Rudd brace over 2lb

This fine specimen was one of two rudd Dan Sales banked during a float fishing session on a river in the Midlands.

A bread hookbait fished on 4lb line tied to a size 10 hook, did the trick for the Fox-backed rod from Hertfordshire whose 2lb-plus brace were backed up with four others between 1lb 8oz and 1lb 14oz.

“I’ve been using a new Marukyu amino spray on my hookbaits and it’s really been giving me some good results recently,” said Dan.

“When you’re sight fishing with bread it’s worth spicing up your hookbait.”

A dozen Fen rudd to 2lb 3oz caught on crust

A 200-mile round trip paid off in style for Andy Waters as he banked a succession of rudd to 2lb 3oz from a Fenland river.

The Lowestoft, Suffolk-based angler had never targeted the species on running water until this season but he proved he has already mastered the art of getting them to feed.

In just a few hours’ action he banked 12 fish which included specimens of 1lb 15oz and 2lb 1oz, plus that bigger two-pounder.

Simple tactics prevailed, with Andy relying on a freelined piece of breadcrust on a size 8 hook to attract bites.

Long slog ends with five 2lb rudd

Hours of walking to find an elusive big rudd finally paid off for Gary Knowles when he banked this stunning 2lb 7oz fish from a river in the Eastern Counties.

The Korum-backed rod made the exhausting journey from his Cheshire base and hiked along the bank to search for signs of feeding fish.

Having walked several miles without any indications, he finally stumbled across a shoal of large fish and decided to introduce small quantities of corn and bread to get the rudd feeding confidently before he started fishing.

A simple waggler set-up baited with a lump of breadflake was eventually cast into the swim and it didn’t take long for the float to dip.

Moving swims on a regular basis helped him find numerous big rudd, including a brace weighing 2lb 2oz, another at 2lb 5oz and a couple that each tipped the scales round to
2lb 7oz.

But the result could have been even more memorable. Gary said: “I lost three fish that I am sure were three-pounders. They all made their way into the dense weed that we were fishing close to.

“The Fenland rivers are full of fish and I am determined to get back and break my 2lb 8oz rudd best in the near future,” he added.

Season’s biggest rudd is a monster of 3lb 1oz

The vast network of rivers in East Anglia showed why many predict they will produce the next British record rudd when Josh Fisher banked the biggest fish of the season to date.

Tipping the scales at 3lb 1oz, it fell to self-confessed fishing fanatic Josh, who walked several miles before hooking a fish that smashes his personal best out of sight.

The tattoo artist admitted that catching big rudd from Fenland rivers is ‘the most physical fishing I’ve ever done’ and achieved his ambition of catching a specimen over the 3lb barrier when he floatfished breadflake.

It’s a rudd that beats a previous personal best that stood at around 2lb 8oz, and it was landed with a rig made from a size 12 hook attached to 3lb line.

“Some days I’ll walk for miles and not even cast a line. It’s totally exhausting, especially in the heat. I fainted the other day as I worked to locate the biggest fish,” said Josh.

“But it’s so rewarding when you do hook and land one of these fish. There’s no better sight in the sport than seeing one of these big rudd gulp down a large lump of floating crust.

“I’ve now had 12 fish over the 2lb mark since the start of the season and seen some fish that are scarily big. There’s no doubt in my mind that there’s a British record
in these very special waters.”

Another angler who showed why hundreds from across the UK flock to the Fenland river systems every summer is Fox-backed specialist Matt Rand.

He uses a boat to locate the rudd shoals and often trots his floating bread up to 80yds downstream in order to tempt the biggest specimens. His latest session produced the goods with an immaculate 2lb 11oz fish.

“I don’t fish with line any lighter than 6lb because when you’re fishing at distance the fish have many opportunities to dive into every weedbed on the way in – light gear would be just pointless.

“The fishing around the Fenland rivers is incredible. I’ve been lucky enough to land 20 rudd over 2lb to a best of 2lb 14oz from three different rivers,” he said.

Matt used a 6g Matrix pellet waggler and a size 8 Kamasan Wide Gape Specialist hook.
Finally, Adam Perna achieved a personal ambition to catch a 2lb rudd from the Fens when a morning session produced no fewer than 14 fish to a best of 2lb 4oz.

He, too, opted for a simple float rig with a piece of floating crust.

“It’s been a goal of mine to catch one of these incredible fish over 2lb, and to have had so much action topped by this rudd made for a really special session,” he said.

String of 2lb-plus rudd fall to float tactics

A week of specimen rudd catches on the float was headed up by Lowestoft rod Andy Waters.

He struck gold when his first-ever session targeting the species saw him twice break his personal best with fish of 2lb 1oz and 2lb 6oz from an undisclosed East Anglian venue.

