2015 BLAC event details and event list

‘A chance for all anglers to fish for a national title, in a televised competition. All for a £25 entry fee!’ That’s the opportunity being offered in the 2015 British Lure Angling Championship. After the huge success of the 2014 event, which saw almost 500 keen anglers try their luck at competition style lure fishing. The event will grow with more qualifying matches in new locations. As well as a street fishing, and a saltwater competition!

Event Organiser Julian Chidgey said ‘Lure fishing has never been so popular! It’s a fun highly productive method that is perfectly suited to short sessions. This fits well with peoples busy, modern lives. The competition structure is very simple, and anyone who reads this is only two matches from potentially becoming the champion!’

As well as the main competition, there is also a Street Fishing League. This operates on a simple points system, with a number of exciting town and city urban locations.  This runs parallel to the main event. Therefore, on any given qualifying competition competitors can decide whether to enter the main competition, street league or both.  The winner of the street league being crowned British Street Angling Champion.

Another area of the sport that has seen massive growth in recent years is saltwater lure fishing. With anglers targeting in particular hard fighting bass and wrasse. As well as mini- species on ultralight tackle. This hasn't been forgotten with a series of saltwater qualifiers during the Summer period, followed by a Grand Final. The saltwater events are fished as a species hunt, to encourage anglers to use diverse methods and approaches.

All of the competitions feature great prizes with £1000 on offer for the main competition, the final of which will feature on Sky Sports and is fished at predator mecca Chew Valley. Whilst street league and saltwater champions will walk away with £500 of tackle from event sponsors Fox Rage.

For more details go to www.lurematch.blogspot.co.uk , follow the event on Facebook (British lure Angling Championships).  All results from this exciting competition will also feature in Angling Times.

Events list; 

Gloucester Canal 31/01/2015 BLAC Qualifier

Salford Quays 01/02/2015 BLAC Qualifier and Street League

River Thames (Farmoor, Oxfordshire) 07/03/2015 BLAC Qualifier

Exeter Canal 08/03/2015 BLAC Qualifier and Street League

Basingstoke Canal 11/04/2015 BLAC Qualifier and Street League

London Canals  12/04/2015 BLAC Qualifier and Street League

Chew Valley Reservoir 20/04/2014 BLAC Qualifier

Stainforth and Keadby Canal 16/05/2015 BLAC Qualifier

Fazeley Canal 17/05/2015 BLAC Qualifier

Bristol Docks  21/06/2015 BLAC Qualifier and Street League

River Severn 5/9/2015 BLAC Qualifier

Grand Union Canal (Warwick) 6/9/2015 BLAC Qualifier and Street League

Priory Country Park, Bedford 19/09/2015 BLAC Qualifier

River Soar (Leicester) 20/09/2015 BLAC Qualifier and Street League

Grand Final, Chew Valley Reservoir, October 2/10/2015 

Saltwater Qualifier events-

Portland 27/06/2015

Falmouth 11/07/2015

Plymouth 25/07/2015

Grand Final 09/8/2015

Want to get involved?

Simply click on the link here to download your application form. Be quick, as tickets are now on sale.

We have a winner!

What an epic ending to BLAC 2014!!!

Chew Valley gave us the final we all dreamed off with pike to 120cm (38lb+) and perch to 50cm!!! With Sky Sports and Angling Times on hand to capture the action.

We crowned our first British Lure Angling Champion, Steve Collett with a competition record catch of 1473cm (7 pike 40 perch)! 2nd place was Ben Humber with 1284cm, followed by John Horsey in 3rd with 1089cm.

Not forgetting, Ben Tregoning who started the day with a broken down car and ended with a 35lb+ pike, and biggest fish of the day. Or Adam Kirby, blanking at lunchtime yet landed 5 perch over 3lb in the second session.

Thanks to each and every one of you who took part, or helped out through this years event calender. Roll on 2015, and an even bigger, better competition! Watch this space...

Steet fishing comes to the UK!

European style street lure fishing came to the UK, in the latest two stages of the Fox Rage backed British Lure Angling Championship. Competitors first tackled the Camden lock area, of the Regents canal in central London . Perch proved to be the primary species present with drop shot and jig methods producing great catches throughout the day. Adam Kirby, from Hampshire again proved his perch catching skills with a huge total of 364cm. Having already secured his place in the final, the remaining places were filled John Wheeler, Ben Tregoning, Olivier Gayer, Kamil Drapala, and Mervyn Jones.

