Perch Common out at 46lb 14oz from Linch Hill
Linch Hill’s coveted Perch Common has fallen to Nick Hill at 46lb 14oz.
The fish came to the 26-year-old’s rods during a two-night session at Christchurch on the Oxfordshire venue.
The Abingdon electrician Spombed out a tight bed of maggots, sweetcorn and Sticky Krill pellets and boilies to a smooth area at 62 yards.
The fish picked up a single piece of fake corn topped with maggots attached to a blowback rig made with a size 8 Fox SSBP hook, Rig Marole Hyrdolink and an aggressively angled shrinktube kicker.
Another Horton forty for Dan Leney
Big commons have followed Dan Leney this autumn, as proved by this latest chunk.
This 40lb 6oz common comes hot on the heels of the 46-pounder we reported on last week. The latest fish also came from RK Leisure’s Horton Island Lake in Berkshire.
Dan, who also caught three twenties during his two-night session, said: “I was beyond chuffed when the rod melted off at 6.30am on the final morning. An epic boat battle ensued before I netted what can only be described as another dream – like buses, another forty lay in my net.”
The 39-year-old teacher baited with maggots, corn and CC Moore Equinox boilies and Snails and Insect Meal.
New record for Linch Hill's Christchurch
A decade after its last lake-record fish died, Linch Hill’s Christchurch has produced a new biggest-ever carp in the shape of this 49lb mirror.
Daniel Smith caught the magnificent Oxfordshire mirror during a week-long session that also produced a 35lb common, a 31lb mirror and two twenties.
The Essex angler, who presented a Sticky Krill wafter over a large bed of boilies, maggots and pellets, said: “This fish broke the long-standing lake record which has stood since the days of Petals many years ago!
“It was a great way to cap a fantastic year, having already caught 12 thirties including eight over 35lb, of which two were 39lb-plus – Hartley’s and the Long Fish – and two different 40lb-plus commons!”
16lb barbel after switch in tactics
A quick change in tactics resulted in this cracking 16lb 3oz River Loddon barbel for Cliff Mosey.
The Sandhurst-based rod had headed to the Berkshire waterway with his 11-year-old son, Henry, with the intentions of spending a couple of hours fishing for the chub with breadflake.
But when he saw the river he had to have a rethink. He said: “The water was really coloured and I knew we’d struggle for the chub. I had some pellets with me so decided to have a go for the barbel with a banded hookbait – and what a great decision it turned out to be!”
Cliff’s successful set-up consisted of 6lb Gardner HydroFlo line with a size 8 barbless hook.
Box Common caught on ditched boilies
A resourceful student clawed discarded bait out of the margins and used it to catch the biggest fish in the lake at a new top weight.
Jack Crook bagged the Box Common from Linear St John’s at 47lb 8oz after finding about 5kg of particles and boilies in his swim. The thrifty Sparsholt student also used a lead he found on the ground.
The Oxfordshire teenager spodded out the discovered bait to a silty spot at 80 yards and dried some of the boilies to use as hookbaits.
The 18-year-old, who is on work experience at Linear, told Angling Times: “When I walked into the swim I saw a load of boilies in the margin and just thought I had to use them. There were boilies, tiger nuts and sweetcorn not even a foot from the bank – someone had clearly just poured it all in.
“I’m on work experience here for three weeks and fishing at night, so I just brought particles with me as I wanted something that would last. When I saw the bait in the margins I just thought ‘boilies!’ and I couldn’t let them go to waste. I think they were Mainline Activ-8 ones.”
Jack, from nearby Berinsfield, crumbed up some of the bait and created a spod mix with a mix of his own particles and those he found. Speaking from the bank, he said: “Each night after work I’ve been putting in about 10 spods of bait around the area at about 80 yards. I dried out some of the boilies to use as hookbaits and topped them with pop-ups to create snowman rigs.
“The bite came at 10.30pm and was a drop-back on a tight line. As I was bringing it in I thought it was one of the small stockies we’ve just put in, but as it came up marginal slope it just got bigger and bigger!”
