50lb Butthead and 40lb Tutti banked before Pendle View sale

Scott Hatton admitted “you just can’t better it” after a challenging winter campaign ended with a 50lb Lancashire common for him and a 40-pounder for his teenage son.
The pair have fished in all weathers this winter at Pendle View, hoping to catch Butthead the big common before the imminent sale of the day-ticket venue is completed.
In the end, Scott and 14-year-old Connor accomplished their mission with a flourish, banking nine fish including the two big commons and seven twenties in a session.
“I had vowed I was having her, that she would be mine before it shut,” said 39-year-old Scott.
“We had a winter campaign on there and I’d basically been telling everyone I would catch her.
“As weekends go you just can’t better it. I think there had been two fish out in 10 days and then we had nine fish between us.
“All winter we’ve basically been doing the opposite to what everyone else does there, fishing single hookbaits rather than spodding out loads of bait.
“Over the last six weeks we’ve worked out the routines and where the fish are moving, building up a pattern.”
The pair have also gone against the grain with their rigs, using running leads rather than semi-fixed set-ups and trimming their pop-ups down to about 6mm in size.
Recalling the fight from Butthead, the self-employed joiner from
St Helens said: “All the bites have been two or three bleeps then hitting them, no one-toners. After a 15-minute battle she came into the margins and shoved her head up, and both Connor and I let out a shout.”
The Hattons fished Pukka Squirrel Baits’ Strawberry-EY pop-ups on Withy Pool rigs made with Korda N-Trap Soft and size 8 Korda Kurv hooks.