The Big Fish winner relives his TV triumph

“The Big Fish totally changed my life, as I’d never really ventured further than my local river.”
So said James Stokoe, winner of the hit BBC2 series Earth’s Wildest Waters: The Big Fish.
Newbrough, Northumberland-based James triumphed in the show’s dramatic finale in Zambia where he beat off competition from fellow contestants Sam and Dan in a thrilling two-day fish-off on the Zambezi River.
Negotiating murky, dangerous waters and wild animals, the trio targeted several species, and it was an 8lb tiger fish on fly tackle that effectively gave the 33-year-old the verdict, he told Angling Times.
“It felt totally surreal just to get on the programme, never mind win it. I’ve never really ventured far from the River Tyne with a fishing rod in my hand so it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to go to these locations. The fish and the fishing were just mind blowing. I’m still on a comedown!” he said.
Filming for The Big Fish took place between April and July this year in 10-12 day spells, but it was only after the final episode was screened that James could break his silence.
The latest in a long line of angling success stories recently shown on terrestrial TV channels, the hit series was presented by Ben Fogle and featured commentary from guest judge Matt Hayes and local fishing experts.
So what does the winner rate as his favourite locations?
“As a country I’d have to say Zambia. The African wildlife and scenery was totally different to anything I’ve ever experienced before, it was spectacular. To catch a tiger fish on fly gear was something that was on my bucket list too.
“From a fishing perspective it was British Columbia, where I had a 130lb white sturgeon. The biggest fish I’d ever caught before this was an 18lb salmon, so I absolutely smashed it –  this thing was 6ft 4ins long.
The Big Fish has totally opened my eyes to styles of fishing I never thought I’d enjoy and re-lit my passion for the sport!” he concluded. 

Stu Conroy shows class in the freeze

Brookside Fisheries
Snake Lake (22 pegs)

Things were desperate in the cold, and scratching tactics came to the fore for many.
Former England man Stu Conroy relied on his canal fishing experience to take 49-0-0 of F1s and a few ide on maggot from peg 49, fishing light rigs across to the far bank at 12m.
Ross Wightman followed with 35-2-0 of F1s from peg 25, as he too used maggot across and down the middle into the deep water at 6m.
Result: 1 Stu Conroy, Kamasan/Sensas, 49-0-0; 2 R Wightman, Drennan NW, 35-2-0; 3 M Pleavin, Lionel’s Tackle, 24-8-0; 4 Steve Conroy, Drennan NW, 21-2-0; 5 N Rogerson, Ashton Angling Supplies, 20-2-0; 6 S Birchall, Challinor Sports, 14-2-0.

Proud Bob Church awarded well-deserved MBE

Angling legend Bob Church described the moment he received his MBE at Buckingham Palace as one of his ‘proudest moments ever’.
Bob received the prestigious accolade for his services to angling during an incredible career as one of the most decorated fly fishers in UK history and one of the most passionate, enthusiastic and best-loved anglers this country has ever produced.
His medal tally includes team golds at the World Fly Fishing Championships in 1987 and 1988, plus a European team gold in 1990 – and Bob was also a regular contributor to Angling Times for more than 28 years.
It certainly was a day to remember for the founder member of the Northamptonshire Specimen Group, who travelled to Buckingham Palace with his wife Jeanette, daughter Nicola and son Stephen where he was presented his award by the Princess Royal.
“It was so surreal to be with my family in the ballroom at Buckingham Palace, surrounded by others from so many other walks of life, including those receiving knighthoods for services in Afghanistan – and there was little old me about to get an MBE.
“I felt so proud,” he said.

4lb 6oz perch from wales!

