River Lea throws up a monster dace

Trotting maggots between gravel bars on a stretch of the River Lea proved fruitful for Joe Royffe with the capture of this plump 1lb 8dr dace.

The Hertfordshire specimen ace fed a small pinch of maggots on every trot through to ensure regular bites from roach and dace throughout the day, although at 2pm he struck into a much larger fish.

“I received a very confident bite and I knew almost immediately that I was attached to a large dace,” he said.

“After a great scrap on light tackle and an exciting few moments, I was amazed at its size when it finally glided into the landing net – a fish that beat my previous best by 4oz.”

Specimen roach are hard on the feed...NOW!

DESPITE unsavoury weather conditions specimen anglers have been enjoying fantastic roach sport from river and Stillwater venues all over the country.

Here are three specimen reports to help whet your fishing appetite for the week ahead:

John Joyce 3lb 1oz 8dr roach

A double bronze maggot hookbait has accounted for one of the biggest river roach of the season in the shape of this pristine 3lb 1oz 8dr specimen.

It fell to the rod of 32-year-old landscape gardener John Joyce who headed to his local stretch of Dorset’s River Frome for a few hours’ maggot feeder fishing on the tip.

He told Angling Times: “I was catching plenty of small trout and eels when I struck into a much stronger fish, and I was surprised to see this huge roach pop up!”

Geoffrey Smith 2lb 9oz roach

Carp angler Geoffrey Smith enjoyed the roach session of his dreams after banking three personal bests in just a 48-hour period.

Targeting Brasenose One at Oxfordshire’s popular Linear Fishery, the Cardiff-based rod saw a grebe take a sizeable roach in the margins and decided to target the same area with maggot hookbaits.

He said: “Whilst spraying the area with bait I managed to draw the roach in, and before it got dark I landed fish of 2lb 3oz, 2lb 7oz and 2lb 9oz.”

Richard Wilby 2lb 9oz roach

HUGE roach from East Anglian rivers are rare beasts so you can imagine Richard Wilby’s delight when he slipped his net under this pristine 2lb 9oz specimen.

The 2018 Drennan Cup runner-up had spent eight morning’s fishing his chosen venue over the last few weeks with just three roach to show for his efforts, but this 2lb 9oz example made all the effort worthwhile, as he explained…

“Huge roach are very rare in this region so I’m tremendously happy with it – although I think it could do me a bigger one!” he said.

Richard’s roach fell to simple trotting gear including a pin, stick float and a piece bread flake mounted onto a size 12 hook.

Mortimer & Whitehouse: Gone Fishing to return for third series

FILMING has started for a brand new series of the countries much-loved and critically acclaimed angling show – Mortimer & Whitehouse: Gone Fishing.

The announcement was made by the BBC after the show’s second series charmed the nation over the summer, boasting viewing figures in excess of a staggering 2.2 million.

The format for the new series is set to stay the same with the comedy duo exploring venues across the UK and possibly abroad.

Each episode focuses on a particular species, with Paul using his extensive angling knowledge to be Bob’s fishing guide, whilst Bob hunts out unique places to stay and prepares some ‘heart-healthy’ food.

Talking to Angling Times whilst out on the bank, an excited Paul Whitehouse said:

“It was a surprise to be honest as following the feedback from the second series, the BBC were quickly on to us to begin the third – so it was a very quick turnaround.

“Filming has started and this series we plan to showcase fishing through all four seasons.”

Paul and Bob will be looking to build on the universally positive reviews the shows second season received, whilst recognising this support, Paul was also keen to bring a new element to the show, as he explained:

“We really want to bring anglers together and highlight just a few of the issues that affect our sport, whilst still in keeping with the feel good factor of the show.

“I think that the angling community will be in a much stronger place if we can show a unified front on conservation issues and we have the audience to highlight some of those.”

So what can viewers expect in season three?

“There will be all the usual antics, laughs and tears. At the end of the day we are the fishing show for people who don’t go fishing.

