18lb 6oz zander banked from Tamworth cut

This is a picture of what’s believed to be the biggest-ever zander from a UK canal.
The 18lb 6oz fish fell to canal specialist Ian Davey, whose three-year quest ended when he targeted a stretch in Tamworth.
The 33-year-old Birmingham rod pierced his roach head bait to imitate wounds caused by one of the big predators, and says his own design of resistance-free rig was instrumental in the capture.
The fish smashes his previous best of 5lb 8oz and supersedes the 18-pounder landed by Andy Spring from the Ashby Canal in Leicestershire in 2012 as the UK’s biggest from a cut.
“Everyone thinks the River Severn holds the biggest zander, but they are wrong,” Ian said.
“No-one bothers with the canals these days, but this just goes to show what they can do.”
He took the zed on 15lb mainline, a fine wire trace and a single treble slipped through the all-important roach hookbait.
“If anglers come from lakes or rivers with crude tackle and big deadbaits they won’t catch a thing here,” he said. “Luring shy zander from canals is a fishing art form and you really have to refine your approach.
“I’ve studied how this species feed down to the minute details like the impressions their teeth leave on fish, and that gave me the idea of adapting my hookbaits so they look like baits that have been left by zander.
“Even though I know what these waterways are capable of I still went white when I opened the folds of the net and this massive fish stared back at me.”

Carp fishing week in Cambs includes four 30-pounders

Carl Sharp took full advantage of an unusual week’s fishing as he toured four different lakes in six nights, taking three thirties up to 39lb 5oz.
The Premium Carp Fishing consultant’s tour of Cambridgeshire began with a night on PCF’s soon-to-open Poacher’s Pool on the Holme Fen complex, and saw the 31-year-old bank mirrors of 28lb and 32lb 4oz.
The next stop was a night on a private big pit that yielded eight carp to mid-doubles before Carl headed to his regular venue.
“The third day of my adventure saw me heading over to Rosemere for two nights to pit my wits against these wily carp that are getting cuter and trickier every visit,” he said.
Opting to keep his rigs in place for the length of his 40-hour stay, Carl made sure he laid his traps with precision.
“The first day and night passed without so much as a bleep, but I stuck to my guns and left the rods in place, hoping the carp may think I had departed. I was still unsure as I went into the final night but just before first light – some 36 hours after placing the rigs – the middle rod hooped over, resulting in one of the lake’s most sought-after prizes, Flat Head, at an impressive 39lb 5oz.”
Carl soon followed that up with Little Harris at 35lb 10oz before heading off to Abbey Lake for the last leg of his journey.
“This was a two-night social trip with family and friends,” said the West Midlander, “and I ended up with five carp including three twenties up to 24lb 12oz. Even my fiancée Liz got in on the action, landing three carp on the final morning up to 21lb 8oz.
“All in all, it was a memorable six nights in one of my favourites parts of the country. Thank you, Cambridgeshire!”
Carl’s fish fell to PCF pop-ups over a mixture of hemp, corn, pellets and Pickled Krill boilies.

Ex-police join poacher fight

A team of some of the UK’s top former policemen are to join the fight against illegal angling and poaching.
In a project directly funded by rod licence revenue, the six, who have over 150 years of crime-fighting experience between them, have been appointed by the Angling Trust as part of its new nationwide Fisheries Enforcement Support Service.
Led by Trust Fisheries Enforcement Manager Dilip Sarkar, and in partnership with the Environment Agency, each of the six Regional Enforcement Officers (REMs) will work directly with with police, anglers and clubs nationwide to help them understand the law and raise awareness of illegal angling.
The men will also be supporting the ‘Building Bridges’ project, aimed at encouraging migrant anglers to fish legally, and help to roll out the Voluntary Bailiff Service (VBS) across the country, a scheme currently running only in the South East.
“This is a massive step forward in the fight to protect fish and fisheries, and unprecedented from a non-government organisation,” said Dilip, himself a retired West Mercia police officer. “The experience of the new recruits across a wide range of disciplines will give angling a distinct advantage and spells bad news for offenders. “
The new REMs are no strangers to fishing, and most of them are keen anglers.
Paul Thomas, who will be the officer for the Eastern England region, is excited about putting something back into the sport: “I am honoured and truly proud to be part of the Angling Trust delivering a robust and effective Fisheries Enforcement Campaign with positive outcomes for all anglers,”
he said.
“The Building Bridges project and Voluntary Bailiff Service are the way forward for angling today, and as a truly passionate angler I am very excited by the opportunity to put something back into the hobby that has held me spellbound for more than 40 years.”