Rivers and stillwaters across the UK continue to produce some of the best big-perch fishing ever, with both worms and lures accounting for huge stripeys.
First angler on this week’s list is Graham King (pictured), who made a visit to a stillwater in South Wales to smash his personal best with this 4lb 6oz specimen.
He and two friends fished a combination of maggots and worms to land large numbers of perch. They had 10 fish between them, and Graham backed up his four-pounder with another perch of 3lb 5oz.
A simple leger rig coupled with a soft Avon-style rod and a size 2 circle hook was the secret to the Worcester angler’s success.
“The trick to catching these perch was using a set-up with minimal resistance, so that’s why I was fishing slack lines with a really long drop on my bobbins,” said Graham.
“I struck at any movement on my indicator because perch are such aggressive feeders.”
Father and son Gary and Sam Edmonds know a thing or two about targeting predators on lures and the two fish pictured below are the fruits of a couple of short sessions on a southern river.
First came Gary’s 3lb 15oz perch, which was backed up with other fish to 2lb 5oz and is his 100th fish over the 3lb mark.
A couple of days later the pair returned, and this time it was Sam’s turn to bank the biggest perch, weighing 3lb 12oz.
Gary used a chatter bait rigged with a Berkley Havoc Pit Boss trailer – a Berkley Havok Rocket Craw was Sam’s lure of choice.
“It was really windy, which made it really hard to feel what was going on, but it’s definitely worth getting out there even if the conditions aren’t perfect,” said Sam.
“This is the fourth different perch weighing 1oz under the 4lb mark we’ve caught this year.”

Divorced carper turns wedding bands into handy net clip

A carp angler who fished so much his bored wife divorced him melted down her wedding ring to form a net clip.
Alan Curtis admitted he was on the bank ‘almost every night’ before his partner ditched him. Not wishing to waste the valuable jewellery, he decided to turn the metal into a useful clip to keep his net in place when not in use.
“I just wanted to fish,” said Alan. “I was a bailiff at the time and fishing almost every night.
“She left me on the grounds of abandonment and I thought I’d melt the ring down, add a bit of gold and turn it into a net clip. It gets a great reaction on the bank when people see it and I tell them about it.
“There’s been no contact between me and my ex-wife so she doesn’t know about it.”
Alan’s quirky piece of tackle was spotted by carp tutor Adam Penning when the pair fished together at Ladywell Fishery in Essex earlier this month.
“I asked Adam what he thought it was made of,” said Alan. “He couldn’t believe it when I said it was the old wedding ring.”
The clip was created 15 years ago and Alan, who has since remarried, says his fishing/life balance is much more in check these days.
“I was just desperate to go fishing at the time,” said the Cambridgeshire rod who grew up carping in the Lea Valley.
“I still love it and was recently working back down in Essex and doing two nights a week in between, but it’s a bit trickier now the nights are drawing in.”

Big-pellet ban at top fishery Meadowlands

One of the country’s top commercial fisheries has banned the feeding of big pellets after anglers complained that fishing at the venue was becoming ‘too one-dimensional’.
Jack Harness, owner of Meadowlands Fishery near Coventry, has banned the use of both 6mm and 8mm pellets on the grounds that visiting matchmen and pleasure anglers were getting fed up of having to fish at long range just to get bites.
By enforcing the ban until April 2016 Jack hopes that the fish will move into more accessible areas during the winter, which in turn will encourage anglers to adopt more than one tactic to target them.
“Everyone that came here before this ruling was put in place fished the bomb at 30 yards or more, and anglers were catapulting pellets to feed the fish – so that’s where they would always be and weights were suffering because of it,” said Jack.
“Banning these sizes of pellets stops anglers being able to catapult feed at that range. I haven’t just done this on a whim, as I first consulted other fisheries and top anglers.
I think it’s the right thing to do to improve sport here.
“I also think it will help to improve fish welfare, as the large pellets take over a day to break down, which isn’t good for the water or fish digestion,” he added.
The controversial ruling, which still allows the use of 6mm and 8mm pellets as a hookbait, brought about mixed reactions on social media, but many top anglers have already voiced their support of the ban including top matchman and venue regular Joe Carass.
He told Angling Times: “It seems to be a trend sweeping across the UK on venues with plenty of open water that anglers are feeding the fish at range and making it impossible to catch closer in.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if other venues soon follow suit.”

