40lb 2oz pike on the fly from Chew Valley
The incredible Chew Valley Lake has produced a huge 40lb 2oz pike caught on a tiny fly.
The bait, which measured just two inches in length, was expertly twitched along the bed of the famous Chew Valley Lake in Somerset, by London’s Derek Beagley, who won a 20-minute battle with one of the biggest-ever fly-caught specimens that the historic water has ever produced.
It’s a fish that smashes Derek’s previous personal best for the species caught on the fly that stood at 22lb, and was beaten by the 59-year-old, who was using a 8/9 Greys rod, a 20lb leader and a titanium trace.
“I was twitching the small bait along the bottom in around 8ft of water and then this huge fish grabbed hold of the bait and everything went scarily solid,” said Derek.
“When the fish broke the surface for the first time my boat partner and I just looked at each other like we’d seen a ghost, then it stripped 30 yards straight off my reel.
“We finally got it in the boat and my legs were like jelly. Ever since the capture I’ve been like a schoolboy again and so full of excitement and adrenalin.
“I’ve fished here for eight years and it’s always been a dream to catch a pike over the 30lb barrier, but this is just incredible.
Chew Valley Reservoir is regarded by many as the finest big-pike venue in the UK, and fishery manager John Harris and the rest of his dedicated team never cease to be amazed by this incredible water.
“This just goes to show that it’s not just anglers that come and fish the trials here with dead baits and lures that catch the biggest fish,” said John.
“We have loads of huge pike here caught on flies every year.”
From ashes to splashes
Two fishing companions staged the ultimate memorial to a late friend when they headed abroad for a fishing trip… and used his ashes to make the bait!
Yorkshiremen Cliff Dale and Paul Fairbrass were shocked when their bankside buddy Ron Hopper died before the three of them were able to enjoy a holiday to Jurassic Mountain Resort and Fishing Park in Thailand.
To commemorate Ron’s memory the pair created boilies nicknamed ‘Purple Ronnies’ out of his ashes and banked a 180lb-plus lake record Siamese carp.
“We came up with all sorts of ideas, but this was something out of the ordinary and as soon as we thought of it we were sure this was the best way to honour him,” said Paul.
4lb 2oz perch on bargain club ticket
Kieran Granville proved you don’t have to spend a fortune on season tickets to find big fish when he banked this 4lb 2oz perch from a club water.
The Taunton AA head bailiff visited the association-controlled Maunsel Ponds and relied on a tried-and-tested floatfished worm approach on a water better known for its carp.
It was a ploy that worked a treat within a short space of time, with the big predator soon falling foul of the simple tactics.
Tickets to join the club are currently on sale and start at £25 for adults and £10 for juniors.
20 kilos of bait for one monster perch
A mammoth baiting campaign that saw John Deprielle pile in 20 kilos of bait during a single day session ended with the capture of this huge personal best perch.
In order to feed his way through the sheer numbers of carp and get through to the big perch at his chosen commercial fishery, the Devon-based specialist introduced as much bait as some anglers would use in a month, and his reward was this 4lb 12oz specimen.
“I’d heard from a match fishing friend of mine that there were big perch in this water, but it’s also full of carp and silverfish. Every time I fed a handful of bait, the surface of the water just erupted with hungry fish.
“The only way to get through them was to keep piling the bait in, and I didn’t stop all day.
He hauled his way through more than 100 carp and countless silverfish as his endless bombardment of groundbait, hemp and pellets hit the surface at a stillwater in the South West.
Then, after hours seven hours of constant feeding, John finally set his hook into the jaws of his intended quarry – a perch that beats his previous best that stood at 4lb 8oz. It took a floatfished worm hookbait.
“Many anglers might have given up because it seems like a lot of work and bait to try and catch a perch, but when the reward is a specimen like this it makes it all worthwhile,” John continued.
“There are so many commercial fisheries out there that contain big perch, but they are hardly ever caught because people just don’t fish for them.”
47lb carp one of two personal bests in a six-day stint
Mike Deakin banked a personal-best common and mirror during a six-day session at history-soaked Horton Church Lake.
