2016 Mega Match This Qualifier Dates Announced

Saturday 5th September marked the conclusion of the 2015 Maver Mega 'Match This' campaign. A gruelling five month qualification campaign starting on Saturday 4th April at The Glebe / Mallory Park in Leicestershire and finishing at Maver Larford Lakes on Sunday 16th August produced a truly fantastic final with twenty four of the UK's finest match anglers going head-to-head for angling's richest prize.
It was Middy rod Peter Upperton who secured victory on the day, thus placing his name firmly in the sport's history books alongside former Mega 'Match This' Champions Andy Power, Les Thompson, Zac Brown and Chris Cameron. Saturday 5th September 2015 will be a day Pete will never forget after winning UK match angling's richest ever prize, leaving Larford Lakes with a life-changing £65,000 - the largest sum of money ever awarded in a Match This Final and a further £5,000 over and above the prize awarded to Chris Cameron in 2015.
No sooner has the dust began to settle on the 2015 event, we now turn our attention to 2016's event, with January 1st marking the beginning of the next chapter in the Mega 'Match This' story. Twenty four qualifiers spanning seventeen different venues up and down the country begin on Saturday 2nd April in search of the twenty four 2016 Mega 'Match This' Grand Finalists.
The 2016 Maver Mega 'Match This' campaign brings with it the introduction of a brand new venue in Lakeview Fisheries, Leicestershire, as well as repeat qualifiers at the most popular 2015 venues including, Maver Larford Lakes, Mallory Park / The Glebe, Partridge Lakes and Heronbrook Fisheries. We are also proud to confirm a very welcome return to Decoy Lakes, Peterborough as part of the 2016 qualifier campaign.
Event manager, Ben Hughes commented: “The 2015 Mega Match This qualifier campaign was the most successful to date recording the largest number of tickets sold since the event was first staged in 2011, with an increase of just over 8 per cent on the previous year. It’s encouraging to see how the Mega Match This event continues to gather more and more momentum as times goes on”.
For the very first time, the 2016 Mega 'Match This' qualifier campaign marks the introduction of mid-week qualifiers taking place on Wednesdays. Mid-week qualifiers are scheduled to be held at Decoy Lakes on Wednesday 8th June and 10th August as well as Mallory Park / The Glebe on Wednesday 27th July.
“The event has grown year on year and we’re expecting demand for tickets to be high again in 2016 – especially with the inclusion of mid-week qualifiers as well now. Next year’s qualifier campaign also sees more repeat qualifiers at those venues that have proven popular in previous years”.
Expect demand for tickets to be high!

TICKETS GO ON SALE FRIDAY 1ST JANUARY 2016.

2016 Qualifier Dates:
Saturday 2nd April  Mallory Park / The Glebe  
Saturday 9th April  Woodland View   
Saturday 23rd April  Heronbrook Fisheries 
Sunday 1st May   Lindholme Lakes
Saturday 7th May  Westwood Lakes 
Saturday 14th May  Larford Lakes  
Saturday 21st May  Partridge Lakes 
Saturday 28th May  Gold Valley Lakes
Sunday 29th May  Mallory Park / The Glebe  
Wed 8th June   Decoy Lakes
Saturday 11th June  Lakeview Fisheries
Sunday 12th June  Larford Lakes
Saturday 18th June  Viaduct Fishery 
Saturday 25th June  Hayfield Lakes 
Saturday 9th July  Monk Lakes  
Saturday 16th July  Partridge Lakes
Sunday 17th July  Larford Lakes
Saturday 23rd July  Coleman's Cottage 
Wednesday 27th July  Mallory Park / The Glebe
Saturday 30th July  Heronbrook Fisheries  
Saturday 6th August  Hallcroft Fisheries
Sunday 7th August  Barston Lakes
Wed 10th August  Decoy Lakes
Saturday 13th August  Tunnel Barn Farm

Could junior fishing licences be made free?