16lb 7oz river barbel slips up to two anglers

This 16lb 7oz barbel is proof that some of the UK’s biggest specimens live in small rivers.
Luke Ayling followed up his recent capture of a 16lb 1oz fish from the River Thames when he switched his attentions to its much smaller   tributary, the Thame in Oxfordshire.
He scaled down bait size, too. Instead of the large homemade hookbaits that he uses on the Thames, the local specialist chose to incorporate Lone Angler Ocean Pride 14mm barrel baits wrapped in matching paste into his combi rig.
His Thame barbel beats the current river record of 16lb 2oz caught last year. And to show just how good he is on a variety of waters, Luke went on to land his first-ever barbel from the River Itchen – a fish of 13lb 4oz.
“I’ve really been on a roll recently and you’ve got to ride your good fortune while you can. Every big-fish angler knows that it doesn’t last for long,” said Luke.
“I can honestly say that my Thame fish was the hardest-fighting barbel I’ve ever hooked. The battle was a little hairy, to say the least.
“Then, just to cap it all off, a friend and I decided to have an hour’s barbel fishing on the River Itchen after a very successful day after grayling, and I achieved a very
long-standing goal of catching a real chalk stream barbel.”
Incredibly, the very same barbel that gave Luke his River Thame record also provided a day to remember for Philip Almond when he took part in a match with Cuddesdon Mill Village Anglers Association.
After losing a big barbel within 30 minutes of the beginning of the contest, he stepped up his tackle.
That proved to be the right move as his legered piece of meat was taken by the 16lb 7oz fish along with two chub of 4lb 14oz and 4lb 4oz, which combined to make a winning haul for Philip.

Hammond sees off stars to take Drennan/Rive Silverfish Festival

Drennan/Rive Silverfish Festival (Sat/Sun)

White Acres (84 anglers)

Oxfordshire angler Derek Hammond has beaten a star-studded field to claim the Drennan/Rive Silverfish Festival at the weekend.

He scored 14 points over the two days and had a weight aggregate of 48-5-0 to take the title ahead of Grant Albutt. He also scored 14, but could only tally 46-11-0 when the maths was done. Jon Jowett also scored 14 points.

Seeing off an 84-strong field that included top French anglers and much of the current Drennan Team England side plus a host of household names from the UK match scene, Drennan Oxford man Derek had a rousing Day 2 to thank for his £700 victory.

The Didcot rod weighed in 33-8-0 to win the match, added to his 14-13-0 net from the day before, which was enough to win him his section. Those victories put Derek on a perfect 14 points, alongside Grant and Jon.

Every fish really did count with such a narrow winning margin.

Skimmers formed the bedrock of Derek’s net as he drew a peg with form, 15 on the Pollawyn Lake. That’s where Andy Bennett had finished second in the match the day before, and Day 2 saw Derek go one better. He fished short at around 5m with caster and worm over groundbait to bank bank a 3lb perch on worm in the margins plus some roach. Second on the day was claimed by Drennan man Dan Varney with 27-8-0.

The festival started with a comfortable win for England star Callum Dicks on Day 1 with a superb 44-12-0 of roach and skimmers from peg 17 on the fancied high bank of the Pollawyn Lake. The Maver angler caught the bulk of his weight shallow on caster despite the cold and windy weather. Second went to Andy Bennett with 34-2-0 from next door peg 15.

Overall: 1 D Hammond, Drennan Oxford, 14pts (48-5-0);

2 G Albutt, Matrix/Bait-Tech, 14 (46-11-0); 3 J Jowett, Drennan NW, 14 (38-12-0); 4 C Dicks, Maver, 13 (56-1-0); 5 S Willsmore, Drennan/D&A Tackle, 13 (54-11-0); 6 A Bennett, Daiwa/Guru/Bait-Tech, 13 (51-12-0). 

Day 1 result: 1 C Dicks, Maver, 44-12-0; 2 A Bennett, Daiwa/Guru/Bait-Tech, 34-2-0; 3 S Willsmore Drennan/D&A Tackle, 29-7-0; 4 D Davies, Drennan/Van Den Eynde, 26-12-0;

5 D Harpin, Daiwa Dorking, 24-8-0.

Day 2 result: 1 D Hammond, Drennan Oxford, 33-8-0;

2 D Varney, Drennan, 27-8-0; 3 S Willsmore, Drennan/D&A Tackle, 25-4-0; 4 L Edwards, Garbolino/ABC, 25-4-0;

5 D Davies, Drennan/Van Den Eynde, 24-9-0. 

Team winners: Andy Power, John Harvey, Darren Davies and Teddy Lescure, 43pts.

