Welcome from the Editor...

WELCOME to the latest issue of IYCF. If the weather forecasters are to be believed (hmmmm!) we are in store for one of the coldest winters for several years. Admittedly, these predictions are made every year without fail and rarely come true, so assuming we don’t have to endure apocalyptic volumes of snow and ice for the next few months there should still be some excellent sport to be had. I’ll be honest, I struggle to muster much enthusiasm for spending nights on the bank chasing big carp at this time of year, especially when it get darks from 4pm, but the idea of spending a few hours here and there drop shotting for perch, roving for chub or fishing a well-stocked runs water for smaller carp is much more appealing. It was also great to see plans announced by the Environment Agency last month which will see changes to the rod licence pricing structure. From March next year there will finally be a three-rod licence available costing £45 and the current £5 fee for under-16s will be scrapped. They will also see 365-day rolling licences from the day of purchase. Fair play to the Environment Agency to listening to what anglers wanted and creating what sounds like a much better rod licence structure. As a carp angler, I’ve always had to buy two full rod licences, which allows me to use four rods, to be able to fish just three rods. But I’ve never actually owned a four rod set-up and there are very few venues that actually allow the use of that many rods. A gripe many carpers have shared! Thankfully this is now a problem of the past! James Furness Editor