Match angler takes biggest ever brace of chub during competition
The biggest brace of chub ever landed in a match has been taken by an angler fishing the River Nidd in Yorkshire.
John Leyland was competing in a Bradford No1 Angling Association match on the waterway at Cowthorpe, near Harrogate, when he landed the pair weighing in at a staggering 7lb 4oz and 6lb 11oz.
The specimens were the best of a match-winning bag totalling 32lb 3oz from seven chub, a figure that beat the second-placed angler by nearly 20lb.
“It’s a catch that’s hard to believe, especially as I was really struggling to get a bite for most of the match,” said John. “I started on the feeder before moving to stick float and then tried waggler as the conditions changed. It was only when I explored the bottom of my swim which seemed to have a sunken tree that I started to get bites.
“I had all the fish in the last hour to double maggot on a size 16 hook,” he said. “I couldn’t believe the size of them and it took a while to get each one in because I was only fishing 3.5lb line. I asked a mate in the next peg to witness the bigger fish and at first glance he thought I’d caught a carp.
You just don’t expect fish of that size from a little river like the Nidd.” As the icy conditions crept back across the country, though, it wasn’t just the match scene that threw up big chub this week. Representing specimen hunters in pursuit of the species was Basingstoke rod Alan Stagg, with the Gardner Tackle-backed angler taking a brace of big fish that tipped the scales at 6lb 7oz and 5lb 13oz.
Fishing the River Blackwater in Essex, Alan tempted both specimens with legered breadflake presented on a size 8 Talon Tip hook on a set-up using a small cage feeder loaded with hemp and cheesy garlic-flavoured liquidised bread.
“Five pound fish are a rarity for the Blackwater,” Alan told AT. “And sixes are few and far between. I’m sure that this is the biggest brace of chub ever landed from the river and I’m pretty sure the bigger fish is one of, if not the biggest chub ever to be caught from the river.”
Specimen chub caught during severe freezing conditions
With the majority of the country’s stillwaters frozen solid, anglers have been turning their attentions to the rivers, with chub being their target quarry.
Battling through heavy snow, Ted Bryan spent two hours making what would usually be a 40-minute trip to visit a southern river, with his efforts being rewarded with this 7lb specimen.
The Sydenham-based big-fish hunter had to break margin ice and recast two Nash Bait Fish Frenzy Soft Tutti-Frutti pellets every 10 minutes to find the fish. But after working hard to bank a chub of 3lb, his next bite saw him hook into the large specimen.
“I could see it was a big fish and I was shaking like a leaf when I netted it. I don’t know whether this was due to the cold or excitement,” Ted told AT. “A 7lb chub in the snow was the last thing I was expecting when I left home in the morning.” Ted beat his prize with a size 10 Nash Fang X hook attached to a 3lb mono hooklink.
Another angler to strike gold in the freezing conditions was John Mcgough, after the specimen hunter banked a 7lb 12oz chub from the Dorset Stour.
The all-important bite came shortly after he had lost another fish, with the big specimen beating his previous pb for the species by a single ounce.
A scaled-down presentation consisting of a single red maggot on a size 20 Drennan Super Spade hook and 2lb hooklink proved to be the successful tactic for John, who believes that the colder the river is, the better chance there is of catching a big chub.
“You don’t get many bites, but as a result the bigger specimens aren’t spooked by you catching numbers of smaller fish,” he said.
Returning to the same swim on the River Lea, from which he recently banked one of the biggest chub of the season, Keith Little has helped himself to another specimen - this time of 7lb 7oz.
Fishing a short afternoon session, the 67-year-old retired lorry driver presented a double 10mm halibut pellet hookbait with a PVA bag of freebies close a set of snags, beating his quarry with a 15lb braided hooklink and a size 10 Drennan hook.
Brace of 2lb-plus stillwater roach caught by Mark Everard
Mark Everard showed that you can still catch in sub-zero temperatures after landing this pristine pair of roach from a lake on the Wiltshire/Gloucestershire border.
The 52-year-old angler targeted the local stillwater, having caught well there in previous cold snaps, fishing a drop-off on the edge of an ice sheet two rodlengths out.
Mark fished bread flake to net 14 roach during the session, presenting his bait on a size 12 Kamasan B520 over liquidised bread.
Incredibly, half of the roach caught were over the 2lb mark, including the 2lb 2oz and 2lb fish pictured.