High street shop revival

The tackle industry has been given a boost with the opening of at least five new high street businesses.
Budding entrepreneurs have opened their doors in the Midlands and Manchester in an attempt to ignite a retail revival.
Ryan Haye has started up RD Tackle in Brierley Hill, West Mids, after beginning by selling gear at car boot sales and online.
He told Angling Times: “Obviously it’s a tough business to come into, but we offer great customer service which is key to successful trading. You need to have the products anglers need and the knowledge to go with it.
 “We also have brands that other tackle companies in the area don’t, so that gives us an edge.”
Another shop bucking the trend is Trafford Tackle and Bait in Stretford, Manchester. Business has been brisk ever since the shop opened back in June, according to co-owner Jeff Smith.
“It’s going really well,” he said. “There’s no shop within a 30-minute drive of us, which is a big advantage, and we’re already looking to expand.”
Working with business partner Scott Wilding, Jeff devotes half the shop to carp tackle and the rest to match and pleasure fishing.
“The carp side has been brilliant for us,” said Jeff, who once worked  for Marks and Spencer. “We invested heavily – you have to if you’re to succeed in this game – but it’s starting to pay off now.”
Martyn Edwards decided to open his new shop in Warwickshire, Stratford on Avon Fishing and Outdoors Ltd, not only as a new livelihood but as a way of putting something back into the community.
“I’ve always had a passion to set up shop in the town where I live and fish and know a lot of anglers. My plan is to do more for the area’s youngsters and encourage them to take up the sport,” he said.

Big zander run in the family...

Catching big zander runs in the family for David Benfield, seen here with his latest fish of 14lb 3oz.
The brother of James, who banked a record 21lb 5oz zander back in 2007, tempted the giant on a legered bleak deadbait from the lower River Severn near his home.
The catch sets a new personal best for David, who had waited years to catch his first double after banking numerous fish to 8lb.
“I’ve tried to catch a double-figure zander ever since I was a kid, but I still have a way to go to beat my brother’s fish!” he said.

Matchfishing's stars of the future

Matchfishing’s potential stars of the future took part in the Angling Trust’s autumn Preston Innovations National Junior League, aimed at increasing participation in match angling.
Over the past two months, more than 100 anglers between nine and 16 years of age fished in 32 competitions held across eight regions of England, and the verdict from competitors, parents and fisheries has been: “Please, can we have some more!”
“It was very encouraging to see new anglers entering the world of match fishing, many competing for the first time, and fishing alongside some of our existing young match anglers,” commented Ben Thompson, the Angling Trust’s Senior Competitions & Talent Manager. “The feedback so far has been overwhelmingly positive with requests to add junior specific Winter Leagues. We hope to build on the success of this year and attract even more anglers to get involved in 2016.”
The idea behind the competition was to provide local, low cost and easy access to quality fishing. Each regional league consisted of four fixtures with individual matches costing only £1 to enter and bait limits applied to ensure participation was affordable for all involved.
Commercial fisheries hosted the competition, which resulted in consistent catches throughout and excellent facilities for anglers and parents alike.
The top three anglers from each of the eight leagues received tackle from the competition sponsor Preston Innovations and all 24 anglers are now invited to spend a day on the bank next spring with the tackle giant’s consultant anglers.
Every angler that took part in the competition also received a goody bag, also provided by Preston Innovations.
The 2016 competition will begin in the spring with nine regional leagues and it’s still only £1 per competition for anglers to enter. To find out what’s on in your area and how to get involved visit www.anglingtrust.net/junioranglingleague

2lb farm pond roach is ‘such a special fish’

Leading specimen angler Dai Gribble went ‘back to his roots’ to land a 2lb 2oz roach from a local farm pond.
The Korum-backed angler had been invited to fish by the farmer, who had caught big roach from the tiny water but never weighed them.
Dai, who banked a string of huge tench to 14lb 13oz and a 20lb 10oz bream earlier this year, waded his way through vast numbers of small rudd and roach at the Staffordshire venue before striking gold as the sun went down.
“I can’t believe that I’ve travelled as far as Scotland to catch big roach, only to catch a fish like this from a tiny, local water,” he said.
“It was so enjoyable to relive the excitement and the feelings I used to get as a boy when I cast my float out, not really knowing what was going to take the bait next.”
Dai fed a combination of maggots and sweetcorn, and it was the latter bait, mounted on a size 14 hook tied to 3lb mainline on waggler gear, that saw him land the pristine 2lb redfin.
“It’s hard to put into words how rare fish like this are in my area,” Dai continued.
“My personal best for the species stands at 3lb 7oz, but on that occasion I knew exactly what I was fishing for.
“This latest 2lb 2oz fish almost means more to me than the three-pounder. It was a farm pond fish with a real sense of mystery surrounding it, and the catch really sums up what fishing is all about.”

Another amazing week for monster barbel!

