Mega week for big rudd!

One of the biggest ever hauls of specimen rudd has topped a fantastic week for the species.

Paul Garner banked no less than 30 fish to a new personal best of 3lb 11oz 8dr from an undisclosed stillwater in the south of the UK.

Flicking a waggler two rod lengths from the bank, the Nash Peg One consultant landed eight fish over 3lb and 22 over the 2lb-mark.

His previous personal best for the species of 3lb 8oz had stood for almost 15 years until he discovered this venue, where in his first four sessions he caught a hat-trick of 3lb-plus fish to 3lb 4oz.

“It was a pb that I never thought I’d beat,” Paul told Angling Times. “I’ve been searching for a lake like this for well over a decade.

“When the huge fish started coming on the very first session I just thought I’d got lucky. But they just kept coming and coming!”

Paul used a waggler rig incorporating a 4AA float, a 4lb hooklink and a size 14 hook baited with two grains of corn. Two number eight drop shot helped to get his offering down to the feeding fish quickly.

He kept the fish in the swim with the regular loosefeeding of a combination of maggot and sweetcorn.

“This lake has large numbers of small fish, so I found that using two grains on the hook gave me the best chance of cherry picking the biggest from the shoal,” Paul continued.

“This truly is what angling dreams are made of and I’m still pinching myself.”

A manic feeding spell saw Darran Goulder break his rudd pb four times in the space of an hour, topped by a fish of 3lb 2oz.

The Kent-based boss of Fortis Eyewear made a dawn start on a local lake but moved swims at midday after catching a string of smaller fish.

Catapulting out corn and maggots he could see a number of bigger specimens taking the corn on the way down and after 10 minutes of constant feeding he cast out two grains of Dynamite Baits Scopex Corn on a simple float setup.

“For nearly an hour the action was frantic, and it was only when the shoal moved on that I had a chance to reflect on the catch,” said the Shimano-backed rod. “I had beat my old pb of 2lb 4oz several times during the spell which included fish of 2lb 1oz, 2lb 4oz, 2lb 6oz, 2lb 8oz, 2lb 14oz and 3lb 2oz.”

Gardner Tackle’s Alan Stagg enjoyed a successful weekend targeting the species on a southern stillwater.

Three rudd over 2lb, including a brace of fish weighing 2lb 7oz and 2lb 3oz, graced the Hampshire-based all-rounder’s net during the Saturday night. He then returned the following evening and added a further seven two-pounders to 2lb 10oz to his tally.

All of his fish were taken on maggot feeder tactics at range comprising 30gr feeders, 5lb Gardner Target Fluorocarbon hooklinks and size 16 hooks baited with two white maggots coated in CC Moore Krill Powder.

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