Triple specimen chub hit in a single week from Throop

Jim Quartermain enjoyed the fishing week of a lifetime when he banked a 2lb roach, a 14lb 2oz barbel and this plump 6lb 8oz chub. 

Targeting various lengths of the Dorset Stour at Throop, Jim alternated between float and leger tactics with pellets to get the all-important bites. 

On the first night of his session he bested the double-figure barbel using a light bomb outfit, while the chub and roach fell to trotted pellets just a couple of days later.

Amazing week with two 90lb carp from Europe

Scott Phillips has joined an exclusive club of anglers to have landed 90lb carp from two countries after a phenomenal session at Euro Aqua in Hungary.

The Midlands angler travelled to the record-breaking water and banked a double, a twenty, a thirty, a forty, a fifty, a sixty, a seventy, an eighty and a 92lb 2oz mirror in a single week.

Scott, who banked the Scar Fish at Les Graviers in France at 99lb two years ago, also snared a catfish estimated at over 130lb.

“A dream session or what?!” he said. “Hopefully one day I will be lucky enough to complete the full set and land a 100lb carp.”

Scott’s second-biggest fish of the session was an 84lb 4oz mirror on the final night, while his third-biggest resulted from his first bite of the week and weighed 74lb 4oz.

The 92-pounder came as part of an incredible double take that also produced a comparatively small fish of 50lb 8oz.

“I got into my bed around 10pm and was nearly asleep when all of a sudden the left-hand rod burst into life,” recalled Scott. 

“I was on it straight away and knew that I had another big fish on. Taking my time and playing it quite softly, I had gained about 20 yards on it when my right-hand rod started to scream off.

“Now, with a rod in each hand, I was shouting to my mate Chris, but he was fast asleep. 

“The second fish didn’t feel as big as the other one I was playing, so I put it back on the rest with the drag just loose enough to stop it pulling the rod in, and concentrated on the other fish.

“The fight lasted around 20 minutes in total and as soon as I saw it coming towards the net
I knew it was a big fish but didn’t have time to look at it properly because I had the other rod to sort out.

Scott added: “It wasn’t until we lifted it out of the water and on to the mat that I realised just how big it was!”

River roach run riot!

An incredible 500lb of float-caught roach tops a long list of redfin hauls this week as venues nationwide prove why sport with the popular species is at an all-time high.

Venues from West Yorkshire all the way down to the South West have been delighting visiting anglers, while those fishing a contest on the River Great Ouse in Bedfordshire were treated to some of best roach fishing of their lives as they filled their nets with roach and dace.

There were more than 20 weights of roach and dace into double figures during the Bedford Hospital Cup, staged on popular club stretches along the upper river, and the top four anglers shared almost 80lb of prime silverfish, all caught on traditional float tactics.

“The roach fishing this year has been the best ever,” said Milton Keynes Angling Association chairman Trevor Johnson.

“This match is perfect proof, but this is just the tip of the iceberg – big nets of roach are being caught up and down the entire river.

“I believe the roach boom on this venue, and countless other waterways across the country, is down to the ongoing silverfish stockings carried out by the Environment Agency.”

The River Trent is another in a long line of rivers that have seen the huge shoals of roach they were historically famous for make a welcome return.

Anglers been flocking to Trent hotspots Burton Joyce, Long Higgin and Gunthorpe to take nets to 20lb-plus of roach on floatfishing tactics, and the owner of a local tackle shop has revealed that sales of traditional roach baits bronze maggots, hemp and tares are on the up.

“Roach catches on the river have been exceptional. It’s not only about quantity either, as there are so many big individual fish being landed too,” said Tim Aplin, who runs Matchman Supplies Angling Centre in Nottingham.

“All the areas that used to produce big catches of roach back in the Trent’s heyday are back in form, and more and more anglers are now fishing for them. It’s great to see,” he said.

“This is reflected in the fact that our bait sales for those visiting the river have increased in line with the general improvement of fishing on the Trent.”

Moving further north, 25lb catches of roach on the stick float have become a common occurrence on the River Calder in West Yorkshire.

