Back on the bank for a fine 40lb 2oz common

After an enforced break from fishing due to a bad back, Hadley Ever returned to a southern water park and took this fine 40lb 2oz common.
With a warm south-westerly wind blowing Hadley headed to a swim he had caught from in the past and targeted an area of silt at 40 yards range.
He said: “The silt has produced many of my fish this winter as it’s no doubt full of natural food and a key spot in attracting carp to the banquet.”
Due to the claggy lakebed, Hadley fished rigs incorporating supple braid hooklinks which lay flat over the contours.
He attached a CC Moore Pacific Tuna hardened hookbait to the hair and baited up with a scattering of freebies.

Double celebration from a swollen Wye

Pictures of chub don’t come much better than this and Adam Fisher proved that you don’t need hours on the bank to get winter action.
This mint-conditioned fish was taken by the Angling Dreams director from a stretch of the River Wye, which his company controls.
It fell to a piece home-made cheese paste, which he freelined on 6lb line tied straight through to a size 6 hook.
He had double the reason to celebrate when another session on the swollen river produced a pike that weighed in at just under 25lb and fell to a floatfished sardine.
“The chub wasn’t the biggest fish in the world, but it was such a joy to catch in such conditions and the pike was in absolute mint condition,” he said.
“It just goes to show what you can do if you get the timing of your session just right.”

Stillwaters set for £1m investment

A major overhaul at some of the nation’s most popular stillwaters is set to go ahead, Angling Times can reveal.
Fishery bosses will invest over £1m in a number of ground-breaking projects designed to reinvigorate their waters.
The popularity of commercial fisheries continues to grow and officials have signalled their intention to repay visitors by spending huge sums raised from day-ticket fees on major upgrades.
Work has already got under way to create new lakes, pegs and facilities, with venue owners setting their sights on completing the improvements in the coming months.
Devon’s Stafford Moor is among those that are currently working on the biggest transformation in their history.
“We have completely redesigned Pines Lake to give anglers something different and improved access across the fishery,” said owner Jo Coombes.
“Endless hours have also been spent removing snags and rubbish to create an even more pleasant environment.
“We are so grateful for the support that anglers have given us and we felt it only right to invest in the fishery and make it even better than it previously was.”
Big efforts to accommodate more anglers have also started at Staffordshire’s Cudmore Fisheries, with a new lake being developed to cater for the spiralling demand.
Fishery manager Vic Spooner said: “We had a number of occasions last summer when we struggled to fit everyone on to
the complex and we wanted to avoid that happening again.
“Lake One has been redeveloped into a 40-peg pleasure water that will be stocked with F1s, carp and big silverfish. Lots of other modifications are also going on across the complex to make sure that we continue to provide our customers with the best possible experience.”
Others improvements planned include new accommodation at Somerset’s Viaduct Fisheries, while Lancashire’s Bradshaw Fisheries and Lincolnshire’s Westwood Lakes have dipped into their wallets to install new catering facilities.

No change for World team, but shake-up for the Euros

Drennan Team England have named two very different squads for this year’s  European and World Championships.
Joint managers Mark Downes and Mark Addy have stuck to the same six for the world champs who finished third last year, while four of the country’s rising stars have been added to the Euro squad.
The World Champs team head to Bulgaria in mid-September to the Plovdiv rowing course, scene of Tommy Pickering’s gold medal way back in 1989. This time the fishing is expected to be somewhat different, with draining and restocking of the lake a possibility.
With a star-studded England line-up, and little chance of severe weather upsetting the fishing as it did last year, the team will be expecting better than the bronze they secured in Slovenia.
For the match which takes over the weekend of September 18 and 19, – five-times World Champion Alan Scotthorne will be joined by former champs Sean Ashby and William Raison, plus Des Shipp, Steve Hemingray and Callum Dicks.
For the Euros, though, the squad will have a very different look.
This takes place on the Almere Canal in Holland (July 23/24), where England came unstuck in 2009 in the World Champs. Here, Alan Scotthorne, Sean Ashby and William Raison will join four of England’s rising stars – Matt Godfrey, Lee Kerry, Cameron Hughes and Matt Derry.
“Introducing the youngsters is a brilliant way of feathering the England nest for future years,” Mark Downes said.
“Mark Addy and I won’t be around forever and nor will some of the senior lads in 10 years’ time, so we want to have a nucleus of experienced younger anglers to form a team for whoever takes over from us.
“The Euros used to be a win-at-all-costs match but we’re increasingly using that match to develop young lads into future World Championships anglers.”