Sardine served to big Fen pike

Mark Whitaker proved why Fenland drains are so popular with pike anglers when he slipped the net under this monster 29lb 12oz fish.
The 49-year-old from London made the long journey to a Boston & District Angling Association-controlled stretch where he cast out two rods with legered sardine deadbaits.
After missing a take early on in the session he thought his chance had gone, then his rod bent over once more as the huge predator was hooked. Mark’s set-up included 20lb Fox Steel camo line tied to a home-made wire trace.

First-class paste delivers 16lb 1oz Thames barbel

Hard work and dedication were key to fanatical angler Luke Ayling banking this superb 16lb 1oz barbel from the River Thames.
The Oxford-based specialist has to fit his angling into a busy schedule due to work and family commitments, but he certainly gets the most out of his fishing, as was proved when the fish took a home-made 26mm boile wrapped in paste.
It was his only bite of the session and the specimen was beaten on 15lb mainline, a coated braid hooklink and a size 4 hook.
“I get to the river by around 9.30pm after work and fish through the night until I have to be home to have a shower and take my daughters to school. Then it’s back to work,” said Luke.
“It can be hard work, but it’s magnificent fish like this that make it all worthwhile.”

Two ‘double takes’ and five thirties!

Rob Gooch is on a run of form he describes as ‘the stuff of dreams’.
The week after banking four fish in a session, the 38-year-old returned to his Bedfordshire syndicate and managed five thirties and four twenties in two nights.
His weekend tally included mirrors of 35lb 4oz, 32lb 5oz, 32lb 1oz and two at 31lb.
The Hertfordshire angler said:
“I could hardly believe it, but the rota draw went my way and I ended up back in the swim that had produced those four fish for me.
“It was just a simple case of clipping the rods up and getting them back in positon out on that bar.”
Rob put 3.5kg of Sticky Krill boilies and Bloodworm pellets on the spot and his first two fish, 29lb and 31lb 6oz, came within seconds of each other. “It was madness, I was so happy to have gotten off the mark straight away...but with two!”
Incredibly, just an hour later Rob had another double take and, with the help of a friend, netted mirrors of 27lb 8oz and 31lb 6oz.
Five more fish fell to Rob before he packed up on Sunday afternoon.
“I gathered my gear and headed for home, shattered, aching, but totally ecstatic about this haul of rather large fish,” said Rob.
“It was an unbelievable session, the stuff of dreams.”

New Fishing Gurus hits Sky Sports this autumn!

The new season of Fishing Gurus is here and it’s set to be the best ever as the cameras follow Dean Macey and the team tackling brand-new angling adventures!

The next episodes (airing on Wednesday 11th November on Sky Sports 4, 7pm) see Dean Macey teaming up with match ace Adam Rooney for close-range tactics on the River Lea in Hertfordshire. The action is non-stop as the pair target running water species including barbel on the float and feeder with amazing footage of the prince of the stream in the crystal clear water.

The action then shifts to beautiful Ireland as the deadly duo of Steve Ringer and Pemb Wrighting plunder the famous Lakelands for big bream and hybrid action in a two-part special (set your reminders for Wednesday 11th and 18th November, 7.30pm) before Dean Macey goes wading and float fishing on the stunning River Wye for grayling and chub on Wednesday 25th Nov at 7.30pm.

If you’ve ever wondered what makes 2014 World Feeder Champion Steve Ringer so good, then the next episode on Wednesday 2nd Dec at 7.30pm is a must-watch as the cameras follow Steve through a real match at Packington Somers with Dean Macey keeping an eagle eye on the tactics and edges that make the Midlander such a consistent winner.

