4lb 3oz River Trent perch

Andrew Cheetham had floods to thank after he banked this 4lb 3oz perch from a section of the Trent.
The main river flow was too strong for the Manchester angler to fish, so he moved to an area of slack water.
“I legered a lobworm into the calm zone and at daybreak a small bite registered on the tip,” he said.
“I struck and a slow, dogged fight ensued which I thought was a pike – but once it surfaced I could see it was a decent, old warrior of a perch that had survived the floods.”
He used a Drennan 10ft puddle chucker rod with 6lb line attached to a size 4 Drennan wide gape hook.

Big pike on herring

Well-known predator fishing fanatic Ant Glascoe Jnr showed that he’s not only one of the best at catching big pike on lures when he boated four fish to a best of just over 20lb.
The Manchester angler specialist loves nothing better than catching pike and perch on artificial baits, but his latest haul was taken while float-legering a herring hookbait.
The 20-pounder and three other high doubles were taken during a session at a glacial lake.

Baiting brings cold comfort in 30lb 14oz carp

The recent cold snap that broke up an unseasonably mild winter has failed to stop James Fox in his tracks.
The Norfolk angler has continued to bait up his local syndicate water and carried on catching fish, including this 30lb 14oz common and a 24lb 8oz ghostie in the same session.
He said: “I have kept the bait trickling in over the cold months to keep the fish on the move and feeding throughout the winter.
“My latest session was particularly fruitful. I fished on the end of a warm south-westerly wind after the cold snap we had encountered the week before and I was tentative about the free offerings, so I lightly peppered the surface with around 50 baits.”
James then cast his 360 and hinged stiff rigs to a silty spot slightly deeper than the surrounding area.
“I had originally seen fizzing in the deeper water, so I needed to explore it further,” he said.
“The session was particularly successful and I managed two beautiful commons, one of them a ghostie. I love winter angling and can’t wait to return.”
James fed a mix of CC Moore Pacific Tuna and Live System boilies covered in Tuna L030 and Roasted Nut Extract, and presented Northern Special and Pacific Tuna hookbaits over the top.

Third time lucky and a 10lb 15oz canal zed

The loss of a big fish is soul-destroying, but Jimmy Sallis bounced back and returned to the same swim to bank this stunning 10lb 15oz zander.
Undeterred by his earlier misfortune, the 32-year-old spent the next two nights fishing Stratford-upon-Avon Canal chasing the ‘one that got away’.
“It came to the top almost straightaway and without hesitation I threw the net under it.”
Jimmy took the fine specimen on a 7ft Korum 7ft Snapper rod with a Fox Rage 12cm Salt N Pepper said mounted on a 12g jighead.

Tremendous hit Slovenian style with 75lb carp and four fifties

It’s not often we venture to Slovenia here, but this 75lb 6oz common and the four fifties that accompanied it are well worth a closer look.
“The temperatures were very cold, with my landing net freezing stiff most nights,” said the captor Matej Vavh of his four-day session.
“There were a handful of other angers on the lake, a few of whom had been fishing for several days before I arrived, but only a few small carp had been out of the lake in that time.
“I found a hole, some 20ft deep, at 120 yards from the bank and knew that this was the spot. I was so confident in the area that I placed all three rods on it.”
Matej baited with an initial 10 Spombs of corn, hemp and a few crushed boilies soaked in Solar’s Marine 17 liquid and landed three carp to 22lb on the first night, following that up with a 32lb mirror the next morning.
He added: “I was really happy, because not much else was being caught around the lake. As darkness fell my alarm started to sound. I picked up the rod and felt a solid weight on the other end. After a short, slow fight I slipped a 54lb 8oz lump into the net.
“Just half-an-hour later another of the alarms let out a single bleep. It was a tiny indication, but I picked up the rod anyway, and again there was a solid weight on the other end.
“This one felt even bigger and my heart was in my mouth through the slow, plodding fight in the darkness. I couldn’t believe it, I’d landed a huge common, which tipped the scales at 75lb 6oz!”
Incredibly, Matej lost an even bigger fish at the net after that and landed three fish of 56lb 4oz, 53lb 10oz and 50lb on his final day.
He fished homemade boilies made with Solar Club Mix base mix flavoured with Ester Strawberry, Ester Cream, Candy Sweetener and Stimulin Amino.

