Measles at 36lb 10oz

Fresh from partnering Ian Russell and Iain Macmillan at Linear’s Fish with the Stars event, Mike Smith used some of the knowledge he gained to smash his personal best with this 36lb 10oz lump.

The mirror, known as Measles, fell to a zig rig at Lancashire’s Pendle View Fisheries and bettered the Liverpudlian’s previous best by more than 10lb.

Mike explained: “After fishing with bottom baits and solid bags, changing to pop ups and having no luck, I decided to switch to zig rigs. After an hour I had a 10lb common and then lost another.

“The fishing then went quite for the remainder of the day and as we started to pack our gear away my left hand-rod gave two beeps , followed by a pause , then screamed off.”

After a 15-minute fight, venue regulars identified the fish as the lake’s second biggest resident and Mike “didn’t have to think twice” about jumping into the water for the photos.

The fish fell to a size 12 Korda Mixa hook and an Avid Zig Lite.