Merv Jones seeking perch in the shadows of Camden

Winner Adam Kirby who had already qualified in Q1, with the Regents canal qualifiers.

If the Regents canal event was all about perch, the qualifier the following day on Somerset’s River Tone was expected to be a real bag up with huge numbers of chub present. During the early part of the competition many of those taking part caught quickly, setting up an exciting finish.  However, bright, sunny conditions made bites hard to come by with Gareth Finney coming out on top with 128cm. The other five qualifying places being taken by Kevin Jones, Simon Nicol, Ben Thomas, Stuart Turner and David Smith.

Simon Nicol who qualified in joint 3rd place, with a town centre perch.

Event organiser, Julian Chidgey said ‘It was great to see so many keen lure anglers enjoying urban angling. It just goes to show that there are great stocks of forgotten fish in many town centre venues’.

For those who want a chance of reaching the final which is held at Chew Valley next month. There are still tickets available for the  Stainforth and Keadby canal event on 13th September, Leeds Liverpool canal on 14th September and the  final qualifier at Peterborough’s Ferry Meadows, on Sunday 21^st September.

Group shot from Q7

Extra qualifier announced!!!

I can now confirm that we are holding an additional qualifier on Sunday September 7th! The match will take place on Somerset's River Tone, and will be an 'Urban' affair as we target the prolific predator stocks within the town stretch. From weir pools and overhanging trees to town bridges and cricket grounds the stretch offers the lot in terms of variation and features.

Chub will feature heavily, as well as perch and pike.In fact I would predict a 10m+ winning length being a possibility for those who suss out the winning tactics. In the coming years, I intend to grow the charitable giving element of the event, with us choosing good causes that we wish to support, as a collective. In this instance we will be making a donation to Age UK, who carry out some great work in my local area. Despite this, the entry fee remains at £25 or £20 for LAS members.

Get in quick for this one as unlike the other events space means we will have to cap numbers.

 

Q3 and 4 Results! Another 12 people book their tickets for the grand final!

66 Anglers tackled the renowned Chew Valley reservoir during Q3 of the Fox Rage backed, British Lure Angling Championship. With the venue having never been targeted with lures at this time of year, hopes were high. Despite well over 100 pike being landed on the day, the biggest was a fish of 20lb (100cm) landed by Stephen Bates.  Another fine specimen fish caught on the day was the 3lb 8oz (44cm) perch caught by Danny Parkins of Tiverton, Devon. 

With the catches all counted up, Paul Parnell was a worthy winner with a 6 pike catch totalling 340cm, with former World Champion fly angler John Horsey coming second with 303cm. Also getting through to the final as part of the top six were Marcin Kwasniewski, Ben Davis, Bill Dowding,  John Cheyne and Stephan Bates.

Just a week later, and the keen lure anglers turned there attention to the Grand Union Canal Near Leamington Spa. With over 6 miles of water there was no shortage of feature packed water for the competitor’s to explore. Zander proved the main species on the day, most falling to bright 5-10cm jigs. Alan Day landing 2 to win on the day, with Dariusz Swierzko, Andy Charmer, Matt Boast, Lee Garner and Paul Oakenden also progressing to the televised grand final in October.

Event Organiser Julian Chidgey said ’It’s been a real contrast in lure angling style’s from the big swim baits that scored at chew for good-sized pike, through to the small jig flicked across the canal that scored so well for the Grand Union zander. I am over the moon to see anglers as varied as former fly fishing World Champion John Horsey, through to relative beginner’s battling it out to lift the national title.

The next qualifier takes place on the River Thames (Oxford) on July 5^th. If you fancy taking part, all details can be found at www.lurematch.blogspot.co.uk

Q1 and Q2 Results!

The inaugural 2014 Fox Rage backed British Lure Angling Championship, got off to a flying start with 36 anglers sharing a 125 fish catch on the Exeter Ship Canal. With overcast and breezy conditions most anglers targeted the good head of quality pike that the venue is known to hold. During the first couple of hours of the event this proved a good tactic, with a number of pike landed. The best fish being a specimen of 79cm to Piotr Malinowski, from Slough. However, as the day wore on many of the visiting saltwater LRF (Light Rock Fishing) anglers began to catch good numbers of perch using both drop shot and jig tactics.