It’s this sheer quality of sport that is seeing anglers regularly travel more than 100 miles in order to take part in the weekly contests held on the river around the Mirfield area.

“We get anglers travelling from Newcastle, Nottingham and Manchester to fish here.

“Every week matches on the Calder are being won with between 17lb and 25lb of roach,” said Mirfield Angling Club president Martin Highe.

“There aren’t many better ways to spend a day’s fishing than with a float rod in your hand, catching quality roach.”

New British carp record at 69lb 13oz

“How I grew the record carp”

From 39lb to 69lb 13oz in three years – here’s the story of how RH Fisheries boss Rob Hales created the UK’s biggest carp

Timeline of ‘Big Rig’ 

2013 Brought in at 39lb and introduced into one of Rob’s growing-on reservoirs, where carefully selected carp are fed a diet of pellets to maximise growth potential. A custom-made, floating feeder introduces these on a timer.
2014 Big Rig attains a weight of 42lb and remains in the reservoir fed on a diet of pellets.
2015 The fish remains in the reservoir for another year, reaching an unrecorded weight
2016 The fish is moved to Rob Hales’ own fish farm where it’s used in a spawning programme to provide future generations of fast-growing carp.
2016 March Following a daily diet of two kilos of boilies and two large scoops of pellets every morning, all hand-fed by Rob, Big Rig reaches a weight of 58lb... and that’s after spawning.
2016  September Big Rig sends shockwaves through the angling world when she sets a new British carp record at 69lb 13oz, caught from The Avenue.
Future Rob is adamant that Big Rig has plenty more growing potential, and her offspring are now being nurtured to provide thousands more fast-growing carp for Rob’s own and other waters. 

This is the picture of the colossal 69lb 13oz carp that smashes the current British record.

The fish, known as Big Rig, was banked by Essex rod Tom Doherty just a few hours after he’d cast out into the Avenue Fishery in Shropshire, and it succeeds the current British best that stands at 68lb 1oz, caught by Dean Fletcher in January this year.

Fishing a Mainline Baits prototype boilie from a swim called Pete’s Point, the 33-year-old not only smashed his personal best of 44lb, but came agonisingly close to breaking the 70lb barrier. 

He did it with a rig constructed from rig components made by PB Products.

“It was only my second time on the fishery and now I’ve caught this giant. It still hasn’t sunk in,” Tom told Angling Times.

“Rob was with me when I was playing the fish, and the fact that we knew it was Big Rig made the fight the most tense that I’ve ever experienced.

“The sight of those huge shoulders coming over the net is something I will never forget. It’s the biggest fish I’ve ever seen.”

The other side to the incredible story is that of Avenue owner and boss of RH Fisheries, Rob Hales.

Ever since he began making UK anglers’ big-fish dreams come true at venues that regularly produce fish over 50lb, he’s been adamant that he would ‘grow’ a British record carp.

And the fruits of his labours have come in the form of the incredible Big Rig – a fish that has benefited from being reared in a reservoir fitted with floating automatic feeding systems. Rob also hand-fed the giant with boilies and pellets at his state-of-the-art fish farm to make his record-breaking bid a reality.

“Myself and everyone at RH Fisheries would like to congratulate Tom on his amazing capture,” said Rob. 

“I always knew that it was possible to grow a British record carp, so it was never a case of ‘if’, but ‘when’.

“This fish was in the fish farm earlier this year, and I’d feed her two kilos of boilies and a couple of big scoops of pellets every morning – but I’m blown away by the fact that she weighed in at 58lb back in March and now she’s fast approaching 70lb.

“There are many out there who criticise what I do, but I don’t care because most of these people don’t know the time, dedication, commitment and passion it takes to rear these fish and grow them on to reach the weights they do.

“I challenge them to come to my facilities and see what it takes, and they might change their minds.

“Anglers used to have to pay lots of money and travel to France in order to catch fish like this, but now you can catch them here in the UK. 

“That’s great for our sport and the angling industry as a whole. More and more anglers want to catch carp, the bigger the better. That’s a fact.”

