Wednesday 16 March 2011

iBet: Dynamo Kiev will park the bus at Manchester City | Gareth Purnell | Independent Sport Blogs

iBet: Dynamo Kiev will park the bus at Manchester City | Gareth Purnell | Independent Sport Blogs

New Video Series For Alan Scotthorne

Scotthorne's Match Fishing Masterclass
OnlineFishing.tv has hooked up with five times World match fishing champion Alan Scotthorne for a new match fishing masterclass series of programmes. Two shows from the series are already on the channel, covering everything you need to know about fishing with bloodworm joker, and pole fishing for F1s with soft pellets, in more depth than ever before. There are more in the series on the way – and next up is long range Method feeder fishing from the master. Go to www.onlinefishing.tv to find out more.

Massive River Lea Chub
The river season saved its best until last.
George Whiley was smiling broadly with this colossal 8lb 11oz chub. But there have been even bigger – and they will appear in public soon!
George struck on the popular Fishers Green stretch of the River Lea in Essex, where he has enjoyed recent success with other big chub and barbel too.
The 56-year-old touch legered meat in the margins and felt a gentle pluck followed by a slow pull. The fish then went crazy!

Free Beer If You Bag Up!
How about this for an incentive to focus the mind while you are fishing? A pub landlord is promising FREE BEER to the first angler to catch 650lb while fishing Boddington Reservoir.
The inventive comes from the new landlord of local pub The Carpenters Arms, Andy Judd, which is frequented by pleasure and match anglers. However, Andy might not be taking much of a risk. Although 150lb bags at not unusual at Boddington, a 650lb catch would set a new world match fishing record!

Mirror Backs Big Money Match
The UK’s richest angling event, ‘Mega Match This’ run by Maver UK, has secured The Daily Mirror as its official national media sponsor.
The backing should help the event’s profile as organiser Phil Briscoe hopes to make the sport’s first £100,000 pay out, and Phil has told me he also hopes to get the final at Larford Lakes televised by Sky Sports.
Ticket sales have been slow but with entry costing £50, Phil is hopeful that anglers are just leaving it late, with the first round on April 2nd. Whatever happens, Phil has personally guaranteed the winner will walk away with a record breaking £50,000 cheque. Buy your tickets online at www.mavermatchthis.co.uk .

Starlets Through To Defend Winter League Crown
Birmingham’s Kamasan Starlets are through to the final to defend their Winter League title after finishing second to FM Black Horse in the semi final fished on a patchy Grand Union Canal. Top performer for the team was Scott Geens, who finished sixth overall with 5-11-0 as sports was hit by a sharp overnight frost. Starlets’ captain Mark Downes told Angling Times: “We got off to a poor start and had to play catch-up, but some late fish in the last hour pushed us home.”

Biggest Pike For Years
PIKE anglers also had reason for cheer, and for many the end of March is the end for them on stillwaters – not just the rivers which shut on March 14.
The biggest pike for four years has been landed at a staggering 45lb 14oz. And that fish – seen here when it was a few pounds lighter - looks like it could smash the long-standing British record at any moment.
The stunning predator was caught on a trout livebait by Wyndon Coole at North Yorkshire Wykeham Lakes.
And it could now be well over the 46lb 13oz best set in South Wales in 1992!

Cyril's Big Plans For Angling
Some 50 new schools and the ‘Google of Angling’ are on the agenda for livewire fishery boss Cyril Brewster, who is attempting to unite the angling trade.
His new National School of Angling, set up initially in north Staffordshire, at Cudmore Fishery, is to be rolled out countrywide in tandem with a new website for the whole sport.
Now another 50 fisheries are being sought to replicate the template locally.
To fund the new network and boost recruitment into the sport, Cyril has formed a marketing consortium. And the companies in that group will eventually become part of an all-encompassing angling website.
Could it be the Google - or Amazon - of angling?
Watch this space – and be sure to keep an eye on Angler’s Mail and OnlineFishing.tv, who are both involved and will be following this major development with interest!

