25lb barbel brace ends run of blanks
A run of blank sessions on the River Loddon came to a welcome end for Mark Erdwin with the capture of two barbel for a combined weight of over 25lb.
The biggest of his brace topped the scales at 14lb and came an hour in to a short evening trip on the Reading waterway after picking up his trimmed down 18mm boilie hookbait which had been glugged and wrapped in paste.
“It was a typical barbel bite that really pulled the rod tip round,” said Mark. “It hugged the bottom and powered off downstream before I eventually coaxed it back to the net. At 14lb it is a new venue best for me.”
He then rounded of the session with the capture of an 11lb barbel. Both fish were beaten with rigs tied with 18ins of 12lb Drennan Sink Braid and size 8 Ashima hooks.
Burghfield thirty for Ed Betteridge
Berkshire's daunting Burghfield Lake held no fear for Ed Betteridge as he banked this 30lb 2oz mirror as part of a two-fish catch.
The Greys and Chub media manager stalked the pair from a bay at the 96-acre water which is home to a 55lb-plus common carp.
Ed said: “I found two fish sunning themselves in a bay, so I thought this was as good an option as any, so I dropped in for the night and managed to bank two carp – one at 26lb 8oz and this 30lb 2oz mirror.
“Both fish were caught from right under my rod tips which goes to show that my Greys 3.5lb-test-curve AirCurves really are an all-round playing and long-distance casting rod.”
Both fish fell to Mainline Hybrid boilies on reverse snowman setups incorporating size six Korda Wide Gape hooks and 20lb N-Trap material.
Sergeant bags a Sandhurst 30
Setting up in a weed choked swim proved successful for Mike Bridges who landed one of Sandhurst Lake’s biggest commons at a weight of 37lb 8oz.
It was the first time the Wiltshire-based armed forces sergeant had tackled the famous Yateley day-ticket water and on arrival he was met with the news that the venue had been fishing very hard and had been extremely busy over the bank holiday weekend.
“After walking round I couldn’t see any sign of the fish so I followed my gut instinct and set up in a really weedy swim as I thought the fish could be held up in it,” Mike told Angling Times. “My plan was to trickle some bait in during the day and rest my swim – which is something I always do on day-ticket waters – while everyone else threw markers and spods all over the place.”
Later that evening he cast out three naked chod rigs baited with 16mm Sticky Krill pop-ups soaked in Cap Oil directly in to the weed at 80 yards range.
“I slackened everything off and put out a few kilos of boilies. The rods had only been out 10 minutes when one of my bobbins pulled up tight. An epic battle lasting 30 minutes followed before my friend Ben Hutt netted what was clearly a big common. I was later told that the fish was one known as Bubble Tail and is a very rare visitor to the bank and one of Sandhurst’s A-team.”
Angler fish on final day
Fred MacDonald polished off a fantastic three month fishing break in Cornwall by landing this strange looking angler fish on his final day at sea.
The Bradford rod originally planned to catch a shark, bass and conger while aboard Andy Howell’s 16ft ‘Obsession’ out of Falmouth and although he managed to land all three, including a 75lb blue shark, the keen angler then went on a mini species hunt over the remaining weeks of his stay, catching a further 28 species, along with this 36lb 1oz angler.
Skipper Andy Howell said: “the fishing has been excellent this year with so many exotic species around.”
More cash pledge for England
The new chairman of the Angling Trust has vowed to increase funding for the English national teams.
George Stephenson has taken over the position from Mike Heylin after being selected from a number of high quality applicants and has identified a number of priorities for the organisation including accelerating the growth in membership and continuing to develop the relationships with Sport England and the Environment Agency to deliver the National Angling Strategy.
But one of his main objectives is get the national teams the support he believes they deserve. “We have the best teams in the world but they don’t get anywhere near the sponsorship they should, it’s ludicrous,” he told Angling Times. “In the near future I hope to secure the arrival of major sponsors so that the teams get the funding they should.”
George, who now lives on a farm in Wiltshire which includes two miles of the River Nadder and a carp lake, has been a passionate all round angler since the age of 4, catching coarse, sea and game fish throughout the UK and around the world including a 23lb pike from the River Wye, a 32lb salmon from Iceland, a 96lb Nile Perch and a 30lb carp from the UK.