The long trip from his home in Runcorn, Cheshire, to the Berkshire venue was more than justified as the 48-year-old production manager captured Hercules at 48lb and Sid at 37lb. Mike also banked a 29lb 9oz fully scaled mirror and a 38lb 10oz mirror know as Chunky.
“Sid is probably the oldest fish in the lake. It’s an old Longfield fish and there’s a pic of Terry Dempsey with it back in 1992, so it goes back a long, long way,” said Mike, who added: “I blanked for the first two nights then moved swims. I blanked again for the first night in the new swim, then the action started.”
Mike baited with an initial 6kg of mixed particles and boilies, then added up to 3kg each night.
The fight from the 48lb Hercules was a brutal one. Said Mike: “The scrap was incredible. It beat me up for 10 minutes and when I got it in the net I was blown away.”
Big roach on a boilie
Catching the UK’s biggest fish is all about being dedicated, as Rob Thompson proved when an eight-hour round trip produced a huge brace of roach.
The bigger fish scaled 2lb 11oz and came after a switch of tactics from the float to legered boilies paid off at a southern stillwater.
Early in the session the waggler produced several roach to just under the 2lb mark, but with darkness imminent, the Leicester specialist changed to legered mini boilies and was instantly rewarded with a 2lb 7oz specimen.
That was the end of the action for the night, but moving swims at dawn reinvigorated the session, with the maggot feeder helping him fool the biggest of the trip.
Pods hit the River Trent
River anglers will be able to night-fish in style on a stretch of one of our most popular rivers this summer, thanks to an ambitious project being set up on a newly opened day-ticket fishery.
In what is believed to be the first of its kind for a running water venue, 10 portable glamping pods will be available to book from June 16 on a prolific 600 yard stretch of the River Trent in Newark, Nottinghamshire.
The pods, which run on solar power and offer a charging point, a USB port and a socket for a kettle is the brainchild of fishery manager Joe Fox, who is building more of the pods for other fisheries to rent.
“River anglers don’t get the comfort of their stillwater counterparts so these will allow them to enjoy a night session in comfort,” said Joe. To book a session at the fishery or ask about renting pods, visit Joe’s Facebook page: Maltkiln Lane Trent Fishing.
Finally, it’s a Bait-Tech festival win for Geldart
Bait-Tech Festival (Mon-Fri)
White Acres Holiday Park (140 pegs)
Andy Geldart has quite a record on these Cornish festivals, having won three plus the Parkdean Masters down the years but the Leeds angler had never been victorious in the Bait-Tech, the opening festival of the season at White Acres
– until now.
Scoring 32 points after dropped section scores were taken into account, the Matrix/Dynamite Baits angler and former Fish O’ champ ended in front to take the £1,600 top prize ahead of a cluster of anglers on 31 points. England man Callum Dicks proved the best of them to finish second by virtue of a better dropped score.
Andy’s week began on peg 6 of Trelawney Lake, where he weighed in 97-8-0 for a section win. He took F1s and the odd carp on meat at 5m plus around 20lb of silverfish on chopped worm and caster in the margins. He followed that up with more of the same on Tuesday at Trewaters peg 27. His 132-8-0 of carp saw him take second overall on the lake as he caught on bomb and bread and waggler and meat to the island and meat shallow on the long pole.
Wednesday proved to be Andy’s blip as Acorn Lake
peg 3 delivered a third in section with 89-0-0 of F1s and carp on meat at 6m. Thursday saw him back on track with a lake second and section win, thanks to 142-0-0 of big carp on meat fished at 7m and 5m from Bolingey Lake peg 42.
That set him up for a grandstand finish on Friday – and Pollawyn Lake peg 34 delivered with a section win to seal the title. Using bomb and bread and long pole and meat, his 66-0-0 was made up of five carp plus skimmers.
Result: 1 A Geldart, Matrix/Dynamite Baits, 32pts;
2 C Dicks, Maver, 31 (dropping six points); 3 P Holland, Guru, 31 (dropping four points – 547-6-0); 4 N Cornwell, 31 (dropping four points – 514-14-0); 5 R Wootton, Shimano/Dynamite Baits, 31 (dropping four points – 496-2-0); 6 J Howarth, Tri-Cast, 31 (dropping four points – 480-15-0).