“Bob likes to use a float and hopefully we can capture that magic of watching one, whilst probably behaving like a couple of kids”, Paul said.

700lb off the top... in November!

One of the most remarkable catches of the season has just been taken after a club angler landed a staggering 707lb 12oz of carp in a five hour match.

Roy Jones was the man responsible for the arm-aching haul, and in a catch that would be impressive in the heights of summer, he took full advantage after hearing that the carp were feeding hard.

Unsurprisingly, the catch is a new record for his club, ‘Andy’s Mob’.

Fishing at Kent’s Chart Fishery, there were so many fish in Roy’s peg that he was being ‘interrupted’ whilst attempting to land his fish.

“It was mental!” Roy exclaimed.

“The carp were jumping out of the lake like dolphins when I arrived, there were just so many fish in the peg.

“One problem I had was that whilst attempting to land a hooked fish other ones were ending up in my landing net! Of course, these went straight back.

“We do a weigh-in at the three hour mark, and at this point I had 385lb, but it was once I started fishing again that things got really silly.

“I was able to catch just a few metres from the bank on floating baits.”

At the end of the match Roy had 12 keepnets in, and he came well prepared for a hectic day.

“I had been told that some really big weights were being caught shallow, so I came prepared for a huge catch.

“I elasticated five top kits with red Hydrolastic, and spent time drilling 200 pellets for the hook, as well as 150 baits to use on the surface.

“You’re allowed floating baits on the hook here, and these were deadly.

“I had an absolutely brilliant day - but I’m knackered now!”

Eight Avon barbel to a 16lb 10oz best

THE Hampshire Avon has returned to a rich vein of barbel form in the past few weeks, with one angler reporting a run of eight double figure specimens – culminating in a 16lb 13oz monster.

The superb fish fell to 43-year-old roofer Simon Daley as just part of a phenomenal two weeks on the Southern river, which saw him land chub of 6lb 5oz and 7lb 3oz in addition to an unforgettable list of barbel of 10lb 6oz, 15lb 10oz, 11lb 7oz, 15lb 3oz, 13lb 12oz, 14lb 14oz and 14lb 1oz.

Speaking exclusively to Angling Times, Simon said: “This season I’ve had some of the best barbel fishing I’ve experienced on the River Itchen and Hampshire Avon.

“The last two weeks have been an amazing experience, the rivers have had some much needed rain and the area I had been baiting wasn’t seeing any pressure.

“I was blown away with the size of the biggest, a fish I have been after for a season or more.

 “Another lump a few day later means I have now caught six 14-plus fish this season from three different rivers – incredible.”

Simple tactics incorporating inline leads with short braided hook links tied to size 8 hooks and a secret homemade bait were all Simon needed to catch his fish

9,300lb of silvers banked in roach bonanza!

An incredible 9300lb of river fish have been caught in matches over the last week, the bulk of which have been made up of pristine roach and dace.

The catches came in this year’s Wye and Bann festivals, and will live long in the memory of local anglers.

In Hereford, over 3800lb of fish were caught over the prestigious three-day long Wye Festival, with each angler averaging a fantastic 21lb a day, as well as lots of roach over the 2lb mark being landed.

River expert Dan Ashington went home with the trophy, but it was under 25s World Number One, Rory Jones, who topped the individual catches with a thumping 97lb bag of roach and dace on the first day.

Drawing a peg on the tennis courts section, Rory was on a swim where he’s had mixed results in the past…

“I’d actually drawn the peg three times previously, and have blanked twice and landed four chub the other time.

“It can however produce when there is extra water on, but it turns into a really strange swim to fish.

“It becomes a massive eddy, meaning that it flows the wrong way a lot of the time!”

Rory went with his usual positive approach, cupping in groundbait seven metres out laced with hemp, caster and chopped worm, and it wasn’t long before Rory was into fish.

“In the first three minutes I will have had 6lb. It was solid with quality roach averaging two fish to the pound, and I also had two that will probably have gone 5lb between them.”