He spent 25 years in Africa running safari camps before setting up a highly successful business arranging fishing expeditions throughout the world.
Mark Lloyd, Chief Executive of the Angling Trust and Fish Legal said: “On behalf of all the staff and volunteers, I would like to thank Mike Heylin for the immense amount of time, energy and enthusiasm he has given to the Angling Trust. His dedication to angling and fisheries over 40 years has culminated with a huge contribution to the formation and early development of our unified representative body. I am very grateful to George Stephenson for volunteering to take on this role and I am looking forward very much to working alongside him and the rest of the board to build on our success so far.”
Fisheries Minister Richard Benyon has also welcomed his appointment: “I know of George’s work and his knowledge and experience of the world of angling and fisheries will, I’m sure, be very useful to the Trust in the next stage of its development.”
Big pike shock on trout lake
A trout fishing session turned in to a memorable predator trip for Tom Rowlands with the capture of perch to 3lb 14oz and pike to over 30lb.
The Stoke-on-Trent-based postman had been invited to fish a large 750-acre midlands reservoir by a couple of friends but after a couple of unsuccessful hours for the trout he turned his attentions to the perch after spotting a large shoal of the species.
“I had a couple of pike flies in my bag so I dug out an imitation rainbow trout pattern with a size 1/0 hook as I thought that this is what the fish would be feeding on,” the 28-year-old told Angling Times. “The fish started hitting the flies straight away and in a short space of time I landed five or six perch all of which were over 3lb to a best of 3lb 14oz.
“The perch suddenly seemed to drift off so I moved the boat further along the dam wall. I’d cast my fly about 20 yards out in front of the boat and after a few minutes something took it that obviously wasn’t a perch. I hadn’t seen any pike in the area but assumed that one was responsible and it also explained the sudden disappearance of the perch.
“The fish went on a couple of longs runs before I got her closer to the boat and got a good look at what I was attached to – my legs literally went to jelly. I knew she was going to beat my old pb for the species of 21lb and was delighted to see the scales settle just a couple of ounces over 30lb.”
Shortly after returning the impressive predator he landed a second pike of 21lb 4oz.
“The potential of this water is incredible. The water quality is excellent and there is tons of weed filled with natural food. Some of the perch I saw in the water were easily double the size of the ones I caught and there must be bigger pike in there too,” he added.
Chard Reservoir Has Something To Please Everyone
Hidden deep in the Somerset countryside lies the beautiful Chard Reservoir. This 38-acre venue has been playing host to some fantastic bream catches this summer with nets over 100lb consistently recorded in club matches.
Built in 1842 to provide water for the local canal, the venue which is controlled by Chard and District Angling Club, is surrounded by mature trees, providing anglers with not only a scenic, peaceful days fishing but a great days sport too.
The Reservoir is stocked with carp up to 35lb, bream to 7lb, roach to 2lb, eels to 4lb as well as double figure Pike. It is therefore popular amongst specimen carp anglers with swims of generous size and plenty of fish to go at. Best tactics tend to be fishing boilies over a bed of spod mix.
However, the majority of anglers who visit do so for its prime silverfish nets. Most matches are won here with triple figure nets of bream but you can also quite easily record a 30lb net of roach for whenever the slabs don’t play ball or if you prefer to float fish and enjoy fish-a-chuck action. The most successful tactics for the big bream seems to be sweet groundbait in an open ended feeder with corn, maggot or worm as hookbait. The swims on the dam wall are often the best in matches but you can catch from anywhere on the lake. You are advised to bring a platform when fishing this venue to make life easier when landing fish due to the venues shallow margins. For the roach, a simple light rig with a 4x14 pole float will suffice unless it is windy then step up to 1-gram or more. Simply loose feed maggot or caster at around 10m and change depth until you find the fish.
