AN ANNUAL angling challenge has raised nearly £5,000 for ABF The Soldiers’ Charity, bringing the grand total over four years to nearly £15,000.

The gruelling angling event involved organiser Jerry Gleeson fishing 17 rivers in the UK and Europe, in 14 days, travelling this country by public transport. He got help along the way from pals.

The barbel ace, who works as a head chef, told Angler’s Mail: “The whole thing is exhausting and I’ve come back aching in parts I never even knew I had.

“I travel as light as possible with no bedchair or bite alarms, just an ordinary light-weight seat and rod rests.

“I started on my local River Goyt then worked my way down south, joined by a mate on the River Lea in Hertfordshire, then a few other friends for the European leg.

“We fished the Meuse and Semois in France courtesy of an excellent tackle shop called Ardennes Peche, then went on into Belgium, Germany and finished in Holland.

“The best barbel I had came out from the middle River Trent at 14 lb 2 oz, but I also had a very good specimen of 12 lb 2 oz from the Dove which was even more pleasing as there are few big ‘uns’ left in there.”

Other species, including chub like this held by Jerry Gleeson, also figured.

Jerry told Angler’s Mail: “I managed to tempt 15 different species, most of them very small, but had a 7 lb bream on the Trent and a 4 lb 8 oz chub in France.

“The only river I blanked on was the Colne where I had been joined by a friend and decided not to fish because I was so tired.

“The charity is very dear to my heart as I had two brothers and several close friends in the army, and is run totally by volunteers so there are limited costs and more goes to help the veterans and their families.

“I won’t be doing the same thing again as its just too exhausting and need to do something different.

“Next year the plan is to focus on barbel fishing on a number of French rivers,” added the 43-year-old from Stockport, Lancashire.

Anyone wishing to donate can visit: www.justgiving.com/fundraising/jerry-gleeson4

GOT AN ANGLING STORY OR CAUGHT A BIG FISH? Email photos and details exclusively to: anglersmail@timeinc.com – you could star in the brilliant weekly Angler’s Mail print magazine.

The British carp record has been beaten – full story and pictures are inside this issue of Angler's Mail print magazine's unbeatable news pages.

The captor looks unlikely to submit a claim for the giant 68 lb 5 oz mirror carp, caught from Holme Fen in Cambrigdeshire.

It eclipses the current official carp record of 68 lb 1 oz caught from Berkshire’s Wasing Estate

Be sure to read the Angler’s Mail story and pictures, out now in the print issue.

Do not miss the AUTUMN TIPS SPECIAL inside Angler’s Mail print magazine this week. Expert advice for the weeks ahead comes from all-rounder Andy Browne (pictured on this week’s cover). He’ll help you catch quality fish.

This issue of Angler’s Mail print magazine includes:

• Bill Rushmer’s Brilliant Baits – making hot and spicy meat and paste
• Steve Collett finds fish by feeling for liners
• Lee Kerry’s feeder tactics insight
• John Bailey’s new methods for Wye barbel
• Dave Coster explains pole connectors choices
  Dr Ian Welch on fish bubbles
• New Gear, selected by Richard Howard
• Guest Jake Lund dishes the dirt for carp
• Home-made boilies with Colin Davidson
• Billy Flowers and Jamie Londors’ World Carp Champs insight

PLUS Where To Fish This Week by the Mail’s panel of regional experts.

Also… The Informant, Historic Moments, Your Letters, weekly forecasts – and more!

SCHOOLGIRL Lois Chilvers caught one of the biggest goldfish in the country at 5 lb 4 oz – and added a 4 lb 5 oz beauty as well.

The ten-year-old from Barking, Essex, was on a family trip to Chase Lakes in Dagenham when she matted the two brightly-coloured giants.

Dad Gary explained: “Me and a friend took our kids for an overnight session and had a good load of fish including a PB mirror carp for me at 31 lb, a PB mirror carp for my friend at 25 lb and the two massive PB goldfish for Lois.

“Needless to say we’re still smiling from ear-to-ear.

“Both goldfish were caught on Spam over pellet and the rig was size 10 hair rig hook to nylon tied to a small swivel with a stopper bead and a 10 g pear lead.

“Lois Chilvers tied and cast the rig straight out around 40 ft then catapulted small pellet over the top every half hour or so.

“We didn’t know these fish were in there before and as she caught the first one the bailiff come round to collect ticket money and he looked just as shocked,” he added.

