Ouse switch pays off

A change of swim proved fruitful for Derren Burr who landed this 6lb 7oz chub from the Great Ouse.

The 42-year-old manager of Browns Angling Centre in Haddenham arrived at section of the waterway just above Bedford at first light, but with only a couple of taps to show for his efforts by 10am he decided to move a few miles further upstream.

He said: “I settled on a bait and wait approach. And wait I did, as it was 3pm when my rod tip finally pulled round. I’ve only had limited time available to me so far this year and this was only my fourth trip to a running water venue.”

Derren fished a lobworm hookbait in conjunction with a small PVA bag of pellets on a 10lb Drennan hooklink and a size 6 Nash hook.


42lb pike landed from Chew Valley Reservoir

This is the exclusive picture the pike world has been waiting for - Ray Jones’ huge 42lb predator caught during the opening week of pike trials on Chew Valley Reservoir in Somerset.

The impressive specimen, which falls just 4oz short of the fishery record, was landed by the 63-year-old and capped an incredible seven day period on the Bristol Water controlled venue which saw three different thirties and 23 fish over the 20lb-barrier landed.

For the full details of the capture and a round-up of the other fish caught pick up a copy of Angling Times on sale Tuesday October 22.


Great month crowned by 48lb mirror

Bait baron Mark Casper topped an excellent September on Roach Pit with this 48lb 2oz mirror.

The Specialized Hook Baits owner managed a brace of 40s earlier in the month before the big girl came along in the early morning fog a few weeks later.

Having been part of the syndicate on the well-known Hampshire venue since April, Mark has gone on land 17 carp from the 27-acre water.

“I caught the 48 at about 4am in thick fog on a yet-to-be-released Specialized Hook Baits S3 bottom bait barrel, which was fished over a large bed of fermented garlic hemp on a shallow gravel feature at 35 yards.

“I used an Ace Razor Point BBP size 6 hook, tied to five inches of the 35lb ACE Camo-Core coated hooklink. This was fished with a 4oz lead on an ACE leadclip and 15lb Shimano Technium flourocarbon mainline.”

Mark’s earlier brace of 40s comprised a stunning 44lb 12oz linear and a dark mirror of 41lb 8oz.

 


String of twenties from Ardleigh Reservoir

This stunning 23lb 14oz mirror is one of a string of twenties caught from the daunting 130-acre Ardleigh Reservoir by Ray Davies.

The Colchester-based soldier in the Parachute Regiment has mainly been fishing short overnight sessions and has adopted a mobile approach to try and track down the venue’s small head of fish.

He said: “I’ve now decided to call it a day on Ardleigh having caught over 40 of this waters estimated 120 fish stock in my 2 years on the water, recaptures are starting to figure a lot.”

All of his fish were taken on a mixture of Sticky Krill and White Chocolate 16mm pop-ups fished over large beds of 20mm freezer baits on rigs tied with size 5 ESP Stiff Rigger hooks and 15lb Atomic Jel-E-Wyre hooklinks.


Jan Porter reunited with stolen tackle

One of the sport’s most loved personalities has been reunited with a vast array of his most treasured rods and reels following a heart-breaking robbery at his home.

Shimano’s Jan Porter was left devastated after crooks attacked his Warwickshire home and took almost every item of tackle he had collected over several decades.
Police officers opened an investigation to find those responsible for the crime but ‘The Man in Red’ was finally given reason to smile following a tip off from a friend.

While visiting a West Midlands car boot sale, his friend – who has not been named – approached a dealer who was selling large quantities of fishing tackle and instantly became suspicious after viewing a number of items.

A quick call to Jan helped confirm that he had stumbled across a large batch of his tackle and police were quickly summoned to the scene.

“I spoke to officers over the phone and they asked me to describe some of the items that had gone missing. I’ve done a lot of modifications to my gear and they soon realised they had found what they had been looking for,” explained Jan.

“I’ve had 27 rods and 11 reels returned and money can’t buy a lot them – they have a lot of sentimental value for various reasons and it’s remarkable that I’ve got them back.”

“It’s been a tough few weeks since it happened and I’d given up all hope of ever seeing any of it again. This has been a real boost to me and I’m overwhelmed at the amount of support the whole of the angling community has given me,” he added.

Experts have now been drafted in to install a sophisticated security system at Jan’s property as he continues to rebuild his armoury of equipment and he is now urging others to follow his lead. He said: “Fishing tackle costs a lot of money and its important people take measures to protect it. Make sure it’s locked away and out of sight to stop thieves in the act.”