A campaign to get more juniors into angling has taken a major step forward after plans to give out free rod licences to children were suggested.
Environment Agency bosses have pitched the idea to high-ranking government officials in a bid to get more kids into the sport.
The move comes after recently released figures by the EA showed that sales in licences for 12 to 16-year-olds had more than halved in five years, despite increased sales of adult licences this year.
In order to stop the decline, bosses have opened up dialogue with staff at the Treasury and the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) about the possibility of making price alterations, along with a raft of other changes to the rod licence system for 2017.
The current cost of a junior rod licence is £5 a season, but the EA’s Head of Fisheries, Sarah Chare, believes scrapping the charge would prove beneficial to the sport.
She told Angling Times: “We have been conducting numerous surveys over the past year or so and are now using the data to consider possible changes to the system.  The feedback suggests that making the junior licence free will help to protect the future of the sport.
“On top of this we will continue to invest in the Angling Improvement Fund which backs projects to get more kids into the sport, as well as work with the Angling Trust on other ways to increase their participation.”
The EA is also considering the possibility of a three-rod licence, a 365-day licence which starts from the day you buy it, and possible changes to how anglers can pay – but Sarah believes the decline in junior anglers is her top priority.
“We appreciate the hard work already being done by numerous agencies and tackle firms, but we need everyone to do their bit and help out if we are to make a difference,” she concluded.

From a hospital bed to a first UK 50lb carp

Ross Ryder bounced back from a week in hospital to score his first UK 50-pounder with the capture of this 50lb 4oz mirror carp.
The new personal best was the perfect tonic for Ross, who had four other carp including a 29lb 4oz mirror and a 28lb 2oz common.
The Dynamite Baits-backed angler said: “Once I was discharged there was only one thing on my mind, and that was getting a carp fix. I rushed home, loaded up the van and headed down to my local Ringwood syndicate.
“On arrival I noticed a close friend fishing in a peg next door to one where I’d had success previously, making this the perfect choice.
“There were fish in the area and I had the added bonus of a social with a friend to cheer me up after what had been a dreadful week.”
Ross found clear spots in the weed and baited with five litres of chilli hemp, sweetcorn, high-oil trout pellets and Source boilies. A 29lb 4oz mirror arrived the next morning before Ross stalked a 28lb 2oz common from a marginal spot later that day.
The next morning, Ross was woken by a fierce take on his right-hand rod. “With deep, heavy lunges the fish tucked itself under weedbed after weedbed and I knew this was a good one,” he said.
“After what felt like a long battle, a wide, deep-bellied mirror rolled into the net. At 50lb 4oz, it was a new personal best. While slipping her back, the same rod tore off again, this time with a stunning 25lb mirror!”
The trip was rounded off with a 20lb-plus common the following morning.
“What an enjoyable session,” said Ross.
“My first UK fifty, a new pb and some stunning memories.”

Race is on to be master of the feeder!

The race is on to be crowned Europe’s best feeder angler! Next year sees the first-ever Feeder Master event, and this week details of the 20 qualifiers have been unveiled by the man behind the series.

Mick Vials, a member of  the all-conquering Preston Innovations Engand team from this year’s World Feeder Champs, also revealed that  qualifiers will take place in Holland and Ireland as well as England.

The Preston Innovations-sponsored competition will see eliminators in spring and summer 2016, culminating in the weekend final in late September on Kent’s Bough Beech Reservoir where a guaranteed prize pot of £25,000 will be up for grabs.

“This competition really gives anglers a chance to get into feeder fishing,” said Mick. “Qualification will be via 20-peg sections, giving plenty of opportunities to make the final. When it came to choosing qualifier venues, we’ve been open to suggestions and have picked waters with a good proven track record for feeder fishing”

It all begins in late April on Barston Lakes before famous venues including Larford Lakes, the River Trent and Ferry Meadows take their turn for the 60-peg matches. Those Irish events on Loughs Erne and Muckno and the Dutch match will see 90 anglers taking part. Three anglers from each qualifier will then progress to the two-day final on September 24 and 25.

“We were looking for a final venue that offered something special to the competition,” said event organiser Lee Kerry. “In Bough Beech Reservoir I believe we have found that. Having fished the water myself I know the potential it has to offer and following a recent visit we knew we had the right venue for the final. The final will be a two-day competition based on weight so it really is anyone’s to win!”

