Bream tactics account for two thirties and 23 twenties

The carp have woken up on Bluebell’s Mallard Lake, as Scott Reynolds proved with a massive haul.

The 24-year-old fished Method feeders to bank 27 carp, including two of more than 30lb and 23 over 20lb in three nights.

He said: “I had a few carp during the day, but most of the fish came at night. I had 12 fish the one night and, in the end, I never had both rods in the water at the same time. By 3am, I had to reel in because I was so tired.”

The lake, which is the largest on the Northants day-ticket complex, is known for its large head of carp, but Scott was actually after one of the handful of massive bream present.

The Dudley specimen hunter, who had seven fish over 28lb, said: “I used a flat ESP Method feeder with a ready-tied hooklink featuring a size 8 hook and 20lb stripped braid. When I fish the flat Method, I mould the groundbait all the way around the feeder to cover it and to ensure it hits the bottom as I was fishing in 19ft of water.

“I use the flat ones instead of normal fin types as, when the groundbait breaks up, the fins on the feeder are exposed, whereas with the flat Method feeder the whole feeder is covered.

“I was fishing 55 yards out with rubber corn as my hookbait. I baited up with Sonubaits Bream Feed and Sonubaits Halibut and Hemp Crush groundbait mixed with sweetcorn and maggots and 4mm Cell pellets. I made them into hard groundbait balls and Spombed them out so they got on to the deck as the wind was very strong into my face.”

Perch haul on worms

Analysing the lakebed was key for specimen ace Matt Perring when he landed no less than five 3lb-plus perch topped by a cracker of 3lb 14oz.

Testing a Deeper Fish Finder, the Marukyu-sponsored angler discovered a deep hole on Oxfordshire’s Linch Hill Fishery and had an inkling it could hold some monster perch. He fed it with chopped dendrobaena worms before casting a size 8 hook baited with four worms to the spot. In just four hours the Banbury angler caught 11 perch, including fish of 3lb 2oz, 3lb 6oz and 3lb 14oz.

He said: “Initially I went to Linch for an early tench session but when the temperatures dropped and I caught a lovely 3lb 6oz perch I decided to come back the next day and target them instead,” he said.

Big linear back – after 13 years

This perfect zip linear was symmetrical in more ways than one for Gary Denniss at Bluebell Lakes.

The 31lb 14oz mirror was the first fish the 45-year-old ever caught from the Northamptonshire complex more than 13 years ago.

“It’s one of the real old ones in Kingfisher,” Gary said, “and it doesn’t seem to get caught very often. It was 27lb 1oz when I had it back in October 2002.”

The linear was the highlight of a bittersweet 48-hour weekend session for the Lincolnshire angler, who caught three twenties but also lost two fish including a known 40-pounder just yards from the net.

“There were fish popping their heads out all over the place and I felt lucky to be there as they were waking up and feeling the first warm sunshine of the year.

“I got into the Point swim where they were showin, but had to wait 24 hours before I had any action. At Saturday teatime I had a 23lb 14oz, then the linear just before dusk.

“The night was very quiet, but at 9.30am I had a 27lb 2oz fish that gave a fantastic fight.

“Then the recast rod went almost immediately and as I led it across the surface, and from the way it wasn’t fighting, I knew it was the Upfront Common, which I’ve had before at 42lb, but 20ft from the net it dropped off.”

The landscape gardener had one fish on a zig rig and the other three on Key Bait Solutions ASM boilies on hinged stiff rigs with 10ins booms fished to a clay patch at 70yds.

Win free fishing for a year at Lindholme Lakes!

One of the UK’s top commercial fisheries is celebrating a £1 million revamp by offering Angling Times readers the chance to win a year’s free fishing.

Neil Grantham, owner of Garbolino Lindholme Lakes in South Yorkshire, is calling on Angling Times readers to suggest suitable names for one of three possible new waters being built at the complex as part of a bid to turn it into ‘the White Acres of the North’.

The winner, chosen by the 52-year-old, will be given free fishing for a year at the popular venue.

