8lb chub on a day ticket

A day-ticket stretch of river has produced the biggest chub of the season, tipping the scales at 8lb.
Mark Blincow was fishing on a stretch of the River Ouse controlled by Milton Keynes Angling Association when the new personal best took his freelined lobworm.
The fish was backed up by six chub, which all fell to the same hookbait when the specimen hunter from Northampton fished with 6lb mainline tied straight through to a size 4 Drennan hook. “I knew it was a huge fish as soon as I hit the bite, but then it dived into some snags under the far bank,” said Mark.
“It was tense for a while, but thankfully I got it out and into the net. The frame of the fish was absolutely huge – in fact the guy who took the picture for me first thought it was a carp. This chub is going to be even bigger come winter.”
Mark wasn’t the only one to bank a huge chub this week – 34-year-old Nathan Leney bagged a 7lb 15oz specimen from the famous Kings Weir stretch of the River Lea.
He too used freelining tactics, but this time with home-made cheese paste with 10lb line straight through to a size 4 hook .
 “I found a deep swim where the current flowed under the nearside bank and immediately dropped my cheese paste hookbait in without feeding any loose offerings,” said Nathan.
“The flow carried the bait under the bank and I held the line with my finger.  After a short while I felt the smallest of plucks on the line, so I hit it and the fish was on.
“A friend and I weighed it twice to make sure, but it didn’t quite make 8lb – however, we recognised that it was a known fish called ‘Scar Flank’ that came out early on in the year at 8lb 5oz.”

Run of big fish continues with 16lb Trent barbel

River Trent regular Mitch Godfrey continued his recent run of big fish from the waterway with the capture of this personal-best 16lb 6oz barbel.
The huge specimen was the result of a nine-day campaign spent on the river, which has seen the Nottingham angling guide bag 11 double-figure fish, including a specimen weighing 15lb 12oz.
His latest capture, which was part of a nine-fish haul, was tempted on a long-tailed leger rig using one of the new Bait-Tech Poloni boilies in conjunction with a pva bag of half boilies.
Mitch runs a guiding service on the Trent.
Anyone interested can contact him on:
mitchgodders@hotmail.co.uk  or call 07886 599078.

64lb Welsh sturgeon

Robert Poulter had a fight on his hands when he won a battle with this huge sturgeon.
The specimen topped the scales at 64lb and was the highlight of the 18-year-old’s holiday at the prolific Celtic Lakes in Wales.
It was fooled by the keen angler from Solihull, Birmingham, with legered boilies fished in conjunction with 20lb mainline, a 30lb braided hooklink and a size 6 hook. 

It’s all go at new venue Monument Two

A new day-ticket fishery opened with a bang last week.
The Monument Two in Shropshire welcomed paying anglers for the first time – with nearly 30 fish being banked in the opening 36 hours.
The pick of the bunch was this 38lb carp for Adam Deck, with Steve Johnson and Matt Wilshaw also getting among the thirties.
In test fishing, the lake produced fish to 43lb. It is believed the water now holds at least 50 thirties.
For more information visit www.rhfisheries.com or call 01952 463 141

10-step plan to save our canal fishing

A fanatical angler who heads up one of the most important organisations in fishing has revealed a revolutionary plan to improve canal fishing across the nation.
The Canal & River Trust is responsible for maintaining over 2,000 miles of water and the head of the organisation has shown his commitment to boosting angling participation by creating a number of forward-thinking initiatives in the form of a 10-point action plan.
Getting more juniors on to canals, stocking fish and launching new high-profile competitions, are all part of the strategy, with work set to get under way immediately.
A surge in the number of people visiting natural waters has been recorded recently and chief executive Richard Parry is determined that the trend continues.
“Our canals offer fantastic fishing for coarse anglers of all disciplines and, although we have noticed an increase in the number of anglers using these waters, we are determined to do even more to keep that momentum going,” he said.
“By working with clubs, the Angling Trust and the Environment Agency, we are confident that we can generate more opportunities for anglers.
“The 10-point plan is just the start of our future commitment to angling on canals – we are always open to suggestions as to how we can make even bigger improvements.”
Richard’s passion for angling has been on show for all to see – he attended the Division One National on the Gloucester Canal last month to watch the event and conduct the presentation.
C&RT national fisheries and angling manager John Ellis believes that this kind of dedication will help create a bright future for canal fishing.
He told Angling Times: “It is fantastic that the head of the organisation is so passionate about the sport we all love and that can only be good news for canal angling.
“I’m looking forward to working with Richard to apply this very exciting plan of action.”
The news has been widely welcomed by clubs throughout the UK, with many of them expressing a desire to help the C&RT execute the plan.
Birmingham AA controls stretches on five different canals.
Its secretary, John Williams, hopes the new pledge will lead to positive action.
“Our canal stretches are full of fish, but there are a number of issues that stop people visiting them, with access one of the major sticking points,” he said.
“The C&RT now needs to put this plan into action and prove it is fully dedicated to providing a better service for angling.”