43lb 4oz mirror is a real peach!

A heavy baiting approach paid off for Ash Bailey, who enjoyed a 10 fish haul during a session at southern stillwater – the highlight being a couple of forties.
Arriving in the pouring rain on a Friday evening, the Dorset-based rod headed to one of the few remaining swims on the deeper side of the lake where he had a hunch the fish would be held up.
He proceeded to bait up with two buckets of bait comprising hemp, maize, 3kg of CC Moore Live System boilies and half-a-gallon of maggots. He fished all three rods over the top, each with a different coloured Northern Special pop-up tipped with maggots.
The first bite came the next morning in the form of a lovely 26lb mirror. “After that the carp were constantly showing over me,” he said. “A couple of hours later my bobbin pulled up really slowly and after a powerful fight my mate fished the net under a fish we recognised as The Peach. This is one the lake’s harder fish to catch, and at 43lb 4oz it was a new pb and my second UK forty.”
His spot was topped up with another two buckets of bait and 5am the following morning he had another slow take. “The fish stayed deep and made several powerful runs but after a long fight I slide the net under another monstrous mirror. As soon as I saw its tail I recognised it as another of the lake’s rare fish, a carp called Fingers. This time the scales settled on a weight of 41lb 6oz.”
Ash went on to land a further four fish with commons of 31lb and 30lb and mirrors weighing 32lb and 24lb 14oz.

Two high ‘four’ perch from separate venues

Lobworms were key to one man’s capture of two huge perch with a combined weight of almost 10lb – from different venues.
Simon Brough set his sights on two popular Midlands waterways and struck gold twice in one week.
The larger of the two perch, at 4lb 14oz, took a lobworm hookbait fished with a simple feeder rig made from 6lb mainline and a size 10 Drennan Wide Gape hook.
Two days later the river fishing fanatic from Matlock, in Derbyshire, used the same tactics and this time a fish weighing 4lb 11oz was his reward.
“I’ve fished these venues for 30 years. Catching perch like this is all about doing your homework and finding out where they are going to be, depending on the conditions,” Simon told Angling Times.
“At this time of year, when there’s extra water in the river, I look for slacks in which the big perch love to hang around.
“All the small prey fish such as minnows head into these areas out of the main flow, making them easy pickings for big perch, and this is where I position my hookbaits.”
On the day that Simon banked the larger of his two stripeys he backed it up with a 12lb 10oz barbel.
And over his two sessions he took four other perch over the 3lb mark, many more smaller fish of the species, and bream to 7lb 14oz.
“There’s nothing complicated about what I do, but one thing that is vital in this type of fishing is putting the time in,” Simon continued.
“Before these two days I’d had six blank sessions, but I knew that my carefully chosen areas would produce eventually because I’ve spent endless hours walking the banks and finding swims without even casting a line.
“This is what it takes to catch the biggest perch in your river.”

