13lb 10oz bass caught off Blackpool coast
Mark Yule became the envy of many sea anglers in the UK when he boated this huge 13lb 10oz bass during a trip fishing off the Blackpool coast.
The Lancashire-based sea fishing fanatic was aboard his own boat named ‘Incentive’ when he hooked the specimen on a lure around four miles off the shore.
“The north west doesn’t make the angling press very often, but I think the bass fishing is right up there with the best of what the rest of England has to offer, provided you know where to fish and the right times to go,” said Mark, who used 20lb braided mainline and a Daiwa Kenzaki 12lb class rod to beat the fish.
Pensioner's fish of a lifetime 14lb barbel
Avid Angling Times reader David Gear only needed a cube of meat and a simple leger rig to net a new personal best barbel weighing 14lb during a session on the River Kennet near Reading.
The 71-year-old has been reading the paper for over 60 years and put all of his knowledge to good use when he banked his ‘fish-of-a-lifetime’.
David beat the fish with the help of a rig made from 10lb Maxima mainline, an 18-in long hooklink of 10lb Sufix Camfusion coated braid and a size 8 Drennan Super Specialist Barbel hook. A drilled bullet lead completed his set-up.
Sanders bags Bury Hill bream win
Daiwa Dorking captain Steve Sanders took time out from his team commitments to fish the latest open event at Surrey’s Bury Hill Fisheries and managed to take victory with 101lb of bream.
After drawing peg 11, the KC Angling co-owner decided to fish an expander pellet over a bed of micros on the long pole line and netted slabs to 5lb and a solitary 4lb tench.
Runner up Terry Harrison rotated between the groundbait feeder and pole for his 90lb haul of bream.
Brown trout taken from River Trent
The stretch of the River Trent below the famous Cromwell Weir is one of the most prolific areas for barbel in the UK, so imagine Marcus Joy’s shock when his session was interrupted by this 5lb 8oz brown trout.
Due to bright, clear conditions, the 32-year-old from Gainsborough, Lincs, thought hair-rigged sweetcorn would prove to be a more effective alternative to the popular boilie and pellet approach.
Soon after casting his rig into the weir, his decision was justified after his bait was picked up by the ‘brownie’, plus his intended quarry did also make an appearance as barbel weighing 11lb 2oz, 9lb, 7lb and 4lb also came to the net.
Dad's 38lb common from son's swim!
A spontaneous few hours of fishing turned into sheer delight for Fox backed Andy Maker as he landed a massive 38lb 10oz common carp from Walthamstow Reservoirs.
Andy who had not visited the venue for 10 years had already banked a couple of small carp from the Lower Maynard when he decided to go see his son Tom, who was already fishing on the Two and Three Reservoir.
“Tom had a mid-twenty in the net when I arrived in his swim, his third of the day, so it would have been rude to decline his offer for me to chuck a couple of rods out for the last few hours of the day,” he told Angling Times.
“An hour later, my right-hand rod, which was fished locked up to a snag, pulled up tight and I was in. After a good 10-minute scrap a large common rolled in front of us and Tom slipped the net under it.”
The lump, which is the second largest common in the lake, took a Mainline Baits Pineapple pop-up soaked in Betalin and mounted on a 360 rig incorporating a Fox Arma Point LSC hook.
“Ten years ago I was obsessed with trying to catch a big common from the Two and Three, and yet within an hour of going back on there I had nicked one right under Tom’s nose…happy days.”
Short wait for big barbel
Some anglers can wait years to catch their first double-figure barbel but Matthew Tann managed the feat with his very first example of the species when he landed a fine 13lb specimen from the famous Throop Fishery on the Dorset Stour.
The Portsmouth-based rod took a break from his usual routine of trotting for silverfish and, after failing to entice a bite on meat or pellet hookbaits, decided to switch to a crab and crayfish flavoured boilie. He got the all-important bite just as he was preparing to pack up and head for home.