Rivers across the UK continue to produce some of the best barbel of 2015, with a host of specimens hitting the bank.
The first, setting a new personal best for the species, fell to Nottingham’s Richard Easom who targeted the middle reaches of the River Trent and got what he was looking for – a 16lb 14oz specimen.
After a biteless four hours, a cast under a tree sent his rig, baited with an 18mm 3 Foot Twitch Dubby boilie, into a deeper hole than any of his previous casts had found.
This proved crucial, as the huge fish took his bait three hours later.
“I set up the camera ready for the pictures and I wasn’t overly excited as I thought it was around 10lb.
“But as I struggled up the bank I was gobsmacked by the sheer width of the fish. I could have put a saddle on her,” Richard said.
“There are rare moments that define you as a specialist angler, and this capture is certainly one of those for me.”
Shaun Harrison also targeted the river and topped a prolific spell with a 14lb 11oz barbel.
He returned to a stretch that hadn’t produced a single bite in two years, but proved why his Quest Baits Questrami boilies are the business when he topped a list of recently-caught doubles to 13lb with the fine specimen.
Moving up to the Severn, Dale Thomas had a session to remember when he set a new river pb.
The dairy herdsman from Hereford arrived at the river at midnight and, after introducing two handfuls of boilies around a snag, didn’t even get the chance to set up his tripod before a 5lb 2oz fish made its way to the net.
He landed a steady stream of fish, including chub, until he struck gold with a 13lb 7oz barbel on a 3 Foot Twitch 18mm boilie.
“I reached down to get the net and wasn’t prepared for this beauty that beat my previous best from the river that stood at 11lb 13oz,” said Dale.
Surrey’s Mike Lyddon had an old stick of Peperami to thank for the capture of his biggest-ever barbel from the Severn at 13lb 6oz.
He travelled to the river in search of zander, but after landing small fish he turned his attentions to barbel and used the popular supermarket offering to great effect with the help of 15lb braid, a braided 15lb hooklink and a size 8 hook.
“I chucked out a couple of single hookbaits and my first fish went 11lb 4oz. This was followed by the big one, and I finished off with a little scamp of 10lb 8oz,” said Mike.
The Hampshire Avon, long a favourite among barbel enthusiasts, saw Lee Chatfield get among the big fish and land a new personal best for the species.
He used a bait dropper to deposit a bed of Sonubaits pellets and broken boilies into a gravel hole between two weedbeds and netted the 13lb 6oz fish after it took a Code Red dumbell boilie.
Leicestershire’s Rob Thompson needed only four hours on a Midlands river to fool barbel weighing 13lb 4oz and 10lb 15oz.
The Korum-backed angler hair-rigged a crushed boilie and used pva bags full of pellets and crushed boilies. This is his fifth different fish over 13lb in a couple of months.

Huge tackle sale at Dragon Carp Direct this weekend!

The countdown is on to the biggest tackle sale of the year!

The Dragon Carp Direct £1m Tackle Clearance takes place over three days in November – Friday 27th, Saturday 28th and Sunday 29th – in Chesterfield, with incredible bargains available across a huge range of kit.

The event, which takes place at DCD’s headquarters in Chesterfield, begins with Black Friday, moves onto Roger Surgay’s famous Man on the Mic auction on Saturday before finishing with Clearance Sunday.

Here’s what to expect on each day:

Black Friday (27th November)
Exclusive access to Unit 3 where every piece of tackle will be at least 50% off!

Man on the Mic Open Day (28th November)
Roger Surgery’s famous auction. Doors open at 9am.

Clearance Sunday (29th November)
Every piece of tackle left will be cleared – at crazy prices!

DCD boss Roger Surgay said: “This is going to be our biggest-ever sale. I’ve got piles of clearance tackle to shift and some of the prices will be unbelievable.

“Our old Newark Show was extremely popular but the logistics made it impossible to continue with. Last year we moved to our HQ in Chesterfield for a one-off sale and it proved to be so popular that this year we’ve decided to do it over three days.

“On Black Friday we’re opening up our Unit 3 warehouse for the first time ever and every piece of tackle in there will be at least 50% off. “

“On Saturday, I’ll be hosting my Man on the Mic auction with loads of crazy deals and then Clearance Sunday is about getting rid of everything that’s left at stupid prices.

“There’s loads and loads of kit so don’t worry about there not being enough.

“Make sure you get there – I promise you won’t be disappointed!”

