First twenty is 27lb 14oz specimen

John Ashurst caught his first-ever 20lb-plus pike, this cracking 27lb 14oz specimen, from Esthwaite Water Trout Fishery in the Lake District.

The impressive predator was the best of three fish which the Wigan-based joiner landed during the day, with pike of 18lb and 14lb also gracing his net.

All of his fish were hooked on trolled Spro BBZ lures, and the biggest of the trio was taken from an area of water 9ft deep with deeper holes on either side.

He said: “The water is still fairly warm and the fish fought like an absolute demon. As soon as I saw it I knew it was going to be a new pb and I was delighted to get a twenty under my belt.”

The pike season on Esthwaite is open until the end of March and for up-to-date information call 01539 436541


Brace of double figure zeds landed from Cambs pit

What started as ‘a short social session’ with a friend ended up being Simon Layt’s best-ever zander trip, with the 36-year-old landing four fish for more than 41lb in just six hours, including a new personal best of 14lb 2oz.

He was targeting a pit in Ely, Cambridgeshire with legered dead roach tactics when he made the memorable haul, which also included fish weighing 10lb 14oz, 9lb and 7lb 8oz.


Massive Severn zander banked!

Predator fishing fanatic Graham Howes has only just began targeting the River Severn’s zander population, but that hasn’t stopped him getting among the big fish right from the off, with this superb 16lb 8oz new personal best the pick of his catches.

The Stockport-based angler, whose previous biggest for the species stood at 11lb 2oz, used a running leger rig with a head of a roach mounted on a single size 8 treble, cast to the far side of the river.

“This was only my third session on the river and after this fish I’ve really got the bug and all I can think about is coming and giving it another go. The Severn holds endless potential,” said Graham.


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.


Pike matches announced at popular Midlands venue

Anglers are being invited to sign up for a series of predator matches at Leicestershire’s Celtic Lakes Frisby.

The events, which will start on November 26, will see anglers try to tempt the stillwater’s stocks of perch, pike and zander for seven hours between 9am and 4pm.

A selection of big cash prizes will be up for grabs at each competition, which will cost £20 to enter.

To secure your spot or for more details call Chay Jackson on 07791 104984 or visit www.celticlakesresortfrisby.co.uk


Predator series arranged at top pike and zander complex

Anglers are being invited to sign up for a series of predator matches at Leicestershire’s Celtic Lakes Frisby.

The events, which will start on November 26, will see perch, pike and zander count to the overall tally recorded between 9am and 4pm.

Big cash prizes are set to be on offer to the winners and each competition will cost £20 to enter.

To secure your spot or for more details call Chay Jackson on 07791 104984 or visitwww.celticlakesresortfrisby.co.uk


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!


Dead zander 'would have smashed record'

A zander weighing more than 22lb has been found dead on the banks of the River Severn by a barbel angler.

The enormous carcass was found washed up at a stretch of the Midlands waterway near Tewkesbury early yesterday morning by Graham Payne, from Worcester.

He told Angling Times, "When I first spotted it from fifty yards away, I thought it was a sandbag or maybe even a dead sheep in the margins - it was massive! As I got closer, the wash from a passing boat moved it onto its other side, and that's when I saw the greenish back and its big beady eye. I was gobsmacked!"

"My scales were in the side pouch of my rucksack, so I quickly whipped them out, placed the weigh-hook under one of its gill plates and hoisted the fish aloft. The needle settled just above 22lb! I'm a keen all-rounder, and I knew straight away that t would have smashed the record!"

"It didn't look as though it had been dead for too long - it wasn't bloated or damaged in any way. I'm half-minded to go back and get the fish, and maybe have it set up by a taxidermist!"

The British zander record is held by James Benfield's 21lb 5oz fish, taken from a stretch of the Severn at Upper Load Lock in 2007.

 


Big canal pike 'would have been a personal best'

This superbly-conditioned pike made Robert Farrell’s day after he caught the 25lb 1oz specimen during a short lure fishing session on his local cut.

Fishing the Forth and Clyde canal, Robert was inching his perch-coloured Savage Gear Soft 4Play lure along the waterway when the big predator struck.

“It took 10 minutes to land and might well have been a new pike pb for me if I’d have caught it a few months later in the winter,” said a delighted Robert.


Zander surprise for fly angler

Fly fisherman Mike Carr got more than he bargained for during a recent trip to Grafham Water after boating this big 11lb zander.