Biggest ever river bream taken by master float maker

A floatfished piece of bread has accounted for the biggest bream ever caught from a river.
Tipping the scales at 13lb 3oz, it was banked by renowned float maker Andy Field when he targeted a stretch of southern river.
Using one of his own hand-made floats, his Drennan Acolyte float rod and 3lb line tied straight through to a size 14 hook it only took the March, Cambs, floatfishing fanatic an hour to induce the bite from the fish that more than doubles his personal best for the species.
“I’ve always known that this stretch holds big bream,” Andy told Angling Times.
“But with the river carrying extra colour I knew that my best chance would be in a large pool where there was a big back eddy of slacker water.
“I knew if there were any big bream around that a big chunk of breadflake would sort them out.”
Many anglers faced with a high river and a swim that was 12ft deep probably wouldn’t reach for their floatfishing tackle, but Andy believes that there are too many anglers who ignore this method on running water and are consequently denying themselves great catches.
“Too many anglers just stick on a big feeder, load it with pellets and chuck it out, especially when the river is carrying extra water and colour,” Andy said.
“Fishing the float allows you to get a delicacy and balance of presentation that is unrivalled by any other method.
“I was fishing 12ft of water, which might put many people off fishing in this way, but, trust me, if you master it, you’ll reap the rewards.”

Hero angler in mountain rescue drama

A quick-thinking angler used his sleeping bag to save the lives of two friends after their vehicle plummeted down a 200ft rock face.
Keen carper Craig Taylor said he thought his friends were dead after their 4x4 was involved in an accident he likened to ‘something you’d see in a James Bond film’.
The site manager from Birmingham said the seven-hour ordeal in the Brecon Beacons began after the off-roading trip saw one of two vehicles that had taken a wrong turn in a blizzard tumble through a fence and down the sheer drop.
With just minutes to react, Craig took the fleece duvets from his Nash sleeping bag and made his way down to where his friends had been thrown from the vehicle and been badly hurt. A third male  received less serious injuries and was able to make his way to safety.
Craig insulated his stricken friends from the sub-zero temperatures before a 50-man rescue team were deployed to complete the rescue mission.
“I really thought both of them were dead. You can’t fall that far and survive, it was like something you’d see in a James Bond film,” he said. “I grabbed the duvet layers and started climbing down.
“I wrapped the peachskin layers all around their legs and lay on top of both of them to try to keep them warm. I was speaking to the emergency services and requesting an air ambulance.”
On the phone for almost three hours, Craig began to doubt they would be rescued, but his strength and determination ensured he kept the casualties awake. They were both airlifted to hospital and have since been discharged. 
“They had been there around three hours before we got to the scene, it was sub-zero and we had the first snow of the winter,” said Mark Jones, deputy team leader of Brecon Mountain Rescue.
“Craig had made his way down into a difficult area following the route the vehicle had taken, and did what we would recommend, left the casualties where they were and insulated them from the cold using the blankets he had to protect their lives.”
Nash Tackle boss Kevin Nash described Craig’s efforts as ‘brave and commendable’.
“It’s a testimony to the efforts we go to making the highest quality products, the result being that lives were saved,” Kevin added. “We’ve had Titans documented as saving lives, now our Sleep System duvets have the same accolade.”
Nash Tackle has also made a donation to Brecon Mountain Rescue, which relies on charitable gifts from the public and requires £40,000 per year to cover operational costs.

