Big perch landed in Dog Lane Fishery event
A single bite can turn a dour outing into a memorable affair as Justin Ashby found out when he netted a 3lb 4oz perch during the latest event at Dog Lane Fishery.
The Banbury Gunsmiths ace decided to fish worm after drawing peg 34 at the Warwickshire complex and struggled to tempt a single indication in the opening stages.
But his frustrations were soon put to one side when the specimen provided his only bite of the day.
Despite managing to win his section, he was unable to make his way into top spot overall, with Keith Taylor taking the honours with 4lb 8oz of bread punch roach.
Small deadbaits used in big perch haul
This 3lb 11oz perch was the pick of a dozen fish landed by Norfolk-based rod Gareth Goldson during a hectic day session at a local gravel pit.
Gareth, from Cromer, put his faith in small roach deadbaits fished on low resistance leger rigs made from 6lb fluorocarbon and size 8 hook, and also banked one other perch over 3lb as well as a further 10 over 2lb.
“It was a real red letter day with several of the bites coming on the drop. I have found regular recasting to be a real edge when fishing this method as bites often come within minutes of a recast,” said Gareth, who used Hardy Ultralite Avon rods and 8lb mainline.
New Preston's DVD to be launched
The Absolute Match Fishing television Series, hosted by Tommy Pickering, is now available on DVD.
Following its huge popularity since its broadcasting on Sky Sports, the double DVD disc set is available for £9.99 and includes 30 minutes of previously unseen footage.
Tommy fishes all over the country, with guest appearances from anglers such as Des Shipp at Barston Lakes, Lee Edwards on the Wye, Andy Findlay paste fishing at the Glebe and Lee Kerry on the Stainforth and Keadby canal.
There is also footage of Steve Sanders pellet waggler fishing and Emma Pickering fishing the pole and pellet.
It is available from mid-December, find out more at www.prestoninnovations.com.
Huge perch hauls dominating at top commercial
A venue that has built a solid reputation as one of the best carp commercials in the north has shocked match anglers across the country by producing 80lb plus hauls of perch!
The venue has produced some of the biggest weights the area has ever seen but the mirrors and commons have taken a backseat since the cold snap hit the nation, with perch now featuring heavily in winning bags.
“If you get your tactics right and are willing to ring the changes regularly, you can put a huge weight of perch together. You’ll catch plenty around the 1lb mark, a few 2lb fish and there is a good chance of a 3lb plus monster,” explained one local insider.
For more details on the complex and tactics required to succeed, pick up a copy of next week’s Angling Times, on the shelves from Tuesday November 29.
Potential World Record Perch Landed
Could this be the picture of a new world record perch? Experts estimate its weight to be around the 7 – 8lb mark although the 19ins long fish taken by Alrik Nedermeijer in Holland was not weighed.
It came from the Hollandsch Diep River system and the Savage Gear consultant initially thought he had hooked a small pike.
For the full story and reaction to the catch check out this week’s Angling Times.
Big perch prove vital to River Mole victory
Big perch were vital to success during the latest event on the River Mole with eventual winner Tony West including a 3lb 5oz specimen in his net.
The Garbolino Banstead ace decided to fish half a lobworm on the long pole over a bed of chopped worm, casters and corn after drawing peg 75 on the North Bank’s famed outfall and was rewarded with the lump along with a brace of 2lb fish and a 4lb bream.
At the weigh Tony managed to record 29lb 8oz to beat Pete Turnbull’s 21lb 8oz into second place.
Arsonists hit top pike water!
The country’s premier pike venue was hit by arsonists last week in a shocking incident that saw the owners left facing a £25,000 repair bill.
Six boats were deliberately set ablaze at Somerset’s Chew Valley Reservoir by as yet unidentified individuals who entered the marina next to the lodge under the cover of darkness and used petrol to start the fire.
Although police investigations are still at an early stage, Chew’s long-serving fishery manager Bob Handford believes the crime could have been carried out by local vandals.
The 60-year-old told Angling Times “Whoever it was poured petrol into the boats and set light to them before making their escape.”
For the full story and exclusive pictures of the carnage – see tomorrow’s Angling Times!
Trust ramps up anti-poaching measures
The Angling Trust has this week launched a seven-point plan to tackle the ever-growing problem of poaching from English waters.