The fish, which has since been caught again three ounces heavier, is a new pb for Jack and was fooled by a 13ins rig comprising ESP Stripteaze and a size 6 longshank hook.
Barbel boost for River Aire
Match and specimen anglers from Yorkshire have cause to celebrate this week thanks to the completion of a five year project to rejuvenate barbel stocks on the River Aire.
Last Tuesday around 1,500 barbel were put into the West Yorkshire waterway by Environment Agency officers between Keighley and Leeds City Centre taking the total number of fish stocked during the project to 17,500 spread across six separate locations.
All the fish came from Calverton fish farm in Nottinghamshire which is paid for by rod licence money and follows numerous other stockings of fish into other UK rivers this autumn as part of the EA’s regular re-stocking programmes.
EA fishery officer for Yorkshire, Pete Turner, is passionate about improving angling on the Aire. He told Angling Times: “We have run a number of surveys on the river and seeked advice from the angling clubs who run stretches and although we knew there were barbel in the waterway we wanted to improve it for anglers.
“These fish have gone in at around 6-8 inches long so they should already be spreading out and taking anglers baits, and we will continue to monitor them to check their health and see if they breed.”
Some of the stockings have taken place on free fishing stretches of the river but several clubs have also benefitted, including Keighley Angling Club, who control a stretch west of Leeds. The club’s match secretary Darren Watson told Angling Times: “We have already started to catch them in matches which is a great sign and bodes well for the future. However, it’s not just barbel that we are catching – the whole river is fishing better than it has done in years for all species.”
The EA are asking anglers to report any barbel they catch from the river by tagging their catch photos on social media site Twitter. Simply post it on your twitter page and tag @PeteTurnerEA. The fish should have a small coloured tag on their heads to help you identify them.
Magnificent common on fourth visit
Karl Hall struck gold on only his fourth session at Darenth Tip Lake with the capture of The Major at 49lb 8oz.
It was the Essex rod’s eighth fish from the historic Kent water and came after the 29-year-old spent a long time observing the water.
He said: “On my arrival I completed three laps of the lake looking for signs of fish, but due to the strong wind that was blowing I was unable to spy any activity. However, after sitting in a tree for a while overlooking the back of the snags I did see a couple of fish pass through, followed by a couple more.
“Braided hooklinks aren’t allowed and the spots that I had found to be productive were small, so I opted to fish a hinged stiff rig made up of 20lb 30plus Kodex Shape Shifter due to the overuse of the chod rig.”
Karl received a few line bites during the night but had to wait until 1.15pm the following day for a take. He said: “My alarm sounded and I was soon attached to a very heavy, powerful carp which I managed to navigate away from the snags that I had baited.
“Once out in the open I felt the true weight of the fish and I knew it was one of the better ones. An epic heart-in-mouth battle ensued and I finally pulled the massive common over the net cord and he was mine.
“I looked down and in the net to was the fish that I had joined the lake to catch. On the scales the common was at an all-time best, weighing a staggering, amazing 49lb 8oz.”
Karl baited with The Nutz and Wicked Whites boilies from Mad Baits and fished a Wicked White pop-up over the top.
1,000 miles for amazing brace of rudd and roach
Daniel Woolcott proved his dedication to the sport when he racked up almost 1,000 miles travelling the length of the country to land a brace of new personal bests.
Roach was the first species on the Kent-based all-rounder’s hit list, so he embarked on a 20-hour roundtrip to target the famous Lochnaw Loch in Stranraer, Scotland.
After completing the mammoth journey he got the session underway by feeding a mixture of 10mm boilies and groundbait laced with maggots and hemp at 70yds range out before casting helicopter-style feeder rigs over the top.
With only a few small redfins to show for his efforts by the end of the first night his confidence began to wane. But he received a much-needed boost on the second evening.
“My alarm emitted a series of bleeps and when I lifted in to the bite I could feel a solid resistance on the other end,” said Daniel.
“My angling companion for the session James Champkin thought it may have been one of the trout that inhabit the water but once we got it closer we could clearly see it was a massive roach.