Neil, who has run the fishery for more than a decade, told Angling Times: “The new waters will add around 200 pegs to the complex, supplementing the 500-plus pegs we already have to make it one of the largest commercial match fisheries in the UK. I have extended the site to house the new lakes and will increase the amount of holiday lodges on the site as well as building a larger tackle shop, function room, restaurant and bar. The new lakes will be mixed in stock and aimed at match anglers, so it will be interesting to see what names people can come up with,” he said.

Neil believes the improvements, which could also feature the building of tennis courts and a football pitch, are required to deal with the ever growing demand for holiday and match style waters: “We are having our busiest year for matches with some huge opens and tournaments taking place here,” he said. “Requests for fishing and accommodation in one package has also increased, so we are currently in talks with a leading holiday home company to sponsor some events and match the likes of Parkdean at White Acres.”

Brit’s historic 101lb carp

Warren Harrison banked this mind-blowing 101lb 7oz mirror last week to become the first angler ever to catch three different fish over 90lb.

The Manchester angler made history in September 2014 by catching a 94lb mirror, 90lb common and an 87lb mirror in the same session at Hungary’s Euro Aqua, and returned to eclipse that feat.

Speaking to Angling Times from the bank halfway through his two-week session with friend Dave Treasure, Warren said: “It’s just unbelievable. I’m the only person in the world to catch a full set of different fish from 10lb, 20lb, 30lb, up to 80lb, 90lb and 100lb. I just can’t believe it! We’ve been here for eight days and between the two of us we’ve had about 40 fish including three sixties to 63lb and the big one.”

And just as we went to press, Warren added an 81lb mirror to his haul.

Euro Aqua has produced 100-pounders before and currently holds the world record with a 105lb fish, but Warren’s big one had not reached triple figures before.

“It came out last year at 91lb, I think,” said the 54-year-old business owner, who regularly visits Euro Aqua and will be back there in June.

Having purchased half a ton of the lake’s particles, plus a supply of the venue’s boilies, Warren baited heavily with a mixture of the two, plus Mainline Cell and Hybrid boilies.

He fed an area away from his main spot for the first six days and only put a rod on it when he saw a fish roll.

“The first bite I had from that second spot was the big one,” he said. “It was about 5am and just starting to get light.”

After a 20-minute battle, Warren and Dave netted the huge fish and both realised it was something special.

“You can tell the difference between a 90-pounder and a 100-pounder,” said the man who is best placed to answer such a question. “You can’t lift them in the net, so when I got it in the sling and Dave and I grabbed an end to lift it on to the mat, that’s when you know!”

Warren fished double 20mm Cell bottom baits on barbless size 6 Ashima Anti Eject hooks and 20lb Ashima GroundHog hooklinks. 

Come and grab a record fish!

A host of the UK’s best specimen carp waters have launched a campaign to get more anglers targeting the huge shoals of bream and tench that reside in their award-winning fisheries.

Many big-fish enthusiasts will be on the hunt for a new personal best in the coming weeks, and the owners of some of the country’s finest big carp complexes have revealed their stocks offer the perfect solution.

High volumes of bait have helped the bream and tench in such fisheries reach record-shaking proportions, although their true size is often only highlighted following accidental captures by carp anglers.

Linear Fisheries in Oxfordshire is among those determined to attract more passionate big-fish enthusiasts to unlock the true bream and tench potential of their waters.

Head bailiff Ian Roper, who has been at the forefront of the scheme at the Oxfordshire venue, said:

“Our lakes are about so much more than just carp and we are making a huge push this year to get anglers fishing for the big tench and bream that largely get ignored.

“This is the perfect time of year to fish for them, as some of our bailiffs have already been doing. For example, one of our lakes, Hardwick and Smiths, holds big shoals with bream well into double figures, along with huge tench.

“I know that this is the case at so many other fisheries and it would be great for the sport if more anglers set their sights on carp waters and helped to reveal the true potential for other species because there’s a chance that there are a few record-breakers out there.”

Northants’ Bluebell Lakes has produced numerous carp over 50lb in the past, but bosses are now keen to attract anglers that have a different species in mind, to help boost the complex’s growing reputation among bream and tench anglers.

