Big eels fall to corn

Raymond Wallace couldn’t quite believe it when his tench fishing session was interrupted by not one, but two, huge eels of 7lb 10oz and 6lb 4oz.

Targeting a lake close to his London home, the 64-year-old caught both fish using a waggler and a corn hookbait three rod lengths out. Both fish were beaten using a 12ft match, 3lb line and size 14 hook, over a bed of corn and mashed bread feed.

Raymond reckons that soaking his corn in halibut marine oil for three days previously pulled in the eels: “I’ve had success doing this for tench before and when I hooked the first eel I actually thought it was a record tench,” he said. “Then it started going backwards in that giveaway eel style. I didn’t even know there was any in the water. My personal best was 6lb 3oz before this and I’ve had a few 5lb’ers on deadbaits but these latest two were pure luck!”