THE CANAL & RIVER TRUST 10-POINT PLAN

1 Introduce more juniors
A series of instructional videos are set to be filmed to promote canal fishing to youngsters. The footage will be made available to watch for free online. The Junior Canal Championships will also be staged in the coming months.

2 More competitions
The Canal Pairs Championships was launched in 2014 and this year’s effort has once again been well received. Talks will get under way to see whether other high-profile canal competitions can be fitted into the calendar.

3 More freedom for clubs
The Canal & River Trust was formerly British Waterways and under the old establishment clubs found it difficult to upgrade their stretch. The red tape has now been removed to make it much easier for clubs to make improvements such as adding new pegs.

4 Increased patrols
Staff from the C&RT are to team up with the Environment Agency and Angling Trust to conduct more patrols on canals to prevent poaching and illegal angling, with venues in London set to take advantage of the scheme first.

5 Improved access
Long walks and a lack of parking are often cited by anglers as major reasons for avoiding canals, but better access is set to be installed close to popular stretches to solve the issue.

6 Leasing more stretches
The C&RT has revealed it is keen to lease more stretches of canal to clubs at affordable prices.

7 Fish stockings
Fundraising efforts have started to collect £5,000 to help rejuvenate roach stocks in the Grand Union Canal in Milton Keynes. Similar fundraising projects could be launched to benefit other canal stocking campaigns.

8 Improved online presence
The C&RT website is set for a major overhaul, with officials promising more information on top canal stretches to fish, on ticket prices and news updates for anglers.

9 Fish surveys
A lot of mystery surrounds what is present in our canal systems, but staff are set to conduct fish surveys on numerous stretches to give anglers a better picture of fish stock levels.

10 Create community waters
Stretches of canal that are currently being underused could see coaching and community events that would help draw new people into angling and reduce issues such as anti-social behaviour in the process.

For more details visit https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/

46lb of bream in four hours

Four hours was all big-fish ace Adrian Eves needed to bank three bream for a total weight of 46lb 14oz.
After introducing a big bed of bait and kicking off the session with a 9lb bream from a stillwater in the south, most anglers would have stayed put, but not Adrian.
He moved swims after seeing several fish roll on the surface and introduced a fresh bed of pellets, particles, maggots and corn.
It didn’t take long for the Fox and Dynamite Baits- backed angler to reap his rewards, banking fish of 15lb 14oz, 15lb 12oz, 15lb 4oz, 13lb 10oz and 9lb.
He used 8mm Dynamite Baits tiger nut dumbells and sweet corn hair rigged to the back of size 8 Fox hooks.

First French carp is 87lb!

When Bruce Head set off for his maiden trip to France he had his sights set on a 20-pounder, but his first Gallic carp turned out to be one of the biggest in the world.
On his first day of fishing, the 34-year-old banked the Scar Fish – a huge mirror which once held the world record at 99lb. This time it was down in weight, but still pulled the scales round to 87lb.
“I went thinking ‘if I catch a twenty I’ll be happy’,” said Bruce. “I could only have dreamed of catching the legendary Scar Fish, but I did! Everyone I tell thinks it’s incredible – my first French fish is 87lb!”
The Norfolk angler arrived on Saturday, but after baiting a selection of spots he didn’t get his rods out until the following day. At 5pm on the Sunday, the giant mirror picked up one of his baits and Bruce jumped in a boat to do battle out in the lake.
“After about five minutes the fish came to the surface and it looked big, but I had no idea it was Scar.” After being pulled around in circles for 10 minutes, Bruce steadied the boat.
“The fish came up and looked ready to net, and as I’ve gone to slowly pull the fish towards the landing net I’ve seen the scar and the size of the fish. Just then it was off again!
“All I was thinking is that no-one is going to believe me that it was Scar if it comes off! After another 10 minutes of being pulled around she came up again, but this time I got the net under her – but with great difficulty!
“I couldn’t believe the size of it, it took up the whole net!”
Bruce, who had two forties later in the week, tempted the Scar on a corked-out 18mm Mainline Cell boilie tied to a size 6 wide-gape hook on a blowback rig.