Rob is now nurturing thousands of Big Rig’s offspring, some of which he intends to grow on and stock into his own day-ticket fisheries. Others will be sold to carp fisheries across the UK.

“Growing big fish is very unpredictable, but to get stock from an incredible specimen like this is very exciting,” said Rob.

“Who knows how big she will grow in the future? The same goes for her offspring.”

• The fish was weighed on two sets of scales, and has been verified at 69lb 13oz. A record claim is being submitted.

Emotional personal best carp weighs 53lb 8oz

Craig McEvoy’s storming 2016 has continued with an emotional session at the Avenue.

Back in May, the Black Country carper landed five forties and three thirties in the same session at Acton Burnell, but his lastest trip to an RH Fisheries venue produced a new UK personal best.

In 48 hours at the Shropshire syndicate water, Craig caught a 53lb 8oz mirror plus three others of 35lb 8oz, 32lb 4oz and 27lb before packing up to go to a family funeral.

“I had to pack up for midday on the final morning as I had my uncle’s funeral to attend,” said Craig. “I had three fish on the final morning, which included the fifty that I caught in the final hour of the session.

“It sure was an emotional day.”

Craig fed a total of 4kg of Mainline Cell boilies and fished matching hookbaits on size 8 Korda Kurv Shank hooks tied to 15lb Korda IQ2 fluorocarbon.

Huge roach from famed carp water

This 2lb 14oz roach proves that specimen fisheries hold much more than just big carp.

Captor Luke Sparkes was fishing a carp match on Brasenose 2 on the award-winning Linear Fisheries in Oxfordshire when he hooked the fish of a lifetime.

The Grimsby rod cast out a small bunch of maggots over a bed of red grubs that he’d introduced 120 yards out on the venue which has an ever-growing reputation for producing big roach, bream and tench.

“I couldn’t believe my eyes when the big roach popped up. This is a truly special fish to me,” he said.

“Even though I was after carp I aim to fish with rigs that give me the chance of catching other species too, as I class myself as an all-round angler.”

Black Country lads nick Division Two National by just a point

Angling Trust Division 2 National (Sat)
Birmingham/Fazeley Canal (28 teams)

Team result: 1 Sensas Black Country AS, 205pts; 2 Matrix Halifax CRFT, 204 (weight); 3 Drennan Oxford, 204; 4 Browning West Midlands, 202; 5 Drennan NW, 201; 6 Sensas Dams & Lock, 197; 7 Sensas Strike Angling, 192; 8 Maver Midlands, 187; 9 Scunthorpe Blue, 170; 10 Browning Central, 164; 11 Scunthorpe Dynamite Baits, 161; 12 Maver Coleman’s Bait & Tackle/Matchpack, 157; 13 Canal & River Trust AC, 154 (weight); 14 Tubertini Apollo, 154; 15 Browning Wickford, 153; 16 Slaithwaite DAA, 147; 17 Colin Barlow AC Sale, 134; 18 Stoke-on-Trent AA, 128; 19 Sensas Coleman’s Bait & Tackle, 124; 20 Long Eaton Federation, 117; 21 Tang Hall MG, 106; 22 Tring Anglers, 102 (weight); 23 Notts AA, 102; 24 Coleman’s Cottage Fishery, 96; 25 Littleport AC, 90; 26 Listerhills Old Boys AA, 79; 27 Chelmsford Angling, 73; 28 Washington & Harraton AC, 70.

Sensas Black Country made their in-depth knowledge of the Fazeley Canal worth its weight in medals as they won the Division Two National crown by a single point.

The local lads, most of whom live within a 20-minute drive of the venue, are all regulars on the canal and the feeling was that if they got a half decent draw they could ‘do a job’ in captain Mark Hardman’s words. 

Promotion, though, was their main aim, and they felt that their mass of experience should bring home the bacon.

“There are 192 pegs on the Dams & Lock stretch and we fish the Summer League each year with two teams, but this year we rotated the lads around the various areas so they could all get a feel for it,” Mark said.