After catching a roach a chuck for the first hour and 10 minutes, the peg suddenly went quiet when an unwelcome guest entered the swim:

“I saw something big in the water, and at first I thought it was a Labrador that somebody had let in the river, but then the head of a huge otter popped up and stared at me.

“This really put the roach off, so I started feeding groundbait by hand and caught dace instead.

“It turned out to be a phenomenal day, and if it wasn’t for that otter a weight of 130lb would have been on the cards.”

Rory finished third overall, and caught his first double figure barbel as well as a 2lb 9oz roach on the other days in the festival.

Anglers also enjoyed phenomenal silverfish sport over in Northern Ireland, where over 5500lb of roach were landed during the Wild on the Bann and the Bann Bonanza Festivals.

Individual weights were up to 31kg on the more productive days and were made up of pristine roach averaging 4oz with the odd better specimen up to 1lb 4oz chucked in.

Event organiser Derek Buckley told Angling Times: “It’s been a great couple of weeks on the Bann, when the river runs clear the fishing can be brilliant.

“We had two days of rain towards the end of the second week which caused the river to rise and slowed the sport down, but before that the average weight was 13kg-plus with every angler having a fish over 1lb in the net.

“I would recommend people come and visit, based on current form the Bann is probably one of the best rivers in Europe in my opinion.”

The whip was also key in silverfish weights on the Bann, with a 4g float fished at 6m over a ball of groundbait laced with hemp, maggots and casters the most effective tactic.

19lb bream smashes record

EIGHTEEN-year-old Billy Saunders had the session of a lifetime when he landed a 35lb brace of bream just 10 minutes apart – topped by this 19lb giant.

The pair of specimen slabs were caught from Ringwood and District Angling Association’s Longham Reservoir, with the largest of the brace setting a new club record for the species.

Targetting carp, Billy changed tactics when he noticed bream rolling close to the bank – eventually catching them just half a rod length out.

The stunning brace fell to a homemade boilie presented on a size 8 hook tied knotless knot style and a 3oz lead.

Predator specimen frenzy

As we move into the colder months anglers begin to focus on predatory species which continue to feed even in the lowest of temperatures. If this week’s captures are anything to go by it looks like this predator season could be a very good one indeed…

Ash Costa 4lb 12oz Perch

PERCH enthusiast Ash Costa continued his fine run of form for the species by banking this colossal 4lb 12oz fish from a local drain. The Lincolnshire based rod said: “After catching several pike, I moved away from the commotion and found the big perch in a likely looking quiet slack. “The moment it hit the net has to be one of the best in my angling life. Although it’s not quite a pb, in the conditions it took tremendous effort to catch it.” After trying many different lures throughout the session, Ash’s monster perch eventually fell to a Zman TRD in Yoga Pants pattern.

Leigh Laffar 28lb Pike

AFTER a large pike grabbed a 2lb perch he was playing during in the summer, Leigh Laffar vowed to return to the area to catch the culprit – and may have just done so with this 28lb monster.

Fishing a local urban river, Leigh prebaited the spot through September with a mix of chopped fish and groundbait. On his first trip he was left stunned when he landed a 23lb 8oz fish which he then bettered with the giant just a week later.

Both fish fell to float fished smelt deadbaits on a size 6 treble with a Fox Rage float.

Terry Findlay 14lb 2oz bass

TERRY Findlay had the shock of his life when he landed this cracking 14lb 2oz bass while pike fishing.

Targeting the famous Royalty Fishery on the Hampshire Avon, Terry was fishing a short four-hour evening session using a deadbait hard the bottom. After landing numerous pike to 20lb 2oz he connected with the big sea fish.

“My bait was positioned on a crease in the river, and after striking I noticed that this fight was different from what I had experienced before. The dorsal fin came to the surface and I thought ‘what the hell is that?’ I’ve never caught a bass before, and I doubt I’ll ever catch a bigger one!”

The bass is believed to be a record for the Royalty Fishery.

Bream and pike will travel up to 100km in a month!

Research into the movements of pike and bream on the Norfolk Broads has revealed just how far our coarse fish species can travel from year to year.

