What a great start to the pike season!
The pike fishing season has got off to a flying start with three 30lb-plus specimens landed in the space of a few days.
Somerset’s prolific Chew Valley Reservoir produced two of the three monstes, boated by mates Ray Brown and John Chester during a weekend visit.
They enjoyed a fantastic Saturday and Sunday of predator fishing on the 1,200-acre venue and hooked no fewer than 10 pike between them on floatfishing mackerel deadbaits.
It was garden centre owner Ray who hooked the first big pike, a 24-pounder, following it up with a 30lb 14oz beauty on the very next cast.
He said: “We were floatfishing mackerel just off the lakebed and when the float sailed away I struck and set the hook.
“The fish came in slowly to the boat and to be honest I first thought it was a jack.
“It was a good job I had my clutch set light, as when it reached the boat it shot off at the speed of light!
“I gave up fishing for around 30 years but I’m very thankful to John, who persuaded me to take it up again and enjoy pike like this one.”
After a quick move to another area the baits were recast, and it didn’t take long before John’s float was away with a slightly bigger fish.
Ray added: “As it approached the net we could tell it was a slightly bigger fish, which the scaled acknowledged with a weight of 31lb 4oz.
“We have been Chew regulars for at least 10 years and have caught numerous fish over 20lb, including an incredible seven over 30lb between us – but never two thirties on the same trip!”
Scottish Loch giant
Predator fanatic Luke Reed proved that Scottish lochs are still prolific for huge pike when he slipped his net under this 30lb 4oz beast of a predator.
Fishing an undisclosed water, the 29-year-old from Middlesbrough hooked into his new personal best when something huge grabbed his joey mackerel deadbait close to the bank.
He said: “It put up an incredible fight and I knew it was a big fish as soon as I struck into it. Almost instantly it tail-walked across the surface. I have fished for pike every winter for the last 10 years and I’m so happy that I’ve finally been rewarded with this monster of a fish.”
Is this the end of day-ticket fishing?
A growing number of UK day-ticket venues are turning their backs on day-ticket anglers in favour of members-only tickets.
Already this year some of the country’s best fisheries, including Barford Lakes, Colemans Cottage, Shatterford Lakes and Welham Lakes have decide to make the switch, with various reasons given behind the decision to say ‘no’ to day-ticket visitors.
For some, the change to members-only makes managing the waters far easier, as Shatterford Lakes manager Daven Percival explained: “Converting to a syndicate is a lot easier for us to control. We have had some bad experiences with day-ticket anglers stealing and damaging things.
“We realise we aren’t going to make as much money by adopting this approach but for us it’s about creating a nice and safe environment for our members.
“Members will only get access via fingerprint or keypad and we have lots of cameras to monitor things. This allows me time to focus on developing the site and making everything better for members.”
Management was also a key factor in popular Essex match venue, Colemans Cottage, converting to members-only.
They said: “As age, aches and pains catch up with all of us, we have had to try and work out an idea on how we can keep the standard up here and carry on running the fishery – this is what we have come up with.”
But is having a venue open only to members the best way to go?
Roy Marlow, owner of the Glebe Fishery near Leicester, certainly thinks so.
“For me, owning a fishery that is ‘members-only’ has and always will be the only way I’d ever want to run it.
“I can control who comes in and out of the fishery and there’s now a lot of respect and an understanding between myself and the anglers.
“At the Glebe I also feel that what I offer is niche in as much as the fishery is set in a very natural environment – which you don’t see too often with other commercial fisheries.
“Litter can be a problem on many day-ticket venues, but you won’t find a single litter bin at my fishery. My members always take their litter home with them without fail”, he said.
Some fisheries, however, remain undecided, with Surrey’s popular Bury Hill only gradually making the change. Owner David De Vere explained: “We are slowly moving towards a members-only water but at the moment we are offering the best of both – with anglers still able to fish on a day ticket.
“A lot of money can be made from day tickets but if you don’t manage this properly it can cause problems, like fish damage. We’re not prepared to risk damage to our stocks just for extra cash.”