After several miles of walking the banks, he located some fish and tempted the fine pair by flicking out a floating crust on float tackle comprising 4lb line and a size 8 hook.

“I’ve never targeted big rudd before, so I did my research and walked miles without casting a line before I saw them,” said Suffolk-based Andy.

“Both the big fish came really quickly and then all the rest spooked and disappeared, but I returned the next day to take four fish to 2lb 2oz.”

Fox-backed specialist Dan Sales was all smiles when he banked his biggest rudd so far this season, again on floating bread.

The Herts fishing fanatic has banked many big fish already this season – and he continued his recent run of form when he spent a day on a Midlands river and took a big rudd.

“Sight fishing for rudd on the float is as exciting as it gets – it’s real heart in mouth stuff,” said Dan.

“The sheer beauty of every rudd is enough to get any angler obsessed with the species...I can’t get enough of them.”

Moving further up the country, Alan Hibbot also set a new rudd personal best with the capture of a 2lb 2oz specimen during a session at a tough undisclosed pit in the North West.

He, too, adopted floatfishing tactics, but this time with maggots on the hook and, after fishing his way through a seemingly endless stream of small fish, he finally landed his prize with the help of 3lb line and a size 16 hook.

Carp and silverfish galore at Toft Farm Fisheries

Warwickshire's Fisheries is a perfect example of a simple yet effective modern commercial fishery. Its two identical, tear-drop shaped lakes are divided into carp and silverfish waters so you can guarantee you’ll catch exactly what you set out for this weekend. Whether it’s a club match where 100lb of carp is needed to win, or simply a winter session after a few roach, Toft certainly has it covered.  With ample space in between pegs and modern wooden platforms as well, a decent days fishing is always on the cards. Here’s a breakdown of what is on offer:

Carp Lake (55 pegs)
With an island at the east end and a huge body of open water to the west, the Carp Lake is ideal for most methods. The pellet feeder filled with 2mm micro pellets and a banded 6mm pellet will catch carp averaging 4lb steadily when cast to the island. Alternatively, fishing the waggler or pole shallow in open water pegs with maggot or pellet will account for good bags of carp as well as the odd big roach. The anglers winning the matches on here recently have only been fishing a top kit plus two sections, where the near shelf bottoms out at around 6ft. 81lb of carp and roach was taken off peg 46 recently using this method, with 4mm, 6mm expanders and meat proving the best baits.

Silverfish Lake (34 pegs)
With a uniform depth of around 6ft and a central island at only 13m away from each peg, the pole and feeder tend to rule here. Dobbing tight to the island reeds with bread accounted for a 107lb mixed bag of barbel, roach, skimmers and F1 carp for one anger recently. A fairly strong elastic is advised so the fish can be pulled from the snags. Try fishing on the deck down the track with 4mm soft pellets over micros and maggots to find skimmers to 3lb. The margins are also noted to produce the odd big carp to 10lb on dead maggots – which were moved from the Carp Lake into the Silverfish Lake to boost catches weights.

Prices: £7 a day
Contact: Ester on 07934 237103
Location: Toft Farm Fisheries, Kites Hardwick, Rugby, Warwickshire, CV23 8AD
Rules: Barbless hooks only, no keepnets unless in matches, no cat or dog food
Facilities: Toilets, Parking, tea and coffee at weekends

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Strike silver at Portland Waters

We might be six weeks into the river shutdown, but anglers who want to catch chub can still get their fix from stillwaters up and down the country.

Take Portland Waters in Nottinghamshire, for example. At first sight this complex near Newark appears to be your typical commercial fishery but recent catches here are more like those you would expect from the nearby River Trent in a couple of months.

Matches at the fishery have seen huge bags of silverfish netted as Radcliffe on Trent’s Mark Baker discovered when he won a recent Angling Times Bait-Tech Supercup event with 60lb of chub from the Portland’s Old Wood Lake earlier this month.

There are five day-ticket lakes to choose from at Portland and they’re all stuffed with silverfish, alongside the more expected carp. We recommend the in-form Four Island Lake, where, chub, barbel, roach, rudd and carp and can all be targeted specifically depending on what you wish to catch.

This 30-peg pool is square in shape but its four islands make each swim more like a canal with pegs on the inside and outer part of the lake. The islands are reachable with 12 metres of pole and like a canal, the deepest water can be found down the middle (5.5ft) with around 2ft in the margins on the inside and across. The barbel go to nearly 7lb and anglers can catch these by design by fishing down the edge with maggots or meat.

The chub average around 2lb and in past summers anglers have bagged 80-90lb of them by feeding a couple of pole cups filled with chopped worms or alternatively catapulting casters and fishing double caster on the hook tight to the far side or down the egdge. There are also some big roach and rudd to over 1lb, and again, these can be targeted specifically by fishing either down the middle or tight to any reed beds with typical redfin favourites like caster or hemp.

