Zander record holder gets Severn pike twenty

Trout fishing reservoirs might be stealing all the headlines when it comes to big pike at the moment, but James Benfield proved how good our rivers are when he netted this 26lb 5oz personal best.
The current British zander record holder with a fish weighing 21lb 5oz was tackling a stretch of the River Severn when he set his hooks into the specimen that fell for a small chub livebait.
Predators weighing 19lb 10oz and
11lb 12oz also fell to the 28-year-old, from Malvern in Worcester, who used 18lb mainline and size 6 trebles to make his impressive catch.
“This is the first time this season that I’ve targeted this area and it means a lot to bank my first ‘twenty’,” James told Angling Times.

Kids targeted by new Angling Trust survey

A campaign to attract thousands of youngsters into angling has been given a major boost after the launch of a ground-breaking survey.
Junior participation has dropped alarmingly in recent years, but the Angling Trust is now attempting to reverse the trend by creating a national questionnaire for under-18s.
The governing body hopes the move will help it understand what the sport needs to do to make it more appealing to youngsters.
Trust communications manager Will Smith said: “It is vital that we know what the sport can do to get thousands more young people to go fishing on a regular basis.
“This kind of research is essential because, ultimately, the more anglers we have, the stronger the future of our sport.
“Even if you have never been fishing, or only fished once or twice, we really want to know what we can do to make you get involved in angling,” he added.
Get Hooked on Fishing is the UK’s leading angling charity and its bosses have given the latest development their full support.
Chief executive Sarah Collins believes the results from the project could be vital to securing the future of fishing.
“This is a fantastic idea and we will be encouraging all the juniors who we coach to get involved in the project,” she said.
“Angling has to adapt to draw in more kids, but at the moment I don’t think we know exactly which direction to head in.
“We have two choices – we can either try to second-guess what young people think, or we can ask them directly. In my mind, it is clear that asking them will produce a more accurate picture of what needs to be done,” she added.
Anyone under 16 should get consent from an adult or guardian before filling in the form, with all participants having the option to enter a free competition to win up to £200 of Amazon vouchers.
Visit www.surveymonkey.com/r/ATYP to fill in the survey.

‘Slow’ venue’s common at 51lb

Terry Dempsey has got back among the giants with this stunning 51lb common carp from a Kent gravel pit.
The Urban Baits boss told Angling Times: “The lake had been fishing slow for months with just the odd fish coming out, so I spent the first day of the two-night session just watching the lake for signs of fish.
“All I saw was the occasional patch of bubbles popping up here and there in a particular area of the lake. With no other signs to go on I set up near the bubbling just before it got dark.
“The baits were cast just 30 yards out into small holes in the thick weed I had found after some plumbing.
“I used a Nutcracker corkball pop-up over around 100 Nutcracker freebies.
“At around 1am in the pitch dark I heard the loud crash of a big fish not too far from my baits, giving me lots of confidence.
“Then around 3am I had a definite line bite on one of the rods and, just before light broke, the right-hand rod screamed off as a heavy fish made it into the thick weed.
“After 10 minutes or so I pumped a gigantic weedbed into the margins and there in the middle of the weed sat this massive common that I quickly netted before it realised what was happening!”