And the members-only move hasn’t gone down well with many Angling Times readers – see below for their views
Ian Fisk said: “It’s a good idea if it works. The fishery can control who gets to fish the place, keep a check on what they are doing and protect fish stocks. Can’t see it happening to more than a handful.”
Dave Cheetham: “Another example of the few spoiling it for the many! Why people can’t follow fishery rules, take litter home and behave appropriately is beyond me. Fisheries wouldn’t then have to do this.”
John Neville: “So anyone from outside the area wanting to fish there now can’t – I think it’s bonkers.”
Rick Clark: “If this becomes reality, how do we get new people/kids into the sport? I’m sure that people/parents won’t want to pay a hefty joining fee.”
Steve Porter: “The Glebe has been members-only for years and is one of the best fisheries in the country. You can’t stock and look after a complex of that size based on the odd angler turning up when they feel like it.”
Stewart Wilson: “Places have been built on day-ticket anglers’ money. Now they are doing well they are turning away the people that got them where they are. This will lead to more people fishing fewer places as they need special memberships for each lake at costs that are unsustainable. Now I’ve said that, if I had my own lake it would be membership-only. It’s much easier to manage, leads to having much better anglers, less fish damage, and better water quality.”
Joe Taylor: “It would be sad for many match and pleasure anglers who like to travel and fish different waters all the time. I’ve fished at least 15 different venues this year.”
Chris Telling: “Maybe a good move for a lot of anglers, as people will feel a sense of belonging, and therefore look after the fishery more.”
Season’s heaviest bream falls to a shocked carp angler
Bream are a nuisance to some carp anglers, but Carl Sheppard was left scrambling for the net when he saw the biggest slab of the season on the end of his line.
Carl, who hails from Congleton, Cheshire, landed this 18lb 6oz specimen from a local mere on a two-night session.
Carl had taken fish to 17lb 10oz from the same water a few months earlier, but when he saw that this fish was even bigger he was in complete shock:
He tempted the big slab on a wafter hookbait presented on a blowback rig.
3lb 3oz roach tops hants avon match
A fundraising match on the Hampshire Avon has seen no fewer than SIX roach over 2lb landed topped by a 3lb 3oz beauty.
The friendly contest, which takes place every year to help raise funds for the Avon Roach Project, was fished in perfect conditions by 77 anglers.
And while this year hundreds of pristine roach found their way into nets, it was Paul Gurton’s float and maggot-tempted 3lb 3oz fish which stole the show.
He said: “It fought well in the current and once beaten was impossible for me to bring back against the flow. Fortunately a fellow angler managed to net the fish for me.
“This roach is by far the highlight of my fishing career and came during my quest for a 2lb-plus fish – as my previous PB was 1lb 12oz.”
The fundraiser was also a celebration of the ARP’s 10th year and its creator Trevor Harrop has admitted he is delighted by how much progress the scheme has made since 2009.
He said: “When we first started the fundraising events very few roach were caught but we’re now seeing huge fish landed alongside plenty of fry – which are far too young to be roach introduced via the project.
“This proves that they’re now starting to spawn on their own, which has always been our goal.”
Did you know?
More than £5,000 was raised for the Avon Roach Project during the fundraiser through the sale of match entry fees, a tackle auction and raffle.
Are we looking at a world record pike?
An angler from the Czech Republic is claiming to have smashed the world pike record with a 26.7kg specimen.
The monster predator was caught by Lukáš Matějka, measuring a 133cm and weighing in at 58lb 14oz – that’s 3lb 13oz heavier than the official record caught in Germany in 1986.
Currently there is limited information on the fish but it has already caused fierce debate among predator anglers on social media – with some sceptical of the fish’s weight.
Angling Times spoke to big pike ace Neville Fickling for his thoughts on the fish. “It’s a very tricky one to call with the way photographs are presented on social media these days,” he said.
“Certainly its looks like a colossal pike, but it would be nice to see and know the width of the fish, to make an accurate judgement.”