500 sessions for 2lb roach

More than 500 sessions in search of a big river roach finally ended in success for Phil Taylor when he banked this immaculate personal best specimen on the float.
The Skegness angler set his heart on landing a redfin over 2lb four years ago and has been visiting local rivers several times a week in an attempt achieve his goal.
His latest session saw him turn his attentions away from what has become an obsession and set his sights on winning a friendly competition that had been arranged by a group of friends.
But, ironically, it was this switch of focus that saw him achieve his goal.
“A few of us who mainly concentrate on catching big fish decided to change our mind-set for a month and arranged a species hunt tournament,” said Phil.
“The winner would be the angler who could land the most types of fish during that time. I’d gone down to the river to catch a few small silvers of different species to get my effort under way and I landed this. I can’t believe it!”
A simple stick float rig baited with two red maggots helped tempt a few small roach and dace before he set his hook into his new personal best.
“I knew instantly it was something big, but never for a single second did I envisage a new pb roach would be attached to the other end.
“It made a few attempts to shed the hook and when I finally saw it the nerves really kicked in as I knew there was every chance it was the fish I’d worked so hard for. When it was confirmed, I was lost for words,” said Phil.
“It’s ironic that I have spent so much time searching for this fish and it finally comes on a day when I wasn’t really looking for it! A 2lb roach is the holy grail in my book – it is definitely my biggest angling achievement.”
His winning rig was made up of a Middy Pete Warren stick float and 3lb 6oz Drennan Double Strength line to a size 16 hook.

Two 20s and a 40lb carp – all on floaters

Floaterfishing sessions don’t get much better than the one Rich Seeds experienced at Farriers in Gloucestershire.
The 31-year-old banked two twenties to 27lb and this 41lb 6oz common carp.
The Hampshire fishery manager said: “It was a great day’s floater fishing, with this new surface personal best. This was the first bite of the session, which was unbelievable!”
Rich spodded floaters and presented a 12mm Sticky Krill pop-up on a size 10 Korda Mixa hook tied to a 4ft length of Korda Kruiser control.

First ever eel at 6lb

Steve Grinham’s first ever session in search of big eels couldn’t have gone any better when the Edgware, London, man won the battle with a 6lb 1oz specimen.
He started his visit to a venue in the south with a 3lb fish on a legered worm, but the best was yet to come when the new personal best made off with the same hookbait. This time it was suspended off the deck with the help of a ‘Dyson’ rig.
Both fell to a braided hooklink and size 8 Korda hooks. “When I went to net the biggest fish the first time I failed because I didn’t realise it was 3ft 6ins long,” he said.

Veteran’s personal best carp in downpour from famous Bucks lake

One of the country’s most historic carp waters threw up this 42lb 8oz mirror for experienced big-fish man Brian Hankins.
The fish came from Savay, a tricky water in Buckinghamshire’s Colne Valley which has hosted many of angling’s famous names through the years.
“This is my new personal best,” said Brian, who is the longest-serving syndicate member and began fishing the venue in 1981.
“My previous best was also a Savay mirror of 40lb, caught in 1997.”
The 61-year-old added: “My original plan was to fish on the Colne bank for eels at night, then carp fish during daylight.
“But heavy rain on the Sunday saw me set up near the car park to avoid being drowned!” said Brian.
“Also, a few carp were showing in Cottage Bay, so the Rat Hole swim became my home for the next couple of days.
“I found a couple of clear spots and, once I’d baited up, I settled in for the night. No carp were showing the next morning and I wondered if they had moved, but after a full walk around the lake and no fish spotted I decided to stay put – the continuous rain made it an easy decision!”
Due off at 2pm on the Tuesday, Brian spotted a carp roll over his close-in spot at 1pm.
“At 1.45pm the buzzer burst into life and I was doing battle with a heavy fish. It was soon covered in thick weed, but after a struggle both fish and weed went into the net,” he said.
“Every Savay carp is a very rewarding capture –this was my second this year – and we knew straight away it was a forty!”
The fish fell to Solar boilies presented on a snowman rig with a braided hooklink and Solar 101 hook.