Among the discoveries from the groundbreaking project was a female pike that moved 100km in just over a month, along with a bream that swam 35km to spawn FOUR times in a single spring.

 The pioneering research is being carried out by PhD Student Emily Winter (26) in collaboration with Bournemouth University, Natural England, the Environment Agency and Fishtrack Ltd, with financial support from the EU LIFE+ Nature and Biodiversity Programme.

Emily said: “We are tracking the movement of bream and pike in the Broads using acoustic transmitters (tags) surgically implanted into the fish (under Home Office licence and after ethical review).

“These release an ultrasonic coded ‘ping’ that can travel hundreds of metres underwater.

“Acoustic receivers then continuously monitor the fish movements throughout the river systems and connected lakes and dykes, by recording the date and time of each unique detection. All fish used in the study were caught on rod and line.”

The study has already brought forward some intriguing observations. “Preliminary results have already highlighted some unexpected behaviours. One female pike moved 100km in just over a month during spring 2019 and a bream made the 35km spawning migration four times in the spring of 2018,” said Emily.

“We are excited that this project will provide valuable information on how the fish use their diverse habitat and respond to environmental change.”

The project’s objectives are to gain greater insight into how fish respond to habitat fragmentation, saltwater intrusion through high tides and outbreaks of toxic algae.

nine perch over 4lb to a 5lb 2oz Best!

PREDATOR specialist has made one of the greatest perch hauls of all time, boating nine fish over 4lb to a 5lb 2oz best.

The remarkable catch fell to the rod of Wayne Fletcher, who had headed to an undisclosed Essex reservoir with a friend in search of a large stripey – with no idea he’d smash his personal best twice within an single hour.

He said: “We arrived at first light and after about 10 minutes I noticed a large group of fish on the side scan of the fish-finder, so I motored round to the spot.

“I fished a Texas-rigged Zman TRD in about 25ft of water and after 30 minutes there was a delicate pluck on the line – resulting in a pristine 4lb perch.

“The rest of the day was simply crazy. I broke my pb twice in an hour with fish of 4lb 14oz and a 5lb 2oz beast – followed by six others over 4lb. My boat partner had a 4lb 11oz perch pb too!

“I was still shaking as we came off the water that day, thinking to myself: “Was it a dream?”

l Wayne’s impressive catch of perch wasn’t the only to be taken from a boat this week either.

Carp angler Joe Atkinson targeted Farmoor Reservoir in Oxfordshire and used a variety of lure tactics to catch no fewer than 27 fish to a best of 4lb 7oz.

Included in the mighty haul were perch of 4lb, 4lb 1oz, 4lb 3oz, 4lb 5oz, 4lb 6oz and 4lb 7oz, plus four over 2lb, 17 over 3lb to 3lb 15oz and six over 4lb.

“I beat my personal best four times throughout the day,” he said. It was the perch session of my dreans!”

The perch were caught on a mixture of tactics, but most of them fell to a drop shotting approach.”

Pair of ‘7s’ tops great chub week

It’s been a great week for chub anglers, with the biggest reported to Angling Times a massive specimen weighing 7lb 12oz.

It fell to keen big-fish hunter Simon Aldred, who decided to try the Great Ouse after arriving at his first-choice venue to find it too high and coloured.

And what a decision it proved to be, as just 20 minutes into the session he found himself doing battle with the big chub.

“My tip tapped, then hooped over with a very positive bite,” Simon said.

Chub often put up a harder fight with the extra flow, but it soon became apparent that this was no small fish.

“On seeing its flank in the water I could tell it was an absolutely colossal fish,” he added.

“Only after she went into the net did I realise just how big she was – like a breeze block!”

Simon’s Ouse chub took a liking to a boilie hookbait presented on a running rig incorporating a 2.5oz lead down to a 15lb Korda N-Trap hooklink and size 8 Drennan Super Specialist hook. This was fished alongside a PVA bag of crushed boilies and pellets.

l Big chub have also been on the feed further south, as Nick Brown discovered with a thickset 7lb 8oz River Lea fish.