Here are some of the deals:
5,000 rods from £5
1,000 reels from £5
16m £1,000 poles from £50
Bivvies and shelters from £5
Seatboxes from £10
Chairs from £10
Clothing and footwear from £10

*Doors open at 9am sharp each day and the sale takes place at Dragon Carp Direct, Units 2 and 3 Calow Brook Drive, Hasland, Chesterfield, S41 ODR. Tel: 01246 540140.

Tom Lane wins Riverfest after nightmare Day 1

Angling Trust RiverFest 2015 Final
River Wye, Hereford (72 pegs)

No matter how bad things are in fishing, you should never give up. That’s an adage
Tom Lane demonstrated in spades by winning this year’s final on a river that showed two very different faces to the 72 competitors.
Weighing in a total of 43-10-0, the Lane’s Bait rod from Coventry took the £12,000 first prize. You would have got very long odds on him doing that on Sunday morning though because the opening five hours of action on the Saturday saw the 24-year-old muster just 1-10-0 from a poor peg.
Day 2 didn’t promise much better as the river rose by several feet and was raging through. He stuck to his guns from his peg on the tennis courts section, making its debut in this year’s final, and calmly dismantled the field with nine barbel for 43-0-0 to win the day and the title.
But it was so close, with Garbolino Blackmore Vale man Richie Tomala turning in two great performances of small-fish work to reply with 42-0-0 and miss out by just one of the Wye’s famed chub or barbel. Lincolnshire’s Alistair Ogilvie finished third on 36-8-0.
Tom, grandson of late former World Champion Billy, got the family name back on a famous trophy with a feeder attack from peg 98 on the tennis courts. Ironically, that was one down from where Lee Edwards had won the Saturday match from, but in very different conditions.
Tom adopted a sit and wait approach, casting into a big slack a quarter of the way across the river to just do enough.
“Day 1 was a total write off,” Tom said. “I’ve been fishing the Wye in matches for five years and know how bad peg 47 is. It can be hit or miss, but is more often miss and I really struggled for 1-10-0 of tiny dace on the feeder.
“It poured with rain all day and I felt pretty deflated, especially as we all knew that the river would be up a lot on Sunday and could be almost unfishable.”
He was right on that score because the Wye came up over the rowing club HQ’s steps, forcing the rowers off the river and seeing onlookers think that the anglers setting up must have been mad! Trees were ploughing downriver plus a million leaves and the river was a filthy brown colour – not the stuff of legend!
Tom found himself heading to peg 98 where 18lb had been caught the day before, but Sunday would be totally different. He didn’t fancy it, but flooded rivers can spring all sorts of surprises.
“I’ve fished the Wye before with over 12ft of extra water in it and it was desperate, so I didn’t expect a lot,” he explained.
“I planned to fish the feeder into the slack looking for barbel because they do live around that area. I also put in a pole line using a flat float to catch some roach as a back-up. I began on the feeder and nothing happened, had a quick look on the pole without a bite and feared the worst.”
“I did know that next to nothing had been caught around me so went back on the tip and had my first barbel of around 4lb quite quickly on a bunch of five maggots,” Tom continued. “Another fish followed after 20 minutes and that was much bigger. After that it was a bit of a sit and wait job because the fish came in little bursts. They were moving around in the slack so I had to keep casting around to try and get a bite. Fortunately, I only missed one all day and never lost a fish, but I still felt as though I hadn’t done enough to win, and that was almost the case.”
After taking two fish on maggot, Tom changed to a hair-rigged lobworm to keep picking the fish off, ending up on two hair-rigged 8mm pellets. He packed his 4oz Kamasan Blackcap blockend feeder with 4mm halibut pellets and geared up with 10lb Pro Gold mainline to a 3ft hooklink of the same material and size 10 Drennan Super Spade or Specimen hooks.
“The peg was actually quite free of snags so there weren’t too many dramas getting the fish in, but all the while I kept an ear open to the people stood behind me. They reckoned there were a few big bleak weights taken that might beat me,” he reflected.
“I felt as though I would need one more barbel to really seal things, but it didn’t happen. It may have been close, but it’s a tremendous feeling, especially as I’m an out-and-out river angler and there aren’t many events like this around. Mind you, I was one who was questioning whether the match should even have gone ahead in the first place!”