Lois’s goldfish aren’t the first to hit the headlines as Surrey schoolboy Nick Richards caught a 5 lb goldfish in 2010 from a Dorset lake.

Nick was interviewed for CNN news in the USA and got column inches as far away as Australia as well as all over the UK media.

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CATFISH ace Dean Aldridge notched his fifth 100 lb-plus UK wels with this 106 lb 2 oz giant.

The 51-year-old consultant of catfish products company Big Cat UK fished for 48 hours on a day ticket water in Essex.

Bromley, Kent-based Dean said: “The first 24 hours were spent on a unproductive part of the lake, but a move produced the big one.

“The bait I used was Big Cat pellets, fished on the block rig over carpet feed and RH hybrids and tamed using a Mark Tunley cat rods.

“I would like to thank the wels catfish community for the tips and tricks,” he added.

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THE Environment Agency have revealed the new free junior rod licence has seen a 25.7 per cent rise to 65,487 since being introduced in April.

And the new three-rod coarse licence has seen a boom of 100,104 paying £45 a pop if not entitled to concessions.

Figures from 2009 to 2016 showed a 52.6 per cent decline in junior 12-16-year-old licences reaching just 52,117 in 2016.

Kevin Austin, new head of fisheries at the Environment Agency, said: “Children today have a wealth of technology at their fingertips, and coupled with the costs parents face, it’s easy to see why fewer children are enjoying outdoor activities.

“We’re really pleased to see that a growing number of young people are taking up the offer of a free junior licence, helping them to enjoy the great outdoors and this great sport.

“Today’s children are the anglers of tomorrow. It’s important we attract them to the sport early and offering a free fishing licence is one way to achieve that.

“Not only does fishing offer great health and educational benefits, angling generates over £1 billion for the UK economy and creates over 37,000 full time jobs.”

But it wasn’t all good news as the overall figure for licence sales last year for 2016/17 was down 1.57 per cent to 1,191,142 licences.

And the EA vastly increased the cost of one and eight day licences in April by a whopping 60 per cent to £6 from £3.75 for one day and the week £12 from £10 and has seen a huge decline.

At the same point last year the two short-term licences went down from 265, 572 to 199,733.

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THE UK’s oldest angler is still enjoying his fishing and bagging up even at the ripe old age of 102.

Super-veteran angler Bob Teers is taken every year by his 70-year-old son David to Ian Heaps Fishing Resort in Pembrokeshire, South Wales, for a week’s fishing holiday.

And apart from a bit of help with the fiddly bit of putting a pellet on a band, the Stockport, Greater Manchester-based angler fishes totally independently.

Fishery owner’s son Scott Heaps explained: “They’ve been coming here for over a decade and when he was in his late 90s my dad told him if he reached a 100 he could fish for free so we reckon he kept going that long to make dad keep his promise.

“The family has been going fishing together for 50 years, and we had five generations here this time.

“Bob can only cast out a couple of rod lengths now but thoroughly enjoys what he is doing, he is still learning – every year dad gives him a free tip which helped to give him nine carp in one session here this time.

“His biggest ever fish was caught here a few years back which was a lovely common of 15 lb 4 oz.

“Bob started fishing relatively late around the age of 35 back in about 1950, but that still means he has been fishing for 67 consecutive years.

“He used to work as a machine grinder in Bredbury Steel Works but had to take time off work through an industrial injury to his hand.

“His grandad gave him a couple of old split cane rods and he went out and bought two cheap centre pin reels for 1 shilling and 6 pence each which is 7.5p in today’s money, and he went off to fish a local pond near Offerton Girls School but can’t recall what he first caught apart from the fishing bug.

“Like my Dad at one time he got into match fishing and was a member of Hayfield Club in Derbyshire. He regards his best fishing achievement as going with his club to the Yorkshire Ouse and catching only seven tiny roach for 6 oz but this was enough to win – and they say today’s river fishing is tough!

“Quite a difference from my dad Ian winning the world championships – Ian is now 72 and still loves his fishing but contents himself with only fishing matches on his own fishery here, one of which he won last week with 147 lb of carp.

“Coming here with the family is the only time Bob actually gets to fish these days and my dad, who comes from the same area, has now joked that if he comes back again next year he can have free bait as well but he will have to bring his parents with him to qualify,” he concluded.

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THE owner of a specialist fishing reel-making firm is appealing for assistance in trying to catch the scumbag thieves who raided his factory.

Garry Mills of Mill Tackle Engineering in Studley, Warwickshire, arrived at work very early to finish an order for hand-crafted centrepin reels and found 23 missing along with other unique kit.