Eastern Europe has a long history of producing monster pike, so the capture of such a large fish from the area was not a surprise to some – as Angling Times columnist Paul Garner explained: “The Czech Republic, Germany and Poland are known to have some very rare giants in their waters.
“This certainly looks to be a big pike, and the length indicates a big, barrel-shaped fish typical of the type of fish that would come from our own trout waters.”
Will the UK ever see a pike break the 50lb barrier? Paul believes it’s only a matter of time…
“Sooner or later we will see a UK fifty,” he said.
“In my opinion the stocking polices on some of our trout waters make this inevitable. The new record will likely come from a water that surprises everyone too!” he said mysteriously...
Specimen fish fall in high water conditions
After water levels shot up in the recent wet spell, specimen anglers have been enjoying phenomenal sport as our rivers fined down to their normal state.
Here are this week’s top catches…
CHRISTOPHER MENDELSOHN – 16lb BARBEL
Christopher Mendelsohn of bait company 3 Foot Twitch has been in unbelievable form on his local River Trent, and he added to his impressive catch list this week with a brace of barbel for 30lb.
The bigger of the pair was this immaculate 16-pounder, which fell in high water conditions from a slacker area of the river in between two stands of trees.
He caught them both within two hours of starting, using his regular rig of a 5oz lead, 6ins Kryston hooklink and size 2 Partridge Curve hook. The effective bait was a 3 Foot Twitch D-Liver boilie over a bed of hemp, maize, chopped worms and SG1 boilies.
JOE ROYFFE – 4lb 11oz PERCH
Hertfordshire delivery driver Joe Royffe continued a fine season of hunting specimen fish with the capture of this monster 4lb 11oz perch.
Arriving at 6am on the River Lea, Joe latched into a fish of 4lb 1oz before it even got light, and the second giant came moments later.
Both fish fell to gudgeon livebaits presented on size 8 Kamasan B983 hooks on sunken paternoster rigs with 8lb Daiwa Sensor mainline.
JAMES CHAMPKIN – 15lb 9oz BARBEL
A rapidly rising southern river provided James Champkin with his new personal-best barbel of 15lb 9oz.
“It gave a great account of itself after a typically savage bite that wrenched the rod-tip round. After losing a very big fish from the same stretch a few days previously, I was massively relieved when this one was finally landed!” James said.
The fine whisker was caught on double 12mm Dynamite The Source boilie hookbaits fished over a bed of small pellets and hemp. At the rig end, James used a 15lb braided hooklink down to a size 8 hook and a 3oz gripper lead.
3lb 10oz rudd tops late season haul...
One of the best rudd catches of the season has been made by Daniel Woolcott, who banked this 3lb 10oz specimen after a long campaign.
In a rare autumn haul, Daniel added fish of 3lb 1oz and 2lb 8oz.
Targeting a big northern gravel pit, Daniel had spent all summer chasing big rudd, but it wasn’t until his very last session that he enjoyed the catch of a lifetime.
“The lake is very tricky and for me is a long four-hour drive away,” Daniel explained.
“With other species to target at this time of year I thought my chances had gone.
“But I’m pleased to report that after an extreme amount of effort through the summer trying to bag a big rudd I finally succeeded on my last trip of the season.
“I actually fished four different waters, bagging ‘twos’ from all of them, but I finally hit the jackpot on a large tough gravel pit in the north of England.
“Within a very short feeding spell I managed three rudd including fish of 2lb 8oz, 3lb 1oz and the monster 3lb 10oz fish that beats my previous personal best by 2oz.”
All Daniel’s fish fell to 10mm fluoro Dynamite Baits Source pop-up dumbells presented over a bed of Dynamite Baits Krill Pulses and Particles.
Nation’s rivers hit top form
The UK’s rivers have been in superb form for a multitude of species over the last week and some truly impressive specimens have been banked.
Here’s the pick of the very best catches to help whet your appetites for the weekend ahead…
Justin Stoddart 16lb 10oz barbel
Fishing through floodwater proved to be a smart move for Justin Stoddart when he went on to bank a sturgeon and this 16lb 10oz barbel.
