You really think you're the best fisherman do you...? Well, here's your opportunity to prove it...!

The objectives of this competition are to decide who truly is the best fisherman and the rules are quite simple - catch as many different species of fish that you can.

So why a species race...? Well, just how good is the fisherman who can catch big bass but can't catch wrasse. And how good is the fisherman who can catch Tope but not Mackerel...

...and why catch double figure carp each time you go fishing... is it because you can't catch Perch...?

Access to exclusive angling clubs and offshore fishing boats is all well and good but guarantees you nothing. A species race encourages and promotes a more diverse approach to fishing and is the only real way to find out who truly is "The Ultimate Fisherman - 2012."

Along the way you'll find we use lots of words and phrases in fishing...

Good Luck - Cast out a bait you'd least likely use to catch a Black Bream into an area of the sea you'd least likely expect to catch a black bream from. Next, walk away from your rod for 1/2 hr or so. Eventually, return to rod and reel in what you declare must be, "...just a lump of weed." What do you catch..? Yep, a Black Bream.

Extremely good luck - On only your second cast of the day you reel in what you think is, "...just a wrasse", your fishing partner however recognises the fishes strange silhouette and shouts "hang on" before you stupidly throw it back. You then suddenly discover that's species no.2 for the day - a Red Mullet...

Really Bad Luck - Finding a rather novel way back home from blue rocks - and also catching nothing into the bargain.

Extremely Bad Luck - Was it a monster bass or even a rare big Tuna that dragged your new rod and reel from the boat off Nefyn or was it merely just a simple schoolboy error...? You may never know.

Continued Bad Luck - and maybe you didn't really like your didital camera that was gently floating down the River Ribble...?

Desperation - Last week of the competition and you're 2 behind. A last minute trip to Morfa Nefyn for Cod, Coalfish and Pouting should do the trick. Or shouldn't it.

Extreme desperation - Digging your tackle bag out from the snow drift that has built up behind it as, with just 2 days to go, you venture out in arctic weather conditions in what looks like a final act of desperation as you try anything to catch a cod. Or, in what are really brooks no wider than the bonk you try, albeit succesfully, to make every day count and land that final species on the final day...

Pure skill - It may well have taken the equivalent of throwing in several Warburton van loads of bread just to get them interested but you then catch the "uncatchable", then, only for good measures that is, do it all again the following year, and the next...

You might use all these words and phrases, and no doubt quite a few more, in your quest to win 2011's species competition.You may also make what will turn out to be laughable statements such as...

"21...!!! Is that all...??? I'll beat that by April because that's how much I'm going for it next year...!" or
"...you can chalk me up for a few more this afternoon Harry Boyle. Easy this, easy..."

...and in hindsight come to regret them. But then again maybe not.

Remember though, just catch as many different species of fish that you can. The one who then catches the most wins. Simple eh..!