42lb tope on sandeel

Stuart Webber’s lure fishing trip, turned into a session to remember when he landed this giant 42lb 12oz tope.

The keen sea angler was spinning for pollack off Baggy Point in Croyde, Devon, using frozen sandeel on a size 2/0 hook when the huge specimen took hold.

Miraculously Stuart managed to land the fish on just 25lb fluorocarbon line but soon returned to the same area with stronger gear in the hope of more tope and landed a 30lb fish on fresh mackerel bait just days later.

 


100lb Mixed Nets At Tranquil Westwood Lakes

It has been an excellent summer for Westwood Lakes Fishery with match records tumbling on two of the venues four lakes and plans being submitted for building a further three lakes on the complex, it is fast becoming one of the top fisheries in the East of England.

One of the top lakes at the Lincolnshire fishery is the 30-peg Kestrel Lake. This pool has seven islands, depths of around 6ft and has built up a reputation as one of the best stillwater barbel pools in the country, with fish to 13.5lb present. There are also tonnes of carp, ide and chub in here as 100lb pleasure nets would tesitfy but if you want to target the barbel alone then you best bet is the fish either in the margins or at around 5m. Baits such as worms, prawns, maggots or meat will all work for these fish and the best tactic is to fish for them on the pole or waggler on the deck. For a mixed net of carp which average around 3.5lb, ide and chub your best bet is to opt for either the Method feeder tight to one of the islands or pellet waggler in open water, fishing shallow. 8mm banded pellet is best for this method, feeding smaller versions. Chopped worm and caster, fished shallow is another tactic worth employing for the big ide and chub which go to 5lb.

Last month Martin Kirk broke the match record from peg 1 on Hawk Lake (20 pegs) with a net of 150lb 4oz and this featured mainly small carp and F1’s. Anglers on here fish across to the far side with pellet as well as in the margins for the barbel which average around 1lb and can be caught on worm or meat.
The match record also fell recently on Skylark Lake with a 176lb mixed net falling to meat and pellet on the pole. This water contains carp, F1’s, barbell, tench and skimmers. You can easily catch 70lb of silverfish on this lake fishing maggot short but if you want the carp too then fish to the far bank with pellet over a pellet and groundbait feed. The fish average around 1.5lb in here and you can expect a-fish-a-chuck action.

TIP: Chopped worm and caster is a key bait at this venue so arm yourself with some worms, a pair of scissors and some casters. Try flavouring the mix with some Bait-Tech Predator Plus liquid for extra potency.

Prices: £6 a day
Contact: 01205 724162, www.westwoodlakes.co.uk
Location: Westwood Lakes, Five House Lane, Boston, Lincolnshire, PE21 7JA
Rules: Barbless only, no braid, no fixed feeders, no floating baits, no dog or cat meat, fishery own nets, no keepnets, no left over bait to be thrown in
Facilities: Toilets, café, tackle and bait shop (open 7 days a week), accommodation


New personal-best barbel on a boilie

In-form specimen angler Chris Mutton increased his barbel personal best for the third time this season when he took this 13lb 3oz fish from the Warwickshire Avon.

After selecting to fish a renowned swim on a stretch close to his Coventry home, he cast out a feeder  filled with a mixture of pellets and groundbait in conjunction with a 3 Foot Twitch Flaming Sizzle boilie.

“This is my 12th double of the season and it beats my previous best by 2oz. I’ve done a lot of short sessions in recent weeks and this approach has definitely paid off,” explained Chris.

 

 


Personal-best grayling for Adam Perna at 2lb

A day of searching for a big grayling finally paid off for Adam Perna when he netted this 2lb specimen from a southern waterway.

The Oxfordshire-based angler fooled his new personal best for the species with a bunch of maggots presented alongside a simple feeder setup.

He has now revealed his intention to target the species more often in the coming months and said: “I found a deep pool that looked perfect to produce a bite and thankfully my hunch was right. I’m hoping to up my best yet again once the weather cools down.”

His successful rig was made up of 4lb mainline and a size 14 hook.