“We knew almost every peg that was in, but of course, they don’t always fish as you think they might. I looked at the draw and it was steady, no screaming flyers but importantly, only one shocker in G section where I thought our lad would do well to get a handful of points.

“Bream were likely to show as conditions were perfect but the boys knew that whether they had to ship in 250 little fish or go for bream, they could do it – that’s where knowing the water so well comes into play,” Mark continued. “We did, however, think that the fish were sick of seeing chopped worm so we based a lot of our bonus fish work around just casters alongside the more standard squatt and groundbait fishing for little fish.”

The general plan for Black Country was to fish a short line near the keepnet for a few perch while their other lines settled, then go three-quarters of the way across in 2ft or 2ft 6ins of water for bread-and-butter roach, perch and gudgeon on squatts. Big-fish lines went at the same range of 11m but at angles just into the deeper boat track with double caster as hookbait.

“We knew that if we drew a peg with skimmers or bream we’d need to spend a good amount of time trying for them, whereas in an out-and-out small-fish swim it was a case of heads down and keep something going in the net with the odd look for a bonus,” Mark revealed. 

“We got back to HQ and from half of the side we’d scored 130 points, so we reasoned that 210 or 220 would see us in the top five and promoted. 

“When the results were read out, Browning West Midlands, who we thought had done really well, were only fourth so for a moment I did think that we might not have made the top 10! Simon Nickless soon told me to stop being so daft and reckoned we might have won it! 

“So we’re in Division One on the Shropshire Union Canal next summer, and that’s another canal we know really well. Our deal with Sensas has really helped us and we’ve now got the perfect mix of experienced old heads and some great youngsters coming through,” Mark added.

222lb Siamese carp!

This incredible picture shows one of the world’s biggest Siamese carp – snared on the Method feeder.

It was caught by Tim Webb, the owner of the award-winning Palm Tree Lagoon in Thailand. 

The specimen weighed 222lb and smashed his previous best for the species of 180lb.

He was battling the fish for an hour-and-a-halfbefore it was brought under control with a 50lb braided hooklink and a size 1 hook. “This is, by far, the biggest Siamese carp I’ve ever heard of, let alone seen,” Tim told Angling Times.

“I caught it from an undisclosed stillwater, but I bought the fish and in the photo I am about to stock it into Palm Tree Lagoon. Now anyone can come and try to catch this enormous specimen,” he added.

To find out about Palm Tree Lagoon visit: www.palmtreelagoon.co.uk

Lucky peg 13 brings Welsh forty

Welsh day-ticket water has produced its first 40-pounder in more than two years.

The 40lb 1oz mirror was caught by Shropshire angler Nick Burrage on only his second visit to White Springs, near Swansea.

Fishing with friend Mick Stacey on the Specimen Lake, Nick settled into swim 13, the only peg available when he made the booking a month earlier.

“It was very warm and sunny as we set up, but I like to get my rods out first to make use of every minute on the bank,” said Nick. 

“Within two hours of the rods being out, the one over on the nearby island let out a beep, and with the line lifting in the rings slightly I felt it and drew it back a foot at a time. Without being able to feel the lead at any point, I lifted the rod and was left reeling in lots of slack – until I reached the fish that was swimming towards me!

“By the time I was bent into the fish, it had powered through two of Mike’s lines and we quickly took the bail-arms off to stop the fish using the tight lines like a disgorger to unhook itself. 

“A close-in battle with rolls and boils at my feet continued for
10 minutes, showing her power and fitness. Then, soon enough, she popped up and after one last roll she found my net. 

“The guy came round from next door to see and the scales swung round to 40lb 1oz. We all checked and checked again. The capture became a talking point around the lake and on the internet – I suppose not everyone will be happy about a Shropshire lad catching this fish!

“The lake owner came down, and he’s a great guy. He was telling me about the restocking, so it’s well worth a visit if you’re in that neck of the woods.”

Thousands more angling recruits

The future of angling is bright thanks to the success of this year’s National Fishing Month, which introduced nearly 14,000 new people to the sport over the summer.