The 53-year-old, who used to work or J.W Young & Sons, explained: “I arrived at 5.30am to put the finishing touches on the reels and get them ready for shipping out and saw the shutters were only half closed and my heart sank.

“The reels were the bulk of an order for Perfection Angling in Southampton and were incomplete without their reel seats so are unusable as they are, but actually retail at £475 each.

“Each one is engraved with the name of the company that had ordered them, and carry a serial number from 01 to 23.

“Apart from that they took some modern carbon rods, other reels, some of them antique as I deal in vintage tackle at trade fairs, and a tackle box.

“One item I am particularly upset about losing is a prototype closed faced Atom reel presented to me when I left JW Youngs which never went into production and is unique and irreplaceable – I had been offered £1,500 for it.

“Another is a prototype split can rod in a bag with the name Arrow on it, named after my local river. There were also a few Mitchell reels and Cardinals.

“The thieves tried first to break into a motorbike repair unit on our small industrial estate but moved onto us when they failed.

“We’ve got them on CCTV – we know they were wearing Adidas footwear and one of them had on an Adidas top but they were all wearing hoods.

“I set up this business in 2001 and I employed my son James in 2008 and now we have four people, and to be honest, losing these reels is going to hit us hard.

“We make about a 1,000 reels a year and have recently completed the final 25 of an order for 100 to be used for barbel fishing.

“I estimate the total loss at around £15,000 but won’t know what the insurance company will agree until I meet their assessor this week,” he added.

Garry believes the thieves were opportunists and is appealing for anyone who is offered such reels or other tackle items to get in touch with him or the police.

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THE carp record was smashed with a 68 lb 5 oz giant – but again the fish won’t be considered for an official British record.

Controversy surrounds the carp record again as the legally-imported Israeli fish was caught at the huge weight from Cambridgeshire’s prolific Holme Fen… but the captor  decided to avoid any publicity.

He won’t be putting a claim through to the BRFC for the record, even though the fish exceeds the No.1 of the official list.

In fact, the angler only known as ‘Bill’, hasn’t revealed any pictures of him actually holding the fish, just cropped images of the fish itself which came from the main Meadows Lake.

Ironically, the fish called Captain Jack was caught on ‘International Talk Like a Pirate Day’ – but the only talking being done is when will a record-sized carp actually be accepted as a record?

Last year Big Rig, from the exact same Israeli strain was caught twice above the official record at 71 lb 4 oz and 69 lb 3 oz at Rob Hales’ Shropshire syndicate The Avenue. But the British Record Fish Committee rejected a claim for the fish as it had been ‘artificially reared’ before being stocked.

‘Bill’ and the ‘carp record’

Captain Jack is the country’s biggest known living carp as Big Rig died earlier this year.

That was shortly followed by the death of the current official record The Parrot from Berkshire’s Wasing Estate that went 68 lb 1 oz.

Martin Dawson, co-owner of the day ticket Holme Fen, explained the latest catch of Captain Jack at an all-time high, and the background to it.

“Bill’s view is that he fishes for himself and his own pleasure and hence his catches are personal and he has no need to share them,” said Martin.

“Besides all you seem to get from trying to claim the carp record these days is a load of grief and aggravation.”

A different angle on the giant 68 lb 5 oz carp, held over the water by ‘Bill’.

Martin said: “Bill was with a party from my Woodpecker syndicate (Earith Lake Fisheries) who booked The Meadows for four days.

“On the afternoon of the first day Bill cast out from the Look Out Swim to a spot approximately 110 yards towards the left hand bush on Part Point and after five hours hooked into the fish which was weighed on two sets of scales and witnessed by a handful of anglers.”

Home Fen’s massive carp

Martin continued: “All the fish in the lake here were legally imported from Israel by Premium Carp with the majority held in stock ponds prior to release into Meadows, and we then left them for a further three spawnings before we opened for fishing.

“Captain Jack was also caught three weeks ago but bottomed out 65 lb scales. Before that, the last time it was caught was a year ago at 64 lb 11 oz.

“It is a male fish and its weight generally only fluctuates by a couple of pound either way and it has put weight on year-on-year since we opened the fishery.

“He is the largest known fish in Meadows Lake which has produced backup fish of 60 lb 2 oz, 59 lb 12 oz and 58 lb 8 oz this past 12 months.

“Captain Jack did come out about six times last year, four in quick succession of each other, so it is possible it will come out again this year.

