Anglers delighted that intense lobbying has delivered ‘an outstanding result’ as Portsmouth area waters get set to reopen this week

Boris Johnson’s televised address to the nation last night mentioned that some sports are being allowed to return from this Wednesday.

They include angling, golf and tennis - sports that can either be played alone or in small groups.

‘It’s good news, it’s been very, very frustrating, said PDAS committee member Dave Le Gresley.

‘A lot of people go angling because it’s good for their mental health. They like the solitude, the peace and quiet.

‘Everyone is usually spread out, it’s a distance sport.

‘People use their common sense - no-one is going to cast in someone else’s swim.’

The PDAS - founded in 1948 - boast 16 different venues offering ‘a variety of different fishing to suit all anglers.’

Some of the waters are in the Fareham area, with six different venues - including Tithe Barn, Carron Row Farm, Abshot Pond and Funtley Pond - within a few miles of junction 9 of the M27.

Lakeside, near Cosham, Soake Pond at Denmead and Sinah on Hayling Island are three other waters open to PDAS members.

The most recent additions to the association’s portfolio are in the Petersfield area - Stanbridge Farm Ponds and the River Rother tributary.

All 16 venues should be open from Wednesday morning.

Normally, there are no Angling Trust guidelines with regards to how far apart two anglers can sit.

Now, though, the governing body have stipulated a minimum 15m distance until the pandemic threat is further reduced.

‘I will be going down to Baffins Pond and looking at the markers,’ said Le Gresley. ‘If they’re not 15m apart I will remove some so we comply with the regulations.

‘The new season had only just started when we had to close the waters.

‘Some people contacted us to say they had just purchased memberships. We had a few people who were upset - but it was frustration more than anything.

‘Everyone has been very supportive.’

The PDAS normally has between 1,300-1,400 members annually. At present, for obvious reasons, the number is around 400 but that should increase once the association’s waters are open again.

The decision to include outdoor activities such as angling in the first wave of newly permitted activities followed weeks of lobbying by the Angling Trust.

They unified the angling community which resulted in over 8,000 individual emails sent to MPs urging a safe return for their sport.

Last month, a report from the Angling Trust entitled ‘When We Fish Again’ was submitted to Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove and the Fisheries and Sports Ministers.

The document argued for recreational fishing to be designated as one of the first permitted outdoor sports when ministers began to relax the coronavirus lockdown restrictions.

It was backed by national angling and fisheries groups including the Canal & River Trust, Salmon & Trout Conservation, the Institute of Fisheries Management and representatives of the angling trade which is estimated to be worth a total of £4bn to the UK economy.

The report recommended a phased resumption in line with the government’s own criteria and identified numerous reasons why angling should be an early candidate for consideration.

They included:

being a largely solitary sport where self isolation occurs naturally;proven benefits for mental health and social well-being;a reduction in pressure on other public open spaces;evidence that non-contact outdoor activities will not increase infection rates;angling appeals to people of all ages and backgrounds and engages able-bodied and disabled participants alike;the majority of the population live close to a waterway, minimising the need for significant travel.

Reacting to Johnson’s televised address, Angling Trust CEO Jamie Cook said: ‘I couldn’t be more pleased to see the hard work of the Angling Trust and our supporters delivering such an outstanding result for everyone who loves to go fishing.

‘We have demonstrated to the satisfaction of government that angling can be permitted as a safe, healthy, beneficial outdoor activity and why it can take its rightful position at the front of the queue as restrictions are relaxed.

‘Our effective and professional campaign was in support of a carefully thought through set of phased guidelines under which angling could be safely permitted without increasing the risk of Covid-19 transmissions.

‘Without these guidelines we would have got nowhere and it is now incumbent upon every angler to respect them and demonstrate that we are still playing our part in the nationwide battle against the coronavirus.’