Dan Taylor’s 60lb carp is a record for Kent lake
Dan Taylor’s incredible run of fish has reached another peak with Britain’s newest 60-pounder.
The 60lb 8oz mirror is the 27-year-old’s sixth UK fish over 50lb and came from the Carp Lake at Kent’s Wingham syndicate.
The lake-record fish, known as Black Spot, is Wingham’s first sixty and had previously been caught at 50lb and 54lb having been born in the incredibly rich lake.
Last season, tree surgeon Dan had three 50-pounders from the syndicate, including a 59lb 8oz common, plus another fifty from the Essex Manor. His new personal best came on his first trip back to Wingham since August and was part of an incredible triple take.
The Ashford angler had netted a low-twenty common just after dawn on day one of a three-night session when his second rod produced a 29lb 14oz common. As he was weighing that second fish, his third rod ripped off.
“The third fish put up a tremendous scrap and my heart was in my mouth when I saw the black spot on her flank that meant I’d hooked the lake’s biggest mirror,” said Dan.
“When I eventually landed her I was shaking.
“I was shaking even more when the head bailiff weighed her at 60lb 8oz! I was still shaking as I struggled to lift her for the photos.”
Wingham boss Steve Burke said: “When Dan first came to do some tree surgery for us I didn’t expect he’d join the staff, let alone catch four fifties from the Carp Lake in less than 12 months.
“Neither did I expect a sixty so soon, as we’re still five or six weeks away from spawning.
“This fish was born at Wingham and is still growing fast, so it’s anyone’s guess as to what weight she’ll eventually reach.”
Jeremy Wade to the rescue!
One of the world’s most famous anglers helped save the life of a fellow fisherman who was stranded on a remote island and was apparently ‘preparing to die’.
The incredible story unfolded during filming of the next series of River Monsters with Jeremy Wade around a group of uninhabited islands off the coast of Australia’s Northern Territory. There the crew found a ‘castaway’ who’d been without water or food for almost three whole days.
“We were filming for an episode of Series 8 called ‘Death Down Under’ and headed to the opposite end of the island because the waters where we’d originally planned to be were far too choppy,” said episode director Stephen Shearman.
“We saw this blue cooler box on a rock and the team joked that Tom Hanks might pop out of nowhere like in the film ‘Castaway’. Then this guy came running out of a cave and on to the shore, screaming for help and water. He was in a very bad way.”
Jeremy and the crew rushed to the aid of the man, called Tremine, and gave him water and hydration pills following a harrowing ordeal that saw the experienced hobby fisherman from Borroloola NT go without supplies for 60 hours.
The human body can survive only 72 hours without water, and this, coupled with blistering temperatures averaging 110ºF at Barranyi North Island – 60 miles from the nearest township – meant that the River Monsters crew were the roofer’s only chance of survival.
As he recovered in one of the team’s boats he told his rescuers that he’d already said his final prayer and was ‘preparing to die’.
“Tremine had left his boat and after a few hours digging for oysters took a wrong turn, got beaten by the sun and spent the night on the beach,” Stephen continued.
“It was just lucky that we decided to film somewhere else, otherwise we would have never found him. Myself, Jeremy and all the crew have been truly humbled by the experience.To save someone’s life under such incredible circumstances is something that none of us will forget.”
Tremine stayed with the River Monsters team overnight at a lodge that they used between filming, and the following day he was fit enough to return home.
- Series 7 of River Monsters with Jeremy Wade is currently showing on ITV1.
First double figure tench of the season hit the bank
This stunning underwater image captures the species that thousands of anglers will be targeting this weekend as popular tench waters bring big catches and huge specimens.
Species enthusiasts from every corner of the country will be looking to catch the iconic tincas as we enter what is historically the traditional tench fishing season – and they have every reason to be rubbing their hands in anticipation of the weeks to come.
EastEnders star Scott Maslen banked one of the biggest tench of the season so far in the shape of this impressive 10lb 2oz specimen (pictured) from Oxfordshire’s Linear Fisheries, a water that’s hit top form for this fair-weather species.
The fishing fanatic, who plays the character Jack Branning in the hit BBC soap opera, banked the fish using a white Mainline Baits pop-up while fishing for carp with good friend Kev Hewitt who also landed an 8lb 5 oz tench.
