Improve Your Coarse Fishing (UK)
Week three...
Each year I compere the Nottingham Speakers Evening staged at the Newark Showground. It’s a fundraising event for the junior section and turn- outs approaching 400 anglers are the norm. A dozen trade stands were selling their wares and Archie Braddock launched his excellent new book, The First 70 Years ( Little Egret Press).
The key speakers were England International feeder angler Rob Wootton who recounted his experiences with using bait flavourings in the World Championships and how this reflected in his domestic fishing, plus former ( twice) barbel record holder Tony Gibson.
I also attended the Angling Trust/ Environment Agency South Yorkshire Fisheries Forum held at a hotel in Doncaster. This is a series of free- to- enter evenings organised around the country to inform anglers what projects are happening in their locality. They provide an opportunity to put questions direct to the people responsible on any angling related topic in a relaxed atmosphere.
It’s a far cry from faceless bureaucrats pontificating from afar. You might not get the reply you hope for but at least you get a straight factual answer and the tea, coffee and biscuits are free!
For the life of me I cannot understand why more anglers don’t attend. Apathy appears to rule in angling.
This time we had Mark Gregory, the new Angling Trust Fisheries Enforcement Manager for Yorkshire and NE giving a talk on Fisheries Enforcement Solutions and how to make sure your waters are a safe and friendly place to be. With over 30 years experience on the beat, as a detective and heading up the wildlife and rural crime unit, he certainly knows his stuff.
Derek Pye from the Hull & District Anglers Association gave an inspirational talk on how his club reacted to falling membership numbers by targeting the next generation through junior coaching schemes. Nine hundred kids, including 200 girls, have been involved so far. Through partnerships and grants the club raised £ 29,000 to fund the project in the past year alone. Book sales are now up by 20% and rising.
The sad thing is how poorly attended these evenings are. Admission is free including refreshments and you don't have to be a member of the Trust to attend. The talk topics are always informative and cover mostly regional issues. Sadly too many anglers prefer to bitch and moan on the Internet which, as we all know, achieves nothing, rather than getting involved with constructive solutions.
Keep an eye open for future forums in your area by checking the Trust website.