A million new fish to be stocked into venues nationwide

Over a million fish will be stocked into venues nationwide this winter.
Whether you’re into running a stick float down your local river, targeting big carp or filling your net at a commercial fishery, the news that 2015 has seen the UK’s biggest fish farmers sell out of stock to meet the demand for new fish will come as music to anglers’ ears.
Over the coming months, huge numbers will be leaving the stock ponds of some of the most well-respected fish suppliers and arrive at more fisheries than ever before.
The need for big specimens continues to gather momentum as the likes of legendary supplier of specimen carp Heather Fisheries in the south has revealed that it will soon undergo a huge operation, which will see the stocking of over 40,000lb fish of ranging between 10lb and 30lb.
“It’s going to take us two months to get all this stock out as carp have never been more popular. We have orders from all over the UK,” said Heather Fisheries owner Mark Simmonds.
“This year has been incredible as we, along with so many other farms, have been sold out for months and have already got 50 per cent of our 2016 stocks spoken for.”
But it’s not all about carp, as more than half the total number of fish stocked this winter will be made up of such species as roach, tench, bream, skimmers, crucians, chub and barbel.
Leading UK fish suppliers  Quiet Sports Fisheries Management in Suffolk and Gloucestershire’s AE Fisheries have also revealed that this winter will see them stock huge numbers of species other than carp.
“We will be delivering well over 100,000 roach and skimmers to angling clubs throughout the country,” said Steve Barnes, owner of Quiet Sports Fisheries Management.
“Species other than carp are growing in popularity because they really give anglers another alternative, plus it creates a competition in the water that can really improve sport.”
And the Environment Agency is hoping to have 400,000 fish available for a host of winter restocking programmes .
Fisheries experts at the Agency’s Calverton Fish Farm in Nottingham are currently harvesting their stock which, they say, will be available for rivers, canals and stillwaters to match what the organisation introduced last winter.

6-mile River Lea trek bags big Perch

The huge popularity of perch fishing across the UK shows no sign of slowing down with two carp anglers turning their attentions to running water to bank a series of mammoth fish.
Herts-based Karl White and Mark Fox swapped their heavy-duty rods and bite alarms for roving river gear and targeted the River Lea to bank impressive predators to 4lb 5oz.
During this session, which saw Mark take the biggest specimen and Karl catching two perch at 3lb 4oz each, they travelled over six miles of the river in order to keep the fish coming.
This roving approach, plus the three-inch roach livebaits trotted beneath chubber-style floats, proved just the ticket for the big stripeys.
“The other week I got back from a 48-hour carp session at the famous Yateley complex and I couldn’t wait to go out perching,” said Karl.
“Perch fishing on the river is like going back to angling when I was a kid. It’s great, especially now that there are so many big fish all over the UK,” he added.
“I’m not at all surprised that more anglers are targeting this species because it gets you away from the crowd and gives you time away from carp to recharge your batteries.”
The duo used 8lb mainline, a 5lb fluorocarbon hooklink and size 6 Gardner hooks to tempt the fish that came from various stretches of the in-form waterway in Hertfordshire.
“It’s simple fishing, but you have to put the work in to get the rewards,” Karl said.

53lb mirror is a new pb on return to Wellington

A three-month break from angling did Martin Pick no harm at all as he banked two carp for 98lb.
The 2013 Angling Times Carp Angler of the Year returned to Berkshire’s Wellington Country Park for a filming session with Korda and netted his first 50lb-plus mirror, and a 45lb ghostie, in front of the cameras.
The Leicestershire angler, who was fishing a three-night session, said: “It was my first night back on Welly in over three months when I caught that 53lb 8oz mirror, one of the fish I was after.
“It is my first 50lb-plus mirror and a new personal best. Nothing happened the following night but halfway through my last night I caught the 45lb 4oz ghostie.”
Explaining his tactics for the fifty, Martin added: “I was fishing 60 yards over about 250g of DT N-Blend and Coldwater Mix boilies. I fished a 15mm white DT N-Blend wafter on an 8in Korda N-Trap hooklength with a size 8 Korda Wide Gape hook and a 3oz lead.
“The ghostie came from a channel 20 yards to my left over the same amount of bait introduced with a catapult. That fish picked up a 15mm DT Zinger pop-up on a combi rig made with 25lb Mouthtrap and 20lb N-Trap Soft tied to a size 6 Choddy hook.”

13lb 12oz zed landed from Rutland Water

Rutland Water is becoming more and more popular among predator anglers and angling guide Rikki Cooper proved why when he boated this giant 13lb 12oz zander.
The fish was taken during a lure fishing session spent on the Midlands stillwater with his client, Charlie Smith, who also netted a specimen weighing 10lb 1oz.
Rikki’s fish was tempted on a 13cm Fox spikey gold fleck shad cast into a 69ft deep hole.
“We had caught a couple of fairly big zander to 8lb with jack pike in their mouths, so we matched the pike colour with the lures and it worked a treat.”
Rikki offers a professional guiding service.

