Picture: Neil performs the traditional swan dive into Arena Pool - let's hope he took the £25,000 cheque out of his pocket first...

The Midlands can boast the new Fish O Mania champion in Shakespeare’s Neil McKinnon, who is a cool £25,000 better off following the Sky Sports televised final on Saturday.
It was a brilliant match too, 4-1 favourite Tom Pickering fishing the Method feeder throughout the match and leading right up until the last of the half-hour weigh ins. Neil stuck to his strengths, fishing up in the water with banded hard pellet and gradually building the peg to snatch the title from under the nose of former world champion Tommy in the last 30 minutes. In the end Neil won by 27.98kg to Tom’s 23.88kg, but it really was in doubt until the last.
Sky couldn't have really hoped for a better match and although the angling purists can nit pick, Sky have to please a non angling and an angling audience at the same time. There just aren't enough anglers interested in watching a match on TV to make the programme viable from an advertising viewpoint otherwise. I watched the whole programme, and really enjoyed it so well done to all involved and it was great to see a couple of Total-Fishing regulars in the line-up and plenty more in the crowd, plus Frody doing his usual good job of presenting...

Filming Down At The Lane
I was doing some filming at Dog Lane Fishery at Napton last week for a new tackle review based ‘Freeplayer’ schedule that will be on web based TV channel www.onlinefishing.tv , hopefully starting in early August.
Anyway, I bumped into venue owner Eddie Whitehead, who I have not met before. Eddie, who is 70 years old and doesn’t look it, has been busy switching fish around on his secluded three-lake complex.
Some 20,000 silver fish have been moved from the Specimen Lake to the top Silver Fish Lake, including roach to a pound, skimmers to 5lb and perch to 3lb, plus he has also stocked 1,500 small F1s which will feed all year round.
Meanwhile, big carp have been moved from Willow Lake to the Specimen Lake, where the average size of fish is now around 16lb.
Eddie reports the under-fished silvers lake as ‘fishing its head off’ with 30-40lb bags the norm, with pole and pellet or waggler and maggot doing plenty of damage.
The water would make an excellent venue for a club booking as it’s very fair. There’s camping and caravaning available on site at Dog Lane. Contact Eddie on 07957 861733.
By the way, Eddie is getting involved in a music festival at Napton on his farm land, which he’s hoping will turn into something of a Warwickshire Glastonbury! Just thought I’d mention it...

Brilliant Barston Carp Match
Many anglers associate normal style match fishing with Barston Lakes, but the Solihull water has just hosted possibly the best fish-off in the history of the British Carp Championships in which 25 competing pairs landed an incredible 879 carp for over 7000lb.
The fish went on an eating frenzy and I’m told the anglers got through over 600kg of boilies!
Barston, one of my favourite waters, holds the prestigious Barston Bowl, more your standard match, this weekend.

Fishy Facts And Water Worlds Day
Youngsters are to be given the chance to try fishing at the second Fishy Facts And Water Worlds Day, which takes place on August 10th at Upper Bittell Reservoir at Cofton Hackett.
A team of instructors will accompany children aged seven to 15 who will be able to try fly fishing, fly tying and coarse fishing at the event organised by the Countryside Alliance. They will also learn about the countryside, conservation and waterways.
It’s advanced bookings only, numbers are limited and a £10 per child donation is requested. For more information contact Clare Rowson on 07900 820819.

Four Ashes Heading For Division One
West Midlands outfit Four Ashes are gearing up for top level team fishing after winning the Division Two National on the Erewash Canal.
Counting several Shakespeare and Maver Tipton anglers in their ranks, Four Ashes finished 17 points clear of another Midlands outfit in Dams And Lock, after feeding very negatively on a clear and weedy canal. “We fed little thumbnail sized balls of groundbait and really nursed the peg along,” said Four Ashes skipper Paul Turner.
The Environment Agency has completed repairs to flood-damaged fishing platforms at their free fishery on the River Severn at Ripple in Worcestershire, thanks to £10,500 funding from the sale of rod licences to anglers.

First Ever Barbel Wins Qualifier
Tim Kaye landed his first ever barbel to win the latest big match on the Warwickshire Avon and qualify for the Evesham Festival. The Riverlution match squad member thought he was in for a grueller when he drew peg ten on the town stretch at Evesham, but his worm rig was snaffled by a fine 10lb 2oz fish after he’d gone for silvers on hemp for the first four hours for a winning 13-9-0.

Licence Sales Down, Licence Dodging Up
It seems that one of the knock-on effects of the recession is that fewer anglers are buying the required Environment Agency rod licence.
Fisheries officers who conducted a recent check at fisheries in the area found that 11% didn’t have a valid rod licence – that’s around three times higher that the number they would expect.
It tallies with figures showing that rod licence sales are down around 7% year on year. A long, cold winter, the recession and the World Cup have all had an effect.
Meanwhile the EA has launched a new online ‘river levels’ service which can be accessed at www.environment-agency.gov.ukj/riverlevels .

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Sonu Bait Championships Qualifier, Sun. Deans, High and Arles Pools (40 fished)
Mark Taylor (Shakespeare) 209-14-0, carp to 10lb, pole and pellet, Arles 8; Simon Richardson (Maver Midlands) 198-7-0; Kevin Slade (Bilston Angling Centre) 186-0-0; Chris Hill (Mosella) 173-10-0; Chris Cameron (Mosella South West) 168-0-0.
Qualifiers: Mick Edge (Woodlands); Lee Cole (Bilston Angling Centre); Richard Churchill (Lobby’s Tackle); S. Lovett (Bilston Angling Centre); Martin Harrell (Maver Midlands); Martin Pritchard (West Midlands); Paul Wedge (Woodlands); Wayne Panting (Midland Bears); Richard Lucas (Woodlands) and John Powys jr (Woodlands).