The sport’s governing body is set to ramp up a number of initiatives, ranging from the establishment of a new ‘Poacher Watch’ website for reporting fish theft - in a similar way to its Cormorant Watch site - through to a pilot scheme that will allow voluntary bailiffing by angling club members alongside Environment Agency officers.
The plan also includes furthering the recently-launched Building Bridges programme, under which the Trust has appointed two members of staff to work with member clubs and fisheries to address illegal fishing in parts of the South West and the East of England, as well as collaborating with the National Wildlife Crime Unit, a special police task force, to raise awareness of the offence of poaching within regional police forces.
For the full story, plus reaction, see today’s Angling Times.
Big perch personal best falls to matchman
Club angler Dennis Hunt couldn’t stop smiling after he slipped the net under a 3lb 9oz perch during his latest outing on the Great Ouse.
The Luton AC member decided to pay a visit to a club run stretch of the waterway, where he managed to latch into the new personal best after it fell for a feeder fished worm presented close to a far bank feature.
Several other big stripeys to 2lb 10oz were also taken during the short session.
Perch record broken!
The British perch record has been broken with a 6lb 4oz fish from Wilstone Reservoir on the famous Tring complex.
It was taken by specimen hunter Ken Brown, who used a lobworm hookbait in conjunction with a swimfeeder containing a piece of sponge soaked in attractant oil.
In the same week, Ken also banked another huge fish weighing well over 5lb.
For the full story and all the pictures of this historic fish, see tomorrow's Angling Times.
Scottish perch record is rocked!
This huge 4lb 13oz perch falls just 1oz short of the current Scottish record and was landed by specialist Mark Stead.
The angler, from Glasgow, banked the new personal best during a session at the famous Loch Lomond and used a combination of his favourite 20-year-old Daiwa rod and a prawn and worm cocktail to fool the specimen.
It took him 10 minutes to finally beat the fish to the net with the help of 4lb mainline and his daughter also struck gold after catching her first ever perch that tipped the scales at 3lb 3oz.
Polefished worm fools new personal best perch
Ryan Hayden drew inspiration from Martin Bowler’s Catching the Impossible film to bank this impressive 4lb perch from the Upper Great Ouse near Buckingham, smashing his personal best in the process.
The 19-year-old student, from Brackley in Northants, polefished a lobworm hookbait with a flat float on the far bank of a club-owned stretch of the river, keeping the 7ft-deep swim topped up with a mix of chopped dendrobaenas, casters and red maggots throughout his morning session.
See tomorrow’s Angling Times for the full details of his session and the tactics used.
Slug hookbait lures new personal best perch
A session fishing for small carp turned up this sensational 4lb 13oz perch for schoolboy Travis Seabrook…..all thanks to an inspired hookbait choice by his father Trevor!
The pair started by fishing with pellets on the hook on their day trip to a lake in Tunbridge Wells and struggled for bites to begin with.
That all changed when Trevor suggested that his 10-year-old son switch to using a bait he found crawling along the riverbank.
Trevor said: “We were not doing very well, but then I spotted some slugs, and put one on the hook. After twenty minutes, Travis hooked into a large fish, which then proceeded to run in and out of weedbeds. A short while later he landed a whopping perch - it has to be a dream fish for a young fisherman!”
New Perchfishers book set to be launched
Specialist angling group The Perchfishers have announced that their latest book is set to be launched in the coming months.
The Biggest Fish of All is set to be officially revealed on November 12 during a special ceremony at Berkshire’s Lands End Inn.
In-depth details relating to prolific venues, successful tactics and historic catches are all included and anyone wishing to pre-order a copy of the publication can do so by calling Stephen Harper on 01362 683568.
Fishery boss says 'It's all venue owners' duty to check rod licences"
‘Every fishery boss in the country should check rod licences before they are allowed to set foot on their lakes.’
These are the words of a commercial boss who insists that visitors fish within the law and will even buy a permit on behalf of any angler that turns up at his water without the necessary paperwork.
David Howarth owns Green Haven Fishery and Caravan Park in Boston, Lincolnshire, and is one of only a few UK fishery owners that make it their responsibility to check licences after becoming disillusioned with the Environment Agency, whose bailiffs have visited the site just once in the last 15 months.