15lb zander highlight of a brace of doubles

This 15lb 4oz zander was the highlight of a brace of double figure fish for predator fishing fanatic James Sarkar.

Targeting a stretch of the River Severn near Worcester, the Sparsholt College student legered a roach to take his eighth double-figure zander – which is believed to be the biggest from the waterway this year – and later backed it up with a fish of 10lb 8oz.

The consultant for Pike Pro and Baitbox used size 4 trebles and 15lb mainline and said: “We found a spot with the boat that was slightly deeper, which was situated under an overhanging tree and this is where the big fish was hiding.” 


14-fish haul on new bait topped by 31lb mirror

Setting up in an unfancied swim paid dividends for Nathan Skelton who took a 14 fish haul from a tricky Milton Keynes syndicate water – this 31lb pb equalling mirror the highlight.
His catch also included 11 twenties with all of his fish falling to a new fishmeal boilie on test for Mistral Baits.

Faced with thick weed rising to the surface in places, the 20-year-old warehouse operative located a patch of silt around half a tennis court in size at 40 yards range and baited the feature with 3kg of 15mm and 20mm boilies.

“I arrived on the Thursday afternoon and had my first take on the Friday morning,” said the local rod. “I then landed a 24lb ghostie in the afternoon and while I was unhooking it my other rod burst in to life. I quickly sorted the ghostie out and then proceeded to land the 31lb mirror.”

Nathan used a combination of 20mm bottom baits and snowman hookbaits which he mounted on simple rigs tied with 8ins of Korda N-Trap and Choddy hooks.
“It was the first time I’ve used this bait so it was a real confidence booster to have such a good haul of fish on it. One or two fish over a weekend is normally a good result at this lake.

“The swim I was in often gets overlooked and is rarely fished. When I arrived I could see a number of carp grouped up in front of it so there was no way I was going to ignore it,” he added.


New personal-best common moments before end of session

A seldom-caught 40 provided Ash Bradbury with a new personal-best common.
The Tails Up director banked the ‘Big Grey Common’ from an Essex syndicate at 45lb 10oz just moments before his session was set to come to an end.

The 32-year-old explained: “I had decided not to fish in August with various family and work commitments, but my grandfather had fallen ill and sadly passed away on the Wednesday morning, so after spending the day with the family I got home feeling emotionally drained and tired.

“There was only one thing to do – take a couple of days off and go fishing.”

Having found spots in the weed, Ash lost a fish and banked a couple of tench on the final morning of his overnighter, before his target fish picked up his middle rod seconds before he was about to reel it in.

“I had to pick my chin up off the floor she looked that big,” said Ash. “If it was a parting gift from my granddad it was definitely the best I could have asked for.”

Ash fed 3kg of mixed pellets and tigers over whole and crushed Tails Up OCM boilies. His hookbait was a buoyant 14mm OCM bait tipped with fake corn.


Last trip to Hampshire Avon produces 5lb 4oz mullet

Ian Fegan’s last ever session on the Hampshire Avon ended in success as he banked a 5lb 4oz mullet.

The Merseyside-based rod made the five hour drive to the Royalty Fishery to enjoy a day on the famous stretch before returning to his home in Australia.

A popped-up boilie helped fool a 4lb 6oz chub but it was a switch to rolling meat that resulted in the surprise specimen.

“I’m going to miss fishing for such a large range of species once I return to Brisbane but this was a great way to end my coarse fishing antics in the UK,” explained Ian.

 


Biggest chub of the season for former Olympian Dean Macey

Dean Macey described this 6lb 10oz chub – his biggest of the season so far - as ‘one of his most exciting captures ever.’

Arriving at a southern river, the former Olympic decathlete found most of the going swims taken so decided to get his walking boots on and go in search of a new spot.

“After an hour I spotted a dark tail glide under a bush in no more than a foot of water so I headed upstream and located a deeper channel to try and draw it out in to,” he said.

An hour spent feeding Hinders Elips pellets eventually attracted a few fish and another hour spent introducing Mainline Grange boilie chops had the big fish feeding confidently.

“I freelined half a boilie chop on a size 12 Korda Mixa hook and in the blink of an eye it was gone and before I knew it, the fish was in the net. In the water she looked every ounce of 7lb but she was so empty and came in slightly under.”