Wolverhampton AA, Staffs-Worcs Canal, Penkridge, Staffordshire, Sun (50 fished)
Phil Cox (Maver Tipton Van den Eynde) 55-1-0, thirty chub, pole, chopped worm and caster; Dave Brown (Maver Midlands) 21-15-0; Eric Gardner (Team Eclipse) 18-9-0; Dennis Kneller (Four Ashes AC) 16-11-8; Lewis Breeze (Drennan North West) 16-10-0; Dave Holbrook (Brownhills) 14-11-0.

Bridgnorth Angling Association, Severn, Linley Bank (48 fished)
Dan Shinton (Bridgnorth) 45-4-0, 10 barbel, pellet feeder, peg 166, Lime Kiln Pump; Brian Preece (Bridgnorth Angling Association) 38-12-0; Gary Farmer (Tipton Van den Eynde) 36-3-0; Matt Hamilton (Droitwich) 30-8-0; Jez Williams (Willow Creek) 26-11-0; Jamie Potts (Wolverhampton) 25-6-0.

Stirrup Cup, Birmingham-Fazeley Canal, Curdworth, Birmingham, West Midlands
Ian Hadden (Weddington) 7-13-3, skimmers to 1lb, roach and rudd, poled squatt and caster, peg 64; Graham Massey (Sensas Dams and Lock) 6-9-4; Alan Price (Stirrup Cup) 6-5-2; Derek Hicklin (Stirrup Cup) 5-2-3; Pete Hatton (ZLT) 4-0-15; Tony Parkes (Stirrup Cup) 3-13-11

Cornerstone AC, Grand Union Canal, Small Heath
John Fowler (Sensas Dams and Lock) 11-12-0, roach and skimmers, pole and squatt, peg 50; Car Daley (Talk Angling) 9-10-3; Derek Jackson (Sensas Dams and Lock) 9-4-12; Mal Howard (Cornerstone AC) 8-3-5; Wayne Shipperley (Cornerstone AC) 8-0-8.

Garbolino Tunnel Barn Farm, Shrewley, Warks
Mon, New Pool: Kevin Folwell (Drennan Oxford) 127-2-0, F1s, bream, roach, perch, rudd, gudgeon, pole, white maggot at 6m fished high and low, peg 1; Pete Hancox (Birmingham) 126-2-0; Ade Mansfield (Tamworth Tackle) 109-0-0; John Perrella (Just Oxford) 108-15-0; Chris Neale (Rutlanders) 103-13-0. Wed, Club Pool: Richard Knowles (MCM) 160-5-0, carp and F1s, poled pellet tight into the corner, peg 13; Pete Hancox (Birmingham) 120-3-0; Kevin Folwell (Drennan Oxford) 117-3-0; Ade Mansfield (Tamworth Tackle) 104-0-0.
Thurs, Canal Pool: Kevin Folwell (Drennan Oxford) 106-12-0, F1s, poled white maggot at 8m fished high, peg 2; Chris Neale (Rutlanders) 97-4-0; Pete Hancox (Birmingham) 69-5-0.
Sat, House Pool 2: Jason Laboski (Garbolino Bait Tech) 78-12-0, F1s, bream, tench and roach, pole and pellet at 17m to the island, peg 36; Mark Johnson (Daiwa Gordon League) 78-9-0; Paul Bick (Shakespeare) 77-6-0; Paul Newell (Kings Mill Redditch) 76-11-0; Andy Jackson (Redditch) 65-4-0; Kevin Adderley (Sensas Dams and Lock) 64-14-0.
Sun, New Pool: Graham Palmer (Fitters Angling Club,Walsall) 131-9-0, F1s, carp, bream and roach, pole and banded pellet fished high at 8m, peg 26; Paul Newell (Kings Mill Redditch) 122-14-0; Jason Neath (Daiwa Gordon League) 110-8-0; Kevin Adderley (Sensas Dams and Lock) 109-11-0; Pete Caton (Dynamite Baits/Banbury Gunsmiths) 105-12-0; Paul Bick (Shakespeare) 104-13-0.

Packington Somers, Meriden, Warks
Wed, Molands Mere:  Lee Richards (Top Fours/Fosters) 54-4-0, F1s, tench and skimmers, pole and pellet, peg 60; John Burchell (Sensas Packington) 50-9-0; Steve Edwards (Packington) 48-1-0.
Sat, Little Gearys: Ms Suzi Smith (Kobra Feeders) 57-13-0, carp and F1s, pellet Method, peg 29; Derek Hartshorn (Swann Baits) 57-4-0; Steve White (Kobra Feeders) 52-12-0.
Sun, Molands Mere: John Burchell (Sensas Packington) 77-2-0, carp, F1s and skimmers, pellet waggler, peg 17; Phil Hull (Lanes Baits) 44-6-0; Richard Jakowmytch (Elephant and Castle) 38-2-0.

Bishops Bowl Fisheries, White Bishop Lake, Bishops Itchington, Warwickshire
Steve Bull (Sensas Chiltern Baits) 110-2-0, 63lb of skimmers and small carp, pole and pellet; Steve Hatt (Banbury Gunsmiths) 89-12-0; Steve Allison (Banbury Gunsmiths) 61-2-0.