Many venue bosses believe that it is ‘not their job’ to perform licence checks, fearing the confrontation with those anglers that choose to avoid spending the £27 for a yearly permit.
But David insists that since he began he has experienced none of the problems forseen by fellow fishery owners and believes that if others follow his example it will only produce positive results.
“If I have to buy a licence to fish at my own lake then there’s no way that I’m going to let anyone else that comes here fish without one,” he said.
Lobworm bait fools big personal best perch
Sometimes, just one bite is all that’s needed to transform a blank session into one that will last long in the memory….just ask Richard Goad, who this week obliterated his personal best perch with a fine 4lb 2oz fish from Blenheim Palace Estate Lake in Oxfordshire.
Fishing from a punt on the day ticket water with his friend and fishing companion Craig Alland, the 38-year-old bricklayer from Chorleywood used a waggler-fished whole lobworm over a bed of maggots and broken worms, targeting a six foot deep swim three rodlengths out from the boat.
A 5lb mainline and a 4lb 12oz hooklength completed his set-up.
“It was the only fish of the day for both of us, but what a fish!” he said.
Free fishing show this weekend - not to be missed!
Anglers are urged not to miss the free entry Big Fish charity fishing show taking place this coming Saturday, 3 September, featuring a host of stars, a carp match and a kids ‘fishing camp’.
Great Linford Lakes in Milton Keynes is the venue and the day includes casting, rig making and bait demonstrations from top carpers such as Colin Davidson, Derek ‘The Don’ Ritchie and Jerry Hammond, plus keen angler and Eastenders star Scott Maslen.
The kids fishing camp is being hosted by Nash Tackle, and the show also features a 24 hour carp match, cookery and falconry displays, laser clay shooting and archery, plus bouncy castles, a hog roast and an all-day restaurant and bar.
For more information see www.thebigfish.tv or call 07414 255519.
Matt Hayes back on TV - and you decide what he fishes for!
Fishing celebrity Matt Hayes has this week been signed up by the Discovery Channel for a new television series.
Angling Times first revealed that Matt had filmed a pilot called ‘24 Hour Rod Race’ in the Spring, and as a result of that initial recording, the project has now been commissioned for screening by Sky in 2012.
And AT readers can also play their part in the series by voting for the shows they want to see made.
A delighted Matt said: “It’s great news to be back working with Discovery – anglers have been asking me for a long time when we’d be making something new and this is a project I’m really looking forward to getting stuck into.
“And to celebrate the programs we’re asking Angling Times readers to vote for the shows you want me to create. I want to make this the greatest series we’ve ever produced – a series where anglers are involved from start to finish.”
*To have your say in the species Matt fishes for, see the latest copy of Angling Times - out today!
Surprise perch sets new personal best
Simple waggler tactics helped John Hance land this 4lb 9oz perch during a stint at a Buckinghamshire stillwater.
The High Wycombe-based rod decided to pay The Dyke a visit in search of one of the big resident carp and introduced a handful of lobworms close to a series of snags in an effort to encourage the mirrors and commons to feed.
He wasn’t forced to wait long before the float shot under but what ended up in the net five minutes later was an unexpected bonus.
“I’ve had perch to 4lb 3oz in the past and I must admit this is unexpected as they don’t usually feed until at least September. I’m confident this winter will produce the venue’s first ‘five’,” explained John.
Last gasp bite for huge perch PB
Luck always plays a big part in angling, but for Aylesbury rod Scott Shepherd it was key to the capture of this impressive 5lb 8oz perch.
Fishing a local reservoir the 35-year-old arrived at dawn, getting a few hours on the bank before work. Presenting double red maggot hookbait on a maggot feeder setup at 60yards, the IT Test Analyst didn’t have a touch - until he was packing up to go home.
“I’d packed everything up and was just reaching for one of my rods after switching the alarms off when the swinger dropped. I thought I must have knocked the rod, but I hit it and had a fish on,” Scott told AT.
“Half way in I got locked up solid in a weed bed to the point where I was pulling for a break when it came free. When I saw it in the net I couldn’t believe I’d actually caught the fish, it could so easily have never been.”
Scott beat his fish using a size 14hook with a 4lb hook length and 8lb mainline.