Unfortunately, Dr Everard had a sudden end to his session thanks to a blizzard hitting shortly after this picture was taken.
River Loddon produces giant barbel on homemade boilie
A homemade boilie proved to be the key ingredient for specimen angler Neill Stephen when he hooked into this 16lb 2oz barbel from the river Loddon.
With just a few hours to fish his chosen stretch of the waterway, the London-based rod decided to experiment with swims, casting his rig, complete with a size 8 hook and paste wrapped around the lead, into the middle of one of the area’s last remaining ‘cabbage beds’.
“I made a few casts, none of which felt right, but I decided to leave the last one anyway,” Neill told AT. “Half an hour later the rod slammed round and I connected with what felt like a good barbel. The fight was over quickly and when I lifted the net up and felt the weight I got very excited.
15lb 3oz zander captured from a freezing Grafham Water
Fifty-four-year-old Mick Dolan braved the extreme weather to take a trip out on Grafham Water - and the chill was well worth it when the Walsall rod boated this 15lb 3oz zander.
The predator hunter, who last year landed an enormous 22lb zander (subsequently rejected by the British Record Fish Committee) from the vast fishery, took his latest predator on a fresh mackerel tail on size 6 ET treble hooks under a pencil float on 80lb Power Pro braid in 48ft of water.
During the session Mick also kept out the cold by landing a 16lb 8oz pike, while his wife, Jane, who also shrugged off the ice, took and returned a 10lb 2oz brown trout on similar tactics.
Great week for chub fishing topped by 8lb 8oz specimen
Laurence Mason proved the worth of fishing into dark when targeting chub after he netted the biggest of the season so far with a huge 8lb 8oz specimen.
After already beating his personal best for the species with a fish that tipped the scales at 5lb 9oz, the 20-year-old from Essex decided to have one last cast into a swim on the famous Fishers Green stretch of the River Lea.
It proved to be one of the best decisions of his fishing career after the chub, that measured almost 2ft in length, found his legered halibut pellets.
The fish is believed to be the same one that was recently landed at the fishery in Waltham Abbey, Essex, by Keith Little at a weight of 8lb 6oz and this time it was fooled by the local angler after he primed his chosen swim with loosefed pellets.
“I was delighted to see that no one was in my chosen swim and even though I started fishing at 1pm, I knew I had to stay put until after dark because this is the best time to catch a monster chub,” said Laurence.
“After landing the 5lb 9oz fish I really didn’t think I was going to get another bite, but I just left the bait right next to a snag tree, which was obviously exactly where the fish wanted it. I knew it was going to weigh over 8lb, but I never expected to see 8lb 8oz come up on the scales.”
Another angler to strike chub gold recently was Leighton McDonnell, who netted a chub weighing 8lb 1oz.
It’s a specimen that’s believed to be the second biggest ever landed from the Great River Ouse and made an appearance after the Tring-based rod moulded paste around a cork ball to avoid the attentions of the river’s crayfish population.
River Trent produces biggest zander of the season
The capture of the biggest zander of the season has proved why now is the time to get out on the bank and catch a specimen.
After 30 years of targeting predators on the popular River Trent, John Davis hit the jackpot when he banked this impressive 14lb 3oz zander.
It smashes his previous personal best of 10lb and was the only bite of a short afternoon session legering dace deadbait on size 10 trebles to a 15lb wire trace on a stretch between Derby and Nottingham.
“Many people just think that the Trent is good for barbel and chub, but the zander fishing is getting better every season,” John told AT.
“The evening before I fished another area and just had one six pounder to show for it, but that’s the beauty of the sheer size of this venue because you never know what it could turn up next.”
Student catches biggest pike of the season after 20 minute battle
The biggest pike of the season has been landed by a student during a 20-minute session on his local fishery.
The huge pike, weighing in at over 40lb, was taken by fisheries management student Jake Finnigan after he targeted the species at Wykeham Lakes near Scarborough.
Fishing lures from a boat, the 17-year-old was just 10 minutes into the session when his Rapala Super Shad Rap lure tempted the monster - one of the biggest pike ever landed from the north of England that was weighed at between 39lb 15oz and 40lb 3oz.
“I’d just finished work experience for the day at Wykeham and thought I’d chuck a lure about from one of the boats,” Jake told Angling Times.