Targeting an area of slack water on the tidal Trent, the Retford angler fished big cage feeders loaded with scalded pellets and broken boilies with a paste-wrapped boilie hookbait.
He said: “At 2am I had a run on the downstream rod and landed a 2lb 3oz sturgeon! Then, at 4am, my upstream rod ripped off and I slipped the net under a PB barbel.”
Josh Haine estimated 7lb-plus chub
Josh Haine has been targeting the well-known free stretch of the Dorset Stour at Longham for big chub and this week claimed his biggest ever – but forgot to bring the scales!
Having caught chub to just under 7lb from the stretch before, Josh was certain this specimen was much larger than his previous catches.
The fine fish fell to a legered boilie on a German rig and lead clip set-up surrounded by a scattering of broken boilies.
Chris Haydon 2lb roach
Angling Times’ own Chris Haydon had the surprise of his life when he hooked this 2lb roach on the Bristol Avon.
Fishing the pole around 6m out in a weirpool, Chris fed his swim with a few balls of groundbait, and regularly loosefed hemp over the top.
“Initially I was plagued by small fish, so I bulked my rig down and used a tare hookbait to get through to the bigger stamp,” he said. “When I saw the big roach roll on the surface I couldn’t believe my eyes, and when it tipped the scales round to 2lb exactly I was ecstatic.”
Stripey season off to a flyer!
October has got off to a flying start for many perch enthusiasts who have been relying on lure tactics to bank a number of stunning specimens.
Hampshire police officer Dan Eaves had the pick of the bunch when his lure session on Grafham Water yielded 17 stripeys – 15 of which were over 3lb, with the best two registering 4lb 4oz and 4lb 2oz.
Despite being greeted by rough weather, Dan used this to his advantage on the day, as he explained further…
“The water was very turbulent and my boat was rocking and rolling as you’d expect,” he said.
“I decided to fish the lures static and let the water slosh them around, which was enough to encourage 90 per cent of what I caught that day to take them.
“I started with fish of 3lb 5oz and 3lb 11oz before I had the 4lb 2oz perch, which I initially thought was a zander. It was a really good start.”
During the rest of the afternoon Dan’s trip turned into a real red- letter day and he boated 14 other perch including fish of 3lb 10oz, 3lb 11oz and 3lb 15oz. But the best was yet to come.
“It was turning out to be the most incredible day’s perch fishing I’ve ever experienced, but then I hooked something that gave an especially good account of itself,” Dan added.
“Once it was under control I could see that this was another special fish, and indeed it was at 4lb 4oz! While I never expect I’ll ever beat my personal-best perch of 4lb 13oz, these fish were my fifth and sixth over 4lb!
“I’m certainly feeling blessed by the perch gods right now.”
Both Dan’s 4lb perch fell to a Zman Hula Stick in the colour purple.
Fishing a static lure also proved effective during Martin Welch’s latest session when he banked a stunning 3lb-plus stripey.
The Mansfield, Notts, angler dropped his Zman White Lightning TRD lure into a deep hole on a stretch of the River Trent and didn’t have to wait long before he received a bite.
He said: “On my first cast into the hole I felt a small pull, so I let the TRD go static for a few seconds, then came a proper hit on the lure.
“A short but powerful fight soon saw a nice perch surface from the highly coloured water and into the net.”
...and another four pounder!
Most anglers wait a lifetime to catch a 4lb perch, but George Killan has managed it at the age of just 11!
This 4lb 1oz specimen grabbed the Hertfordshire lad’s rubber crayfish lure during a trip to the River Lea, and it wasn’t the only big perch of the session.
His dad, John, told Angling Times: “A couple of days prior to the session George caught a 3lb perch, and this inspired him to come back and give it another go.
“Both fish were special catches for George, as perch are by far his favourite species.”
Shock 2lb 10oz roach from Yorkshire river
Colin Hebb got the shock of his life when this sublime 2lb 10oz roach grabbed his breadflake offering during his latest fishing trip.