Entry for qualifiers will be via the Angling Trust website from January 1 2016.

Is this the picture of next perch record?

Could this be the image of the next record perch? That is the question being asked after Charles Martin claimed this enormous 6lb 2oz specimen from Grafham Reservoir.
The predator season started with a bang as big fish were landed across the country, but the Suffolk angler stole the show when he took the specimen – which is just 1oz off the UK best – from the Cambridgeshire venue.
Despite having fished the water for five years, he had never landed a perch during that time, but he put the record straight when the giant specimen fell for a Mepps spinner. “I knew it was a huge perch as soon as I got it in the net but it wasn’t until I got back to land that I was told I it was so close to being a new British record,” Charles told Angling Times.
“I was delighted to land a 2lb-plus fish earlier in the day, but this one dwarfed it.”
“We did some checks on the digital scales that I used later in the day and they proved to be accurate, so I have no doubts about the weight of it.”
Although the capture fell just shy of making it into the history book, Charles is determined to eventually break the record.
“I will be going back in the near future. Once this fish had been slipped back I saw another perch that looked even bigger follow my lure, so it shows that this beast isn’t alone,” he added.
He wasn’t the only one taking advantage of the conditions, with Joe Royffe taking a personal-best 4lb 7oz stripey from the River Lea.
Having banked fish well over 3lb in the weeks leading up to the session, the Hertfordshire angler set his stall out on Carthagena Weir Pool in Broxbourne.
It didn’t take long for his roach livebait presented on a size 6 hook to be engulfed.
“It was so powerful that I thought it couldn’t possibly be a perch and I was overwhelmed when it came to the surface,” he said.
“I will certainly be going back for a bigger perch this winter, as there is every chance the venue could produce a 5lb-plus fish.”
Pike angling fanatic Dave Horton’s decision to switch his attentions to perch paid off handsomely when he netted a brace weighing 4lb 1oz and 4lb 4oz from an Essex river.
Rather than fish from the bank, the Waltham Abbey rod attacked his swim from a kayak.
“To land a brace of fish over 4lb in such a short space of time is truly breath-taking,” he said.
“I’ve spent most of the summer fishing from a kayak, as it definitely allows you to present your bait better in places that would otherwise be inaccessible from the bank.”
It wasn’t just perch that dominated the headlines – big zander also went on the feed, with Arunaz Morkvenas taking a 19lb fish from the River Trent.
A legered roach deadbait presented down the middle of the waterway proved its downfall.
“I struck and the fish felt heavy and just started plodding about. It took me 15 minutes to get it under control before it came to the net. It’s the biggest fish and first zander I’ve ever caught,” he said.
The zander action was equally prolific on the River Severn for Garry Bagley, who finished a short session with an 18lb predator on the bank.
Targeting a snaggy area that was known to hold the species, the Stourbridge rod took a small fish in the opening stages and soon followed it up with something much more substantial.
“It was a dead weight and refused to budge off the bottom for a little while. I was forced to crank the power up. It worked a treat and minutes later the beast was in the net,” explained Garry, who used 65lb braided mainline and a 30lb wire trace and a roach livebait.

Roach boost on the canals

Roach stocks in Britain’s most popular canals are set to receive a boost with the launch of a forward-thinking project.

The Canal & River Trust has revealed its plans to entice thousands of lapsed canal anglers, among them an initiative aimed at producing more roach for anglers to target.

The Grand Union Canal will be the first place where the Roach Restoration Project will be trialled. Thousands of pounds are set to be invested after numerous angling clubs complained that stocks on the waterway were in serious decline.

It is hoped the scheme will be rolled out nationally if it proves to be a success.

However, rather than stocking roach bred on fish farms, the project will instead go about working to protect fish already in the canal and encourage them to spawn with the help of specially designed mats on which they can deposit their eggs.

The inspiration for the scheme has been taken from the highly successful Avon Roach Project which was set up by Budgie Price and Trevor Harrop back in 2003 to help reverse the decline in redfins on the Hampshire Avon.