Drop-shotting delivers 4lb perch for Paul Garner

This fin perfect 3lb 14oz perch is proof of how devastating the method of ‘dropshotting’ is for the species.

The fish was part of a memorable haul of specimens for Angling Times’ ‘Bait Doctor' Paul Garner during a session a large midlands stillwater.

A Berkley Powerbait Gotham shad fished on 6lb Berkley fluorocarbon and an 8lb braided mainline, was the winning bait for the Peg One and Baitbox backed rod, who also banked several other smaller fish.

“The shoals of bait fish are migrating into deeper water at the moment so the perch are constantly on the move following them,” said Paul. “This makes location absolutely vital for success.”

 


Evening walk pays off with 11lb 2oz barbel

Experienced specimen angler Rob Thompson spent an evening stalking a couple of swims on his local River Derwent where he landed this superb looking 11lb 2oz barbel.

The 39-year-old Loughborough Soar Angling Club committee member had to endure a bed of stinging nettles to get access to his swim so he could cast his feeder in the water before the fish struck late in the session. Using dampened pellet and a whittled down boilie on a hair rig, Rob had to work hard to land the fish from a snag infested swim using a size 6 Korum Xpert Power Hook to a 10lb braided hooklink.


Calder salmon shocker

This super 21lb 8oz salmon took a liking to the freelined prawn of Joe Huck from the tiny River Calder in Cumbria.

The 29-year-old lives virtually on the banks of the 20 yard wide river and fishes it regularly, but this is the biggest salmon he has ever landed. It was beaten after a 25 minute scrap in which it jumped several times but Joe only had a few quick pictures taken before returning it swiftly to the river.

“It needed to go back as the fish are getting ready to spawn and it was far too long gone. The Calder is a spate river but the water is low and clear at the moment and I actually saw this fish take the bait, they hit it really hard and the line just tightens.  I catch them all using large hooks, 8lb line and 10lb mainline with a 9ft spinning rod because it’s such a small river,” said Joe.


160-mile round trip results in 16lb 15oz barbel

This 16lb 15oz barbel was a just reward for Jim Reece who made the 160 mile roundtrip from his home in Flintshire to fish the River Dove.

Arriving at the Staffordshire waterway early in the evening, the 23-year-old Airbus UK settled in a swim which allowed him to cast to an overhanging willow tree on the far bank.

His alarm burst into life just after midnight as the impressive specimen picked up his triple 10mm spicy boilie hookbait offered in conjunction with a cage feeder filled with crushed boilies and pellets.

He said: “I travel to the Dove every week. It is a long way, but when there’s fish like this on offer it’s well worth the effort.”

He beat his prize with a 2ft 12lb mono hooklink and a size 8 hook.


13-fish catch from Linear Fisheries' Manor Farm

Kraig Scott got among the biggest commons in Manor Farm at Linear Fisheries as part of a 13-fish catch.

The Oxfordshire plasterer, who also lost three fish, managed commons of 31lb 8oz, 28lb and 25lb 14oz, plus mirrors to 27lb 8oz and an 8lb tench.

Kraig fished over spodded particles on a silt patch at the edge of a weedbed at 90 yards.

The successful rigs featured 25lb Korda Supernatural hooklinks and 3oz drop-off inline leads in solid PVA bags. Kraig fished Mainline Milky Toffee pop-ups on size 10 Gardner Mugga hooks, tied KD style.

 


Two forties from St Ives

Anglers fishing on the tough St Ives complex in Cambridgeshire have been making the most of the autumn feed-up, with two of the fishery’s most sought residents visiting the bank over the last week.

Mark Johnson landed Longreach’s Friendly Common at a weight of 41lb 5oz – the first time it has been caught over the 40lb-barrier.

The local 30-year-old targeted a spot in between two gravel bars at 40yds range which he baited with several kilos of Mainline Baits Cell boilies.

The all-important take came on the third morning of his trip and following an uneventful fight he netted his prize.

“I spent ages raking the swim to get my line-lay right prior to the session,” he said. “I knew at this time of year the fish would be up for a feed so I decided to bait up quite heavily.”

Mark’s winning presentation consisted of a Mainline Cell pop-up on a chod rig tied with 25lb ACE Riga-Mortis and a size 5 ESP Stiff Rigger hook.

