Zander misses record by 2lb

One of the biggest zander of all time has been banked this week at a weight of 19lb 5oz.

The incredible specimen, which falls 2lb short of the British record for the species, was landed by experienced predator angler Steve Bown during a day afloat on a stretch of the Lower Severn.

The session had started slowly for 43-year-old from Solihull but his fortunes changed when he moved to a new area and cast to a mid-river snag.

“I’d been in the spot for around half an hour and had just re-cast when I had a couple of gentle nods on the float,” he told Angling Times. “Zander are notoriously finicky so I wound down and was met with a solid resistance - all I could think of was ‘I hope this is a zander!’ A lot of people say zander don’t fight very hard but they certainly do on the Severn.”

Steve, who was voted Pike Angler of the Year in 2010 and has previously caught zander to 18lb 4oz, fooled the huge predator with a float legered bleak deadbait on a 20lb Drennan wire trace with size 6 Owner trebles.

“I’ve always found smaller baits to be best for zander,” he explained. “Bleak form a staple part of their diet and if you look at the mouth of this one it isn’t much bigger than that of a 5lb pike.”

The River Severn has become famous for its large zander after James Benfield caught a British record fish of 21lb 5oz in June 2007 on a halibut pellet intended for barbel, but Steve says they are not as common as people think.

“I wish it was full of giant zander, but in reality it isn’t the case – just occasionally one of these very special fish come along. Everything about this fish was impressive – it had a huge set of shoulders and the width and length of it had to be seen to be believed.

“I caught my first zander in 1992 but didn’t catch a double until 2011 despite landing numerous nine pounders. Since then I’ve had 13 doubles, four of which were over 15lb.”

Des Taylor to film new fishing TV series

Bosses of a major TV channel have shown their intention to create new angling shows after one of the sport’s biggest stars was approached to present a brand new programme.

Angling Times columnist Des Taylor is widely regarded as one of the most talented and charismatic figures within the industry and has now been charged with creating an entertaining series capable of capturing the imagination of millions.

The news comes just a week after Channel 5 revealed they had hired the services of Chris Tarrant and John Horsey to host a new fishing show.

Although the concept is in the early stages, the currently unannounced TV station is set to commission a pilot in the coming months and Des is confident he can create a unique programme that will draw in a large audience.

“Angling has been short of a new show presented by a true fisherman for years and I believe I am capable of delivering that now,” explained Des.

“I want to appeal to anglers and non-anglers alike and I’m delighted that the makers looked further than the current crop of people who are displaying fishing ‘on the box’ in a slightly false light.”

“I won’t be remodelling myself just to suit a TV show – it will be Des Taylor doing what he does best – fishing at beautiful waters in the UK while allowing my personality to shine through,” he added.

In the meantime, fishermen craving an instant TV fix will get the chance to rewatch Kevin Green’s hit Improve Your Coarse Fishing series.

The highly regarded journalist was editor of the same-titled magazine for over eight years before he sadly passed away after a battle with illness and staff at Discovery Shed are now set to honour his illustrious career by showing several episodes, starting at 10pm on November 1.

New Angling Times Issue 3133 out now!

This week’s Angling Times is packed full of news and features to make your fishing week one to remember.

There have been some brilliant catches once again, topped by cover star Terry Hearn who reveals exactly – and exclusively – how he caught two massive stillwater perch.

In our re-invented Where to Fish section, we highlight some of the best UK reservoirs to visit, while river maestro Dave Harrell reveals how better float control will catch you more fish. We’ve also a huge Carp News section and exclusive tackle reviews. Angling Times is Britain’s No.1 fishing weekly – out on the iPad every Monday, in shops tomorrow with free UKCarp magazine inside.

Five carp in a day at Savay

Five carp in a season from Savay would be classed as a great result, but that many in a session is pretty much unheard of – but Stuart Court achieved the incredible feat with a haul that included a brace of forties.

The Watford-based all-rounder’s session didn’t get off to the best start when, on the second night of his week rota on the historic Colne Valley water, he landed an upper-thirty which subsequently escaped from the net while he was arranging a photographer.

His luck soon changed when he landed two more thirties the next day - a 30lb 12oz common and an ancient mirror of 30lb 8oz.