The East Yorkshire angler targeted an undisclosed stretch of a local river and spent the day trotting for a variety of species – with no idea a big roach was on the cards.
He said: “On my second cast I hooked this beautiful roach which is a new pb, and from a river with a lot of otters in it.
“She put up one hell of a scrap and at first I thought I had hooked a bream.
“I was shocked – I thought all the big roach had disappeared from this waterway.”
Double- figure barbel still on the feed...
Reports of double-figure barbel continue to flood into the Angling Times newsdesk from rivers up and down the country.
Could this be the year we see a new record? If recent captures are anything to go by, the prospects are looking very good indeed…
Peter Morgan | 15lb 12oz
Peter Morgan secured his new personal-best barbel during a day session on the River Lea’s famous Kings Weir Fishery in Hertfordshire.
After a bad start, which resulted in Peter getting a soaking on the way to his swim, his luck changed when his reel screamed off with this immaculate 15lb 12oz specimen.
The superb fish fell to a hair-rigged piece of luncheon meat alongside a feeder packed with groundbait and pellets.
Brett Longthorne | 14lb 12oz
High pressure and low, clear water didn’t stop Brett Longthorne from catching ‘the best-looking barbel he has ever seen’ at 14lb 12oz. Fishing a section of the tidal Trent, Brett connected with a slow take and was soon doing battle with the huge-framed fish, which he is sure will be even bigger in the winter months.
The stunning barbel fell to a Nutrabaits River Plus boilie fished on a size 8 Banktackle hook over a bed of hemp and maize.
Scott dethick – 15lb 15oz
Scott Dethick’s only bite of the session accounted for this superb 15lb 15oz barbel.
It was a new personal best for the 26-year-old, who targeted the far bank on his local stretch of the River Trent with lead and boilie tactics.
Scott’s successful rig incorporated a 6oz lead and 2ft of braided line to a 15mm Krill boilie mounted on a size 6 E-S-P hook.
9lb 1oz Trent Chub rock UK record
A chub of 9lb 1oz – just 4oz short of the British record – has been landed from the Trent, obliterating the previous best for the river.
The monster fish fell to Trent regular Christopher Mendelsohn during his fortnightly trip to the popular Midlands waterway.
Christopher prebaited every night for two weeks prior to the session with boilies, maize, buckwheat and more than 500 worms – sometimes introducing as much as 10kg in one go!
His swim had earlier produced big barbel and carp, and on his previous visit he’d seen big chub surfacing.
A gobsmacked Christopher said: “When I saw the fish’s head come up in the water, I went into pure panic – it was a real monster. It still hasn’t sunk in and yet remarkably, about 20 minutes later, I lost one which looked to be of a similar size!
“I had seen a group of chub jumping and taking stuff off the top on my last visit to the river, so I decided to add more natural baits to my mix to try and get them feeding on my bait.
“I don’t get out fishing anywhere near as much as I would like, the plus side being, when I do go out, I fish much better – often not sleeping at all through the night.”
The nine-pounder is the largest known reported chub from the Trent, but Chris is diffident about claiming a river record. “I’m not really interested in records and I know that the pictures won’t convince some people – but they are the best we could get on my phone camera.
“I had my two sons with me and none of us could believe the size of this chub, so just to have been able to catch it is reward enough for me.
“We could have kept it out of the water longer to get more details, but I just wanted to get it back as quickly and safely as possible,” he said.
The fish is the second Trent chub over 8lb reported to Angling Times this season and Christopher has his own theories on why these fish are thriving.
“Chub are a very underrated fish in the Trent and a lot of people catch them by accident while barbel fishing,” he said.
“When they get older they become very predatory and this makes them harder to catch – luckily mine made a mistake.
“The amount of bait going into the Trent nowadays is making these fish grow very large and they are better at getting away with it than barbel – I’ve seen them eject baits like carp!”
Christopher’s near-record fell to a double 18mm 3ft Twitch Liver and Krill boilie on a size 4 Partridge Curve hook to a 5ins Kryston hooklink with a 5oz flat pear lead. Six more chub made for an historic session.
