Long slog ends with five 2lb rudd

Hours of walking to find an elusive big rudd finally paid off for Gary Knowles when he banked this stunning 2lb 7oz fish from a river in the Eastern Counties.

The Korum-backed rod made the exhausting journey from his Cheshire base and hiked along the bank to search for signs of feeding fish.

Having walked several miles without any indications, he finally stumbled across a shoal of large fish and decided to introduce small quantities of corn and bread to get the rudd feeding confidently before he started fishing.

A simple waggler set-up baited with a lump of breadflake was eventually cast into the swim and it didn’t take long for the float to dip.

Moving swims on a regular basis helped him find numerous big rudd, including a brace weighing 2lb 2oz, another at 2lb 5oz and a couple that each tipped the scales round to
2lb 7oz.

But the result could have been even more memorable. Gary said: “I lost three fish that I am sure were three-pounders. They all made their way into the dense weed that we were fishing close to.

“The Fenland rivers are full of fish and I am determined to get back and break my 2lb 8oz rudd best in the near future,” he added.