Fantastic Opening At Pitsford Water
Anglers enjoyed a terrific opening day at Pitsford Water with a rod average of 4.2, in spite of coloured water around the margins due to the strength of wind the previous day.
Allan Worley topped catches with a superb 9lb 6oz rainbow as part of his six-fish limit by 11am on Saturday morning. Allan fished the sailing club bank, with a Black And Green Pea.
Fish have been well spread out though, with Stone Barn, Pines, Sailing Club bank and the Gorse probably the top spots.
“Good spring-like weather has made the fishing come alive and a sprinkling of over-wintered fish showed up in good condition, which is surprising with the cold winter that we had,” said a spokesman. “Our stocking programme will continue on a weekly basis at Pitsford with 30,000 rainbows and browns due to go in this season.”
The venue is holding beginners’ courses on Saturday March 26th March; on the 2nd, 6th and 23rd April; and on the 8th, 11th and 21st May and dates throughout the season.

Boat Fishing With Barham
OnlineFishing.tv’s boat fishing ace Dave Barham has completed his first ‘Boat Fishing with Barham’. Dave, who is editor of Boat Fishing Monthly magazine, has travelled all over the UK in the last few months in search of cod, thornbacks, bream, bass, conger and smoothhounds and the full series is now available to view online at www.onlinefishing.tv . Look out for a new video magazine just for sea anglers from OnlineFishing very soon.

Turbine Row At Pershore
The Environment Agency has ignored protestations by angling’s governing body over a proposed hydropower scheme on the Warwickshire Avon and given it the green light. The decision has sparked fears that the excellent fishing at Pershore will be ruined in what the Angling Trust describes as a scheme that shows ‘a complete lack of analysis of the turbine’s impact on the water environment’. The stretch involved is controlled by the Birmingham Anglers Association, who believe that not only the fishing, but the ecology of the river will be adversely affected.

Magnificent Ravensthorpe
The reservoir trout season is getting into full swing and Ravensthorpe is in even better form than Pitsford, with a rod average of 5.4 and 439 fish landed for the week.
Not only that but it’s producing big fish, with numerous 8lb plus trout being caught, culminating in a 13lb 8oz beauty for Nick Elliot, who caught off the bank with a black and green lure on a floating line. Husband and wife team Andy and Sarah Bull shared three trout to 8lb 6oz, with Sarah’s being a personal best of 8lb.
Veteran season ticket holder Mitch Brown also raised his personal best with a 8lb 9oz specimen boated from the Coton End with guidance from his mentor Al Greeno.
To cap a fantastic week a beginner - Laura Foster – landed a tremendous 5lb 5oz rainbow whilst fishing with her granddad. The best boat areas are Cotton car park and Causeway Island with Platforms 1-12 recommended for bank anglers.

Fish And Chips At Barston
Bartson Lakes owner Nigel Harrhy is undertaking a micro chipping operation to monitor growth rates of his carp and help protect them from fish theft. Nigel will be using two forthcoming carp competitions to add a unique identification microchip to all fish caught over 10lb in weight at his Solihull water.

Big Lucy’s Mill Barbel
Lucy’s Mill on the Warwickshire Avon produced a personal best 12lb 4oz barbel for Jeff Hart. Jeff tackled a river running hard after heavy rain, and struggled to present a bait properly because of debris constantly coming down. However, he fished on into darkness and was rewarded when the specimen picked up his luncheon meat bait flavoured with Worcester sauce. The rivers look to be running into perfect trim at last for the last weekend of the season.

Big Avon Barbel
The Warwickshire Avon left it until late in the season to throw up one of its best barbel of the winter in the shape of a 15lb 2oz beauty to Paul Bradbury. The 44-year-old fished the Stratford-upon-Avon area with The Source boilies on a size 8 hook, 3oz running lead and PVA bag of free offerings. The Avon barbel record stands at 16lb 4oz, a mark many experts expect to be beaten soon.

Show Time
I managed to get some chub fishing in before the river season closed but in the main I have been out and about including at The Big One show at the weekend, where I was filming for www.OnlineFishing.tv. I took the chance to catch up with Alan Scotthorne, Jan Porter, Bob James and Drennan Cup holder Julian Chidgey and got a sneak preview of the latest tackle from the likes of Fox, Hardy, Maver and Shimano, all of which should be on the website soon.