Chew does it again with 41lb predator

Carl Garrett has joined an elite band of pike anglers by landing his second fish over 40lb – as yet again Chew Valley Lake confirmed its dominance of the UK’s predator scene.
The pike, weighing 41lb, was boated by the highly-respected big-fish angler from Somerset during a session on the incredible South West reservoir, enabling Carl to join the very select group who can lay claim to two pike over the 40lb mark.
His first was taken back in 1988 from the legendary Welsh water Llandegfedd Reservoir, and tipped the scales at 44lb 8oz.
Twenty eight years later Carl made it an historic double at Bristol Water-controlled Chew when, just minutes after he switched his mackerel hookbait for a smelt, the pike struck.
“John, the fishery manager, came around doing routine hookbait checks, so I reeled mine in and noticed one of my mackerel wasn’t looking great. So I put on a smelt, cast it out and it ripped off as soon as I put the rod down,” said Carl.
“I was fishing on my own, and as the huge fish came past me I saw the trebles were only just hanging on in there. It takes a lot for my legs to go, but I have to say that at this point they did.”
Carl’s incredible pike fishing career has seen him land 21 specimens over 30lb, including the two forties. His latest specimen, which measured 45ins, was boated on a simple float-leger rig made from a 40lb braided mainline, a wire trace and size 6 trebles.
“I’ve been fishing Chew since it opened, but catching another pike over 40lb had never been a target for me. Just to get a few takes here is a result,” Carl continued.
“Catching this fish on my own from a boat was a special moment because I was able to just enjoy the experience.
“Later I reflected on what had happened – it was a pretty incredible catch, especially from a venue in my home county.
“Everyone has been so kind and really complimentary about my achievements, for which I am very grateful,” he said.
Carl Garrett’s historic capture came just a week after Chew produced another huge pike weighing 40lb 4oz to Kent angler Guy Elson.
These latest forties have been backed up by 20 confirmed thirties, all of them caught during the 2016 pike trials being held at the reservoir.

First-round fixtures for Supercup 2016 revealed

Calling all club anglers!
The long wait is finally over – the Angling Times/Bait-Tech Clubman Supercup 2016 first round draw is done and dusted.
Teams from far and wide have applied to play their part, and this week each and every one of them will know who stands in their way in the opening round and the task they face to make it into round two.
As the Supercup enters its 16th year, the competition remains hugely popular. Reigning champs Dersingham AC begin their defence of the title with an away tie against Mulbarton DAA, with previous winners Ridgemere AC up against Wyre Forest AC. 
A host of former champions are also fishing, including Alvechurch Fisheries A, at home to the Black Country Misfits, and Ringwood DAA, with a home tie against Orchard Lakes Red.
The first-ever winners of the cup, Alliance & Leicester Liverpool, await a home tie with St Helen’s Angling, who are keen to knock their near neighbours off their perch.
The event continues to attract new teams, too, with a dozen sides enjoying their first taste of the action in 2016. These include the colourfully named Moaning Sods, who begin with an away trip to Elgin AC down in Wiltshire.
Supercup also welcomes back a few teams that have taken a break from fishing the event – Hyde Park in Derbyshire and Manchester’s Cinderland AC are among those who are back in the fold this year.
“It barely seems 12 months ago since we were drawing out round one for 2015, but time flies and I’m delighted to see so many teams back for this year’s match,” said Angling Times match editor and Supercup organiser Richard Grange.
“Tackle shops tell me all about the buzz that this event creates among their customers, which was the whole purpose of launching Supercup way back in 2000 – to get local club anglers fishing against each other, building up a bit of rivalry but, more importantly, giving them their own big match stage on which they could compete.
“Thanks must once again to Bait-Tech for their continued support of the event. Talking to teams at last year’s semi finals I know just how important the Supercup is to them.
“It’s a very different atmosphere to the seriousness of the open scene or the knockabout fun of a club match. Supercup is the club angler’s FA Cup – long may it continue!
“Another name must go on the trophy at the big final in September. Whoever your team has drawn, good luck – it might just be yours!”

NORTH

Number of teams entered: 42
Number of teams through to round two: 20
Number of finalists from 2015 fishing: Five – Hull Midweek AC, Kerr’s of Ossett, St Anthony’s AC, Stainforth Angling Centre, Trafford AC

Ackworth AC V Kerr’s of Ossett
Alliance & Leicester Liverpool V St Helen’s Angling
Barton Kingfishers V Culture Baits & Tackle Kingfishers
Doncaster Fishing Centre V FFC Birley V Stainforth Angling Centre
Dongle Sports Angling V Waterside A
Ferryboat Fisheries V Honeywell AC Barnsley
Hetton Lyons AC V Woodlands B
Hull Midweek AC V Westlands A
Hyde Park AC V Batchelor’s AC
Jacob’s AC V Mersey Dockers
Limehurst AC V Cinderland AC
Lowhills AC V Guiseley Angling Centre
Mosborough Tackle Box V Houghton Main AC
Patricroft AC V St Anthony’s AC B V Fir Tree AS
Pelham AC V Waterside B
Scunthorpe Pisces V Westlands B
St Anthony’s AC A V St Peter’s AC Chorley
Standish Sharks V Fisherman’s Way Bury
Trafford Tackle & Bait V Stockton Heath Angling
Woodlands A V Strayside Anglers