Overall result: 1 T Lane, Lane’s Bait, 44-10-0;
2 R Tomala, Garbolino Blackmore Vale MG, 42-0-0; 3 A Ogilvie, Sensas, 36-8-0; 4 L Edwards, Garbolino/ABC, 34-8-0; 5 B Brown, Sensas, 30-12-0; 6 M Buchwalder, Preston Innovations, 29-8-0; 7 I Ward, Frenzee, 29-4-0; 8 I Dawson, Tri-Cast Calder, 29-2-0; 9 R Hoskins, Daiwa Gordon League, 28-15-0; 10 S Willsmore, Drennan/D&A Tackle, 28-13-0.
Day 2 result: 1 T Lane, Lane’s Bait, 43-0-0;
2 R Tomala, Garbolino Blackmore Vale MG, 23-7-0; 3 A Ogilvie, Sensas, 18-6-0; 4 J Summerson, Garbolino RAF, 13-2-0; 5 I Dawson, Tri-Cast Calder, 12-4-0; 6 S Ashby, Sensas, 12-7-0.

Get 20% off an iBobber Fish Finder

Have you ever wondered what’s going on in your swim? How many fish are there and how big they are? Most of the time it’s sheer guesswork, but get your hands on this week’s brilliant reader offer and you can map out your swim with pinpoint clarity and work out just what lies beneath!

We’re offering 20 per cent off the Real Sonar Bluetooth iBobber fish finder. This smart little device shows the number of fish in your peg and their size, the depth they are sitting at and even the contours of the swim. There are also precise weather, water temperature and moon phase settings, with the option to store previously-mapped swims for future reference and to share on social media.

Compatible with all Apple and Android devices, the iBobber attaches to your line and works in two ways. To map the swim, cast to the required distance then reel in slowly, letting the sonar do the work, feeding back accurate measurements of depth and contours. To discover the fish in the peg, leave the iBobber alone and it will ping back the fishy life forms close by.

It comes with a charging dock, carry bag and instructions. All you need do is download the free app on to your phone, device or tablet and you’re away!

It retails at £99.99, but Angling Times readers can get the iBobber for £79.99 (plus free shipping), an impressive 20 per cent saving. That makes the iBobber the ideal Christmas present for the angler who almost has it all on the fishing front, or for the specimen and pleasure angler who take their fishing seriously!

FEATURES

The iBobber will allow you to:

- Map swim contours and depths down to 135ft at up to 100ft range

- Discover the size of fish below and above 15ins

- Chart water temperatures

- Indicate favourable moon phases on the calendar

- Display accurate weather data

- Store previously charted swims for future use

- Map good areas via GPS

- Share findings on social media

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Two chub for close on 16lb!

One of the biggest chub braces ever – fish of 8lb 4oz 8dr and 7lb 10oz – has been banked by specimen angler Robert Young from a Christchurch AC stretch of the Dorset Stour.

The Bournemouth-based computer engineer visited the fast-flowing river every day for three months to introduce a handful of boilies.

“I had fed quite a few swims since the summer and knew there were big fish present, as I had already caught three chub to 7lb 5oz, but having not fished this particular swim before I wasn’t expecting a catch like this,” said Robert, who used 12lb mainline and a Drennan fluorocarbon hooklength tied to a size 8 hook.

“I used a PVA mesh bag of loose offerings, and wrapped another around the lead so as not to spook the fish when it hit the gravel.”

The rod-tip began twitching within minutes of his arrival and moments later he was netting a new personal best after the bigger of the two chub took his single hair-rigged boilie. He had to wait for over an hour for his second fish, the seven-pounder.

The ‘eight’ is a new club record, and a catch Chub Study Group secretary Iain Nairn believes will be remembered for a long time.

“This stretch of river is well capable of producing a big fish but to get two in a session from the same swim is incredible. This will go down as one of the best catches in chub fishing history,” he said.

Another angler to celebrate this week was Mark Jones, when his floatfished lobworm, intended for perch, brought a bite from a huge 8lb 1oz chub.

The Coventry-based man began his epic day on a stretch of the River Great Ouse controlled by Milton Keynes AA.

While the light held he fished for roach and dace, but once darkness fell and the venue’s resident big perch began to put in an appearance, the 49-year-old stepped up his tackle to incorporate a 3lb hooklink and a size 16 hook into his simple waggler rig, looking for a big stripey.

“I’ve been fishing for many different species all my life and I know that this won’t happen again. I really thought the chub was going to be over 7lb, but for it to be over 8lb is simply incredible. I had to check my scales three times just to make sure they were right,” he said.