“I’m sure it will be caught again probably at an even heavier weight and maybe the lucky captor will want to claim the record,” he added.

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ALL-ROUND specimen fish ace Tony Gibson proved he’s just as good at catching big carp as most other coarse species when he caught this epic 50 lb 2 oz common carp.

The common carp was a very special catch for Tony, chairman of the Northampton Specimen Group…. who already has a logbook of super-specimens.

The former British barbel record holder, and former Angler’s Mail Specimen Cup champion, set a new carp PB by over 5 lb with the fish, called the Box Common.

It lurks in Swan Pit on the Bluebell complex in Northamptonshire, a venue whose mega common carp called Benson made the front page of national newspaper, The Times, when it died back in 2009.

Tony, 53, explained his Box Common success story: “I liked the look of the low-pressure and big winds that were forecasted, so made plans for a midweek carp session.

“As usual it was quite busy when I arrived, but I had the choice of two swims that I quite fancied, eventually choosing a swim that was coming free on a stretch of bank that I hadn’t fished so far this year.

“Swan is often regarded as a small bait/particle water, but I’ve been doing well just using boilies over the last 12 months or so, and appeared to be catching my fair share of the larger fish.

Tony used Complex-T boilies.

“So I didn’t hesitate to introduce around 5 kg of Dynamite Complex-T in a mix of sizes to my main area at around 68 yards.

“After a quiet start to the session, with just a mid-20 out elsewhere on the lake, I was starting to get “itchy feet” and thinking about a move.

“However two low 30s then came out in a morning, from the opposite end and this settled me a bit, as I was roughly mid way between the two areas and felt like the big fish were starting to move and I was in a good interception area.”

Common carp arrives at the very end…

Tony, from Duston, Northamptonshire, continued: “With two nights of the session to go I introduced another 3 kg of mixed sized boilies and refreshed my hookbaits.

“On the last morning I was actually well on with the job of packing up, with only the bivvy and rods to go.

“I was in the middle of unpegging the bivvy, when the right-hand rod signalled a steady run.

“It felt like a decent fish when I first bent into it, but came in relatively easily and without much drama, so I had it in close quite quickly.

“When it turned over near the surface, just under the line of the middle rod, I got the impression that it wasn’t particularly big.

“However, a minute later it suddenly seemed to grow dramatically as it came up and allowed itself to be drawn over the net cord at the first attempt,” he concluded.

Bluebell’s most famous common carp is Benson, which was thought to have been caught 63 times in 13 years, and was voted by readers of Angler’s Mail as Britain’s Favourite Carp in 2005. The immense fish died in 2009, resulting in this front page appearance.

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SWITCHING rivers certainly paid off for barbel ace Garry Teer as a week after a 27 lb 4 oz brace he topped it with a pair of Thames barbel going a stonking 32 lb 13 oz.

The stunning Thames barbel pair came when Garry returned to the same stretch of the middle reaches to smash his PB with a giant of 17 lb 9 oz (pictured above) after first nabbing one of 15 lb 4 oz.

The 51-year-old technical manager explained: “After many years fishing my local Great Ouse which has been hit with otters, this season I decided to try the Thames.

“Last season had been the hardest ever although I still managed to land a 14 lb barbel, so I decided to try elsewhere even though the journey would be at least an hour.

“I had no particular inside information about the Thames and chose to join a club which allows night fishing on the standard ticket.

“I was hoping to acquire some local knowledge on the bank but one guy told me he had fished 500 hours without a barbel, although perhaps he was trying to put me off.”

Thames barbel ‘on a slope’

Garry continued: “After my great night the previous weekend, I was itching to return and found a swim close to a weedbed with a hollow going down from 7 to 10 feet, and I opted to fish on the slope.

“Just before dark the smaller of the two fish struck and I was delighted to beat my PB by an ounce, but only two hours later the 17 lb 9 oz monster was on and put up a tremendous fight on my 2.2 lb rods.

“I could hardly believe it when I saw the size of it with such a tremendous girth – it was really the fish of a life-time and I am still buzzing now.

Garry’s 15 lb 4 oz Thames barbel, which is he swiftly bettered with the 17-pounder.

“I fished with a Bankside Tackle dumbbell with the end pinched off, wrapped in their team barbel paste with a small PVA bag of crushed samples,” added Garry, from Wellingborough, Northamptonshire.

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VASTLY experienced English duo Lee Jackson and Tim Paisley plus Benji Petutshnig-Fisherlauser won the prestigious 2017 World Carp Classic.

