Trio of double figure bream topped by 17lb 2oz specimen

A run of blanks on a tough Midlands pit came to a welcome end for James Champkin when he netted trio of double figure bream – this huge 17lb 2oz specimen the highlight.

The Norfolk-based all-rounder had been fishing the venue on and off since the end of May with only a 9lb 8oz slab to show for his efforts. But eager to set the record straight he returned for a 48 hour session.

James told Angling Times: “It can dent your confidence having such a long spell of blanks, but I knew there were big bream in there and I was determined to get back and catch one.”

Arriving for a 48 hour session he baited in clear area in among the weed at 80yds range with a large quantity of partiblend, pellets, fishmeal method mix, sweetcorn and 10mm boilies. Over the top of this he fished inline lead rigs with fake corn hookbaits on size 12 hooks alongside a small mesh PVA bag of pellets.

The first night of the trip passed without event but everything changed on the second night.

“You don’t know how happy I was to hear the sound of that alarm. The first take resulted in a bream of 10lb 7oz and this was followed by a new personal best of 13lb 13oz half an hour later.

The best was still to come, however.

“I was already overjoyed with breaking my old best by 6oz when I received a third take. This one really screamed off and I knew instantly I was attached to something bigger.

“Bream tend to look and feel smaller when you’re playing them and it was only when I netted it that I realised just how big it was. At 17lb 2oz I’d not only well and truly ended my run of blanks but also smashed my pb twice in the space of an hour. The fish is without a doubt the highlight of my angling career,” he added.

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