“That night I was kept awake by liner, after liner, after liner so I knew there was obviously a few fish in the area,” explained the 41-year-old. “What happened next is still a bit of a haze, but that morning I ended up two forties in the net at the same time. The first was a fish known as the Long Leney at a weight of 40lb exactly. After a decent scrap I netted it, and as I could still see fish in the area I quickly recast the rod. Incredibly, shortly afterwards I had another take which resulted in one of my target fish – The Wimbledon Common at 45lb 10oz. It was a stroke of luck that I had two nets with me as I usually only carry one.

“I’ve been told that I’m possibly first angler to have two Savay forties on the bank at the same time,” he added.

All of Stuart’s fish were taken from the top of a gravel plateau at 40 yards range which he kept topped up with Baitcraft Super K boilies. Over the top of this he cast snowman style hookbaits consisting of a 15mm bottom topped with a Tutti Frutti barrel-shaped pop-up. These were mounted on rigs constructed from 25lb ESP Strip Teaze Two Tone Silt and a Raptor D7 hook.

“It’s fairly uncommon to catch from the top of the bars and plateaus at Savay. I’d seen a few fish up in the water the previous week, though, so I took a gamble that they would still be happy feeding in the shallower water. As the fish don’t show themselves much a lot of the fishing at Savay is based on your gut instincts and this time I was lucky enough to get it right.”

Christchurch estuary mullet on the bread line

“It's like roach fishing on steroids.” This was how Paul Williamson described targeting mullet following the capture of this 7lb 6oz specimen from Christchurch estuary.

Despite catching fish to 7lb 10oz in the past, this is the biggest example of the species which the Dorset-based 51-year-old has landed this year after he offered a piece of bread flake on a size 8 hook in conjunction with a cage feeder.

“Everything about fishing for mullet is difficult,” said Paul. “They’re extremely tricky to actually hook in the first place, and once you’ve managed that they fight very, very hard. This fish took me over 20 minutes to land,” he added.

Campaign to boost club memberships

An ambitious campaign to boost membership numbers of clubs across the country has been launched by the Angling Trust.

Hundreds of associations have seen the amount of fishermen on their books dwindle in recent years as a result of the booming commercial carp scene, but the sport’s governing body are now aiming to reverse the trend.

In order to readdress the balance they have roped in external help, with experts convinced that a well-thought out marketing campaign involving social media could transform the fortunes of those on a downward spiral.

Industry experts, Club Leaders, have held seminars and tuition sessions with various sports outfits in recent years and have seen groups that were on the verge of extinction go on to hit their peak after following simple advice.

Those in the Northamptonshire region will be among the first in angling to take advantage of the service and scheme coordinator Helen Simmons said: “We are committed to providing support to help clubs become more sustainable, thereby increasing participation.

“Our seminars give people an interactive learning opportunity to ask questions and share experiences and over 80 per cent of those that have taken advice from us have acted upon it to help meet their goals.”

Trust Regional Development Manager James Roche played a major part in initiating the project and is urging clubs to get involved to help secure their future. He said: “Effective marketing and promotion is a vital part of helping angling clubs to grow and these sessions will help them find new ways to promote the facilities they offer.” 

That is a view shared by Earl of Harrington’s AC secretary Teresa Parr who, with the Derbyshire club in decline, decided to utilise Facebook in a final attempt to stop the rot. “There is absolutely no doubt that if you work with social media the rewards are enormous,” she told Angling Times. “Our membership numbers have risen 100 per cent in a year.”

**Angling club officials are being invited to attend the first session on November 6 at Moulton College, Northampton. Experts will be on hand between 7pm and 9pm and you can book your spot by calling James on 07791 786251**

Prebaiting pays off with two double-figure bream

Andy Loble got his campaign on a new Cambridgeshire pit off to a flying start, landing two double-figure bream in just six nights.

The 32-year-old fed heavily with hemp and pellet to catch bream of 12lb 8oz and 10lb 7oz as well as tench to 6lb 1oz.

“I’d spent the first few sessions on the water with just a set of polarised sunglasses and a marker rod and have been baiting two promising areas ever since, putting 9kg of bait in already,” explained the Cambridgeshire-based environmental consultant.