The initiative, which is the country’s largest angling participation programme, held a record-breaking 326 special events throughout July and August in a bid to promote fishing to a much wider audience. 

During the six-week period, newcomers across the country were able to learn about fishing and gain new skills thanks to round-the-clock help from licensed coaches and angling bodies such as the Canal & River Trust, the Angling Trust and the Professional Anglers Association. 

Naidre Werner, Chair of the Angling Trades Association (ATA) which runs National Fishing Month, told Angling Times: “I’m over the moon that our NFM participant numbers continue to reflect how important NFM is in creating awareness of angling to the general public. 

“We really do fly the flag for fishing… and people love it!” 

The real key to NFM’s ongoing success is without doubt attributable to the enthusiastic and steadfast support of the voluntary organisers and coaches who actually plan and deliver the events every year. 

“It’s thanks to their hard work that the sport is exposed to so many people – and they deserve our greatest thanks and gratitude for helping recruit the next generation of anglers to our wonderful sport,” Naidre said.

One body that contributed to the overall success of the campaign was the Canal & River Trust, whose partnership with the National Fishing Month campaign helped expose the country’s waterways to hundreds of people. 

John Ellis, Fisheries Manager for the Canal & River Trust, said:
“We are delighted with how well our new partnership with National Fishing Month worked out this year – engaging with nearly 1000 participants. 

“We are already planning a larger programme of events on our canals and rivers in 2017 to make sure that even more people get the fishing habit.”

National Fishing Month was also popular with top fishing brands Daiwa, Fladen, Fox, Leeda and Pure Fishing, who collectively helped make the campaign a reality and a success. 

Naidre Werner added: “These establishments have demonstrated the admirable virtue of ‘putting something back into angling’, and I applaud them for it.”

To find out more information about the event, visit: www.nationalfishingmonth.com

Spider-web rod and WW1 fishing hero revealed on hit BBC show

A rod built by an angler whose fishing skills saved his life in the First World War has appeared on the BBC television series the Antiques Roadshow.

The 17ft ‘spider-web rod’, which uses mechanics similar to those of a crane to support the extra length that revolutionised fishing at longer distances, was built before the First World War by John Henry Hirst. It was valued at £3,000 during the latest episode of the BBC1 series.

But the spider-web rod was just one part of the incredible story of a man who was so good at fishing that he was pulled out of the trenches in 1915 to help feed his comrades.

The Yorkshireman, who died in 1963 aged 75, kept a highly detailed fishing diary between 1901 and 1948 that tells the incredible tale of how he took fishing tackle to the Western Front and braved machine gun fire to fish the rivers, canals and ponds of the Somme and around Ypres in Belgium in order to collect food.

The rod was presented to experts on the show by current owner Victor Bonutto, who has has been collecting and valuing vintage tackle for nearly 30 years and decided to buy it after hearing about it from Hirst’s daughter. 

He told Angling Times: “John was an incredibly brave man and a fantastic angler, hence the reason he was charged with catching fish to feed the troops. 

“I had no idea the rod existed until Hirst’s daughter approached me at an angling fair and told me the whole story, and it just blew me away. He patented its design and won countless events on his return. fom the war”

Hirst also ran a successful local newspaper and wrote angling reports, while his glittering match angling career saw him captain the famous Bradford team in the 1930s and win medals fishing in the All England Nationals. 

He was even quoted as saying that he was so good he would let his fellow competitors have a head start at the beginning of matches. 

The rod, that was partially made from bamboo, had been sitting in his daughter’s attic for 60 years until Victor and the family made contact. 

The Welshman then set to work on restoring it: “The rod was in really poor condition but it was well made,” he said.

 “It wasn’t just an ordinary rod with bits stuck on it, was actually designed and made from scratch – it’s an amazing piece of equipment, which I believe John wanted to commercialise for mass production, hence the reason for the patent he took out on the design.”

Antiques Roadshow’s Adam Schoon, who valued both the rod and two stuffed carp which John caught during the war, was equally amazed at the story. During the broadcast he said: “It’s not just the uniqueness and age of the items that make them incredible, it is the story behind it that’s so fascinating.” 