Detailed plans for the project are yet to be finalised, but the CRT’s National Fisheries and Angling Manager, John Ellis, hopes it will help bring more anglers back to canals.

He said: “The quality of silverfish angling on many canals is in decline, particularly for roach. We want to reverse that so that those who fish on our waterways can expect lots of bites.

“We need to reduce predation by removing some of the zander in the canal and provide fish with adequate shelter before building the mats to help stocks increase for the future,” he added.

Work is set to begin in the Milton Keynes and Northampton area, spreading to other stretches later if the project proves a success – but John pointed out that not every stretch requires attention: “The areas we will be concentrating on are those where a lot of match anglers like to catch silverfish. We won’t be removing zander from the whole canal circuit, as on some sections they are the prime target of lure anglers.”

The charity is in talks with the Angling Trust and Environment Agency to help fund the project with cash from their Angling Improvement Fund, but it is also appealing for help from the public.

To donate towards the scheme go to www.canalrivertrust.org.uk/get-involved/appeal  or call 0303 040 4040.

Match This 2015 Grand Final to air on Sky Sports

Sky Sports have confirmed this year's Maver Mega Match This Grand Final will be aired on Sky Sports 3 on Friday 9th October at 5:30pm.
Watch angling history being made again and see Middy's Peter Upperton receive a record-breaking £65,000 marking the conclusion of angling's richest and most prestigious final at Maver Larford Lakes. The programme will, once again, be presented by Rob Hughes, who also presents the BCAC and UK Champs events and appears as a reporter at Fish O Mania for Sky.
After yet another tense finale during which Peter Upperton and Preston’s Frankie Gianoncelli went head-to-head in a dramatic ninety minute two-horse sprint finish, Maver MD Philip Briscoe awarded the biggest prize in angling to the 32-year-old plasterer from Surrey, surpassing Chris Cameron’s £60,000 winner’s cheque in 2014 by a further £5,000. Peter now has a place in the Champions League of Angling’s ‘Hall of Fame’ along with previous winners Andy Power, Les Thompson, Zac Brown and Chris Cameron.
Such is the level of demand for tickets and increasing popularity of the event, the Mega Match This Grand Final now pays the winner £15,000 more than it did four years ago back in 2011 when then relatively unknown Somerset rod, Andy Power, scooped the first ever five-figure Match This winner’s purse.
Event Manager, Ben Hughes, commented: “there are, as yet, no further details regarding repeat showings of this year’s final, but we hope there will be additional showings over the rest of the Sky Sports network in the near future. We will also be releasing a feature length DVD showcasing events from the day very soon”.

Tidefest won with bream on the feeder

Andriks Lekstutis is the 2015 Thames TideFest champion. He beat the 46-strong field on the tidal river in London to take the 2015 trophy with a 31-13-0 net of big bream.
In a match held on the Strand on the Green and Barnes sections in the west of the capital, anglers shared £1,000 in prizes.
Sponsorship came from Thames Tideway Tunnel and Thames Water, and Andriks took most of that cash, £500 in total, as he fished the groundbait feeder with worm and maggot from his peg below Kew railway bridge, netting slabs to 7lb.
With the match running on a Continental-style payout, second overall and winning £250 was Hampshire tackle dealer Nigel Newport with 21-8-0 of bream and dace from the Barnes section, also on the feeder. Steve Edwards finished third due to having the second-best weight from the Strand with 31-6-0 of feeder-caught bream.
“The tidal Thames is already a good fishery but it will only get better once the new Tideway ‘Super Sewer’ is built and the water quality improves still further,” said Martin Salter of the Angling Trust.
“We took a bit of a gamble to use the rarely-fished section at Barnes but it came up trumps with some cracking roach and bream alongside the ever-present big shoals further upriver at Kew.”
Angling Times columnist and Thames legend Keith Arthur agreed – he landed four bream for 19lb on the day but didn’t win a penny, not that he was complaining.
“The match has really hit the spot for me with some superb fish caught, thousands of visitors maybe seeing angling and other activities for the first time on my home river and a terrific atmosphere,” he enthused.
“I can’t recall many Thames matches, even from back in the day, when I’ve weighed in 19lb and not won a bean but this was one of them and it’s testament to how good the fishing was. Roll on 2016!”