“I am going to be putting a lot more work in to the venue and hope a new personal-best will grace my net soon,” he added.

Andy used a bright yellow CC Moore Silent Assassin boilie to tempt the specimen slabs.

Top Quality Sport At Passies

You’re almost guaranteed good quality sport at Passies and even now that the first frosts are threatening, events are still won with over 100lb of carp, F1’s hybrids, bream and skimmers.

This scenic venue, nestled amongst the chalk hills of the South Downs has three lakes to choose from including the snake shaped Match Lake which is fishing excellently this year. This 68-peg lake is roughly six-acres in size and all of the swims have been spaced a minimum of 15m apart. It has been constructed so that it provides good sport all year round with a good head of common and mirror carp to 10lb, bream to 6lb, tench to 5lb, roach, chub and perch. It is 6ft at is deepest and the bottom of the lake has been shelved to enable both pole and waggler fishing as well as legering when the conditions require. From most pegs you can reach the far bank with a 14m pole, although the bigger carp have a habit from being caught along the near bank on worm, luncheon meat or sweetcorn.
Caster or maggot fished over to the far side usually works well for the carp and tench, whereas the bream can often be found in the deeper water in the middle of the lake and respond well to groundbaiting tactics. However, last week’s Avon Valley Winter League practice match saw Ian Dixon land 98lb of carp on pole fished meat.

For a more peaceful and relaxed experienced you can fish on the day ticket lake. This lake is about five acres in size with 50 pegs and has many features to fish to and has been designed to eliminate hot spots so that all anglers have an even chance of catching whichever peg they’re fishing from.
The lake is about 4ft deep near the bank, and there is a deeper channel which goes down to 9ft along the centre. It is well-stocked with mirror, common and ghost carp to over 20lb, tench to double figures, perch to 4lb, crucian carp, roach, rudd and chub. Because the lake is fairly shallow it is a popular waggler and pole fishery, and those wanting to fish at range tend to use either weighted floats or a feeder.
 Meanwhile, Pamela’s Lake is the newest water on the complex and is ideal for both beginners and experienced anglers alike. There are 21 pegs to fish from and it is mainly stocked with carp ranging from 1lb 8oz to 12lb which you can get bites from on even the toughest of days.

Prices: Adults £10 per day, concessions £6
Contact: 01273 465257, www.coombes.co.uk
Location: Passies Pond, Church Farm, Coombes, Lancing, West Sussex
Facilities: Toilets, tackle shop, cafe
Rules: No carp or fish over 1lb to be put in keepnets. No boilies, nuts or dried cat or dog food. Groundbait limited to 2kg and 1pt of hempseed. Barbless hooks only. No leger weights over 1oz.

Seven-fish hit from Acton

Fishing three swims in four nights helped Scott Rodgers bank a big hit from Acton’s Bottom Lake.

Mirrors of 31lb 15oz, 39lb 14oz and 46lb 8oz fell to roving tactics that also accounted for four other fish.

Scott took advantage of having the seven-acre Shropshire venue to himself during his stay and moved swims regularly to maximise his chances.

The Derbyshire rod said: “It was fantastic fishing. Four great days of angling and I broke my personal best by 10oz.

“I had the big girl at about 8.30am and having returned her I had the 39lb 14oz immediately – 30 seconds later! All the fish were in fantastic condition.”

Scott, who also had two mid-double mirrors, a 12lb common and a 21lb 2oz mirror, fished one night in the Middle Road swim, the next in the First Road peg and moved to the opposite side of the lake to spend the last two in the Island swim.

The 47-year-old butcher’s proprietor fed 13kg of Key Bait Solutions’ Rhino boilies and caught his fish on pop-ups and snowman rigs.

He said: “Luckily I had the lake to myself so I baited my third of the lake and fished short for the first couple of days to allow the fish to have a free feed, then fished a bit more centrally after that.”

39lb 2oz 'Patch' banked on overnighter

An overnighter on Frimley Pit Three produced this beautiful fully scaled mirror for Alisdair Stevens.

The Hampshire rod chose an unfancied swim and banked the 39lb 2oz fish, known as Patch, at 2am.

