aim of reducing the risk of them becoming involved in crime or anti-social behaviour.......
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13.07.06
HOLIDAY FISHING AND FOREIGN DISEASES
Now that the summer holidays are upon us many anglers will be heading abroad on fishing expeditions. Whether it be to the Continent or to more exotic climes, some simple precautions need to be taken to ensure you do not bring back any alien fish diseases or parasites......
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03.07.06
PULBOROUGH ANGLING SOCIETY UPDATE
Pulborough Pixie "Paul Cripps" fished a short evening session at Goose Green this evening, fishing his favoured method of the feeder, Paul caught and landed a single Mirror Carp of approx 6lbs, fishing on the opposite bank to Paul was Society Webmaster, Mark Emery, fishing floating crust, Mark caught a solitary Mirror Carp of 5lbs and one Rudd in the short evening session.......
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03.07.06
METRO MUSKETEERS NEWS
Garry Goldsmith [Gazza], caught this terrific chub from a small stretch of river in Dartford, Kent. He fished within a stretch with shopping trollys and traffic cones, through the town......
[Read More]

Press release - Another Bury Hill Temple Thirty and a big Old Lake Mirror!

Glen Baker's first fish out of Temple Lake was a beautiful 34lb 7oz mirror caught at 4am whilst on a recent four night trip to the lake. Taking Glen 25 minutes to land, this fish was a real fighter! On the last night of the session Glen also landed a 25lb mirror which he caught close to the aeration system from peg 6. Both fish were caught on Icelandic Red 20mm bottom baits. Glen is hugely pleased as both of these fish are over his PB.

Not to be outdone, the Old Lake also threw up a few big fish in recent weeks topped by Steven Spears 29lb mirror.? Regular Stephen had a very good session catching 11 fish which included the big mirror weighing 29lb and a smaller mirror weighing 23lb together with plenty of doubles. Fishing peg 15, Stephen fished an Ocean Fresh Squid and Tangerine boilie towards the point of the island with 6 free offerings in a pva bag.

For further information on these catches please contact David at info@buryhillfisheries.com

The Environment Agency has instructed the owners of six still water fisheries in the south, east and midlands of England to cease all fish movements following confirmed cases of Koi Herpesvirus (KHV). Koi Herpesvirus (KHV) was confirmed at these fisheries after the owners reported significant fish losses.

Environment Agency fish movements advisor Paul Lidgett said:
"At this stage the Environment Agency will not be releasing the name of any fishery being tested for KHV, as the last thing we want to do is deter fishery owners from coming forward if they suspect an outbreak in their waters. We recognise that anglers may be concerned about spreading the disease inadvertently. However, the likelihood of KHV being transferred between fisheries by anglers nets is negligible when compared to the threat via fish transfer, so stopping all fish movements at the infected sites is the best way of preventing the virus spreading further."

Although the risk from wet fishing tackle is very low, the Environment Agency is still encouraging fishery owners to adopt basic dis-infection measures to protect themselves against KHV and any other fish diseases.

In addition to the six confirmed cases of KHV, fish mortalities at five other fisheries have symptoms consistent with the KHV. Samples have been taken and laboratory results are expected this week. While the Environment Agency has no power to close infected fisheries, they have advised fishery owners to impose their own biosecurity measures and to temporarily cease angling.

The Environment Agency considers Koi Herpesvirus to be a very significant threat to carp fisheries in England and Wales, though it is not uncommon to get a number of KHV outbreaks each year. In fact, 16 cases of Koi Herpesvirus infection have been reported in UK fisheries since the disease was first detected in the wild in England and Wales in 2002. The virus develops clinical symptoms in infected fish when water temperatures are between 18°C and 28°C.

The Environment Agency is working with the affected fisheries to help them recover from the impact of the disease by providing advice on restocking and dis-infection. With the right fishery management there is no reason why these waters cannot recover from the current impact.