The action then moves to Larford Lakes on Wednesday 9th and 16th Dec at 7.30pm in a thrilling two-part finale with a pairs match that sees Paul Holland and Steve Ringer take on Pemb Wrighting and Adam Rooney in a running line and pole battle. Will Steve’s unbeaten record remain? We can only say that it’s one of the tightest and most thrilling finishes ever on Fishing Gurus…

Filmed over the course of the summer and autumn, the new episodes cover some of the most exciting coarse fishing action ever seen in Fishing Gurus as the team explore new venues and new species.

Packed full of tips and advice, the team tackle a variety of waters from Ireland’s stunning lochs, where the Gurus filmed two episodes in the Lakelands area, to crystal clear chalk streams and lily-pad strewn lakes in search of their quarry. Barbel, chub, carp, crucians, bream, perch, grayling, dace and a surprise river tench all feature with Dean Macey presenting alongside Steve Ringer, Adam Rooney, Pemb Wrighting and Paul Holland over the eight episodes.

Watch the trailer below.

EPISODE GUIDE

Episode 1 – Sky Sports 4 – Wednesday 5th Nov– 7pm

Dean Macey and Adam Rooney visit the beautiful Hinderclay Lakes in Norfolk in search of the crucian carp - a childhood dream catch for the enthusiastic pair.

Episode 2 – Sky Sports 4 – Wednesday 11th Nov – 7pm (repeats at midnight and on Thursday 12th Nov at 2pm)

Heading to Hertfordshire, Dean Macey and Adam Rooney take their annual river adventure to the prolific River Lea for a frantic session targeting the prince of the river, the barbel.

Episode 3 - Sky Sports 4 – Wednesday 11th Nov – 7.30pm (repeats at half-past midnight, Thursday 12th Nov at 2.30pm and Wednesday 18th Nov at 7pm)

The first part of an Irish adventure sees Steve Ringer and Pemb Wrighting travel to Southern Ireland to fill their nets on a wild lake surrounded by breathtaking scenery in the Lakelands region, famous for its silvers and hybrid fishing on the feeder.

Episode 4 - Sky Sports 4 – Wednesday 18th Nov – 7.30pm (repeats at half-past midnight, Thursday 19th Nov at 2.30pm and Wednesday 25th Nov at 7pm)

In part two of the Irish adventure, Steve Ringer and Pemb Wrighting visit a vast Irish loch in search of some big Irish bream and other species surrounded by the stunning Lakelands countryside.

Episode 5 – Sky Sports 4 - Wednesday 25th Nov – 7.30pm (repeats at half-past midnight, Thursday 26th Nov at 2.30pm and Wednesday 2nd Dec at 7pm and midnight, and Thursday 3rd Dec at 8am)

Dean Macey gets waist deep in the awesome River Wye, targeting the beautiful grayling and the hard fighting chub on float fishing tactics.

Episode 6 – Sky Sports 4 - Wednesday 2nd Dec – 7.30pm (repeats at half-past midnight, Thursday 3rd Dec 8.30am, Thursday 9th Dec 7pm, and Friday 10th Dec 5pm)

Steve Ringer is put in the hot seat at Packington Somers Fishery! We follow the former World Feeder Team champion though a match on a venue he hasn’t visited for half a decade – how will get on?

Episode 7 – Sky Sports 4 - Wednesday 9th Dec – 7.30pm (repeats on Thursday 10th Dec 5.30pm, Wednesday 16th Dec 7pm and midnight, and Thursday 17th Dec at 2pm)

A thrilling two-part finale to the series features a nail-biting match vs match pairs challenge. Adam Rooney and Pemb Wrighting take on Steve Ringer and Paul Holland over two days, fishing contrasting methods on the Specimen Lake at the Larford Lakes complex in Stourport.

Episode 8 – Sky Sports 4 - Wednesday 16th Dec – 7.30pm (repeats at half-past midnight and Thursday 17th Dec at 2.30pm)

The conclusion of the amazing match vs match challenge. The pairs do battle at Stafford’s Larford Lakes in a tense finale to the two-day match between Steve River and Paul Holland on one team and Pemb Wrighting and Adam Rooney on the other. Who will emerge victorious? Make sure you tune in to find out!