“I’d already had a small jack of just over 2lb when I got a gentle tap and hooked into something that came towards the boat like a wet sack.
“I got a glimpse of the fish pretty quickly and was shocked when I saw the size of it. As soon as it saw the boat, it powered off with a couple of hard runs and shakes of its head.” Playing the pike, Jake soon realised he’d be unable to land the fish alone and so made a call to the fishery’s manager, Mike Heelis, before reversing the boat to shore, picking Mike up and continuing to play the huge specimen to the net.
“It was only lightly hooked in its top lip by one of the trebles,” Jake said. “Mike had to net it from the tail end in case the hooks got caught in the mesh. We took it to the shore and weighed it on the fishery’s scales, which bottomed out at 30lb.
“Luckily a regular at the lakes had a set that went up to 55lb. They put the fish between 39lb 15oz and 40lb 3oz on a couple of weighs in the sling. I’ll be happy taking the lowest weight.” Mike added: “We thought there’d be big pike in there, but not quite as big as that.” “It was an immaculate fish. If it keeps feeding over the winter, it could well be pushing the record next year.” Jake beat the pike on a 7ft spinning rod with a Shimano baitrunner reel and 70lb braid.
15lb 10oz zander captured from South Lagoon
Luton Angling Club-controlled South Lagoon, Bedfordshire, is fast becoming a mecca for double-figure zander - with this 15lb 10oz specimen taken by club member Tom Mitchelson topping off a string of large predators to come from the stillwater recently.
Fishing small roach deadbaits enhanced with injected fish blood, the 26-year-old specimen angler got off to a flying start on a two-day session, the Biggleswade rod catching five zander, including this new personal best, and three pike in his first evening alone.
“I got there around 4pm and fished with one bait where the Ouse flows into the lake and one at around 50yds,” Tom told AT.
“I had zander between 3lb and 9lb 6oz and the big one which made a tentative run, but gave a great fight. I thought it was even bigger than it was when I saw it in the water - I was thrilled, but shaking when I got it on the bank.” Tom beat the fish with size 8 semi-barbed trebles on a home tied trace fished on a running leger rig on 12lb mainline.
Big perch brace captured inches from the bank of the River Great Ouse
A lobworm fished just 6ins from his feet saw Steve Miller land a huge brace of river perch which tipped the scales at 4lb 2oz and 3lb 2oz.
After spending a couple of hours trotting his hookbait beneath an overhanging tree on the far bank of the River Great Ouse near Newport Pagnell, Bucks, the local angler decided to try close in where he’d been loosefeeding a few red maggots.
This tactic worked like magic, as his bait had only just settled on the bottom before he banked his biggest perch that not only smashes his club record which stood at 3lb 11oz, but also beats his previous personal best by 6oz.
The Newport Pagnell Fishing Association committee member beat his catch with 6lb line tied straight through to a size 10 hook. He returned to the stretch a few days later to bank perch weighing 3lb 5oz and 2lb 14oz.
Giant barbel caught on float fishing tackle
After a season hunting the River Trent’s roach and barbel in alternate sessions, Mike Lomas recently found himself adopting his favoured methods for the silvers to target the bigger species - catching this 13lb 13oz specimen as a result.
The speci-hunter fished the river at Newark, using a 15ft float rod and a home-made goose quill Avon-style float to present a maggot hookbait in 10ft of water.
“I catapulted a few pouches of maggots out before I started fishing, and then trotted through four maggots on a size 10 hook. It wasn’t long before I hooked into the fish, either,” Mike told AT.
“I’ve caught bigger on legering tactics, but this was by far my favourite fish just due to the tactics I caught it on,” he added.
Hot pike sport as temperatures fall
As the first really cold weather of autumn hit the UK this week, the big pike have come on the feed.
The sudden drop in temperature has coincided with a number of large predators being landed from various stillwaters, but it’s Somerset’s Chew Valley Reservoir that has seen a run of real monsters, with five fish over 30lb being reported in one weekend.
At 34lb 1oz, Lee Hodgson’s recent Chew specimen is the biggest fish to come off the water during this season’s pike trials. It fell for the Bath-based predator angler’s floatfished sardine, presented on 18lb line with a 28lb trace and fished in around 6ft of water.
“It was my first time fishing Chew from a boat,” said the 33-year-old refrigeration engineer.