Pike personal best from River Wye

This mint-condition pike was the result of Lewis Baldwin’s first piking session of the winter and came from the beautiful River Wye.
It weighed in at 23lb 4oz and sets a new river personal best for the experienced all-rounder from Kingston-upon-Hull.
A BaitBox sardine fished on a rig that incorporated a 20lb Gardner Hydro Tuff mainline also proved the downfall for another pike weighing 18lb 8oz.
“The seemingly endless floods have meant I haven’t been able to get out much, so to have a result like this is a real bonus to say the least,” said Lewis.

Match This ticket sales off to flyer!

This year’s Maver Mega Match This looks like being a record breaker!
Match fishing’s richest event has seen more tickets than ever sold in the four weeks they have been available as anglers calmour for a chance to win the £65,000 first prize.
Three qualifiers sold out within the first week and Maver has reported an 85 per cent increase in sales compared to 2015 – proof of just how popular the series has become since its launch in five years ago.
“Ticket sales for the 2016 event have surpassed any previous launch to date, with a huge increase in the number of tickets sold this year when compared to the same time last year,” said event manager Ben Hughes.
“It marks the best start to a Mega Match This campaign ever, and is a very encouraging start to the 2016 event as a whole.
“If tickets sales continue to achieve the same level of demand in the coming weeks leading up to the start of the campaign, it will make for another record-breaking year”.
Tickets are, of course, still available for the bulk of the 24 qualifiers, offering anglers a shot at a £65,000 top prize and perhaps even more in the big summer final.
Eliminators take place at top commercial fisheries around the UK from early April.
To book your place visit the event website at www.mavermatchthis.co.uk

Personal-best 43 lb carp upped by 44-pounder

It was a week to remember for Jonathan Boulton as he caught two different 40-pounders in two sessions four days apart.
First up for the 25-year-old fisheries ranger was a mirror carp known as the Emperor at 43lb, followed by the Nunn at 44lb 8oz.
Both fish came from the Main Lake at Fryerning Fisheries, in Essex, and were Jonathan’s first two carp from the water since moving on to it in October.
The County Durham-born angler, who works at Hanningfield Reservoir trout fishery, said: “I’d set myself the target this season of catching my first UK forty, so to have done that twice in four days was mind-blowing. These were two fish I wanted to catch and at Fryerning there’s every chance I can now go on and improve my pb.”
The Emperor fell just 20 minutes into a 24-hour session on the centre of the dam wall. “It was actually a fish I had photographed for someone else back in November, so it was nice to have the favour returned,” said Jonathan.
Buoyed by that success, Jonathan returned four days later and fished from the Left Hand Point swim.
He said: “About two hours after casting out I had a take, and the right-hand rod was bent over. This time it was a proper fight and I didn’t get the fish anywhere near the net for 15 to 20 minutes.
“Both fish are incredible creatures and it’s amazing to have two forties as my first two fish from the Main Lake.”
Both mirrors were taken on single Urban Bait Nutcracker hookbaits no more than 70 yards out. Jonathan used standard hair rigs made with size 6 E-S-P Big T Raptor hooks and Korda N-Trap hooklinks.

Would you pay £880 for just one day ticket?

Is this the UK’s most expensive day ticket?

That’s the question being asked after a single day’s boat fishing on Somerset’s Chew Valley Lake fetched £880 on eBay.

A fierce bidding war broke out on the popular online auction site as pike anglers fought for the notoriously-difficult chance to get a fishing permit for the famous water.

The Bristol Water-run fishery has grown a reputation for its population of pike to 44lb 6oz. Limited tickets go on sale each January via a first-come, first-served basis over the phone. 

However this year the water put a small number of boat-fishing tickets on the website, which prompted a bidding war. The anonymous winner secured the date for February 1. At face value the tickets for two anglers would cost between £100 and £120.

So would you pay almost £900 for a day’s fishing? Top piker and venue regular Neville Fickling said that he wouldn’t.

“I couldn’t afford it. There are some things in life money can’t buy, but there are an awful lot it can! And to people who can pay this, I say good luck. My view on Chew is that those who try very hard on the phone do eventually get tickets to fish there. Those that do it half-heartedly don’t!” he said.