Fishing the legendary Kings Weir stretch, Nick settled into a swim with an overhanging tree and a shallow run that he had fancied for a few years, and after a couple of taps on the tip the rod whacked round.

“I turned the torch on and realised that I was connected to a real lump, which tipped the scales round to 7lb 8oz.

“The fish actually coughed up a load of red maggots on the mat, so I had to feel sorry for the angler in the swim before me – he must have been so close to catching it!” he said.

Nick used a 10mm boilie wrapped in Mainline Paste alongside a ‘dynamite stick’ filled with pellets, groundbait and crushed boilies of the same flavour.

33lb 5oz pike... on a fly!

Matt Roberts slipped his net under three specimen pike – topped by 33lb 5oz beauty (right).

The 30-year-old from Surrey opted to fly-fish for the pike on

his favourite Midlands reservoir and attached a minnow-imitation lure to his line in an attempt to ‘match the hatch.’

The ploy soon worked, as he explained: “Using a fast-sink line I presented the fly in 18ft of water among a shoal of baitfish I’d located on the fish-finder.”

“During the day I had three takes which were really subtle – just a sharp tap followed by a solid resistance. I landed pike of 22lb, 29lb 5oz and 33lb 5oz – my new fly-caught best. It was definitely the session of a lifetime.”

Pair of ‘7s’ tops great chub week

It’s been a great week for chub anglers, with the biggest reported to Angling Times a massive specimen weighing 7lb 12oz.

It fell to keen big-fish hunter Simon Aldred, who decided to try the Great Ouse after arriving at his first-choice venue to find it too high and coloured.

And what a decision it proved to be, as just 20 minutes into the session he found himself doing battle with the big chub.

“My tip tapped, then hooped over with a very positive bite,” Simon said.

Chub often put up a harder fight with the extra flow, but it soon became apparent that this was no small fish.

“On seeing its flank in the water I could tell it was an absolutely colossal fish,” he added.

“Only after she went into the net did I realise just how big she was – like a breeze block!”

Simon’s Ouse chub took a liking to a boilie hookbait presented on a running rig incorporating a 2.5oz lead down to a 15lb Korda N-Trap hooklink and size 8 Drennan Super Specialist hook. This was fished alongside a PVA bag of crushed boilies and pellets.

Big chub have also been on the feed further south, as Nick Brown discovered with a thickset 7lb 8oz River Lea fish.

Fishing the legendary Kings Weir stretch, Nick settled into a swim with an overhanging tree and a shallow run that he had fancied for a few years, and after a couple of taps on the tip the rod whacked round.

“I turned the torch on and realised that I was connected to a real lump, which tipped the scales round to 7lb 8oz.

“The fish actually coughed up a load of red maggots on the mat, so I had to feel sorry for the angler in the swim before me – he must have been so close to catching it!” he said.

Nick used a 10mm boilie wrapped in Mainline Paste alongside a ‘dynamite stick’ filled with pellets, groundbait and crushed boilies of the same flavour.

Revealed: plans for new ‘masters’ of matchfishing

A new ‘invitation-only’ event to discover the true king of Britain’s match anglers could be launched next summer. 

Under the groundbreaking proposals, all of the winners of this year’s major events pitted against each other in a one-off match to discover the true ‘champion of champions’. 

The event is the brainchild of a lifelong angler and Angling Times reader who, although wishing to remain anonymous at this stage, has outlined his plans for the exciting event and has said that he is willing to provide a hefty prize fund of around £40,000 from out of his own pocket.

Speaking ahead of formal meetings to thrash out the finer details of the proposed match, he said: “It struck me that both snooker and golf have ‘Masters-style’ tournaments where all the best players fight it out at the end of the season, yet fishing doesn’t.” 

“I thought it would be great to see the winners of all the big-money matches to participate in an annual match to decide who is the true champion. 

