Angling features and news

Since 2003 I have been writing a weekly angling column for The Surrey Mirror which distributes under other titles such as the Dorking Advertsier, Caterham Mirror etc. This page will reflect a selection of my columns which go to print in the sports pages, the paper is for sale every thursday at a cost of 55p in newsagents.

Russ Evans

Scroll below for a selection of my angling articles that will be posted over the coming weeks.

By Russ Evans, Surrey Mirror

Bury Hill fishery was the star of the show at Saturday nights BAFTA where the first showing of the film ‘Gone Fishing’ premiered. Filming took place last September for a few days to produce a short film produced by Living Spirit Productions, which starred actors such as Bill Patterson (Auf Wiedersehn Pet) Devon Murray (Harry Potter films) and Ruth Gemmell (too many to mention). I must admit I was looking forward to viewing the film after seeing some of the organised chaos that was involved around the fishery, which included funeral scenes, a fake pike being thrashed around in the water for special effects and our very own Eric Bailey playing the part of George whom in the film had his finger bitten off by a monstrous Pike. The soundtrack and storyline was brilliant but for me the fishery was the real star, which had some spectacular scenes like mist coming off the water on an early summers morning to natural beauty scenes that Bury Hill is famous for, plus the fishing of course. In a few days time the scenes of the short film can be viewed on this website www.livingspirit.com and then by following the links provided. Producer and Director Chris Jones is aiming high with the film as they go in search for Oscar nominations, I wish them well and with much success.

            Talking of monsters, my first outing of the New Year took place on Milton Lake and all I was really concentrating on was big perch. Since doing a perch feature with IYCF magazine in November last year I must admit that I was suffering from the perch bug and my aim was to land a personal best stripey or footballer as they also known. I arrived at the fishery at first light and made my way to peg 1 where a nice wind was blowing into that bank providing ideal conditions. My baits were simple, half a pint of red maggots, a few worms and casters for chopping up into a mush and a bottle of Predator Plus liquid attractant to add a bit of colour when I cupped out my feed. I decided to leave my trusted pole in the rod holdall and plumped for a 15ft Floatmaster rod with reel spooled with 2.6lb Bayer and then attached a tiny Choppa pole float that took 2 No 10 droppers and then attached a size 18 to a 0.10mm hook length. Fishing close to the reeds produced a few roach early on before the peg died a little, which for me meant the predators had turned up to play. Thirty minutes or so into the session the float dipped under and I was into a nice fish which thumped around in front of me trying to shed the hook, a couple of minutes later I was looking at a fine specimen which took the needle on my scales to 2lbs 3oz, not quite a PB but it was early days. Soon after I was again into another perch and this time scaled a level 2lbs, this was turning into a good day but more was to follow after a period of 90 minutes where all I could catch was more roach and two nice crucians.

            Again the peg went quite and that summoned the arrival of some more perch but this time much bigger and more powerful. Around midday the float buried again and the rod bent right over almost double and as I guided the fish away from the reeds it turned and swam out towards the middle thumping its head as perch do but to my disappointment I pulled out of the fish. I re-baited with a single red maggot as before and five minutes was into yet another fish but this time I was determined not to lose it and after a short battle I slipped the net under a 2lbs 10oz specimen beating my record by 1 ounce, job done. However with about an hour left of my session I went back out to tempt another bite and was instantly greeted with a 1lbs 10oz stripey, what a good session this was turning out to be. As if my day was not complete enough I struck into yet another good fish and it felt very similar to the fish I had lost earlier heading out into the middle of the lake. I played the fish very carefully as I knew I could be raising the bar again and gradually the fish came back in my direction to a point where it surfaced a rod length out in front of me. It rolled over showing all of its colours and when I saw that the hook was barely in its mouth I started to worry that I was going to lose it but in a quick motion I slipped the net under a wonderful 3lbs 1oz PB perch, happy days.

            “Tight Lines”

              Russ Evans

14^th January 2008

“Surrey Mirror Angling columnist Russ Evans reflects on the past year with one eye already on the next”

So another year passes by and I hope that in your own world of angling it has been a successful one with plenty of fish and personal bests to enjoy. I can honestly say that this past season has been the busiest I have encountered albeit not for all the right reasons, but in the main it has been very good and enjoyable. In the early part of the year around March I organised for the last time my individual match league under the BCUK banner and finished in the money with a overall fifth place after six exciting rounds. It was also at this time that I took on the role of fishing tackle shop manager at Bury Hill Fishery near Dorking and although the job has taken up a lot of my time it has been very enjoyable as well as eye opening. With the shop taking shape and kitted out with a good range of tackle and baits I have no doubt 2008 will be even busier for the fishery with all sorts of events going on throughout the season.