At the prize giving it proved that targeting smaller perch had indeed been a winning tactic. Adam Kirby, from Hampshire running away with first place having amassed an overall catch length of 498cm. Adam(37) said  ‘ I’m incredibly stoked to qualify. I’m proud to represent the rapidly growing number of modern lure anglers and I’m really looking forward to the researching and planning stage ahead of the grand final – I never tire of learning new skills!’  In second place was Piotr Malinowski with 3 pike for 207cm, narrowly beating third placed Dean Pilgrim on 205cm. The top three will be joined in the final at Chew Valley by Dan Sissons, Rado Pipiewski and Mariusz Rokicinski.

Just six days later, 36 anglers took part in the second qualifying event. This time on the RDAA stretch of the Kennet and Avon canal at Froxfield. At almost 2km, the stretch gave competitors plenty of room to explore. However, it was A section right beside the site of the draw that produced the early fish. With a number of pike and small perch caught around the resident house boats. Those who opted to fish further down the stretch were rewarded with some large perch topped by a stunning 36cm fish for Surrey’s Matt Boast. With the fish spread out, and falling to methods as varied as drop shot, crank baits, jigs and spinners it proved a close affair.

With all the catch cards in, it proved to be Grzegorz Pawlak who had taken first place with 3 pike and 13 perch for 266cm. Only just beating Q1 winner Adam Kirby, with an all perch catch of 241cm. Mariusz Rokicinski, Greg Bafia, Mark Taylor, and Paul Parnell completing the top six. With over 100 fish caught on the day competitors needed a total catch of over 150cm to make the top six. However, all was not lost for those who just missed out, as both Adam Kirby and Mariusz Rokicinski had already qualified. Meaning that 7^th and 8^th placed anglers Ben Church and Piotr Kruszewski had earned their place in the Grand Final.

Event organiser, Julian Chidgey said, ‘The next qualifying event takes place on April the 29^th at Chew Valley Reservoir, where we should see some amazing catches. So far the guys using smaller lures have done well, but I think this will be turned on its head as we tackle the big pike of Chew and then the Grand Union Canal a fortnight later. The events have a great friendly atmosphere, and it’s great to see so many anglers taking part’.  

There are tickets available for all the remaining events and you can enter now through the webpage (www.lurematch.blogspot.com). 

Grand Final announcement !

Just one month after we first launched the competition I am proud to say that the response has been amazing! As part of my aim to make this a showcase event for the sport, I have been working hard to source a venue for the final that will make it a real blockbuster!

I am pleased to announce that the 2014 Fox Rage British Lure Angling Championship final will take place at Chew Valley reservoir, on Saturday October 4th.  As you will no doubt be aware, the catches of pike and perch taken at the venue are unprecedented; this event will give those who qualify the chance to experience the sport for themselves. Whilst competing to become the British Lure Angling Champion!

A recent 38lb 8oz pike from Chew Valley for Ian Nadin.

However, it doesn't stop there! I can also announce that we have an additional qualifier also taking place at Chew Valley (Boat fishing) on Tuesday 29^th April, costing just £25 per person. Due to the costs involved I won’t be able to offer LAS member’s further discount for this event.  The lake has never been fished with lures at this time of year, and I predict huge catches which will most likely feature numerous 30lb pike and 4lb perch. Quite simply, this is a once in a lifetime opportunity for keen lure anglers. 

To make it fair to those who are supporting the wider event, application for the Chew Valley qualifier will be for people who have also applied for two other BLAC events, within this year’s calendar. If you haven’t already applied you will be able to apply for the other two (or more) qualifiers at the same time as the Chew event.

On Friday 28th February from 0900, we will accept applications for the Chew event. All you will need to supply is a completed Application Form . All applications are by email to our usual address (lurematch@gmail.com). We will then get back to you, offering the first 60 people tickets. 

There is no need to provide payment at the initial stage; you will be invited to do so if you are one of the lucky 60.

2014 Fox Rage British lure angling championships, events list.

In order to give anglers the best chance of qualifying we have selected various waters spread across the UK. You can enter as many qualifying matches as wish in your bid to reach the National Final.

Q1- Exeter Ship Canal, Sunday April 6th 2014.

The road to the final starts in the South West this year, and what an opening venue we have in store for you! The Exeter canal offers exceptional predator sport with a huge head of perch from a few ounces to over 4lb, which could play into the hands of our local LRF experts who we expect to see entering this fixture. Not to be outdone, the pike in this venue grow huge with recent specimens of over 30lb having been landed (see image below of event organiser Julian Chidgey with a 31lb 2oz pike from the venue).  As if that's not enough, the last couple of years have also seen a number of huge catfish landed so this event is really going to be a tactical affair.

Q2- Kennet and Avon Canal, Froxfield. Saturday 12th April 2014. 

