Roach best in a flood

Olly Luker trotted a single maggot on the River Itchen to net this superb 2lb 5oz roach.

While others struggled for a bite on the Hampshire waterway, Olly took a mobile approach and worked his float close to slacks, bends and overhanging trees.

His personal best was beaten on a rig made from a 3lb mainline, a 1lb 2oz bottom and a size 20 hook.

“The conditions were terrible and the river was about to burst its banks,” said Olly, from Wiltshire. “So I knew trotting straight down the river just wasn’t going to work. On the other hand, staying mobile worked a treat.”

The big perch just keep on coming

The incredible run of big winter perch continued this week with a number of huge specimens banked.
Welshman Nathan Phillips achieved a lifetime dream when he netted a 4lb 2oz specimen from White Springs Fishery in South Wales.
The Cardiff angler tempted his prize using a whole prawn hookbait on a float rig fished in the margins of the venue’s Old Canal Pool.
Meanwhile, friends Chris Lambert and Adam Moxey enjoyed a session to remember on Devon’s Upper Tamar Lake when they boated no fewer than four stripeys over 3lb, including a 4lb stunner.

- Anyone interested in fishing the venue should call Upper Tamar Lake on: 01566 771930.

A wee bit of luck brings 32lb pike!

Gareth Sheldon became the envy of hundreds of specimen hunters across the UK when he landed this 32lb 10oz pike – while minding his dad’s rods!

The father and son were fishing their local day-ticket venue Horcott Lakes when Ian had to answer the call of nature and asked his 21-year-old son to keep watch over his swim at the 22-acre venue in Fairford, Gloucestershire.

During Ian’s visit to the bushes at the back of his swim, the new venue record pike picked up a popped-up legered lamprey section and Gareth – whose previous best for the species stood at 12lb – was on hand to set the hooks home.

“He offered to give me the rod back, but he struck into the fish so in my mind it was his.

“Neither of us could have imagined how big it was going to turn out to be,” said Ian, who also helps manage the fishery.

“I’ve never had a pike over 30lb myself so you can imagine how much stick Gareth’s been giving me – I’ve had to slap him on the back of the head a few times.

“But that being said, the look of joy on his face was a real pleasure to behold.”

The two anglers also shared 20 other pike to mid-double figures, but Gareth’s 32-pounder smashes the previous venue record that stood at 26lb.

Ian reckons there are many different twenties in the water and believes that with the abundance of small rudd present, there’s every possibility that there are more huge fish over the 30lb mark swimming in the depths of Horcott Lakes.

“This venue is fished mainly by carp anglers, but in the winter the predator fishing really comes into its own,” Ian continued.

“It’s absolutely stuffed full of small rudd, which have really thrived over the last few years, and the pike are growing really big on them.”

‘Big five’ in Thailand

Former barbel record-holder Andy Harman has become the first angler to gain membership of an exclusive club at one of Thailand’s premier fisheries. 
Palm Tree Lagoon, in Ratchburi province, challenges visiting anglers to catch five species over a set qualifying weight, and those who do win a free week’s fishing.
Andy, from Surrey, who broke the British barbel record in September 1993 with a 15lb 12oz fish from the Medway, clinched his membership of Palm Tree’s Big Five Club by catching a 520lb giant freshwater stingray.
This followed a 160lb chao phraya catfish, three Siamese carp over 150lb, a 450lb arapaima and a 330lb Mekong catfish.
“To catch five different species of such colossal size is a magnificent achievement, and Andy has already been back to claim his free week’s fishing,” said Palm Tree Lagoon boss Tim Webb.

Five forties and two fifties for bailiff who works in France

Dave Smedley was celebrating this week after taking one of the biggest hauls of day-ticket carp in history.