Scott and Kev are just two of the many visitors that have been taking advantage of the vast tench stocks at the Oxfordshire complex.
“Tench are on the feed in all our lakes and anglers are now cashing in on the action,” said Linear Fisheries head bailiff Ian Roper.
“We’ve had the two biggest fish from the complex this year, Scott landing his 10lb 2oz fish and another angler specifically targeting tench on the Manor Lake who recently banked a cracker of 10lb 3oz.
“This is the time of year when tench start going on the feed not just here, but at waters across the UK, so there could be no better time to get out there and have a go for them.”
Mike Lyddon is one of the UK’s most respected specimen hunters and he proved why you should be giving one of your local day-ticket waters a go this weekend when he banked over 150lb of the species in a single session.
The Gardner Tackle man was fishing the Oak Pond at Three Ponds Holiday Park in Sussex and banked 25 tench, with the best three weighing 8lb 7oz, 8lb 5oz and 7lb 10oz.
After locating a small bar at 30 yards he spodded out a mix of hemp, pellets, corn, maggots and broken boilies to pull the fish into his swim.
He fished a single boilie over the top on a rig made with 10lb mainline, a coated braid hooklink and a size 8 hook.
Shock zander – on a boilie!
John Lam accidentally hooked this 11lb 10oz zander while targeting an urban stillwater.
Carp were the Yorkshire angler’s target at his local venue but they refused to take his boilie hookbait.
With time running out, he started to pack up – then one of his alarms signalled a bite.
After a short battle Jon got the biggest surprise of his angling career: “I’d never landed a zander before so to get off the mark with such a huge fish was a massive surprise,” he said.
“Even though predators weren’t my intended target, this fish definitely made the session one to remember.”
Divers unlock the mysteries hidden beneath the surface
Behind the masks of these two fearless divers are the faces of fishing fanatics eager to reveal the secrets of lakes and stillwaters across the UK.
Jodie Calladene and Mark Barrow come closer to fish than most anglers can only dream of, while offering their free service to angling clubs and fishery owners.
To unlock the secrets that lie beneath the surface of some of our most popular venues, the Yorkshire pair strap on their diving kit and venture into the unknown. This has revealed the location of pike and carp to over 30lb, and taught them more about angling and fish behaviour than they could ever have imagined.
Mark, who has dived in salt and freshwater for over 30 years and fished rivers since he was a boy, says the service has dramatically improved his fishing skills while helping fishery owners understand their venues much better.
“I started fishing at eight and always had a fascination for what lies at the bottom of a river. When I started diving it blew me away that the mental image I had of a river or lakebed was completely different to how it actually is,” he told Angling Times.
“The dives have taught me so much about how fish move, how far they travel and how they feed – observations which have improved my angling fourfold – and we’ve been passing this information on to fishery owners and clubs for free because we love what we do.”
Jodie and Mark’s project, Beneath British Waters, was launched in 2014 but it only recently have they started to take requests to take photographs or shoot underwater videos.
They have covered the rivers Derwent, Wharfe, Eden, Esk and Liddle, plus dozens of stillwaters, in order to find out more about their stocks.
However, not all their weird and wonderful sights have been down to nature.
As well as some stunning fish and fantastic plant life, the guys have seen all sorts of strange things, from river crossings used by soldiers to escape the battle of Marston Moor in the English Civil War to sunken vehicles at the bottom of lakes. One object will stay in Mark’s mind forever: “I was doing a solo night dive on the River Wharfe. We swam into this 4ft deep pool and there, staring back at me, was a fully dressed mannequin in a blue dress, all made up as if she was going out on a date – it was the most creepiest thing you could ever imagine,” he said.
The pair, who fund all their dives from their own pockets, are not stopping there. Dozens more trips are planned for the coming months as more and more fisheries request their services.
For Jodie, a carp angler from Morton, in North Yorkshire, it’s all an education: “At the end of May we have been invited to a water that holds 35lb-plus pike, so we are hoping to get these fish on film, as we have been working on a pike production for the last 12 months,” he said.
“This year will also see us doing vidoes of barbel and freshwater eels and we are hoping to hit the salmon run underwater – which will be amazing. We are even considering filming carp taking an angler’s bait.”
