The Sportfishing Challenge 2000 – Part 3

18 young Europeans from 6 different countries took part in the program, most of them had never seen a fishing rod before in their life.
Filmed in Namibia, on the Zambezi and the Chobe rivers and in South Africa, on the Wild Coast near Port St Johns, the three 15 minute programs of the Sportfishing Challenge 2000 were broadcasted several times on Eurosport TV in most European countries, reaching out to millions of new potential anglers.

Read Full Post »

The Sportfishing Challenge 2000 – Part 1

18 young Europeans from 6 different countries took part in the program, most of them had never seen a fishing rod before in their life.
Filmed in Namibia, on the Zambezi and the Chobe rivers and in South Africa, on the Wild Coast near Port St Johns, the three 15 minute programs of the Sportfishing Challenge 2000 were broadcasted several times on Eurosport TV in most European countries, reaching out to millions of new potential anglers.

Read Full Post »

The inherent danger of internet forums

We all experienced, a few months ago, the rapid spread of the swine flu alarm that peaked at the end of April 2009, creating a temporary crash in the stock market and widespread panic buying for medication, protection masks and foodstuff.
The scare not only caused a 5% two-day slump in some stock markets, it also [...]

Read Full Post »

Nomad launches a new Sandeel Seabass lure

By using Computer Numerical Control (CNC) technology, the latest available high-tech plastics and the added value of the artistic hand of skilled workmanship, the PERFEEL™ is the first SAND EEL lure to benefit from 21st century engineering and production capabilities.

Read Full Post »

Clearing out the dead wood

The Global Financial Crisis (GFC) was not only caused by the excessive greed of a few elite banksters; it is the end result of numerous factors that include in particular the globalization of trade and the inherent consequences on European employment caused by the outsourcing of labour intensive production.
If free trade has been the greatest [...]

Read Full Post »

Sport Fishing is not recognised by the International Olympic Committee; is it still a Sport?

As I stayed up at night and watched the undeniable success of 2008 Beijing Olympic Games; I couldn’t stop wondering why one of the supposedly most popular sports on the planet; one that counts 40 million participants in the USA alone, 25 million in Europe and so many more million in the rest of [...]

Read Full Post »

On the road to Nowhere!

Kevin VanDam, the current leader of the World Rankings for Bass Fishing in the USA is 40 years old, has been a Pro Bass Angler for 18 years and has cumulated more than 3 Million US Dollars in prize winnings during his career. This does not include the money he receives from sponsors.
His sponsors include [...]

Read Full Post »

Whatever happened to voluntary work?

THE latest edition of the EFTTEX show that was held in Rome last June was a reflection of the current trends in effect in our European market.
A lot of effort, time and money were spent by most of those companies exhibiting in the show. Stands were generally very nice, with many companies and brands making [...]

Read Full Post »

EU to adopt English as the official language!

The European Commission has just announced an agreement whereby English will be the official language of the European Union rather than German, which was the other possibility.
As part of the negotiations, the British Government conceded that English spelling had some room for improvement and has accepted a 5- year phase-in plan that would become known [...]

Read Full Post »

Are European retailers hampering market potential?

A lot has happened to the structure of the European supply channels of Fishing Tackle in recent years.
Twenty years ago, the supply channel would comprise a manufacturer/vendor, an export agent, an importer/national distributor, a regional wholesaler and finally the independent retailer who would sell the product to the final consumer.
Many importers/national distributors could depend on [...]

Read Full Post »

Making the Market grow!

The present trend in the European Fishing Tackle Market is certainly not that of clear positive growth.
All we hear about are of reductions in the numbers of regular Anglers, over-fishing, depleted fish stocks, water pollution, lack of image of the hobby, competition from other sports and a soft European economy.
Not only is our trade badly [...]

Read Full Post »

France considering Sea Angling licenses!

Last October, Mr Nicolas Sarkozy, President of France concluded that the “Grenelle de l’Environnemment” forum that he had personally promoted “will remain a milestone in our society’s growing awareness that it cannot continue to live wastefully and that it can no longer ignore the impact of our current lifestyles, production methods and consumption patterns on [...]

Read Full Post »

UK Government abandons sea angling licences scheme

Press release by the NATIONAL FEDERATION OF SEA ANGLERS
Date: March 19 2008
The government today abandoned its current plans to impose fishing licences on a million sea anglers in Britain.
The move follows several years of campaigning by the National Federation of Sea Anglers (NFSA) to convince successive fisheries ministers that because fishstocks were so seriously depleted [...]

Read Full Post »

Fortune favours the Bold!

In the same way as there is a link between the quality of a fishing spot and its remoteness; there is also a direct relation between the ease of access to a supplier and the competitiveness of his price.
Twenty years of sourcing fishing tackle have taken me to very remote places while searching for that [...]

Read Full Post »

Teaching children and young people to fish

Recreationnal Fishing is certainly one the most exciting nature awareness hobbies to pass on to children; however, if you are to develop their interest, there are a few rules that must be followed.
For starts, a close member of the family must teach fishing to the child: Usually the father.
It is a fact that Recreationnal Fishing is [...]

Read Full Post »

A compilation of Fishing Jokes, feel free to comment and add some more!

The Three Fishermen and the Mermaid

Three fishermen were fishing when they came upon a mermaid, the mermaid offered them one wish each so the first fisherman said: “double my I.Q” so the mermaid did it and to his surprise he started reciting Shakespeare.
Then the second fisherman said: “triple my I.Q.” and sure enough the mermaid [...]

Read Full Post »

In a blind man’s world; the one eyed man is king!

The European Commission today welcomed the report published by the Court of Auditors on data collection, control and enforcement under the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP). The Commission had already decided that the review of the CFP control legal framework would be a strategic priority of it 2008 Work Programme, and the Court’s report strengthens the [...]

Read Full Post »

WTO proposes the elimination of most subsidies for the fishing industry!

Friday 30th November 2007. The World Trade Organisation proposed the elimination of most subsidies for the fishing industry in a compromise package submitted to the global body’s 151 members. The text proposes the elimination of subsidies for the acquisition, construction, repair, renewal, renovation, modernization, or any other modification of fishing vessels or service vessels, including [...]

Read Full Post »

Portuguese government releases data on sales of sea angling licenses

Following formal requests from various organizations including registered letters from EFTTA; the Portuguese Agriculture and Fisheries Ministry has at last released the official figures of the sales of sea fishing licenses in 2007.

Read Full Post »

Global warming is real, now, and it must be addressed! H. Lee Scott, CEO, Wal-Mart.

According to a new study by the Florida Wildlife Federation and the National Wildlife Federation: “Many of Florida’s coastal bays and estuaries will be inundated by 2100 due to sea-level rise from global warming, making the “Fishing Capital of the World” uninhabitable by some of Florida’s most prized game fish”  “Fishing as we know it [...]

Read Full Post »