18lb bream tops three monsters

A trio of specimen bream topped by the largest reported specimen of the season suggests that now is the perfect time to bank a new personal best. 

We start with an 18lb 4oz giant that proved to be the only bite of the session for its captor, big-fish enthusiast Andy West.

The Northampton-based angler had previously fished five 48-hour sessions on an undisclosed gravel pit with just four tench to show for his efforts, but his determination to catch his intended quarry finally paid off during a recent trip.

“I arrived at my peg and baited a spot at 60yds with 4kg of pre-soaked fish meal pellets and 0.5kg of 15mm Dynamite Baits Source boilies, corn and some hemp,” Andy said.

“The first night came and went with no action, but still confident I topped-up the area with six Spombs and fished a single Source boilie on each rod.”

This additional bait proved pivotal as by 2am the next morning, Andy’s rod was way. 

“Lifting the rod, contact was instant and you could tell it was a heavy bream,” he added.

“My previous best was a fish of 17lb 2oz, a weight I thought I would not reach again but you can never tell with fishing!”

The next big bream catch in the list fell to Nutrabaits-backed Brett Longthorne in the form of a 16lb 10oz fish taken from a low stock northern venue. 

Brett baited a deep hole next to an overhanging bush with a mixture of 4mm-6mm pellets and a scattering of Nutrabaits Trigger Ice boilies. 

He said: “At 4:30 am I had a take and after a short fight I slipped the net under a huge bream which was a new PB and the fish of a lifetime.”

Brett’s session also produced three other bream around 10lb.

The final bream of the trio fell to CC Moore and Fox-backed angler Richard Wilby. It weighed 16lb 2oz and was a new PB for Rich, who targeted a new venue with Method feeders coupled with CC Moore Pacific Tuna boilies.

 “It was my first proper big bream caught by design and was backed up with a 13lb 8oz fish all from my first night on a new venue,” he said.