A fishery spokesperson said: “We’ve had tench to double figures and bream to 19lb in the past, and there are not many places where you can catch fish of that calibre!”

Monster cod rocks record

This is an image of the biggest cod ever caught by a UK angler.

The enormous predator, weighing a colossal 90lb 6oz, was taken by Merseyside angler Bert Williams during a trip to Norway’s renowned cod fishing hotspot Soroya.

Bert bagged his prize during a guided trip by UK-based firm Sportsquest. He was fishing in 80ft of water with a 30lb class rod and a 1ft long, 730 gram Westin Big Bob Lure tied to 60lb braided line.

The fish was just one of a number of giants boated by Bert and other anglers during an explosive week in Soroya that also saw an 83lb 12oz specimen landed by Sportsquest guide Paul Stevens. Paul’s fish temporarily held the record for the biggest cod to be caught by a UK angler before Bert bagged his prize just 24 hours later.

Paul (39) from Norfolk told Angling Times: “I’ve been guiding for many years in Norway but this has been the best week we have ever had for quality fish. We’ve had 14 cod over 60lb alone and hordes of smaller fish. Most anglershave broken their personal bests - it’s just been crazy! Hooking cod this big on lures is a feeling you just have to experience at some time in your life. It’s incredible when the fishing is this good.”

The current International Game Fishing Association (IGFA) World cod record is 103lb 10oz, a fish caught by German angler Michael Eisele back in April 2013, but Paul believes this target could be surpassed before too long.

Paul said: “I wouldn’t be surprised in the slightest to see the world record smashed at some point in the next couple of weeks with the fishing going so well. The conditions are absolutely perfect for it!”

Tough fights to seal Fish O’Mania places

It was a tough weekend around the fisheries as following a warm and sunny Good Friday, howling wind and torrential rainstorms descended upon the UK.

That made the two Fish O’Mania qualifiers held at Lakeview Fishery and Gold Valley Lakes a case of feast or famine, with some anglers drawing on a few fish while others packed up early or blanked!

However, there had to be two qualifiers for July’s Semi Finals and those men were Maver-backed Sam Brown at Lakeview and local lad Darren Millis at Gold, both taking 100lb-plus weights to get those all-important golden tickets.

Sam was first up at Lakeview where he swept all before him. The 24-year-old weighed-in 149-14-0 from peg 17 on the Oasis Lake, made up of carp to 14lb taken on very light gear with dobbed triple red maggot across to the far bank and then maggot down the middle into the deep water. Closest angler to him was Wayne Heywood with

124-5-0 from peg 14 on the same water where a bad last hour cost him dear.

The bandwagon then headed south to Hampshire and a blustery Gold Valley where there was an even more emphatic winner in Darren. The Angling For Heroes man weighed-in 105-0-0 to win with over 40lb to spare. He pulled out peg 99 on the Middle Lake and used long pole with meat and corn, taking a few early carp including a 15lb specimen before changing to bomb and meat to pick off a few more carp. A change back to the pole late on sealed the deal as he found another run of fish.

Second went to a man who is familiar with playing the bridesmaid on Fish O’Mania qualifiers, Grant Albutt. He finished in the same position at Gold a few years back and was second again this time around, although he was some way off the pace. He took

59-8-0 of carp on pellet waggler and Method feeder and pellet from peg 116 on the Syndicate Lake.

Impressive stripey shows joy of fishing

Catching big fish isn’t all about pounds and ounces as Dan Sales proved when he banked this impressive river perch.

Herts-based specialist is an expert at catching specimen predators and he took a selection of lures to a stretch of a river in the Midlands and struck gold when he worked an EcoGear shad.

“This is my ultimate perch of the season and I haven’t got an idea of what it weighed. I was just fishing for fishing’s sake.”

French carp Fudgy's is out at a record 86lb

Gigantica made Michael Standing wait, but eventually rewarded him with a new lake record at a mammoth 86lb 8oz.

The challenging French water, owned by Korda’s Danny Fairbrass, was in a temperamental mood before throwing up the collosal mirror, known as Fudgy’s, late in the week.