SOUTH

Number of teams entered: 58
Number of teams through to round two: 26
Number of finalists from 2015 fishing: Five – Adventure AC, Cwmbran Angling Nobblers, Elgin AC, Greenside AS, Guildford Angling Centre

Apollo Guildford MG V Adventure AS
Ashmole AC V Edmonton & Tottenham AS
Bath Spartans AC Green V Watchet AC Black
Billericay DAC V Bill’s Tackle
Blue Circle MG V Rusty Hooks
Breakingstone AC V Cwmbran Angling Nobblers V Babcock AC
Broad Oak AC V Team Martin
Brunswick Bros AS V King’s Arms & Cheshunt AS
Cheam Social AC V Dorking AS
Chipping Norton AC V Littlemore AS
Comets AS V Beddington AC V Kennet Ospreys
Elgin AC V Moaning Sods
Elm Park & Hornchurch V Colchester Bait & Tackle
Epsom Piscatorials V Feltham & Twickenham
Greenside AS V Blean Angling V Riverside AC
Haines Angling V Bath Spartans AC Yellow V Team Jinx Exeter
HAPS A V Magic Lakes Red
Harlow Angling V Kingfisher AC V Magic Lakes Blue
North Wilts MG V South Cerney AC B V Chippenham AC
Poplett’s Tackle V Queen’s Works AC Social
Queen’s Works AC Matchmen V Johnson Matthey AC
Ringwood DAA V Orchard
Lakes Red
Swindon Isis V South Cerney AC A
Thatcham AA V Newland AC
Watchet AC Red V Chard DAC
Whitemoor Lakes V Orchard Lakes Blue

MIDLANDS

Number of teams entered: 52
Number of teams through to round two: 25
Number of finalists from 2015 fishing: Five – Barnstone AC, Dersingham AC, JVAC, Ridgemere AC, Slappers Delight

Alvechurch Fisheries A V Black Country Misfits
Barnstone AC V Woodhouse Angling Centre
Beaufort 21 AC V Alvechurch Fisheries B
Bottisham AC V The Royal Exchange
DECCA AC V Chestnut Tree AC
Evesham Jubilee AC Scarlet V Rocklands AC
Fitters AC V Frobisher AC
Guilford Europe B V Notts AA Green V Mill Tackle
Harleston Wortwell DAA V Martham AC B
Hosking’s Haulers V Newmarket AC
JVAC V Cromwell AC V Townsend Lakes Fishery
Knighton AC V Towcester DAA
Mansfield Piscatorials V Rivendell AC A
Mulbarton DAA V Dersingham AC
North Hykeham AC A V Lincoln Whisby AS
Notts AA Red V Long Eaton Fed
PW Angling V Martham AC A
Radcliffe on Trent AS V Guilford Europe A
Rivendell AC B V Gladstone AC
S Jones AC V Poets AC
Shipston on Stour AC V Evesham Jubilee AC Black
Skegness MG V Westwood
Lakes
Slappers Delight V North Hykeham AC B
Stoke-on-Trent AS V Ball Haye Green AC
Wyre Forest AC V Ridgemere AC