The 48-year-old, who works as a bailiff at French venue Dream Lakes, came back to home shores to spend a week on Meadow Lake, at Holme Fen Fishery in Cambridgeshire, and marked his return by taking a staggering hit of fish that included mirrors weighing 40lb 2oz, 40lb 15oz,
44lb 4oz, 47lb 14oz, 48lb 12oz, 53lb 8oz and 54lb 14oz.

All seven of the huge fish, plus a brace of twenties and thirties, came from a 12ft-deep area at 110 yards range, and fell to Mainline Salty Squid wafter boilies presented over a bed of new Mainline boilies that Dave was field testing for the company.

The secret to Dave’s haul was to keep things simple and to try to avoid making much disturbance – as he explained.

“There were quite a few marker and spod rods being used by the other anglers on the lake, and I’ve always found that at this time of the year, when the fish are less active, they won’t put up with that sort of disturbance. 

“The bailiff had told me about a clean area out in front of the swim I was fishing, so I simply attached a bare lead to my spod rod, cast it out, and it went down with a crack. ‘That’ll do for starters’ I thought, and I never moved my three rods from the spot all week!”

Dave kicked things off with a 35lb 8oz fish, with his next three carp out being the 48, the 53 and the 54. He caught regularly over the next few days, and capped the haul off with a 44-pounder on the last morning of his stay.

“All the fish scrapped like mad – I couldn’t believe how hard they fought. I was totally blown away by the session. What an amazing venue!” he added.

Could trout water’s 4lb 12oz stripey be the tip of the iceberg?

The incredible specimen perch potential of our trout waters was highlighted this week when Ben Farley took this giant 4lb 12oz fish from Farmoor Reservoir.

Dozens of big pike have already been banked from the country’s expansive reservoirs this winter, but this week’s catch at the Oxfordshire water proved that other huge predators are also there for the taking.

Ben, who works as a ranger at Farmoor, used a small livebait to tempt the venue record perch.

With a daunting 350 acres of water to go at, he decided to launch his attack from the shore on Reservoir Two, with pike being his primary target. The session took a welcome if unexpected twist when the big perch grabbed the bait close to the bank.

He told Angling Times: “The moment I hooked the fish I thought it was a trout, but then I got a glimpse of it and realised I was into a massive perch.

“I’ve had quality perch from the venue before, but this surpasses anything else by a long way. It was a huge fish, and it shows that Farmoor is capable of producing something very special indeed.”

Venue boss Will Barnard was on hand to verify the impressive capture, and he said: “This was a stunning fish, and it helps prove that waters like Farmoor are the place to head to for a giant perch.

“We know there are large shoals of them in here, and with the massive numbers of fry present they have plenty of food to feast on and grow to specimen size.

“The previous best on rod and line was 3lb 9oz, but we weighed a dead fish with no head that had been washed up on the shore and it went 4lb 12oz. 

“It was the size of a size 12 boot, and that was without the head!

“It’s anyone’s guess how big the perch in Farmoor grow.”

Other trout waters too have noticed an increase in the number of keen perch anglers getting on the bank and Dave Coleman – the boss of Cumbrian reservoir Esthwaite Water – said: “We have had perch to 4lb reported, and the number of people that are coming to Esthwaite to target this species is definitely on the up.

“The interest in drop shotting and lure fishing has without doubt helped spark this interest.

“I also happen to think that people enjoy the mystery of not knowing exactly how big the perch could grow in a venue such as ours – Esthwaite Water is over 280 acres, so it could hide a giant.”

Is this the best Trent barbel haul of all time?

Schoolboy has achieved what many seasoned specimen anglers can only dream of – hauling in an incredible 19 double-figure barbel in a single session.

The remarkable catch, which totalled over 200lb, was made by eight year-old Rio Kassim, who was fishing the prolific Collingham Weir day-ticket stretch of the River Trent in Nottinghamshire.

Accompanied by his dad, Leon, and two friends, the youngster bagged 20 fish in total, only one of which failed to make the 10lb mark. They included four over 13lb, topped off by a personal-best 13lb 10oz specimen.