“After six nights without a fish I was woken by an epic one-toner on the middle rod,” said Michael, who had tried a variety of tactics and moved swims without success until that moment.

“Scrambling out of my sleeping bag, I lifted into the fish and as soon as I felt it I knew it was massive.

“At one point during the fight I thought it had weeded me up, but then realised it was simply the sheer weight of the fish holding in the deep water,” he said.

“After a heavy but short battle, she came up and rolled into the net first time but just I couldn’t believe the size the carp. I knew it was one of the big fish, but I didn’t know it was to be the ‘Queen of the Lake’.

“I gave the bailiff a call to come round and help with the weighing and photos, and when we opened the retention sling, he said: ‘That’s Fudgy’s!’

“On the scales she went 86lb 8oz, a top weight for her and a new lake record as well. We did the photos in the freezing morning light and slipped her back into the depths.

“I was absolutely buzzing! What a fish and what a venue, I will be back out there in September in search of the other monsters,” he added.

Michael fished at 120yds from Co’s Point and baited chopped and glugged CC Moore Equinox boilies and corn. He fished NS1+ hookbaits topped by a piece of plastic corn on short hinged rigs.

17lb 8oz barbel caps big finish on rivers

Record-breaking barbel and huge chub topped the list of specimens this week as the nation’s rivers produced an incredible end-of-season finale.

Anglers across Britain certainly didn’t let flood conditions stand in their way, and one of the men hunting a new personal best was Richard Easom, who targeted the River Trent and banked a massive 17lb 8oz barbel.

With only a few hours to spare until the beginning of the traditional closed season,  the Nottinghamshire angler employed a cautious baiting approach that involved introducing a mixture of pellets and crushed boilies via a PVA bag.

His ploy failed to provoke an early response, but his patience was rewarded as the tip arched over with an hour of the season remaining. He said: “As I lifted the rod I felt a heavy resistance and I knew I was into one of the bigger residents.

“I felt in control for most of the fight, but it made one last desperate attempt to escape and I was forced to pile on as much pressure as I dared to get it away from the snags.

“I’ve had an extremely enjoyable season on the river and this was the perfect end to it,” he added.

Big barbel were also in plentiful supply on the Hampshire Avon, but nobody could quite match the achievement of Phil Nixon, who smashed the venue record.

The Ringwood DAA secretary slipped the net under the 16lb 15oz fish on the final day after it fell for his fishmeal boilie hookbait and he told Angling Times: “It put up an incredible scrap and it is a great feeling to smash not just the club record but also the river best.

“To catch it so late in the season made it really special and it’s a fish I won’t be forgetting in a hurry.”

He wasn’t the only angler to taste success on the Hampshire Avon as Pete Kibby came up trumps with a huge 7lb 13oz chub.

Having lost a fish early in the morning, he was determined to set the record straight and was given a major surprise just hours later. He said: “I returned in the evening with maggot feeder tactics and I couldn’t believe it when I managed to bank the fish that the hook had pulled out of in the morning.”

“Earlier in the season I had a 2lb roach from the Medway after a 40-year wait and this catch is well up alongside that achievement.”

The venue’s big roach were Tim Lennon’s sole focus and the shoals obliged when he took an impressive 2lb 14oz specimen.

It was his third biggest redfin ever and fell to feeder tactics with three red maggots on the hook, with only a few hours of daylight left. He employed 3lb Daiwa Sensor line straight through to a Drennan Specimen size 12 hook to tempt the huge redfin.

“In recent weeks I’ve spent a lot of time searching for a roach like this; they are becoming harder and harder to find,” explained Tim.

“Thankfully it all paid off on my last session of the season. It’s the biggest I’ve had for many years and is just 2oz short of my current river pb,” he said.

Piling in the bait eventually paid dividends for Neil Maidment when he caught a 7lb 11oz chub from the prolific Throop Fishery area of the Dorset Stour.

Floatfished maggots proved the downfall of the new personal best and he said: “I fed six pints of maggots and it seemed to get the fish competing, with a number of decent chub coming in the morning before the biggest if them all.”