Anyone interested should visit his website:
www.predatorpro.co.uk

‘Pirate’ of a Great Ouse common sails in at 28lb

Dave Little edged ever closer to his goal of a 30lb river common carp with this 28-pounder.
The 30Plus-backed angler caught the fish from the Great Ouse during an overnight session.
He said: “A slow-sounding alarm had led me to believe a bream was at large, but after a heavy battle, and heavy tugging on the line, it was obvious a river carp was responsible. Like a pirate captain it was blind in one eye, pouring bags of character into the fish.
“Its flanks were scaled like a chequers board – it was a perfect example of an Ouse carp, with a dark back and golden belly.”

To Chris Yates, I dedicate this barbel best…

Adam Fisher dedicated the capture of his new barbel personal best to the legendary Chris Yates when he banked this 12lb 7oz specimen.
Thousands of anglers have been inspired by Chris’s exploits, so you can imagine the honour it was for Adam to have Chris and two of his friends visit a stretch of the river called Seven Sisters, which is controlled by Adam’s company, Angling Dreams.
Inspired by meeting Chris for the first time, he returned to the venue the next day armed with a simple leger rig and a hair-rigged pellet.
“Twenty-five years ago I used to fish Seven Sisters as a schoolboy after reading Casting At The Sun and watching A Passion for Angling and my love for fishing was cemented by Chris.” Adam said. “I felt a real calling to get out fishing the next day after meeting the great man for the first time and within 30 minutes I’d landed a new personal best. It was incredible and I can’t help but think that the fishing gods had something to do with it.”
To find out more about fishing all the stretches controlled by Angling Dreams visit: www.anglingdreams.co.uk

Switch of swim for first UK 40lb carp

Moving away from a swim full of showing fish is a ballsy move, but the gamble rewarded James Hibbard with his first UK forty.
Fishing a syndicate water near his north Lincolnshire home, James arrived on a Sunday and immediately found the carp.
He said: “The fish were active in one area of the lake so I dropped in the swim closest to them. They showed in front of me all night but I awoke to find I’d not had a bite. I sat it out until the sun came out, but it didn’t seem right where I was.
“At 11am I saw one come out of the water at the opposite end of the lake, so I packed away and was round there in a flash.
“I knew the swim from previous sessions and fished all three rods on just one spot.
“Afternoon passed and with no action I re-did the rods at 5pm. Within 30 minutes the right-hand rod pulled tight. The fish weeded me up once or twice until I slipped the unit into the net. It was Floppy Tail at 41lb 8oz, my target fish for the year and my first UK forty.”
James fished CC Moore Pacific Tuna pop-ups on hinged stiff rigs and baited with 20 Spombs of boilies and particles soaked in Tuna Extract and Slicking Booster Liquid.

Huge Kennet chub close to a river record

One of the biggest chub ever caught from the River Kennet has been banked in the form of a 7lb 7oz specimen.
It was caught by big-fish angler Neil Macdonald during an overnight session on an undisclosed stretch of the waterway in Berkshire.
Neil (38) tempted the huge fish on a leger rig consisting of a double hair rigged boilie mounted on a size 10 Pallatrax hook and 12lb Daiwa sensor mainline.
The catch resulted in a third personal best for the species this year for the Reading angler, all from the same stretch.
“The river has been really good to me this season for barbel as well as chub.
“I cannot wait to get back there around January, when I’m pretty sure if I have the pleasure of catching her again she will hopefully be over the magic 8lb mark,” he told Angling Times.