Result: 1 A Lekstutis, 31-13-0 (top weight from Strand on the Green); 2 N Newport, 21-8-0 (top weight from Barnes);
3 S Edwards, 31-6-0 (second-best weight from Strand on the Green); 4 G Bullock, 17-8-0 (second-best weight from Barnes).

Catfish sucker for a leech

The latest bait craze for predators once again produced the goods as Brett Debenham banked this 66lb 15oz catfish from Churchwood Fisheries.
Visitors to the Essex complex have been setting personal bests left, right and centre thanks to using leeches as a hookbait.
Venue regular Brett hadn’t long set the traps for the night when the big fish fell for the unusual offering during a stint on the Catfish Lake. Leeches are available at £38 for eight, and can be ordered when booking your peg in advance. More details on 01277 375499.

46lb 12oz giant carp from the snags

With the leaves just starting to turn from green to gold, many carp anglers know that now is the time to be on the bank.
Mike Jarvis illustrated this point perfectly with this immaculate 46lb 12oz common to give him a new personal best.
The fish, which came from a deep Cambridgeshire syndicate water, was caught from a prebaited area close to snags.
 Said Mike: “The fish is known as the Carpworld Cover Fish and weighed in at 46lb 12oz, beating my previous pb by 6oz.”
Mike used a 14mm CC Moore Dairy Supreme pop-up on a hinged stiff rig made with Fox Edges terminal tackle and a size 5 Arma Point SR hook.
“This was cast nearly 90 yards to a firm patch next to snags over 3kg of 15mm Pacific Tuna freezer baits,” said Mike. “I had prebaited a few days earlier with 4kg of the same bait in the snags to give them a taste for it.
“The weather took a change for the better, becoming overcast with a drop in the air pressure, and the swim I opted for was one I had done a fair amount of time in and managed a good few fish from, though generally of a smaller stamp.
“This was my first proper trip on the new Pacific Tuna boilies and it sorted out one of the biggies.”

Record stingray at Chesil Beach

Yet more evidence that exotic species are lying off our shores came to light this week when the British stingray shore record was smashed by a 78lb 6oz giant.
Devon angler Guy Spriggs was the man who got his name into the history books during a session on Dorset’s Chesil Beach.
The impressive specimen – which, if accepted, would blow away the former record of 67lb 12oz – is thought to be one of the biggest fish of any species ever to be landed on an English beach, and was lured on a large Bluey and squid hookbait.
Guy, who is awaiting a reply from the British Record Fish Committee to claim the record, said: “At first I dismissed the possibility of it being a stingray, as we never get them at Chesil, but luckily for me its identity turned out to be a fact.”
Chesil regular, Fox-backed Jon Patten witnessed the incredible catch and believes global warming could explain why stingrays are now here.
“Warmer waters rushing through the Channel have already brought huge bluefin tuna, and now the stingrays have turned up. In the next five years they could be a common occurrence at Chesil,” he said.