Venue’s biggest carp falls at 34lb

Paul Abrahams made it second time lucky with the capture of his club water’s biggest resident in an action-packed session.

“Seeing her go in the net was a relief as I lost her at the net on a previous visit,” he said of the moment he secured the 34lb 9oz “fish of a lifetime”, known as Gut Bucket.

It was one of three thirties and a twenty in a seven-fish haul at a four-acre Somerset venue.

“I couldn’t believe it,” added Paul, who began his session in the teeth of a westerly wind. A 15lb 11oz common fell during the first 24 hours before the wind became northerly.

“I kept a little bait trickling in and that evening I bagged a 20lb 2oz mirror,” said Paul. “Nothing else happened that night, but the next afternoon was different. At last I had a screaming take and netted a 31lb 2oz mirror known as Trio.”

Another 24 hours passed quietly, leading Paul to search for a new spot. “I moved one of my rods closer to an island, out the way of the cold north wind, and in only 3ft 6ins of water.

“I put about half a kilo of bait around this rod, and five minutes after doing so the rod screamed off and a cracking common of 19lb 2oz was in the net.”

The same rod produced Gut Bucket at 10.30am the next day, and the action continued into the final night and the last morning, when a 33lb 2oz mirror named Spot rounded off a memorable session.

All the fish came to CC Moore Live System wafters on rigs made with 20lb ESP Tungsten Loaded and size 6 Gardner Covert Mugga hooks.

Angler’s first UK forty falls from Yateley

This Yateley common of 40lb 4oz gave Russell Godfrey a personal best and a ‘night to remember’ on the historic North Lake.

The Farnborough angler arrived for a 24-hour session on a Friday morning and used his previous observation to full effect.

The 35-year-old said: “After a bit of a walk round and chatting to the others, not a lot had been seen around. Luckily I had been down earlier in the week for a walk and had seen a couple of fish show behind an island and decided, as the swim I could cast to that area from was free, to drop in to there for the first night and see if anything would show the following morning.”

Having found a gravel spot next to a clump of weed, Russell Spombed out 2kg of sweetcorn and chopped Sticky Manilla boilies before casting out at 3.30pm.

He added: “A few hours later the bobbin pulled up tight and as I lifted my rod up to make contact with the fish I felt a small kick and nothing else happened. This one got away.

“I topped up the swim with another 2kg of bait and got my rig back out on the spot. At about 8pm the bobbin pulled up to the top and I was in contact with another fish.

“After a hard 20-minute battle I finally slipped the large common into the net. On closer inspection we realised it was the elusive Black Common which only makes a few appearances on the bank per season.

“As you can imagine I was absolutely made up as it was my first UK 40-pounder and a new pb! All the regulars came round to help with the photos and to congratulate me. What a night to remember!”

Local knowledge pays off with 21lb Lakes pike

Geoff Birtwistle had every reason to smile when he slipped the net under this immaculate 21lb pike.

The Bury angler is a season ticket holder at the popular Esthwaite Water Trout Fishery in Cumbria and made his knowledge count when he tempted the predator after fishing a float-legered mackerel from a boat.

The pike season on the venue finishes on March 31 and reopens again on October 1.

For more information on the venue visit: www.hawkesheadtrout.com or call: 01539 436541

56lb 12oz common carp caps successful campaign at RH Fisheries for venue regular

Luke Edwards has long been one of the top rods on the Avenue and now he’s slipped the net under the fish he really wanted.

The Wolverhampton angler has consistently caught from the RH Fisheries venue in recent years, but this 56lb 12oz common, known as Tarka, is the pinnacle of his achievement.

Typically, it was caught alongside another big fish, a 39lb mirror known as Zac, during a 24-hour session.

“I’ve been a member since the start but it’s only been in the last two seasons that I’ve put everything into catching the Avenue’s jewels,” said Luke. “This winter I’ve had over 17 fish, mainly on 24-hour sessions and this one beats my previous pb of 54lb.

“It’s an unbelievable venue, but it can be tricky. You have to try to outwit them and on this occasion I got lucky.”