Long haul, then he banks 31lb Chew predator

The vast majority of big pike landed from predator hotspot Chew Valley Reservoir are taken from a boat, but Nathan Long banked this 31-pounder from a bankside hotspot.
Having made the 250-mile trip to the Bristol fishery from his Norfolk home, he decided to use a running leger rig with a large smelt hookbait.
Within hours of first wetting a line he was into action. Nathan said: “I was on the verge of recasting my rods but I decided to wait an extra few minutes, and that decision made all the difference.
“I initially thought it was a small pike, but once it was in the net, and then weighed, I was shaking with joy.”

Big canal win for wigan pair

Canal Pairs Championships Final
Birmingham & Fazeley Canal, Minworth (51 pairs)

A six month campaign to find the most talented ‘cut’ anglers in the country came to an end as Wigan’s Kev Clarke and Dave Edgerley bagged the coveted Canal Pairs Champs title.
Qualifying for the prestigious event started in April and after 11 hard-fought heats, 51 pairs battled on the Birmingham & Fazeley Canal in Minworth.
At the end of the rain-soaked contest it was the Wigan MG duo who bagged the silverware and the £1,900 cash prize.
Both of the eventual winners would need to put in a sterling performance to see off a highly talented field of canal anglers and Kev certainly did that as he won the individual match with 4-120 of silverfish. Dave chipped in with sixth in his 51 man section.
Although the pair had limited experience of the venue, inside knowledge told them that their pegs were capable of producing the goods and Kev said: “We knew that if we stuck to what we are good at we had a chance.”
“I caught a few roach short on bread, switched to casters for some better roach before a 1lb tench turned up.”
“A decision to feed worm over my caster line brought another decent tench and that effectively won it for us.”
“We will certainly be back next year to have a shot at defending our title,” he added.
A separate junior event was also run and it was Tom Clark who took the honours here. The West Sussex angler made the long journey more than worthwhile with 1-210.
Organisers from the Angling Trust and Canal & River Trust were delighted with this year’s tournament and revealed that next year will see qualifiers in Scotland, Wales and Ireland.
Trust official Dave Kent said: “The demonstrated how passionate anglers are about their canal fishing. We knew there was a gap in the big match calendar and this event has filled it.”

Pairs result: K Clarke & D Edgerley, 96pts; 2 R Marlow & D Guest, 92; 3 P Laughton & A Webster, 90; 4 S Bird & D Trafford, 79; 5 S Preece & S Mottram, 78; 6 R Yates & M Ellement, 77.
Individual result: 1 K Clarke, Wigan MG, 4-120; 2 D Clayton, Leics, 3-750; 3 A Jagger, Tricast Rochdale, 3-440; 4 R Guest, Maver Midlands, 3-400; 5 A Marsden, Wigan MG, 3-330; 6 N Evans, Garbolino Blackmore Vale, 2-850.
Juniors: 1 T Clark, Storrington, 1-210; 2 J Holloway, Evesham, 0-930; 3 L Roberts, Swindon, 0-870; 4 H Nicholls, Walsall, 0-860.

Session ends on a high with 3lb stripey

A short morning session on his local river ended with Phil Taylor banking this 3lb 2oz perch.
The Lincolnshire angler had failed to get a response in two hours of action, but that all changed when his legered worm hookbaits tempted a late flurry of bites.
Several fish around 2lb were the first to respond, with the biggest coming moments before the end.
“It looked like it was going to be one of those days that would end with a blank, but it was great to end the session on such a high,” said Phil, who used 6lb Drennan Double Strength mainline through to a size 14 Korum Xpert hook.

Lean streak ended with a 44lb 2oz carp best

The giants of Holme Fen have wised up a fair bit since the venue opened this summer, so Lloyd Chapman was delighted to bank the lake’s first fish in nearly a fortnight.
The Cambridgeshire day-ticket water burst on to the scene in July with a string of forties and fifties, but Lloyd had to tough it out for his new personal best of 44lb 2oz.
The interior designer from Berkshire said: “The lake had not done a fish for almost two weeks and I was the only angler to catch on that 48-hour session, so to say I was feeling pretty damn happy would be an understatement!”
The 34-year-old added: “The bite came early morning at the end of the first night at about 70 yards out in a swim called The Reeds.
“The fish initially buried itself in the weed but luckily the lead had dumped, and this made playing it a little easier.
“However, I also had to stop it steaming into the swim next door, which had a patch of reeds extending out into the lake.
“After some wrestling and patience on my part, I managed to bag it into the net in the deep clear water in front of me.”
Lloyd, whose previous personal best weighed 30lb 1oz, used a Sticky Pineapple and N-Butyric wafter over Bloodworm boilies on rigs made with Korda components.

