4lb perch at dusk from River Great Ouse
Ashley Bugden is no stranger when it comes to big perch – he has caught numerous fish over 3lb this year and recently broke his pb for the species with this 4lb 1oz specimen.
The Stevenage-based 31-year-old targeted a tributary of the River Great Ouse and found success using a jig on a day where bites were at a premium.
“I was fishing with a friend, roving the banks of the river and neither of us had a bite all day so I returned to my favourite spot at dusk and, bang, I had a fish which at first I thought was a pike,” he said.
Ashley used a new Tronix Rockfish Light rod with 11lb Power Pro line and a 6lb flourocarbon leader attached to a Fox Rage Warrior Mini Fry soft plastic jig.
New personal best perch from Grand Union Canal
Midland based predator enthusiast Rob Smith took advantage of the recent hot streak of perch form across the country to bag this 3lb 14oz pb specimen from the Grand Union Canal.
Rob fooled the impressive fish using 8lb braid connected to a 6lb fluorocarbon leader. His winning lure was a Lure Fanatics, Da Bomb, 1-inch soft bait, accompanied by a 1-gram jig head.
Rob said: “I’d been fishing for over an hour with no indications but a change of lure and lighter conditions suddenly sent the perch on the hunt. I had fish of 1lb 14oz, 1lb 6oz and then the biggie arrived.
“As soon as it hit the lure I could tell it was a good fish, it gave a really good account of itself and I was very relieved when she finally went into the net!”
Big mirror marks a happy return to southern lake
After four years away from a southern park lake Duncan Hayward returned in style with the capture of this cracking 35lb 8oz mirror.
The Surrey-based rod cast a Tails Up Pro Liver cork ball pop-up to a silt patch in among the weed and baited the feature with a mixture of 18mm and 14mm boilies.
He said: “The fish gave a decent account of itself and at one point it weeded me up solid. After wading out I was able to get it moving again.”
Duncan mounted his hookbaits on chod rigs incorporating G-Force Tackle Straight Point hooks and light dung leads.
Chris Tarrant straight on the pike at Chew Valley
Chris Tarrant enjoys fishing for a whole host of species and he showed off his predator skills when he boated this impressive lure-caught pike on his very first cast of the day.
He was fishing alongside England international fly fisherman, John Horsey, who also co-starred in his recent hit television series - ‘Chris Tarrant Goes Fishing’ - during the final week of this year’s predator fishing trials at the famous Chew Valley Reservoir in Somerset.
The fish was just shy of the 20lb-mark and was caught with an Abu 40gram silver spoon.
53lb mirror ends six-year campaign
A six year campaign came to a triumphant conclusion for Mark Smith when he slipped his net under this 53lb from the Main Lake at Fryerning Fisheries.
The 50-year-old laundry owner from Essex targeted a silt area at 60 yards range in a deeper area of the lake where he thought the fish would be held up and scattered 200 Nash Bait Scopex Squid Red boilies over an area the size of a tennis court.
The first day of the session passed without event, but a change in tactics soon changed his fortunes.
“I started off fishing balanced bottom baits, but after 24 hours without any action I decided to switch to naked chod rigs,” he told Angling Times. “I’d only just cast out when I my alarm let out a few single bleeps. There was a lot of floating weed about so at first I assumed this was the cause. I then heard the spool on my reel slowly ticking over so I lifted in to the take.
“Straight away I could tell it felt different to anything else I’d ever caught from the lake and at the back of mind I had a feeling it was the sought after mirror known as The Gurm.
“I’ve fished at Fryerning for the last six years and always wanted to catch this fish. To have it at 53lb at this time of year was magical,” he added.
Mark mounted his hookbait on a size 6 Nash Fang Twister hook and a 20lb ESP Stiff Rig Bristle Filament hooklink.
Monster 36lb pike from city stream
A tiny stretch of river that’s free to fish and not much more than a rod length wide has produced this huge 36lb 3oz pike.
The shock specimen was caught by predator fishing fanatic Stefan Catalin while targeting a small backwater of the River Thames known as Castle Mill Stream.
The London-based 29-year-old, specialises in catching both pike and perch on artificial lures and it proved to be a Savage Gear Real Eel edged along the bottom of the West Oxfordshire waterway that induced the take from the fish that smashed his previous personal best by 6lb 3oz.
The catch came as a complete shock to the captor, who battled with the fish for 20 minutes before sliding its huge frame over his waiting net, and will also erase any doubts that many people have of the capabilities of such a tiny waterway to support a predator of such proportions.
“I was fishing off the bridge and working the bait along the bottom when I got the take and I had to give the rod to a passer-by as I quickly got off the bridge and into position by the water’s edge,” Stefan told Angling Times.
