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.

Mini boilies account for a 2lb 7oz roach

Respected big-fish specialist Dave Harman’s big roach campaign took off when he netted this 2lb 7oz specimen.

His chosen venue, a large southern gravel pit, didn’t respond to maggot feeder tactics due to the sheer numbers of small fish present.

But a switch to mini boilies did the trick and he struck gold on his most recent session when, after spotting some big fish at dawn, he cast out feeder rigs made from 6lb Drennan Super Specialist mainline and size 12 Drennan Barbel hooks.

“About 30 minutes after casting out I had a steady run, and I nearly had a heart attack when the huge roach popped up just a few yards from the net,” he said.