If you do want a real red-letter day and catch more 200lb, though, you need to target carp and these can be located by feeding a line down the bottom of the near ledge with your top-two-plus-one as well as across either to an island or one of the gaps between which are known to hold fish using corn, maggots, meat or pellets. 

The carp average around 3-4lb but avoid fishing too light as the odd ‘lump’ up to 14lb can make a surprise appearance. On warm days fishing up in the water with a banded pellet will pay dividends as will paste fishing close-in. Most pegs fish well in summer but pegs 18-22 on the inside are the most consistent.

If you prefer more of a natural style of fishing then head to the Old Wood Pool where you can imitate what Mark Baker did in catching a big bag of chub on maggots but there are also tonnes of roach and skimmers to enjoy too. This pool was also recently stocked with thousands of ide which will take a liking for maggots or casters but it’s not all about silverfish as nets of carp can also be sought with pellet waggler the top tactic.

With so many options and different species to go at other than just carp anglers need not wait for the rivers to re-open to experience silverfish heaven in Nottinghamshire. Simply pay a visit to Portland.

Prices: £6 a day, £5 concessions
Contact: 07818 552307, www.portlandfishing.co.uk
Location: Portland Waters, Longhedge Lane, Sibthorpe, Newark, Notts, NG23 5PN
Rules: Barbless only hooks, no keepnets, no cat or dog meat, no floating baits, no boilies or nuts, no hooks over size 12, no dogs
Facilities: Clubhouse/café, toilets 

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Alan Stagg lifts the Drennan Cup

“I’ve dreamed of this moment since I first started targeting big fish and to think that my name will now sit alongside some of the greatest anglers of all time just blows my mind.”

These are the emotional words of Alan Stagg, who has this week been crowned Drennan Cup Champion.

The Basingstoke based fishing fanatic took the most coveted prize in specimen angling after votes cast by specimen fishing’s elite put him well ahead of the rest of the field in this year’s competition.

At the end of the 2014/15 season Alan had amassed an impressive five weekly awards in his quest for the famous Drennan Cup and ultimately it was the Gardner tackle employee’s versatility and ability to catch some of the biggest specimens from both still and running water that saw him secure the prestigious title.

“It was my birthday and I was in my garden having a celebratory drink and I got the phone call telling me that I’d won and my jaw hit the floor. I could hardly speak as it was the best present I could have ever wished for,” a delighted Alan told Angling Times.

”I’ve had the Drennan Cup in my sights ever since I started targeting big fish and many all of my fishing heroes have their names on the cup and I’ve been close in the past, but words can’t describe what this means to me. It’s such a huge honour because the unique aspect of this competition is that the winner is decided by votes from your fellow anglers and there’s no bigger accolade than that.

Alan’s campaign began last May when he ended a seven-year quest to beat his bream personal best when he slipped the net under a huge 17lb 3oz that was backed up by another fish weighing 16lb 12oz during a session at a southern gravel pit.

His incredible run of form continued on the same venue a few weeks later after netting one of the biggest braces of all time with a combined weight of 34lb 11oz.

The first trip to a new water saw him gain with his third weekly award when he adopted a float-fishing approach to achieve a long-time ambition of catching a rudd over the magical 3lb barrier.

It took him hours to locate the fish but when he found them he landed specimens weighing 3lb 5oz, 2lb 7oz and 2lb 5oz.

He then switched his attentions to running water and proved why he’s regarded as one of the most gifted all-rounders in the sport when his second river session of 2014 on a tributary of the River Thames produced a 15lb 8oz barbel.

It was only fitting that his fifth and final Drennan weekly award saw him join an elite group of anglers who have banked 3lb-plus roach from both still and running water.

The 3lb 3oz 8 dram fish was the first ‘proper’ roach he’d ever banked  from a river and came from a southern chalk stream caught on feeder fished maggots.

“It really was a dream season for me as I achieved so much and banked fish that I’ve been after for so many years,” Alan continued.

“To have come out on top of a field of anglers that’s made up of such well-respected and genuinely inspiring people is a huge honour, but to have my name on the famous Drennan really is as good as it gets.”

Leading the chasing pack in the 2014/15 Drennan Cup competition was Angling Times columnist and Peg One consultant Paul Garner.

He finished his campaign with a total of three weekly awards for impressive specimens such as a huge 12lb 10oz tench, a 3lb 11oz 8 dram rudd and a 4lb 2oz 8 dram personal best rudd.
The remaining places in the top four were filled by well-respected big fish anglers Brian Ingram and Mike Lyddon.