Watch the videos online
Mark and Jodie’s videos and images can be viewed on their Facebook page and on their YouTube channel. Search for Beneath British Waters.
And if you’re interested in them paying a visit to your water, email: beneathbritishwaters@gmail.com
Irish roach glory days here again
A river thought to be well past its best is being hailed as Europe’s greatest roach fishery after it produced a series of huge catches to over 100lb.
Closed-season restrictions don’t apply in Northern Ireland, where the upper River Bann has seen an incredible silverfish revival.
The waterway was a major attraction to UK anglers during the 1980s, but then the giant shoals of roach almost disappeared.
Now the glory days have returned, with UK match fishing star Klaus Fix cashing in on the recent resurgence.
On the Shillington stretch of the Bann at Portadown he enjoyed fish-a-chuck action, ending the day with this massive net of prime roach.
“I’ve been lucky enough to fish some of the best silverfish waters in Europe, and the action here is well up there with anything I’ve ever experienced,” he said.
“I used pole to hand for more than 500 roach in a session. It’s easy to see why the Bann is drawing back the anglers just like in the glory days.”
Local expert Phil Jackson was on hand to witness the catch, and insists that the achievement was far from just sheer luck.
He told Angling Times: “In its heyday 100lb catches of roach were nothing to rave about, and it looks like we could be getting to that point again.
“I’ve heard of loads of catches over 70lb in the last few weeks with several into triple figures.
“Anglers used to travel to Northern Ireland to experience what the Bann had to offer, and its recent form proves that they wouldn’t be wasting their time if they made the journey over now.”
43lb 8oz mirror gives its captor a right run-around
The General lived up to its hard-fighting reputation by giving Sam Mee’s tackle a stern test at a Hampshire stillwater.
The 43lb 8oz brute beat the 24-year-old’s personal best by over 5lb and fell during a weekend session at a Ringwood lake.
“The fight was filled with long, powerful runs but the initial run must have been a good 30 yards,” said the mechanic “The fish is known for a great fight and it kited right and left, weeding me up too!”
The Dorset angler added: “Effort is key over here and I had been walking its banks during the week to keep me in touch. I knew where the fish had been holding up and after talking to a couple anglers it seemed they hadn’t moved too far during the week.
“I had a walk round a large chunk of the lake and saw a few fish showing themselves a fair bit further out than I could fish, as quite often seems the way. “However, I was confident and pretty sure that they would turn up on me the next morning, so I dropped into a gap. After a quiet night, I set the alarm early and was up just after first light.
“A few fish were showing in my zone and by 10.30am I was into a fish which ripped off at a rate of knots.”
Sam fished CC Moore pop-ups on hinged stiff rigs on lead clips and leadcore.
Huge canal perch
Predator fishing fanatic Danny Esox became the envy of specimen anglers across the UK when he hit the jackpot with this huge canal perch.
At this time of the year many anglers target stillwaters for the species, but the 39-year-old businessman from Yorkshire continued to show the potential of canals when he used the popular drop shotting tactic at a venue in the South.
He fooled the mint-conditioned predator with a Savage Gear 3D Bleak, a 6lb braided mainline and a 4lb fluorocarbon leader.
“Me and my mate Ant Glascoe Jnr don’t weigh the perch we catch,” said Danny. “But this was a certainly a huge fish.”
Huge tackle shop Future Fishing opens
One of the biggest tackle shops ever built in the UK has opened its doors for business.
Located in Farndon on the outskirts of Newark, Notts, Future Fishing Ltd features more than 12,000 square feet of branded tackle for carp, match, coarse and predator anglers.
The two-storey shop includes a lure demo tank, a help and advice area, a bivvy village, a 17m pole alley and a huge aquarium modelled on the River Trent.
Shop owner Tony Porter said: “We want to provide the help and advice of a small high street tackle shop with the stock and products of a superstore. We think anglers will appreciate and deserve a decent shopping experience.”
The store is holding an open day on June 4 where guests can meet some of the sport’s biggest names including Shimano-backed matchman Nick Speed and carper Ian Macmillan.