Even more amazingly Rio, who had only fished a river twice before in his life, achieved his memorable feat using a meagre three pints of maggots. 

The catch, which will no doubt raise eyebrows in the angling community, also left his dad in total shock. 

Leon told Angling Times: “It was just one of those days when everything went to plan and the tip just kept wrapping round – it was incredible. 

“By the end Rio was exhausted and could barely stand up in the gravel, but he put all of us to shame that day.” 

The group arrived on the river early in the morning to ensure they could bag swims, and it didn’t take long for the action to start. 

Just half-an-hour into the trip, Rio’s rod was looping over as the first barbel took a liking to his maggot feeder set-up with double maggot hookbait. Eleven hours later the sun was setting on a day the youngster will never forget.

“The only problem is, the catch has spoiled him now. 

“He will expect the fishing to be as good as that every time we go. 

“He will be trying to better that haul of huge barbel for the rest of his life,” added Leon. 

Two barbel for 31lb

This is a picture of one of the biggest braces of Thames barbel ever landed.

The fish, weighing 16lb 6oz and 14lb 10oz, were taken by Londoner John Llewellyn from an unnamed stretch of the waterway. The Lone Angler-backed big-fish man tempted them on paste-wrapped KS15 balanced Wafter boilies, after prebaiting a swim for a few days. 

John only decided to go barbel fishing after carefully watching both the weather and lunar forecasts. He told Angling Times: “I was aware that a low pressure system was coming in at end of the week, and I also knew it would be just a few days before the full moon – which is a key moment in the lunar cycle when it comes to fish feeding.”

John used a size 6 hook and 15in hooklink to make his catch.

Record perch taken?

Rumours have been doing the rounds that the British perch record has been smashed – with a breathtaking specimen estimated to weigh 6lb 8oz! 

The mammoth predator is thought to have been landed from a Milton Keynes AA-controlled water, but the captor didn’t weigh the fish and is refusing to go public with his historic catch.

Club official Mike Reveler has seen images of the predator, and he told reporters at the Milton Keynes Citizen: “The head of the fish was larger than the man’s hands – it was a huge perch in superb condition and brightly coloured.”

To add further fuel to the fire, the man’s friend is said to have taken another massive perch weighing 5lb 6oz 8dr during the same session.

3lb 11oz stillwater roach heads up catches

The biggest roach of the season – a giant weighing 3lb 11oz – has been caught this week.

After travelling to venues up and down the country in search of a new personal best, Daniel Woolcott finally struck gold at Highbridge Fishery in Norfolk on the first session of his latest winter campaign.

Last year Daniel landed a flurry of fish to 2lb 10oz from the same venue, prompting the Londoner to return for a second season targeting the big roach that inhabit the six-acre lake. 

Setting up for his first trip of the winter, he fished a helicopter feeder rig a couple of rodlengths out in a shallow area of the venue, with sweetcorn on the hook.

His rodtip didn’t move for several hours, but just after midnight Daniel had an unexpected take. 

He told Angling Times: “The biggest fish tend to kite off straight away and that is exactly what happened, so I knew I was into something special. As soon as it went into the net, I knew that I had finally beaten my previous roach personal best of 2lb 11oz.

“Strangely, I’d joked with the venue manager when I arrived that I would be calling him in the middle of the night to take pictures of a 3lb-plus roach, and so it proved!”

Daniel, who had earmarked a large chunk of his winter fishing time for targeting big roach, added: “To land one of this size on my first session of the campaign is almost beyond belief. I had intended to spend three nights at the venue, but I packed up soon afterwards to go and spend time with my family and have a beer.

“I don’t think I’ll be going back to Highbridge for a while, as it will be extremely tough to beat this fish. I am now going to switch my attentions to pike and perch.”

