Welcome...

THANKS for purchasing this issue of IYCF.

It’s funny how things which were once just a normal part of our day have now come a major event. In the pre- Covid- 19 world, going out and shooting features was just part and parcel of putting this magazine together. Of course, that all changed with lockdown and fisheries closing.

When restrictions were eased and angling given the green light again, we wanted to guarantee the safety of both our staff and the anglers doing the features before we resumed any sort of on the bank shooting again. We soon had a list of safety protocols in place and, after months of not leaving the house, Tony – our features editor – was eager to be out with his camera kit.

I imagine Covid- 19 will continue to affect how we all work for the foreseeable future and social distancing will become – to use the phrase which seems to be everywhere now – the ‘ new normal’ for us. But at least it’s a type of normal and one that enables us to start shooting fresh content again.

Since angling has been permitted once more we’ve seen a notable increase in the number pictures we’ve received of young anglers who have been fishing for the first time. This is great to see and something we hoped might happen as families looked for activities which they could enjoy together.

At the start of the month, we put together a free, downloadable kids activity pack. Whether your kids have been fishing before or want to try it for the first time, there’s plenty in the pack for them to do, including a fish ID poster, waterside bingo sheet and a colouring sheet. If you’d like to download it head to: www. anglingtimes. co. uk and click on the Get Your Kids into Fishing tab.

Finally, please keep the pics coming as it’s always great to see so many people enjoying fishing for the fist time! James Furness, Editor

Andy Pell shows how to target big- water margins with the pole