Get hooked on fishing!

Angling has always been the most relaxing of sports as can be borne out by its unparalleled popularity, year after year holding its position as the biggest participant sport in the world.

There are a number of charities and schemes that have recognised a days fishing can be very therapeutic for people with illness or disabilities.

One charity that is promoting regular days at the waterside as a community project to youngsters in the borough, is the Get Hooked On Fishing organisation (GHOF).

This national charity has an army of qualified angling coaches, with schemes set up in various regions throughout the UK.

One of the Midlands branch coaches Brian Cartridge from Halesowen, is part of a team of 10 qualified PAA coaches organising angling days for youngsters throughout the year. Brian explained the basics of the scheme to me.

"The branch of GHOF has two mini buses in which we pick up youngsters and take them to various fisheries around the area.

"The youngsters have to register with the GHOF database and they can be included in the events throughout the year, we work with local authorities and organisations to get youngsters to participate and learn, but most of all enjoy the sport of angling in their spare time.

"All the GHOF coaches hold PAA angling level two coaching badges and enhanced CRB certificates, as a charity all our equipment comes from donations, we are always looking for anglers to donate good quality used tackle."

With National fishing week now in full flow, GHOF has extended its events right through the summer school holidays and any youngsters in the eight to 17 years age groups are eligible, anyone interested in registering for the scheme, please ring Andy Walker on 0121 4156487.

Decathlon angler of the month.

Tipton-based fishery bailiff, Scott Jones, has enough work on his hands in his job as trainee fishery manager at Solhampton fishery in Stourport.

The 19-year-old Rodbaston College fishery student works 12 hour days, but was aching to take on the regular match anglers at the fishery, in one of the Wednesday Opens but always seemed to have other jobs to do.

The previous week, fishery owner Burgess Homer showed his young employee how it was done by beating the match regulars at his fishery, taking first place in the Saturday Open.

Well last Wednesday saw young Scott given time off from his daily chores and allowed to fish the match which he promptly won putting 102lbs on the scales, beating non other than his fishery boss Burgess into second place (Never a good idea to beat the boss Scott).

And although it might be some time before Scott is allowed to fish again, I've decided to make him this month's angler of the month, all he has to do is take a copy of this newspaper in to the Decathlon Sports Megastore at the Merry Hill Centre Dudley, to claim his Geologic reel prize.

Shatterfords grass carp shatter your nets.

Alan Davies from Halesowen, informs me he has loads of trouble playing the hard fighting grass carp at Shatterford Fishery, his latest capture a 15lb grassie from The Stella Lake, took over 15 minutes to land and then the specimen sized fish refused to be unhooked in the landing net and returned to the water.

The battler of a fish twisted and thrashed around in the net, refusing all attempts to return it.

He finally managed to release it back in to the lake, but not before it had broken his brand new £40 landing net into five tiny pieces!

Fishery form guide Despite the weather all the midlands rivers are producing numbers of specimen barbel, chub and bream.

Not in huge numbers, but those bigger sized fish seem much more confident feeders in the coloured high water conditions.

Be careful on the banks, floodwaters have made all riverside paths and pegs treacherous.

Solhampton Fishery: Huge bags of carp to paste and pellets, lots of silvers to casters and maggots.

01299 828074 Hunnington Fishery: Craig Clarke broke the Kingfisher Pool match record last week with 105lbs in an Austin Sports club event. Lots of tench being caught from the margins on pellets.

Shatterford Fishery: Coarse and trout angling back to it's best, the extra water has stirred the bream and trout into action, evening sessions best. Quiet on the carp and cat front, but Dave Grainger from Kingswinford lost a huge cat at the net last Sunday, estimated at 50lbs plus. 01299 861597 Izaak Walton Fishery: Large catches to pellets and corn, a 300lb pleasure catch was reported in the week to pellet. 01785 761535.

Tunnel Barn Farm: Fishing shallow has produced huge pleasure catches, one catch of 200lb consisted of approximately 400 fish. 01926 842188 www.midlandanglingnews.com for all your local angling news.