“When I saw the fish for the first time I was stunned, and a little scared, because I never thought such a massive fish would be in such a small, narrow piece of water - it really took me by surprise.
“I’ve seen loads of pike anglers down here that use deadbaits and only catch small fish, but I’ve had loads of success with these artificial eels as they seem to pick out the bigger fish.
“This catch just goes to show that you can’t ignore these small streams and backwaters because they are clearly full of big surprises.”
Drennan International employee Stewart Moss has fished the River Thames and its tributaries for 30 years and says that this further proves the potential of small venues.
“It’s an unbelievable reward for fishing uncompromising urban waterways that are shunned by most specimen anglers,” said Stewart.
“Venues like this are often full of species like bream which are perfect food and this, combined with neglect, creates a water that’s capable of throwing up a real giant.”
World record carp lake gives up 80lb fish to Ed Matthews
The once-secretive Euro Aqua in Hungary has opened its doors to British anglers in recent weeks and Ed Matthews took full advantage to bank this 80lb 12oz mirror.
The Korum-backed angler travelled to the home of the world record carp and caught the specimen along with another of 41lb.
Recalling the moment, he said: “Not only was it a massive fish it was stunning and looked like it could grow much bigger. It was great to share the moment with mates and then back she went. It then all sunk in; I'd done it, a fish of a lifetime! This one will take some beating, but I'll enjoy trying.”
Ed used an Avid Pin Down hooklink tied to a size 4 Avid longshank hook fished blowback style.
Big chub bonus in Hampshire Avon catch
A session on the Hampshire Avon produced this 22lb bag of dace and roach, plus a bonus 5lb 7oz chub, for Stuart Walker.
Targeting the river near Salisbury in Wiltshire, a long way from his home in Yorkshire, the 38-year-old used a light stickfloat in 4ft of water, feeding maggots, hemp and brown crumb. The Caught In The Act DVD star said: “The weather was bright so all the action came in the morning and the last few hours before dark. When the light was fading it was a bite a chuck. I fished 3lb mainline, a 2lb 12oz hooklink and a size 16 Drennan Wide Gape Specialist hook, under an alloy stick.”
44lb mirror carp banked after just ten minutes at the venue
Jon Luff smashed his personal best by more than 15lb on his first visit to a new water.
The 27-year-old latched on to this 44lb 4oz mirror just 10 minutes after casting out at Greenacres near Peterborough.
The windscreen technician from Newmarket in Suffolk was fishing with friends Dan Hadman and Adam Lowbridge, both of whom had visited the water before, but was the only one of the trio to catch.
He said: “Having not fished the place before, I went for a walk round and the only fish I saw top was in the area I fished.
“We drew straws for pegs and I decided just to fish for a bite. I fished towards some reeds on the far bank, though there was a solid weedbed in front so I had to drop short by about a rod length.
“I put about a dozen baits in and had just sorted all my rods and was sitting close to them scouring the water when I got a few bleeps. I was on it straight away and I could feel it was a fair size. My UK PB is 27lb so I was hoping for a thirty.
“When I saw it roll I thought ‘this really is a thirty’ but Dan had come round by this time and he was telling me it was definitely a forty. At that point my legs went to jelly as I still hadn’t got it in!
“It was a fantastic fish from a great venue.”
Jon used Cambridge Carp Bait’s Pickled Krill boilies and a D rig made from Korda IQ fluorocarbon and a size 6 Korda Longshank hook.
3lb 4oz river perch for Angling Trust man
Angling Trust membership manager Will Smith has enjoyed a succession of cracking river perch over two sessions, the biggest being this 3lb 4oz specimen.
After spotting some perch attacking fry by some overhanging willows trees during a barbel session earlier in the week, he returned to the same spot with beefed up float tackle. He then presented lobworm hookbaits under a 6g bolognaise style float, with 6lb mainline straight through to a size 6 Kamasan hook. This accounted for several good fish to 2lb 14oz, but it wasn’t until the following day that the Leominster man latched into the biggest perch.
“I was on the river bank very early in the morning the next day and it was worth it when I hooked this beauty. She was a real solid ‘football’ shape. I fed chopped worms and chopped maggots in molehill soil flavoured with Dynamite Liquid Worm,” he said.
Elusive 31lb common carp from Cambridgeshire stillwater
This cracking 31lb 2oz common had avoided capture for the last few years until Dan Stacey fooled it during a recent session on a Cambridgeshire stillwater.
The local rod targeted a pre-baited silty gully on the tricky nine acre weedy pit and received a finicky take early in the afternoon.