“It was my only bite of the day and from the start I could tell it was big.
When it got to the boat it was heart stopping. I could see it was only lightly hooked by one treble and it kept heading for the anchor rope.” l Not wanting to miss out on the action, TV star and fishing fanatic Chris Tarrant also recently fished the 1,200-acre West Country reservoir. Guided by well-known angler John Horsey ¬ who helped Chris take a personal-best pike of 30lb 4oz from the water last year ¬ Chris adopted a roving approach, boat-fishing lures to cover as much water as possible ¬ a tactic that more than paid off with a 27lb 8oz fish that fell for a silver Kusami Professor spoon.
l Also taking advantage of Chew’s recent run of form was specimen angler Nathan Andrews, with the 24-year-old landing a 30lb 2oz pb.
While boat fishing with deadbaits, the Northamptonshire angler also decided to have a cast around with an Odyssey Pig crankbait, which proved to be the killer tactic when the big fish struck just 30 minutes into his second-ever session on the venue.
“I went to Chew to try to catch a thirty, so I’m well chuffed,” said Nathan.
“I’m hoping to get another day on a boat up there soon.” l It’s not just the reservoirs that have been throwing up big pike, either.
Suffolk’s Oulton Broad produced the fish of a lifetime for predator angler Robert Flowerday after a 31lb fish took his floatfished roach livebait mounted on a single size 4 semi-barbless treble to 25lb wire.
“When I got it close to the boat it powered off before I could get a good look at it ¬ it fought like mad and took around 20 minutes to get to the net,” said Robert.
8lb 6oz Lea chub is season's biggest
The biggest chub of the season, weighing in at 8lb 6oz, has been caught from a stretch of the River Lea in Essex.
Landed by retired lorry driver Keith Little, the specimen was taken while the 67-year-old was targeting the section of the waterway at Waltham Abbey run by the Fishers Green Consortium.
Keith, who lives just a few miles from the river, is no stranger to the large fish on this section, having previously taken chub to 7lb 14oz and barbel to over 15lb from the stretch.
“The chub on this stretch feed best after dark,” Keith told Angling Times.
“The big eight pounder came at around 6pm, not long after the sun went down.
“It was a positive bite and when I struck into it I thought I’d hooked a barbel, it went off with real power. I got it to the net after about five minutes, but it didn’t want to go in. Once it was over the lip of the net it turned, flicked its tail and shot straight back out again. I managed to control it, though, and when I got it on the bank I knew it was good, it looked massive.
“The first thing I did was call the head bailiff, Steve Evans, to get him to come down and see it,” Keith continued.
“He didn’t believe me when I told him the weight, until he saw it with his own eyes.” Keith’s tempted the big chub on semi bolt rig tactics, using a 1.5oz Grippa lead to present hair-rigged, double 10mm halibut pellets ¬ chamfered down and glued back-to-back on a straight hair on a size 10 Drennan hook.
With a large head of hard-fighting barbel also present in the river, Keith uses heavy gear for his chub fishing, giving him a chance of landing anything else that takes a fancy to his bait.
“The pegs around where I caught the chub are full of snags,” Keith added. “I fish with 15lb line and a 20lb braided hooklength because you need heavy gear just to stop them burying themselves in the overhanging branches and tree roots, but even on the stepped-up gear the bigger chub still fight like mad.”
See how Keith caught his monster in our video here.
Boast comes true - thanks to pb 31lb pike
“I’m going to catch a thirty tomorrow.” This was the bold claim that Buckingham angler James Aris made to his wife the night before fishing a local private lake ¬ and he didn’t disappoint, taking this 31lb pb pike not 24 hours later.
Legering a half mackerel at around 30yds, the predator hunter was hopeful about his chosen swim as his mate had ‘lost something big’ from it on a previous visit. But breaking his personal-best pike by more than 8lb still came as a huge surprise.
“I was just ringing work when the indicator on my right-hand rod went,” James told AT. “I hung up, let the line trickle off the baitrunner a little, then tightened down to the fish, which slapped its tail on the surface and powered off.
“When I got it in the net, it looked huge. It was unbelievable to catch such a stunning fish.” James was fishing 15lb ESP mono line to Drennan wire and treble hooks.
5lb 14oz perch from a rock-hard specimen water
The British perch record came within an ounce of being equalled this week with the capture of this huge 5lb 14oz specimen.