The 43-year-old said: “I chose the swim because it had been unfished for a while. I heard two fish roll while I was there and I got a one-toner at 2am. I was watching an episode of Entourage on my tablet and by the time I’d landed it it had finished, so I knew it took 20 minutes to come in!”

The sheet-metal fabricator added: “The fish came to the surface at first but once it got in the margins it fought well, plodding away. I didn’t put my headtorch on so I didn’t know which fish it was until I got it on the bank.”

Alisdair, who has previously banked a 42lb common from Frimley, baited a silt patch between weedbeds at about 30 yards. He fished a double 18mm Mainline Cell hookbait over 20 matching free offerings and his successful rig featured a size 6 Gardner Incizor hook attacked to 20lb Fox Cortex and a 2.25oz inline lead.

New personal best barbel from deep water

Time spent looking for areas of deeper water on the Dorset Stour proved worthwhile for Gareth Trigell who landed this personal best barbel of 13lb 12oz.

The Hampshire-based 44-year-old spent two hours looking for a suitable spot and then baited a two gravel runs with a mixture of Dynamite Baits Hemp and halibut pellets.

He said: “My rod hooped over just as it was getting dark. The fight was heavy and dogged because of the deeper water but after it made several attempts to weed me up it was safely netted.”

Gareth used a Dynamite Baits Marine Halibut with Sea Salt boilie fished on a short hooklink with an inline lead inside a solid PVA bag filled with hemp and pellets.

Personal best bream falls in haul of doubles

Persistence certainly paid off for Leicester’s Trevor Pole who, in the space of just five hours, landed a 15lb 11oz personal best bream from a local stillwater along with other fish of 12lb 14oz, 12lb 2oz and 11lb 9oz.

Targeting a long range feature at 130 yards range, he put his faith in three imitation casters with he mounted on helicopter rigs.

He said: “The venue only contains a very small head of big bream so to catch a pb along with a bag of other double figure fish is a real achievement as months can pass on this place without a bream even being seen, let alone caught.”

Zander career off to good start with 15lb specimen

Countless anglers will spend decades trying to catch a huge zander but Graham Mann managed to land this personal best 15lb 14oz fish from the River Severn just 18-months into his career.

The Worcester-based rod only took up the sport last year after taking early retirement and joined a friend for a morning session on a local stretch of the waterway.

A legered bleak deadbait was presented in a likely looking spot and less than an hour after first wetting a line he had a bend in the rod.

“At first I didn’t think it was anything special until it started stripping line. Once in the net it was clear I’d beaten my previous best of 10lb 6oz quite easily,” explained Graham, who used 15lb mainline and a size 2 hook.

22lb pike from Esthwaite Water

A six inch plastic lure proved to be the downfall of Richard Bradley’s 22lb 8oz pike from Esthwaite Water in Lake District.

Fishing from a boat, the Preston-based predator angler had to endure a 30 minute battle before landing his prize.

The 280-acre fishery, which offers a personal guiding service for anglers, has been the scene of numerous captures of pike to over 20lb in recent weeks. Anyone interested in being guided on the water can do so by calling the office on: 015394 36541.

Two 14lb-plus barbel in two weeks

Andy Childs has been in a rich vein of form landing two 14lb-plus barbel in as many weeks from Kings Weir on the River Lea.

The venue regular, who has fished the stretch for over 40-years, kicked off his run with a 14lb 1oz specimen which fell to a CC Moore boilie wrapped in paste.

“My rod was almost dragged in by the power of the take,” he said. “I returned a week later to find the river in perfect condition after the recent rain. I used identical tactics and just after lunch I received a typical barbel bite.”

A long a powerful fight followed which resulted in a barbel of 14lb 12oz.

“I’ve been told that this is one of the biggest barbel ever caught from Kings Weir,” he added.

Overnight brace tops 81lb for Jerry Hammond

An overnight session on the North Met Pit in the Lea Valley produced a brace of carp for a combined weight of over 81lb for Jerry Hammond.

The Hertfordshire-based fishery owner and Trakker consultant set up on the most southern end of the tricky 65-acre lake on the end of a new northerly wind. He was beginning to doubt his location choice when the sight of 10 carp moving in and out of the area convinced him to stay put.