6lb Derwent chub

River fishing fanatic Julian Barnes has built an affinity with the Derbyshire Derwent, with the venue producing this 6lb 4oz chub for him.
Having heard the waterway was in perfect condition, he journeyed from his home in St Ives, Cambs, to take advantage of the action.
Using a MAD Bait boilie and a small bag of loosefeed inside a PVA bag, he was soon into action and ended the stint with five barbel to a best of 14lb 1oz and the solitary bonus chub.

Big plans to revive the ‘Nationals’

The most iconic series of events on the match-fishing calendar could be set for a major overhaul after organisers revealed their determination to revive the ‘Nationals’.
More than 5,500 anglers used to compete over six divisions on rivers and canals in the heyday of the National Championships in the late 1980s, but that number has slumped to fewer than 1,000 people involved in the two remaining leagues this year.
A number of factors have been blamed for the demise, with the rise of commercial fisheries among the most commonly cited reasons.
Rather than allow the negative trend to continue, a committee has been formed to look into how those glory days of the Nationals can be resurrected.
In order to bring back the masses, officials at the Angling Trust is urging anglers to offer suggestions as to what changes could be made to boost the popularity of the Nationals. Competitions manager Ben Thompson said: “We are reviewing their structure and are committed to finding a solution that increases participation and is fit for purpose in modern-day match angling.
“We want anglers to give us their ideas as to how best to achieve that from 2017. We need to get to the root of why the popularity of the Nationals has faltered, and I am confident that the Trust and anglers can do that by working together.”
Daiwa Dorking are the current holders of the Division One title and key squad member Des Shipp believes that the system needs to be revamped to improve its fortunes. He told Angling Times: “You need a team of 10 anglers to enter the Nationals and a lot of squads struggle to put that many people together, so halving the number of competitors in each team could help.
“The venues that are used also need to offer great access, as the long walks put a lot of people off getting involved.
“Nationals are still very prestigious events and we need to do what we can to regenerate their popularity,” added Des.

5lb 7oz perch tops run of massive fish

The venue tipped to break the British perch record has produced two huge fish weighing 5lb 7oz and 5lb.
Friends and lure fishing fanatics Tony Chesworth and Lee Garner both banked the fish of their dreams when they fished from kayaks during the highly anticipated Cotswold Lure Festival staged at Cotswold Water Park.
The big-perch credentials of this famous collection of waters are well known to specimen anglers, and the belief of many that it will produce a record-breaker was justified when Devon-based Tony, a retired Royal Marines Commando, netted the biggest perch of 2015 at 5lb 7oz, smashing his personal best for the species.
“It was a really subtle take on a 6cm Daiwa Duckfin lure but then she got really angry, and after a string of powerful runs I saw the fish for the first time. It looked like a stripey bream! I was shaking like mad,” said a delighted Tony, whose perch topped the event.
“I’ve been lure fishing for 20 years and this fish really is a highlight.
“Perch are without doubt my favourite fish and to have this one from such an exciting, challenging venue is really special.
“To share this catch with Lee, whose 5lb fish was every bit as impressive as mine, was an amazing experience. For both of us to land fish like this is what fishing is all about, and it still hasn’t really sunk in,” said Tony.
Lee, from Leicestershire, beat his personal best twice during the weekend, with a perch of 3lb 10oz backing up his fish of a lifetime. Both were taken on the same pattern of lure used by Tony.
“The first couple of hours of the second day of the event were slow, then a shoal of six huge perch cruised by me – it was so surreal,” said Lee, who won the kayak fishing event on the second day of competition.
“The first from the shoal was the 3lb 10oz fish, then I found the group again and bang – the five-pounder was on. It was the longest 10  minutes of my life.
“I’m amazed and overwhelmed by the experience. To think that all the fish in that shoal looked to be of a similar size is nothing short of incredible, and this is just one lake on the complex!”
Event organiser and owner of Cotswold Angling, Trevor Gunning, said it’s a case of not ‘if’ but ‘when’ one of the lakes at Cotswold produces a fish over the current 6lb 3oz British best.
“These are truly incredible fish and I’m confident that more than one of the waters here already contains several fish that will beat the record,” he said.
Another kayak angler to get in on the big-fish action was Charlie Halliday, who smashed his perch personal best with a mint-conditioned 4lb 12oz perch that helped him win the category of the best combined overall length of fish caught over the weekend of competition.
But it isn’t just Cotswold Water Park that has hit top form for perch – Woodside Fishery, near Kidderminster, has produced a huge 4lb 7oz stripey.
It was caught by 23-year-old local specialist Scott Reynolds, who lured his new personal best into the swim with a smelly concoction of spicy groundbait, prawns, chopped worms and dead maggots, with a lobworm hookbait presented over the top.
“I started the session with a fish weighing 2lb 8oz and then just 20 minutes later I had a take from what I thought was a carp,” he said.
“I was totally gobsmacked when I realised it was a massive perch.”
Cambridgeshire’s Grafham Water is renowned for its huge predators, and James Aris became the envy of many perch anglers out there when he netted a pair weighing 4lb 6oz and 3lb 13oz.
The amazing fish fell to drop shotting tactics with a Drennan Pearl White Minnow lure.
James’ boat fishing partner Adam Perna also got in on the action with Grafham perch weighing 3lb 10oz, 3lb 8oz, 3lb 5oz and 3lb 1oz.