“I’m in my late 70s now and would love to make this happen. I’d like the event to operate on an ‘invitation-only’ basis, and I’m in talks with Angling Times to see how we could expand on this idea and turn it into reality. Watch this space!”

As well as inviting the winners of high-profile events such as Fish O’Mania and Maver Match This, the winners of ‘natural water’ competitions such as the Division 1 and 2 Nationals, as well as RiverFest, could also be included to give a true reflection of who the UK’s best matchman.

Angling Times will report on the event’s progress as it develops, but initial conversations with the cream of UK match anglers have received a resounding thumbs-up. 

Jamie Hughes, winner of this year’s Maver Match This and Golden Reel Winner, said: “I think an all-star match sounds phenomenal! It would really take things to the next level and be another step towards true professionalism for fishing.

“It’s something I would love to get involved with, and I’m sure many of our best anglers would be too!” 

Baiting in a slack pays off with 16lb 2oz river trent barbel

Baiting an area of slack water on the middle River Trent helped Stephen Hall bank this new personal best 16lb 2oz barbel. 

The 3FootTwitch-backed angler arrived to his swim at 5:30pm and fed a large helping of hemp and crushed Redemption boilies, before casting out a single Redemption boilie over the top.

He said: “At 8:15pm I had a huge pull on the rod tip. I’d never felt a fish like that before – the strength, power, and stubbornness of this fish was incredible. When I got her in the net I was blown away.”

Monster eel falls to drop shot lure

A predator angler has boated one of the biggest eels ever taken in the UK – during a lure fishing expedition to a Midlands reservoir! 

Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, rod James Knights was drifting his boat in search of perch when the 9lb 8oz monster nailed his drop-shotted Zman TRD lure in 27ft of water. 

He said: “I’d already had a great day on the perch front, catching numerous fish to just over 4lb, when this giant eel made an appearance. 

“The fight was absolutely immense – the fish felt very heavy from the off and I had no idea what I had hooked! 

“There were lots of thumping head shakes which made me suspect it was a big perch, and it didn’t strip lots of line from the reel as a big pike would. I truly didn’t know what I’d hooked.”

Halfway through the fight the eel managed to wrap itself around a buoy, which gave James a nervy few minutes as he tried to free it.

“I had to drive the boat around the buoy multiple times, and on three or four occasions the eel swam backwards into the chain to try and break me off,” he added. 

“Eventually I managed to drag it free, which is when I finally saw this gigantic eel.
It had taken my lure square in the mouth!

“On the scales it went 9lb 8oz and it was by far the biggest eel I have ever seen – if I’d lost it I would have thought it was a 20lb carp.”

Big fish of all species go on the feed

Specimen anglers have never had it better if recent catch reports are anything to go by – with monster barbel, chub, roach, perch and pike all making an appearance of late. 

Here are three catch reports from the past week to get you in the mood for the weekend ahead…

Brett Longthorne | 16lb 6oz barbel

A large slack close to the bank on a rising River Trent provided Brett Longthorne with a new personal best barbel in the form of this sublime 16lb 6oz specimen.

Arriving to his chosen stretch on the tidal river early on a Saturday morning, Brett had been fishing for around two hours when he got the bite.

The big Trent fish fell to a Nutrabaits River Plus boilie presented on a rig made with a 6oz lead to hold bottom.

Alan Rio | 3lb 1oz roach

A drop-back bite saw Alan Rio strike into this stunning 3lb 1oz roach personal best. 

The all-rounder baited a spot on an undisclosed gravel pit with a pint of maggots at 60 yards to gain a response.

“I quickly weighed the fish, which registered at 3lb 1oz on my scales – my first-ever 3lb roach!” he said.

Alan used 50g feeders and 4lb Drennan Supplex tied to a Drennan Super Specialist size 18 hook baited with maggots.

Simon Baker | 7lb 4oz chub

A weeked trip in search of a huge chub couldn’t have gone any sweeter for Simon Baker when he slipped the net under a brace of fish for 14lb 6oz. 

The larger of the two weighed 7lb 4oz and fell to maggots trotted along a stretch of the River Lea in Hertfordshire.