Packington Form
Some of the area’s stillwaters are yet to hit top form but match anglers enjoyed an excellent week at Packington Somers with Saturday’s open throwing up three ton-up weights. Venue regular Craig O’Brien came out on top, fishing his favoured pellet Method feeder approach with meat on the hook from peg 29 on Molands Mere for 115-60, just too good for Klaus Fix who had 112-1-0 and Steve Hunt with 110-1-0. Sunday was the last round of the venue’s Individual Winter League fished on Geary’s Level and Gratuities and although Wendell Ward won on the day with 67-5-0 of carp on pole and pellet, it was Lee Richards who took the £1,000 for winning the league.

Fish ‘n’ Tips
Many of you will know that my background is in editing angling magazines so I’m always interested when a new one hits the market. I got my first look at Fish ‘n’ Tips at The Big One angling show – and it’s certainly different. The publishers are taking a concept from the car market in which they are trying to create a club feel for a male dominated market, with a generous sprinkling of sexy ladies dotted around to spice up the fishing articles. The magazine covers all forms of fishing – which is a very difficult policy to make work – but the key will be if they can get advertising and keep producing good quality fishing content. The first issue includes contributions from the likes of Ian Welch, Mick Brown and Mark Barrett, plus (of course) a ‘Bivvy Babe Pin Up’, ‘Tackle Tart’ and a spotlight on the top ten fishing hoaxes. Issue One is out any day priced at £3.99.

Fair At The Bowl
Bishops Bowl Lakes is well into its new winter league and sport is proving very consistent, with good, fair match fishing.
Andy Pell won this round from Peg 2 on Marches Lake, fishing pole and pellet for 32-14-0 of small carp and tench.  Winner on White Bishop Lake was Mark Williams, who used to work for Pole Fishing magazine. He fished pole and maggot from peg 12 to weigh in 29-13-0, good enough for second overall. Chiltern Baits won on the day.

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Results

Garbolino Tunnel Barn Farm, Shrewley, Warks
Mon, Top Pool: Ade Mansfield (Yorkshire Baits/Tamworth Tackle) 44-15-0, F1s, bream and roach, pole and pellet at 4m and 6m and down the side, peg 29; Ron Notley (Starlet Veterans) 37-12-0; Barry Duggan (Warwick Portobello) 36-12-0; Charlie Mcgurran (Fosters) 30-2-0.
Wed, Canal Pool: Richard Knowles (MCM) 61-6-0, F1s, F2s, barbel, bream and roach, pole and pellet at 8m, peg 1; Jason Neath (Daiwa Gordon League) 53-5-0; Pete Hancox (Birmingham) 53-3-0; Chris Neale (Rutlanders) 42-4-0.
Thurs, Bottom Pool: Barry Duggan (Warwick Portobello) 47-9-0, F1s, carp and bream, pole and pellet at 9m to the island, peg 32; Kevin Keasey (Tunnel Barn Farm Veterans) 40-8-0; Dave Chapman (White Hart Coventry) 38-10-0; Brian Edwards (Youngs Tunnel Barn Farm) 38-4-0.
Sat. 34, Top and Bottom Pools: Jason Brown (Lea Hall Gold) 68-13-0, F1s, carp, bream and chub, pole and pellet at 10m, peg 26, Top Pool; Pete Caton (Dynamite Baits/Banbury Gunsmiths) 64-7-0; Pete Bennett (Banbury Gunsmiths) 64-6-0; Kevin Adderley (Dams and Lock) 63-5-0; Arthur Hicks (Colmic) 60-14-0; Pete Hancox (Birmingham) 60-0-0.
Sun. 40, House Pools 1 and 2 and Canal Pool: Andy Jackson (Redditch) 111-13-0, F1s, F2s and bream, pole and bread at 8m fished high and low, peg 7, Canal Pool; Ade Mansfield (Yorkshire Baits/Tamworth Tackle) 85-3-0; Paul Caswell (Shakespeare) 75-10-0; Kevin Folwell (Drennan Oxford) 70-6-0; Pete Rice (Bag Em Baits) 68-5-0; Pete Caton (Dynamite Baits/Banbury Gunsmiths) 66-6-0.