Daniel wasn’t the only man to set a new roach personal best this week in less than ideal conditions – Matthew Fernandez (left) raised the bar with a 2lb 8oz fish from the River Itchen. The Hampshire rod has been a venue regular for more than 15 years but had never banked a 2lb-plus redfin, despite many attempts.

He finally set the record straight when the fish fell for his double maggot hookbait presented underneath a 3BB stick float.

Matthew said: “I’d had fish over 1lb earlier in the session, but then I was left absolutely gutted after something much more substantial slipped the hook at the net.

“I thought my chances of a giant were gone, so to land this fish shortly afterwards really made my day.”

His successful rig was made up of 3lb mainline to a 1.5lb hooklength and a size 18 Drennan Super Specialist hook.

Off to a barbel flyer

Ant Molyneux’s debut session on the River Trent resulted in this 14lb 4oz barbel.

The Avid Carp-backed angler introduced a bed of Code Red boilies on arrival, but that tactic failed to gain a response in the first 24 hours.

Ultimately, though, his patience was rewarded and his alarms screamed into life when the barbel took his glugged boilie hookbait, and after a dogged battle the fish was in the net.

“I instantly knew I’d beaten my previous best of 12lb 14oz and I am already planning my next trip to the Trent,” explained Ant.

His winning rig incorporated a 3oz K-Grip lead and a 12lb Korum Barbel Line hooklink to a size 10 Xpert Power hook.

Charity auction winner beats the freeze with Alan Blair

This trio of winter carp is proof that one good deed deserves another.

Matthew Howard donated “a huge amount of money” to charity to win a 24-hour session with Nash’s Alan Blair and their day together turned into an ice-dodging adventure.

The pair fished lakes, a canal and a tidal river in that time – with only the running water escaping the freeze up!

Alan told Angling Times: “It was a mega adventure and a great result for freezing conditions.”

Matthew was with Alan after donating to Lucy’s Bowl in aid of Guide Dogs for the Blind, and the 24-hour Essex adventure began at a stillwater.

Said Alan: “What with it being winter and freezing cold, rather than sit it out on one water I took him on a bit of an adventure – to keep us warm! – that saw us fishing a gravel pit, canal and tidal river!

“Matt’s first fish was a lovely common from Chigboro Fisheries just before the entire lake froze over!”

The duo then moved to a canal, but that also froze up, so they headed for running water and Matt was rewarded with two fish at once.

“The brace was actually a double take from the tidal river as both the lakes and canal froze up,” said Alan. “I think Matt was surprised enough when the first rod went, but to have a second take literally as the first fish went in the net was epic!

“We then looked at another tidal river but the tide was all wrong now and there was too much saltwater backed up. We finally looked at a park lake but that was completely frozen solid.”

Matt fished Nash Citruz pop-ups on chods and multi rigs made with Nash Chod Twister hooks.

Battling flu... and a near-60

A morning he will never, ever forget is how TJ Elliott described catching this giant 59lb 12oz mirror – despite coming down with flu during his session.

The fish, known as Single Scale, came during a midweek trip to a large southern club water. Having found a likely looking spot a few weeks earlier, TJ continued to fish the same swim each week and baited heavily with CC Moore Live System boilies each time.

“It soon became clear that my spots were getting cleaner and cleaner,” he said.

On this occasion, TJ got in the swim on Wednesday morning but after baiting up his illness kicked in. 

“At around 4pm I had only managed to put one of the rods out to the spots and then decided to have a little sleep as my flu continued to progress.”

After eventually getting his other two rods out before nightfall, TJ returned to bed but was woken at 4.30am to a single beep “followed by my clutch going into absolute overdrive”.

“The fight was very straightforward, just 15 minutes of very heavy lunges and slow plodding. 

“When she came up for the net, I knew it was her! I scooped the net under what can only be described as a baby whale and as she passed over the cord I let out a massive ‘YES!’. It was definitely a morning I will never, ever forget.”