Two anglers share a rack of carp to a best of 45lb 13oz

Carp fishing sessions in February aren’t usually associated with multiple bites – but Adam Smith certainly bucked that trend when he landed no fewer than 18 fish during a stint at Christchurch Lake on the Linch Hill complex in Oxfordshire.
The Sticky consultant’s impressive haul included eight thirties to over 38lb and one of the lake’s biggest residents – a fish known as Scar – at a weight of 45lb 13oz.
“I have never experienced a session quite like it,” the fishery bailiff told Angling Times.
“To catch 20 fish in one trip is crazy. I think the lake did one bite in three months last winter, and I am sure the weather has played a big part in this year’s catch rate.”
All Adam’s carp fell to new Manilla boilies from Sticky with 12mm trimmed-down hookbaits.
These were fished on size 6 Korda Wide Gape hooks over a mixture of whole and crushed boilies, sweetcorn, bloodworm pellets and bloodworm.
He added: “The fish were obviously liking the bait, in fact they almost smelt of it on the unhooking mat!”
Another angler to capitalise on the venue’s rich vein of winter form was Cheshire’s Myles Gibson.
In two trips to the day-ticket water he landed three different commons, all of them over the 40lb barrier.
The trio included the stunning Baby Perch at 42lb 6oz, a fish which was backed up the following week with a 42lb 4oz common and a specimen called the Box at 45lb 6oz in the space of four hours.
Once again Sticky Manilla boilies produced the goods.

- Christchurch and Willow are Linch Hill’s day-ticket waters and hold exclusively English-bred carp. More info on 01865 882215.

Furnace Mill fires up to be big perch paradise

The boss of a popular commercial fishery has stocked vast numbers of huge perch in order to turn his venue into a stripeys superwater.
Ed Brown, who runs Furnace Mill Fishery, near Kidderminster has stocked more than 60 fish to 4lb 12oz to cater for the UK’s growing number of predator fishing fans.
The prolific complex already boasts a thriving stock of perch to over 4lb, and the new fish have an average size of 3lb.
They have been introduced into two of the four lakes at the Worcestershire hotspot.
With further introductions planned for the future, the move comes as an increasing number of commercial fisheries have started allowing lure fishing on their waters in a bid to attract more visitors during the colder months – a trend that Ed has followed.
“Perch have become an extremely fashionable species, with more and more anglers wanting to catch specimen sized stripeys – especially during the winter,” Ed told Angling Times.
“Most fisheries in my area like to stock carp into their lakes at this time of year, but I wanted to offer something different as well as give those anglers who can’t afford expensive syndicate memberships the chance to catch the fish of a lifetime.”
Ed, who is also a fish-farmer, discovered the huge perch when he netted one of his stock ponds, and immediately made the decision to introduce them into his lakes instead of selling them on.
“They had been in the pond for around five years, but I never expected them to have grown so quickly – some of these fish will be over 5lb by the end of the year and they are in absolutely pristine condition,” he said.
Miraculously, all the fish he discovered were over 2lb 10oz with numerous others over 4lb, including a 4lb 12oz giant which Ed personally weighed to confirm its size.
The fish have been split equally between the fishery’s Mucky Meadow and Furnace Pools, making a mouth-watering prospect for big fish fans and pleasure anglers alike.
“These lakes have already produced perch to over 4lb, and match anglers regularly catch them over 2lb during the winter, so they obviously thrive in there – but I would love to see more people come and fish for them,” he added.
Former Wales International angler, Ian Ward, is a regular at Furnace Mill and has first-hand experience of catching huge perch at the venue, having bagged a pair of fish weighing 4lb 6oz and 3lb 2oz during a match back in 2014.
Ian, like many of the venue’s regulars, is excited at the prospect of even more big perch being caught. The Frenzee-backed matchman told Angling Times: “Furnace has always had plenty of huge perch. We always catch them in matches and pleasure sessions, and the day I caught the four-pounder and the three I lost an even bigger one.
“Who knows how big they go to in there? With these additional monsters going in, Furnace will be well worth visiting for the perch alone,” he said.

Ton-topping catfish

Anglers normally travel to Spain and Italy to catch 100lb catfish in winter but Josh Davey managed to bank this one from his local carp lake in Essex.
The 26-year-old from Colchester was carp fishing on Chigboro Fisheries’ Maywater Lake when the giant, which scaled 102lb 8oz, took his single pineapple pop-up boilie hookbait.
 Josh managed to land the predator after battling it for nearly an hour on just 12lb mainline.
He told Angling Times: “I have caught smaller cats by accident before on this lake but I never expected something like this to turn up. I just can’t believe I managed to get it in on such light carp tackle, and I have to thank bailiff Ross Downs for helping me get it on the bank to weigh it.”

