Derrick Amies brings in the New Year on January 20th!

Happy New Year all!

It's been a while since the last meeting where David McLachlan gave his excellent talk on Pike fishing in and around the fens, and it is now time to pick up where we left off...well sort of!
As most of you will have seen in the events section, the speaker scheduled for January 20th was Steve Rodwell. Due to some unforseen circumstances Steve can't be with us, which almost left us high and dry, but fortunately none other than Derrick Amies very kindly offered to make the trek from far away Norfolk to step into the breach, and get 2011 off to a flying start. He will be giving a talk based on a lifetime of fishing the Broadlands, more than likely discussing his mentor, the legendary Dennis Pye and will be bringing copies of his recently published book.

Some of you have a bit of a journey to get to Stevenage, but please try to make the effort as the region's future is becoming somewhat uncertain due to recent attendance levels. Put simply we need your support, or we will simply not be able to continue with the monthly meetings - it's your region and your choice!  I don't wish to start the year on a sour note, but these are the realities and we have to face them.
Anyway, I hope to see you there on the 20th for what will be a memorable evening!

David McLachlan talk 18th November, don't miss it!

Last month, Stephen Harper visited Region 16 to give his talk on the history of Broadland Piking. It turned out to be a very well attended and highly informative evening, Stephen being both incredibly knowledgeable on his subject, whilst presenting in a light and engaging manner. Thanks Steve, see you again no doubt!

Moving on to this month, we have Corby RO and Pikelines regular contributor David McLachlan. David has a vast experience in Piking, and judging by the articles he's written, he also fishes many of the waters haunted by R16 members...it promises to be a very interesting talk!

Stephen Harper brings "A History of Broadland Piking" to Region 16 on the 21st October!

There can be few serious Pike anglers today that haven't seen the artwork, read the numerous writings of or just simply heard of Stephen Harper.

Accomplished angler, artist and author, Stephen has over the years documented the lives of some of the most proific anglers and great fish captures of Broadland, penned numerous articles and contributed to a whole host of other Pike and specialist angling literature. See HERE for more details.

Stephen has kindly agreed to visit Region 16 on Thursday 21st October 2010 to give his fascinating talk entitled "A History of Broadland Piking" and will have copies of his latest and highly acclaimed book, "Dream Pike".
If you have ever fished the Broads, plan to in the future or just have a passion for the sport's past, present and future, this is a talk you simply cannot afford to miss.
Please support YOUR region and help us make this a successful event by attending, maybe treat yourself a personalised copy of "Dream Pike"
and take a few moments to speak to Steve after his talk, I guarantee you'll find it worth while!

The Countdown to October is On!!

The 1st of October is but days away, the nights are closing in and the temperature is dropping...the suspense is killing me - can't wait for the weekend!!

All in all, the last week has been a busy one, as the region started the season's talks on the 23rd with Mark Owen, the Angling Trusts Environmental Campaigns Manager coming to our new venue to give us the low down on what the Angling Trust have been doing, and despite negative criticism doing the rounds, it was quite an eye opener. Sadly, due to a combination of a mix up with the EXACT address and postcode, combined with it being fairly early in the year, the attendance was fairly poor but nevertheless, Mark was a good sport and explained how the Freshwater Environmental Campaign has been progressing with him being busily employed responding to angler identified problems around the country where various waterways are being adversely affected. The slideshow gave at least 7 such examples ranging from pollution, inappropriate structures and flood control measures to abstraction techniques and erosion. Although it is often said that the Angling Trust have been less than forward in supporting us as a single species group, these are issues that still affect ALL anglers, and they are a body representing the interests of all anglers. For more information visit their website www.anglingtrust.net.

On Saturday several of us from RA16 made the journey to Kettering to attend the PAC Annual Convention, and a good day was had by all. The event was well organised with some good speakers, far too many opportunities to spend far too much on the latest must haves with a great range of stalls and the auction (have you found a place for that picture Dave?), the chance to have a chat with some of the Top Rods, and to catch up with old friends from all over not to mention the new ones made on the day. Well done to all the organisers for another great event.

This year Andy Syddell has agreed to become Joint RO, Thanks to John Lincoln for his input to the club over the last year. John will still have an input in helping to set up the fish days.

Don't forget, keep watching the blog for news from the region, and if anyone wants to contribute an article, put up a photo in the gallery or just have a say, let us know!
Tight Lines!

The Angling Trust Start our Season on the 23rd September!

We’ve all heard of the Angling Trust, some of us belonged to organisations that merged to form it, some of us have read articles but for the most part who knows what they are really about?

The Angling Trust is the new, single organisation representing all game, coarse and sea anglers and angling in England.

Lobbying government, campaigning on environmental and angling issues and running national and international competitions, they are involved with fighting pollution, commercial over-fishing at sea, over-abstraction, poaching, unlawful navigation, local bans and a host of other threats to angling.

As the new governing body for all angling, the Angling Trust seeks government funding to develop the sport from grass roots participation through to elite performance. They develop programmes with clubs to increase participation, particularly amongst

groups who have yet to discover the joys of going fishing. Above all, they serve to protect the rights of all anglers to continue doing what they love most.

With this in mind, The Angling Trust has kindly agreed to start this season’s meetings with a talk on themselves and the wider work they do FOR US, which should be not only be different, but a thought provoking and informative evening.

Join us on the 23^rd September at The Chells Family Pub and Restaurant and in the meantime, don't forget to visit their website www.anglingtrust.net

PAC Annual Convention 2010 hits Kettering!

This years 2010 Convention takes place at the New venue of the Kettering Convention Centre on Saturday 25th of September. Full details on the venue can be found at this link HERE.

Guest Speakers are: Eric Edwards - Mark Ackerley Gary Knowles & Julian Chidgey. A large number of trade stands will be available on the day for you to stock up that new rod or various tackle items ahead of the traditional start to the season.. New book sales from Derrick Amies, Stephen Harper & David Wolsencraft-Dodds who will also be displaying his Pike-Fly Tying skills on the day as well as launching his brand new Pike-Fly rod.