TJ fished snowman rigs with Live System and CC Moore Dairy Supreme boilies on fluorocarbon D rigs.

‘Prehistoric’ giant beaten on feeder rod!

This 165lb white sturgeon was tamed on a feeder rod from a private lake in Italy.

The captor was French angler Seb Nash, an angling adrenaline junkie who specialises in targeting huge fish on pole or heavy match tackle. 

Seb landed the prehistoric-looking specimen at midnight following a 30-minute tussle on 30lb line, a size 6 hook and a 3.8m feeder rod. 

He floatfished a piece of smoked herring in the margins over a bed of pellets for his prize.

51lb mirror banked on only bite of trip

Liam cradles his 51lb mirror, which fell to a pop-up.

Liam McGoldrick had only one bite during a weekend session on Wellington Country Park – but he wasn’t complaining when it resulted in a superb 51lb mirror. 

Arriving at the venue in the dark, the 32-year-old baited up and cast out. The following morning he noticed fish feeding further down the bank, but rather than recast and risk spooking them, Liam left his baits in position in the hope that the fish would move out of the area and towards his swim.

That proved to be a wise move by the senior contracts manager from Kent. 

He said: “The bite came at around 10pm and it was just a single bleep, followed by the line pinging out of the clip. 

“I was on the rod straight away, and the fight was immense – the fish was extremely angry and did not want to give up!”

Liam used a Mainline Cell pop-up over a spread of bottom baits and presented it on a Ronnie rig made using a size 4 Gardner Tackle Mugga hook and a safety lead clip system from the same company. 

Pair of fours make a winning perch hand

Perch fishing sessions don’t get much better than the one Ben Hinton enjoyed on the River Thames.

He landed no fewer than a dozen 2lb-plus fish topped by this specimen of 4lb 6oz.

Fishing an unnamed stretch of the waterway, the Gardner Tackle-sponsored angler’s dream haulfeatured three 3lb stripeys as well as another of 4lb 1oz in what he called ‘by far the most crazy three hours’ fishing I’ve ever had’. 

Ben tempted all his perch on trotting tactics with small livebaits under a bobber float. He used 5lb Gardner fluorocarbon mainline and a size 6 Gardner wide gape Talon Tip hook.  

Two fifties in Holme Fen catch boosted by three thirties

Steve Wright banked one of the biggest carp braces in history with mirrors of 57lb 1oz and 52lb 14oz from Meadows Lake at Holme Fen in Cambridgeshire.

The 35-year-old also had carp of 38lb 2oz and 37lb 6oz for a four-fish average of over 46lb, before nipping next door to Poachers Pool and banking a 33-pounder! 

“Put it this way,” the Stockport carper told Angling Times with a chuckle. “I’d caught three thirties in my entire fishing life before this trip, and now I’ve had two fifties and four thirties in the same session.”

Steve was among a group of nine anglers on Meadows Lake, which is open to all on a booking system, but spent two of his six nights on the neighbouring Poachers Pool.

He came third in the draw for swims on Meadows and opted to set up in Party Point Double.

“I’ve been to Holme Fen twice before and caught both times, but I’d been really unlucky and caught stockies of 16lb and 19lb,” said builder Steve.

“Party Point Double was my third-choice swim and we hadn’t seen any fish, but I knew there was a clear spot to fish at about 16-and-a-bit wraps (65 yards). The first night I put two rods on that spot and had the 52-pounder, so I switched all my rods to that area for the second night. 

“Nothing happened the second night and I think I had probably put too many rods on the spot, so I left two on there for the third night and had the 38.

“On the last night I was standing in the swim with a mate and we saw a fish come straight out of the water over the spot, and literally within a couple of seconds the bobbin pulled up and line started slowly ticking off the spool. I struck but pulled into absolutely nothing.

“I quickly reeled in and cast the same bait out again.

“As I put the rod on the rests it screamed off and I landed the 57-pounder, before having the 37 within the hour.” 

