Jonathan Longden Angling First Aid

31/08/2026

I’m now able to offer first aid training through Successful First Aid Management for fisheries, angling clubs, tackle shops and others across the trade.

www.facebook.com/samfirstaid.co.uk

Having spent more than 20 years working around anglers, shops and fisheries, it feels like a natural fit to bring that experience together.

So if you run a fishery, club or tackle business and want to make sure your team is properly prepared when something goes wrong, get in touch.

And if you’ve supported Six AM over the years, I’d really appreciate you giving the SAM page a follow and helping us spread the word.

Tag a club, fishery or tackle shop that should see this.

16/07/2026

Angling brands are not struggling to make products visible.

Most new tackle launches now arrive with strong photography, video, sponsored anglers, influencers and retailers all helping to put them in front of the customer.

The problem is that visibility doesn't automatically create confidence, particularly in a sport where habit, familiarity and belief play such a big part in the products anglers choose.

We have all seen anglers try something new, only to return to the hook, line, feeder or bait they have trusted for years when the fishing becomes difficult.

That's not because the newer product is necessarily worse. It is because confidence has been built through repeated use and consistent results, and that is difficult for any brand to replace with a video or social media post.

The same applies at retail level. Brands are not only competing for the angler’s attention, they are competing for the confidence of the retailer, the recommendation across the counter and the floor or wall space that comes with it.

In my latest newsletter, I look at why confidence is one of the most valuable assets in the angling trade, how it influences both anglers and retailers, and why brands that understand the customer relationship will be in a much stronger position to retain them.

The biggest challenge facing angling brands is not visibility. It is confidence. Read the full article below.

The angling trade isn’t short of good products, nor is it struggling to make those products visible. Most established brands now have experienced marketing teams, consultants, sponsored anglers, content creators and influencers working to place new launches in front of the customer, while retailer...

13/07/2026

🎉 GIVEAWAY TIME! HELP US REACH 500 FOLLOWERS! 🎉
We're on a mission to reach 500 followers, and we'd love your help.
To celebrate, we're giving FIVE lucky winners a bundle of SAM merchandise, including:
🛡️ Face Shield Key Ring
🔑 SAM Branded Key Ring
🖊️ SAM Branded Pen
🏷️ SAM Stickers
Supporting a small business doesn't cost a penny, but it can make a huge difference. Every like, follow and share helps us reach more people with life-saving training and advice.
How to enter
✅ Follow the Successful First Aid Management page
❤️ Like this post
💬 Tag a:
• Lifeguard
• First Aider
• Employer
• School
• Leisure Centre
• Business or organisation that could benefit from first aid or lifesaving training
Every tag is another entry, so feel free to tag more than one person.
If you'd like to help us even further, we'd really appreciate you sharing this post with your friends and colleagues.
📅 Competition closes at 11:59pm on Thursday 31st July.
🎁 Five winners will be chosen at random and announced on our page.
Help us reach 500 followers and spread life-saving skills across Yorkshire, the Midlands and beyond.
Good luck! 🤞
📧 [email protected]
📞 07973 334305
🌐 www.samfirstaid.co.uk

08/07/2026

Like & Follow - https://www.facebook.com/share/1HeCVQXxvT/?mibextid=wwXIfr

Over the last two years, I’ve had the privilege of helping grow Successful First Aid Management into a trusted training provider, working with businesses, schools, leisure centre operators and individuals across Yorkshire & The Midlands

If you’re responsible for staff training, want to increase your skill set or know someone who is, we’d really appreciate your support.

We deliver:
• First Aid at Work (FAW)
• Emergency First Aid at Work (EFAW)
• Paediatric First Aid
• RLSS UK National Pool Lifeguard Qualification (NPLQ)
• RLSS UK Swimming Pool Emergency Responder Award (SPERA)
• RLSS UK National Rescue Award for Swimming Teachers and Coaches (NRASTC)

If you, your workplace or your organisation has a training requirement coming up, we’d love to have a conversation about how we can help.

You can also make a real difference by:
✅ Liking and following the Successful First Aid Management page
✅ Sharing this post with your network
✅ Tagging a business, school, nursery, leisure centre or colleague who may benefit from our training

Every share helps us reach another organisation that could need high-quality, accredited training.

Thank you for your continued support. It genuinely means a great deal.

https://www.facebook.com/share/1HeCVQXxvT/?mibextid=wwXIfr

26/06/2026

“KHV is endemic.”

Those three words could have a bigger impact on recreational fisheries than the policy change itself.

The Fish Health Inspectorate has announced a new approach to managing KHV, recognising that statutory controls have not materially affected the spread of the disease.

The message is clear.

The future of our fisheries will depend less on regulation and more on the decisions made by fishery owners, managers and the wider trade every single day.

I’ve analysed what this means for the industry, and why I believe biosecurity and education have just become even more important.

Link in comments 👇

01/06/2026

Would you buy direct from a brand? Or do you still insist on supporting your local tackle shop?

Leeda, MAP & Wychwood now seek all there kit direct but are trying to keep the retailer in the chain by being a collection point and receiving a commission on the sale.

Is this gradual erosion of the local shop, is it changing the dynamic and how retail works or just a brand trying harder to increase turnover?

In this article I take a look at the realities of direct to consumer retail and what this means for the local tackle shop.

What are your thoughts on Leeda’s “Shop Local, Online” model? Will you buy product direct and collect from your local tackle shop?

Read my article here ->

As more fishing brands sell direct to anglers online, concerns are growing over what the future holds for independent local tackle shops.

16/05/2026

Are we better at fishing than we have ever been?

It’s something I’ve been thinking about after looking at the weights being caught now, not just on commercials, but on canals, rivers and natural waters too.

Dry nets seem less common, tackle and bait have moved on massively, and there is more information available to anglers than ever before.

But does that mean we are better anglers, or are we just better equipped and better informed?

I’ve looked at the argument in my latest piece for Angling Times.

Have a read and let me know what you think.

Are modern anglers better than ever, or has tackle, bait and information changed the game? We find out the reasons more fish are being caught...

02/05/2026

Coarse tackle has never been more refined, but I do think it’s fair to ask whether it has become harder to genuinely innovate in. A lot of the obvious big leaps feel behind us, while carp fishing still seems much better at making product development look visible, believable and worth buying into.

That doesn’t mean coarse fishing is standing still, far from it, but I do think a lot of the gains now are subtler and harder for anglers to immediately see or trust.

Be interested to know what people think.

Has coarse tackle hit a ceiling when it comes to obvious innovation, or are the gains still there but just harder to spot?

Has coarse fishing tackle reached its limit, or is innovation still driving change? We look at whether modern gear is still evolving or has it peaked?

30/04/2026

Throwback Thursday to when I visited the stunning Esthwaite Water in the Lake District. What a place this is. Will be making another visit soon for sure. 🎣

I visited Esthwaite Water for some deep water bream fishing. Feeding plenty of bait to start. Using a Bait Up window feeder as my feeder on a helicopter rig....

22/04/2026

It sounds mad, but new research suggests cocaine-related pollution could be changing fish behaviour in the wild.

Read it here:

Concerns are growing as new research identified drugs found in rivers could be affecting fish behaviour, raising questions about pollution in UK waterways.