Dolphin was far from home in River Dee

Officials from the Environment Agency were left stunned after they filmed a dolphin in Chester’s River Dee!

Staff were conducting routine flood defence maintenance on the waterway when they witnessed the rare site and it is believed the dolphin swam up the river during the high spring tide.

It is the first time that officers have seen one of the species in the popular fishing venue, although rumours have arisen to suggest a similar sighting was reported around eight years ago.

The impressive mammal has since been rescued by the RNLI and carried back out to sea.

 


TV presenter bags bream at Lake John

TV star Les Dennis proved he is as capable on the bank as he is in front of an audience when he caught a big net of bream at Lake John Fishery.

The former Family Fortunes presenter has become a regular at the Essex venue and took advice from local experts to catch a series of fish to 3lb during his latest outing.

Complex boss Colin Bartlett was on hand to pass on his top tips. He said: “Les told us he hadn’t been fishing for a while and initially it showed! A few tweaks to his approach and he was soon getting bites on a regular basis though.”


Brace of 30lb carp after change of swim

A change of swims paid dividends for Matt Eaton with a brace of 30s from a southern stillwater.

The Greys and Chub-backed rod explained: “I spent the whole day walking the lake and I found fish in several different areas but not in any numbers, so ended up in a swim that I had fished a few times recently. 

“I caught a small mirror the following morning but didn't see much activity so wound in for another look around.  There were a lot of fish bubbling at the opposite end of the lake so I moved up there.  I fed the swim with a kilo of the ever-consistent Cell and placed two pop-ups over the top. 

“During the night one of the baits was picked up and, after a fierce fight which wiped out the other rod, I landed a mirror of 39lb 12oz.  Another mirror, which managed to weed me up twice, was banked a few hours later at 31lb 4oz."
 
 


In

Forgotten-lake gem for Adam Firth

Making the most of limited angling time paid off for Korum angler, Adam Firth when he managed to slip the net under a stunning Shropshire stillwater 26lb 2oz common.

After finding the venue on Google Earth, a bit of research revealed a forgotten gem - a day ticket fishery, lost in time with £2.50 tickets and honesty box system.

“I wasn’t really sure what the lake held when I started, but fancied a challenge,” said Adam.

On only his second night on the venue he received a slowly twitchy take which he thought was a bream until he netted it.

“Peering in to the net I saw a large golden flank shining in the early morning light. It went 26lb 2oz on the scales, my second overnighter on the lake, first bite and an old Shropshire common in my arms.”

Adam used a Sonubaits Code Red 18mm hookbait on a 15lb Avid Captive Coated Braid hooklink and a size 4 Avid LSK hook.


320lb porbeagle shark off Whitby

The Yorkshire coast played host to the capture of another huge shark last week with the landing of this huge 320lb porbeagle by 21-year-old Bradford angler Ben Kitchingman.

Caught during a two-day trip aboard Whitby-based fishing charter boat Shy Torque, anchored around 27 miles offshore, the giant shark follows Sam Ward’s 360lb fish of the same species which was also landed on Shy Torque less than two months ago.

Ben, who is a member of Bradford & District Sea Angling Club said: “I have never caught a shark before despite going on several trips out of Illfracombe in Cornwall so I decided to have a try on my uncle’s boat. I couldn’t believe my luck as it was the only one caught during the trip. I never had a harness so it took me over two and a half hours to land.”

The fish took a whole mackerel bait on a size 10/0 hook, tied to 50lb mainline line.


Hunch pays off for 14lb barbel

When you’re targeting big river fish there’s a lot to be said for listening to your gut instincts – as proved by Simon Buckman when his first visit to a new stretch produced this fin-perfect 14lb 8oz barbel.

He’s the first to admit that the swim he selected on a river in the south of the UK wasn’t one that he’d usually opt for, but after getting ‘a hunch’ that barbel were in the area, the West Sussex-based big fish hunter set his trap.