Snail trail to carp victory

Baiting up with a kilo of snails helped Mark Munson to land this new pb common carp and tick off the last of the lake’s ‘A-Team’.
The fish weighed in at 45lb 9oz and rounded off the Navitas clothing company boss’s time on his Essex syndicate.
“In four seasons over there I have managed 10 forties and a fifty,” Mark said. “The common was the last one of the A-Team for me.”
The 45-year-old, who is also a sponsored skateboarder, has been on a roll at the water in recent weeks, banking a number of decent fish.
He added: “My pb common was caught on a new bait on test from Sticky, fished snowman-style with an XL Baits’ white pop-up topper.
“I fished at 50 yards to a clear spot in weed and baited with 15 Spombs of crushed and whole glugged baits with 1kg of snails in the mix too.”
Mark used a size 4 Atomic Grabba hook to a 25lb Thinking Anglers Tungskin hooklink and a 4oz Fox pear lead on his overnight session.

2lb 12oz roach best

This 2lb 12oz roach was the highlight of a roach fishing session for Alan Storey.
A visit to a southern stillwater produced around 80 roach for the Oxford specialist, who alternated maggot and groundbait feeders at 50yds with maggot hookbaits flavoured with Nash Baits’ Tangerine Dream.
He backed it up with a three redfins of 2lb 4oz, 2lb 2oz and 2lb 1oz, which were all fooled with a paternoster rig made with 4lb mainline a 4lb fluorocarbon hooklink and a size 16 hook.

England win the World Carp Champs

England have won the World Carp Champs for the first time after a physically and emotionally draining battle in Spain.
New manager Rob Hughes and his eight-man squad erased memories of previous heavy defeats by wringing every ounce out of their pegs on the River Ebro. Rob, who was appointed team boss only in February, said: “If ever there were English lions it was these boys.”
The national team has long been in the shadow of countries like Croatia, who have been on the podium in nine out of the last 11 events.
“We stood toe to toe with the heavyweight champions of the world and slugged it out punch for punch with Croatia,” said Rob. “In the end, one fell over, and it wasn’t us.”
At the end of the 72-hour pairs match, England topped the 24-team competition ahead of Croatia, Serbia, France and Romania. Under standard international match rules, the result was decided by the section placing of each team’s three pairs. With a second, third and fourth in section, England beat Croatia by one point.
England’s Alexei Bygrave and Harry Charrington finished with 21 fish for more than 470lb and had been winning the individual event until the dying moments, but a quiet last morning pushed them into fourth behind Romanian individual winners Emilian Pripon and Bogdan Dragan.
Billy Flowers and Jamie Londors came fourth in their section, while Chris Holmes and substitute Mark Bartlett secured third in theirs. Big caster Mark had replaced Neil Rivers on day two in a crucial tactical switch as the fish pushed further out in their section. Ebro expert Paul Booth was the only squad member not to fish, but Rob Hughes praised his valuable local knowledge.
Rob, who won the World Champs with Simon Crow when it was a pairs event back in 1996, did not wish to give away the team’s winning tactics but said they “fished long with PVA bags over the top of bait, with a few tricks up our sleeves”. He added: “The only bit of luck we had was that it turned into a scratchy, technical competition and that played into our hands.”
The event was followed by thousands of fans on social media who tuned into Rob’s frequent video updates. The team boss was also aware that England needed to build some bridges with other countries after previous tournaments led to strained relations.
“If you Google the World Champs, one of the things that comes up is England accusing the Romanians of cheating in 2012 and I want to get away from that,” said Rob. “I think we’ve restored a lot of dignity and improved the way people perceive England and the match team.”
Rob also praised the balance of the squad and the way the anglers interacted with one other. He said: “All the lads are massive team players. I said when I came in that there would be no commercialism, no egos and no politics, and they have all just got on with it.”
He added: “At the end of the event we got changed into our smart clothes and, because our villa was a bit further out, we walked into the hall housing all the other teams a little bit late. As we walked in there was a ripple of applause, which led to a few cheers and then to a full-on standing ovation.”