Situated just off the A46, the shop is open every day til 6pm and from 10am-4pm on Sundays. Visit: Facebook, www.futurefishing.co.uk or call 01636 612654.
Kevin Nash witnesses his own 52lb mirror
Kevin Nash’s Copse Lake produced its biggest fish to one of the first anglers to fish it since it was opened to the public.
The 52lb mirror, known as 4x4, fell to Michael Clements during a five-night session at the Essex venue, soon to be available on a booking basis.
After taking to a boat to free the fish from weed, Michael was greeted on the bank by Kevin himself. “This made the moment even more special, and one I will never forget,” said Michael.
“Even if I had blanked I can honestly say I had a fantastic week, but the capture of this beautiful huge carp made it even better. Church Lake is stunning, with equally stunning carp swimming about in its depths.”
Towards the end of a testing week in changeable conditions, Michael switched tactics to trip up the fifty. He said: “After trying a range of tactics, a switch to a pink Key pop-up straight off the lead in the thickest weed I could find proved successful.
“The bobbin lifted two inches before dropping to the floor, indicating the lead had come off. Picking the rod up I was straight away forced to give line as a very powerful fish made the first of several long runs.”
Pure Barston gold for Supercup final
Finalists in the 2016 Angling Times/Bait-Tech Supercup will be bound the the West Midlands once again as Barston Lakes hosts the big match on Saturday, September 17.
Fifteen teams of six will do battle at the Solihull fishery, hosting its third final in a row. All will aim to be crowned the kings of club fishing, having battled through two regional rounds and a semi-final before taking on one of the finest fisheries in the UK.
This will be a stern test of all-round angling ability.
A range of methods will be needed to conquer the Main and Match Lakes on site, with five sections fishing the big lake and the remaining section of 15 on the very different match water. Feeder, pellet waggler, bomb, long pole and margin fishing are all likely to be used to score those valuable points.
“Barston remains the perfect venue for a true test of match fishing,” said event organiser Richard Grange. “The lakes have been in top form for the last two finals and we can expect more of the same this September. The skimmer fishing in particular is outstanding but bonus carp and, if you can find them, F1s will make a real difference to an angler’s final weight. Playing it safe and fishing for silverfish may give you a good final score but will it be enough? On past history, it would seem not. A few carp are always needed.”
Once again, finalists will get a free breakfast and evening meal plus a box of bait courtesy of sponsor Bait-Tech, while the best points scorer after five hours of fishing will get their hands on the famous silver trophy.
“We’re delighted to host the final once again and I know from speaking to finalists last year who had travelled a long way that they always feel that the final is very special,” said Barston boss Nigel Harrhy. “From the build-up and practice to the day itself, it’s a proper team match with a great buzz at the draw and afterwards in the clubhouse. The lakes have been in great form all through the winter and I expect that to carry on right through to the final.”
Last-ditch UK fifty!
Just weeks before his syndicate ticket expired, Carl Sharp outwitted this 54lb 4oz mirror with a balanced homemade hookbait.
The fish, known as Harris, fell to the 32-year-old at Rosemere in Cambridgeshire to perfectly round off Carl’s time at the venue.
He said: “When the fish hit the spreader block I instantly knew from its sheer size that it was the one I wanted, the queen of the lake, and with only a few weeks left until my ticket ends as well!
“What a storybook ending to the short campaign at Rosemere, to top it off with a new personal best and my first-ever UK fifty.”
It was the first time the Angling Direct shop manager, from Willenhall in the West Midlands, had used a homemade corkball wafter, which he had created for a subtle presentation.
“I used homemade corkball wafters that I was playing with especially for this venue, as I couldn’t seem to buy a bite on blatant pop-ups, but I didn’t want them hard on the bottom. So with a bit of playing around by wrapping paste around cork balls I got the consistency right and was eager to try them.”
Carl arrived at the venue to find three anglers in situ, but his favoured swim free. Having positioned his baits near some large weedbeds, the bite came early the following morning.
He said: “Just on first light, my right-hand bobbin dropped slack.
“I made my way across to the pod to see the line ‘flicking’ in the twilight. It wasn’t the hardest of scraps, but then it can sometimes be a blessing in the weedy Rosemere water as their soft mouths can often get the better of you once they bury deep into the plantation.”