“My previous best weighed in at 2lb but this obliterated it as the dial swung round to 2lb 11oz,” he added.
The action didn’t end there, though, with the building surveyor taking another specimen of 2lb 6oz before he setting off on the long journey home.
With a new roach best under his belt he then set his sights on beating his rudd pb of 2lb 6oz 8dr, with a less daunting trip to Buckland Lake Reserve Fishery in Rochester, Kent.
Using identical tactics to those at Lochnaw he presented his plastic corn hookbait 10yds out. He said: “My only run of the session came at around 4am and I instantly knew that if it was a rudd, it was likely to be a new personal best.
“It stayed deep but once I’d netted it my suspicions were confirmed as my scales registered a weight of 3lb 8oz.”
He added: “These two trips have provided me with the most remarkable period of my angling career to date,” he concluded.
Both fish were beaten with 5lb fluorocarbon mainline tied to size 12 Drennan Super Specialist hooks.
New water produces six carp to 42lb 8oz
A chance to fish a private Cambridgeshire water resulted in a six-fish haul to 42lb 8oz for Ian Harle.
The local angler took full advantage of the offer to fish the venue, which is expected to open next year, and managed one upper twenty, four thirties and the personal-best forty.
He said: “On my arrival at the 26-acre gravel pit I found a southerly wind blowing along the length of the water, with a forecast of it turning southwest that night.
“With fish showing occasionally in the middle of the lake, I decided to fish on the southwest bank as it gave good access to the open water.”
Ian found relatively clear spots at about 110m and baited with 1kg of 14mm PCF Cocofruit boilies and 500gr of PCF pellets on each rod. He fished hinged stiff rigs over the top and added: “I had been told the lake held big fish and was confident that if they visited me they would find my hookbaits quickly.”
The first fish of the trip arrived just before dark and weighed 28lb 14oz. Three more mirrors followed that night, weighing 36lb, 35lb 10oz and 42lb 8oz. “The following day was quiet until 7pm when my middle rod let out a couple of bleeps, followed by a one-toner, resulting in a 30lb mirror. My sixth fish of the session followed at 10pm and weighed 36lb 8oz.”
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Five perch over 3lb from Grafham Water
Andy Loble finally struck the jackpot with the big perch of Grafham Water, landing five fish over the 3lb mark, including a 4lb 4oz cracker.
The impressive predator equalled his personal best for the species and was backed up with fish of 3lb 10oz, 3lb 6oz, 3lb 5oz and 3lb 2oz during a frantic couple of hours late in afternoon. Following two blank sessions on the Cambridgeshire venue, Andy once again took to one of its boats during a trip with Gordon Howes of Waterland Predator Guiding, despite strong winds.
“The fishing had been really slow and we decided to head to the tower for the last few hours of light,” he told Angling Times. “Within a couple of casts I was into my first fish and my jaw hit the bottom when I saw it was a 3lb perch. The bites and the fights were epic on an 8ft Sonik SK4 spinning rod and I used Fox Rage Shads on drop shot tactics. It was my best perch session ever,” he added.
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Phat Fish Facebook Competition Winner
Congratulations to Vince Eskriett from Merseyside! You have won a Phat Fish hoodie and carp in the latest Angling Times Facebook competition. Your prize will be posted out shortly.
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Brace of 39lb carp from Wasing Estate
Good karma befell Craig Runham as he bagged two 39-pounders on a session he had won at a charity auction.
Having been the highest bidder at a Cancer Research event, the Berkshire angler and his friend Andrew Smith got a chance to fish the exclusive Wasing estate for 48 hours.
Targeting Cranwells, Craig caught a 39lb 8oz mirror and a 39lb 8oz common after photographing the lake’s biggest resident – the Parrot at 64lb 8oz – for Bernie Loftus.
The Korda and Mainline-backed 28-year-old said: “The waiting list is very, very long and it will be many years before I get on the syndicate, so it was worth every penny we bid to get the short-session ticket.”
Having moved into the swim vacated by Bernie, Craig and Andrew endured a biteless first night before a change in the weather turned the session around.
