Martin Salter wins Hampshire Avon match

Angling Trust official Martin Salter showed he is no slouch on the river bank as he took victory during the latest Avon Roach Project and Barbel Society benefit match on the Hampshire Avon.

The rules dictated the angler taking the biggest fish would be handed the silverware and the former Labour MP took the honours after he netted a 7lb 11oz barbel on the pellet feeder.

Both causes also boosted their coffers thank to the efforts of the competitors, with over £5,000 being raised.


UK's biggest common caught

Margin tactics proved the downfall of the biggest common carp in Britain.

The 58lb 7oz fish, known as the Lee Jackson fish, was landed by John Warden on his first visit to Strawberry Fields in Tunbridge Wells, Kent.

The 40-year-old supervisor fished just 10 yards from the bank to trick the impressive specimen within hours of setting up for a 48 hour session.

“I got the take at about 9pm on the first evening. Initially it was a screaming run and when I struck into it, it carried on stripping line from my reel,” said the Gillingham-based rod.

“When I landed it I thought it was a forty and I told my friend I thought it would go 42lb — but then I went to lift it and I knew it was something special.

“I initially weighed it at 59lb but we went down the bank and got some of the regulars to weigh it and identify it, and we settled on 58lb 7oz.

“I was just in shock.”

The fish, which is more than 3lb heavier than the famous Burghfield Common’s last recorded weight, is one of two 50lb-plus commons in Strawberry Fields.

It fell to two Mainline Cell boillies fished snowman style on a Nash Fang hook tied to an Atomic Tackle Jel-E-Wyre hooklink.

John, whose previous personal best was 52lb 4oz, scattered about 100 freebies over each rod and tamed the fish on a Nash H-Gun rod and 14lb mainline.

“I couldn’t ask for a better first session on the water and I’ll definitely be going back,” he said.

 

 

 


Livebait success for 4lb 1oz perch

Switching from lobworms to small livebaits towards the end of his session resulted in this superb 4lb 1oz 8dr perch for Rory Kingerley from a southern river this week.

Having lost a couple of fish to hookpulls in the heavy weed during the morning of his trip, at around 4pm the up-and-coming specimen ace changed his line of attack to a paternoster float set-up sporting a small lip-hooked bleak.

On his first cast he missed a lightning fast bite, but didn’t make the same mistake a few minutes later when a fresh bait was swung out and the float sailed away confidently.

“Initially, I thought that it was a pike, but then it started banging its head and I knew it must be a perch. I saw it about a foot below the surface when it was half way across the river and knew I was attached to a big fish, so it was ‘heart in the mouth’ stuff from then on!” said the 29-year-old, from Surrey, who works at Apollo Angling in Milford and used 6lb Hydro Flo main line, a 5lb Target fluorocarbon hook length and a size 6 hook. 


Birthday personal best

Alfie Waters had an early fortieth birthday present in the form of this personal best 35lb 8oz common from a Cambridgeshire stillwater.

The fish, his first ever UK thirty, came just before first light during a short overnight session and took the Norfolk-based RAF Tornado aircraft engineer over half an hour to land.

Lee used a single Mainline Baits Cell hookbait on a size 8 Fox SSC hook and an 8ins 15lb Coretex hooklink on a running rig over 50 freebies on clear spot at 25 yards.

“It was a fantastic start to my fortieth birthday weekend and one that I will never forget,” he said.


16lb 11oz bream for low-stock pit

A relentless pre-baiting campaign finally paid off for Dave Harman this week when he slipped his net under this fine 16lb 11oz bream from a rock-hard Lea Valley pit.

The former Drennan Cup winner took the fish alongside six other double-figure specimens to 13lb 8oz during a two-night trip to Langridge Lake on the Essex and Herts border.

The ‘classic’ bream bait of a stack of sweetcorn - comprising a mixture of real and artificial grains - did the business for the 47-year-old all-rounder from Addlestone in Surrey, who comfortably beat his old best for the species of 15lb with the capture.

It was just reward for a summer spent battling against chronic floating weed problems at the 180-acre windswept venue, as he explained.

“Before every session I’ve been spending upwards of an hour clearing the huge banks of weed, which extend for about 70yards in front of the swim. If I didn’t bother, I’d be waking up in the morning with a car-sized ball of the stuff attached to the lines!” said Dave.