“A heart-stopping fight followed,” he told Angling Times. “I was delighted when I saw the common coming towards the net as it hasn’t been caught for several seasons and is one fish that I dearly wanted to catch when I joined the lake.”
Dan tempted the impressive specimen with a CC Moore Odyssey XXX pop-up soaked in Feedstim XP.
5lb chub on coaching session with Dave Harrell
The water temperatures may have dropped recently but one man who wasn't complaining was Robin Adcock who booked a day with Angling Times columnist Dave Harrell on the River Wye near Symonds Yat.
This stunning 5lb 3oz chub featured in a 60lb catch which also included some quality barbel. All the fish were caught using bunches of three or four maggots on a size 12 hook underneath a DH 4SSG No2 Truncheon Waggler, fished slightly overdepth.
"It was certainly a day to remember," said Robin. This is the second time I've been fishing with Dave and both days have been memorable with plenty of bent rod action! I'm alreasy looking forward to our next day out."
**For information about Dave's coaching days visit his website at: www.daveharrellangling.com**
39lb 2oz mirror carp starts winter campaign for Leon Bartropp
Leon Bartropp couldn’t have asked for a better start to his winter campaign, landing this cracking 39lb 2oz mirror from a Kent stillwater.
It was only the Gardner Tackle and Mistral Baits consultant’s second session on the venue and followed the capture of a 33lb 10oz mirror and two mid-twenties a week earlier.
Targeting a silty gulley between two large weedbeds at 40 yards range, Leon offered a 15mm Mistral Baits 4Season pink pop-up hookbait over a scattering of free offerings.
The following morning he received a steady take but was weeded up by the fish early on in the fight. “Everything went solid and for 30 minutes I couldn’t budge it. I kept the pressure on, though, and it eventually popped out of the thick weedbed,” he told Angling Times.
“The rest of the fight was fairly straight forward and once I got it on the bank I recognised as Bruce’s Fish. I was delighted to land this one as it is one of the lake’s ‘A-Team’ and was one of my target fish for the winter,” he added.
Leon put his faith in his favoured multi-rig presentation, which he constructed with 25lb Gardner Chod Skin and a size 4 Chod hook.
Big river perch on a lobworm
When the temperatures drop, big perch can still be relied on to put a bend in the rod – as proved by Josh Fisher when he banked a series of fish to 3lb 7oz from a Midlands river.
The Norfolk-based all-rounder had endured several fruitless sessions in search of chub and decided to switch his attentions to the predatory species in a bid to change his fortunes.
Fully aware that the cold conditions would affect the feeding habits of the fish, he used a simple yet extremely sensitive rig which would register even the shyest of bites.
“I wanted to spot the tiniest of plucks on the rod tip so I link legered a lobworm on the hook and sprayed red maggots over the top,” explained Josh, who used 4lb Drennan Supplex mainline straight through to a size 6 hook.
Targeting a well-known hotspot on the waterway, it wasn’t long before the professional tattoo artist hooked and landed a fish just over the 3lb-barrier and several others of a similar weight came to the net before the end of the session.
Just days later he headed to a different stretch and adopting a roving approach to fish a number of swims he finally took the biggest perch from the two trips. He said: “A large fish kept picking the bait up and spitting it out so I cranked the reel a couple of times to pull the worm back. This got an instant reaction as the tip immediately flew round and the 3lb 7oz specimen was soon on the bank.”
Determined to continue to his run of form, he has now set his sights on a new winter target, and told Angling Times: “I’ve pinpointed a venue that has a big head of roach and I’m hoping to catch a fish over the 2lb-mark in the coming weeks.”
Brace of forties from Pavyotts Mill
Danny Pedley enjoyed the ‘session of a lifetime’ at Pavyotts Mill landing five carp including a brace of forties weighing 42lb 6oz and 41lb.
Targeting the Maze Lake at the Somerset complex, the Dorset-based angler also helped himself to fish of 35lb, 32lb 9oz and 28lb 4oz.
All of his carp were taken on the same rod with he had baited with a 12mm Korda Pink Dumbell hookbait on a KD rig inside a solid PVA bag filled with bloodworm pellets.
He said: “It was definitely my best ever session. My previous pb was 34lb and I beat that three times during the trip. The two forties came out on the last day within half an hour of each other.”
28lb mirror highlight of seven fish catch
This cracking 28lb mirror was the highlight of a seven fish haul for Jake Whiting during a recent session on the Grenville syndicate in Cambridgeshire.
The local rod located a number of fish feeding on a fly hatch in an area of the lake off the back of the wind and wasting no time getting his rods out he promptly landed a fish of 22lb 13oz.
