Season's best eel caught!
This is the picture of the biggest eel of the season, weighing in at 7lb 12oz. The huge fish, which measured over 4ft long, was banked by Gary Truelove after he heard rumours that a stillwater near Southampton had produced specimen eels to 8lb in the past. It’s venue that’s better known for its carp and bream, so he opted to fish lobworms on 10lb line tied straight through to a size hook in the hope that a big eel might pick up his bait.
Gary banked a dozen bream before his bobbin lifted and he struck into what he thought was a big carp. “It just felt so heavy and I said to the guy on the next peg that this had to be a carp,” he told Angling Times. “The fish stayed out in the middle of the lake and after a strong battle lasting about 10 minutes, it broke the surface near to me. “I shouted to the guy next door to come and look at the size of this eel.
“The girth was like a drainpipe, it was over 4ft long, and my hands wouldn’t fit around it. “Like most fishermen, when I catch eels – generally by mistake – I find them a bit of a pain, but this fish I think rates as one of the top catches of my life and is one I will never forget. I guess I should do the lottery this week!” Gary’s legered lobworms also tempted bream that averaged between 3lb and 6lb.