And Angling Times columnist Des Taylor said that although he wouldn’t pay such an amount either, he could see why people would.

“Chew is an incredible place to fish and there is always the chance of a potential record pike,” he added.

John Harris, acting fisheries officer for Chew Valley, said that the February 1 ticket had proved so popular because it will be the first day pike anglers get on the water since November 2015. The first few weeks of each set of trials are traditionally the most productive as the fish have had a rest from pressure.

“We weren’t expecting a ticket to go for this much and the bidding got a bit silly! People may not have realised that there were other tickets up for auction for that day – this was the first one to go on. The introduction of the eBay tickets is an alternative way to get access to the water, because lots of anglers are left disappointed initially due to the massive demand. The extra revenue raised will go back into improving the fishery,” he said.

New licence for carpers and free fishing for kids in rod licence shake-up

The most radical shake-up of the rod licence system for years is set to bring better value fishing for the nation’s anglers.
Fisheries Minister George Eustice has confirmed the far-reaching reform to the current licence which he says will also encourage new people to take up the sport.
Carp and specimen anglers who currently have had to buy two rod licences to use three rods, will benefit from the proposed Environment Agency changes that will see the creation of a three-rod option.
And in the biggest ever push to encourage children to take up the sport, a free rod licence for those under 16 years of age, who currently have to pay £5 is also among the plans.
The EA also wants to bring in a full year ‘rolling licence’, rather than a fixed single season.
April-to-April licences are currently seen by many as unfair to new anglers who buy one halfway through the season and get charged the full 12 months for just part of the year.
“Having listened to the Angling Trust and anglers’ views in our rod licence survey last year, we have a number of proposals that we will be advertising this spring,” said Sarah Chare, head of fisheries for the Environment Agency. 
“These include a 365-day licence, a three-rod permit and a free junior licence, which we think could play a vital part in getting more young people fishing and securing the future of the sport. 
If approved, the changes will come into effect in March 2017.”
The announcement has been welcomed by all branches of the sport and came following the answer to a recent parliamentary question put to Mr Eustice.
“This is the biggest shake-up of the rod licence for a while and these improvements are long overdue,” said Martin Salter, campaigns chief for the Angling Trust.
“Many specimen anglers I know won’t buy two separate licences at the moment, but they would be happy to pay the 50 per cent extra to use a third rod occasionally rather than be charged for a fourth rod that they never use.
“The rolling 365-day rod licence brings angling into line with the rest of the 21st Century,” he added.
“It can’t be right to charge someone who takes up angling in September the price of a full year’s licence.
“Best of all, I am really pleased that the EA is prepared to abolish the £5 junior licence.
“There may be a small cost implication for the rest of us, but I certainly wouldn’t mind paying a bit more for my own licence if it meant that more juniors under 16 could fish for free.
“Anything that attracts youngsters into our sport has to be good for the future of angling.”
Korda boss and top carp angler Danny Fairbrass believes that giving carpers and other specimen anglers a fairer deal when paying for the option of fishing with three rods will put an end to an issue that’s been a particular bugbear for many.
“It’s great news that the EA is addressing the three-rod problem, along with the current issue with people who have to pay for a full year even if they buy their licence in, say, September,” he said.
“People are so conscious of getting value for their money these days.
“But I also think that it’s a brilliant thing that it is doing for the kids because this sport needs to do everything that it can to encourage them to take up fishing.
“A free licence is a massive step in the right direction,” he added.
It’s not just specimen anglers who have been delighted by the news either.
Many other respected ambassadors of our sport within matchfishing are also 100 per cent behind the proposed changes.
“Fishing can be expensive, so if we can say that all under-16s can get involved for free then that’s a really positive move,” said Angling Trust International Events Director Dick Clegg.
“This will put those who are involved in getting fishing into schools and other areas in a great position.
“Fishing isn’t the only sport that struggles to recruit youngsters, but it’s small changes like these that can end up making a big difference.”
Angling Times editor-in-chief Steve Fitzpatrick also added his support: “It’s great news for the sport,” he said.