Double-figure zander boated from Grafham

A 350-mile round trip in search of a big zander produced a great result for Gary Knowles when he boated a 12lb 2oz specimen.

The Cheshire angler made the long journey to Grafham Water in Cambridgeshire and headed straight for deep water.

Using a 40g jig head with a Quantum Freddie Shad lure, he had a take on his first cast but lost the battle. Determined to set the record straight, he instantly chucked the bait back into the same spot and was immediately rewarded with the biggest predator of the trip.

Returning the next day, Gary carried on the action with several other zeds to a best of 10lb 4oz.

Carper’s 30lb pike falls to a boilie!

Tom Bray became the envy of predator hunters across the UK when he landed this impressive 30lb 1oz pike... on a boilie!

This is only the second pike that the 21-year-old has ever caught, and it gave him his only bite during a session at a day-ticket water in Cambridgeshire.

A critically-balanced boilie topped with a popped-up piece of imitation corn was too much for the predator – which beats Tom’s 17lb personal best for the species – to resist.

“At first I thought it was a small carp. It was shaking its head and giving a decent account of itself as it neared the net,” said Tom.

“I probably would have put the fish back without weighing it, but then it rolled over in the net and I couldn’t believe the girth of the creature. 

“My mate, who’s a keen piker, came down to see it and he was blown away, so there was no way I was going to slip this one back without weighing it properly and getting a few shots.”

Tom, from St Ives, Cambs, had never seriously targeted pike before this recent trip to his local carp water, but in the light of this accidental capture he’s now admitted to an urge to fish specifically for them this winter.

“I’ve never fancied fishing for pike in the past, but this fish has changed my mind,” Tom continued.

“I know I’ve been very lucky to catch this fish of a lifetime, because anglers fish for years and never catch a 30-pounder.”

“It’s going to take some beating, but who knows what else is in this lake.

8lb chub tops a week of fantastic catches

The capture of countless huge chub from rivers across the UK has proved that now’s the time to beat your personal best.

Alfie Naylor had every reason to celebrate when he banked the fish of a lifetime in the shape of an 8lb chub from the River Trent.

The specialist from Newark has enjoyed an incredible season so far on the waterway, and his run of form continued when he turned his attentions away from barbel and on to chub.

He opted for a groundbait feeder packed with hemp, pellets and the base mix that formed his 110% Baits Red Ball Plum boilie hookbait, which was attached to the back of a size 8 hook with a short hair.

“I honestly thought it was a common carp. This is by far the biggest chub I’ve ever seen,” Alfie told Angling Times.

“There’s no doubt in my mind that this stretch of the Trent holds a British record fish. 

“It was the best chub venue on the whole river in the 1980s and it’s back to its best. I’ve barely scratched the surface of its potential.”

Elsewhere, a lump of luncheon meat fished over hempseed proved the right combination for Gary Hickling, who banked a new club record 7lb 10oz chub from the Great Ouse.

It sets a new best for Vauxhall Angling Club and was landed from the River Great Ouse by Gary when he fished upstream of Radwell at the stretch of river adjoining the Sharnbrook complex.

A simple leger rig and a bait cast beneath an overhanging tree tempted the fish that beats the previous club record by 2oz.

Moving further south, another angler to smash his personal best for the species was specialist Stuart Davison.

He fished a short session on a Christchurch Angling Club-controlled stretch of the Dorset Stour to bank an impressive specimen that took a legered boilie hookbait and topped the scales at 7lb 3oz.

“I caught this fish on a really short session at dusk. It just goes to show that you don’t need to spend hours on the bank,” said Stuart. 

The River Nene in Cambridgeshire has been in incredible form this season, and Peterborough & District Angling Association bailiff Mark Smith banked his biggest-ever chub while fishing a day-ticket stretch.

It weighed 6lb 3oz and was caught on a Sticky Baits Krill boilie.