Would you like advice on a piece of antique tackle? Contact Victor on 07977 599218, email: tinca@gwlad.eclipse.co.uk

You can check out the episode of Antiques Roadshow featuring the rod on BBC iPlayer.

Personal best perch is a joy to (be)hold…

Catching big fish is all about being able to adapt, and Marcus Joy did just that when a barbel fishing session produced this 3lb 12oz perch.

He spotted the predator during a visit to a local river, so he dashed back to his car and exchanged his barbel fishing gear for a spinning outfit.

It was an inspired decision by the Lone Angler Team member. from Gainsborough, Lincs, as he returned to the water and the new personal best took his small rubber lure on the second cast.

“I’m going to keep the spinning rod in the boot for the rest of the season, but I doubt I’ll beat my new pb for quite a while,” he said.

Traffic jam is to thank for giant Severn zander!

Garry Bagley had a 10-mile traffic jam to thank for the capture of this 17lb 2oz river zander.

Having been sat bumper to bumper for over an hour, the predator fishing fanatic decided that he’d rather be sitting on the banks of the River Severn than in his stationary car on the M5.

After turning off the notoriously troublesome motorway, the 58-year-old from Stourbridge admitted that he didn’t expect to get a single run after casting out a small roach deadbait – in bright, warm conditions the odds seemed stacked against him.

But Garry got one of the biggest surprises of his angling career when the huge fish made off with his bait, legered just a few rodlengths out from the bank.

“Conditions couldn’t have been worse for fishing but I’d much rather be on the river than sat staring at the car in front of me,” Garry told Angling Times.

“To say that it was a big surprise when I got the bite would be an understatement, but not as big a shock as when the fish came to the surface.”

His impromptu session on a lower section of the famous waterway was rewarded when he positioned his bait close to a snaggy area with a rig made from 65lb braid, a 30lb wire trace and size 8 trebles.

“If it wasn’t for that traffic jam I would never have caught this fish – I wouldn’t have even bothered under those conditions. It just shows you how unpredictable fishing can be,” Garry said. “This is a huge fish for this time of the year, so you can imagine how big it could be come the winter.”

Second 50lb carp of 2016

A best man is there to support the groom through his big day – and that’s just what Phil Horton did as his mate Carl Sharp banked his second fifty of 2016.

Carl had booked Meadows Lake at Holme Fen in Cambridgeshire for a week-long stag do with a group of friends and hooked into this 52lb 7oz mirror five minutes after Phil arrived in his swim. 

“He wasn’t supposed to get there until later that evening,” said West Midlander Carl, “but he managed to leave work early and I met him at the gate just as I was coming back from the shops.

“I was in the Party Point swim, so I told him to double up in there with me. I’d just cast my first rod back out and was wrapping up the second one when I got the bite.”

The Willenhall Angling Direct shop manager, who gets married in Greece later this year, also managed a 46lb 7oz mirror on the penultimate morning of the week-long session.

After a slow start, Carl’s fifty arrived on the fourth day after resting one of his spots.

“There’s a small clear channel at 70 yards down the centre of the lake, which I baited and fished over to begin with, but on the second day I saw fish showing at range and put all three rods on single hookbaits at about 130 yards,” said Carl, who banked a 54lb Rosemere mirror in April.

After keeping his rods at range, the 32-year-old added a bit more bait to the shorter spot but did not fish there until just before his bite. 

He said: “I put a single hookbait on the spot after coming back from having a shower and popping to the shops, and it was away before I could get the second rod in.”

Best man Phil was rewarded for bringing a dose of good luck by catching his own forty, at 43lb 12oz, the next day. 

Fellow stag-party member Lee Rolfe also caught a personal best of 45lb 2oz.

“It’s just off the scale,” said Carl of the average size of fish. “You can go to France and still have to wade through twenties, so for us to have four fish over 40lb is incredible.”

September heatwave promises a bonanza of personal bests

Fisheries across the UK have hit their best form of the year for big carp, following some of the hottest September temperatures since records began.