3lb 4oz roach found dead at pike water Chew Valley

This is the picture of a 3lb 4oz roach that was found at the UK’s finest specimen pike water.
The dead roach was discovered by former British pike record-holder Neville Fickling and Angling Times columnist Paul Garner when the pair fished from the deck of a boat on the famous Chew Valley Reservoir.
It’s a venue that’s already produced two pike over 40lb and numerous 30lb-plus specimens so far this season, but the roach proved why many experts believe that the next British record pike isn’t the only history-making coarse fish that is lurking in the depths of the vast Somerset venue.
“As soon as I saw the fish I shouted ‘hang on a minute, that is absolutely huge’ so we sped over to investigate,” Neville told Angling Times.
“It doesn’t surprise me at all that there are roach like this in this place because everything seems to grow to such huge proportions. But all that said, I didn’t think I’d be having my picture taken with a 3lb 4oz roach during a day at Chew.”
Along with pike to 44lb 6oz and perch to just under the 5lb mark, respected specimen all-rounder and fisheries scientist Paul Garner also believes that Chew and many of the other vast trout fishing reservoirs in the UK could contain coarse fish of massive proportions.
“This roach is further proof of just what could be in these lakes, because many of them are perfect breeding grounds for specimen fish,” said Paul.
“Chew is such healthy water that’s rich in food and nutrients, so it’s no wonder why it’s not only home to huge pike.
“I’ve seen huge coarse fish rolling while fishing this type of venue and if you do a bit of research you’ll find out about a 20lb 2oz bream that was found dead at Thames Water’s Farmoor Reservoir some years ago – just one of many examples of what lurks beneath the surface of these waters.”

Bleak seal Wye festival for Whittle

Shakespeare River Wye
Festival 2015 (Weds-Fri)
River Wye, Hereford (60 pegs)

Despite the River Wye being low and clear, this midweek festival, backed by tackle giant Shakespeare, produced some cracking action.
Day 1 saw Jamie Robbins top the field from the Tennis Courts section. He had a great day feeding and fishing maggot on the waggler for a net of chub weighing 39-14-0.
The rest of the festival belonged to bleak king Hadrian Whittle as Day 2 saw him out in first place from Belmont with 41-4-0, the Kamasan Starlets rod catching from one of his favourite pegs on the river, peg 80. He had a strong half of the match on bleak and also topped up with chub for a section win.
The final day saw Hadrian in his element, bagging 1,300 bleak on the whip from the Ferry section to take first place with 38-0-0.
The win and better weights than his nearest rival Andy ‘Spud’ Murphy saw him take the honours with a four-point score over the three days.

Day 1 result: 1 J Robbins, Shakespeare, 39-14-0;
2 D Foreshaw, Cotswold Angling, 39-8-0;
3 D Ashington, Sensas/Kamasan Starlets, 35-8-0.
Day 2 result: 1 H Whittle, Kamasan Starlets/Woody’s, 41-4-0; 2 T Wales, DH Angling, 40-3-0;
3 M Lindsey, Surrey, 36-8-0.
Day 3 result: 1 H Whittle, Kamasan Starlets/Woody’s, 38-0-0; 2 A Murphy, Shakespeare, 37-4-0;
3 M Derry, Kamasan Starlets, 36-4-0.
Overall: 1 H Whittle, Kamasan Starlets/Woody’s, 4pts (superior weight): 2 A Murphy, Shakespeare, 4; 3 M Derry, Kamasan Starlets, 5; 4 B Rigby, Shakespeare, 6; 5 D Foreshaw, Cotswold Angling, 7.

Crab tempts 16lb 9oz Thames barbel

A ‘no-feed’ approach worked a treat for Ellis Forrester when he banked this giant 16lb 9oz barbel.
Fishing a stretch of the River Thames in Oxfordshire, the Abingdon angler decided against a heavy prebaiting campaign and instead fished just two Oxford Carp Baits GS Crab 18mm boilies wrapped in paste along with a PVA bag of chopped boilies.
This was attached to a simple 3oz lead rig consisting of 15lb ESP Syncro line and a 2ft-long 15lb ESP Strip Teaze hooklink.
The fish, which was taken during an overnight session on the waterway, set a new personal best for the 28-year-old heating engineer, and is just 1lb 9oz short of a river record for the species set by Guy Robb in 2005.