The majority of the fish were showing at range, so after a quiet night, Jake heavily baited a spot at 120yds range with a mix of chopped Mainline Hybrid boilies, hemp, grouts, sweetcorn and pellets.
“I thought the carp would be up for a feed so decided to give them a bit of food,” explained Jake.
“The move paid off and over the next couple of days I went on to land four more twenties to 28lb and couple of smaller fish. What a session! It was one I will never forget and it just shows that big beds of bait work and sometimes you just need to sit on your hands and wait for them to turn up,” he added.
Jake mounted pop-up hookbaits on Withy Pool rigs.
Best-ever roach for Andrew Childs of 2lb 3oz on bread
Andrew Childs used trotting tactics to catch this personal best roach of 2lb 3oz from the River Itchen.
The 65-year-old made the journey from his home in Essex to the Hampshire waterway and after walking along a stretch he’d fished in the past he settled on a ‘classic looking’ roach swim.
Offering a piece of breadflake on a size 12 hook and a 3lb hooklink in a crease next to the main flow he caught several chub to just over 4lb before connecting with the specimen redfin.
“It had rained a couple of days earlier and there was a tinge of colour in the water,” said Andrew. “The fish beat my previous best for the species of 2lb 1oz, which I caught from the same river two years ago.”
New venue record at Angler's Paradise
The biggest carp ever caught at Anglers Paradise has been banked by Gary Western.
The Exmouth angler took the 43lb 4oz mirror after a frustrating first year on the Kracking Carp Lake at the Devon complex.
Gary, who had banked just two fish from the lake since spring, managed a 34lb 2oz common on the opening night of his three-day session, before hooking into the forty at 10pm on his second evening.
He said: “I still can’t believe I hold the current complex record –it was worth its weight in gold.”
Both fish fell to Mainline Cell boilies.
Farriers giant tempted from hole in weed for Lee Collings
An hour spent searching for spots with his marker rod proved worthwhile for Lee Collings who caught this 39lb 1oz common from the Carp Society’s Farriers Lake in the Cotswold.
With the venue fishing hard and very few carp being caught the midlands-based Century consultant decided to go back to the drawing board and try and find some new areas to target.
“The lake is still very weedy and not showing any signs of dying back yet so after an hour casting a bare lead about with my marker rod I found a small clear spot which looked quite promising next to a thick weed bed,” Lee told Angling Times.
“The area I was fishing is a passing point which the fish use to move to the different parts of the lake. It seems to have a window of opportunity of about 3-4 hours to catch then it seems to be it for the day.”
After baiting his new found spot with 30 broken Mainline Baits Cell boilies he cast a 15mm hookbait tipped with a piece of big buoyant plastic corn on a blow-back rig tied with 25lb ESP Strip Teaze attached to a size 6 ESP Curve Shanx hook.
“The take was really slow and didn’t even pull the line out of the clip and my Stow bobbin didn’t come off either. The fish had weeded me up solid but after walking backwards I managed to get it moving again.
“I knew it was a good fish and the fight seemed to last for an eternity – in reality it was probably no more than five minutes before it rolled in the net.”
Huge perch from river and canal
Commercial fisheries have become synonymous with big perch but natural venues have proved their specimen fish potential yet again with both rivers and canals producing massive predators.
Agony soon turned to ecstasy for Paul Elt when he slipped the net under a pristine 4lb 4oz perch during a session on a tributary of the River Ouse.
After his hook pulled out of what he was convinced was a 4lb-plus fish earlier on in his stint, Paul, who comes from Cambridgeshire, didn’t let his misfortune get the better of him and half an hour later he netted one of the biggest river perch of 2013.
The Drennan and Dynamite Baits-backed all-rounder started his day by catching some small roach livebaits which he offered on a simple paternoster rig incorporating a size 4 Drennan Super Specialist hook.
“After a hectic morning with countless pike and a 1lb 12oz perch to show for my efforts I then hooked a huge fish which rolled on the surface and then unfortunately came off,” said Paul.
“I slumped down in my chair and was completely and utterly gutted because I could clearly see it was well over the 4lb mark.
“But I was determined to persevere because I thought that the fish would still be on the hunt for its missing meal and I was right.”
Specimen all-rounder Dan Sales adopted a mobile approach on the Grand Union Canal and banked no less than 14 perch all over the 2lb-mark with the biggest fish weighing 3lb.
The Fox-backed rod was fishing with his friend Gavin Mooney and the duo walked over 4 miles of the waterway armed with ‘jigging’ outfits and braided mainlines.
They targeted areas above and below lock gates with Gavin banking a new personal best weighing 2lb 10oz and both anglers used Fox Warrior Mini Fry jigs.