“I’ve been trying to catch a barbel for a couple of months without any success so I’m delighted to have reached my target in such a way. It was in immaculate condition and I can’t explain the elation I felt when I finally netted it,” said Matthew, who used 10lb mainline, a 12lb hooklink and a size 8 hook.
2012 UK Lure Grand Slam Challenge
The first ever UK Lure Grand Slam Challenge will take place next month where length of the fish will win you prizes rather than weight.
In a unique challenge, competitors will put their lure fishing skills to the test at Esthwaite Water Trout Fishery battling it out to catch the longest combined length of three predators - pike, perch and trout.
On Saturday October 13, 30 anglers will compete for £400 worth of prizes in the kayak competition. The next day prizes of the same value will be up for grabs in the boat competition, where 17 teams of two anglers will take part.
The prize categories are:
Kayak “Grand Slam” Winners – 1st, 2nd & 3rd
Boat “Grand Slam” Team Winners –1st, 2nd & 3rd
Longest Pike – Kayak & Boat Longest Perch – Kayak & Boat
Longest Trout – Kayak & Boat Longest Fly Caught Fish – Kayak & Boat
Shortest Length “Grand Slam” Winner – Kayak & Boat
Best New Comer – Kayak & Boat
For more information on the event, please ring organiser Andrew Hoyle on 07960 575406.
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Huge Severn zander could best 20lb by winter
Veteran predator angler Dilip Sarkar banked this giant 17lb River Severn zander with the help of modern technology and believes it could challenge the British record for the species by next winter.
The Worcester based angler touch- legered a small roach deadbait off his boat to tempt the fine meter long specimen.
“I was on the verge of dozing off when I was woken by the echo sounder that had detected some big shapes directly beneath the hull. I haven’t much faith in technology and thought it might be weed, but my wife convinced me to have a cast,” Dilip said.
“I dropped the rig over the side and a couple of minutes later I got the bite, landing the fish after a good fight.”
It smashed his previous best zander by 4lb 8oz and is yet another reminder of the Severn’s notability as the greatest venue for catching the species.
Dilip, who is now the president of the Pike Angling Club of Great Britain, believes that we will not have long to wait until the current British best of 21lb 5oz caught on the Severn in 2007 is topped again.
“There’s no doubt that the Severn will produce a zander over 25lb before too long. The average stamp is getting even bigger - I had 10 double-figure zander last season alone. This is just the tip of the iceberg.”
Record haul of blue sharks taken off coast of Wales
The UK has once again proven its fame and crowbarred its name into game fishing history as three anglers enjoyed a haul of 57 blue sharks to 153lb.
Fishermen Chris Bett, John Beck and Paul Woodward fished mackerel hook baits aboard Andrew Alsop’s Whitewater II to tempt the razor-toothed sharks just out of Milford Haven.
Smashing the previous record of most sharks caught in a day by seven, skipper Andrew is optimistic that the record could be beaten again.
“I’ve never seen anything like it before in all my years in the business. It was as though the sea was infested with sharks. In four days at sea I had 162 blues on the boat, which just goes to show how many fish there are out there-maybe next time we’ll have 60 in one day.”
Chris and John, from Taunton in Somerset, and Oldham’s Paul Woodward, used plastic bottles as floats and size 10/0 hooks with 30-50lb class outfits to lure in the quarry.
Chris, who holds the British boat-caught record for a porbeagle shark at 484lb, ranks the session aboard the Whitewater II as one of the most exciting sessions of his life.
“The best way I can describe our trip is 10 hours of complete fishing ecstasy. I’ve been out with some good skippers in my time, but Andrew Alsop is by far the best. It’s no coincidence that it’s his boat that is responsible for so many record-breaking catches.”
Fen drain specimen rudd haul
Locating big rudd on the endless miles of Fenland drains can be a daunting prospect, but Ben Corfield’s first ever visit produced the goods when he landed a superb trio topped by this 2lb 15oz 8dr fish.
After hours of walking and searching failed to produce the goods, the 34-year-old, from Shrewsbury, decided to get into his car and drive slowly along the road that runs parallel to the venue in order to try to spot his quarry.