Angling set for £500,000 licence windfall

Angling is set to receive a major cash boost of more than £500,000, thanks to soaring rod licence sales.
The huge cash injection is being released by the Environment Agency after bosses revealed that the overall sale of UK rod licences has hit the million mark for 2015 – ending six years of decline.
In an exclusive interview with Angling Times, the Environment Agency’s Head of Fisheries, Sarah Chare, revealed that the sport will benefit financially from the trend, saying:  “For the first time since 2009 we have seen overall licence sales climb, rather than drop like we expected.
“This is great news for angling, as cash made from these extra sales will be ploughed straight back into the sport. The more licences we sell, the more money we have to spend on fisheries.”
Detailed plans for the spending of the cash have yet to be finalised, but the EA has revealed that £250,000 of the pot will go towards the continuation of the Angling Improvement Fund (formerly the Fisheries Improvement Fund) which it runs in partnership with the Angling Trust.
On top of this the EA has also planned to inject a further £370,000 into its local fisheries teams, to help with projects such as fish habitat work and anti-predation measures on rivers, lakes and canals.
Sarah explained: “Last season we sold just over 1.2 million licences. With several months of this season still to go we have already hit the 1.1 million mark. The money will be divided between 23 teams who work directly with angling clubs and fisheries to improve venues, so anglers will directly see their licence money helping them.”
One club to benefit from this type of work in recent years is Milton Keynes AA, which has seen thousands of pounds spent on improving fish habitat on its prolific Adams Mill stretch of the Great Ouse, the venue which holds the current UK barbel record.
Secretary Trevor Johnson told Angling Times: “The work that the local EA team has been doing on the upper Ouse area is making a huge difference. Anglers are starting to see the benefits and the cash boost is great for the future of angling.”
The extra money is not the only good news for the sport, as Sarah also revealed that the EA is working on several other issues with the Angling Trust.
“We are currently in talks with the Trust on discovering ways to increase participation in the sport. We are also helping it to roll out the Voluntary Bailiff Service across the UK to give fish stocks even better protection,” she concluded.

25lb-plus pike really takes the biscuit!

IT’S been a week of shock captures, and none more so than that of schoolboy Harvey Booth, who banked a 25lb-plus pike on a floating dog biscuit!

The 12-year-old from Worksop, Notts, had been fishing seriously only for a few months, but he left thousands of dedicated predator anglers envious when he won the battle with his first-ever pike during a session at the SYPAC-controlled Westwoodside Lakes.

Relying on a surface fishing attack, he was soon getting plenty of action from the resident carp, but then the day took an unexpected twist.

Harvey’s dad, Andy, was on hand to witness the lad bank the unlikely personal best.

“As soon as the fish took the bait we knew it was a lot bigger than anything we had landed that day, but when a huge pike came to the surface 20 minutes after hooking it we were both gobsmacked,” he told Angling Times.

“It was Harvey’s first-ever pike and by far the biggest fish of any species he has ever landed.

“He has only started taking fishing seriously this year, but this unbelievable catch has really whetted his appetite to get on the bank a lot more often,” he added.

He wasn’t the only angler to record a surprise personal best – Craig Allington landed a 15lb salmon while targeting pike and perch on a day-ticket stretch of the Dorset Stour.

Helping a friend catch his first predator was the objective of the day, but the limelight was soon on Craig, who said: “The lure fishing set-up I used was really undergunned for a fish of this size, but it was just one of those days when everything went my way.

“It only took five minutes to land and it is a catch I will never forget for the rest of my angling career.”

Last but certainly not least, River Trent enthusiast Lee Chapman got a lot more than he bargained for when he banked a 21lb 8oz pike from Cromwell Weir on the River Trent.

The predator swallowed a legered 12mm halibut pellet that was intended for barbel.

No eel form, then an 8lb 2oz fish out of the blue

GAMBLING on a water that had never before been fished for eels paid off handsomely for Mark Salt when he banked this incredible
8lb 2oz fish from a Middlesex stillwater.
The Hertfordshire angler had spent more than four years trying to beat his personal best, and he finally struck gold on a stillwater that had no form for the species.
Fully aware that eels can turn up in the most unlikely of spots, the National Anguilla Club committee member signed up to a syndicate lake noted for its big carp.
Early sessions failed to bear fruit, but he was given reason for encouragement when he eventually banked a 6lb 1oz fish.
Confident that bigger specimens were swimming beneath the surface, Mark returned days later in less than ideal circumstances.
He told Angling Times: “There was high pressure, and a clear night
was forecast. Both those elements meant that the odds were stacked against me.
“I baited up with a bed of dead maggots and cast out a Dyson rig to fish 6ins off bottom with hair-rigged lobworms on a circle hook.”
A couple of dropped runs in quick succession gave him renewed hope that a big eel was around, and confirmation came when he struck gold at the third attempt.
“I gave the fish a lot of stick to try to get it in quickly,” he said.
“Initially I thought it was a tench or a carp. As it came to the net I realised it was a big eel, but I didn’t appreciate the true size of it until I lifted it out.”
Steve Terry’s current eel record of 11lb 2oz, set in 1978 in Hampshire, has stood for more than 35 years, and while Mark concedes that beating it will be difficult, he believes it isn’t totally out of the question.
He said: “This lake is over 100 years old and crawling with natural food, so it is entirely feasible that it could produce a new British best.”