TIP: When pole fishing for roach, try fishing beyond your feed every so often as this is where some of the bigger roach to 1lb might be lurking
Prices: £10 non club members or £8 for members, 24 hours fishing allowance two rods maximum
Contact: Chard & District Angling Club, 07704 632077 www.chardanddistrictanglingclub.co.uk
Location: Chard Reservoir, Chaffcombe Lane, Chard, Somerset, TA20 1RR
Rules: No keepnets, no livebaiting, no bait boats, no tins, un-hooking mats to be used for carp
Barbel And More At Nene Backwater
East Anglia may be noted for the quality of its commercial-water fishing, but there’s plenty for the river angler to get their teeth into as well.
Take the beautiful River Nene, Castor Backwater five miles from the city of Peterborough. This day-ticket offshoot from the River Nene has rightly been gaining a reputation for the quality of its barbel fishing, but there’s much more to Castor Backwater than barbel.
Meandering a couple of miles from a weir at the top end, the backwater has all the features the roving angler would want.
There are fast gravelly runs, where earlier in the season barbel could be seen spawning (fishing was banned on this stretch then), slower areas on the inside of bends, and abundant weed and reeds. It all makes for the perfect location for angler after a specimen river fish. Apart from those barbel – several fish into double figures have been taken over the past few seasons – there are lots of chub with most fish over 3lb.
In addition, a surprising number of carp have been seen during the past month, including some large koi which were probably released from garden ponds, and there are rumours of big perch as well.
The normal roving tactics all work; for a big-fish approach, try anchoring a boilie or two on the bottom with a 2oz lead between weedbeds. Luncheon meat and pellets is other favourite offerings, and far less selective. You’ll get chub, barbel and maybe even a surprise bream or two on this.
A lighter approach with a link leger works well for the chub, while anglers can enjoy good sport on maggots with small fish from those swims that can be fished with a float.
Whatever you do, though, travel light; Caster Backwater is a fishery that rewards a travelling approach.
TOP TIP
When barbel fishing, introduce a few broken-up boilies to the swim, to complement t your hookbaits.
Venue fact file
Location: Castor Backwater, Station Road, Ailsworth, Peterborough, Cambs, PE8 4DE
Prices: £5 a day, Peterborough DAA
Contact: Club secretary Andy Jackson, tel: 01778 346698
Rules: Specimen anglers must carry an unhooking mat and substantial landing net.
Manor linear out at 41lb 6oz
Nathan Bailey christened a new set of rods with the capture of the largest carp in Essex’s Manor Farm syndicate.
The Reading angler has dedicated his summer to targeting the famous water and was rewarded by taking a spawned-out Northern Linear at 41lb 6oz.
He explained: “With the venue being so far away and having a nine-’til-five job in IT I’m pretty much limited to booking time off as holiday to fish the venue. I like to do these in chunks so I can keep in tune with the lake for that period of time, so with this in mind I booked off Monday to Wednesday off for five weeks running, starting from mid-July.
“On my fourth session I arrived on Sunday evening and decided to go in a swim where I had seen the carp at night in recent weeks, and with the added bonus that it wasn’t fished the night before I thought this would be a great starting point.
“I decided to double up the rods on one spot on the exact area where I had seen them and put out a kilo of bait fairly tight at 30 yards’ range.
“At midnight I had a very twitchy take. I reeled down and lent into a carp which gave a decent account of itself. When I lifted the fish out it certainly felt heavier than first thought. When it was on the mat I was a bit baffled about what fish it was, but was obviously over the moon when it registered a weight of 41lb 6oz.
“After a good look with a fellow syndicate member it turned out to be a very spawned-out Northern Linear, which is normally the biggest resident – result! This was my first trip out with my new Greys Isoflex rods, so what a fantastic way to christen them!”
Near-forty first trip
A crayfish-disrupted first session on a new water didn’t stop Mark Baker from catching one of the biggest carp in the lake.
The Colchester rod made the trip across Essex to Fryerning Fisheries and came away with a 39lb 4oz mirror – a fish that normally tops 40lb.
Having arrived close to darkness, Mark baited a marginal area and was woken by a savage line bite the following morning, but nothing materialised.
He said: “I decided that something wasn't right and reeled in to check my rigs and found that I’d been done by crayfish. Having never fished a water with crays before I was left scratching my head as to what to do next.”