Former British carp record holder Lee Jackson and Nutrabaits co-founder Tim Paisley used all their expertise to help winkle out three huge carp at France’s huge windswept Lad De Madine.

They had two over 50 lb and one over 40 lb for a 72 kg 200 gr overall weight to share the £15,000 cheque.

The trio also picked up £2,000 of personalised Dynamite boilies, unique golden Reuben Heaton scales, WileyX sunglasses, Lowrance fish finders and equipment amongst a host of prizes.

Legered boilies at extreme range did the trick for the trio who beat over 100 entries from 22 countries.

Tim Paisley on how they won it

Tim, from Preston, Lancashire, revealed: “The swim was not accessible from the mainland so you go out by boats.

“We had to face 60 mile per hour gale-force winds whipping across the front of our peg 76 swim and had two days of torrential rain added to that.

“With those cross-winds just putting a bait out at 300 yards is a two-man exercise, as is landing a fish.”

Lee Jackson shows one the heavyweights… over 50 lb in English pounds.

Tim continued: “Jacko’s amazing 8 pm and 3 am final night brace of 25 kg and 21.17 kg fish which took us from eighth place to winning by around three kilos.

“The euphoria and memories will live with me forever.

“Lee’s already had some finest hours, but to me this has to be his finest ever.

“Madine had treated us a tad cruelly over the years, but not this time! These are tough events,” he concluded.

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BIG barbel are thin on the ground in many parts of the country, but the north east has produced few in the class of this River Tees specimen in recent seasons...

Glynn Brown proved persistence pays off when he ended a run of around 25 blanks on the River Tees with this PB 12 lb 10 oz barbel.

And then followed it up with an impressive three low doubles and two singles on his next five trips.

The 41-year-old from Hartlepool, County Durham, offered double 15mm Angling Dynamics Hot Liver Rami boilies. His biggest barbel came during some  atrocious weather.

Glynn said: “High winds and driving rain made the fishing unbearable, but I’d driven the 30 miles to the river so I intended to fish anyway.”

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ONE of the UK’s largest carp ever has come out at 64 lb, making it the nation's biggest known common. It has been predicted to go onto break the official British carp record.

Known as Tarka, the huge common carp came from RH Fisheries The Avenue syndicate in Shropshire.

This is the former home of the controversial mirror carp Big Rig, which went 71 lb 4 oz but was rejected by the UK Record Fish Committee as it was artificially grown to near record weight. That fish has since died.

Tarka is the second biggest known carp of any kind alive after Captain Jack was caught at 68 lb 5 oz at Cambridgeshire’s prolific Holme Fen. Captain Jack’s captor ‘Bill’ didn’t want any publicity or desire to claim the British record.

The official record carp is The Parrot from Berkshire’s Wasing Estate at 68 lb 1 oz but that sadly died this year.

Tarka the common carp is still growing

Tarka’s lucky captor Mike O’Neill landed the giant common in a superb brace with a 46 lb 11 oz mirror. He certainly proved that effort pays off as he only had one carp last season.

RH Fisheries boss Rob Hales commented: “I think this fish will go on and reach 70 lb in the next two years. It was only 30 lb five years ago and is still growing.

“It’s a male fish we bred ourselves and has been in the lake about seven years and is only caught twice a year and then seems to disappear.

“It was last caught at 60 lb 4 oz by Luke Edwards last winter and soon after at 59 lb 12 oz but not seen since,” he added.

The Avenue also showed it could produce other future 60 lb-plus giants with two mid 50s banked within a week. Carl Sharp matted the Black Scar mirror at 55 lb 10 oz and John Lee a 54 lb 12 oz common.

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PAUL MURFIN showed the benefits of a prebaiting campaign on Nottinghamshire’s River Trent with this specimen 17 lb barbel.

The 42-year-old forklift driver kept trickling in Trent Baits’s Freshwater Shrimp 16 mm boilies and then targeted barbel over four 48-hour weekend sessions. The action kept getting better.

Nottingham-based Paul explained: “First weekend I had three carp to 23 lb and two scraper double-figure barbel and the second session I had nine bream.

“The third weekend I was back on the barbel banking fish of 16 lb, 12 lb and two scraper doubles.

“And the fourth weekend I caught fish of 14 lb, 13 lb, two low doubles and the magical 17-pounder.

“I prebaited with a kilo of boilies and this baiting pattern continued throughout my month’s fishing, putting this in ever other night,” he added.

