Here at the Angling Trust we’ve been busy helping organise some pretty major events in the fishing calendar for the summer and autumn. Our competitions staff were quickly overwhelmed with applications for the now popular RiverFest which sold out in no time. We’ve also got a brand new river match on the tidal Thames at Kew with a £500 first prize and an opportunity to raise funds for the fabulous angling charity Get Hooked on Fishing.
See here for details of TideFest on September 28th…
More Fishing at this year’s Game Fair
This weekend sees us decamping to the Game Fair set in the wonderful grounds of Oxfordshire’s Blenheim Palace. Chris Ogborne, the dynamic new Director of Fishing at the Game Fair, has asked us to help ramp up the House of Fishing which had begun to look a little stale in recent years.
We are unveiling our new stand which will contain a host of activities and displays and which we are sharing with our partners from Selectafly, GHoF, The Environment Agency and Cefas. As you can see below there’s some great new member benefits on offer for new recruits and even a chance to have a go on a fish fighting machine. A good range of our Angling Trust Ambassadors will be there covering all aspects of angling and we are active participants in the Fishing Talks which will be hosted by John Bailey in the House of Fishing directly behind our stand.
What’s also on at the House of Fishing ?
If you are coming to Blenheim check out this year’s new look House of Fishing in the heart of the Fishing Village where you can discover a treasure trove of knowledge, info and advice for all ages and abilities on almost every aspect of this wonderful world of fishing.
The Advice Centre and Casting Pool
Managed by Andy Smith (Shimano Loomis pro guide and angling instructor ) with top quality advice for all angling disciplines. Come and enjoy illustrated talks and videos on Pike, Predator, Saltwater, Carp, Coarse, Kayak and Sea Bass fishing, as well as on all the regular fly fishing styles. There is a static Kayak display plus rig clinics on knots and leaders. The casting pool will be offering useful hands-on fishing demos throughout each and every day.
Fly Dressing
Visit the Fly Dressers Guild at their huge fly tying station where youngsters, newcomers, ladies and anglers can come to tie their first fly. Ladies can wear the finished product as a brooch, kids can wear them as cap badges or lapels, or they can actually fish with them. There’s even a great prize for the best fly tied each day. They will be displaying the very latest tying materials and fly patterns and there’s one-to-one instruction for all would be fly tyers.
The ‘Fishing Talks’ area
If the sun (or the rain) gets too much for you, or if you’d like to talk formally or informally about fishing, then this is the place to be. Each day there will be light-hearted but informative talks, hosted by celebrity angler John Bailey.
Jon Ward Allen from the Medlar Press will be launching of several new books throughout the Game Fair, enabling visitors to get their hands on the latest titles hot off the press
There will be guest appearances from: Andy Field on the art of float making; Clive Collier, Tony Baldwin, Paul Angell, Mark Withyman with chance to look into the fly boxes of England Team members; Christine Penn and her colleagues from Orvis USA ladies team will talk about their role in the sport along with John Tyzack, Team England medal winner.
‘Fishing Talks’ Programme with host John Bailey
Friday 18th July
1100 – THE NEXT GENERATION – With Charles Jardine and Sarah Collins (from Get Hooked on Fishing).
1145 – Presentation – The Alan Faulkner Memorial Award (Wheelyboat Trust)
1215 – THAT FEMININE TOUCH – ORVIS USA LADIES team – Jackie Jordan, Christine Penn, Laurie Kunz.
1315 – THE TROUT’S TALE – Chris Newton on the amazing travels of our favourite fish, the brown trout.
1415 – GREAT PIKE STORIES – Neville Fickling talks about his passion for catching and writing about big pike.
1515 – THE ANGLING TRUST – National Campaigns Chief Martin Salter and England manager Chris Clark
Saturday 19th July
1100 – THE LURE OF THE LURE – Top Water Lures supremo Nick Roberts on the popularity of modern lure techniques.
1145 – Presentation – The Fred J Taylor Award (Angling Trust)
1215 – WHERE HAVE ALL THE BARBEL GONE? – Dr Mark Everard trys to shed some light on a missing favourite.
1330 – TROUT FISHING OUTSIDE THE BOX – Peter Hayes delivers his sometimes controversial views on trout fishing.
1430 – NOMADS OF THE TIDES – Chris McCully and Malcolm Greenhalgh on the sea-trout, that most mysterious of game fish.
1530 – OPEN FORUM – Chris Ogborne, John Tyzack, Malcolm Greenlagh, Barney Wright and Martin Salter on the prospects for angling.
Sunday 20th July
1100 – TENKARA AND MORE – John Tyzack on the ‘new’ methods of Tenkara and French nymph fishing.
1145 – Presentation – The Arthur Oglesby Award (Salmon & Trout Association)
1215 – THE REDFIN DIARIES – John Bailey and Dr Mark Everard talk about this most beautiful of coarse fish
1315 – SALMON IN TRUST – A discussion on the state of British Salmon fishing.
1400 – ANY QUESTIONS? Charles Jardine, John Tyzack, Chris Ogborne, Mark Lloyd take your questions on the future of fishing.
Tickets for the Game Fair are still available at http://www.gamefair.co.uk
See you there !
Fighting For Fishing 