Big canal perch are there for the taking

Martin Salter showed why anglers should be targeting big perch in the canals when his recent run of specimens was topped by this 3lb 2oz fish.
The Angling Trust campaigns chief has banked a couple of 2lb fish on each of the last five short sessions he has put in on the Kennet and Avon Canal near his Berkshire home, with a brace of three-pounders also falling to his legered lobworms.
“These big perch are sensitive to any form of resistance, so it’s vital to use a fine glass quivertip,” he observed.

47lb 6oz mirror carp rewards angler who braved the elements

Adam Smith’s persistence in the face of horrendous weather at Linch Hill’s tricky Christchurch paid off in style with a new personal best.
This 47lb 6oz mirror carp, known as the Ironing Board, came early in the new year for the 42-year-old, who regularly travels from his home in Devon to the Oxfordshire water.
He said: “A New Year’s Eve session turned into a head-banging one for me. I battled against severe downpours and moved swims in torrential conditions, but it all came together when I netted my new personal-best mirror on my second night.” 
He added: “I was due to go home then, but I thought I’d make the most of this mild weather and stay. The rest of my trip was a struggle – the fish were willing to feed and were clearly loving the bait, showing and giving me constant liners, but even with a few rig tweaks I could only tempt a lovely 20lb mirror, which topped off a memorable session.”
Adam fished to a silt and gravel spot in weed at 52 yards and spodded the small area with a mix of sweetcorn, Sticky Bloodworm pellets, Krill Active Mix and Krill boilies and liquid.
He presented a Krill pop-up on a 4ins multi rig made with a size 6 Korda Choddy hook and N-trap Semi Stiff connected to a 4oz lead.

4lb perch tops an incredible week’s haul

An impressive week for big perch was this week topped by an incredible haul of 50 fish that featured a 4lb 8dr specimen and taken in just a few hours.
Adam Perna visited a stillwater that he’s never fished before and nothing could have prepared him for the session that was about to unfold. An assortment of lures saw him back up his biggest specimen with a 3lb 1oz fish and six other perch all over 2lb.
“I found a mass of small fish grouped in one corner of the lake and I had a feeling there might be larger fish that were responsible for herding them there,” said Adam.
“My hunch was right as I had a 2lb 8oz fish first cast, but then the size of fish tailed off so I changed to a Natural Party Ambulance jig which is a favourite of mine on the big reservoirs. That’s what produced my fifth perch over the 4lb mark.”
Turning to the nation’s rivers, respected big-fish all-rounder Darran Goulder had every reason to smile when a 4lb 9oz personal best provided the only bite of
a session on a stretch of a tough river in the south of the country.
The Shimano and Dynamite Baits-backed specialist fed his way through two pints of  red maggots and 50 lobworms, which were introduced both via a feeder and also chopped and fed through a catapult.
It was a lobworm hookbait that produced the all-important bite. It saw him beat his previous best for the species that stood at 4lb 6oz.
“I banked my first 4lb perch around two months ago after 10 years of trying, so to catch another giant like this is really special,” said Darran.
“The river was carrying extra colour, so I doused my maggots in a little Dynamite Krill groundbait and liquid to give them a bit of extra pulling power, which really did the trick.”

Fishing stove on Dragons’ den!