Packington Somers, Meriden, Warks
Wed, Molands Mere: John Burchell (Packington) 85-12-0, carp, pellet feeder, peg 58; Steve White (Kobra Feeders) 52-11-0; Steve Edwards (Packington) 38-4-0.
Sat, Molands Mere: Craig O’Brien (Fast Feeders) 115-6-0, carp, pellet Method and meat, peg 29; Klaus Fix (Nuneaton) 112-1-0; Steve Hunt (Packington) 110-1-0.
Sun. 40, Gearys Level and Gratuities, final round of Individual League: Wendell Ward (Best Baits) 67-5-0, carp, pole and pellet, peg 28, Gearys Level; Keith Wynn (Lanes Baits) 58-5-0; Steve Chester (Packington) 52-3-0; Lee Richards (Top Fours/Fosters) 50-0-0.
League: Lee Richards (Top Fours/Fosters) 9; Steve Chester (Packington 12; Ron Savage (Lanes Baits) 15. Winner: £1000; 2nd, £500; 3rd, £300.

Mosella Manor Farm Leisure, Harvington, Warks
Wed, Middle Pool: Andy Price (Mosella Lobbys) 38-0-0, carp, pole and pellet and maggot feeder, peg 25; Colin Ingram (Platt Bridge Tackle) 24-4-0; Howard Kaye (Sensas) 18-14-0.
Thurs, Island Pool: Gary Smith (Fishermans Friend) 60-4-0, carp, pole and pellet and maggot feeder, peg 14; Andrew Wheildon (Ovation Leisure) 54-0-0; Alan Wilson (Platt Bridge Tackle) 47-8-0.
Sat. 24, Windmill and Middle Pools: Andy Pollard (Daiwa Gordon League/Mosella) 98-4-0, carp, tench and skimmers, pole and pellet and maggot feeder, peg 9, Middle Pool; Steve Rich (Cotswold Angling) 73-4-0; Andrew Wheildon (Ovation Leisure) 69-8-0; Tony Shepherd (Oxford) 54-2-0.
Sun. 28, Windmill, Island and Middle Pools: Steve Ford (Daiwa Gordon League) 104-12-0, carp, pole and pellet and maggot feeder, peg 7, Middle Pool; Steve Heitzman (Fitters) 100-14-0; Mark Malin (Mosella) 94-12-0; Steve Rich (Cotswold Angling) 76-8-0.

Coventry Canal Winter League, Round Five, Coventry Canal, Coventry (32 fished)
Ted Yearby (Dams and Lock) 8-1-0, 215 roach, pole and joker, peg 106; Darren Lewis (Maver Tipton Van den Eynde) 6-14-4; Derek Jackson (Dams and Lock) 5-3-0; Paul Abbot (Shakespeare) 4-12-8; Paul Bostock (Maid of the Mill) 4-2-0; Darren Massey (Shakespeare) 4-1-6. Teams: Dams and Lock 10; Maid of the Mill 13; Shakespeare Superteam 14; Dams and Lock No Shows 16; Maver Tipton Van den Eynde 19; Cross Keys 21. League: Shakespeare Superteam 61; Maid of the Mill 81; Browning Central 88; Dams and Lock No Shows 89; Maver Tipton Van den Eynde 93; Dams and Lock 98.

Garbolino Tunnel Barn Farm, Shrewley, Warks
Mon, New Pool: Dave Chapman (White Hart Coventry) 38-6-0, carp, F1s and bream, pole and pellet into the corner, peg 1; Barry Duggan (Warwick Portobello) 36-14-0; Rob Swain (White Hart Birmingham) 36-10-0; Roy Winferdale (Stirrup Cup) 32-8-0.
Wed, House Pool 2: Rob Swain (White Hart Birmingham) 59-8-0, F1s, pole and white maggot at 6m, peg 2; Barry Duggan (Warwick Portobello) 57-15-0; Des Aires (Alvechurch Fisheries) 56-10-0; Warren Beech (Alvechurch Fisheries) 54-7-0.
Sat, 30, House Pool 1 and Top Pool: Kevin Folwell (Drennan Oxford) F1s, bream and carp, pole and pellet at 10m, peg 14, House Pool 1; Ronnie Biggs (HMPS) 41-13-0; Dave Flatman (Village Angling Club) 41-11-0; Ade Mansfield (Yorkshire Baits/Tamworth Tackle) 39-1-0; Steve Ringer (Dynamite Baits/Shimano) 36-6-0; David James (Mosella) 33-12-0.
Sun, 36, New and Canal Pools: Amer Jawad (Bag Em Baits) 67-3-0, carp, bream, F1s and barbel, pole and pellet at 10m, peg 5, Canal Pool; Pete Caton (Dynamite Baits/Banbury Gunsmiths) 49-12-0; Paul Newell (Kings Mill Redditch) 41-4-0; Steve Cantwell (Tunnel Barn Farm) 40-15-0.