“Then, whenever I’ve hooked a fish, I’ve had to keep the rod high and walk to the back of the swim, without giving any line.”

To keep the bites coming, Dave has been priming his spots regularly with a big hit of particles, introducing 30kg of sweetcorn, hemp and wheat every week since July. Bites have been few and far between for most of the campaign, although that all changed on his latest visit, when the bream uncharacteristically chose to feed during daylight hours.

“Nearly all my fish over the past month have come at between 6am and 2pm, which is really weird because in the past it’s always been night-time action on there. I got the take from the big one at quarter to seven in the morning, and to begin with when I looked in the net I thought it was another 12 or 13lb’er. It was only when I lifted it out of the net that I saw how thick across the back it was,” Dave added.

His successful rig was made from 15lb ESP Strip Teaze coated braid, coupled with a size 8 hook and a 4oz lead on a safety clip.


Big match bags taken on in-form River Wye

One of the most prolific winter stretches of running water in the country has started to creep into form as Andrew Murphy found out when he won the latest match on it with 59lb 4oz.

The River Wye at Hereford is a haven for huge shoals of various species during the winter months and the Wizards rod utilised floatfished maggots during the Joe Bowers Memorial match to land barbel, chub and dace.

Several good causes also benefitted from the 90-peg event, with almost £500 being raised for charity.


Swim change produces 40lb 4oz mirror

A change of swims paid dividends for Ted Bryan when he landed fish of 40lb 4oz and 38lb 10oz in a matter of minutes from a southern stillwater.

Fishing close to a large weedbed, the Syndenham-based all-rounder baited each rod with 50 Nash Bait iC1 boilies.

He then took both mirrors on 15mm glugged pop-up hookbaits mounted on size 8 Nash Fang X hooks and 20lb Missing Link hooklinks.


Shock 34lb river pike

An untapped northern river targeted only by salmon anglers has produced an incredible 34lb 4oz pike.

Specimen hunter Tony Balfour made the superb capture — likely to be the fish’s first visit to the bank — from a secluded stretch of running water in the north west.

The 44-year-old bricklayer tackled the river with minimal roving gear after rain forced him to abandon work for the day.

He said: “I’ve been going after the barbel on this river for two or three years but over the summer I decided I would have a go for the pike in the autumn.

“I’d been rained off work that day so I just took a rod, landing net, rucksack and bucket of livebaits down to the river at dinner time.

“I’d been there for 20 minutes when I got the take on the first run in a new stretch.”

Tony, who took the impressive predator on a float-fished roach, is an accomplished pike angler with stillwater specimens of 44lb and 36lb to his name but admitted this one tops the lot.

“When I hit into the fish it was ripping line and going great guns, like they always seem to do at this time of year.

“When it first surfaced I presumed it was a 20 but when I lifted the net I knew it was something special.

“I don’t think it’s ever seen a hook. I’ve seen salmon anglers on this stretch but never any coarse fishermen.”

The Pike Anglers Club of Great Britain member added: “I don’t think they go any bigger in this particular stretch but I’ll be fishing another bit of the river this winter and if I can catch a 25lber I can die a happy man.”


In

Prebaiting produces 39lb 11oz mirror

A week long prebaiting campaign paid off in style for Leon Stearn when he banked this 39lb 11oz mirror from the Fjords on the Cambridgeshire St Ives Lakes complex.

The local rod had been introducing Denham Bait Innovations The Element boilies to a marginal spot on the tricky low-stock venue.

He soon had the fish visiting the spot on a regular basis and managed to stalk the lake’s biggest known resident called the Round Brown.

For venue info visit: www.stiveslakes.com


PB chub and 12lb 4oz barbel in same session

John Turner chalked up a classic autumn duo with a PB chub and a season’s best barbel after monitoring receding flood water.

The Tamworth, Staffordshire, rod had the pair within an hour of each other on Mercia AC-owned stretch of the River Anker, using halibut pellets as bait. The chub went 5lb 8oz and the barbel pulled the scales round to 12lb 4oz.

John (46) said “I’d been watching the river all week — it had fallen nicely and still had a bit of colour in it. The barbel put up a fantastic fight, taking 20yds of line on its first run”


Simple boilie tactics produce 7lb 11oz chub

Darren Worton used nothing more complicated than a single boilie to tempt a stunning 7lb 11oz specimen from the Dorset Stour.

