The Angling Trust has announced in its latest newsletter that it is levying a 25 per cent rise on annual subscription.

Following the decision, fishing rod users will now have to fork out £25 rather than £20 for membership, which has angered many anglers.

However, the Yorkshire Evening Post has suggested that the increased fees still represent good value for money, considering that the group is essentially an amalgamation of two separate bodies.

When the Angling Trust was formed it encompassed the Anglers Conservation Society (now Fish Legal) and the publication has claimed that had they remained separate entities, anglers could have been forced to pay upwards of £20 to join each group.

"[In] this newsletter you find that £9 of the current £20 subscription goes to fund Fish Legal, which does a tremendous amount of work on behalf of members and clubs," the publication wrote.

Fish Legal aims to deal with issues that affect anglers and works to protect a huge number of waterways and fisheries across the UK.
 

Fishing rod users in six parts of England are celebrating after they were awarded €4.6 million (£3.87 million) by the European Fisheries Fund (EFF).

The donation will be spread among six small areas in Cumbria, Cornwall, Norfolk, Yorkshire, North Devon and Hastings in a bid to improve fishing conditions within small communities.

A panel of judges whittled down eight hopefuls, who submitted business plans documenting their local fishing industry, to reveal the six winners.

Marine Management Organisation chiefs will oversee the new Fisheries Local Action Group members, as it implements the Axis 4 project run by the EFF.

Chair of the judging panel Ray Hedley said: "The proposals recognised that action is essential to help local fishing industries meet the challenges they face and that diversifying the economy of fishing communities will be very important for the future."

Last month, the EFF awarded the Scottish fishing industry with a grant of £10.9 million in an attempt to stave off the threat of job losses.

Broadcaster and angling expert Keith Arthur has warned that the Environment Agency's (EA's) recent decision to ban some fisheries from stocking up on F1 carp has come too late to reduce the spread of disease.

The Tight Lines and Fisherman's Blues presenter claimed that although the introduction of the variety – specifically bred to be caught with fishing rods in the winter – may have caused the spread of KHV, the EA has been too slow to act.

"Are we seeing a new stance by the EA to simply ban F1s being stocked into fisheries?" he asked in an Angling Times article. "If that is the case I applaud the move, even if it is many years too late."

Mr Arthur added that angling authorities now appear "powerless" to stop the spread of KHV into Britain's rivers, but acknowledged that the EA has at least taken a positive step.

Earlier this month, the publication reported that some commercial fishing venues were considering legal action over the restrictions.

An angling enthusiast has claimed that the sport has struggled to make a major impact on Britain's television schedules, singling out a handful of shows as having crossed over into the mainstream.

Writing in his regular column for Angling Times, Steve Partner acknowledged that digital television channels in particular are often littered with tips on how make the most of fishing rods, but claimed their viewing statistics remain low.

"The emergence of satellite might now give the impression fishing is well represented, but the audience figures for most of these shows are small," he explained. "Angling and television have only enjoyed a fleeting relationship."

Mr Partner hailed BBC2's 1993 programme A Passion for Angling as one of the rare examples of fishing making an impact on prime time TV, along with John Wilson's long-running show Go Fishing.

In September, it was revealed that broadcaster Chris Tarrant had filmed an angling series and was in talks with terrestrial channels over the rights to air it.

Organisers of the Daiwa-sponsored Open Championships were left disappointed last week as predicted poor weather deterred many anglers from competing.

Just 547 people ventured out to Withernsea with their fishing rods for the most prestigious competition of its kind in the UK, according to the Grimsby Telegraph.

Eventual winner in the men's event Paul Banks landed a 3.185 kg cod to earn him £2,200, while Lauren Langton triumphed in the lady's event with a 0.295 kg flounder and received a Daiwa rod and £50 by way of reward.

The previous day saw the Daiwa Junior Open Championships take place, with 26 young anglers taking part in the event and Pilgrims Club member Callum Teanby emerged victorious.

UK-based Daiwa is one of the largest fishing rod manufacturers in the UK and has provided sponsorship for a number of angling events beside the Open Championships, including the Guernsey Open Bass Festival and the EFSA Shore Championship.
 

A specialist ice fisherman from the US has urged anglers to be careful if venturing out with their fishing lures this winter, as temperatures across the UK continue to plummet.

Wayne Hooper has lived in Seacoast all his life and he is all too aware of the dangers that ice fishing poses.

He wrote in his Seacoastonline.com blog that it is imperative for anglers to test the thickness of ice before venturing anywhere near it with fishing rods.

Anything less than two inches thick should be avoided, while four inches should be sufficient to stand on while attempting to lure fish.

"Check the ice with a partner, so if something does happen, someone is there to help you. If you are doing it alone, wear a life jacket," he advised.

Ice fishing is a popular pastime in the US and the North West Herald has suggested that newcomers to the sport should take two rigs on angling trips in icy conditions because the cold weather makes it increasingly difficult to attach fishing lures to just one.
 

A keen angler has called on residents in a northern town to stop throwing waste into a canal that he has been fishing for years.

The Ulverston Angling Association has tasked 26-year-old member Owen Smith with keeping a watchful eye over the Ulverston Canal, which has been blighted by fly-tipping, according to the North West Evening Mail.

Mr Smith has a strong affinity with the waterway and during an angling session two years ago he landed a 27-pound carp.

Having made an effort to replenish fish stocks recently by releasing 100 carp into the canal, the angling group hopes the area can shed its reputation for containing old shopping trolleys and become a hotspot for local fishing rod users.

"There's no reason why it can't become a nice, established fishery," Mr Smith told the publication. "We just want people to start respecting it and notice that the canal is there."

This month, the Prince Albert Angling Society boosted salmon stocks in the River Severn, when it teamed up with the Environment Agency to release 6,000 of the species.
 

A 12-year-old angling prodigy caught a 16-pound salmon in Scotland last weekend.

Only one month after he captured his first salmon, Murray McColm of Sanquhar landed the huge fish following a 20-minute tussle, which involved a number of his friends, the Dumfries and Galloway Standard reports.

The salmon, which was caught in the River Nith, weighed in at 15.6 lbs – almost double the size of his first ever catch.

His proud mother Jackie hopes the youngster's knack for landing impressive specimens will lead to future recognition.

"There's not long left in the season and we think he could have caught the biggest fish for his age group," she told the publication.

Any future catches may be severely affected by news that disruptive American signal crayfish have been found in the River Kelvin in Glasgow.

The discovery could have a negative effect on salmon stocks in Scottish waterways, following years of effort from local anglers to replenish salmon numbers across the country.
 

The Angling Trust Ladies' England Shore team returned from the CIPSed Ladies World Championship in South Africa with a sixth-placed finish, following a strong performance.

Held in Langebaan, the tournament provided ideal weather for the fishing rod users who had made the long journey from Britain.

An outstanding performance from Pauline Ferry saw her finish fourth in the overall individual rankings, after catching 48 fish, weighing 90 lbs in just four hours – the most fish caught by anyone in the competition.

Brazil triumphed overall, with Croatia and Italy finishing second and third. Croatian Katarina Vrcan won the individual event.

Angling Trust England team manager Stuart Withyman said he was "privileged" to be involved in the tournament.

However, he added: "The overall team result of sixth place does not reflect the total commitment and gutsy determination shown by all the ladies." 

England's men also returned from the event with a sense of disappointment that a higher-placed finish was not achieved, as they ended the tournament in seventh position.