Paul Lidgett continued:
"Koi Herpesvirus is not currently a notifiable disease under the EU Fish Health regime. This means there is no legal duty to report infections to Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Agriculture Science (Cefas), on Defra’s behalf, have no powers to impose movements orders themselves. Any controls are based entirely on Section 30 administered by the Environment Agency. However a new EU Fish Health Directive expected in September this year should change this, making KHV a notifiable disease. We welcome this as it would give Cefas powers to investigate KHV mortalities and to trace the source of the outbreak. It would also place a legal duty on fishery owners to report suspected KHV mortalities on their sites."

Koi Herpesvirus is a virulent and highly pathogenic disease of common carp and its variants, including koi and ghost carp. KHV can be carried by grass carp and goldfish, but there is no evidence of it affecting these or other coarse fish species. Its origin is uncertain but it has spread rapidly across the world in the last decade. The virus was first isolated in Israel in 1998, confirmed in ornamental fish in the UK in 2000 and first detected in the wild in England and Wales in 2002.

Source: The Environment Agency - July 2006.
Contact: Contact: enquiries@environment-agency.gov.uk

Thames Water has been ordered to pay nearly £14,000 for discharging sewage into the Pymmes Brook, killing more than 100 fish. The urban brook in East Barnet supports a stock of fish and other aquatic life as well as serving as a popular local amenity, particularly in the Oak Hill Park area.

On 13 July Barnet Magistrates' Court imposed a fine of £12,000 and ordered the company to pay £1,911.90 costs.

Environment Agency officers were called to Brookside, East Barnet, on 11 April 2005 after members of the public reported sewage in the brook. The source of the sewage was quickly traced to an outfall in Church Hill Road. The court heard that a blocked drain had caused foul sewage to overflow into a surface water drain that discharges into the Pymmes Brook via a storm outfall. The main species of fish affected by the pollution were roach, sticklebacks and crucian carp.

Investigating officer Chris Ford said:
"We contacted Thames Water who sent a recovery team to clean up the area. They also discovered a blocked drain, which had caused foul sewage to overflow into a surface water drain which discharges to the Pymmes Brook via a storm outfall. This was a serious incident which will have killed the majority of the fish life in that stretch of the brook. When we first arrived at the brook we found around 50 fish dead or dying in the water. The pollution had caused oxygen levels to plummet and our officers couldn't see a single healthy fish for a mile downstream of the affected outfall."

Source: The Environment Agency - July 2006.
Contact: Contact: enquiries@environment-agency.gov.uk

The Young People’s Angling Project, hopes to introduce young people to the delights of fishing and along the way develop social skills and environmental awareness. Saturday 22 July sees the start of this innovative project to help youngsters gain confidence and self-esteem with the aim of reducing the risk of them becoming involved in crime or anti-social behaviour.

The Young People’s Angling Project is a partnership between the Gipping Valley Angling Club, the Youth Inclusion Support Panel, the Environment Agency, Eastern Angling, Anglia Care Trust and the Children’s Fund.

Ten youngsters between the ages of eight and 14 will be given the opportunity to learn from qualified fishing coaches how to bait a hook, cast a line and land their fish. It will also give them the skills and confidence to enable them to establish and sustain their own club.

The Gipping Valley Angling Club obtained funding worth £7,000 from Suffolk ACRE through the Local Network Fund (Department of Education and Skills). Further grants of £500 each came from the Environment Agency and Suffolk County Council. This money will enable the club, together with the Youth Offending Service of Suffolk County Council, to provide the youngsters with 20 weeks of fishing coaching by local experts.

Ian Wood, Honorary President of the Gipping Valley Angling Club said:
"We are pleased to support this project and would be keen to support similar schemes in the future".

Ian Bliss, Environment Agency funding officer, said:
"We are really pleased to be involved in a project that helps young disadvantaged people learn about angling and at the same time increases their awareness of the wider environment. We hope that the project will be a huge success and that it can be replicated in other areas".