The Bournemouth-based rod banked the early autumn lump after a friend in a local tackle shop gave him some new baits to try. Shortly afterwards the 47-year-old landed the new personal best from a Christchurch AC-run stretch of the river.

He told AT: “My mate gave me a handful of Sticky Baits’ Vortex boilies to try. I rigged one up, lowered it in, and sat back. Half an hour later the rod pulled round and I thought I’d hooked a barbel, such was its power. It was an absolutely brilliant result.”


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.


Gut feeling leads to 41lb 10oz mirror

Time spent looking for the carp and careful swim selection paid off for Nigel Williams when he landed this 41lb 10oz mirror from RH Fisheries’ Acton Burnell Top Lake.

Arriving at the Shropshire venue for a quick overnight session, the Cheltenham-based rod grabbed his bucket and set off round the 17-acre water in search of his quarry.

“The lake had been producing a few good carp over the last couple of weeks, but after a couple of laps I hadn’t seen any fizzing, bubbles or showing fish,” Nigel told Angling Times.

“This was quite strange because the fish in the lake are usually very active so with nothing to go on I dropped into a swim that allowed me to cast tight to the dam wall. The wind was howling down this end and I had a feeling that there would be a few fish knocking around.”

Rather than using chod rigs like lots of anglers targeting the lake, he decided to fish with his favourite blow-back presentation tied with an Avid Captive Braid hooklink material. And to add some attraction around his 15mm Sonubaits Code Red hookbait he attached a large PVA bag of Sonubaits S Pellets using a PVA bag link. “This item of tackle ensures that the rig doesn’t tangle on the cast and stops the lead falling off when fishing big PVA bags at range,” he explained. “I flicked two rods tight to the overhanging trees that stretch along the length of the dam and flicked my third rod into open water. As darkness fell, the odd fish started to show in the middle area of the lake, but I decided to stick it out where I was until the morning. I don’t know why, but I had a gut feeling that something special was going to happen.”

After an uneventful night, Nigel was up at first light scanning the water for signs of carp and with fish still fizzing in the middle area of the lake he decided to move swims for the last few hours of his session.

“As I started to pack my bivvy away, my right-hand Delkim screamed into life and line began tearing from my reel. There was nothing I could do to stop the fish for the first few minutes. I just let it charge around in open water.”

Eventually, after an epic battle, a huge mirror emerged from the silty depths about 20 yards from the bank. Although Nige only got a glimpse of the carp’s tail, it was apparent that he was hooked into one of the venue’s larger residents. A couple of heart-stopping moments and a premature swipe with the landing net later, Nigel finally slid the fish over the spreader block.


Korda Team England World Carp Cup report

The Korda Team England have recently returned from the World Carp Cup in Romania where they finished eighteenth.

Korda's James Armstrong accompanied the team and you can read his report on the match and interview with team coach Ian Huntington below...

Youth, energy, experience, quality and enthusiasm; Just a few words that describe this exciting new England Team.

The selection process was a long, hard, affair and the only way to choose our future team fairly was to hold some trials. This gave several of the UK’s best carp-match anglers the chance to shine and gain a seat on the prestigious plane to Romania.

Korda: Why did you have trials?

Ian: Those that have been to the World Championships before obviously have experience and a head-start. It’s a great baptism for all these anglers because from whatever they’ve done before, there had never been a selection process like this before. We had three trials – the theme of the first being the endurance-side of things which as it turned out was extremely important, whereas on the next trial was on a technical basis, where the anglers were catching bigger fish in a more traditional carp fishing scenario. This had less relevance as it turned out as luck, as in most English Carp matches, played too big a part with most of the fish ending up in one area of the lake. The third trial reflected team-work and the guys working together, sharing information while they’re on the bank, which is something that is totally unheard of in English competition carp fishing. These guys normally fish against each other, so to have them fish together as a team, and share that information is normally against their nature, so we’ve broken all those moulds, to effectively create what we want as a team. This whole process is about selecting a team, which did mean that some very good individual pairs that fished did not become part of the team.
The management team were to keep a very close eye on each pair, and individual, throughout the trial period and narrowed it down to four pairs. Three that would begin the match in Romania and a substitute pair if required. One thing that was clear; this was a team event and each individual had to work well with others, as well as retain the qualities required to be considered in such a major event.

