Nine hours, one bite, 35lb!
Ronan Murray only had one bite during a nine-hour piking session... but he wasn’t complaining when it turned out to be from this huge 35lb 7oz fish!
Targeting a water in his Irish homeland, Ronan presented a floatfished roach to fool his quarry, and he knew he was into something a little bit special straight away.
“When I struck I realised instantly I was connected to a good fish, and after a long hard fight I eventually got her in the net.
“I knew this was close to my PB which stands at 36lb 4oz, from December last year, but when the scales stopped at 35lb 7oz I was still a happy man!”
Perch trip of a lifetime
Angling videographer Robert Theobald enjoyed the perch trip of a lifetime this week – smashing his personal best three times in the same day.
Topping Robert’s catch was this 4lb 1oz specimen, which was backed up by three more fish weighing exactly 4lb each. The superb haul was taken from the same reservoir where Robert filmed his friend Charlie Coppollo catching a glut of big perch last month. All of Robert’s fish fell to Berkley Pulse shads in a perch pattern, presented on Berkley all-round jig heads.
Monster chub comes out after dark
Chub don’t get much fatter than this 7lb 13oz cracker taken from the Great Ouse by James Crameri.
The train station supervisor, from Bury St Edmunds, was targeting a favourite swim on a fining-down river, but it wasn’t until the hours of darkness that the specimen pulled the quivertip round.
“It was the only bite of the evening although in fairness I didn’t fish much longer after catching it as my desire to continue had been overtaken by the size of the chub I’d just caught!” said James, who used a legered boilie on a semi-fixed rig cast to the crease, with a PVA bag of loose offerings nicked on to the hook.
Test in form for magical roach
A flurry of big roach have been caught from the crystal clear waters of the River Test in the past few weeks Angling Times can reveal…
One of the best hauls came from match angler Aidan Bordiuk, who swapped his pole for a float rod during a recent session on the Hampshire river and took three roach over the 2lb barrier, topped by a fish of 2lb 3oz.
After spotting a group of big roach, Aidan spent over an hour feeding maggots to gain their confidence, and on his first run through connected with ‘the fish of a lifetime’.
“The float dipped straight away, and I was into a roach of over 2lb – I couldn’t believe it,” said Aidan.
“Over the next few hours I caught fish of 2lb 3oz, 2lb 2oz, 2lb and 1lb 14oz, as well as lots of other fish over the 1lb mark.
Aidan used 3lb line and a size 18 hook below an Avon-style float to fool the crafty specimens.
Angling Dreams boss Adam Fisher also struck silver recently when he swapped the beauty of the Wye Valley for the equally scenic River Test and was rewarded with this fine roach of 2lb 5oz.
Fishing with Fisherman’s Blues radio host Nigel Botherway, the pair shared a swim which required them to trot baits through a deep run for both roach and chub.
Adam told Angling Times: “There was a hard and hacking upstream wind blowing, which made life tough even if it did help with our presentation. All the more reward to hook a fish like this!”
Adam fooled the fish on a single white maggot, ran through the swim under a float. The tactic also took a dozen other redfins over 1lb.
First grayling trip results in stunning lady
On his very first grayling trip, Alfie Naylor banked this stunning 2lb 11oz fish from the iconic River Itchen in Hampshire.
Using classic trotting tactics with a modern twist – braided mainline – the fish was one of over 50 fish that the Newark rod banked over the course of a weekend session.
Bumper roach haul after three day feed
A prebaiting campaign on his local River Itchen paid off handsomely for big-fish man Roman Vann when he put together an astonishing haul of roach to a top weight of 2lb 5oz.
Priming his swim with hemp for three days prior to his session, Roman waited until a low pressure front had moved in and he could see numbers of roach in the swim.
This resulted in a catch which included three fish over 2lb to 2lb 5oz, along with half a dozen over 1lb 12oz.
He told Angling Times: “The last three relatively calm and mild winters seems to have bolstered roach numbers and weights on the southern rivers.
“The plan seemed to work perfectly as each time I checked the swim the concentration of roach was increasing.
“When roach are feeding actively there is no need to fish too fine because you will just lose more large fish to hook-pulls.”
Romans haul fell to maggot feeder tactics with three maggots on a size 12 hook tied to a 5lb hooklength.
Big chub are rare on the Yare
THE River Yare isn’t noted for its chub sport but local angler Ben Parfitt proved otherwise when he slipped the net under this 6lb 11oz chunk.
Over the last month the all-rounder has been link-legering luncheon meat into likely areas on the Norfolk waterway, which culminated in a new personal best of 5lb 15oz around three weeks ago.
Believing that there was a bigger chub to be caught on his chosen stretch however, Ben persevered and managed to beat his chub record by almost a pound during his latest visit.