The predator was caught 'on the drift' from shallow water while Mike was targeting the venue’s resident trout on the fly.

The zander in Grafham grow big, with one caught by angler Mick Dollan in 2009 believed to be bigger than the current British record.

Mike’s 11lb  fish was returned to the reservoir alive and well.


Massive tiger muskie caught

In terms of pure aesthetic beauty, predators don’t come more stunning than this rare tiger Muskie.

Caught from the St. Louis River, Minnesota, USA the specimen was the first ever muskie landed by its captor Charlie Gallagher while lure fishing with muskie guide Dustin Carlson.

The fish wasn’t weighed, but its measurements of 48.5inch in length and a huge 28.5inch girth have led many to believe it could well be a new world record for the rare species, beating the current global best of 51lb 3oz caught in Michigan in 1919.

The tiger musky is rare hybrid produced by a male northern pike fertilising the eggs of a female muskie. Although not caught very often, the species is highly-prized due to its aggressive nature.

 


Pike show details unveiled

Further details have been released about this year's Pike Anglers Club of Great Britain convention, which is due to be held on Saturday 1 October.

For the first time, there will be a series of special junior teaching workshops throughout the day thanks to PAC stalwart Eric Edwards, and a number of leading tackle companies have now confirmed their plans to attend, among them The Tackle Shop (owned by AT columnist and former record pike holder Neville Fickling!), ET Specialist Tackle, Franglais Fishing, The Pike Shop, Baitbox PikePro, Zoota Lures, Zandavan Products, Ultre Light Lures and Fox International.

There will also be a raft of second-hand tackle and lure stalls, as well as stalls selling new books from pike angling legends-turned authors Graham Booth and Mick Brown.

More details about the numerous talks, demonstrations and workshops scheduled for the event will be released over the coming months.


Big pike from big waters!

Tourists from Northern Europe have continued to get among the big pike from Ireland’s vast network of Loughs, with good numbers of 20lb-plus fish taken.

One of the best was boated by 12-year-old Julien Chapuy from Paris, who had been enjoying a fishing holiday in Killaloe on the shores of Lough Derg with his grandparents Michel and Françoise Armand.

Under the watchful eye of guide Pierre Monjarret (pictured with fish), the youngster landed three big fish measuring 80cm, 95cm and 115cm long. The biggest of the trio fell to an articulated Catplay lure and weighed in at a shade over 30lb.


Tourists latch into big pike

Tourists from Northern Europe have continued to get among the big pike from Ireland’s vast network of Loughs, with good numbers of 20lb-plus fish taken.

One of the best was boated by 12-year-old Julien Chapuy from Paris, who had been enjoying a fishing holiday in Killaloe on the shores of Lough Derg with his grandparents Michel and Françoise Armand.

Under the watchful eye of guide Pierre Monjarret (pictured with fish), the youngster landed three big fish measuring 80cm, 95cm and 115cm long. The biggest of the trio fell to an articulated Catplay lure and weighed in at a shade over 30lb.



Fancy learning to flyfish for pike?

If flyfishing for pike is your sort of thing then the forthcoming evening being held by Norwich DAA with expert on the subject David Wolsoncroft-Dodds will be a must.

Taking place on Friday August 5 at the Norwich Assembly House, Hardy’s consultant and author of the book ‘Flyfishing for Pike’ David will be on hand to answer questions on the subject and to talk about this less-well known branch of predator fishing.

Tickets for the evening are £8.25 available from the box office on 01603 598688.


Big river pike wins competition

It was a case of the agony and the ecstasy at the 2011/2012 Kingspan National Pike Championships, which were held last week on Ireland's River Suck in strong winds and heavy rain.

Despite the bumper turnout of 77 anglers, the fishing was relatively poor, with almost half the field failing to catch a single pike.

However, one man who left the competition on a high was Ian Drennan, from Durrow, who walked away with the title after banking a superb 24lb 11oz specimen on a ledgered lamprey.


Mick Brown joins Rapala

Well-known pike angler Mick Brown has been signed up as a principal consultant by global lure giant Rapala.

Under the deal, Lincolnshire-based Mick will be the figurehead for Rapala UK which includes major brands such as Rapala, Storm, Blue Fox and Williamson, and will play a key part in developing and testing new lures designed for UK waters.

The deal takes place with immediate impact and will run alongside Mick’s sponsorship with Dynamite Baits.