Packington Somers, Meriden, Warks
Wed, Molands Mere: Derek Hartshorn (Swann Baits) 86-5-0, carp and skimmers, poled pellet, peg 42; Steve Chester (Mosella) 76-8-0; Steve White (Kobra Feeders) 42-12-0.
Sat 25, Gearys Level: Dave Elliott (Packington) 50-13-0, carp, pole and pellet, peg 6; Lee Richards (Top Fours/Fosters) 45-5-0; Steve White (Kobra Feeders) 30-10-0. Sun 32, Molands Mere: Glen Maxwell (Birmingham) 83-5-0, carp, pole and pellet, peg 56; Steve White (Kobra Feeders) 40-9-0; Dave Duggan (Dams and Lock) 32-12-0.
Lane’s Bait Winter League Round Four, Makin’s, Lagoon and Lizard (36 pegs)
Ian Hughes (Browning Central), 60-2-0; Pete Davies (Lanes Bait) 58-12-0; Rob Middleton (Shakespeare) 54-6-0.

Mark’s Tackle, River Severn, Stourport, Worcestershire
Pete Morris (Bromsgrove) 17-2-0, roach and dace, stick float and maggot; Stuart Braithwaite (Bromsgrove) 17-0-0; Chris Stevens (Tewkesbury) 14-14-0; Gary Seadon (Evesham) 14-4-0; Tony Skinner (Shakespeare) 13-12-0.

Stirrup Cup, Birmingham-Fazeley Canal, Curdworth, Birmingham
Tony Robinson (Stirrup Cup) 8-13-10, skimmers to 10oz and roach, pole and punched bread and squatt, peg 51; Darren Barrett (Stirrup Cup) 8-5-5; Graham Neary (Dams and Lock) 8-0-0; Graham Massey (Dams and Lock) 7-12-15; John Garbett (Dudley Bait and Tackle) 7-5-6; Ian Hadden (Weddington) 7-4-8.

Wassall Grove Fishery, Stourbridge, West Midlands, Brook Pool
Trevor Hodges (Wassall Grove) 82-4-0, carp to 6lb, pole and pellet, peg 24; Kevin Williams (Wolverhampton) 63-1-0; Dave Williams (Wassall Grove) 61-4-0; Sam Parker (Wassall Grove) 44-15-0.

Clubman Winter League, Preston Innovations Woodland View Fishery, Hadley, Worcestershire, Sun. High, Deans and Arles Pools (56 fished)
Chris Hill (Woodlands Golden Oldies) 65-13-0, carp, pole, sweetcorn and pellet, High Pool 30; T. Corbett (Wythall British Legion) 53-0-0; M. Wood (Maver Solihull Angling Centre Blue) 37-1-0; B. McGann (Maver Solihull Angling Centre Blue) 35-0-0; Gary Kirkham (Mosella Wolves) 29-10-0. Teams: National Express 19; Woodlands Golden Oldies 22; Wythall British Legion 22. League: Big Ears and Noddies 26; Maver Solihull Angling Centre Blue 28; Mosella Wolves 31.
Stirrup Cup, Birmingham Fazeley Canal, Curdworth, Birmingham
Dave Freestone (Three Ems) 9-13-13, skimmers and roach, pole and caster, peg 38; Ray Wallbank (Stirrup Cup) 5-9-2; Ian Hadden (Weddington) 4-15-15; Joseph Taylor (Stirrup Cup) 2-13-12; Gary Ward (Dudley Bait and Tackle) 2-6-15; Clark Taylor (Stirrup Cup) 2-3-9.

Walsall Arboretum Individual Winter League, Round Eight, Hatherton Lake, Walsall
Ron Jackson (Leamore AC) 3-0-0, roach, pole and worm, peg 8; Kevin Edwards (Jessar AC) 1-12-0; Dave Gough (Walsall) 0-8-0.
Final League: Kevin Edwards (Jessar AC) 168; Ron Jackson (Leamore) 157; Norman Carpenter (Saints) 142.

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