He said: “I had a fantastic two days of fishing and ended the trip with 15 chub, including the two sevens and a pair of sixes.” 

four perch over 4lb in ressie haul!

An Essex reservoir has produced one of the best specimen perch hauls of the season so far.

The remarkable catch, made up of 11 fish over 3lb 2oz to a best of 4lb 4oz, fell to the rod of tattoo artist Charlie Coppolo, who has been fishing the Hanningfield venue since the start of autumn. 

The 32-year-old  featured in last week’s Angling Times with a pair of 3lb-plus perch, but he was determined to go one better... and returned to slip his net under a 4lb specimen. 

He said: “Following on from last week’s big fish I didn’t think it could get much better – but, amazingly, it did!

“We managed to locate a shoal of baitfish with a Deeper Chirp+ fish-finder, and once again the perch were there in numbers.

“Overall I managed to catch 11 stripeys, all of them weighing over 3lb 2oz.

“The haul also included four incredible fish weighing 4lb 1oz, 4lb 2oz, 4lb 3oz and 4lb 4oz.  

“I’ve been trying for years to break the 4lb barrier and this time I’ve managed it four times in a day! I guess a five-pounder is my next target.”

Charlie’s fish were boated on a variety of lures, but a Gunki LS Kiddy in ‘Vairon’ colour mounted on to a 15g jig proved to be the most productive. 

Lures also proved effective in Lincolnshire rod Ash Costa’s approach when he drop shotted a black Senko worm to bank plump 4lb 9oz specimen (left).

Ash was being plagued by pike during the morning of his trip to a murky drain near Boston, but a switch to a different venue soon put him on the perch. 

He said: “A small group of fry had scattered in open water so I cast just beyond them.

“As the lure was falling through the water I had a very hard take, which I knew from the off was from a big perch. 

“A short while later this huge fish lay in my net and I was one very happy and relieved man, because the hook came out straight away.

“It was a stunning fish with a huge frame, and my second perch over 4lb this season.

“It just goes to show how good black lures can be in very coloured water.”

Matchman Ricky Young proved that you don’t need big baits to catch huge perch when he tempted this 4lb 2oz specimen on a double red maggot hookbait. 

The Cheshunt, Herts angler was fishing a contest on the River Lea at Nazeing when he received a powerful take on his quivertip rod. 

He said: “I had cast a small maggot feeder loaded with chopped worm alongside a double maggot hookbait to the far bank, and had a strong bite moments later. 

“This fish was huge, and ultimately helped me win the match!” 

Zombait - Bring your deadbaits back to life

AN INNOVATIVE fishing device which has taken America’s fishing scene by storm could provide an ethical alternative for anglers who use livebaits for predatory fish here in the UK.

Zombait – the product that brings your deadbaits ‘back to life’ – has been a resounding success for fishermen across America and eastern Europe since its conception in 2017, but now the brains behind the product believe it could make a huge difference to both sea and predator anglers on the British Isles.

Michael McNeil, who is the Chief Marketing Officer for Zombait, explained more about the product’s origin and success.

He said: “The idea came from a commercial tuna fisherman in Maine named Rink Varian, who needed a solution for when his live bait died and needed a way to make them look alive again.

“Through a mutual connection with family friends he teamed up with Jessy Cusack, a mechanical engineer, and Matthew Borowski, an electrical engineer, who designed and created the first prototype and brought the idea to life.

“Since the product’s launch we’ve received great feedback from people, especially pike fisherman, using Zombait both in North America and overseas.

“A huge highlight so far has been a fishing team using a Zombait to catch a 340lb Bluefin Tuna to help win a huge fishing tournament.

“It really has made a big difference to people’s fishing and of course it provides a great alternative to livebait.”

Despite Zombait’s success overseas there has been reason for concern with some members of the angling community in the UK amid fears the product could part with an angler’s mainline.

Predator expert Neville Fickling said: “My view is anything that makes pike fishing easier for pike anglers is a help, although you just have to be so careful that the device doesn’t end up inside a pike due to crack offs or breakages.”

