200lb haul of bream at Thames free fishing spot

A FREE fishing hotspot on the River Thames has produced one of the best catches of the season so far after Tony Curd hauled out almost 200lb of bream in just three hours.

The MAP backed angler took time out from the competitive side of the sport to enjoy a short pleasure fishing session and headed to the Kingston stretch of the waterway at first light.

Confident the slabs would be in the mood for a feast, he fed 4kg of groundbait - which consisted of a 50/50 blend of Bait-Tech Omen and Kult Sweet fishmeal - and a kilo of 2mm pellets. A cage feeder presentation with a triple red maggot hookbait was then offered over the top.

Despite a slow start to the session, regular recasting soon triggered a response which led to a manic couple of hours.

“It took almost 60 minutes to get a bite but once the first fish was in the net, the action never stopped. By the end of the session I had netted 33 bream which averaged 5lb each, with a few at around 8lb,” explained Tony, who used 6lb mainline and an 0.15mm hooklink to a size 14 Kamasan B560 hook.

“I have had some great catches of bream from the area in the past but this has to rate as one of my best ever sessions. It just goes to show how good the Thames can be if you do your homework,” he added.

Members of Edmonton and Tottenham AS also capitalised on the impressive form of the river, with the top three of their latest match on the stretch sharing over 225lb of bream between them.

Leading the way on the day was Dave Whiteman who used worm and maggot to tempt fish to 7lb for a 91lb 8oz total.