Stunning 17lb 4oz barbel rocks Nene record

The River Nene barbel record has been rocked after Nigel Bryans slipped the net under this stunning 17lb 4oz specimen.
Fishing on an undisclosed stretch of the waterway, the 52-year-old came agonisingly close to breaking the 17lb 8oz venue best that he already holds when the fish fell for a Three Foot Twitch Dubby boilie.
Upon reaching the river, he paced the bank and fed a number of inviting swims before even wetting a line.
“Looking for areas where barbel are likely to feed is something I prefer to do. I was on the hunt for clear and shallow areas where a few fish could hide,” he said.
A few handfuls of bait were fed in each likely spot, before Nigel spotted signs of life in one of his target zones.
“Once I had cast towards the fish, it didn’t take long before the first of the indications started to show. The rod-tip bounced around for a while, which was quickly followed by that classic barbel bite.
“Its first run nearly took me round a bend in the river and I thought I’d have to go downstream to follow it, but I managed to turn its head and gain some line back.
“After a 10-minute scrap, the fish came to the surface. It was a moment of relief to slip it under the net.”
Nigel’s tackle consisted of a 1.75 test curve rod, a reel loaded with braided mainline and a 4ft-long hooklink to a size 10 specimen hook.
The Nene has proved its big-fish credentials on many occasions in recent years, and Nigel thinks that trend will continue.
“I’ve had two other barbel in the 14lb bracket recently and I’ve also seen bigger fish, so I’m sure it’s just a matter of time before the next record is caught,” he said.

Big perch in World Lure Fishing champs practice

Preparations for the upcoming World Lure Fishing championships started smoothly for Gary Edmonds when he banked this 3lb-plus perch during practice.
The Team England member was in the process of helping devise a winning approach on Estonia’s Lake Viljandi when the big predator fell for his small lure.
Squads from all over the world are set to compete for the title this weekend, with England highly fancied to bring home both team and individual medals.

Poloni works magic for 15lb 19oz Trent barbel

It was a case of ‘if it ain’t broke don’t fix it’ for River Trent regular Mitch Godfrey after he slipped the landing net under this 15lb 10oz barbel.
The 48-year-old from Nottingham tempted the specimen on a legered Bait-Tech Poloni boilie glugged in Poloni Oil, the same tactic he used to land a 16lb 6oz barbel just two weeks ago.
His latest fish came as the sun was setting at the start of a session which also resulted in the capture of a 14lb 8oz barbel, his seventh of the species over 14lb in less than a month’s angling.
Mitch runs an angling guiding service on the River Trent.

Anyone interested in further details can contact him on: mitchgodders@hotmail.co.uk or call 07886 599078.

Cuttle Mill back to former best

Two years since plans for the HS2 rail link forced its closure, Cuttle Mill has re-opened with a bang.
The famous Birmingham venue still faces an uncertain future, but it re-opened last month to day-ticket anglers.
One of those to take advantage was Matt Rhodes, who managed nine bites for four fish in 36 hours.
He said: “Cuttle Mill holds a special place for me, as my childhood personal best came from there.
“It was fantastic to get another opportunity to fish what I believe to be the best water within the Birmingham postcode.”
Fishing a swim with access to marginal trees and an island, Matt opened his account quickly with a 20lb common carp, followed by a mid-double mirror.
“With the blank off the cards, fishing became more comfortable over the rest of the session and after introducing around 5kg of boilies, the bites came thick and fast,” said Matt.
“My trip ended with nine bites which resulted in four fish, including a 29lb 10oz mirror.”
Matt fished More Takes Promatein Liver and Liver White Tipper boilies on snowman rigs made with Nash Triggalink and size 5 Fang Twister hooks.

