Tims_page

                                          Kingfisher Piscatorials
                                                                  PRESIDENT'S PAGE

                                          with TIM KNIGHT editor of weekly magazine Anglers Mail

Hello to all Kingfisher members, friends, family and... anyone else dropping in on this very excellent club site!
Nothing beats the thrill of a fish on the end of a line. The wildlife you see close-up, and experiences
you have along the way, stick in your memory forever.

                   Anyone who doesn't go fishing is really missing out! It's not boring - it's amazing.

I got hooked at the age of six. A school friend, or rather his mother, bought me the greatest birthday present
I have ever received - a rod and line - it was a three -piece warped cane thing. The line was thick.
The float and hook were crude. And, with bread as bait, upturned bucket as a stool I tried my luck on the
River Thames at Sunbury. Not surprisingly I caught nothing for ages.
But I was well and truly hooked... and tried my hardest to learn how to catch fish like the bigger boys on
the bank and star adult anglers in magazines!

Now, 27 years later aged 33, I've worked hard, learned what I can from who I can and forged a career in
angling journalism. I'm lucky to be able to write about what I love - angling, the colourful people in
the sport and the tackle and tactics used to catch fish - BIG or small. It's a wonderful world,fascinating
and unpredictable.

I've caught a few along the way, lost a few, and missed plenty of bites and opportunities.
I'm certainly still learning and always will be!I'm an angler, part of a special club that anyone can join.
The moments we share as anglers are precious. And they beat sitting in a classroom or working any day!

                                                           TIGHT LINES, TIM

FIVE TOP TIPS
1 . If it's not in front of you, you won't catch it. Location is essential on any fishing venue.
2. Feed bait samples into your swim - little and often is frequently the top tactic.
     The best feeders are the best anglers.
3. Shot your float down.Too many people leave too much showing, so miss bites.
4. Make adjustments. Leading anglers tinker with their rigs, hook sizes and baits to conjure up more bites.
5. Be patient.You won't always catch straight away so keep trying and you could bag-up!

FIVE FISHY FACTS
1. Salmon, the king of fishes, has a British record of 64 lb - caught by a woman, Ms. Ballantine.
     There are plenty of successful female anglers!
2. The British carp record is 61 lb 7 oz, a giant called Two Tone.
     Living in Kent Lake, the fish gets its nickname from its light and dark colouration.Captor Lee Jackson's bait
     included liquidised bread as an attractant.
3. The official World five-hour match fishing record weight, 419 lb 8 oz of bream, was landed by a
     Dutchman at a big Danish lake, competing mainly against English anglers!
     He used the pole and fed vast quantities of a special sweet groundbait.
4. There are approximately 3.4 million anglers in Great Britain.Survey figures vary and are hard to work out
     accurately. Angler's Mail averaged all the reliable figures available to get that total.
5. Anglers aged 12 or over must buy a rod licence from the Post Office. Around 1 million were sold last year,
     with sales of the junior 12-16 rod licence (Ł5) increasing on the year before.
     Money goes to the Environment Agency for fisheries improvements.

FIVE ESSENTIALS
1.Treat every fish you catch with utmost care.
2. Don't drop litter. Take rubbish home.
3. Be polite to other anglers and the general public.
4. Report pollutions to the Environment Agency: 0800 80 70 60.
5. Enjoy your fishing. If you don't catch, so what.