During a windy second night, Craig received a screaming take. “I could not believe the power of the fish I was connected to,” he said, “I knew that out in the darkness I was fighting a very decent fish. The runs were mindblowing and I prayed for it to stay on. After what seemed an eternity I finally had a good common gliding up and down the margin.
“On the scales we both settled on 39lb 8oz – a new personal-best common for me.”
An hour later, a mid-twenty mirror slipped into Craig’s net and, as he was enjoying his first cup of tea of the morning, another fish picked up one of his white Cell pop-ups.
“Through the clear water I could make out a rather special creature, a dark heavily plated long mirror of epic proportions.” The fish also pulled the scales round to 39lb 8oz.
Craig, who fished hinged stiff rigs to a silt gulley, added: “It was a true honour to hold these special carp aloft for the camera.”
Eighth fifty is a lake record
Les Watts chalked up an incredible eighth 50-pounder from the UK with this 53lb 8oz common.
The Lancashire angler caught the fish, known as Tarka, from The Avenue in Shropshire to set a new current lake record. It came just 30 minutes after moving swims, following two blank days at the RH Fisheries venue.
Remarkably, it only ranks as the fourth biggest carp for the 57-year-old, who has caught The Lady from Ringstead at 59lb and Bill from Acton Burnell at 55lb.
He said: “The lake was pretty busy and I went down the far end, where I spent two days without a thing. On a hunch, because nothing was happening in front of me, I moved on the third day and had the bite within 30 minutes. I knew I had to try somewhere different and the move certainly paid off!”
Les, who fished a homemade pop-up as a single hookbait, said: “It was a slow, casual take but I was immediately met with solid resistance. It was a typical big-fish fight – it took its time wasn’t a fish that was going rush anywhere.
“I saw it roll just under the surface and could see it was one of the big commons, but there are two in there and I didn’t know which one it was. Fortunately there were no great worries during the rest of the fight and I managed to net it at the second attempt.”
Les, who has fished at The Avenue for three seasons, fished a 6ins Krsyton Super Nova hooklink tied to a size 7 ESP Raptor hook.
Could you be the BBC's new face of fishing?
Have you ever wanted the opportunity to be the star of an angling TV Show?
If so, the BBC are offering passionate anglers the chance to take part in a new television series which will see participants fishing some of the most exotic destinations across the globe.
With a working title of ‘The Big Fish’, the programme is currently in the early planning stages but producers are on the lookout for anglers from differing disciplines of the sport to come forward and apply to take part in what is thought to be the first ever reality angling programme to be paid for by TV licence money.
The series is hoped to educate viewers about a huge variety of fish from all manner of destinations from Africa to Southern America and the ways local people catch them. Each week participants will be challenged to test their skills in their new environment, combining their own talents with new techniques learnt from the indigenous population and international experts to outwit the environment they find themselves in.
The new show will become part of a growing list of angling based programmes which have appeared on terrestrial television in recent years including the likes of Robson Green’s Extreme Fishing and Jeremy Wade’s River Monsters which attracted as many as 3.4m viewers during particular episodes.
The talent search is open to non-professional anglers aged 18 and over and resident in the UK. Anyone interested in finding out more or downloading an application form should contact thebigfish@bbc.co.uk or call the team on 0117 974 2349.
A 34lb Royalty pike on first cast
The first cast into a day-ticket stretch of river has produced one of the biggest running water pike of all time.
Darren Smith acted on a ‘hunch’ to fish the famous Royalty Fishery on the Hampshire Avon and not only doubled his personal best with the 34lb specimen but also set a new record for Ringwood & District Angling Club.
Due to rising water levels the local angler predicted that the predators would follow the small silverfish into the slack areas to find sanctuary out of the main flow.
“I knew the conditions weren’t ideal for lure fishing, but I had a feeling that I had to be in one particular swim on the Royalty. I couldn’t ignore it,” Darren told Angling Times.
“My lure had only been in the water for a few seconds and I’d just started to retrieve it when the huge fish hammered my bait. All hell then broke loose.”