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A WAR veteran was spared jail by the skin of his teeth after stealing £12,537 from the fishing club where he was treasurer.

Wayne Adams splashed the cash on dating websites, shopping and jewellery from Samuels after splitting from his wife after swindling Aldershot Garrison Angling Club.

The 44-year-old war veteran, who completed tours of Iraq and Afghanistan during his 25 years in the Irish Guards, took the money between September 2016 and February this year.

When club chairman David Ashburner contacted him for a statement of expenditure ahead of its Annual General Meeting, Adams tried to get out of providing one before confessing to his theft by text, Winchester Crown Court heard.

In a statement provided by David, it was also revealed Adams had failed to renew the club’s insurance policy, which would have covered the stolen money.

Fishing club hit by cash loss

The chairman said: “This has caused very serious detrimental effect to Aldershot Garrison AC, which is a community club.

“The money stolen was subscription money collected from the members and was going to be used to purchase new fish stock.

“We have now been unable to do this, which has lowered the enjoyment of our members.

“We have had to put in place an eight per cent increase in fees to try to recoup the money.”

Adams, of Aldershot, who has already paid back almost £2,000 to the club, admitted one count of fraud by abuse of position.

Ordered to pay back £250 a month

Judge Jane Miller sentenced Adams to 12 months in prison, suspended for two years. Adams was also instructed to pay back £250 a month until the money is repaid.

She said: “I am sentencing you to 12 months’ custody time, but you will be pleased to know that this will be suspended.

“I will suspend this for two years as I feel you need to have this hanging over your head for as long as possible.

“You must also pay back the full money taken, which I know you will want to do as a point of honour.

“If you fail to make any payments, know that the angling club are likely to take civil action against you. The most sensible option is to make sure you complete the payments.”

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THE UK’s first ever publicly quoted tackle retailer, Fishing Republic, has published its results for the first half of this financial year and they present a healthy picture of continued growth and expansion.

Fishing Republic predict they will have to have specialised tackle shops in the future and move away from general mixed stores.

While accounts showed a small pre-tax deficit of £0.12 million, this was fully in line with management expectations and was mainly due to the heavy capital investment of £0.88 million in new stores.

Fishing Republic chief executive Steve Gross (pictured) commented: “I am delighted with the progress we have made so far this year.

“We have continued with the expansion of our ‘destination’ store network, opening five new stores in the period with a further two opened in August.

“Our estate now stands at 19 stores and covers new geographic regions, including South East Midlands and East Anglia, which will also help to support our online strategy.

“Total store sales were up 83 per cent to £3.17m with like-for-like sales up 21 per cent and overall revenues up 64 per cent to £4.09 million.”

Fishing Republic’s new stores

Steve continued: “Our new ‘destination’ stores opened in Milton Keynes, Ipswich, Reading, Kings Lynn, Clavering Lakes in Essex, Gloucester and Huntingdon and our geographic reach extended into new regions, including South East Midlands and East Anglia.

“The transition to our own website sales (from third party platform sales) progressed well with our own website sales up 140 per cent and accounted for 57 per cent of all online sales (2016: 29 per cent), and we launched an enhanced www.fishingrepublic.net site on March 1, 2017.

“We started life a few years ago with just six stores in the north and have grown quickly and while I can’t reveal specific details, the group remains very well-positioned for further growth, with acquisitions under active consideration.

“Our model is to build large stores of around 4,000 square feet where people can drive to and sample the widest possible range of equipment but we also are willing to consider taking over larger existing tackle shops where appropriate like we did in Swindon.

“We now have two large stores actually on fisheries, one in Crewe and one at Clavering Lakes in Essex and this is a model we are also happy to develop as they cater for fisherman actually there to fish as well as visitors.

“I’m sure existing small tackle shops will also survive alongside the bigger outlets but I predict they will need to become more specialised, he concluded.

Fishing Republic’s ambitions realised

James Newman, company chairman, commented: “Fishing Republic continues to deliver on its ambitions to materially expand its presence, both physically and online, in the fishing tackle marketplace.

“This is evident in the strong revenue growth achieved in the first half of the year, as store sales rose by 83 per cent and sales via the company’s own website grew by 140 per cent in the period.

“The opportunity for Fishing Republic to establish a dominant position in its highly fragmented sector is exciting and the group remains very well-positioned for on-going growth, both in store and online,” he added.

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A FIRST guided trip to the in-form River Trent in Nottinghamshire resulted in a stunning PB for an angler from the other end of the country.