A fishing-minded entrepreneur struck gold after appearing on hit TV show Dragons’ Den with a gadget aimed at anglers.
Millions of viewers tuned in to watch Spencer Turner demonstrate his unique gas stove, which allows anglers to recharge their phones and other electrical gadgets while making tea or cooking meals on the bank.
The former medical gas engineer set up a bivvy and fishing chairs in front of the multi millionaires to help demonstrate the product, which creates an electrical current to power its USB charger.
After impressing the Dragons on the BBC Two show, he received offers from three of the five potential investors – Deborah Meaden, Peter Jones and new Dragon Touker Suleyman.
Spencer, from Dorset, eventually took up businessman Peter Jones’ offer of £45,000 for a 25 per cent stake in his business, named Tegology, and has already begun work by signing up deals with well- known tackle chains.
“Not only did I get interest from anglers at the NEC Gadget Show, but during my research I contacted angling organisations and met fishermen and those who knew anglers that would really benefit from the product.
“The stove is yet to hit the shelves, but I’ve already had interest from retailers thanks to help from Peter and not just in angling but camping too.”
l The stove costs £149, buy online at: www.tegology.com

Bomb beats the cold at Makins Fishery

Nisa (Weds)
Guru Makin’s Fishery, Lake 4 (22 pegs)

On a bitterly-cold day after a night of heavy rain, Lake 4 fished very well, with every competitor catching at least one carp.
Daz Shaw was on peg 8, where he returned to top form with 56-0-0 for victory. He alternated between bread and pellet on the bomb to take carp throughout the match.
On peg 2, Simon Skelton waited 90 minutes for his first bite, but then using the pellet cone he netted five carp in as many casts, including a fish of 16lb 10oz to end up with 51-6-0 and second place.
Result: 1 D Shaw, Team Makin’s, 56-0-0; 2 S Skelton, Maver/Dynamite Baits, 51-6-0; 3 T Sanderson, Angling Man, 42-0-0; 4 A Neale, Tackle Shack, 34-8-0; 5 S Collett, Guru, 25-0-0; 6 S Smith, Kobra, 24-12-0.

Grafham’s latest zed breaks 11lb barrier

Grafham Water’s run of producing big zander continues this week with the capture of this superb 11lb 3oz specimen boated by predator expert Gary Edmonds.
He got off to a flying start at the Cambridgeshire venue with the capture of a 9lb zander that was backed up by five perch over the 2lb mark, the best tipping the scales at 2lb 13oz.
The next session with his son Sam saw him land this fish on a Sebile AT Minnow rigged on a 21g jig head, which is the same bait he used to take the 9lb zander.

Jack’s 32-pounder from Essex is a proper looker of a carp

It’s only January, but this fish is surely a contender for the finest looking common of
the year.
The 32-pounder was caught by Jack Matthews at an Essex gravel pit during a short session that also produced four other fish to 22lb.
The vinyl fitter and floorlayer said: “It was my first time back on the venue after a couple of months. I chose my swim based on previous captures and conditions, although the weather didn’t really play a part as it was flat calm and misty when I had the fish.
“The bite came out of the blue on my 9ft Scope rod. I was fishing fairly locked up due to there being floating obstacles and snags, but judging by the receiver it did peel some line.
“To be honest, it didn’t put up much of a battle. It just kited on a tightish clutch in the fairly shallow water.”
The 21-year-old Romford angler scattered a mixture of 10mm and 15mm Nash Citruz bottom bottom baits, plus 15mm Nash TG Active and 4G Squid boilies.
He added: “I fished a 3.5oz lead due to the undertow and wind and flossed a Citruz pop-up dipped in Tangleberry on to a chod with a long boom.
“I caught four other fish during the session including two spawners that have grown on, a 19lb 2oz mirror and a 22lb common.”

Lure-caught pike one of Germany’s biggest

This monster pike estimated to weigh up to 55lb has been caught on a lure.
It’s one of the biggest ever landed in Germany and was taken by Quantum-backed angler Bari Latifi when he targeted a club lake with his new belly boat.
The huge predator was over 4ft long and took more than 20 minutes to land. It was fooled by Bari’s Quantum Pelagic Shad lure in the Game Over pattern.
It was Quantum team angler Fredrik Harbort who invented the Pelagic Shad. “I knew that this special lure would be responsible for a record catch sooner or later,” he said.
“This monster is beyond comparison with any fish I have seen and without doubt is one of the heaviest pike ever caught in Germany.”