The specialist from New Milton, Hampshire, used a 10-inch Reaction Strike Bass Harasser Lure in conjunction with 50lb braid mainline to beat the specimen that measured 4ft in length.
“I’m not one to exaggerate, but the only way to describe this fish was a crocodile without legs!” Darren continued.
“When it started to come towards me I knew that there was going to be around two-and-a-half feet of fish hanging out of the back of the net. After a few hairy moments I managed to hoist it onto the bank and it was only then when I saw the mind-blowing proportions of this incredible and awe-inspiring predator.”
He added: “Even now it still doesn’t seem real. My goal was to catch a 20lb-plus fish from a river and I’ve now upped my personal best from 17lb to 34lb.”
Darren’s incredible run of form continued as he returned to the fishery a few days later to land another specimen pike of 21lb 10oz.
Day-tickets to fish the Royalty Fishery can be purchased from Davis Tackle and for more information call: 01202 485169 or visit: www.davistackle.co.uk.
Top 10 Biggest River Pike
45lb 8oz, John Goble, River Thurne, 2009
42lb 2oz, Derrick Amies, River Thurne, 1985
42lb, Mervyn Watkins, River Barrow, 1964
41lb 6oz, Neville Fickling, River Thurne, 1985
41lb 4oz, Jeff Mills, River Thurne, 1986
41lb, Alan Underhill, River Suck, 1980
39lb 12oz, Karl Gidney, Thurne system, 2008
38lb 5oz, Simon Webber, Hampshire Avon, 1992
38lb 3oz, Dennis Madigan, River Shannon, 1980
38lb 3oz, George Dillon, River Suck, 1996
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Britain's biggest carp caught twice in less than 48 hours
The biggest living carp in the country has been caught twice in less than two days.
The Parrot, which inhabits Cranwells on the Wasing Park estate in Berkshire, first fell to the rods of bailiff Mike Brampton at a weight of 64lb 6oz. Just 44 hours later it was in the net of Bernie Loftus at a new top weight of 64lb 8oz.
The fish, which is more than 40ins long, could easily eclipse the British record of 67lb 8oz, according to Mike, who has worked at the complex for 13 years. He said: “I think it will go on to do the British record. It’s so healthy and so long. If it ever fills out its gut then who knows what it could weigh.”
The carp, which Mike said was stocked at 12lb about 20 years ago, gave him a torrid hour-long fight after picking up the 59-year-old’s bait on the second day of his first winter session.
“In all the years I’ve been with Wasing I’ve only done a dozen nights on Cranwells, and this was my first winter night this year,” said Mike, who fished a quiet corner of the water and baited lightly.
“I arrived on the Thursday afternoon and got the take at 7am on the Friday. It took off and just felt like a dead weight. I had a funny feeling it was the big one.”
After the fish got stuck in weed, Mike put the rod on the rest for 30 minutes and, when the fish began moving again, called for the assistance of a boat. “Once it was free of the weed it towed me around the lake and I couldn’t get it back to my swim.”
He added: “I just can’t get over it. To have this fish on my first session of the winter was just such a shock.”
Mike used Mistral i40 boilies and presented two of them on a simple hair rig tied with a size 6 Nash Fang X hook and Atomic Jel-E-Wyre.
Anglers lose count of 2lb-plus perch at Blithfield Reservoir
“It was some of the best perch fishing I’ve ever experienced, but is still just the tip of the iceberg.”
These are the words of well-known specimen hunter Gary Knowles who was one of the lucky anglers to take part in the first ever perch trials at Blithfield Reservoir which saw over 900 fish landed.
Eight boats, each carrying two anglers, took part in the two-day lure fishing event and not only did each vessel average 50 perch per day, but event organisers admitted to loosing count of the number of perch over 2lb that were caught from the 790-acre venue.
The lion’s share of the fish boated were caught by those using the ever-popular drop shotting tactics and Korum Tackle-backed Gary along with John Davey, who co-manage the predator fishing at the venue on behalf of Blithfield Anglers, are adamant that this is just a taste of what’s to come.
