Angler hits jackpot with £1m lottery win

KEEN coarse and sea fisherman Ron Warne is set to fulfil his angling dreams after scooping a cool £1m on the lottery last week.

Among the things the Kent-based man has planned in the short term are to kit himself out with a new set of specimen tackle and a new long pole, to go fishing for carp and catfish on Spain’s River Ebro and to take a tour of the some of the UK’s most famous big fish waters.

Ron, who scooped the life-changing sum of money on the EuroMillions game, told Angling Times how he learnt about his win after returning home from a bait-digging session on his local beach and checking his numbers on the TV. The cash means he can now stop doing night shifts in the paper distribution industry and spend more time with his family, as well as doing more fishing.

“I’ve wanted to try pole fishing for ages along with my son but I’ve not been able to afford a pole, not even a cheap one! A few years ago I set myself the target of catching a 20lb carp and a 10lb cod. The closest I’ve come so far is a 16lb carp and a 9lb cod so now I hope I’ll beat both those this year. I’ll also be booking a fortnight in Spain this year hoping for a 40-50lb carp or a big catfish, and I’d like to go to The Monument Fishery where Matt Hayes and Mick Brown made a Record Breaking Fish programme. In addition, I’d like to find a lake full of really big rudd somewhere - that’s my favourite species!” he said.

Ron revealed how the win came after a customary early-morning bait gathering trip.
“I’d just been out in the freezing cold and I was actually contemplating getting some money together to buy some new Skeetex boots because my feet were freezing. Then I got in and couldn’t believe what I was seeing on my screen, ‘I’ve won a million pounds’ I shouted!  There’s one thing this won’t change however - I’ll still be digging my own lugworm though because you can’t beat fresh bait!” he added.

Things you could buy with £1m
- 250 Daiwa Air poles
- 8,163 Delkim TXi Plus bite alarms
- 20,837 John Wilson Avon Quiver rods
- 83,500 1kg bags of Mainline Cell boilies
- 90,909 days’ fishing at Gold Valley Lakes
- 555,555 copies of the Angling Times