After covering his baits in shrink tube, Mark spotted a couple of fish rolling at about 150 yards and managed to fire a chod rig baited with a Frank Warwick Baits Pineapple pop-up to within 10 yards of them.
He said: “Only 10 minutes later my bobbin just pulled up tight and stayed there. I initially felt nothing and started cranking the rig back towards me thinking nothing was there, when all of a sudden the rod hooped over as I obviously caught up with the fish that was swimming towards me. The fish then changed direction and headed back out towards the far margin, flat rodding me and continually going on long hard runs, stripping line from a tight clutch.”
Having called for assistance from a friend, Mark managed eventually to net the fish. He said: “It was then that I realised I’d caught one of the lake’s 10 known forties on my first session. She was a little bit down in weight due to spawning but I couldn't care less as she was a stunning old warrior of a carp.”
Second barbel ever - 16lb 15oz
Novice barbel angler Chad Critchley brushed aside his lack of experience when his second ever example of the species turned out to be this 16lb 15oz specimen from the Derbyshire Derwent.
The Nottingham-based rod only began targeting barbel three months ago but became the envy of many seasoned big fish hunters when the impressive fish fell for a halibut pellet hookbait during a short evening session.
Having banked just one smaller barbel of 9lb during his short obsession with the waterway, he was determined to land his first double and headed to a likely looking hotspot just before dark.
A small crease was baited before a running leger rig - made up of 15lb mainline, a coated braid hooklink of the same strength and a size 10 hook - was placed over the top.
His rig had only been in position for less than an hour when he was called into action.
“The fish tore off and it was instantly clear that I was into one of the venue’s big barbel. Once near the net, I got a glimpse of it and it looked huge – I was just praying that the hook would hold in place,” said Chad, who fell just 3oz short of breaking the river record.
“I’m a keen fly angler and I’ve also caught carp to over 40lb but this is by far my greatest angling accomplishment to date.”
Despite having achieved what many experienced specimen anglers could only dream of, he is already planning on increasing his personal best again.
“I have fished a lot of sections on the Derwent and seen some fish that could well have been bigger than this one. I’m gaining more knowledge as I go along and I certainly wouldn’t rule out beating my pb again this season,” he added.
Boat bass weighs 16lb
A late season bass session produced the goods for Barry Seabrook when he landed this 16lb specimen from a popular off-shore mark.
The Kent-based rod boarded his own boat at Herne Bay, Kent and headed out to an area that had a history of producing big fish.
He then offered a mackerel fillet hookbait and it wasn’t long before he received the all-important bite. A short battle followed before the huge specimen was lifted in to the boat.
For more details on fishing in the region visit www.hernebayangling.co.uk
Korum Carp Rods Facebook Competition Winner
Congratulations Darragh Mcgilloway from Manchester! You have won a set of three Korum 3.5lb Carp Rods in the Angling Times Facebook competition which ran last week.
A new competition will be announced later today on the Angling Times Facebook page - www.facebook.com/anglingtimes
Lodge Farm Fishery Is In Great Form
In a region which offers anglers plenty of options when it comes to commercial fisheries, Lodge Farm does not always receive the coverage it deserves but with the quality of fishing on the complex at an all-time high, anglers who have yet to visit the venue have been missing out.
Pleasure and match weights have been exceeding 200lb on some of its five lakes this summer, making it an ideal location if you want to enjoy a day bagging up. One of the best lakes to do this on is Field Lake. This predominantly carp style, 38-pegged water has depths of 7-8ft and contains carp averaging around 2-4lb with the odd bigger lump. There are also plenty of ide in here which can be caught on pellet shallow or chopped worm and caster, along with bream, chub and F1’s. For the biggest weights though, you have to target the carp which can be taken from anywhere on the lake using different tactics. With the mornings beginning cooler the fish are now being found on the deck so you can fish meat or paste in the margins or long at around 13m. If you do want to bring them up in the water then the pellet banded at 13m will work, flicking pellets over the top and this method will bring you more if smaller fish.
For bigger carp averaging 5-8lb then you may prefer to set your stall out on the venue’s Long Island Pool. On here anglers catch well using the pellet or Method feeder tight to the island or by using the same tactics found on Field Lake. Stronger gear is required here as some of the carp go to 25lb.
