Seasoned fisherman and retired fishing tackle shop owner Tom Boulton has emerged triumphant after an impressive display at the inaugural Norfolk Broads angling festival, it has been revealed.

Anglers from across the region took their fishing rods on to the Bure and Yare rivers in a bid to become the event’s first ever champion, but it was Mr Boulton who led the running with an impressive score of 18.

“The catches were not very heavy due to the disturbance on the bank on the shallow water,” organiser Keith Hooker told the Norwich Evening News. “But I was delighted by the response from local business and anglers.”

Competitors and companies alike helped to raise thousands of pounds in valuable funding for gastrointestinal cancer research, for which local fishing enthusiast John Platten was treated several years ago.

Earlier this month, the Lynn News reported that many Norfolk anglers had not allowed the hot weather to deter them and landed impressive hauls of fish.

Organisers at this year’s Go Fishing Show at Staffordshire’s Cudmore Fisheries have declared the event a success, after thousands of angling enthusiasts descended on the venue for a weekend of fishing-related festivities.

According to the Angling Times, Discovery TV presenters Matt Hayes and Mick Brown were among the main draws to the exhibition and provided expert tips and analysis, while legendary fisherman John Wilson was also in attendance.

“It just goes to show how many anglers are prepared to turn out if you get the set-up right,” editor Rich Lee explained. “The early feedback from the feature area was very positive and everyone seemed to be going home with a smile on their face.”

Retailers which attended the event reported that tackle sales had been encouraging, despite fears ongoing economic woes could hamper proceedings.

This year’s Fish-O-Mania contest – which was televised live on Sky Sports – also took place last weekend, with some of the country’s leading anglers grabbing their fishing rods to compete for a £25,000 cash prize.

A young angler from Suffolk is celebrating after catching a huge catfish with his fishing rod during a recent angling session at a local lake.

According to the Eastern Daily Press, 14-year-old fishing enthusiast Liam Jones reeled the creature in after a 45-minute battle at the Waveney Valley Lakes holiday park in Wortwell, near the village of Harleston.

“I was terrified I would lose this fish and was a bit scared when I landed it because it had a mouth big enough to swallow my arm,” he told the newspaper.

Liam’s achievement came after the Environment Agency teamed up with local organisations across the country to host a series of free angling events aimed at enticing more youngsters into the sport.

Last month, Italian fisherman Roberto Godi landed a 250lb catfish from the River Po near Mantua in Italy, which was later declared a new world record by the World Game Fishing Association.

Youngsters from the Surrey town of Woking have picked up fishing rods under the expert guidance of the Environment Agency (EA) and local organisations at a special angling day.

Organised by the EA in cooperation with the Goldsworth Park Community Association and Goldsworth Park Anglers, the event attracted a number of budding fishing enthusiasts from across the local area on July 17th.

“This urban fishery in the middle of Goldsworth Park housing estate is an ideal location to introduce youngsters to angling and teach them about the wildlife and wildfowl associated with lakes,” EA fisheries officer Adrian Bicknell explained.

Goldsworth Park has undergone an extensive overhaul in recent months with around 20 new angling platforms installed and Mr Bicknell claimed the junior angling day provided a chance to make the most of the facilities.

Today (July 27th), a free EA-backed fishing session for children was held at Birchmere Lake in Thamesmead, London.

The Angling Trust (AT) has warned that people who take their fishing rods on to Britain’s coarse angling waterways in the close season may be escaping prosecution due to a legislative oversight.

According to the organisation, the Department of Fisheries and Rural Affairs and the Environment Agency (EA) accidentally scrapped the law prohibiting anglers from fishing out of the coarse season, potentially opening the door for poachers and illegal fishermen.

“We are very concerned that such a major error could be made by the teams of lawyers involved in drafting new legislation,” said AT and Fish Legal chief Mark Lloyd. “We also believe that the attempts to conceal the error were misconceived.”

The group called on the departments involved to reintroduce the relevant rule and sought to assure fishing enthusiasts it will continue to monitor the situation.

Last month, the new coarse angling season got underway along Britain’s waterways, with the EA reminding fishermen to pick up their fishing rod licences. 

Budding anglers in south London are to receive expert tuition on how best to use their fishing rods in a free angling session organised by the Environment Agency (EA) and a local fishing group.

Children from Bexley and Greenwich will be allowed to fish at Birchmere Lake in Thamesmead Town tomorrow (July 27th), as part of a joint venture between the EA, Thamesmead Town Angling Club, Thames 21 and Gallion Housing.

“This is a great opportunity for the residents of Bexley and Greenwich, especially juniors, to learn a new skill and something about the aquatic environment and have a fun day out,” EA fisheries officer Tanya Houston explained.

The festivities will get underway at 10:00 BST, with youngsters receiving licences, fishing tackle and bait to get them started on their angling adventure, with a free goody bag and one-to-one advice also provided.

Last month, the new coarse angling season got underway, with the EA reminding fishing enthusiasts to ensure they pick up fishing rod licences before taking to Britain’s waterways

An angler has told of how he caught a rare tropical fish with his fishing rod while on holiday in Cornwall, but prepared the creature for the barbecue before realising exactly what it was.

According to a report in the Sun, Mark Cook and his friend Nick Walmisham had already gutted and scaled the animal before it dawned on the duo that it was in fact an Almaco Jack, which are rarely spotted in British coastal waters.

“The two of them had been camping and after catching this fish they started preparing it for their dinner,” said local fishing expert John Rogers. “I asked [Mark] what colour it was and as soon as he said it was electric blue I knew exactly what it was.”

Last month, a fisherman from Hampshire landed a fish first thought to be a piranha during an angling session in Basingstoke, but it later emerged that it was actually a harmless red-bellied pacu.

Junior angling events sponsored by Daiwa have found to be “perfect” for youngsters.

Fishing rod manufacturer Daiwa Sports is encouraging children to take up angling by sponsoring events organised for the younger age groups.

Daiwa consultant recently Brian Skoyles visited the Fourways Fishery in North Lincolnshire, which is sponsored by the company, in order to see how young people were using the facilities.

He found that the site was perfect for helping the kids concentrate on the competition in hand, with “plenty” of fish being caught by under 12-year-olds and under 13-year-olds at the venue’s Roadside and Fieldside lakes.

“A series of small well stocked ponds offer good sport and the juniors can try a variety of methods, all of which can be very successful on the day,” Mr Skoyles explained on the Daiwa website.

Opened in 2005, the Fourways Fishery is a three-lake complex which has average depths of six to eight feet and offers common, mirror and ghost carp, as well stocks of tench, bream and crucian carp.