4lb 11oz perch tops big week for species

The capture of a string of huge perch has proved why there couldn’t be a better time to bag a new personal best.
The glut of perch was topped by a season-best 4lb 11oz fish taken on a lure by 25-year-old Laurence Mason.
Fishing a small tributary of the River Lea in Ware, the Essex-based specialist cast his favourite diving plug towards a small bridge – and it wasn’t long before a violent take ended in the capture of his new personal best.
“It hit the lure hard and my heart started to race when I saw it was a perch as it emerged through the murky water,” said Laurence.
“My dad came running down the river to see the fish. Neither of us could believe how big it was but thought it was close to 5lb.
“This goes to show how important it is not to ignore small waters because my fish proves they are capable of producing big surprises.”
The sheer volume of big perch that have been caught this week has surprised species experts across the country, as venues don’t usually start producing their biggest fish until the water temperatures begin to drop.
It’s not just rivers that are producing the goods, either.
Peter Hague used lobworms to land an amazing haul of big perch from a Yorkshire stillwater.
His fish weighed 4lb 8oz, 4lb 6oz, 3lb 14oz and 3lb 6oz.
All his predators were taken on feeder tactics and his biggest fish also sets a new personal best for the species.
Peter used a simple running leger rig made with a 6lb mainline, a 4lb hooklink and a size 8 hook.
Last, but certainly not least, is 11-year-old, Finley Dougan, who on his second ever trip and adopting the drop shotting method, hit the jackpot with a huge 4llb 4oz specimen.
It produced the only bite of the day for the youngster, who was fishing with his father, Andy. Not only is it the biggest perch he’s ever caught, but it also beat his dad’s personal best by well over a 1lb.

Shock 500lb tuna caught off Wales!

An epic four-and-a-half-hour battle has ended with the capture of a 500lb tuna off the coast of Wales.
The monster fish was taken by Somerset angler Chris Bett during a shark-fishing
trip on Andrew Alsop’s Milford Haven-based charter vessel ‘White Water II’.
Nothing could have prepared Chris and his friend John Beck for what was about to happen as the tuna made off with a hookbait suspended just yards from the boat.
The fish stripped line from Chris’s reel at such a rate that the anglers were forced to pursue it for over four miles before finally setting eyes on it.
“I’ve been all over the globe catching great white sharks, marlin and other big-game fish, but this is without doubt my most amazing capture and the greatest fight I’ve ever had. It completely smashed me up and I had to take pain killers before work the next day,” Taunton-based Chris told Angling Times.
“John and I had just come back from a tuna fishing trip in Madeira and didn’t manage to catch one. To hook one off Wales a day later blew my mind.
“The gear Andrew uses is perfect for sharks, but this tuna completely destroyed the reel to the point that I had my palm over the spool to try and stop the fish running. I now have burns and blisters all over my hands.”
The tuna took a mackerel hookbait 25 miles out, in an area skipper Andrew has always maintained held these fish.
Oldham’s John Beck has also caught his fair share of big sharks and admits that he was privileged to be a part of such an historic event.
Both he and Andrew are full of admiration for Chris, who managed to single-handedly battle the tuna to the side of the boat before it was safely released.
“It was phenomenal,” said John. “Around three hours into the fight Chris looked pale and one of his knees went, but there was no way he was giving up. I kept asking if he wanted me to take over, but he said no.
“I also had to hold him upright because it was far from a calm day and there were a few times where he’d be in a heap in the corner. I fed him up with Coke to keep his sugar levels up when he looked a bit pale and peaky.
“The odds were stacked against us, but as a team we did what we believe will never be repeated.”
The catch comes just weeks after thousands of tuna were spotted and photographed off the Cornish coast. Not only is Andrew now one of just a few UK skippers to have caught tuna, but he is excited at the prospect of what other predators these fish could attract.
“I’ve seen a lot on this boat and landed more than 8,500 sharks, but this was truly incredible. This fish stripped 400 metres of line off the reel 16 times and was smashing through waves like a bulldozer,” said Andrew.
“The first run was absolutely electrifying, then came a couple of hours of chasing the fish,  covering miles of ocean as it tried to empty the reel of line.
“When we finally caught sight of the tuna we all made a conservative estimate of its weight, so it could have been more than 500lb. It’s such a shame we didn’t manage to get any quality pictures.
“Tuna are now part of the food chain which will bring in bigger sharks like makos and possibly even a great white!”