This popular venue offers some of the best canal predator sport in the UK, catches of 50+ perch in a day are common place, with individual fish over 4lb being landed every season. Will it be an out and out perch match? That depends on the mood of the pike, as it would only take a few of the many resident double figure pike to put in an appearance and we could see a very interesting event.

A typical K and A canal perch

Q3- Chew Valley Reservoir, Tuesday April 29th. *** Now Sold Out***

Our one boat-based qualifier. For the first time in history Chew opens to predator fishing outside of the normal predator trials. This wonder water has produced over 50 pike in excess of 35lb+, as well as huge perch. This qualifier is only open to those who also enter two other events.

Q4- Grand Union Canal (Lemington Spa)  Sunday 11th May 2014.

This stretch of the Grand Union Canal run by the Lure Anglers Society, will be the one to target for those of you based in the Midlands. Prospects look amazing with large shoals of good sized perch, a few larger pike as well as a great head of zander. With a meeting point at a canal side pub, and a function room booked afterwards for prize giving and drinks, this should be a great social event for all involved.

Q5- River Thames (Oxford) Saturday 5th July 2014.

7lb chub, 5lb perch, big pike and even zander, this event is going to offer competitors the chance of a real mixed bag. In test sessions (drop-shot and micro jigs) it seemed like every swim held at least a few predators so this should be a match where everyone should be getting a few bites. There is little doubt that the Thames is one of the UK's top predator rivers, so it will be interesting to see what turns up on the day.

Q6- Regents Canal (London) Saturday 6th September. 

In cities across the world street or urban lure fishing is growing in popularity. In this event competitors get the chance to explore an inner city venue known to hold big predators of several species in particular perch, pike and chub. This truly is a qualifier where anything could turn up!

Q7- Stainforth and Keadby Canal, Saturday 13th September. 

This water has a great reputation for big predators, with regular catches of good perch and some enormous pike. A popular venue that can throw up huge catches or a personal best for those entering.


Q8- Leeds Liverpool Canal (North West) Sunday 14th September.

The top lock to Chorley stretch proudly hosts the Division 2 national such is the head of silver fish present. Needless to say many predatory fish are resident too, with pike and perch being the target species. Tactics will be all important on the day, will it be a bag of perch or a big pike that see's the top 6 through to the final?

Q9-Ferry Meadows, Peterborough, Sunday 21st September 2014. 

Ferry Meadows is a picturesque country park near Peterborough. This stunning water features 160 pegs, gin clear water and a great head of pike, perch and zander. With 80 acres to go at there will be plenty of choice for competitors whether targeting the margins for pike, or deeper water spots for zander.

Grand Final- 4th October

CHEW VALLEY RESERVOIR!!!

30 boats, 60 anglers, HUGE fish, SKY TV, £1000 prize!!!

Our aim at the British Lure Angling Championships is to give you an opportunity to compete against like minded lure anglers, with the winner becoming the 2014 Fox Rage British Lure Angling Champion!

Over the coming months we will be holding qualifiers up and down the UK, so all anglers have a chance to fish in their region. You can of course, enter as many qualifiers as you wish. The top six anglers (longest cumulative length of fish landed)  from each qualifying event go through to the televised (Sky Sports) National Final, which will be held in late Autumn at a top venue. The overall winner walks away with £1000, as well as the prestige of winning the event. Runners up in the final, and all those who qualify will also receive great tackle prizes from our sponsor top lure brand Fox Rage!

The dawn of a new era for UK lure angling...

Our concept is simple and fair with anglers drawing a partner on the day, and spending the allotted time (6 hours) with that person. All fish are measured and released, your partner on the day witnessing catches and signing your catch card. This gives you a chance to spend the day with another keen lure angler, and I am sure many new angling friendships will be made along the way. We have set the entry fee at £25 per qualifying event (this includes your day ticket and match fees!), so that the competition is accessible to all anglers.

There is a short, simple list of common sense rules to follow which is issued to all entrants, as well as a map of the fishing areas. Anglers will need to secure a ticket in advance of the event, payment on the day or turning up without applying will result in anglers being turned away.

How to enter-

-Simply download an Application Form and a copy of the Rules.
-Return the application form to lurematch@gmail.com, along with your entry fee (£25 per event) which can be paid by cheque or Paypal.
-You will then issued with your ticket, map, and rules.  

Could you become the British Champion this year?

I hope to meet you all at the events over the coming months.

Julian Chidgey

Event Organiser.