Luke nearly didn’t go fishing at all, after falling ill at the lake and having to go home and return the next day.

He said: “When I felt better in the morning I set up close to a central point and, knowing the wind was a north westerly, got in a swim where it would push right into my face.”

Having baited with 2kg of Retro Baits’ B Caramel boilies, Luke caught the 39lb mirror, which he has banked twice before, just after dark.

The next morning, Luke was joined by his friend Chris. “We were chatting,” said Luke, “and I commented how I was unlucky with the big commons and had given up on them.

“Literally two minutes after saying that my rod tip bounced and my line tightened and I hit into a fish I instantly knew was big. After a short but heavy fight I had my prize!”

Luke fished B Caramel wafters on D rigs made with 16lb Fox Trans Khaki Illusion and a size 8 Kuro hook.

More angling on television from BT Sport

Angling scored a massive victory this week after signing a deal with BT Sport to bring a host of action-packed fishing programmes into the homes of millions.

Carp Team England boss Rob Hughes and his media company RHAP Media have signed a three-year deal with the broadcaster that insists fishing will ‘expand the depth and range of BT Sport’s programming’ when it broadcasts a host of exciting programmes and coverage of some of the biggest events in angling.

Exclusive coverage of events such as the 2016 World Championships, the World Carp Championships and the £60,000 Maver Match This will be just some of the 15 shows that will provide in-depth programmes from the majority of competitions from the international and domestic match scene.

The deal will see a total of 27 programmes aired in 2016 and the remaining 12 will form a magazine- style show that Rob has revealed will take influence from hit programmes Top Gear, Countryfile and the Gadget Show in order to deliver a type of fishing show that has never been seen before.

“This is a massive step for angling and I’m delighted to be working with BT Sport because it is totally behind the promotion of angling. I can’t contain my excitement about this project,” said Rob.

“We have exclusive rights to the lion’s share of all of the major events in the calendar and will be looking to increase the portfolio of events we cover, to include sea fishing and predator angling. Programmes will be broadcast shortly after they take place.

“I can’t reveal much about the magazine show at this time, but it’s going to blow everyone away.

“It’s going to feature big names, be entertaining, instructional and will also address the important conservational and environmental aspects of angling.”

“Not only do we have 27 shows coming out this year, but angling will also have a presence on the BT Sport website. News on our shows and initiatives will also be shared via the channel’s social media outlets, plus the BT Sport App.

“This is a massive opportunity to get angling into the homes and consciousnesses of people who don’t even go fishing.”

Rob’s credentials speak for themselves – not only is he one of the most respected carp anglers in the UK, but he’s been making hit TV programmes for 15 years and has revolutionised the coverage of competition fishing. He also works with the Angling Trust/Sport England to promote participation in the sport at all levels.

With this depth of experience, coupled with the backing of such a major player in the world of sports broadcasting, the future of fishing on TV just got brighter than ever.

Simon Green, head of BT Sport, said: "This will further expand the range and depth of BT Sport's programing. We look forward to serving the angling world with coverage of some of the leading fishing events over the coming years."

Exclusive coverage of the competition season kicks off in May with round one of the UK Angling Championship, which is fished by Britain's top match anglers.

EVENTS SET TO BE BROADCAST IN 2016

Here are the events set to be broadcast by BT Sport in 2016. Rob also has plans for the creation of new events in the future:

- World Freshwater Angling Championships

- European Championships

- World Feeder Championships

- World Carp Championships

- World Carp Classic

- World Predator Classic

- UK Champs

- British Carp Championships

- Maver Match This

- Parkdean Masters

Prawns lure 5lb 4oz perch

A fishy groundbait made from liquidised prawns accounted for this huge 5lb 4oz perch.

The popular BK Fisheries in Cornwall is just 20 minutes up the road for the experienced all-rounder Steve Proud and being fully aware of the venue’s big-perch credentials, he based his attack around traditional float fishing tactics and his special groundbait mix.

After choosing a peg on Bill’s Pool, the 54-year-old from Redruth found 10 feet of water on the edge of the shelf and used a simple waggler rig to fish a single prawn threaded on to a size 14 hook .

