Giant zander out from both sides of the english channel

An estimated 20lb zander has been banked from an English river by lure expert Greg Bafia. 

The 93cm predator, a new personal best, fell to a 7cm soft plastic ruffe pattern from the Realistic Shad company. 

Despite not having scales to hand, the London angler did measure the fish – caught on a fast-flowing stretch of a Midlands waterway – and was able to compare it to another big zander he caught nine years ago.

He said: “My previous personal best was 90cm long and weighed 18lb 12oz – so with an extra 3cm in length I’d estimate this zander to easily weigh around 20lb. 

“I fish exclusively for zander and have caught more than 30 doubles in my time, but this catch is by far my best.”

Meanwhile, his impressive zander wasn’t the only big predator caught last week. French angler Seb François was celebrating the capture of this world record-shaking 24lb specimen.

The fish measured 100cm and was just 1lb 6oz shy of the official record. 

Targeting a large stillwater in France, Seb fished in 10ft of water using Fox Rage 18cm Tiddler Fast in Hot Tiger colours.