Alternatively for more of a challenge but the chance to scrap with a carp of 15-20lb then the mature Top Pool is the place to be. The fish in here are renowned for their fighting capabilities and the bigger fish are said to be easier to catch than the smaller 4lb stockie carp. Hooklinks of 0.18 minimum are the norm on here and you are advised not to fish too tight to features as carp will tear off very quickly once hooked. This lake also contains tench and bream but more notably perch to 4.5lb often make an appearance with anglers using red maggot to target them.
TIP: On the Top Pool, fish on the top shelf in the shallower water and feed every second fish for the best sport.
Prices: £5 a day, £4 concessions, £6.50 match pegs
Contact: 07815 030694, www.lodgefarmfisheries.co.uk
Location: Lodge Farm Fisheries, Scrooby Top, Doncaster, South Yorkshire, DN10 6AX
Rules: Barbless only, no keepnets, No elasticated hook length feeders, no braid, no floating baits, 1kg groundbait or pellets max, fishery own pellets, landing nets to be used for all fish, no boilies
Facilities: café, toilets, disabled pegs and access
Target temped on return visit
Sean Leverett made a successful return to the Vinnetrow syndicate, landing the venue’s most sought after resident – this huge 51lb 15oz mirror - on his first session on the venue since early June.
Arriving for a two night session on the Chichester gravel pit the Essex-based Sticky consultant did a couple of laps of the water and eventually decided to head to a swim known as the Lawns where he had seen the majority of the activity.
After finding a couple of suitable areas out in the lake he cast out two simple bottom bait rigs baited with The Krill boilies and fed around 1.5 kilos of 16mm boilies along with a couple of kilos of mixed Bloodworm Extract and Krill pellets which had been coated in Krill Powder and then glugged in Cap Oil.
“The first bite came 24 hours in which turned out to be the Baby Lin at 27lb 8oz,” Sean told Angling Times. “Then in the early hours I had a belting take and after a lengthy battle I landed my target fish – the Half Lin at 51lb 15oz. To cap it off, a couple of hours later the same rod was away again resulting in a scaly 26lb 10oz mirror.
“The capture bought an end to my time on the water and I’m now going to be turning my attentions back to the Roach Pit.”
Dave Harrell's biggest float-caught barbel
Perfecting a different way of trotting helped Angling Times columnist Dave Harrell catch his biggest ever float-caught barbel.
Tipping the scales 12lb 2oz, the huge fish fell during a session on the River Wye in Herefordshire, where Dave used an 8g alloy Avon float with a banded 8mm Bait-Tech fishmeal pellet hookbait.
“Instead of trotting with the reel’s bail arm open and letting line be pulled from the spool by the current, I kept the bail arm closed and backwound,” explained Dave, from Rugby, Warwickshire. “This allowed me to really slow the rig down and the difference was amazing. It won’t always work but when the fish are sluggish and don’t want to chase a bait too much, it can make a massive difference.”
In addition to the 12 pounder, the same set-up also tempted one of 8lb and two six pounder to round off a remarkable day on gin-clear river.
Shakespeare back on top of Division 1
The famous name of Shakespeare is once again at the top of the matchfishing tree after the West Midlands outfit won the Angling Trust Division One National on the Trent & Mersey Canal, proving their mastery of shallow canals where small fish are the target.
Champions a few years back on the Staffs/Worcester Canal, Shakespeare took this year’s silverware by a 13 point margin from eternal bridesmaids Maver Image who were second for the third time in five years with Daiwa Dorking finishing third a further 13 points in arrears on a day that saw big fish non-existent on the canal around Rugeley and Burton-upon-Trent, making it an out and out small fish contest.
And that suited Shakespeare just fine as their combination of chopped worm and squatt lines wrung out every fish possible from their pegs to see them post 442 points from their ten men, with Jason Cunningham having a share of individual second alongside Kamasan Starlets youngster Matt Derry.
The honours there went to Ultimate Barnsley Blacks man Simon Fields but by the narrowest of margins as he lifted the individual silverware by just 10g with a 4-010 net of small fish from C section, the early section proving the place to be as they produced eight of the top ten places with less than a kilo covering the top ten anglers.
