Norfolk's Nar spared marina plan

SPARED: A view of Norfolk's River Nar

It might not be in the Premier League of rivers, where pike fishing's concerned.

But Norfolk's humble River Nar could be spared plans for a marina which would see it diverted through the middle of a nature reserve.

West Norfolk council wanted to change the course of the river so a marina could be built on the outskirts of King's Lynn.

Now officials want to mothball the scheme because of the credit crunch.

That means the Nar, which holds a head of pike and also supports a dwindling run of sea trout, will be left in peace for now.

Broads flooding plans are abandoned

Almost a year ago to the day, anger erupted after controversial plans to abandon coastal defences and surrender large areas of the Broads to the sea were leaked to the media.

Some of Europe's finest pike fisheries were under threat - including the Upper Thurne, Hickling Broad and Horsey Mere. Just weeks ago, the system produced a 45lbs pike, the largest ever caught from a British river.

Thousands signed a PAC petition on Prime Minister Gordon Brown's website.

Now Natural England has dropped the controversial proposals from its final report.

Click here for full story.

Council investigates jet skis on Norfolk pike fishery

An investigation is under way into moves to open up a Norfolk pike fishery for jet skiing.

Jet skiers have been using a nature reserve at Pentney Lakes, near King's Lynn.

Planning agreements in place at the beauty spot state Bird Lake should be kept as a nature reserve and used only for windsurfing and fishing.

Jet skiers were supposed to be confined to a smaller, neighbouring lake on the complex.

But a channel has been dug connecting it to Bird Lake and estate agents are advertising jet skiing as being available for people buying chalets at Pentney.

Anglers are allowed on limited areas on Bird Lake outside the breeding season for rare species like terns.

The restriction means the lake is only accessible during the winter months, when its only visitors tend to be pike anglers.

"Those of us who fish the place are happy to co-operate with the restrictions because we recognise we have to co-exist with the wildlife," one said.

"But if we go along with the rules and only fish when are where we're supposed to, it seems unfair if jet skiers can use the lake when birds are fledging.

"There's also the question of what damage they could potentially do with their wake and disturbance, which is why water skiing was not permitted on Bird Lake in the first place, and why the only water borne activities permitted are angling and wind surfing."

A planning agreement drawn up between the lakes' owners, the council and conservation group the Norfolk Wildlife Trust, divides the site into a number of zones.

They include a "buffer zone" where there should be "reduced levels of activity". But two-storey holiday homes have been built close to the zone, which includes an area frequented by otters.

Now the owners of one property have applied for planning permission to live in it all-year-round, while a hot tub and decking have been built alongside one of the lakes.

Pentney Lakes declined to comment. The council said an investigation was under way, with a view to a "more robust" management plan being drawn up.

It added: "These recommendations may or may not include formal enforcement action."

Ward councillor Janet Murphy said: "The intention is to get a more robust management plan to make sure that the wildlife is protected. We need to protect our countryside."

North-west pike anglers overturn livebait ban

Northwich Anglers Association's AGM saw proposals to lift a long-standing livebait ban on its waters voted through.

Graham Shillito, who proposed the change, also argued successfully for a restriction on using coarse fish deadbaits to be lifted.

Predator anglers had been limited to using sea deadbaits and lures only, but will now be able to use up to six small fish in a session for livebait, providing that these fish are caught and used at the venue on the same day.

Membership of Northwich Anglers Association is open to all, and offers prime coarse fishing for members only on the River Weaver, River Dane and a number of prestigious stillwaters in the Mid-Cheshire area.

The campaign to allow livebaiting and coarse deadbaits was supported by Northwich AA committee member and former PAC secretary Mark Leathwood.

“This just shows what can be achieved when anglers work together," Mark said.

"We did a great deal of work in putting forward a positive case which drew the support and goodwill of carp anglers and matchmen as well as predator anglers within our association.

"Attitudes towards livebaiting are changing and an increasing number of people are coming to understand that the method is of key importance to the modern specialist angler”.