Drennan Cup sponsor Drennan International have again been delighted with the continued popularity of the competition and congratulated Alan on his victory.

“Congratulations to Alan on a richly deserved win.  In all sport, rewards are generally directly proportionate to the amount of effort & practice invested, and I know first-hand how much time Alan puts into his fishing, Said Stewart Moss of Drennan International.

“I’ve personally bumped into him several times on various venues banks over the years and he really is an expert specimen angler and will be an exceptionally popular Drennan Cup champion.”

What they win:
1 Alan Stagg, £2,000
2 Paul Garner, £1,000
3 Brian Ingram, £500
4 Mike Lyddon, £250

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Plenty of ide at Pine Lakes

Regarded as one of the best ide fishing venues in the UK, Pine Lakes in Doncaster offers you the chance to put together a 100lb-plus net of the silverfish in just five hours.

The two-lake complex was something of a mystery until recently when new management took over to boost lake stocks and the overall flora and fauna of the fishery.

Since then it has come on leaps and bounds with some really superb fishing on offer. The 27-peg Big Lake with the single island is the place to head if you’re after a big net of ide. In 2009, a 119lb bag of just ide was recorded off peg 5 on casters. The angler had fished shallow on the pole at 7m and 9m whilst sprinkling casters over the top via a catty.

Alternatively, carp, F1s and tench have been stocked and are often caught on the Method feeder and maggot cast to the island, or corn fished down the edge late in the day. The 30-peg Small Lake offers similar fishing but with three islands to target. The ide go big in here, and specimens to 2lb are a regular occurrence. Double maggot fished shallow will work but try fishing on the deck for a slightly bigger stamp. The pellet wag cast to the aerator between the islands with a banded 4mm pellet can also produce big ide, roach and rudd, as well as the odd carp to double figures.

Prices: £6 a day, £5 concessions
Contact: 07867 553645
Location: Oak Field Farm, Kirton Lane, Thorne, Doncaster DN8 5RQ
Rules: No boilies, hemp, cat and dog meat, bloodworm, joker, tiger nuts, floating baits, braided hook lengths, bolt Rigs, you must use the Landing net provided by the fishery, keepnets are available for hire £1 extra and for this you get two nets, one for silvers and one for carp, all nets must be returned.
Facilities: Parking, toilets, pellets available, drinks available

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Huge carp hauls expected soon at Lands End Fishery

Known for producing summer match nets in excess of 300lb, Lands End Fishery in Somerset has proved that it’s got what it takes to be the very best – and with temperatures now on the up, it won’t be long until match weights will once again reach dizzying heights. So what makes this fishery so good? Not only is each lake stocked with a large number of quality, mixed species, but every peg offers a diverse range of features to test your angling skills.

Tadham Lake (16 pegs)
If you’re a specimen hunter then this is the lake for you. It’s stocked with carp to 26lb, grass carp to 17lb, tench and bream to 6lb and a large number of brown goldfish to 4lb as well. The central island is easily reachable with the feeder or pole and this is exactly where you want to target. Corn and pellet will catch nearly everything in here.

Tealham Lake (24 pegs)
The six-hour match record here is an astonishing 351lbs 10oz, making it the go-to water for many matchmen who visit. The two bar-shaped islands and surrounding trees and bushes provided excellent cover for the resident fish, which are mostly made up of carp, tench and bream. Big perch to 4lb also live here and can be caught down the edge or in the gap between the two islands on worm or prawn hookbaits.

John Walter Lake (30 pegs)
An open plan water with three central islands and a host of bays to target. The pole fished shallow with pellet or caster is a firm tactic for roach, rudd and the odd goldfish with many anglers preferring to target the carp from the islands with a pellet feeder. The corner pegs are often high-flyers as well thanks to their access to the side mud-banks and open water.

Sidney’s Lake (24 pegs)
This is the newest water on the complex at Lands End which mirrors the same layout as the John Walter Lake. It’s stocking of carp to 7lbs, perch to 3lbs, roach, rudd and skimmer bream makes it a favourite with novice and pleasure anglers who are looking for a relaxed session. The islands are worth a shot with the feeder or waggler with maggots, with a switch to corn preferable for the carp.

Prices: £7 a day, £5 concessions
Contact: 07977 545882 or visit the new website at www.landsendsomerset.co.uk
Location: Lands End Fishery, Heath House, Wedmore, Somerset, BS28 4UQ
Rules: Fishing dawn to dusk, barbless Hooks only, no Keepnets permitted, no method feeders, all rigs must be free-running with a minimum hooklength of 12 inches, no cat/dog meat, no bread, no floating baits, no nuts or beans, only coarse/carp pellets to be used for feed.
Facilities: Parking, Toilets, disabled access, tackle shop, refreshments

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