Anglers weigh in for charity

Bob Warden Memorial
Kennet & Avon Canal, Garage Pond - Meadow
Farm (32 pegs)

An impressive £270 was raised for lung research from this annual match, which saw the canal very clear.
Thatcher’s man Tim Ford won from the Horseshoe Pond with 11-1-0 of early roach on breadpunch, plus roach and perch using red maggot over groundbait at 13m and on the waggler.
Steve Long was second from the Garage Pond, where he fed leam and joker at 4m and 11m and caught mainly small perch on a variety of hookbaits to weigh in 9-7-0.
Result: 1 T Ford, Preston Innovations Thatcher’s, 11-1-0; 2 S Long, Garbolino Blackmore Vale MG, 9-7-0; 3 L Warden, M&N Electrical, 8-5-0; 4 D Gillman, Maver Bathampton Elite, 7-2-0; 5 N Johnson, Preston Innovations Thatcher’s, 6-7-0; 6 M Martin, M&N Electrical, 5-14-0.

Shatterford silvers for commercial ace

Tony Curd has made his name on carp-filled commercials but he proved he is no slouch on the silverfish front either when he banked more than 50lb of roach during a session at Shatterford Lakes.
The MAP-backed angler made the long journey from his London base to the Worcestershire complex to go in search of its vast shoals of redfins.
Using short pole and caster tactics, fish to 1lb were soon coming to the net regularly, with the occasional bonus bream and hybrid thrown in for good measure.
To find out more details about the venue visit:
www.shatterfordlakes.com

30lb pike after 30 years

A 30-year wait to catch a 30lb-plus pike ended in fine style for Mark Doran with the capture of this monster 32lb 2oz predator.
The 57-year-old from Tunbridge Wells, Kent, banked the fish on a Farnham Angling Society controlled stillwater in Hampshire.
Mark tempted it using a floatished sardine mounted on two size 8 trebles, which he cast into a gap in the weeds around 30 yards out.
The fish sets a new personal best for Mark of more than 6lb and, if confirmed, will be a new club record.
A delighted Mark told Angling Times: “I had blanked in the previous four sessions on that lake. It’s a very hard water but I’m so glad I persisted with the venue as it’s the fish of a lifetime and one I’ve waited so long for since I first started taking pike fishing seriously.”

Eastenders star is hard act to follow!

Actor Scott Maslen was the star man as Orchid Lake threw up a host of specimens last week.
The former EastEnder caught fish of 40lb 2oz, 38lb 12oz and 32lb, plus five twenties, from the Alamo swim at the Oxfordshire day-ticket venue. With an afternoon remaining, he had banked 12 fish in total.
Fox-backed anglers Mark Bartlett and Lee Morris also got in on the act with a 38-pounder apiece from the same swim. Mark also caught another thirty, and the pair managed a clutch of twenties.
Venue boss Marsh Pratley said: “It’s Scott’s first visit to Orchid and he has worked really hard for the fish – they certainly haven’t been put on a plate for him.”
He added: “We’ve had 10 new thirties come through since the start of last year and there are probably close to 50 different ones in here now.”

Maggots bag skimmers and ide to edge it

Aston Park Fishery £1,000 Super Sunday
Split Pond (16 pegs)

Dave Hooper has a fine record at the fishery, and the Mosborough Tackle Box rod added another win to the tally with victory on Sunday.
He banked a solid 44-8-0 net of ide and skimmers at peg 28, fishing maggot on the deck at 13m to net fish to 2lb, but only just ended up in front.
Just 8oz behind was John White on peg 12 with 44-0-0 of carp, skimmers and ide, fishing pellet and maggot.
Result: 1 D Hooper, Mosborough Tackle Box, 44-8-0; 2 J White, Aston Park, 44-0-0; 3 M Batham, Aston Park, 39-8-0; 4 A Batham, Aston Park, 36-2-0; 5 T Chamberlain, Aston Park, 35-12-0; 6 T Hutchinson, Aston Park, 35-4-0.