Pellets just the job for massive 15lb 6oz bream
Fishing pellet hookbaits over a bed of corn and hemp simply proved too much for this chunky 15lb 6oz bream to resist.
The large slab was a new personal best for Chris Higham who targeted his local syndicate water after being tempted by improved weather conditions.
He said: “My right-hand rod’s bobbin shot to the alarm around midnight and I was in.
“As the fish rose to the surface and into my net I knew it was my new biggest.
“I was elated with my first bream from the syndicate which sent the scales round to 15lb 6oz – a proper bin lid!”
shock 7lb eel from kent stillwater
Samuel Kelly got the shock of his life when this 7lb eel devoured his worm hookbait intended for a big perch.
The predator enthusiast from Kent targeted a local stillwater and used a light 8g drop-shot rod in conjunction with a feeder loaded with chopped worms in attempt to bank a new personal best stripey.
Halfway through the session the light tip of his drop-shot rod signalled a powerful take, but much to Samuel’s surprise it was a fine eel that proved to be the culprit.
Regular feeding results in fine roach
Baiting little and often certainly proved fruitful for Matthew Fernandez with the capture of this fine 2lb 9oz river roach.
Targeting the redfins in his local River Itchen with stick float tactics, the Hampshire angler fed maggots and hemp into the swim every cast to get them into a feeding frenzy.
He said: “I struck into a confident bite, and after a hairy fight a big roach graced my net. At 2lb 9oz, it was a new river personal best for me.”
Matt’s two-pounder fell to a single maggot fished on a size 16 hook.
Giant perch ends lea angler’s run of tiny stripeys
Sometimes in fishing you’ve got to kiss a few frogs to get a prince. Adam Perna certainly did that before slipping the net under this pristine 4lb perch.
The Blakes Baits-backed angler fished lobworms tipped with maggots on the River Lea and had 11 bites before the big stripey struck.
Adam said: “I ended the session with 12 fish – none of the others were bigger than my hand!
“After those 11 tiddlers the swim I was fishing went quiet, and the next time the tip wrapped around I was attached to this brute!”
Adam used a running leger set up with a quarter-ounce lead and a foot-long 5lb fluoro hooklink to a size 8 hook.
Specimen barbel are booming
IAN Potts hasn’t been the only angler to enjoy barbel success on the Trent and other rivers as specialists have shown with a string of big-fish catches.
Here are three more barbel reports to whet your appetite for some superb autumn trips…
Alfie Naylor | 14lb 7oz & 15lb 9oz
You can imagine Alfie Naylor’s elation when he slipped the net under a brace of barbel for 30lb on his latest trip to the River Trent.
The Newark, Notts, angler said: “That evening I had several good fish, but when I had a double take it left me trembling. The bigger fish was landed at 15lb 9oz, a new personal best, then the second came in at 14lb 7oz.”
Both fish fell to Nutrabaits Chilli Crab wafter hookbaits fished in conjunction with a 20p-size bag of matching pellets liberally sprayed in matching glug.
Gemma Savage | 15lb barbel
Friday the 13th certainly wasn’t unlucky for Gemma Savage when she smashed her barbel personal best with the capture of this 15lb beauty.
Fishing a night session on the River Trent at Gunthorpe with her boyfriend Shane, Gemma didn’t have long to wait before her Sonubaits Oozing Spicy Sausage pellet was snaffled by the big double just before midnight.
Luke Agacy | 16lb 10oz
A midweek after-work session was all Luke Agacy needed to bank this sublime personal best 16lb 10oz barbel.
The Reading-based angler targeted two swims on an undisclosed southern river and after struggling to get a bite in the first he didn’t have to wait long before finding success in the second…
Luke’s new barbel best fell to a fishmeal boilie in conjunction with a running rig.
is Ian the UK’s most prolific river angler?
I have fished for barbel on more than 20 different rivers, but the Trent is head and shoulders above all the others.”