            Some of the highlights of the season for me have been the magazine features that I have been involved with and the feedback from visiting anglers has been excellent. It has been a learning curve for me working with a variety of experienced journalists and photographers on no less than seven features, and how they go about their job has given me plenty of tips when I cover my own articles and future reports. Catching fish with a camera shoved in your face has been good fun but having to deliver for good action shots also brings pressure in its own kind but I can say that the fish have obliged every time. I have some more to do in the pipeline next season covering a variety of venues and already I am looking forward to the challenges ahead.

            After a good spell of sunshine (April) it looked good for a bumper summer but as we all know the summer did not happen with one of the wettest on record. It did effect the fishing especially the spawning and I cannot remember getting soaked so many times as I did this year but as long as I am catching fish then I am happy. Unsettled weather is a fisherman’s nightmare as the fish feeding patterns are up and down with the constant drop in temperatures and as I mentioned before spawning gets delayed causing the fish to remain unsettled. Hopefully next year we will have a steady spell of warm weather and if so I predict some really big fish action will be on the cards for long spells.

            I have promised myself to get a bit more involved in big carp fishing next year and with a personal best carp of nearly 18lbs caught during a match on the pole I am determined to catch my first 20lbs plus fish and with a big fish water right under my nose It would be silly not to take up the opportunity especially as my sponsors BCUK have a great variety of carp baits in their armoury for me to try and when that first twenty pounder graces my net you will be the first to know.

            The Environment Agency have recently stated that more anglers have purchased licenses this season so hopefully that means more and more anglers are being introduced to the sport which is excellent news all round. I still get frustrated with the sport in the sense that their should be a common set of rules around all the fisheries laid down by the NFA when it comes to what baits can be used in competitions. Anglers have been disqualified in all sorts of events around the country with exceeding bait limits being the most common one. One set of rules would for the best part eliminate such occurrences happening unless of course some one is hell bent on cheating which of course would then deserve the punishment handed out to them. But it needs someone from our governing body to stand up, speak, be heard and then carry out the job.

            Looking back this past year at my match events I have had a mixed bag of results with more frame results than victories in individual opens however the team fishing side has become a real nightmare as in recent columns I have stated my disappointment in the lack of commitment from the BCUK squad. I have decided after talking to other members of the squad to pull the team out of winter leagues for the time being until I am happy that the squad is strong enough and committed to the cause. It’s the best move and shared by the main bulk of the team but that still does not mean we have nothing to fish for as a squad. The Maver summer league and Kent Angling league which are teams of 6 are still very much part of our plans and I will also be on the lookout for another teams of 6 event for us to get involved for later next season. I like to look on the positive side of things and I am sure only good will come out of the decision to drop next seasons winter league as it will take the pressure off to build a squad in a rush so I can field a weakened team of 10.

            If I was to pinpoint one highlight of my past year then apart from joining Bury Hill, reaching the Premier Open final, all the angling features I have taken part in and written for the Surrey Mirror. I guess it would have to be the Personal Best Perch I caught during an Improve Your Coarse Fishing (IYCF) feature with the magazines Editor Kevin Green of Predators and Carp Crew fame. It was all the more pleasing, as it was the Perch I was targeting for the article and to catch four big stripey’s in total was a nice feeling and I can’t wait for the feature to come out early in the New Year. Someone asked me recently what was my favourite venue to fish, well I have many favourite venues but for me one lake stands out by far and that is Milton Lake on the Bury Hill complex. Not only did the lake produce my PB Perch but also it has accounted for many big roach and some plump Crucians, which are my favourite fish. I know with confidence that I will catch even bigger specimens of the one’s I have just mentioned and already I am plotting what spare days I can get off to tackle the lake again.

            So with one eye already on a busy looking year ahead what do I hope to achieve, only one answer to that. Everything.

            I am sure many of you will be opening fishy Christmas presents on the 25^th and I know exactly where you can try them out from the 27^th December onwards, Bury Hill fishery, see you there.

            “Merry Christmas and Tight Lines”

                           Russ Evans