It proved to be the right decision, with Ben taking the new pb as well as others weighing 2lb 2oz and 2lb 1oz.
“I spotted a big fish, then had to crawl across the seats out of the passenger door and carefully make my way to the water’s edge because otherwise the fish would have spooked,” said Ben.
“It was a real achievement for me to come down and catch three fish like this on my first visit.
LIVE Maver Match This News!
Keep checking back to this page for LIVE updates on the £50,000 Maver Match This Final. Angling Times will be on the bank all day bringing you all the action!
12.00 And they're off! In five hours time we will know who's the 2012 Maver Match This champion and who will receive £50,000! There's runners-up prizes too - £5,000 for second place and £3,000 for third place. Les Thompson, Lee Woodhouse, Jamie Hawkins and Myles Levy are all on end pegs but like last year there are blockers so they are less of an advantage. Steve Barraclough, Andy Power, Andy Geldart and Grant Albutt were all in the final last year so it's a second chance for them to win the £50,000.
12.30 Plenty of fish are being caught from all over the lake so no one is running away with it at the moment. Kurtis Greenwood has just taken a fish on the bomb fishing pellet, Les Thompson has taken a large carp early on and has just landed an F1, James Dent is in to another carp and Andy May has caught a string of F1s.
Tunnel Barn Farm record shattered
Tunnel Barn Farm regular Paul Newell put his favoured bread approach to good use during the latest event at the Warwickshire complex to smash the New Pool record with 244lb 1oz.
While most of his rivals used pellet, maggot or corn, the Smithy’s Tackle man used breadflake over a sloppy feed to attract F1s, carp and bream at regular intervals from peg 18.
Arm aching action was also experienced by the rest of the frame with runner up Ronnie Biggs taking 159lb 11oz and third placed Shaun Little placed 138lb 9oz on the scales.
15lb bream caught from low-stock venue
Targeting a 20-acre stillwater holding only a handful of bream could seem a daunting prospect to many anglers, but not Dave Smith, who was rewarded for rising to the challenge when he slipped his net under this 15lb fish.
The Gloucester-based rod made the journey to Bluebell Lakes in Northamptonshire specifically to target the big slabs in Mallard Lake, and landed the new personal best after it took his snowman rig comprising of a 10mm Dynamite Baits Robin Red bottom bait and an 8mm banana pop up.
Several carp to 20lb also graced his net during the trip, and Dave told Angling Times: “There are fewer than 10 bream in the water but I’ve landed four doubles from it in the last couple of years.
Bream may not have the kudos of big carp but, for me at least, this was better than a landing 40lb mirror or common!”
Marmite produces brace of big commons
Marmite – you either love it or hate it. And it proved to be the former for the carp in the Hampshire gravel which Chris Westley was targeting when he landed a brace of commons topped by this 30lb 2oz specimen.
Both fish were taken from a spot tight to an overhanging marginal tree which the Dorset-based 30 Plus-backed rod had waded out to and baited with a mixture of different sized pellets covered in Marmite.
Chris has enjoyed an impressive run of form on the venue and with only one target fish left on his hit list he has put a large part of his success down to the use of Marmite.
“It really seems to pull the fish in and hold them for a length of time,” he said. “The spot I was fishing started off about the size of a dinner plate, but by the end of the session it was as big as a mini.”
His winning presentation consisted of a critically-balanced boilie hookbait on size 6 30 Plus Genomic hook and a fluorocarbon hooklink.
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You can also take advantage of our excellent subscriber benefits, including:
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-Pay in one quick & easy payment
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Get Hooked On Fishing Facebook Competition
THIS COMPETITION IS NOW CLOSED. THE LUCKY WINNER OF £50 WORTH OF MARUKYU GOODIES WAS STEVEN MCCALLISTER.
KEEP YOUR EYES PEELED FOR MORE GREAT COMPETITIONS COMING UP IN THE NEXT FEW WEEKS.
This week we have teamed up with the guys at Get Hooked on Fishing to give away £50 worth of Marukyu goodies!
GHOF is an angling charity which helps provide positive opportunities for young people and communities.
