World Carp Classic 2007 - Book Early

Welcome to the World Carp Classic 2007- THE biggest event year on year in the carp angling calendar.

For the second consecutive year we are pleased to announce that we have secured the mystical Lac d'Orient in the Champagne region of France and home of the Bulldozer. This year promises to be another battle of the Titans for the title and the £50,000 prize table.

This is a priority invite with a loyalty early bird discount valid until the 31st March, pass that date and the price will automatically go up by a £100. You can now review the event, register yourself and make online payment securing a place into the event by following this link www.regonline.co.uk/wcc07

For 2007 we have been allocated even more space than we had last year. This is great news and to ensure a fair and unparallelled event experience we are capping the numbers at 132 places. This is 37 less than last year (the equivalent of 3 entire sections). In addition we are restricting the number of rods to 4 per pair so this will reduce the number of lines in the water by 428.

The pegging this year will be done by respected experts on the Orient including Andy Chambers, Leon Hoogendijk and the French Fishing Federation responsible for the lakes in the Orient.

The 2007 World Carp Classic will start with a fantastic opening ceremony in the tremendous hall (which is now finished) where you will be able to meet fellow anglers from all over the world and soak up the atmosphere of a real carp fest. The allocation of peg numbers will be the same as in 2006 where the wheel will be spun to see where your swim is (a little harder than last year though). This will be done prior to the gala dinner.

All anglers that are in areas that are difficult to get to will be provided with assistance by local officials and clear direction to where they are located utilising boat transport if required.

New for this year will be that all competitors will be able to go to their pegs at their leisure on Monday morning. This will ensure a much more relaxed start to the competition.

Having listened to comments from competitors last year regarding the prize table we will be providing a winner takes all for the section prizes. This modification in the prize table will also speed up the prize giving.

Full details of the event are on the event website www.worldcarpclassic.com this includes the newly released photo gallery with photographs going back to 1998, the forum and the new guess the biggest weight competition.

We are looking forward to seeing you at the mighty Orient this year. Let's hope one of the 70lbs+ giants puts in an appearance.

Tight Lines,The World Carp Classic Team

PS: WCC06 PARTICIPANTS FREE WEEK'S FISHING PRIZE

It was announced at the prize giving last year that all competitors in the 2006 event would be given one week's free fishing in the Forêt d'Orient in 2007. The period that this will be available for will be from 24th March to 24th August. Photo ID will be required and permits are to be collected from the Hippocampe at Lac Amance. It should be pointed out that this is subject to availability and covers Lac Amance, The Temple and The Orient.

Calling to ensure that places are available is advisable, the telephone number for the Hippocampe is +33 3 25 92 22 13.

Fisheries Vision – Local Meetings

Defra is currently running a consultation on the Fisheries Vision for marine fisheries. This consultation will run until April 26th.

Between now and then Defra has organised a series of visits to coastal locations to talk to the fishing industry about the Vision and get their input. Defra also wants to meet recreational sea anglers and get their views at these meetings.

Recreational sea anglers have complained that the meetings have not been advertised enough.

So to spread the word and publicise these meetings, the dates and venues are published below.
February 28th – Scarborough : Crown Hotel, 19.00 start
March 15th – Grimsby : National Fish Heritage Centre, 'Fred Smith Room'.14.00 start
March 21st – Lancaster : Holiday Inn, 18.30 start
March 22nd – North Shields, Fishermens Mission, 14.00 start with merchants,19.30 start with industry.
March 26th – Lowestoft, Hotel Victoria, 19.00 start
March 30th – Hastings, Horntye Park, Bohemia Road, 14.00 start
April 3rd – Plymouth, The China Pub, 14.00 start.

Go along and get your voice heard as recreational sea anglers.

FACT Website Launched

Fisheries and Angling Conservation Trust Ltd, FACT, today announces the launch of its website at www.factuk.co.uk

The new website gives;
details about FACT,
its member organisations and their present roles,
news from FACT,
details of FACT working groups and their activities,
FACT press releases,
contact listings for Members of Parliament,
an extensive collection of acronyms of national and international angling, fisheries and conservation organisations, NGOs, Government Departments,
a links page to FACT members and other angling organisations as well as loads of useful links outside direct angling or fisheries organisations.