Two 15 mm Dynamite Baits Source boilies were mounted on a hair-rig and cast out in the early hours of the morning and it wasn’t long before what turned out to be his only bite of the session, resulted in the capture of only his second barbel of the year.

 “The swim that I fished didn’t immediately scream barbel, but I just had a feeling that it could produce one, so I just trusted my instincts and it really paid off ,” Simon  told Angling Times.

“I’ve fished plenty of nights this year without any success and it’s been really tough going, but this has more than made up for it.

“It’s easy to get used to fishing the same stretches and swims that you know like the back of your hand because familiarity breeds confidence. But this catch is perfect proof that it’s always worth ringing the changes whether it’s a new venue, swim, tactic or bait.”

Simon’s rig featured a 4oz inline lead and his baits were fished in conjunction with a size 6 Drennan Super Specialist hook.

 


Get in the edge - Why margins are the best features to target

Whether fishing a giant lake or a tiny pool the margins – either tight up against an island or just in front of the bank - are always one of the biggest features. They almost always hold carp as they provide the fish with a natural patrol route.

Regardless of what other features the lake holds it's always worth getting the marker rod out and checking what's under your feet as well as up against any large permanent structures such as islands, reed-beds and the far bank.

I have been fishing a lake were just one rod length out you get a depth of 15ft deep whereas the rest of the lake is less than eight feet. That's a massive feature, especially as 90 per cent of the anglers would have cast directly over it in to the open water.

In most cases the margins are shallower than the rest of the lake which allows a larger range of weeds to grow. This in turn produces a greater amount of natural food alongside being the area where most anglers throw all their remaining bait after a session.

Most man-made lakes will have gradually sloping margins as that's the way they are excavated by the diggers. Older lakes will be different as the margins will have silted up at different rates depending on what vegetation is close by.

In a shallow margin you are likely to encounter vegetation such as weed or reeds. As well as holding lots of natural food, carp feel safe in weed.

Polished gravel spots or areas of smooth silt are a sure sign that the carp have visited the spots before. The shallow spots are better in the warmer months as the water temperature will be higher.

Deeper margins will normally hold less vegetation as the light won't be able to penetrate all the way down to the bottom. Despite this they will still hold a large quantity of natural food like bloodworm. The gullies are always worth looking at especially in the winter months.

With so many options available you can almost always find a suitable spot or two in the edge whatever the time of year.

Stalking carp in the edge is one of my favourite methods and as I try and do it on a regular basis I have geared my setup to make the experience as exciting as possible. You can use whatever rod you want but if you’re creeping through bankside vegetation a shorter rod makes the job a lot easier.

I use a 6ft Century T1 Tree Stalker which is perfect for getting in among those little holes that a 12ft rod wouldn’t. Reel choice is also down to the individual. Personally, for all work under 30 yards I use a centrepin - it gives you more of a direct fight with the fish and makes the whole experience more fun.

Few things in angling are more exciting than watching the fish feeding and actually picking up your hookbait.

If you’re in gin-clear water it’s important to make sure your rig blends in with lakebed. If you can see it from the bank then a carp will definitely see it when feeding. I use Gardner’s Covert range of end tackle which comes in a variety of colours to blend in with any lakebed type.

I always use a super slack line and a fluorocarbon mainline such as Mirage will keep everything pinned down and out the way of any feeding fish.

The advantage of watching fish taking your bait is that over time you can work out what rigs work best in certain situations. We all get done by fish but by tweaking your rigs accordingly you will maximise your pick-up to hooked ratio.

On my latest session I was fishing over a very hard, shallow spot. In this situation I favoured a short combi-rig tied with 4ins Gardner Subterfuge Super Stiff and 1ins of supple Trickster braid.

The hookbait was threaded on to a standard hair-rig with a short piece of shirk tubing steamed over the eye.

When fishing over a small bed off dark Hinders and Mainline pellets I’ve found that a bright white Milky Toffee pop-up will get me a pick up a lot faster than if I just use a matching pellet hookbait.

I’ve found that having a buoyant bait that just lifts the hook off the deck dramatically increases my catch rate.