Korda: How the team was chosen?

Ian: The venue Lacul Corbu only received ratification from FIPSed in late May this year and a report issued in mid-June through the FIPSed Italian delegation who inspected the venue. This rubber stamped its use for the world championships. We knew from this report that the venue swims had only been built in March /April and the venue only stocked at the beginning of May with hundreds of tons of small fish, consequently the action would be non-stop as we have experienced previously in the World Championships in South Africa. Based on all the information from FIPSed the results from the RIGS series of tournaments held on the venue, together with all the trials information the team was chosen. The focus being on World Championships experience, team spirit and endurance the final team selected was as follows:

Jake and Dan Wildbore - Jake is a former British junior champion and with Dan his brother has been second in the BCAC at senior level. Dan and Jake were also the best performing English pair at last year’s world championships in Italy, beating GP Knell of South Africa, a two times individual and four times team World Champion off the next peg.

Billy Flowers and Jamie Londors - Three times world silver medalists in four previous attempts at both team and individual level make them a formidable duo whose work rate at these events is second to none and makes them a formidable pair.

Mark Bartlett and Kev Hewitt - Having never before competed in the World Championships, however they need little introduction. Bart and Kev smashed the 48 hour World and British enduro records in the first trial at Drayton. The rest of the world knew all about these guys before they arrived and they were certainly one the most feared pairs in the competition.

Jack Stamp and Kia Sanger - Also having never before competed in the World Championships, however they have been consistent winners in their BCAC qualifiers on big hit waters, also very solid performances throughout the England trials process winning two out of three sections, not to mention being UK Carp master’s winners.
All in all a formidable team I think you will agree.

Of course, one of the most important factors in succeeding in an event of such magnitude is preparation. Ian and Pete had placed a lot of thought in rig mechanics and bait. They even visited the venue months in advance to form a strategic plan.

Korda: How did you decide on the tactics for the 2012 World Champs?

Ian: Bait, it was clear from the visit that our main strategy should be formed by fishing Boilies over free offerings of the same. Fishmeal type Boilies and soluballs were evident in every swim and it is clearly what the fish are used to being fed on. The throwing stick will play a major part. Pasting baits and fishing in conjunction with two bait stringers. Maximum range fishing should be with pasted singles.
We even discussed this with some of the finest bait brains in the country upon our return. Unfortunately the key to the match and what we did not know was the lake had been corrupted onto one single type of bait. Since the fish were stocked in May 2012 and while at the fish farm prior to this they had been fed solely on this bait. Consequently countries that had been and practiced were aware of this and managed to get some local bait to enable them at least to take part in the event. The Bulgarians who are next door to Romania commissioned their own bait based on what had been fed to the fish. Portugal and Serbians had contacts in Romania who provided local bait. The fish were fed daily throughout the summer by boat on the Romanian bait on fixed lines parallel with the bank so the host countries were not taking any chances. Imagine feeding a lake in this country with only one bait for a year and then holding a match on it, the outcome would be just the same as Romania. Those with the introduced bait would do well and the rest would really struggle to get a bite.
From our point of view and bearing in mind you are kept behind lines when you visit it’s difficult to have foreseen this coming without actually practicing on the venue and within two hours of the match starting we were asking ourselves questions about the bait. We later found out from the South African team and the French team consultant Ronnie De- Groot that they had also brought different English bait from two other leading English manufactures, most of which stayed on the pallets and was not used at all in the case of South Africa. That’s 1.5 ton of bait or 10k of bait left on pallets.

The lads touched down in Romania and were instantly transported to the meet a great event that included a Hog roast and live traditional Romanian entertainment. From the viewpoint of an outsider it was completely overwhelming. The time and effort that had been invested into the organisation of the initial nights entertainment was spellbinding.

Korda: Did you imagine the event to be as big as it was?

Ian: Having fished in five previous World Championships with Pete we were still amazed our hosts had put on such an amazing event. The South African event had been amazing and the teams silver medal very satisfying, however the sheer scale of expense the Romanians had gone too with three different themed gala dinners, open top bus parades around the city not to mention the spectacular fireworks displays really set this event apart.
It was then completely eclipsed by the second nights opening party where all 21 countries plus press and invited guests were treated to a ball room banquet fit for Kings which when compared to all previous carp fishing tournaments we had attended really did stand head and shoulders above.