Elsewhere, club officials in Norfolk have today told the PAC that reports new by-laws had effectively meant livebaiting was now banned on King's Lynn AA waters in the Fens were not true. The PAC is seeking official confimation of this in order to respond to the incorrect reports.

Relief for channel anglers after survey

Once the stamping ground of the 70s A-list, the Great Ouse Relief Channel has fallen from favour with today's generation.

Siltation of sluices and the tidal ouse have meant water from the river has been released via the Channel, causing many fish to be washed through the tail sluice into The Wash.

But Denver's sluices have now been re-opened, reducing the need for run-offs via the Channel.

And now controlling club King's Lynn AA has revealed a recent EA survey found large numbers of fry, along with predators taking advantage of the food source.

Check out the perch - not to mention trout - in these slideshow pictures.

Click here to see them.

EA probes pike deaths on Thurne

Environment Agency scientists are investigating pike deaths on Norfolk's River Thurne.

It comes just days after Floods Minister Phil Woolas pledged £100m to maintain sea defences protecting the river and its broads from coastal flooding for another 50 years.

Click here for more.

Norfolk Anglers Conservation Association wins second Awards for All grant.

Awards for All, the lottery grants for local groups programme, has awarded Norfolk Anglers Conservation Association (NACA) £5000 towards their continuing aims to develop participation and good practice in angling.

One of the aims of the Association is to encourage sound angling practice and fish care. The Awards for All grant will enable NACA to run a programme of events to help young and new anglers develop good practice and fish care skills coupled with a responsible and caring approach to angling and the environment.

NACA’s Award for All application met many of the lottery funds national and regional aims.

Funding will be allocated to the following;

• A programme of First Aid, Child Protection and Fishery Management Training including specific individual training (i.e. brush cutting certification for bailiffs and volunteers)
• An Open Day at NACA Bawburgh Lakes Fishery including coaching for children
• Presentation Equipment including laptop, power point projector, projector screen and exhibition stands

Training of those involved in the local angling community and environment will help to make angling a safer place for all.

The NACA Open Day at the Bawburgh Lakes Fishery on Sunday 1st June 2008 is an opportunity for the surrounding community to gain an awareness of angling and the environment.

The IT equipment and exhibition stands will allow NACA to present their conservation message to anglers and the general public through open days, slideshows/ talks and a number of County shows.

For any further information please contact Dave Nelson on 01473 411686 or email dave.nelson2@ntlworld.

PAC launches Save The Broads campaign

Anglers have launched a campaign to save some of Britain's most historic pike fisheries, after it was revealed they are under threat from plans to abandon coastal defences which protect parts of the Norfolk Broads.
Proposals to allow the Upper Thurne system to be flooded by the sea have been discussed by the Broads Authority, Natural England and the Evironment Agency.
If they are put into action, the 2,500-strong Pike Anglers Club fears Horsey Mere, Hickling Broad, the Martham Broads and Heigham Sound will be lost forever within a generation.
Whole villages and thousands of acres of farmland will also be flooded or turned into salt marsh.
PAC president Phil Wakeford said: "In 2007, we warned that historically important fisheries and nature reserves were at risk from proposals to cut sea defence budgets. Our worst fears have now been confirmed.
"While the Upper Thurne system is a unique fishery which has produced some of the biggest wild pike ever landed in the world, it also contains internationally-important nature reserves which are of key importance to over-wintering wildfowl.
"A number of villages will also be abandoned if this plan is given the go-ahead. We understand other options, including maintaining sea defences, were also tabled but rejected.
"We have today launched an online petition as the first stage of a campaign to save the Thurne and its broads. We call upon anyone who loves this unique environment to join us in the fight to save it."
Three record pike, each over 40lbs, were landed from the Thurne system, inspiring generations of pike anglers to visit Norfolk.
Pike fishing remains an important revenue earner for the county, along with bird watching.
The Pike Anglers Club has campaigned to protect the pike and pike fishing since it was formed in the Fens 30 years ago. Last year it helped villagers fight a successful campaign to save the Cambridgeshire Lodes.
The petition can be found on the Ten Downing Street website, click here to sign it. More information will be posted as we get it on the Save The Broads website. Click here to see it.