The giant stripey, the second biggest ever landed, was banked by bang-in-form big-fish ace Ken Brown, who braved one of the UK’s most daunting specimen waters to take the record-shaking example.
Quickly becoming one of the sport’s most successful big-perch anglers, Ken has now landed three fish over the magic 5lb mark from the undisclosed Hertfordshire stillwater, including the biggest brace of perch of all time weighing in at 5lb 10oz and 4lb 12oz.
But this time the Tring-based roofer thought he had beaten the current British best ¬ that stands at 5lb 15oz ¬ when his legered lobworm produced the only bite of his latest session at the venue.
“The last month has been incredible and when I felt the sheer weight of the perch in the net I honestly thought that it was going to break the record,” Ken told Angling Times.
“Many anglers who are obsessed with numbers would probably be disappointed with coming so close, but the privilege of catching such a huge fish from a water that some people have fished for years and not even had a sniff of a perch, is enough of a reward for me.” To offer as little resistance as possible, which is vital when targeting this species, Ken opted for a running rig with a 1ft hooklength of 5lb mono, while his lobworm bait was mounted on a size 6 hook, with air carefully injected into its tail end to pop it up off the bottom.
Even though he’s convinced that the venue he’s targeting will hold several fish over the magical 6lb barrier this winter, Ken isn’t under any illusion that his latest success will guarantee he’ll catch a new British record.
“This water is so vast and unpredictable, with so many places that you can’t even get to, that there’s a possibility I may not even catch another fish over 5lb,” he said.
“I’m convinced that the fish that are big five-pounders now will be much bigger in the winter, but just because I’m a regular doesn’t give me a better chance of landing one.
“Anyone with a bomb and a worm could just turn up, chuck it out and catch the new record. That’s the beauty of fishing!”
River in top barbel form
The stunning barbel form of the nation’s rivers continued this week, helping specimen-hunter Phil Smith arrive at a historic fishing landmark after banking this 14lb 10oz barbel.
It was landed by the big-fish expert at the famous Fisher’s Green on the River Lea on the Herts-Essex border, and is his 20th double-figure barbel from as many different rivers around the UK ¬ a feat that has taken many years for the angler to accomplish.
Low and clear conditions initially saw the Coventry-based rod set his stall out for chub, but like any good angler he changed his approach as the river level rose, switching tactics to target the venue’s barbel population, using a 10mm boilie mounted on a size 16 hook to take the fish.
* Watford’s Stuart Court broke the 14lb barrier twice within a week after landing barbel of 14lb 12oz and 14lb 6oz.
Targeting the River Loddon, his hard work certainly paid off, with a simple running rig baited with a CC Moores boilie fished in conjunction with a pva bag filled with mixed pellets tempting both specimens.
* The River Ribble in Lancashire proved why it’s one of the best running waters in the north for specimen barbel this week, when Preston’s Neil McIver equalled his personal best with a 14lb 14oz fish.
It was his fourth consecutive session on the river, and even after limited success on previous visits, the specimen-hunter stuck it out with his pellet approach, to finally take the hefty specimens.
Common carp record broken at 88lb 7oz
The common carp world record has been broken with the capture of this colossal 88lb 7oz specimen from a gravel pit in Germany.
Landed by big-carp supremo Markus Pelzer, it is, incredibly, the second 80lb-plus common the boss of Pelzer Baits has caught in the last month.
Targeting a spot 50yds along the margin, Markus baited the area with 2.5kg of his company’s 12mm MCS boilies and offered matching hookbaits tipped with tutti-frutti pop-ups over the top.
Following an uneventful night, he received a fast take mid-morning, and after a powerful scrap, during which he was weeded up on a couple of occasions, he slipped his prize into the net. “It wasn’t until I pulled back the mesh that I realised how big it was,” he told Angling Times. “It could only be one fish ¬ Mary, the queen of the lake.”
Matchman lands season's biggest chub of 8lb
The biggest chub of the season, weighing in at 8lb, has been landed by a matchman.
Allan Oram had decided to escape his busy schedule on the South West match circuit and spend an afternoon on a stretch of the River Kennet when he hooked into the fish. Coming from the only bite of the session, the specimen is believed to be just ounces short of the river record.
The Dynamite Baits-backed angler, who regularly takes part in three matches a week, became the envy of hundreds of specimen fishermen across the UK after the new personal best moved into his swim that was primed with a scattering of his sponsor’s 8mm pellets.