Ian Couchman also got in on the action and banked his first ever forty in the form of this stunning 41lb mirror from the Shallow Pit known as Flat Head.

The venue regular set up in a swim known as Lazy Boys and received a blistering take at 9am.

He said: “The fish weeded me up initially, but I eventually got it moving again. After a few more powerful runs through several weedbeds it was expertly netted by the fishery manager Gordon Howes.”

Ian offered a Mainline Baits Cell boilie on a size 8 Fox Arma Point SSC hook over a bed of hemp and chopped boilies.

**For more information about fishing the St Ives complex visit: www.stiveslakes.com or call Gordon Howes on: 07803 065993**



Kayaker's chub quest

A short session fishing from a kayak helped Josh Fisher net this 6lb 1oz chub from a Norfolk waterway.

The Norwich-based all-rounder has taken to the water on the vessel on numerous occasions to reach stretches that are otherwise inaccessible.

Arriving at his chosen area for a few hours lure fishing it didn’t take long for the specimen to grab his artificial offering.

“One of my main aims this winter is to catch a 7lb chub and I’m confident that the best way to achieve this is by visiting spots that have barely, if ever, seen an angler before,” said Josh.

 


Barbel after two season wait

Drew Lawrence had failed to catch a barbel for over two seasons from a low populated southern river he was targeting – but his persistence was finally rewarded with this new personal best of 13lb 15oz.

The West Sussex-based rod’s luck finally changed when he made the switch from boilies to pellets. The long awaited take came within 20 minutes of him casting out a Three Foot Twitch pellet in conjunction with a small PVA bag of freebies.

He said: “The fish managed to get in to a snag but I let my line go slack and a few seconds later she came back out again. After another 15 minutes I finally slid her into the net and on the scales she smashed my old best of 10lb 1oz. It would have been easy to give up on the stretch after two seasons without a fish, but I’m so glad I didn’t.”

Drew used a 15lb G-Force Blackout hooklink and a size 10 G-Force Wide Gape hook.


Reel People Disabled AC

Reel People Angling Club's summer series came to at end at popular commercial fishery Decoy Lakes and as usual the venue didn't disappoint.

The series has seen the club fish several venues in East Anglia including Barford Lakes, Dents of Hilgay, Westwood Lakes, Lawn Farm Fishery and Hinderclay Lakes. Oak and Yew Lakes at Decoy were used for the final match with several anglers weighing in more than 50lb.

Rob and Tina Bunting founded Reel People The Association for Anglers with Disabilities in 1999 and a fitting end to the series couldn't have been better scripted as Rob topped Yew Lake with an impressive 59-6-0. Rob fished the margins with meat and maggot on peg 9 to land fish to 5lb. Second place on Yew Lake was Ray Gregory with 45-0-0 and Dick Cocksedge took third place with 42-3-0.

Over on Oak Lake, equally good sport was enjoyed. Kevin Nicholson recorded 78-6-0 from corner peg 15. Runner-up Phil Jackson took 60-15-0 and third placed Darren Howlett weighed-in 54-5-0.

Further information about the Reel People Association can be found by going to www.reelpeople.co.uk


In

32lb common on 'new' rig

Nicholas Lee bagged this fine common from the Carp Society’s Farriers Lake in Gloucestershire on a modified chod rig.

The 44-year-old Oxfordshire rod took the 32lb fish at 60 yards after casting to showing fish.

The property landlord, who has banked a number of 30s from the Lechlade venue this year, fed Urban Baits’ Nutcracker boilies and fished a matching corkball pop-up over the top.

“It was caught on a new variation of the chod rig that, so far, I haven’t lost any fish on.”


Prebaiting brings 45lb 10oz common

A targeted baiting campaign paid off in style for Owen Fretwell as he singled out the biggest fish in his club water.

The Colchester rod targeted the big common in Braxted Back Lake on the Chelmsford AA ticket and came away with his first UK forty.

Owen’s initial efforts saw him manage three carp to 24lb and lots of tench at the Essex water, but after time away from the water he came back with a plan.
“After a few weeks’ break from the venue I heard that my target fish had been banked three times at over 40lb,” he said.

“This is when I decided that I had to start a campaign to catch it. Using Mainline Cell and new Hybrid in 18mm and 15mm sizes, I set about putting 10kg on a spot over three days, ensuring that the fish kept on coming back to the same area and getting used to it.