Traditionally, this time of year is deemed by some of the sport’s biggest names as the best for beating carp personal bests as the nights draw in and fish go on the feed in readiness for winter.

It’s a theory that’s being proved at some of the top big-carp waters. In addition, commercial fisheries that hold larger carp are also reporting a huge increase in the capture of high double-figure fish, with specimens reaching 20lb.

Now, with record-breaking temperatures bringing warm water conditions, experts and fishery owners are saying there’s never been a better time for anglers to get down to their local carp venue and reap the rewards.

“It’s the best time of the year to target big carp and you’d be foolish not to be out there, especially with the recent high temperatures,” said Andrew Ellis, owner of AE Fisheries

“Some very high-profile carp anglers are all saying that this is the best chance of a monster.

“The only thing on a carp’s mind at this time of the year is feeding up ready for the winter and building up its stores of fat. 

“I feed my carp more now than at any other time of year. This feeding behaviour is being mirrored at thousands of fisheries across the country.”

Iain Macmillan with a fine late summer common.

Respected Shimano-backed carper Iain Macmillan echoed Andrew’s sentiments: “There are often more big carp caught between now and Christmas than at any other time of the year.

“There’s every reason to get really excited as this is the time when it’s not just about catching the really huge fish, but also big hits are on the cards.”

It’s not just day-ticket venues such as Oxfordshire’s Linear Fisheries and Staffordshire’s Baden Hall that have continued their incredible summer form for big fish. 

‘Runs’ waters like Northamptonshire’s Drayton Reservoir, Stafford Moor in Devon and Barston Lakes in the West Midlands are also in top fettle.

“There are loads of big doubles coming out at the moment, as a recent match was won with many carp between 16lb and 20lb,” said Barston Lakes boss Nigel Harrhy.

“Guys who just come here for runs are regularly upping their personal bests, and this time of the year is always spot-on for the bigger fish to switch on to the feed,” he added.

Big fish decide 2016 Carp Cup winners

The big fish came out to play for the final of this year’s British Carp Cup at Branston Water Park in Staffordshire.

Three thirties were caught and two anglers broke their personal bests in the 48-hour event, which pits the winners of the Northern, Southern and Midlands Carp Cups against each other.

The title was won by experienced pair Callum Gutteridge and Karl Palmer, who landed five fish for 107lb 3oz.

Ashley Izzard and Darren Pearse came second with two fish for 56lb 14oz, including a 32lb 9oz mirror for Darren. 

Paul Butler and Kevin Durling, who stormed into an early lead, came third with three fish for 52lb 2oz.

All the fish came during daylight hours, including a 32lb 14oz common to Ricky Dummer, fishing with his brother Billy. In all, 17 carp were caught at the 29-acre gravel pit at an average of over 18lb.

This year’s team event was won at a canter by DNA Baits, who had three pairs in the final.

Prebait helps tempt bream of 16lb 1oz

Prebaiting paid off handsomely for specimen hunter Paul Faint when he banked three double-figure bream topped by this 16lb 1oz fish.

His session at a Lea Valley gravel pit got off to a steady start after an initial introduction of pellets, corn and dead maggots the afternoon before.

First fish to fall for Paul’s traps were a small carp, a tench and a 7lb 12oz bream.

The big-fish hunter from Waltham Abbey, Essex, then topped up his swim and his imitation pop-up corn hookbait accounted for bream weighing 10lb 5oz and 10lb 1oz before his new personal best graced the landing net.

Captor’s five-year-old witnesses a 41lb 8oz common

A week of overnight sessions for James Winters was crowned by a very special moment with his daughter.

This 41lb 8oz common was the pick of a string of fish, and was witnessed by five-year-old Hattie.

In a hectic week that saw James fish four separate overnighters at the Carp Society’s Farriers Lake in Gloucestershire, he banked two doubles, three twenties to 29lb and a 36lb common, plus the forty.

It was the final session of the week that produced the biggest fish. Said James: “I was due to go on holiday on the Thursday so on the Tuesday I decided on one last quick overnighter. This time, though, I took my five-year-old daughter Hattie along. 

