Pretty One at 50lb 11oz after captor follows gut instinct

Every other angler on the lake had gone home to escape Storm Frank when Rob Hattan latched into this incredibly long common at Wintons Fishery.
The 50lb 11oz fish, known as the Pretty One, fell during high winds in the first week of the year at Kingfisher Lake on the popular West Sussex complex.
The 42-year-old from Brighton shunned perceived wisdom and used unpopular tactics in an unfancied swim to smash his previous personal best by more than 20lb.
“It is usually the norm to use a pop-up or snowman,” said the welder, “but I decided to fish a bottom bait and go back to basics.”
He added: “It was my third time on the water and I decided to use a more unpopular swim than the popular one that was free – I followed my gut instinct and thankfully it paid off.”
After casting out in swim 29, Rob saw a fish roll and decided to leave his rods out for 24 hours. He said: “I’d been smashed with 45mph winds and lashing rain, and thought my bivvy was going to take off.
“By this point every other fisherman had gone home and then it happened, my Delkim receiver started ringing. It had been months since the last time it had played like that!
“I ran out of my bivvy, just about slipped my trainers on, no jacket, and the rain stung my eyes.
“My first thoughts were that it was a 30-pounder, then after about 15 minutes it rolled in front of me and I thought it could be a forty – my heart was racing.”
Once the fish was in the net, Rob rang his brother Darrell and initially told him he had caught a 40-pounder, but soon phoned him back to increase his estimate after picking up the net.
“I was ecstatic,” said Rob, who used glugged CC Moore Equinox boilies topped with fake maggots on rigs made with Korda Kamo and size 6 Kurv hooks.