For your chance of getting your hands on this fantastic prize, simply email the answer to the following question along with your name and address to fbcompetition@anglingtimes.co.uk – what year was GHOF set up?
For the answer, check out GHOF's website, www.ghof.org.uk/ and click on About GHOF.
To enter you must ‘LIKE’ both the Angling Times and GHOF Facebook pages.
These can be found on the following links:
Angling Times Facebook page - www.facebook.com/anglingtimes
GHOF's Facebook page - https://www.facebook.com/pages/Get-Hooked-on-Fishing/135853196477084
One winner will be chosen at random from the four days. The winner will be announced on Friday at 5pm. Last entry is on Friday August 31.
Good luck!
This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Facebook. You are providing your information to Angling Times and not to Facebook.
Matrix Facebook Competition
THIS COMPETITION IS NOW CLOSED. THE LUCKY WINNERS OF 100 CARP BAGGER HOOKS EACH WERE: FRIDAY - COLIN JORDAN SATURDAY - SIMON ENGLISH SUNDAY - MIKE WILLIS MONDAY - DAVE ROWLAND THE WINNER OF THE ETHOS TACKLE & BAIT BAG AND TWO ROD HOLDALL WAS JONATHAN JARMAN KEEP YOUR EYES PEELED FOR MORE GREAT COMPETITIONS COMING UP IN THE NEXT FEW WEEKS.
For the bank holiday weekend we have teamed up with top match brand Matrix to bring you a superb competition. The weekend winner will receive an Ethos Tackle & Bait Carryall with a Ethos 2 Rod Holdall, a combo worth £109.98! In addition we will pick daily winners who will receive 100 Carp Bagger hooks each!
For your chance of getting your hands on this fantastic prize, simply email the answer to the following question along with your name and address to fbcompetition@anglingtimes.co.uk – Which Matrix backed angler used the Carp Bagger hooks to land him £31,000 in the Fish o Mania final this year?
If you need a clue, check out this page on Matrix's website, http://www.fishmatrix.co.uk/news_main.php?catalogue=7&view=18
To enter you must ‘LIKE’ both the Angling Times and Fish Matrix Facebook pages.
These can be found on the following links:
Angling Times Facebook page - www.facebook.com/anglingtimes
Fish Matrix's Facebook page - www.facebook.com/fishmatrix
The winners will be announced on Tuesday, the last day for entry is Monday August 27. Good luck!
This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Facebook. You are providing your information to Angling Times and not to Facebook.
New fishing tips app sponsored by Fladen’s Matt Hayes Adventure range of tackle
Fladen’s newly launched fishing app has proved successful after shooting to number 8 in the Top 25 Sporting apps by day 2.
This brilliant new app is crammed full of hints and tips that guarantee to make you a better angler. Covering all the major coarse species, this easy-to-use reference will become your bankside bible and is certain to put more fish in your net.
There are eight different species covered within the app: carp, pike, tench, roach, bream, perch, chub and barbel. And within each section, there are tips on the bait, tackle and tactics that will help make you a better angler. Want to know the best way to catch summer carp? Or what about the chub bait you daren’t leave home without? Those answers, and 350 brilliant fish-catching tips, are in this app.
Sponsored by Fladen’s Matt Hayes Adventure range, the app also includes detailed bait, tackle and rig pictures that further enhance each of the tips.
This app, which at £1.99 costs less than a pint of maggots, is the best of its kind in the App Store and comes from the biggest name in fishing.
Four personal bests in one session
Lee Duffin had a session to remember when he broke his personal best four times during a session on the Kracking Carp Lake at Anglers Paradise in Devon.
His haul included fish of 37lb 12oz, 36lb 4oz, 34lb, 31lb 4oz and 26lb 12oz, all of which were caught on 18mm Mainline Baits Cell boilies mounted on six inch, 15lb Sufix Kameleon hooklinks and size 6 Korda hooks fished blow-back style.
Lee said: “I had a very special session at a very special place that I don’t think I will ever beat in this country.”