“After two evenings of catching nothing, I finally had a pick up on the third evening. A slow, steady, big-fish take occurred and as I lifted into the fish I knew exactly what was on the end. After a few failed attempts to bury itself in the weed, the fish finally slipped over the net cord and it was confirmed that it was indeed a fish called 'The Back Up Common'. At 45lb 10oz, It was a new personal best and also my first UK forty.”

Owen used a size 6 Korda Choddy hook and 20lb Korda N-Trap Soft attached to a 2oz lead on a clip.

 


Short sessions finally pay off

Over a year of hard work paid off for Brian Cox when he enjoyed the ‘roach fishing session of his life’ which produced a brace of specimens topping the scales at 2lb 8oz and 2lb 1oz.

After arriving at Stenhill Fishery in Collumpton, Devon, he set up two simple groundbait feeder rigs and went about targeting the fishery’s elusive stocks of big redfins that had eluded him for the past 12 months.

His luck finally changed, though, when just an hour after casting out his 10mm Marukyu Nori boilie hookbaits he received a classic drop-back bite and his biggest specimen was soon sliding over the frame of his landing net.

With his hands still shaking, Brian was setting up his camera to record his landmark capture when his other rod screamed off and he swiftly completed the brace that he’d always dreamt of.

“It’s been well over a year of short session failures, so it’s a relief to have finally caught some roach, especially a brace of this size,” he told Angling Times.

“As soon as the other rod went off I slipped my biggest fish back into the landing net and secured it in the margins and hit the bite. I couldn’t believe my eyes when I had two roach over 2lb on the bank.”

And to prove the catch was no fluke, Brian returned to venue to following evening and using identical tactics he promptly landed a third specimen over the 2lb-barrier weighing 2lb 5oz.

“I only have limited time on the fishery and a catch like this makes me wonder what could be possible if I had a few full days after the roach.”

Brian’s run of recent form at the venue hasn’t just seen him score with the roach as he used the same rig, constructed with 6lb mainline and a 4lb hooklink, to land a 30lb 8oz mirror carp and several tench to 5lb.

For more information visit: www.stenhillfishery.co.uk or call: 01884 33707

 

 


Top chef Michael Roux Jr lands 131lb blue shark

World famous chef Michel Roux Jr proved that he’s also an accomplished angler when he caught his biggest ever shark - this impressive 131lb ‘blue’.

Michel, who judges the hit BBC two series Masterchef  ‘The Professionals’, was part of a group of UK anglers that shared the capture of 23 blue shark while aboard Nick O’Sullivans Celtic Wildcat, out of Milford Haven, Wales.

He boated the two biggest predators, with a 125lb specimen accompanying his new personal best, which was caught using a whole mackerel.

“Michel is a really great angler as he grew up going fishing with his father and he was a real pleasure to share such a fantastic day’s fishing with him and the rest of the guys,” trip organiser Mark Ward told Angling Times.

To find out more about fishing aboard the Celtic Wildcat visit: www.celticwildcat.com or call: 01646 600313

 


Carry on sleeping

“We will not prosecute sleeping anglers.” That is the message from the Environment Agency after widespread panic arose following a controversial court case.

Earlier this year, Essex-based rod Greg Holbrow was caught napping while fishing at his local Green Lane Fishery by bailiffs and given a court summons for the crime.
During the trial at Chelmsford Magistrates he failed to lodge a plea and was found guilty of fishing without a rod licence, leaving his rods unattended and failing to provide his name and address upon request. He was ordered to pay a total of £647 in fines and costs.

The move led to anglers raising concerns that the incident could set a precedent, potentially putting thousands of carp and specimen anglers who fish long sessions in danger of facing prosecution.

But the EA have now moved to allay those fears and revealed the exact reasons for the punishment.

A spokesperson for the government body said: “When approached, he was asleep in his van and failed to wake for 15 minutes. The bailiff tapped on his window, said hello and deliberately tripped his bite alarms to rouse him. When Mr Holbrow did awake, he failed to state his name and address to our bailiff, which is also an offence.

“We will not prosecute anglers simply for being asleep when fishing. Many anglers will take a nap but will respond immediately when they have a bite, often with the help of a bite alarm,”

Officials from the Angling Trust approached the EA to help reassure anglers and Fisheries and Enforcement manager Dilip Sarkar is delighted at the news. “It is clear that this angler's conduct was totally unacceptable on every level and got his just desserts,” he said.

“There is clearly nothing for responsible anglers, and carp anglers in particular, to be concerned about, which is as it should be.”