biggest recorded zander of the season

Predator ace Garry Bagley admitted he was ‘on cloud nine’ after he banked the biggest recorded zander of the season in the form of this 19lb 2oz beauty. 

The 60-year-old from Stourport smashed his previous personal best for the species by 8oz when he legered a roach deadbait into an 18ft-deep marginal hole on a stretch of the River Severn. 

Being a traditionalist, Garry didn’t use a bite alarm and instead opted to watch the tip on his trusty 12ft North Western specimen rod for signs of a bite. 

He told Angling Times: “There was the slightest tap on the rod tip, which was enough for me to strike. 

“The rod bent double and I knew it was a good fish from the off. 

“A few surging runs followed by some big headshakes confirmed that it was a zander, but I hadn’t seen the fish for the entirety of the four-to-five-minute fight. 

“Once it surfaced I said to myself: ‘Please don’t come off, please don’t come off!’ because I have lost big zander  at this stage before.

“When it went over the net I had feelings of sheer relief and elation – I knew I had beaten my pb.”