“We arrived at the lake at around 5pm and I knew getting back in the peg I was in before would be unlikely. It can be busy, especially if it’s done a few fish.

“Unsurprisingly, the peg was taken so we went just around the corner so I could get fairly close to the area I’d fished at the weekend.

“It was building up to a full moon and there were a few fish about, so I gave them a bit more bait than usual – around half-a-kilo of Sticky Manilla boilies per rod.”

After a fitful night’s sleep interrupted by tench and line bites, James eventually got a carp bite as dawn broke.

“It wasn’t much of a fight,” he said. “It did pick up my other line but within a few minutes it was in the net. 

“With no sleep I was absolutely hanging, and Hattie had slept through the lot, but to have to wake her to share the moment of catching a forty made it all very special indeed.”

Club-record chub

Just 60 minutes was all David Sansom needed to land this record-breaking 7lb 8oz chub.

The Bedfordshire angler netted the huge fish from a Vauxhall Angling Club stretch of the River Great Ouse near his home. 

It’s a specimen that sets a new club record for the species by 2oz, and was tempted by the club bailiff when he used a boilie hookbait hair-rigged to the back of a size 10 hook.

A fish that tipped the scales at 4lb 13oz also showed up during his short session, which began with the introduction of a handful of broken boilies.

Andy powers ahead for UK Champs title

Preston Innovations star Andy Power joined a select band of anglers with his second Old Ghost UK Angling Championships victory in a nail-biting final round at Barston Lakes.

Scoring eight points across the four-match series, the Somerset angler tied on points with Dale Shepherd, but tallied 210-558 against the 204-713 of Maver man Dale to win the £4,000 top prize and get his name etched on to the famous claret jug alongside his 2013 victory.

Sitting on six points heading into the final match, former Match This champ Andy drew in the same section at the Solihull lake just pegs away from his rival. Dale duly won his section to finish with eight points, Andy taking second to bring weight into play with just six kilos in it.

“I had reservations about Boddington Reservoir. I was told it was peggy and hard fishing,” Wells-based Andy said. “Round one at Lindholme couldn’t have gone any better but I came back down to earth with a bump on the Glebe with a fifth in section, and I thought I’d blown it. My only hope was to win my section in the final two matches.”

Boddington gave Andy a section win after drawing a reasonable area and so it all boiled down to Barston. With his nearest rivals also suffering at Boddington or the Glebe, Andy was leading by one point.

“When Dale drew peg 124 I thought it was game over. That peg is a guaranteed section win so I was fishing for second. If I could do that, I felt I’d win on weight,” he continued. “Pellet waggler gave me six big carp plus a few F1s but at the whistle I had no idea where I’d finished.

“Dale had won the section and people reckoned Greg Norris had caught 80lb while I thought I’d got 75lb – but as it turned out I beat Greg into second by 2lb and did it on weight.”

The final round was won by Geoff Vallance with 61-225 off peg 18 on the river bank. The Preston Innovations Delcac man went for broke on the Method feeder all day for a weight, but with little to show and just half-an-hour remaining he plopped the feeder into the margins and brought his total weight of carp to approximately 125lb. “That effectively won me the match and the £1,000 prize!” said Geoff.

Result: 1 Geoff Vallance, Preston Innovations Delcac, 61-225; 2 Adam Rooney, Guru, 55-325; 3 Paul Holland, Guru, 51-000; 4 Dale Shepherd, Maver, 48-547; 5 Phil Canning, Frenzee, 44-850; 6 Paul Hiller, Daiwa Dorking, 36-796.

Final league: 1 Andy Power, Preston Innovations, 8pts (210-558); 2 Dale Shepherd, Maver, 8 (204-713); 3 Chris Barley, Dynamite Baits, 10; 4 Andy Kinder, Maver/Marukyu, 12 (172-324); 5 Zak Brown, Preston Innovations, 12 (150-215); 6 Adam Wakelin, Preston Innovations, 12 (141-511).