Richard Easom of top bait firm 3 Foot Twitch took Aaron Choat and Paul Holder out for a night session and Aaron had the stunning 16 lb 10 oz barbel.

Service manager Paul, 31, from Camberley, Surrey, chipped in with a PB chub of 5 lb 15 oz plus a PB barbel of 13 lb 8 oz.

Aldershot, Hampshire-based Aaron, 37, explained: “Although I have caught plenty of barbel on small southern rivers the Trent offered a completely different challenge on our first trip and Richard was a fantastic guide.

“The bite came at 10.35 pm on the downstream rod – it was quite finicky, not the normal huge rod bend I’m used to.

“At first I wasn’t convinced it was a big fish as it came in like a dog on a lead, but once it came within a few rod lengths it really woke up making several deep powerful runs, ripping line off the clutch, until I eventually netted it.

“I rested it until I was satisfied it had recovered enough for weighing and photographs.

“To say I was over the moon was an understatement and Richard was as happy as me.

“A River Trent PB as it was my first Trent barbel, and I carried on the rest of the night but no more luck,” added the Ford car technician.

Spread boilies barbel approach

Richard beamed: “What a night and it seemed to all happen in the space of a five minute spell – carnage ensued.

“After setting up Paul had the chub then two hours went past as expected without a biter but I did assure them both that 10.30pm was the time.

“As we passed the time with a good chat the left hand downstream rod rattled off and quickly asked what’s the time and was told 10.35pm… not bad, five minutes out.

“I knew the area at this time of year would always throw up those fish at that time. The spread approach of boilies and straight lead as I have explained numerous times produces bigger fish and as it was proven.

“As Aaron was playing his fish the other rod went and Paul connected with that one.

“Aaron landed his first and held it in the water with the net whilst Paul got his in his net after a massive tangle with the other line as it came in close to the margins.

“We weighed Aaron’s fish which after zeroing the Avon scales sprung over to 16 lb 10 oz – what a fish!

“After we weighed Paul’s and his sprang over to 13 lb 8 oz – what a brace.

“A fantastic night – great company and memories made! The biggest fish to fall on my guided days and within those five minutes it will give me memories that will last with me forever – love it when a plan comes together,” he concluded.

The giant barbel were caught using 3 Foot Twitch Redemption and Furter boilies, with terminal tackle consisting of Bank Tackle size 6 wide gape hook and 15 lb Korda NTrap, with a 6 oz straight lead.

CAUGHT A BIG FISH? Email photos and details exclusively to: anglersmail@timeinc.com – you could star in the must-read weekly Angler’s Mail print magazine.

A BUNCH of maggots produced this amazing 25 lb 4 oz brown trout for Robert Melville.

The retired 49-years-old was on his own boat Predator in Ardveich Bay at Loch Earn in Scotland when the monster struck.

Winchburgh, West Lothian-based Robert said: “It was caught on the maggot on the bottom in around 35 feet of water using 8 lb line and a size 12 barbless hook.

“I am over the moon with my new personal best caught early in the morning when there was a strong easterly wind.

“It gave a good hard 20 minute battle before I finally got this fish in the net, and what a relief that was,” he added.

Biggest ever brown trout – and ferox

Ferox trout has the Latin name Salmo ferox – according to trusted sources including Wikipedia. But Scottish authorities currently do not regard Scottish ferox to always be genetically distinct from ordinary brown trout, Salmo trutta.

It has been argued to be a distinct species, being reproductively isolated from “normal” brown trout (Salmo trutta) of the same lakes, particularly in Ireland. However it is uncertain whether the ferox of different lakes all are of a single origin.

They display a wide variety of shape, colouration and spot patterns. The condition of individual fish is also very variable and depends on factors such as age, season, whether it had spawned during the previous winter and possible parasite infestation.

After subsisting on invertebrates, some brown trout switch to a diet based mainly on fish. Brown trout that switch to piscivory find that the switch not only boosts their growth, but also adds to their longevity.

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THE biggest tackle shop sale in UK history has just been completed with Fosters of Birmingham being sold to top tackle chain Angling Direct for a monster £3 million.

Angling Direct is now the largest specialist fishing tackle and equipment retailer in the UK with 17 stores.

The news of their growth comes hot on the heels of giant tackle chain Fishing Republic revealing its own period of more impressive growth.

Fosters of Birmingham is a huge enterprise in its own right with a massive 17,000 sq ft superstore, and is one of the largest tackle retailers in Europe.