Broads braced for storm tide floods

Severe flood warnings were in place across the Broads last night as a combination of strong north-westerly winds, low air pressure and high tides triggered a 10ft storm surge in the North Sea.

The Yare and Waveney, along with their broads, were expected to bear the brunt of flooding, with this morning's high tides sending salt water upstream.

Flood watches were also in place along the Thurne system, whose northern broads are among the most at risk from the sea, with budget cuts meaning maintenance of coastal defences is being scaled back.

The Environment Agency said there were "extreme risks to life and property" from Great Yarmouth to Lowestoft and along the coasts of Essex and Kent.

Thousands were being evacuated from their homes along the Suffolk coast, with many spending the night at leisure centres in Lowestoft and Leiston, and Beccles Town Hall.

Experts said improved sea defences, weather forecasting and communications would avert a repeat of the 1953 floods, where hundreds died in what was dubbed Britain's worst natural disaster.

But thousands of low-lying homes were feared to be at risk, as emergency services across eastern England prepared to deal with the aftermath.

Chilling scenario - see graphics and commentary on the BBC website.

Severe flood warnings on Waveney, Yare

The Environment Agency has tonight issued a severe flood warning on the tidal Waveney below Ellingham and the Yare below Thorpe St Andrew, Norwich, as the East Coast prepared itself fo the worst floods in more than half a century.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown is chairing a meeting of the Government's COBRA emergency committee as the Environment Agency warned of "extreme danger to life and property" in parts of Norfolk and Suffolk, while part of Kent, East Yorkshire and :incolnshire are also under flood alert.

Earlier, Environment Minister Hilary Benn told MPs: "A tidal surge of up to 3m [10ft] is making its way down the North Sea which could coincide with peak high tides.

"There is a risk of flood defences being over-topped on the coast and in tidal rivers, especially in East Anglia, particularly the Norfolk Broads and the coast south of Great Yarmouth including Lowestoft, and areas south of this as far as the coast of Kent."

Experts said the surge was almost as high as the one which caused the 1953 floods in which more than 300 people died.

It is caused by a combination of north-westerly gales, low air pressure and high tides. Homes are being evacuated tonight in areas which are expected to be worst-hit.

High tide is expected around 7am in Norfolk.

Mega pike set to net £6,000 at auction

A cased Norfolk 30 from 50 years ago is expected to make £6,000 when it comes under the hammer this week, the BBC reports. Donald Tate, from Hertfordshire, had the fish set up after he caught it on Hickling Broad, in 1956.

It's believed to be the last pike ever set up by legendary taxidermist Cooper & Sons of Hounslow.

It comes complete with newspaper cuttings from the time, in which Tate says the fish frightened him when he realised its size.

"It came straight out of the water and crashed back with the noie of a ton of coal being emptied," he said.

More here.

Two anglers rescued from Norfolk river

Two anglers have been rescued from the River Wensum in Norwich, police in Norfolk said today. The pair - believed to be a father and daughter - were fishing at New Mills, near the city centre, when the woman fell in and was swept downstream by flood water.

The man went into the river to rescue her as emergency services were called. Police found him clinging to the bank nearby, while the woman was safely pulled from the water at Duke Street Bridge about half a mile away.

Anglers have been warned to take extra care fishing Britain's swollen rivers, many of which have been in flood since the season began on June 16.

PAC on hand at Norfolk angling open day

The PAC will be represented at Norfolk Anglers Conservation Association's open day at Bawburgh Lakes, near Norwich, on Sunday, June 10.

Secretary Mark Barrett will be running workshops on trace making and other aspects of pike fishing, alongside other demonstrations including casting, carp fishing, tench fishing and feeder fishing.

Admission to the event, which kicks of at 9.30am, is free. NACA hope lapsed and would-be anglers will attend, as well as members of the public.

Licensed coaches will be on hand to help anyone who fancies a try at fishing for the first time.

There will also be a barbecue.