7lb 2oz chub warms cockles of his heart

A near 20-year quest for a 7lb-plus chub from his local Norfolk rivers ended in style for Tom Martin when he captured this 7lb 2oz specimen.
He finally cracked the milestone from the River Wensum, after the Norwich-based angler came agonisingly close in March 2015 with a similar 6lb 15oz specimen. It fell to a simple link ledger with three cockles presented on a size 6 hook, using 6lb line. Tom is a big fan of seafood baits for chub and had prebaited a few likely looking spots with cockles, which he intended to try in short spells. “This was my only fish of the session. The swim has produced for me a number of times. It’s snaggy, but there is a slack on the far side for fish to hole up in,” he said.

Biggest pike of season from Chew Valley

Pike-fishing fanatic Steve Whitehead realised a dream when he netted the biggest predator of the season.
The fish topped the scales at 40lb 8oz and was boated during a prolific session at the famous Chew Valley Reservoir in Somerset – a venue that he’s fished for 15 years.
It smashes his previous personal best for the species that previously stood at 34lb 1oz and took a float legered herring that was mounted on size 6 Drennan trebles and presented in around 14ft of water in an area near the fishing lodge.
“The fish were really having it, so as soon as the float disappeared I struck. The pike came to the side of the boat without putting up much of a fight, which gave me a chance to see what I’d hooked,” said Steve.
“Then it disappeared and I didn’t see it again for over 15 minutes as it gave me the biggest fight of my life. I’ve always dreamed of catching a pike like this, but they are so rare.”
It topped a seven-fish catch that the Bristol angler shared with his boat partner, Matt Freake, which also featured a 26lb 8oz fish.
The huge fish came in a week that produced nine other predators over 30lb and it adds yet another specimen to the venue’s ever-growing list of pike weighing more than 40lb, with the current record of 44lb 6oz. 
Chew Valley ranger Jake Belgium was on duty when the fish was caught.
“It was a superb fish and absolutely huge. Every year this venue keeps producing massive fish. It’s a breeding ground for big predators – the number of perch over 4lb that have been banked this year has also been incredible,” he added.

National Angling Awards 2015

The National Angling Awards are back and the power is in your hands to decide which of the runners and riders will claim the coveted silverware.
Designed to reward those who have achieved greatness within the sport, the awards put Angling Times readers in the driving seat and give you the opportunity to vote on the big issues that have made 2015 such a memorable year.
Hundreds of amazing catches, tackle innovations and match fishing achievements have been recorded over the last 12 months and every single vote received will play a crucial part in dictating who takes the glory.
Over 30 categories are set to be contested, with specimen angler of the year, river and stillwater of the year and TV show of the year just a few of the honours that are up for grabs.
Angling Times editor Steve Fitzpatrick is expecting a record number of votes in the coming weeks and he said: “The National Angling Awards are the perfect way to celebrate an incredible year for our sport and to give the big achievers the praise they deserve.
“There are other award ceremonies in angling but this is the only one that will attract tens of thousands of votes. That is why everyone who is nominated desperately wants to get their hands on one of the trophies.”
“Every nomination has a genuine chance of winning and I am urging every Angling Times reader to have their say and play a part in crowning the champions,” he added.
It’s not just individual anglers and teams that come into the equation, with major tackle companies also set to be applauded for a ground-breaking period in the industry.
The best rods, reels, poles and gadgets will all be voted on and Tackle Editor Mark Sawyer knows the launch of this year’s awards has already created excitement among the major manufacturers. He said: “The whole of the tackle industry is talking about the National Angling Awards and out of all the accolades they could gain, this is the one they want to win the most.
“If you have an item of tackle that has made the world of difference to your fishing, make sure you give it the praise it deserves by giving it your vote,” added Mark.