When I first tried the white hookbait I thought the fish would see it and instantly spook. The complete opposite happened though. I dropped the rig over a bed off pellets and the first fish that entered the swim clocked the white bait, swam directly towards it and sucked it up before any other freebie.

Since then I’ve caught countless fish using this method so in any shallow water stalking situation I always try a bright hookbait first as opposed to a natural bait.

I always attach a small PVA bag off pellets to prevent the hook from snagging on any weed as well as creating a small pile of attraction around the hookbait.

Bait choice depends on the venue and time of year. In the warmer months oily pellets are by far the best for getting a quick feeding response. In the winter a maggot and hemp mix is more effective. My pellets are a mix between Hinders Little Gemz , Hinders large pellet combo and Mainline Response pellets. The different sizes keep the fish feeding in the swim for longer.

To make them even more effective I soak them in Hinders Salmon and Tuna Oil and Mainline Fossil Oil. I start to apply the oil way before the session and continuously add more until a day before. After being oiled up pellets will become darker and give off a massive slick which will help pull the carp in.


Ladywood Lakes' first forty

Police Ladetective Mike Parris apprehended one of Yorkshire’s most wanted in the shape of Ladywood Lakes’ first 40-pounder.

The local copper caught Lady Kamara from the West Yorkshire venue’s specimen lake at a top weight of 40lb 2oz during a 12-hour day session with his 11-year-old daughter.

Mike, from nearby Mirfield, took a total of seven carp from a windward bay between 6am and 6pm.

He told Angling Times: “I was in a back bay – peg seven, I think – because there was a strong westerly wind that had been blowing in there for a couple of days.

“I had four carp, all between 10lb and 14lb, before my left-hand rod, which was cast about 30 yards to a slightly deeper area, was picked up at about 11.30am. I struck into it and knew it was a better fish as it just carried on going.

“Eventually I got it in and my 11-year-old daughter Emily helped me net it. I knew instantly it was Lady Kamara and I thought it was a good 30 as it had previously come out at around 35lb.

“When we settled on 40lb 2oz I was elated to say the least.”

Mike deliberately kept free offerings to a minimum and fished small PVA bags of the fishery’s own halibut pellets together with Essex Premium Baits’ Milky Toffee pop-ups on size eight Korda Kurv Shank hooks.

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Rule breach costs matchman a £1,500 payout

A top match angler lost out on a £1,500 prize after being disqualified for rule breaking.

Daiwa and Guru angler Andy Bennett was competing in the five day festival at Staffordshire’s Heronbrook Fisheries and accumulated a brace of section wins in the first two days.

His form continued into day three when he bagged 277lb from peg 7 on Match Lake but controversy struck when bosses accused him of cheating.

Before the tournament had begun owner Neil Dale told entrants that cutting back any vegetation was forbidden. “I made it clear this would not be tolerated and I caught Andy trimming reeds in his swim,” he said. “Every peg is fishable and anyone caught cheating will have their result from that match wiped off.”

Despite the incident, Andy fished the two final days and bagged zonal victories in each. The disqualification, however, meant he dropped down the leaderboard and missed out on overall glory.

“I was outside when it was announced that cutting swims was banned and although I admit I tried to do it, I never actually removed anything from my swim,” explained Andy, who was adamant he was treated harshly.

“All my fish were caught on the long pole and I didn’t catch a single fish in the margins. I’ve blatantly been robbed of the victory,” he added.

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Google slammed over licence adverts

The Angling Trust is once again calling on Google to remove ads for websites that charge an administration fee for rod licences.

The Post Office website is the only official source of rod licences, but at least two sites sell the permits for inflated prices. This practice is entirely legal, but many anglers are drawn to adverts for these more expensive sites when searching for rod licences on Google.

The trust claims the adverts were removed after a BBC report on the issue, but have since re-appeared. The Environment Agency is forbidden from advertising rod licences so cannot compete for screen space with these ‘secondary’ websites which can charge an additional £20 for each licence.

Angling Trust chief executive Mark Lloyd said: “We urge Google to do the decent thing and remove these sponsored links to these appalling sites for good.  It is suspicious that the sites were removed when Google’s spokesman was put on the spot on the radio, but then mysteriously re-appeared.”