7lb 2oz chub is 'fish of a lifetime.'

John Davey achieved a ‘lifetime ambition’ when he caught a 7lb 2oz chub from the River Dove.

The chairman of Stoke-on-Trent AS admitted that he was ‘blown away’ by the size of the fish, which smashed his old best for the species of 5lb 8oz.

The 62-year-old, who had to recast every 10 minutes to clear his line from weed coming down the swollen river, said: “A 7lb’er is something that I’ve always wanted - it’s a huge fish for the Dove and something that I really wasn’t expecting.”

John used a simple leger rig consisting of a small bomb, an 18ins braided hooklink and a size 8 hook.