New Angling Times Issue 3125 out now!
Baden Hall bream a venue best at 16lb 7oz
Mark Bartlett set a new venue record at Staffordshire’s Baden Hall Fishery with this superb 16lb 7oz bream.
Finding a clear area at 70 yards on the Quarry Pool, the 29-year-old spodded out half a bucket of corn and casters. The specimen slab came in the early hours of the morning to a single grain of artificial corn on a size 7 Fox Arma Point SSBP hook, a 4ins 15lb Reflex hooklink and a 3oz inline lead. Bristol-based Mark, who is sponsored by Fox, Mainline and Hinders, presented a solid PVA bag of Little Gemz pellets.
He said: “I’d heard that a few big bream between 10lb and 13lb had been coming out so I kept my options open fishing sweetcorn for bream, tench or carp. I’m really pleased with this capture as it’s a fish of a lifetime and I’m sure it will grow much bigger as the Quarry Pool has such a rich water quality.”
At last it's a 3lb roach
A 30-year campaign to land a mammoth roach finally ended for top specimen angler Gary Knowles when he banked a series of fish to 3lb during a ‘session of a lifetime’.
The Korum-backed rod has spent large parts of his successful career chasing the species and gained his just rewards when he smashed his personal best no less than eight times during a visit to Scotland’s Lochnaw Castle Loch.
Having never set eyes on the 48-acre water, he sought local advice from those in the know and made the decision to bait up a clear shallow spot 40 yards out. Groundbait played a major part in the attack, with 15 balls of a 50/50 mix of Dynamite Baits Silver X Roach and Roach Black laced with a liberal amount of hemp catapulted over his chosen area.
Hookbait choices were less conventional, though, with 10mm Dynamite’s The Source and Sonubaits Oozing Pineapple boilies his preffered offerings.
“Boilies are an extremely underrated bait for big roach and previous guests had been successful on both fishmeal and fruit flavoured versions so I decided to hedge my bets,” explained Gary.
“I’m a big believer in keeping things simple and my rigs consisted of 6lb mainline, with a mini-helicopter rig set about eight inches above an open ended feeder and a size 12 PR39 eyed hook.”
With so much water for the stocks to roam in he had to wait patiently for the roach to move in over his baits, but once they did his first bite of the trip proved to be a memorable one.
“At around 1am the bobbin slammed into the butt ring and line fizzed off the baitrunner. The power of these roach was amazing but I knew my tackle was well balanced so leant into the fish and steered it away from the weed either side of the swim.”
“Once in the net it was clearly bigger than my previous best of 2lb 7oz and the scales registered a weight of 2lb 13oz – I was gobsmacked.”
Fully aware that the specimen redfins moved around in big shoals, he was confident that more action was on the cards. His hunch proved right as a number of other fish to over 2lb 8oz came in quick succession.
But the best was yet to come and in the latter stages of the session Gary hit a career landmark he never expected. He said: “I had a drop back bite and when I lifted into the fish it instantly felt heavy. I had a gut feeling this could be a very special fish and it turned out to be right as a fin-perfect roach of exactly 3lb was soon in the net.
“I’d have been ecstatic just breaking my personal best once on the trip but to do it time and time again and also land a ‘three’ was something that will stick with me forever.”
**Gary’s setup**
Mainline: 6lb Krystonite
Hooklink: Preston Innovations Powerline 5lb-14oz
Hooks: Preston Innovations PR39 (Debarbed)
Feeder: Korum 45g combi-feeder
Heli-rig: Korum ready Heli-kits
**Big Roach Tips**
1. Short hooklinks and heavy feeders produce an effective bolt rig for shy-biting roach.
2. Use a soft action rod - roach are prone to headshaking and a soft tip will absorb these lunges and prevent a hook pull.
3. Big roach love hemp. I use whole grains in my loose feed and crush it up in my feeder.
4. Be prepared to fish through the night - the biggest roach are generally nocturnal feeders.
5. Prior to fishing, visit the water at dusk. Big roach will often give their location away, topping on the surface at this time of day.
**For more details on the venue visit www.lochnawcastle.co.uk/fishery**
