An evening with the Don Valley SG

Rotherham & Sheffield Region are holding an evening with Bob Roberts and the Don Valley Specialist Group on Monday, April 6, at the Green Dragon Pub, Kimberworth.

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The evening will be split into 3 sections:
7:30 - 8:30 Video of Sturgeon fishing in Canada
8:45 - 9:30 Spring & summer specimen fishing
9:45 - 10:30 Autumn & Winter specimen fishing
10:45 Questions & answers

Rotherham and Sheffield Region's Phil Heaton said: "The DVSG: http://www.dvsg.co.uk/ have prepared an outstanding presentation that takes 'slideshows' to a new level, all species are covered and although it mainly deals with coarse fishing it will be of interested to any angler.

"We are donating 50% of all the proceeds to The Chernobyl Children Lifeline charity, which has a Sheffield branch: http://www.chernobylchildlifeline.org/

"The evening will cost £4 (at the door), which includes a light buffet and a sniff of the barmaid's apron, but bring plenty of money as we are holding a raffle with loads of prizes."

Sheffield Region launches website

The PAC's Sheffield nd Rotherham Region now has a website with details of their programme of meetings, which start on October 1.

Click here for more details.

Fears for coarse fish caught in floods

Rivers burst their banks leaving the centre of Sheffield under feet of water, while whole villages were evacuated as it was feared the dam holding back a 35-acre reservoir on the outskirts of the city was about to collapse.

People are returning home tonight after a deluge which left three dead and caused hundreds of millions of pounds in damage.

Petrol stations, factories and sewers were flooded, leaving anglers fearful for the consequences on rivers and canals which were among some of the most -improved in Britain as receding waters wash all kinds of chemicals back into waterways.

Click here for more on the flooding chaos.

Lock up your terriers - pike on the prowl..!

An article in tonight's Sheffield Star offers a whole new insight into the role pike play in our waters.

"Arguments over blocked-in cars and overgrown hedges pale into insignificance when you consider the plight of the minnows in Dam Flask reservoir," the local paper says.

"The terrified tiddlers are living in fear of a new generation of predatory pike who are bigger, meaner and hungrier than ever before.

"The peace-loving bream, roach and tench of the beautiful lake in the Loxley Valley have never enjoyed good relations with the carnivorous beasts - considered the Mr Bigs of the waterways which very few fish dare to argue with."

Click here for more.

It later emerged the source of the story was a press release from Yorkshire Water, which was sent out to the local media to announce a restocking programme - and an increase in day ticket prices.

"The fresh-water answer to the barracuda has a voracious appetite - and mostly for smaller fish - so, when the water levels dropped, hunting suddenly became a whole lot easier," it said.

"The more they ate, the bigger the pike became and, although the water levels in Damflask are now back to normal, it's believed there are still some real monsters cruising the depths in a hunt for prey as they try to sustain the sort of life to which they have become accustomed.

"Pike eat whatever takes their fancy and there are reports of them tucking into small ducks and even legends of swimming terriers disappearing with a splash - although fishermen will tell you the latter's just an urban myth," said Yorkshire Water's catchment and recreation manager Geoff Lomas.

"In reality, it's hard to say how large the biggest pike in Damflask have become but reports suggest they're pretty impressive and could present local anglers with a real challenge."

To read it in full, click here.