Kris Ollington slips the net under his SIXTH 50lb carp

The untouchable Kris Ollington slipped the net under his SIXTH different 50-pounder of the season as he added another chapter to his record-breaking year.
The 33-year-old has been in scintillating form on Berkshire’s Wellington Country Park, becoming the first angler to catch this many British fifties in the same season.
“It’s unbelievable,” the Surrey angler said. “I’ve had about 35 fish this year, which is a mega number of bites considering how it’s been fishing.
“Some people have had one or two fish all year, so I’ve been really fortunate with the ones I’ve been having.”
Kris’s most recent two-nighter produced six fish, including a 36-pounder, a 32-pounder and three twenties for good measure.
“The big one was the last fish on the final morning,” he said.
“It was 6.30am and I’d just recast my rod and was waiting for the line to sink. I sat on my bedchair for a few minutes while everything settled, and it pulled up tight before I even had a chance to put a bobbin on.
“It was a proper fight of about 25 minutes and I had a feeling it was a better fish, but it was only just getting light so I didn’t know which one it was until I got it out.”
The fish, known as the Big Linear, had never scaled 50lb before but weighed in at 50lb 5oz. “It doesn’t get caught very often and is one of the real jewels of the lake,” said Kris, who fished at 108 yards in a swim known as Laurie’s.
He fed Mainline Activ-8 and Hybrid boilies, presenting Activ-8 hookbaits on combi rigs made with Gardner components.

Rivers on fire for huge chub!

River anglers across the UK are turning their attentions to big chub with a string of popular waterways producing their biggest fish of the season.

Laurence Hanger realised a lifetime ambition of catching a chub over 7lb when he slipped the net under this superb 7lb 4oz specimen.

He’s put in thousands of hours on the River Loddon to achieve his goal, and everything came right when he pinched a single SSG shot on to 6lb mainline and trundled a maggot hookbait close to an overhanging tree to get the bite that brought his new personal best.

“I’ve worked so hard for this fish and to finally land it really made this session one of the greatest days of my life,” said an emotional Laurence.

“I started the session with an aligner rig with a huge PVA bag filled with around half-a-pint of maggots to try and get everything as close to the tree as possible. But after a biteless hour I changed tactics, and it worked almost immediately.”

The River Severn has produced two of its biggest-ever chub, the first being this claimed 8lb specimen (left) banked by Darlach AA member Peter Thompson, who’s fished the upper river for the past 40 years.

Like Laurence, he opted for a single SSG shot to hold bottom, but his hookbait of choice was a large cube of luncheon meat.