Friend share spoils with perch to 3lb 11oz

Friends Jason Mash and Lee Litchfield experienced a river fishing session most anglers can only dream of when they netted no fewer than eight 3lb-plus perch.
The pair targeted two river stretches on the Luton AC card, where Lee fished a small maggot feeder with a lobworm hookbait to bag four fish weighing 3lb 9oz, 3lb 6oz, 3lb 4oz and 3lb 1oz along with numerous others over 2lb.
On a different river it was then Jason’s turn. He netted the biggest of the session weighing 3lb 11oz on a Savage Gear crayfish lure before changing to lobworms to land three other three-pounders to 3lb 7oz.

Des Taylor inspired by one angler’s dreams

Big-fish legend Des Taylor is about to make the dreams of a fishing fanatic come true in a project that will inspire the nation’s anglers.
The Angling Times columnist will join Bill Finch, who is terminally ill with cancer, for a campaign across the UK’s rivers and lakes to help achieve fish-of-a-lifetime catches that will also provide the content for a book.
Giant catfish and double-figure barbel are dream targets for many anglers and Bill (54), from Nuneaton, is hoping Des will make his wishes become reality and help him tick off a number of achievements from his ‘fishing bucket list’.
“I’ve been fishing since I was six years old, but some species I’ve just never got around to targeting and others I have found too difficult to catch over a certain size,” he said.
“So I thought I would try my luck and ask Des, who had already taken me guiding on the River Severn last year. Luckily, he agreed.”
The original motivation behind Bill’s campaign came around a year ago when he was sadly diagnosed with terminal cancer. He admits that his illness has helped to put things into perspective.
“When I first heard that the cancer was terminal I was devastated, but instead of feeling sorry for myself I’ve decided to do all the things I’ve always wanted to do. Catching the fish of my dreams is one of them,” he said.
“Des and I are putting together a book about our adventures which I’m hoping will inspire other anglers to get out there and do the same as me.
Said Des: “I’ve wanted to write another book for a while, so when Bill came up with his idea I thought we could combine our aims. I’m hoping the book, which will feature input from both of us, will be inspiring to other anglers as well as entertaining.
“We won’t be trying to catch record fish, but for many anglers roach over 2lb and double-figure barbel are still the stuff of dreams.”
The book, ‘Fish of a Lifetime’, will be published by Little Egret Press.

Carp Angler of the Year is at it again!

Angling Times Carp Angler of the Year Kris Ollington has started his 2016 campaign in the same way he left 2015.
The Surrey angler caught an unprecedented six UK fifties last year, and opened this year’s tally with a 52lb 4oz common and a 41lb 6oz mirror.
Both fish fell on the same morning of a weekend session at Berkshire’s Wellington Country Park. “I’m really made up with a couple of lovely cold-water whackers,” said Kris, who bagged the bigger one, the Chestnut Common, last year at exactly 52lb.

42lb 1oz carp proves Car Park Lake still special

Yateley Car Park Lake might not be the pinnacle of British carping these days, but it still has the form to throw up special moments – like the capture of this elusive forty.
The difficult Hampshire venue, known throughout the 1980s and 1990s for giant fish such as Heather the Leather and Arfur, gave Michael Whitney a memory to savour with this 42lb 1oz mirror, which had not been caught for more than three years.
He told Angling Times: “This is my first fish out of the famous Car Park Lake.
“I got my ticket at the start of this season, but this was only my eighth night on the water because I’ve been lingering on another fishery where I hadn’t caught what I wanted.
“However, last week I decided to concentrate on the Car Park, and it really paid off. This fish is another unknown forty for the lake, with its last capture back in 2012.
“I’m really chuffed with this one and it’s now given me the confidence to do my own thing like I’ve wanted to. It’s easy to get caught up in the history of the place, but I’ve tried to stick to what works for me.”
The 34-year-old from Surrey caught the fish 24 hours into a 48-hour stay after a move of swim to get on a strong wind.
Michael offered a cut-down Sonubaits Oozing pop-up mounted on a simple rig of an E-S-P Tungsten hooklink and a size 6 Nash Fang Twister hook.