3lb 8oz rudd falls in lake punt trip

Despite cloudier and cooler conditions it is still possible to catch this iconic surface-feeding summer species... the rudd.

Dan Gale proved that when he slipped the net under this 3lb 8oz specimen. He caught the beautiful golden-flanked fish from a Lincolnshire stillwater, where he and a friend fished from a punt using traditional waggler tactics.

Dan told Angling Times: “The rudd came out of the blue after a string of fish in the 6oz-12oz range. My boat partner and I were very active in adjusting our shotting patterns and feeding to try and catch the better fish more consistently, but we had long spells where it was impossible to even get the float to settle before a bite occurred. 

“It seemed the faster we tried to get our baits through the shoals, the faster the fish would hit them.” 

What Dan describes is classic behaviour of shoal species like rudd and roach, showing that perseverance and actively adjusting your set-up is key to getting through to the specimens in the shoal.

The three-and-a-half-pounder was backed up by rudd of 2lb and 1lb 14oz, all the bites coming from a clearing in the weed which Dan targeted on sweetcorn.