Access to the event is on New Road between Bawburgh Village and Bowthorpe, approximately 4 miles west of Norwich. Turn off the A47 bypass on to the B1108 Watton road signed ‘Colney and N & N Hospital’ then head towards Watton, taking the first right down Stocks Hill to Bawburgh village. New Road is immediate right turn after the bridge in Bawburgh village, follow the road back under the A47 with the Fishery entrance a further 100 yards on the right. From Bowthorpe, New Road turn is directly off the perimeter Chapel Break Road.

Broads Bill blocked after MPs object

The controversial broads Bill has been blocked in Parliament after objections by two MPs.

That means it will now be subject to a full debate, and the concerns of many Broads boaters will have to be taken into account.

Norfolk Tory MPs Keith Simpson and Richard Bacon said they wanted to see more scrutiny and transparency as the bill went through the legislative processs, after complaints and petitions.

Some feel the extra safety measures create unnecessary bureaucracy, while pike anglers are wary of new powers to designate areas boats can and can't use.

More here.

Pike club makes its position clear

The following letter appeared in today's Eastern Daily Press, in response to various comments concerning pike fishing and the Pike Anglers Club which appeared in its Angling Section last Wednesday.

Letter from The Pike Anglers Club of Great Britain

It is unfortunate Roy Webster did not contact us for a comment before writing last week's column, as this may have helped avoid some of inaccuracies it contained.

Firstly, a ban on livebaiting has not moved any closer as far as England and Wales are concerned. We are now given to understand from senior sources there is no ban currently on the agenda, because it has not been included in the areas of the Salmon and Freshwater Fisheries Review which are to be enacted by so-called Secondary legislation.

The recent convictions Mr Webster refers to did not tip the balance in Scotland and were not referred to during the debate in the Scottish Parliament, which is freely available on its website.

It is wrong to suggest “just about every other body” believes the current Section 30 of the Salmon and Freshwater Fisheries Act to be ineffective and “subjected to such abuse it has become nothing more than an endorsement of a two-finger salute to anarchy”.

The EA has just streamlined the procedure to make it more effective.

The Angling Trades Association – whose 50 members include such household names as Daiwa, Shakespeare, Sundridge, Mustad, Masterline and Middy, along with with some of the country’s major retailers – last week came out strongly in support of livebaiting and the Pike Anglers Club.

In a statement, they said: “Bans impose unwarranted restrictions on the freedom of predator anglers to use livebait as a traditional, productive and legal method of capturing fish in fresh water and, indeed, in the sea.

“Unauthorised fishery-to-fishery movements of fish are already illegal, be it for angling or any other purpose, and they can only be prevented by effective enforcement of the existing laws.

“The association endorses the codes of conduct issued by the Pike Anglers Club and others, specifically by encouraging all anglers to act responsibly and use livebait caught on the day from the water being fished.”

You might think having the main trade body in a £500m industry which employs 18,000 people on our side lends a certain amount of credibility. To suggest that we are publicly in denial, accuse us of turning a blind eye to our members’ wrongdoings and state we have a tarnished image is simply laughable.

Where is this secret plant where some sinister criminal network is smuggling fish from the Broads to Ireland? If there’s irrefutable proof why hasn’t it been published?

We’ve been vetting supplies of coarse fish since last May, when we launched a kitemark firms could display on their packaging.

To date three of Britain’s biggest bait suppliers, who between them account for more than 70 per cent of the market, have signed up for it.

We know they mainly obtain their baits from a sustainable source, a large stillwater which is not coarse fished, where coarse fish are regularly netted and sold.

All three companies concerned would be happy to talk about the scheme and why they have signed up to it. I’m sure Neville Fickling would have been more than happy to do so, had anyone contacted him to give the bait industry’s side of the story.

He’d probably also have pointed out the former record pike he landed from the Thurne was caught on a deadbait – not, as Mr Webster reports, a livebait.

Broads boaters petition minister

A petition criticising the Broads Authority's maintenance of East Anglia's unique waterways will be handed over to Defra minister Barry Gardiner.

The online petition, which has so far attracted around 1,450 signatures, makes a direct appeal, warning: “Without major corrective action the Norfolk Broads will be lost within a generation”.

For more on the story, click here.

To sign the petition, click here.