Meanwhile, on the lower Severn, a legered tutti-frutti boilie proved to be the right hookbait for Upton’s John Gough when he banked his first chub over the 7lb mark, tipping the scales at 7lb 4oz.

He beat the fish with the help of a braided hooklink and a size 8 Drennan hook, the same set-up that he used to land a double-figure barbel during the same session.

“These fish are wising up to pellets and I think they fill themselves up on them, so I have been using a mixture of Bait Tech groundbait mixed with Vitalin, corn and meat. This has really done the trick,” said John.

“It’s just a shame the pictures of the chub didn’t come out very well at all.”

Big eel goes on feed as temperature drops

Timing was everything for specimen angler George Horne after he slipped the net under this 6lb 11oz eel.
The 24-year-old from Bedfordshire, was fishing for carp on the Biggleswade & Hitchin AA controlled Gingerbread Lake when a sudden drop in temperature provided him the opportunity to change tack and target eels.
Environment Agency Fishery Officer, George turned up to the venue where he cast a lead rig with a solid PVA bag filled with crushed Innovate squid flavour boilies to a weed bed at around 40yds out.
When darkness fell his rod bent over as the huge specimen took his single lobworm baited on a size 6 Nash Fang hook.

Nene giant falls for homemade boilie

Former Drennan Cup champion Jamie Cartwright kicked off his autumn barbel campaign in fine style with this 14lb 7oz barbel.
Fishing a stretch of the River Nene, the Northamptonshire Specimen Group member put his faith in a home-made boilie wrapped in matching paste and it did the trick in a swim which contained an underwater snag.
The Northampton specimen hunter used a running leger rig made with 15lb mainline, a 20lb coated braid hooklink and a size 6 Drennan ESP hook.
“I was really glad that I was using such robust tackle because it put up the best fight I’ve ever encountered from a barbel in a swim that really tested my tackle to the maximum due to the hidden snag that was grating on my mainline,” said Jamie.

England dominate a reinstated home nations international

Drennan Team England dominated the reinstated Home International on the Newry Canal with a seven-man team made up of youth and experience. They also had the winning individual in the shape of Matt Derry.
As you would expect, the likes of Alan Scotthorne and William Raison put on their usual world-class displays to entertain the crowds. However, it was perhaps the debut of three new ‘young lions’ that gave the most future promise.
Matt Derry, Cameron Hughes and James Dent are all still in their 20s and each showed why co-managers Mark Addy and Mark Downes picked them as future seniors in upcoming World and European events. James excelled in practice, and then went on to record the top weight of the weekend with a match-winning 11kg haul on Day 1.
The next day, Matt had the best weight with 6.88kg. A maximum two section wins and top aggregate weight also earned him top individual over the two days, just ahead of the ever-consistent

50m killer net found in Thames

An angler has saved the lives of huge perch, barbel and bream following the gruesome discovery of a 50m illegal net that was stretched across one of the best rivers in the UK.
Dedicated guide and predator fishing fanatic Warwick Salzer acted quickly to set free over 400lb of fish on the Thames, including 4lb perch and over 60 quality bream that were tethered in the gill set across the entire width of the venue at Teddington Weir.
It took the boss of Fling Your Hook charters along with two customers 90 minutes to retrieve the mesh and cut free over 90 quality fish, which also included barbel, big roach and flatfish in an incident that could have caused a major fish-kill if the party hadn’t intervened. 
“I’ve never seen anything like this, there was no escape for anything coming up or down the river,” said Warwick, who accidentally hooked the net with a float rig intended for pike.
“In the past I’ve worked on trawlers and I recognised that this was a very professional set-up, not the work of your average Joe.
“I imagine it was placed the night before to catch the high tide and get as many fish as possible and that’s pretty much what it got. A net like this used once a week could wipe out a stretch of river in a matter of months.”
Warwick believes the net was attached to a plastic bottle with a paper note inside to serve as a marker and also as an excuse for the poachers if they were caught handling it.
The incident was reported and the police and Environment Agency officers visited the scene. 

- If you want to report an incident of illegal fishing or poaching, call the Environment Agency’s 24-hour incident hotline on: 0800 807060.