The following day did however bring with it the draw and the start of the match so slowly and unsurprising quite reluctantly the management of the participating countries began to call time and usher the competing anglers back to their hotel. 

The draw, as expected, was a nervy, tense moment and without doubt the most important part in any match. This was short-lived however, when each of Team England received a pleasing draw. The talented Hewitt and Bartlett drawing a renowned productive end peg in Section A was the most notable.

It was clear that the England Team meant business and worked tirelessly throughout that first day and night to grasp this daunting venue. However, by morning they were well behind. The local knowledge fired Romania into a huge lead and by the morning of the second day they were already ahead on points with over 800kg. They where chased by Bulgaria, Portugal and the Serbians.

Unfortunately, this was the theme of the match. As England moved further and further behind, it was clear that something was wrong. They were fishing out of their skin, far more methodical and accurate than other pairings that flanked the English, yet they where unable to buy any consistency in their catch rate. Their efforts could not be questioned.

The Romanians had been canny. The newly stocked carp had been born and bred on a certain bait and indicated an almost inherent urge to feed on this certain boilie. Unfortunately, this was the instrumental component that lead to the demise of the English attack and ultimately to the success of the Romanian catch rate.

The carp were so preoccupied by this now “natural” food source that they would rarely feed on anything else. It dealt the killer blow to the England and we feel that this edge would certainly have given England the necessary tools to have competed for a medal.
 
By the end of this epic match which saw Romania and Bulgaria battling it for first place, and England finishing in a disappointing 18th, the home nation succeeded by a whisker.

Looking forward to 2013 the England team having now fully debriefed and are looking forward to Portugal. Korda have expressed their huge confidences in this young team and will continue to be a supporting element to the team.

It’s set to be yet another highly contestant event with all participating nations feeling confident of a good result.

Korda: Changes for 2013 – and the team you have built?

Ian: Hard lessons have been learnt and it has been a very difficult experience to pick the team and ourselves up after this event. Team sponsors have also invested money and support and many people have given up their time as volunteers in the trials to try and raise our chances of winning the team gold medal for the first time.
Firstly the corruption of the water as described above, while this is strictly not against the rules and the Romanians freely admitted to doing this there is the morale issue here and in the interests of fair play and fair contest this can’t be right. I have already spoken to Dick Clegg about this and he is going to take the issue up with FIPSed at this year’s November meeting in Italy. While we appreciate the Lac Corbul is unique and its fish stock brand new thus making this corruption of the water more possible, it will not ultimately deter other host nations following suit leading to a potential breakup of the competition.
Practicing, the team needs to go and practice a number of times prior to the world champs. The days of just turning up and hopefully being lucky with our approach from information gained off the internet are over. Unfortunately this all takes time and significant money which has to be found if we are to compete. The South Africans spent 100k this year and went home without a medal. The Bulgarians said they spent 80k and they live next door and went home with silver. The Romanians spent in excess of two million euros creating the venue and hosting the event.
As a management duo we have generally sacrificed our whole fishing season organizing the trials, team meetings, workshops with specialist consultants, all for this event. The only shining light in all this is the team’s own preparation and commitment to the process and each other which has been something really special to behold and be extremely proud of. If we were going back tomorrow we would still take the same team as what we witnessed in Romania was a true English team spirit and grit in the face of extreme adversity. As mentioned, this all takes time and a commitment to the England cause and also means giving most of their other fishing up next year to solely concentrate on the world championships venue in Portugal, if we are to have any chance of winning a gold medal.

England team member Jake Wildbore commented “As a team we have been through highs and massive lows. The team is more unified than ever before. This year’s event had all the necessary elements to ensure the team a good result. The unforeseen and unfortunate circumstances that restricted our efforts have been forgotten and the team will learn from this year and approach Portugal with a clear head and even more conviction.”