Holding £1.2 million of stock, Fosters caters for all forms of fishing, and is located just five minutes from J6 of the M6 and just 3.5 miles from Birmingham city centre in the West Midlands.

In the year to March 31, 2017, Fosters generated revenues of £5.9 million and had an operating profit before tax of £460,000, with net assets of £1.1 million.

Within net assets is the freehold property of the Fosters store, which has been recently valued at £500,000.

The acquisition increases Angling Direct’s presence in the Midlands, adding to its Halesowen and Willenhall stores.

Angling Direct’s reaction to the Fosters deal

Darren Bailey, CEO of Angling Direct, commented: “Fosters is a long-established and very successful business with a loyal customer base and knowledgeable team.

“The acquisition will be earnings enhancing from day one and validates Angling Direct’s long-term strategy – to consolidate the fishing tackle market whilst expanding our business through acquisition.

“We look forward to working closely and supporting the Fosters team with the integration over the coming months.”

Following completion of the acquisition, Mark Foster, will remain with Fosters for a few weeks to ensure a smooth handover, and Richard Foster, will continue to work in the business on a part-time basis.

Angling Direct has grown and grown, and now has 17 stores.

The angling trade today

Naidre Werner, chairman of the Angling Trade Association, remarked: “Although this purchase reflects a trend towards a larger organisations, I don’t think anyone has anything to fear from this.

“There are still a lot of good, strong smaller retailers out there and good entrepreneurs who can make a success with new innovations.

“These large stores often in retail parks help to raise fishing’s profile with families out shopping tempted in to have a look and give fishing a try, but there will always be a place for more local specialist knowledge.

“Overall the trade is quite steady with carp and lure fishing the growth areas and our latest survey of the trade overall should be available by the end of the year,” she added.

ATA’s last national survey of the tackle trade in 2015 showed there had been in increase of revenue to £571 million, up £30 million from four years previously. But there was a small decline in the number of shops in the same period, a trend which looks likely to continue.

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AN ABUSIVE rod licence dodger has been given one of the biggest financial penalties ever after unsuccessfully appealing his conviction.

Rod licence dodger George Holland failed to give his name and address when confronted by an Environment Agency enforcement officer and then used threatening behaviour.

He was caught fishing illegally at Izaak Walton Fishery in Staffordshire last summer. The quality venue is pictured above, where a legally licenced angler happily fishes.

The popular fishery is named after the ‘godfather of coarse angling’, Izaak Walton, who lived 1594-1683, and who was born in Stafford. He was best known for his massive selling book, The Compleat Angler.

Izaak Walton was the author of The Compleat Angler… centuries ahead of its time, and still well worth a read today.

Rod licence rogue Holland was finally fined £660, and ordered to pay costs of £1,129 and a victim surcharge of £66 after a second court appearance.

Holland, 51, who is based in Stone, Staffordshire, was originally called to court at North Staffordshire Justice Centre in April 2017 and was proved guilty in absence for four offences.

But the case was reopened under a statutory declaration application from the defendant where he pleaded not guilty.

Magistrates heard the case and again found Holland guilty in his absence of all four charges that included using threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour causing that person to believe that imminent violence will be used against him.

Rod licence case reactions

Andrew Eardley of the EA said: “It’s good to see the courts taking instances of threatening behaviour against enforcement officers seriously and that offenders are prosecuted.

“Thankfully cases where an angler is threatening are very rare; most anglers found without a licence, while not happy, admit they have been caught out.”

Dilip Sarkar, of the Angling Trust, who is fisheries enforcement manager for the Voluntary Bailiff Service, said: “The size of this penalty is excellent news and will help to act as a warning to other anglers caught without a licence that threats and bad conduct will not be tolerated.

“It is good to see the courts now taking these matters very seriously – the practice of enforcement has moved on enormously in the past five years with more awareness in the public, the police, courts and anglers themselves.

“I have to admit that, despite being a life-long fisherman, I didn’t know when I retired from the police force six years ago that not having a licence was actually a criminal offence, but the message is now getting out there that there are serious consequences to not having one and abusive behaviour will not be tolerated.

“We have just finished a series of six enforcement workshops, one in each region of the country, which has resulted in over 500 anglers going back to their clubs and fisheries with far more knowledge of all the issues involved,” he added.

The latest figures from the EA of prosecutions in England show that in July alone fines totalling £44,967 from 136 rod licence dodgers were issued.

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