Fifth 50lb carp this year... from the same venue!

It’s highly unlikely that any other carp angler in the country can rival the 2015 that Kris Ollington is having.
Staggeringly, this 52lb common is the fifth 50lb-plus fish he has caught from Berkshire’s Wellington Country Park this summer.
The fish, known as the Big Common, came along with a 36lb 10oz mirror in a 15-minute spell at the end of a gruelling four-night session in which the 33-year-old fished five different swims.
“It’s been a once-in-a-lifetime summer, it’s something that is never, ever going to happen again,” he said.
“I started in a swim called Brambles for two nights and ended up fishing five swims in four nights, chasing the fish around the lake. I ended up in a swim called Hole in the Bush and had two in 15 minutes!
“The fish were showing close to an island at about 140yds, which is just out of my range, so I was fishing at about 125yds with single hookbaits. I had the 36, which is known as the Pretty Sutton and is one of the prettiest fish in the lake, then literally as I was putting it back I had the other bite.
“Both fish put up great fights, keeping me on a long line for a long time.”
Kris fished with Mainline Activ-8 boilies on blowback rigs made with Gardner Ultra Skin and Korda Kaptor Kurv hooks.

Farriers Lake 35lb carp on pop-up

An overnight session on the Carp Society’s Farriers Lake produced this 35lb 2oz common carp for Duncan Arrandale.
The Wychwood and Richworth consultant said: “On arrival a fresh south-westerly wind had sprung up. I looked on the back of the wind and saw a fish show on the opposite side of the lake 300 yards away. I fished to the near right-hand edge of a sizeable clear area, roughly where I thought the fish had shown.
“I presented a pop-up on a multi rig over five Spombs of boilies and at 11pm the alarm went into meltdown, resulting in this 35lb 2oz common.”

16lb ‘demon’ barbel

Colin Hebb took advantage of the Trent’s form when he set a new barbel personal best with this 16lb 2oz fish.
After finding the prolific venue carrying some colour and flow, the 31-year-old market trader used 8oz of lead to hold bottom and hair-rigged two fish-flavoured boilies on a size 6 Fox hook.
His tactics also proved the downfall for four other barbels to 8lb.
“The fish was stuck in a snag for ages, but to my joy finally came free after the lead came off the clip I was using,” said Colin. “It fought like a demon and my arm was almost falling off by the time it came to the net.”

Prebaiting in the weed brings in a 31lb carp

Prebaiting a weedy corner of Kingsmead One produced this 31lb carp for Jack Funnell.
“I had been at the lake several days prior to the session and had noticed fish were finding sanctuary in one of the small weedy bays,” said the 23-year-old fishery manager.
“I decided to put a little bit of bait in the area, knowing that when I came back later in the week I would stand a good chance of catching one.
“I returned several days later and a small group of fish were still in the area. I had a take at 6.30am for three days running, resulting in a 10lb stockie, a 23 and a 31.”
Jack fished Sticky Krill boilies on chods made from Korda bits.

