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We're not all obsessed with size
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Comedian Nick Hancock explains why he will be one of many thousands of anglers who will be fishing in support of Sport Relief.
Question: What is the most popular participation sport in Britain?
Answer: Fishing.
Nick Hancock, presenter of BBC Radio Five Live's Fish on Five inists it's not an urban myth.
"This isn't just anecdotal - anglers have to buy licences and there are millions of them so one wouldn't imagine they would buy a licence without using it."
According to the most recent figures from a government survey in 2000, there are 2.3m coarse anglers, 1.1m sea anglers and 0.8m trout and salmon anglers in the UK.
Indeed, anglers make up such a powerful minority - they are estimated to spend about £3bn a year on their sport - the Conservative party has launched a campaign to woo them by promising to axe the existing £22.25 rod licence.
Which is why the nation's anglers are being drafted in to help raise money for Sport Relief.
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ROD LICENCES IN ENGLAND AND WALES
2000: 1.095m
2001: 1.144m
2002: 1.212m
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The main focus for this year's event will be a series of giant sponsored runs of one mile - designed to tie in with the 50th anniversary of Roger Bannister breaking the four-minute barrier.
Fishing may not have its equivalent of a four-minute mile, says Hancock, but the attraction is its never-ending challenge.
"The Everest of fishing? It depends on your point of view.
"It could be to catch every single species in the world, or to fish in all the best fishing grounds in the world, to catch the biggest fish in any species or just to catch the most in a match."
And it is this final challenge that will form the basis of Sport's Relief's Mega Match - a huge fish off on mid-summer's eve, 21 June.
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FISHY FACTS
Biggest in a British river: Sturgeon. 230kg (507lb) and 9ft (2.74m) River Severn, Gloucestershire, 1937.
World's largest fish: Rare plankton-feeding whale shark 41 ft 6 in (12.65 m) 1978, Pacific Ocean
Smallest freshwater fish: Pygmy goby. 0.28 ins (7.5mm). 0.00014oz (4 mg) Luzon, Philippines
Oldest goldfish: Tish, owned by Hilda and Gordon Hand, Thirsk, North Yorks. Age: 43 years when it died Aug 6, 1999
Fastest fish: Cosmopolitan sailfish. 68 mph (109 km/h) Florida, USA.
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Fishing clubs up and down the country - there are 5,000 in England and Wales - will be urged to hold competitions to raise money ahead of the main Sport Relief event on 10 July.
Sport Relief will collate the winners and one will be picked at random to spend a day with Hancock and the Sport on Five Fishing team.
"I'm sure anglers will come out in force to support this event - people will be fishing in all sorts of places whether on great rivers or tiny ponds or even with rubber ducks in the bath - it doesn't matter."
Hancock himself will be out on 21 June, hopefully "mid-stream with a fly looking for trout" drumming up support for Sport Relief, which raised £14m in its inaugural year 2002.
Will he be after a whopper?
"We're not all obsessed with size - and I tend to throw back everything I catch anyway. The biggest thing I've ever caught would probably be a shark - but they are large dangerous creatures to be released as soon as possible not brought onto a tiny boat ang hung on a scale..."
But the They Think It's All Over host says he is not thinking of emulating the more risque fund-raising activities of a bunch of Cornish fisherman in support of Sport Relief.
The Return of the Naked Fishermen has sold more than 12,000 copies.
But Hancock revealed: "I don't think a naked calendar featuring me would be a big seller."
Sport Relief's Mega Match takes place on 21 June. Sign up on the Sport Relief website
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