News Page 4

What REALLY happened at Willen Lake on Sunday July 3 2011

Rumours, gossip, threads and tweets about people originating from another country being caught with 30 carp ‘up the bank’ of Willen at the weekend have, understandably, been causing great concern and anxiety among anglers.

In the tales’ wildest forms, it was being said that the Environment Agency, backed by police, Parks Trust staff and MKAA bailiffs had swooped on the culprits and arrested them.

But that is pure urban myth. What DID happen? Two men and a woman of non- British origins were found fishing for sport (not the pot) – with rods, lines and baits – and had caught around 30 bream.

They had kept them in an overcrowded and unsuitable keepnet and were seen to be being none to careful when putting them back. A bream of about 5lb did die.

Similar regrettable incidents have occurred in the past involving anglers born and bred locally. As in other cases this incident was all about ignorance of the rules and the proper way to handle and retain fish...not where people come from.

The individuals were approached by Parks Trust staff and MKAA bailiff Simon Denny and left in no doubt that the way they had treated their catch was neither satisfactory nor acceptable. They apologised and said they had learned a lesson.


Fish welfare is of paramount importance at all times. For everyone’s avoidance of doubt: the rule on MKAA waters is no more than 40lb of fish in a keepnet at any time; and on ALL waters the smallest keepnets allowed by law are 2 metres long (six-footsix) with a minimum circumference of 1.2 metres (for round nets that equates to a minimum ring diameter of 381mm or 15 inches). They must also be of soft, ‘knotless’ material with no hole in the mesh larger than 25mm (one inch) when stretched tight. It is preferable to use larger nets than that and users should follow the Angling Trust keepnet code.

Thank you for taking the time to read this.

Trevor Johnson, Chairman, MKAA July 5, 2007.