It was a method that saw perch to 1lb 8oz come to the net before he smashed his personal best that stood at 3lb 8oz.

“This is an incredible water to have on my doorstep and there are loads of big perch because five-pounders have been caught in the past, so I went specific ally with this species in mind. This fish blew me away and I couldn’t stop shaking when it came to the top,” said Steve.

He believes the secret to his success lies in the groundbait that he makes with liquidised prawns, brown crumb and Dynamite Baits, fed on a little-and-often basis.

“Feeding small balls of this throughout the day creates an enticing cloud in the water, which not only directly pulls in the perch, but also small silverfish that in turn attracts predators,” he continued.

“I’ve seen some big perch in my time, but this was like another species altogether and my fishing partner Ian Benny couldn’t believe his eyes either,” said Steve of the fish within a pound of the UK record.

Steve used a 2AAA waggler, 5lb mainline and a Drennan Supplex hooklink.

To find out more about the two-lake venue at St Erth, near Hayle in West Cornwall, call 01736 753275.

Quest for pike twenty ends with a thirty

A dream of catching a huge pike ended in success for Aaron Burnside when he became the envy of hundreds of predator anglers with the capture of a 30lb 6oz giant from a Yorkshire river.

Accompanied by his granddad, Mick, who has over 20 years’ experience of fishing the River Ouse around York, he used his knowledge to great effect when he smashed his personal best, which previously stood at 18lb.

It had been the 22-year-old’s ambition to catch a pike over the 20lb mark for years.

“We have loads of experience of fishing this river and as it was carrying lots of extra water, we headed to a slack area where we’ve seen lots of fry in the past,” said Aaron, from Brighouse, West Yorks.

“As soon as I hooked the fish, we knew it was something special as it just hugged the bottom.

“But when we got it on to the scales, we both just lost it and I had to retain the fish for a few minutes to give us time to calm down and make sure that we’d weighed it properly.”

The duo had a frantic day’s fishing as, along with the big predator, they shared the capture of nine other pike to 12lb.

Aaron caught his new personal best on a smelt fished on a paternoster rig made from 50lb braid, a trace and size 6 trebles.

“I’ve been after a twenty for many years and to just skip that and get a fish over 30lb is something I really didn’t expect,” Aaron said.

“My granddad has caught three pike over the 30lb mark and to have one of my own and share it was what fishing is all about.”

Three specimen carp to 112lb in crazy hour at Elphicks

“One crazy hour” on a day-ticket venue produced three fish weighing a combined 112lb for Ryan Singer.

The incredible flurry of bites on the North Lake at Elphicks Fishery in Kent came during Ryan’s first session using CC Moore’s new Pacific Tuna boilies.

“I caught these three stunning fish in one crazy hour of a 36-hour session,” said Ryan. “The biggest of my trip was a massive 42lb 1oz common, followed by a 37lb mirror, plus a 33lb mirror.

He added: “I was baiting up my swim all day with small amounts, little and often, every 45 minutes. Although I had not seen a fish show all day, I remained persistent and it wasn’t until the early hours of a frosty morning when my right-hand rod screamed off.

“By the time I was landing the fish, the other rod started bleeping. At first I was thinking it was my foot knocking my rods, so paid no attention until it screamed off!

“My third rod had been fishing another direction since I got there, but I quickly reeled in and cast to where my takes had been, put some more bait out, and 35 minutes later I was in again!”

Ryan’s rigs were baited with double 10mm Pacific Tuna boilies.

Neglected Trent stretch yields 15lb barbel

Targeting an untapped area of the River Trent paid dividends for big-fish man Richard Easom when he banked this 15lb 7oz barbel.

The Three Foot Twitch Specialist Baits owner decided to shun the more popular areas of the waterway and make the long walk to a swim which had barely seen an angler.

After prebaiting with red rapeseed for two days, the 36-year-old finally cast a PVA bag of crushed boilies and pellets over the top.

With darkness arriving, his rod tip fell back as the giant specimen made off with his 16mm Three Foot Dubby boilie hookbait.