To ensure the Zombait remains connected to your line Michael urges that anglers must take precautions when attaching the device to their rigs.

He added: “Certainly when pike fishing you must use a strong wire tippet, or some sort of wire that attaches to the hook and the designed tether point on the Zombait so you can protect against aggressive strikes.

“Strong mainlines and tight knots should always be used with this product too, and if you can do it right you will have no problem retrieving and reusing the Zombait over and over again.”

Zombait will soon be available to buy from the Amazon UK website here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07665HGJD/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=zombait&qid=1573034402&s=sports&sr=1-1

For more information on Zombait, please visit the website at www.revivefishing.com

Exclusive Angling Times interview

 Angling Times constructed an extended interview with Zombait’s Chief Marketing Officer, Michael McNeil, to find out a little more about the product.

Here’s what he had to say:

Angling Times: Just how effective has Zombait been? Have you increased your catch rates tenfold? Did it work in your fishing pretty much straight away?

Michael McNeil: Whilst we have no hard stats on this, we have received great feedback from pike fisherman, and anglers using them for a variety of gamefish both in North America and overseas. A highlight would be team 'Duck Soup' winning the Blue Fin Blowout Fishing Tournament using a Zombait to catch a 340lb Bluefin Tuna!

AT: Do you make a smaller Zombait that’s ideal for smaller deadbaits? Or perhaps have a similar idea in the pipeline?

MM: We currently have the one size, which measures in at 6.9 inches (or 17.5cm) but we have a smaller version now in the works.

AT: When setting the Zombait up for predatory fish with sharp teeth, what precautions should anglers take? For example: use strong wire when tying the Zombait to your hook?

MM: Yes, we recommend using a wire tippet, or some sort of wire towards the end of your leader that attaches to the hook and the designed tether point on the Zombait, so you can protect against aggressive strikes and retrieve and reuse it over and over again.

AT: How easy is it to use the Zombait? Is there an instructional video people can watch?

MM: It’s as simple as charging the battery and placing the Zombait inside your favourite dead bait fish of choice. As for rigging, a lot of it is personal preference, but we definitely recommend tying on a tether from your Zombait device (from the designed loop) back to either the hook or you main line to secure it in the event of an aggressive strike, and to protect against toothy critters. You can check out instructional videos on our website, and YouTube Channel, at www.ReviveFishing.com and https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCybb_tHxl1Z7cPMbSkQy-Q

AT: Would you say that Zombait is better or equal-to a livebait? Have you found that the Zombait has been more effective than a livebait on a particular day?

MM: Live bait is great, and we wouldn't necessarily say it’s better, but it does provide a unique presentation and some great advantages. It offers more flexibility in hook placement on the bait, as well as the ability to fish a "live bait" presentation anytime, anywhere, if you don't have time to catch your own live bait or buy it. As well, the problem with live bait is that it often dies, even with expensive live wells, which not everyone has, and in some countries, where the use of live bait is illegal, Zombait gives you a great opportunity to give some action and movement to your dead bait that you otherwise wouldn't have.

Positives:

•          Eliminates the use of a livebait

•          Is easily attachable to your standard deadbait trace

•          Comes with rechargeable batteries and a charging pack

Negatives:

•          Requires very strong hooks, traces and mainline to use

•          Is too big for smaller deadbaits, although a smaller Zombait is in the pipeline

•          The battery is limited to a maximum of 3.5 hours of use on a single charge

Four perch to 4lb 6oz banked...

Perch fanatic Joe Royffe continued his impressive form for big stripeys again this week when he banked four specimens for nearly 16lb. 

They weighed 4lb 6oz, 4lb 3oz, 3lb 15oz and 3lb 3oz and all fell to livebait tactics fished on his local stretch of the River Lee Navigation. 

He said: “I landed the 4lb 6oz perch, but it was while unhooking this one that the other rod sprung into life and I soon had two big perch in the net at the same time, with the smaller one going 3lb 3oz.”