The words of Macclesfield angler Ian Potts... and he should know! Since June 16, Ian has racked up an impressive 184 barbel from the river, 51 of which were in double figures.
A substantial chunk of that tally was taken on a recent eight-day trip taking in three different Trent locations.
He took 37 barbel to a 17lb 1oz personal best, along with one weighing 15lb 6oz, four 12-pounders, three ‘thirteens’ and two carp – the bigger of which went 19lb 8oz.
The 43-year-old told Angling Times: “I’ve fished more than 20 rivers in the 30 years I’ve been an angler, but so far 2019 on the Trent has surpassed all others.
“This success I attribute to a lot more people fishing it this year who have introduced more bait, but I’ve seen plenty of natural food in the river too. As a result, the barbel are gorging themselves and so far I’ve not had a trip where I’ve blanked.”
‘Dedicated’ is certainly a word that best describes Ian, as each week he commits his Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights to go barbel fishing.
To give himself the best chance of catching, he reckons that staying active and being well-equipped are two vital factors.
“I’ve seen many Trent barbel anglers sit there and wait for a bite, but I love to remain active and outwit the fish,” he added.
“In a typical session I’ll Spomb a gallon of particles and a kilo of boilies into my swim to help hold the barbel for as long as possible.
“If I’m not getting a bite I’ll unpack another rod and roll luncheon meat through the swim to try to make something work.
“This tactic helped me catch my new personal best, but I went through 26 tins of Spam in four days to get that fish!
“I also go through 200m of PVA bags a month, as I believe using big feeders only scares the fish out of your peg.”
Helping other anglers improve their barbel bests is something Ian is keen to do, and he has recently set up a guiding service for River Trent venues.
He added: “I don’t much care if I catch a two-pounder or a 20- pounder, I just love the buzz of catching a barbel, and seeing that same elation on another angler’s face is great.”
WYE BARBEL RECORD goes!
The long-standing River Wye barbel record has been broken following the capture of a giant fish weighing 14lb 12oz.
Eclipsing the previous record by just 3oz, the impressive specimen was caught by Kevin Clark, who weighed it in the company of two witnesses.
The fish in question is one that Kevin has caught before and is rumoured to have been landed at a larger weight in recent seasons without a claim being submitted.
Cwmbram-based Kevin, who has been fishing the Wye for over 20 years, told Angling Times: “It put up an epic battle and I really struggled to get its head up – even on a 2lb test curve rod.
“Once it was in the net, I recognised it straight away, but when the scales revealed the weight, I needed to sit down for five minutes to get my head round it – I had Wye history in my hands!”
The record fish was caught on a halibut pellet fished alongside a 3oz feeder filled with dampened pellets. This same tactic has accounted for 42 barbel for Kevin in just four sessions on one of the more challenging stretches of the popular river.
The capture pushes the Wye one step closer to competing with the likes of the Trent, which this week continued its fine form after multiple large fish were reported from the Midlands river. Heading the list was the 16lb 4oz barbel caught from the middle stretches by Lincoln-based rod Christopher Mendelsohn.
Fishing a deep gravel run behind a weedbed that he’d been prebaiting, Christopher braced the fish with another of 14lb as well as a five chub over 5lb and a 27lb 14oz carp. All his fish fell to double Liver and Krill boilies presented on a 6in Silkworm hooklink. fished over a mix of hemp, tigers, maize and 3 Foot Twitch SG1 boilies.
Pit angler breaks bream personal best three times over
Joe Royffe had a session to remember on a large Lea Valley gravel pit, where he broke his bream personal best not once, but three times – topped by a fish of 15lb 10oz.
Targeting the slope of a gravel plateau, Joe introduced a ‘carpet type’ feed consisting of four pints of dead maggots, Vitalin, brown crumb, and a mixture of pellets.
“I decided to bait quite sparingly without any large food items in the hope of picking off fish from a passing shoal, while hopefully holding them in the area for long enough to keep them grubbing around,” Joe explained.
Three hair-rigged artificial maggots fished helicopter style proved to be the winning hookbait.