The money enables the club to pay for the qualified coaches, transport costs and all the equipment needed for fishing including rods, keep nets and bait. This pilot project will be based at the Gipping Valley Angling Club’s Barking Tye Lakes, where there is also a small classroom for workshops. Some of the money will go towards a generator to supply power and a PowerPoint projector and screen to be used there.

Source: The Environment Agency - July 2006.
Contact: Contact: enquiries@environment-agency.gov.uk

Now that the summer holidays are upon us many anglers will be heading abroad on fishing expeditions. Whether it be to the Continent or to more exotic climes, some simple precautions need to be taken to ensure you do not bring back any alien fish diseases or parasites.

The reminder comes from Environment Agency Head of Fisheries Dafydd Evans.

"One of the potentially most-devastating parasites is Gyrodactylus salaris that attacks Atlantic salmon causing severe tissue damage often resulting in death, and can devastate stocks," explained Dafydd.

"The parasite is widespread in Norway, Sweden, Russia, Finland and Denmark, and reported in France, Germany, Spain and Portugal. In Norway populations of wild salmon collapsed in nearly 50 rivers as a result of the introduction of the microscopic parasite. The impact on angling and tourism has been considerable."

The G.salaris parasite is half a millimetre in size and virtually invisible to the naked eye. It attacks the skins and fins of juvenile salmon causing severe tissue damage often resulting in death. Although the parasite has not yet been found in British waters, tests have shown that our salmon would be killed by it. As the parasite has a direct life cycle and reproduces very rapidly, it is possible that even a single specimen imported by accident to a previously unaffected river would be capable of starting an epidemic in a very short time.

"Although the main threat is from imported diseased fish, and controls are in place to minimise this risk, the disease could be brought in by anglers and their equipment. The parasite is very hardy and can survive in wet or damp clothing and equipment for up to six days. If you are returning with clothing, boots, waders, bags, keep and landing nets, lines, reels, bait boats and other fishing tackle used on rivers abroad, as well as bait fish, you can help prevent the import of diseases and parasites in two simple ways. You can thoroughly dry all clothing and gear for at least 48 hours in sunlight and temperatures above 20°C, or disinfect by immersing in seawater or a salt solution (3% + sodium chloride concentration) for a minimum of 10 minutes. All gear should then be thoroughly rinsed in tap water."

If you took your own boat, dinghy or canoe abroad on the fishing expedition you are advised to clean, disinfect and dry the vessel before arrival back in the UK. Marine vessels returning from abroad do not pose a risk as the parasite cannot survive in seawater, but consideration should be given to tenders or other boating equipment used on rivers.

"Native parasites and disease causing agents are a natural part of fish ecology," added Dafydd. "They co-exist with fish populations in a balance between fish, the disease and the water environment. The highest risk of causing an outbreak is from the introduction of a new disease to our rivers and lakes."

The promotion of good practice in disease control is a significant component of the Environment Agency’s duty to maintain improve and develop fishing and fisheries. Many fisheries owners provide net dips containing iodophore washes for anglers to use when entering a site. Use them if you have recently returned from a foreign fishing trip.

Source: The Environment Agency - July 2006.
Contact: Contact: shelley.frosdick@environment-agency.gov.uk

Catch Report
* Goose Green - Pulborough Pixie "Paul Cripps" fished a short evening session at Goose Green this evening, fishing his favoured method of the feeder, Paul caught and landed a single Mirror Carp of approx 6lbs, fishing on the opposite bank to Paul was Society Webmaster, Mark Emery, fishing floating crust, Mark caught a solitary Mirror Carp of 5lbs and one Rudd in the short evening session.

Ray & Sandy Emery have been out and about again this week, fishing Deep Lake Ray caught a net of silvers estimated at 10-0-0, his catch comprised quality roach, rudd, Skimmers & bream, fishing an adjacent swim Sandy showed Ray how it should be done, with a net of 15-0-0 comprised of roach, rudd, skimmers, perch and bream.