“They were moving around pretty fast and not really stopping, but I was sure if they stayed in the area they would feed after dark,” Jerry told Angling Times.

“During the night it chucked it down and just after dawn I received a fast take. The fish really did power off and caused me all sorts of problems but I eventually netted a big hefty mirror. It looked massive and weighed in at 43lb.

“Not really expecting any more action, I recast the rod and an hour later the same rod was off again. This one didn’t fight as hard thankfully and I soon had another good fish in the net. This time it was a common of 38lb 4oz that concluded a great night’s fishing.”

Jerry’s winning tactics consisted of a Mad Baits Wicked Whites pop-up on a chod rig fished over a scattering of a new bait on test called The Hybrid.

Dedicated angler's six hour commute to fishery by train

Thousands of anglers will claim to be the most dedicated person in the sport – but the title almost certainly belongs to Ken McCormack who travels thousands of miles on public transport to go fishing.

Despite working for Ford for 30-years the Aigburth, Merseyside-based rod has never owned a car or held a driving licence. But this hasn’t prevented him from enjoying his favourite pastime and he insists on getting on the bank at least three times a week regardless of the conditions.

Instead of choosing a water on his doorstep, however, the 66-year-old endures a three hour train journey each way, making a trio of changes at peak times to get to his favourite water - Rufford Meadow Fishery.

His unique approach has even seen him become something of a local celebrity, with commuters instantly recognising him as he moves between platforms laden with a seatbox, carryall and rod bag.

“I just love fishing and I’m willing to do anything to get to venues that I enjoy targeting. I’m always looking for new spots that are close to a train station and doing a six hour round trip each time I go doesn’t faze me at all,” explained Ken.
“There aren’t many people that walk around a busy station with lots of fishing tackle so I’ve become fairly well known with those I share the same journey with,” he added.

Time spent waiting for connecting trains is also spent wisely, with tackle being prepared for the session ahead and he told Angling Times: “I’ll regularly sit on a bench and have all my gear sprawled around me, tying rigs and making sure everything is in place for when I get to my destination.

“People ask why I never learned to drive – especially as I worked for Ford  – but I don’t have any regrets about it and I have no intention of changing my routine.”

11lb zander from the Severn

The River Severn zander shoals have started to wake up for their annual feast and Karen Sarkar took advantage by banking this 11lb 6oz fish.

Having landed fish to just over 9lb already this season, the Worcester-based angler was determined to fool her first double of the year and set about the task by legering a roach deadbait.

Shortly after starting the session she received a take and the culprit began to strip line from the off.

It was eventually beaten by a rig which was made up of 15lb mainline, a 30lb wire trace and a brace of size 6 trebles.

First session on Trent produces 14lb 3oz barbel

Julian Barnes’s first session on the River Trent this season proved to be a productive one as he banked a series of big barbel to 14lb 3oz.

Having shunned the Nottinghamshire-waterway for several months he decided to enjoy an evening session on a known hotspot.

Despite low and clear conditions he still felt confident of finding the fish and legered a 10mm Quest Baits Raja Spice boilie over a bed of mixed pellets.

Several barbel to 10lb 9oz and a chub of 5lb 3oz came after the first few casts but he saved the best until last with the biggest specimen rolling over the net in the early hours of the morning.

His successful rig was made up of 15lb mainline, a 4ft, 12lb hooklink and a size 10 Drennan Barbel hook.

Martin Pick lands one of the biggest ghost carp in the country

This 44lb ghost carp saved Martin Pick from a three day blank during his latest session at Wellington Country Park in Berkshire.

The Leicestershire-based Trakker consultant fished three different swims during the trip in a bid to try and track down the fish, and he eventually latched in to one just 90 minutes before packing up.

He said: “I was fishing 95 yards to a hard clear area in around 4ft of water. I baited with half a kilo of DT Baits Cold Water Mix with Green Beast frozen 15mm boilies and cast a 15mm Supa Fruit pop-up over the top.”

Martin mounted his hookbait on a reverse combi-rig tied with 25lb Korda Mouth Trap and 20lb N-Trap Soft with a size 6 Korda Choddy hook.

He added: “I have a feeling this is one of, if not the biggest, ghost carp in the country.”