Dick Clegg OBE. International Events Director for the Angling Trust stated.
‘ When Ian and Pete took over the roles of manager and coach of England’s Carp team I was convinced that I had appointed two people who were capable of winning Gold. This result although extremely disappointing for all has not changed my mind. I have seen the professional way that they conducted all the pre match practices and organised the logistics of transporting both team and equipment to Romania and I know that we will soon be back on the podium.
It is obvious from the information that I have received that questions need to be asked about certain aspects of the event.
I am due to attend a FIPSed technical meeting in mid November and I will certainly require an explanation to a number of problems arising from these championships.’  
Dick also mentioned that he and the Angling Trust Team would like to thank Korda for all their help and support along this journey.




Three bests in one session

Dean Pawsey had to wait 25 years to break his personal best – and then did it three times in one session at Fenland Fisheries Willow Lake.

Mirrors of 34lb 13oz, 35lb 14oz and 42lb 8oz graced his net following a change of swims, all of which beat his previous best of 21lb.

Casting to a gravel bar at 25 yards range, the 53-year-old, Sawtry-based builder offered Mainline Cell hookbaits over a dozen freebies on Fox Arma Point hooks and 15lb Coretex hooklinks.


New type of 'killer shrimp' in UK waters

Anglers in the Midlands are being asked to be extra vigilant after a second species of non-native ‘killer shrimp’ was found at a number of popular fishing venues.

Environment Agency officers discovered the Dikerogammarus haemobaphes on the River River Severn at Tewkesbury, and Bevere near Worcester as, well as on the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal and the Worcester and Birmingham.

David Throup, Environment Manager for the EA said, “We now have a dedicated team whose focus is to establish the degree of the problem, and whether the shrimp has spread wider than the locations already found. We are treating this as a priority.”

The new discovery is a relative of Dikerogammarus villosus, an invasive species that has spread from Eastern Europe. According to scientists, it is a voracious predator that ‘kills a range of native species, including young fish, and can significantly alter ecosystems’.

The Environment Agency and Canal & River Trust are urging all water users to help slow its spread by checking, cleaning and drying all their equipment after use and before using it at another location.


Jones bags Brookside Fisheries hat trick

It can take years of practice to become a dominant force on any fishery but Paul Jones proved he has cracked the key to success at Cheshire’s Brookside Fisheries by netting three victories in a week.

The Bait-Tech ace kicked off the winning streak with a 93lb 4oz mixed haul from peg 49 on the Snake Pit and added another triumph to his tally just days later with an 87lb 10oz catch from peg 28.

He rounded off the hat-trick against a strong field when he alternated between pellet and maggot for 70lb 14oz of F1s and carp from peg 17.


Grafham predator hat-trick

Persistence in the face of the elements saw Adam Perna score a perfect hat-trick of autumn predators topped by this near-30lb pike.

The all-rounder was aboard the only predator boat out on Cambridgeshire’s Grafham Water in blustery weather conditions when he took the 29lb 14oz esox, along with a 3lb 10oz perch and a zander weighing about 7lb.

Fishing with lures on the expansive Anglian Water venue, the 27-year-old tiler and his boat partner James Aris overcame high winds to land seven fish between them during two days afloat.

Adam, from Bicester in Oxfordshire, said: “The pike was caught at the end of a long hard day’s fishing and we were the only predator boat out. Conditions were pretty difficult, with 2ft waves at times making it hard to present our lures effectively.

“By 3pm we had only captured one fish, a perch, although it was a big one at 3lb 10oz. We decided to move back to an area in shallower water of about 30ft where we felt our lures would work better, and on the first drift I had a few nibbles and then a solid but dull pluck, resulting in a hooked fish. 

“Initially I thought I may have been hooked into one of the famous big double-figure zander which reside in Grafham, but the alarming curve in the rod and the sheer power of the fish’s runs then made us think it was something altogether much bigger.”

The pike, which had picked up a six-inch yellow rubber lure with a single size 6/0 hook, was landed after a nervy 20-minute battle.

“It was an immaculately marked and conditioned fish and a new PB by over 7lbs. It was also the first pike I had ever landed at Grafham, and bigger than anything I could have hoped for,” added Adam.




Warwickshire win County Champs

Warwickshire are this year's Angling Times County Champions after a narrow one point win at Heronbrook Fishery.

The trio of Jon Arthur, Kev Folwell and Pete Caton fought off 37 other county teams to pocket the £3,000 first prize with their 27-point tally, local lads Staffordshire the ones to miss out as they finished just adrift.

For the full report check out this week's paper (October 9) on pages 62, 63 and 64.