Angler Jon is proving to be quite a catch for the BBC

Oct 7 2009 by Gareth Purnell, Birmingham Mail

JON Arthur has had quite a week after getting a call from the BBC to appear in a new series on Midlands Today called Sport Unplanned.

Jon, who works for Midlands angling magazine publisher DHP Ltd, has had a sensational year, winning virtually all there is to win on the team front with Shakespeare and taking a string of high-profile individual events too, on commercials and natural waters.

The Midlands Today team picked up the call I made in this column that it’s high time England manager Mark Downes gave him a chance on the international scene.

And before he knew it, Jon found himself with the BBC team, firstly in the DHP offices where he’s now editing Pole Fishing magazine, and then on the banks of the Coventry Canal at Foleshill, where he won another huge event recently. And he didn’t let the crew down, catching a few nice skimmers and roach.

Jon says he’s not ready for the England squad. I don’t agree, and I think the England set-up needs to find some way to blood promising anglers.

The interview can be seen online at http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/8273927.stm

■ SKY Sports’ Tight Lines show is to cover an innovative ten-hour carp anglers versus match fishermen event at Solihull’s Barston Lakes, which takes place on October 14.

The match team includes Bob Nudd, Rob Wootton, Phil and Steve Ringer, Jamie Masson and Steve Hemingray.

■ MIDLAND tackle manufacturer Preston Innovations has become one of the leading match fishing brands in the world, and now the company is attempting to break into the lucrative but highly-competitive carp fishing market with a new brand.

The move was inspired by a recent trip to France which saw company founder Dave Preston land fish to 72lb.

Dave told trade magazine Tackle & Guns: “We have been talking about ideas for a carp range for a long time now. The actual launch is probably a little over a year away, but we already have a lot being researched and tested.”

I’ll be finding out more at the forthcoming Tackle & Guns trade show.

■ A HUGE catfish weighing 65lb has been landed at Shatterford Fishery by West Midlander Craig Botfield. More next week.