“The fishing was nothing short of incredible,” Gary told Angling Times. “We were all left shaking our heads as none of us had ever caught perch in these numbers before.
“It wasn’t as if we were just catching perch from one area either, there were unbelievable amounts of fish coming from many different parts of the lake. It proves the sheer numbers of fish the venue holds and it’s only a matter of time before a truly enormous perch is caught from Blithfield.”
Another angler that was totally blown away by the fishing on offer was Korum Tackle and Preston Innovations’ media co-ordinator Adam Firth.
“It was an incredible experience just to perch fish an awe-inspiring venue like this for the first time. But to have two days where my boat partner and I lost track of how many fish we’d caught was really special,” said Adam.
“We boated fish to 2lb 4oz, but it’s so exciting to think what might lurk beneath the surface.”
Perch fishing fanatics still have their chance of further proving the potential of this incredible venue as there are still boat fishing days available on Saturday, November 29 and Sunday, November 30.
It costs £25 per-person per-day and for more information contact John Davey on: 07766 880718 or e-mail: john.davey46@ntlworld.com
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18lb 6oz barbel is a record on the River Dove
The seemingly endless run of huge barbel from rivers nation-wide has continued this week with a series of personal best fish hitting the bank topped by new River Dove record of 18lb 6oz.
Jim Ufton landed the specimen, which beat his old pb of 17lb 6oz and upped the venue best by 2oz, during a short evening session on the waterway.
The Staffordshire-based rod, who has held the river record on four different occasions, used a home-made boilie in conjunction with a simple feeder rig.
“I’m convinced that these pressured fish are spooked by constant casting so I literally pick the perfect spot, make one cast and leave it in the water for long as possible,” Jim told Angling Times.
“A lot of anglers on this stretch pile the bait in, but I had this fish by squeezing a few broken boilies into my feeder.”
Another angler to beat his personal best was Luke Ayling who slipped the net under a 16lb 10oz specimen from the River Thames.
Despite having to use a 4oz grippa lead in order to hold bottom and combat the constant stream of debris being flushed down the river, the Oxfordshire specialist put his faith in a paste-wrapped boilie alongside a PVA bag filled with pellets and crushed baits.
“I had to recast every 45 minutes as the lead was being dragged out of position, but the back lead I was using kept the hookbait free of rubbish and the paste that I moulded around the lead produced a strong scent trail in the water,” said Luke.
A home-made boilie lowered into the edge of a club stretch of the Dorset Stour proved the downfall of a 16lb 10oz specimen for Bob Edwards.
The fish set a new personal best the Lovedean, Hampshire-based rod who got his prize to the bank with a rig constructed from 12lb mainline and a size 8 Drennan Barbel hook.
Finally, Stewart Moss certainly had every reason to smile when he smashed his barbel pb by 13oz when he netted a superb 16lb 5oz fish from a midlands river.
The Drennan International employee used no free offerings and opted for a legered CC Moore Meteor boilie along with a PVA bag filled with pellets and 10mm boilies.
Solar anglers banks 115 Rainbow carp
Another work team to enjoy a successful trip to France was a group of Solar Tackle anglers who netted 115 carp from Rainbow Lake.
The big haul was dominated by Alijn Danau, who caught 69 fish from The Island swim up to 62lb. In all, 19 of his fish weighed more than 44lb.
The biggest fish of trip, known as Briggsy’s Fish, weighed 77lb and fell to Wesley Lagaert in swim 18. Solar boss Martin Locke managed 20 carp to 64lb from swim five.
All the carp came to the firm’s new 4th Rod Special Chilli Club boilies.
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New venue record for historic Crayfish Pool
Historic Crayfish Pool has produced its biggest-ever fish in the shape of this 39lb 12oz mirror.
The three-acre water on the revamped RK Leisure Horton Complex has been fished by angling greats such as Rod Hutchinson, Chris Ball and Ritchie McDonald over the years.
Captor Mike Broomfield has enjoyed a successful season on the lake, banking 18 different fish and six different thirties.