TACKLE

Pro boxer wins battle with Nina at 44lb 8oz

Professional boxer Warren Fenn came out on top after a “brutal battle” with this 44lb 8oz Surrey common carp.
The south Londoner beat the bell by catching the fish, known as Nina, shortly before he was due to pack up from a weekend session at Twynersh Fishery’s Pit Three.
The capture gave Warren his first 40lb common and was the first time the fish had been caught in a year.
“She’s the queen of the lake,” said the Korda and Urban Baits-backed angler, who fished a swim called the Treeline and had already banked a 31lb common on the first night of his trip.
“The take came at around 10am on the Sunday, just hours before packing up. Fishing towards a snaggy bush on the far side, the take and battle was a brutal one – probably the hardest-fighting carp I’ve managed to hook.
“I spent a good 15 minutes fighting to keep her away from the savage snags and weedbeds. Finally she gave up on her powerful charges and I slipped the net under her with a big sigh of relief.
“I could see she was going to be my first 40lb common. Little did I know she would also beat my personal best by a pound at 44lb 8oz!”

Close to home for four 2lb river roach

Roach fishing fanatic Mike Townsend made the catch of a lifetime when he banked four river redfins over 2lb on float tackle.
The specialist from Doncaster, South Yorkshire, has spent the last 15 years travelling to some of the south’s most famous roach fisheries to satisfy his obsession with catching specimens of the species.
But he struck gold when a waterway just minutes from his home ironically produced the incredible catch which comprised roach weighing 2lb 2oz, 2lb 1oz and a couple at 2lb on the nail.
“I really can’t believe the fact that I’ve spent so many years travelling and clocking up thousands of miles in search of big roach at venues such at the Hampshire Avon, yet I’ve done this on my doorstep. I’m blown away,” said Mike.
The fish were caught in the space of just a couple of hours and were kept within range with the introduction of loosefed casters. Mike then trotted a tiny Drennan dibber float expertly through the swim.
His winning rig was made up of a 0.10mm hooklink tied to a size 18 hook on to which were threaded two casters.
“I lost one fish that was even bigger than the rest, landed another two just under the 2lb mark and probably could have winkled out a few more, but a small pike started showing an interest so I called it a day,” he said.
“River fish like this are so rare from up north, but to catch a bag of them is really something else.”

68lb carp on pole sets world record

This is the photo of the world’s biggest-ever carp caught on the pole, weighing in at an incredible 68lb.
It was landed by angling adrenaline junkie Sebnash, who battled with the huge specimen armed with just a few metres of carbon and 25lb line.
Fishing the margins on a lake in the Seine et Marne region of France, it took him 25 minutes to tame the historic carp into the net after it took a paste hookbait just yards from the bank.
It’s a fish that made up a hat-trick of big carp that also included a giant that would have set a new world record – a common of 27.1 kg (59lb 7oz), which was backed up by a smaller specimen of 19.7 kg (43lb 4oz).
“I was fishing there for a week from Saturday to Saturday, but by Tuesday I’d had no activity at all and I’d tried all the spots I know where there are normally some fish in the margins,” said Sebnash.
“On the Wednesday a swim became free where there are trees in the water and many snags, perfect for my approach.
“I fished every morning from 7 to 11am and the first fish I got was 27.1kg, which was incredible, and the last catch was my new biggest carp on the pole of 31.1kg.”
The Crazy Carpa shop owner has made catching oversized fish on hefty pole tackle something of a speciality, and 12 months ago he made history with the capture of a 132lb pole-caught catfish, having also taken sturgeon to 62lb from France, his native country.
During his record-breaking session Sebnash baited up with amino-flavoured pellets and used 4.4 metres of a Colmic Sponda margin pole with 25lb line and a 3.5mm thick bungee-type elastic.
“It was a real hit-and-hold job,” Sebnash continued.
“My elastic was incredibly strong and tight because I was only fishing 0.5m from the bank and there were lots of branches there. You have to get control of the big fish straight away.”
The previous-biggest carp taken on a pole was a 56lb grass carp that fell to Englishman Alan Hayes several years ago while he was on holiday in Canada, while a 58lb 12oz carp was claimed to have been caught from South Africa in 2007.