Audio Angling

Recorded in 2013. Perch were once a prolific fish. Then in the 1960's, shallow ulcer disease all but wiped the species out in the UK. Now nearly 50 years on, from those few resistant survivors, the Perch is back. But in the process, the balance of power in terms of which fisheries have the ability to produce specimen sized Perch has changed radically. Here Mike Winrow explains.

Recorded in 2013. Back in the 1960's, the River Lostock in Lancashire was devoid of fish. Now in 2013 it's full of the things ranging from coarse species to Brown Trout. There's even talk of Salmon. Here John Wilkinson talks about the fish and the fishing, while Phill Williams explains how they came to be there in the first place.

Recorded in 2013. Back in the 1980's, Phill Williams set himself a target of 100 UK fish species, 300 worldwide fish species, a double figure wild trout, a 100 pound fish in freshwater, a 200 pound fish from a trailed boat, a 200 pound fish from the shore, and a 1000 pound fish from anywhere. In addition there was to be a British, a European and a World record fish, plus a fisheries based Ph.D. This is the story of that quest.

Recorded in 2013. As anglers, we've all seen change, particularly in the numbers and sizes of our more popular fish species. But this has been going on since the 14th century. Here, Dr. Ruth Thustan looks at historical catch data and relates this to what we are seeing in terms of fish numbers today, and projects this on to what we can also expect in the future.

Recorded in 2013. The River Ribble in Lancashire was illegally stocked with Barbel during the 1970's. By the turn of the century, it was producing some of the biggest specimens in the country. Lancashire Barbel fanatic Mike Winrow explains.

Recorded in 2013. As the captor of the last Mako Shark in UK waters back in 1971, and having thoroughly researched the species for his new book The Shark Hunter, David Turner tells us all we need to know on the subject of Mako Shark fishing.

Recorded in 2013. It's not that long ago that fish which would make the angling press these days even from a boat, were regularly being caught from the shore in Scotland. Absolute monster Cod in particular. Then suddenly, they were gone. Here Scottish Cod record holder Ken Robinson reflects on the fishing back then, what happened to it, and recounts the day of his record catch.

Recorded in 2012. From his first Mako encounter in the late 1950's up to the last ever British Mako Shark catch in 1971 which was aboard his Falmouth based boat 'Huntress', Robin Vinnicombe accounted for 1 in 3 of all Mako Sharks ever landed from UK waters. Now well into his 70's and wheelchair bound following a stroke, here he guides us through a detailed look at how he achieved what he did with this most enigmatic and highly prized angling Shark species.

Recorded in 2013. Far and away the most influential shore angler/distance caster of the past 40 years has to be Essex based John Holden. A former distance record holder, casting instructor and current stalwart at Sea Angler Magazine, here is a man who knows everything there is to know on this particular topic and is willing to share that experience with us all here.

Recorded in 2012. Anglers and commercial fishermen will always be on opposite sides of the fence. But to understand any potential threat, anglers need to appreciate the commercial side of things too. This is particularly true of Salmon netting. Here Ribble Salmon netter Harry Whiteside talks the subject through.