Importantly there is a contact page for anglers to email directly to members of the FACT board or to make general contact with FACT. The board hopes that anglers will feel enabled to participate through these links in debates on issues affecting angling and our waters and to communicate directly with FACT board members on matters of interest or concern to the angler.

The website has been developed by a small team of board members, led by Sarah Thompson of Professional Coarse Fisheries Association, which has used a professional designer, sla associates ltd, to carry their plans into execution.

There is an opportunity, on each web page, for anglers to support the work of FACT by contributing to FACT resources using PayPal.

At present FACT is supported by subscription from its member organisations, but as the organisation develops into the planned single body to represent all of angling the board hopes to establish closer contact with anglers, who will, in time, be able to become individual members of FACT. To move swiftly to that advanced state FACT needs support from the angling and fisheries community and the new website provides anglers with their first chance to benefit and participate directly in the workings and future development of FACT.

Jim Glasspool, chairman of FACT, said, “We hope that anglers will take the opportunity the new website presents to tell us of their concerns and to express support or otherwise of the campaigns which FACT is involved in. We aim for FACT to be truly representative in time and this website is one of the first steps to that future.”

Serial offender banned from the riverbank

An illegal angler has been banned from fishing for two and a half years.

Mr Khan Marshall, 21, of Temple Dene Avenue, Staines, appeared before Woking Magistrates Court on 9 February 2007. He was fined £200 for leaving a rod unattended and a further £200 for fishing with three rods but only holding a single licence.

In a rare move reserved for persistent offenders the court banned Mr Marshall from holding a rod licence for the next two and a half years, after taking into account a string of prosecutions dating back to 2002.

The court heard that on the 10 July 2006 Mr Marshall had left his rod unattended at Twynersh Fishing Complex in Chertsey, Surrey, contrary to a national byelaw. A month later on 13 August Environment Agency enforcement officers discovered Mr Marshall at the same fishery using three rods but with only a single rod licence which contravened section 27(a) of the Salmon and Freshwater Fisheries Act 1975.

"Mr Marshall has a long history of flouting the laws of fishing in this country,” explained Fisheries Enforcement Officer Graham Haynes. “From his first warning letter in 2002 he has appeared before magistrates three times for failing to hold a rod licence and giving false names and addresses to officers, racking up a total of £650 in fines and costs.

"It is very rare for an angler to be banned from holding a rod licence, but this extreme measure was taken because of Mr Marshall's persistent offending. If he is caught fishing within those two and a half years he can expect his equipment to be confiscated, as well as finding himself in court again.”

More than £600,000 was paid in fines and costs by more than 4,400 illegal anglers during 2006 for fishing without a rod licence. In addition 40 anglers received cautions from the courts.

In the first month of 2007 more than 500 cases of fishing without a valid rod licence were brought in front of the courts by the Environment Agency, resulting in nearly £70,000 in fines and costs. Cautions were also issued to eight anglers.

Fishing for salmon, trout, freshwater fish and eels in England and Wales requires a licence from the Environment Agency. Failure to have a licence is an offence. Those caught fishing illegally face tough penalties, including fines of up to £2,500.

The protection of vulnerable fish stocks and increasing fishing participation are among the Environment Agency’s key environmental objectives. The money raised through rod licence sales; some £19m a year, is invested directly in fisheries work that benefits all anglers as well as protecting the environment.

Buying a new licence couldn’t be easier – there are around 15,000 Post Offices and other outlets which sell them; a direct debit can be set up, and for a small additional charge they can be purchased over the phone (0870 1662662) or from the web site – www.environment-agency.gov.uk/rodlicence any time, day or night.

Sparsholt College - Fish Fish Fish Day

Sparsholt College, Hampshire, the national centre of excellence in fisheries studies, will again run their Fish Fish Fish Day on April 28th.

A great day for any angler who wants to find out more about fish, waters and the college.

Visit the college website for more details at www.sparsholt.ac.uk

It only costs £5.00 per car and by pre-booking you can enter a prize draw for some awsome prizes.