Dudley Chandler [Ace Matchman] fished a short two hour session at Goose Green, fishing his favoured method of the pole, Dudley caught right from the off using the new "Skinz" pellets, fishing a short pole at the base of the near shelf Dudley was witnessed to catch a bream almost every single put in during the two hour stint.

*River Rother - Ace Matchman, Dudley Chandler fished a short session on the River Rother at Hardam, however he struggled somewhat in the hot and bright conditions, only catching a solitary Chub and a single Dace.

Annual Teach In
This years ‘Teach In’ was held at Moor Farm, Petworth on the 1st of July, and was fished on all three lakes. The banks were lined with juniors and some seniors each enjoying tuition on a one to one basis.

The tutors carefully explained the angling method in use [either Pole, Waggler or Feeder], the enjoyment on the pupil’s faces was all too apparent as they put the methods into practice and soon started to catch a variety of species [carp, tench, crucians, roach & rudd]. The tutors are all members of Pulborough Angling Society and gave their time freely and allowed the use of their own angling equipment, thereby allowing pupils to have some of the best training in the South East.

Each year the event becomes more and more popular with this year’s event being no exception, we are pleased to say that every pupil who attended the event caught fish. To prove the success of this event, many of our former pupils are now members of the Society and teaching the skills they have learnt through this event and the ongoing training program we operate to novice anglers. Many of this years pupils have already expressed an interest in signing up for further one to one training sessions with our dedicated training team (details available on our website)

Pulborough Angling Society wishes to express their thanks to Moor Farm Ltd, the Environment Agency, Arun Angling Centre in Wick Littlehampton and Carringdale Angling Centre at Bury Gate and Clawford Vineyard in Devon for their continued support towards the event, the tackle trade for their kind donations, Britannic Aviation [now known as Amsafe Logistics & Support] for their continuing support and the ladies in the kitchen comprising of Sandy Emery, Karen Ginnaw, Sheila & Katie Olliver who worked so hard all day to keep the tutors & pupils fed and watered in the oppressive heat, we also express our special thanks to Ray Emery for being our chief scrounger and last but not least all those members who continue to make the day what it is by giving up their free time to come and help, in whatever capacity they can.

Match Results
Result of the 4th Evening match fished by 6 anglers at Greatham bridge on the R.Arun.
- 1st Pip Pranskus 4.76kg [10lb 8oz] 2 bream 1 skimmer + bits to feeder and maggot.
- 2nd Mick Hall 3.1kg [6lb 13oz] mainly roach to long rod and maggot.
- 3rd Barry Ginnaw 500grms [1lb 1oz]


Thanks to Mark Emery for the information. For full club details of Pulborough Angling Society click here.

Garry Goldsmith [Gazza], caught this terrific chub from a small stretch of river in Dartford, Kent. He fished within a stretch with shopping trollys and traffic cones, through the town.

Garry said "I have been watching the chub for a while now and had seen some big ones moving in and out of the area."

Having no scales on him, he describes the chub as a lump [it felt close to 8lb] and he took it on a steak strip on a size 12 hook to 5lb line and 3 swanshot. He has had a few good chub there now and has seen carp and bream there. Taking the time to watch these small unlikly swims can be well worth the effort

Many more great pictures and info on gazzas club site [metro-musketeers]

Special tip for these type of snaggy swims is a spare telescopic landing net pole with the top V screw for moving line away from snags when you hook one.

Metro musketeers are hosting another nspcc charity match on sunday 6th august at Stones Fishery, Sheerness, Kent. Tickets cost £10 with a great raffle, plenty of trophies, barbi and refreshment tents and mystery guests with magazine coverage. Contact Tony Hobday on 07950-688-802 or check out their website at Metro-musketeers