Butler bags £1,000 payday at Rookery

Rookery Waters £1,000 Summer Final
Jay & Magpie Lakes (56 pegs)

After 33 qualifying rounds, anglers arrived at Rookery with £1,000 up for grabs to the winner.
That big-money prize went to Boston rod Gavin Butler, the Tackle & Bates man recording two section wins and totalling 251-8-0 to relegate Jimmy Brooks into second as he put together 199-0-0 across the weekend after also scoring two points.
Gavin started on Jay Lake peg 30 with 64-12-0 of carp to 5lb on long pole and pellet to win his section and the lake, before changing to the Magpie Lake on Day 2.
That saw him on peg 7, and pellet shallow at 16m and down the edge produced 186-10-0 of carp to again win the section and the lake!
Magpie Lake Day 1 result: 1 M Freeman, Decoy, 204-10-0; 2 T Edwards, Dynamite Baits/Maver Image, 150-2-0;
3 B Mason, Guru/Bag’em Baits, 130-8-0.
Jay Lake Day 1 result: 1 G Butler, Tackle & Bates, 64-12-0;
2 T Evans, Dynamite Baits, 47-4-0; 3 J Brooks, Middy/Bait-Tech, 46-10-0.
Magpie Lake Day 2 result: 1 G Butler, Tackle & Bates, 186-10-0; 2 J Brooks, Middy/Bait-Tech, 152-4-0;
3 S Bracey, Shimano/Dynamite Baits, 114-6-0.
Jay Lake Day 2 result: 1 M Pollard, Shimano/Stanjay Sports, 104-10-0; 2 T Edwards, Dynamite Baits/Maver Image, 85-10-0; 3 S Higginbottom, Tackle & Bates, 83-12-0.
Overall: 1 G Butler, Tackle & Bates, 2pts (251-8-0);
2 J Brooks, Middy/Bait-Tech, 2 (199-0-0); 3 T Edwards, Dynamite Baits/Maver Image, 3 (235-12-0); 4 M Pollard, Shimano/Stanjay Sports, 3 (222-8-0); jt5 S Higginbottom, Tackle & Bates and G Welton, Garbolino RAF, both 3 (both 203-4-0).

Angling Trust to challenge Government over pollution

See you in court! That’s the message from the Angling Trust this week as it prepares a legal challenge to the Government over its failure to protect some of the nation’s most cherished waters.
The sport’s governing body, with its legal arm Fish Legal and wildlife conservationist the World Wildlife Fund – UK (WWF-UK), has been granted permission from the High Court to challenge the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) and the Environment Agency over a failure to safeguard rivers, lakes and coastal areas from agricultural pollution.
The Government is required by law to take every necessary step to ensure the protection of habitats known as ‘Natura 2000’ sites, where pollution is harming fish and other species that should otherwise thrive.
The Hampshire Avon, River Wye and Poole Harbour are all included.
The Government is required to ensure these aquatic ecosystems are in good health in compliance with the EU’s Water Framework Directive before the December 2015 deadline.
The case is expected to go to court later this year.
Mark Lloyd, chief executive for the Angling Trust and Fish Legal, says poor agricultural land management is to blame for creating a problem that affects almost every UK angler. “Soils carrying nutrients and pesticides are being washed into our rivers, seriously harming important fish species,” he said.
“This is not only bad for fish and wildlife, but also anglers, who contribute billions to the economy every year.
“We must ensure the necessary measures are in place to stop this pollution, and give our rivers and lakes a chance to recover and thrive.”
Now that permission for a judicial review has been granted, and if the Government’s actions are found to be unlawful, it will have to identify the regulatory steps necessary to tackle pollution affecting these areas.
“We are calling on the Government to use the tools at its disposal to tackle the issue,” said David Nussbaum, chief executive, WWF-UK.
“It’s hoped this legal action will lead to a rethink of the approach of the Government and Environment Agency, so that we can see real improvements in these places.”
In response to the decision by the High Court, an EA spokesman added: “After considerable investment, rivers in England are at their healthiest for 20 years. This is down to more than a decade of hard work to improve the health of England’s rivers.
“The Environment Agency will continue to work closely with farmers, businesses and water companies to reduce pollution and improve water quality wherever, and however, possible.”

Patience pays off with 5lb 6oz stillwater eel

Targeting big eels can be a frustrating game, and often you can never be sure whether your chosen water even holds them – but hard work and perseverance paid off handsomely for Tony Smith when he slipped the net under this 5lb 6oz fish.
A roach head presented over the top of a bed of chopped worms and maggots proved to be the winning combination for the dedicated specimen hunter from Knottingley, West Yorks.
The eel came from a local stillwater and was beaten to the bank with a rig made from 10lb Korda mainline, a 25lb hooklink and a size 6 hook.