He then lowered in a simple ‘carp style’ bolt rig with a hair-rigged 10mm pellet over the top of a gravel bar on a club-controlled stretch of the venue.
It wasn’t long before the specimen, that dwarfs the Bristol angler’s previous personal best of 5lb, fell into the 55-year-old’s trap.
“Matchfishing is very intense and it’s easy to get stale,” said Alan. “Speci fishing allows me to escape that commercial environment and get back to the peace and tranquillity of traditional fishing on the river. It’s something I couldn’t be without.
“I really thought that the fish was a carp because it looked huge when I saw it turn under the water. But even though it was easy to see it was a new personal best, I didn’t realise the true enormity of it until one of my specimen fishing friends came and helped me with the weighing.”
Alan beat the specimen with 12lb mainline, a 10lb hooklength and a size 10 hook, with the rig being completed with a small PVA bag filled with 8mm Dynamite Baits pellets.
The self-employed carpenter is of the opinion that more match anglers should do the same, as since he began fitting specimen fishing into his busy schedule he believes it’s made him a better angler.
“It’s so easy to slip into the same old routine,” Alan continued, “and that can get very boring and affect your enjoyment of the sport.”
32lb 6oz pike tops reservoir trials
The annual predator fishing trials on the nation’s trout reservoirs are now in full swing, with Chew Valley Lake and Blithfield Reservoir leading the catch returns as many other venues reported ‘patchy’ sport.
A combination of low water levels, algal blooms and unsettled weather has been to blame for the relatively slow start at a number of waters, although the onset of prolonged colder temperatures is expected to see the action pick up.
Anglers at Chew Valley in Somerset have accounted for six thirties to a best of 32lb 6oz, along with almost 50 twenties including bank-caught fish to 26lb 12oz. However, according to fisheries manager Bob Handford, even this impressive tally is well below the norm.
“Sport has been steady, rather than fantastic, and definitely a little down on previous years, with most of the fish coming to lures and Replicants, rather than deadbaits. The water levels are as low as at any point since we began the pike trials a decade ago, and so a lot of the normally productive areas have not produced. The fish seem well spread out and many anglers have been reporting big pike following their lures, before turning away. I’m sure it will switch on properly sooner or later.”
Well-known big fish angler Gary Knowles helps run the limited predator trials on Staffordshire’s Blithfield Reservoir. Just four weekends of pike fishing are allowed each year, the first of which has just taken place.
“There have been lots of fish caught, including quite a few twenties to 26lb. Gordy Howes and Paul Garner had four twenties in an afternoon as part of a 14-fish catch, and I had 11 fish in a day to 21lb, backed up by a lot of mid to high doubles. The best tactic has been to stay mobile because the fish seem localised and once you drop on them the takes are coming thick and fast,” said Gary.
Meanwhile, sport at the Anglian Water-owned quartet of reservoirs – Rutland Water, Grafham Water, Pitsford Water and Ravensthorpe Reservoir – has been mixed. A couple of 20lb-plus fish have been taken from Rutland, while over at Ravensthorpe an algal bloom has stifled catches.
One of the best fish of the week came from Grafham Water, where Cambridgeshire angler Jonathan Sturt needed just two casts to hook into a new pb pike weighing 27lb 8oz. An 8ins Fox Replicant lure proved the winning bait for the 37-year-old, who explained:
“I’ve fished Grafham for years and this is the biggest fish I’ve ever had out of here. However, me and my fishing partner James, have had fish that must’ve been over 40lb follow lures to the boat before.”
Hunt for river carp throws up new pb chub
A recent hunt for river carp turned into a successful session of another kind for speci angler Tim Hodges when he landed this new pb chub of 7lb 10oz.
Fishing the Great Ouse at Newport Pagnell, the Marukyu consultant spotted a large group of chub, getting them feeding with several balls of groundbait laced with crushed boilies. And, after giving the fish an hour to get over the bait, Tim swung out his Method-style rig made up of Marukyu groundbait, pellets and additives formed around his leger weight, with a hair-rigged 15mm Marukyu Sisho boilie on the hook.
“I’ve found that the fishing on this stretch is best around midnight,” said Tim. “I was hoping to hook into the biggest chub from the shoal and I did. I nearly lost it at the net, though.”