For more information about this re-opened venue visit:
www.cuttlemill.co.uk

Third title at Burton Angling Festival for Newark rod

Shakespeare Coors Burton Angling Three Day Festival (Tues – Thurs)
River Trent, Burton on Trent (78 pegs)

After three days excellent fishing and three all important section wins, Peter Salt is now the 2015 Burton Festival Champion. Incredibly, it’s his third win since its inception eight years ago!
A sell-out field for this year’s Burton Angling Festival enjoyed three days of great competition, with more than £9,000 to pay out, split into 95 cash prizes plus many great tackle items.
Top rod on Day 1 was Dennis Armstrong who drew peg 15 on Sherratt’s Farm and took a super 31-10-0 of waggler-caught roach.
Runner-up was eventual overall champion Peter Salt. He drew peg 5 on Broadholme Island and fished similar tactics for his 21-2-0 catch.
Day 2 was difficult due to the strong windy conditions, with Wayne Truman drawing the downstream end peg at Shardlow and fishing long pole with hemp and tares for 16-12-0 of roach. Pushing him all the way was runner-up Toby Bunting who fished the long pole on peg 1 at Bailey’s for 15-6-0 of roach.
Day 3 saw Dave Wray drawn on peg 3 at Shardlow where he fed six pints of hemp and caster fishing the straight lead netting three barbel for 35-13-0, the biggest fish weighing 13lb 7oz! Tony Marshall took second with roach caught on hemp at 16m to weigh in 29-10-0.

Results: Day 1: 1 D Armstrong, Matchman Supplies, 31-10-0; 2 P Salt, Newark, 21-2-0; 3 B Rigby, DH Angling, 16-3-0. Day 2: 1 W Truman, Matchman Supplies, 16-12-0; 2 T Bunting, Quorn, 15-6-0;
3 N Atkins, Chesterfield, 13-11-0. Day 3: 1 D Wray, Quorn AS, 35-13-0; 2 T Marshall, Shakespeare, 29-10-0; 3 P Salt, Newark, 22-8-0.
Overall: 1 P Salt, Newark, 3pts; 2 B Rigby, DH Angling, 4; 3 T Bunting, Quorn, 6; 4 W Truman, Matchman Supplies, 7; 5 R Quinn, Shakespeare, 8; 6 P Warren, Middy, 8.

Drayton goes online to lift illegal fishing threat

A record-breaking commercial fishery has eradicated poaching and illegal fishing thanks to online videos and social media.
Venue bosses at Drayton Reservoir are urging other fisheries to follow their example after it began a campaign to educate and welcome the growing number of eastern European carp anglers to the prolific Northants venue.
Not only has it launched an online video that lists all its rules in Polish, but also regularly uses Facebook to engage with eastern Europeans and now has many foreign regulars that have benefited from the fishery’s innovative ideas.
“We don’t have any problems at Drayton as I know that many eastern European anglers who fish here have watched the video that we have posted on the fishery facebook page and which is also available to watch on YouTube,” said Drayton’s Mark Ryder.
“The fact that the foreign guys fishing your water know all the rules and respect the fishery and your stocks really does help deter those people who might not be of the same mindset because they know that they wouldn’t be able to get away with anything illegal.
“Every fishery should be doing the same. Not only is it great for the venue, but also for bringing new people into the sport. We have many eastern Europeans who are passionate anglers and help spread the word within their communities.
Drayton Reservoir is just one of many clubs and fisheries which have used modern methods to stamp out poaching and educate foreign anglers.
Dilip Sarkar is the Angling Trust’s national enforcement manager and has been instrumental in countless projects to stamp out poaching and build bridges between UK and foreign anglers.
“What Drayton has done is what every club and fishery in the land should be doing,” he said.
“The foreign guys who are poaching are not interested in fishing, but there are so many who are passionate anglers and the more of these we can encourage on to fisheries and angling clubs, then the fewer illegal fishermen we will see.”