Big Thames chub the perfect remedy
DESPITE suffering from a severe cold Ken Hellewell braved harsh weather to get out and bank this fin-perfect 7lb 1oz chub.
The Farnborough-based angler reluctantly headed to a length of the River Thames and was forced to fish areas of slack water due to the floods.
He said: “I’d only fished for four hours as I really wasn’t feeling well, and I had to settle of fishing the slacks as the river was so high.
“I’d fed four areas with liquidised bread and fished a chunk of flake over the top on the hook.
“It was my only bite of the session but at 7lb 1oz I was very happy I’d made the effort to get out.”
Meaty hookbait fools Ouse specimen
Every season the Great Ouse produces big chub, and for Mark Austin the river certainly didn’t disappoint with this cracking 7lb 9oz specimen.
Targeting a stretch of the river in Milton Keynes, the big chub took a legered Pallatrax ‘Meatbeast Squabs’ presented on a size 8 hook.
Mark revealed that this tactic has been effective for other fish from the same stretch: “I smashed my Chub PB (previously 6lb 13oz) with this stunning fish at 7lb 9oz,
the same tactic has also produced five big chub over 5lbs in two sessions along the same stretch.”
Match This dates announced for 2020
Dates and venues for the 24 qualifiers that will make up 2020’s Maver Mega Match This campaign have been released.
2019 Champion Jamie Hughes
The winner of each match will go through to fish for £60,000 in the grand final at Maver/Dynamite Baits Hayfield Lakes in August.
There are plenty of familiar names in the line-up and only six of them are midweek, with the action kicking off on Saturday March 7 at Partridge Lakes and winding up with the last chance on Wednesday August 12 at Decoy Lakes.
Tickets go on sale in January 2020 and can be purchased via the Maver Match This website, dates as follows:
Saturday March 7 - Partridge Lakes
Sunday March 29 - The Glebe Fishery
Saturday April 4 - Partridge Lakes
Saturday April 11 – Maver/Dynamite Baits Hayfield Lakes
Saturday April 18 – Daiwa Hallcroft Fishery
Wednesday April 29 - Messingham Sands
Saturday May 2 - Moorlands Farm
Wednesday May 6 - Barston Lakes
Saturday May 9 - Tunnel Barn Farm
Saturday May 16 - Partridge Lakes
Sunday May 17 - Westwood Lakes
Saturday May 23 - The Glebe Fishery
Saturday May 30 - Hayfield Lakes
Wednesday June 3 - Decoy Lakes
Saturday June 13 – Bait-Tech Viaduct Fishery
Sunday June 14 - Messingham Sands
Saturday July 4 - Barston Lakes
Tuesday July 14 - Decoy Lakes
Wednesday July 22 - The Glebe Fishery
Saturday July 25 – Maver/Dynamite Baits Hayfield Lakes
Saturday August 1 – Daiwa Hallcroft Fishery
Sunday August 2 - The Glebe Fishery
Saturday August 8 - Tunnel Barn Farm
Wednesday August 12 - Decoy Lakes
Grand Final: Saturday August 29 Maver/Dynamite Baits Hayfield Lakes
Should F1s be considered as silvers? - Keith Arthur
I have never hidden the fact that I don’t like F1s.
I think fishery owners were conned when the original crucian x goldfish hybrid was subtly switched to a goldfish x king carp strain.
The originals, which don’t grow over 4lb, would be fine in silver fish matches but how can a fish that has reached well into double figures and average 6lb-plus in some waters be considered not to be a carp?
It’s bonkers. If they must count (probably to keep the weights up) why not give them a nominal weights say a maximum 2lb?
F1s can grow to an impressive size - bigger than most silver fish
Angler lands giant sturgeon twice in one month!
IN the fishing world lightning does indeed strike twice, as Stuart William Larkin found when he caught the same giant sturgeon two times in the same month.
The monster fish bottomed out Stuart’s 70lb scales the first time he tempted it from Hollyhurst Lake Fishery near Birmingham, but little did he know he would have to do battle with it again two weeks later.
It took a liking to two very different hookbaits too, the first time falling to a quarter tin of luncheon meat and the second time a pair of 10mm boilies.
A National for feeder anglers coming in 2020
A new National Championships for feeder anglers has been created in a major big-match revamp by the Angling Trust.
The competition will be the vehicle for qualification for the World Feeder Champs. Furthermore, the Trust has also announced that winners of the annual Sensas Challenge will be invited to fish the World Float Champs.
Previously, qualification was achieved by teams fishing bespoke one-off events, but these proved controversial and struggled to attract numbers, with only two teams signing up for this year’s cancelled float eliminator.
However, all that will change with the big news that is sure to appeal to a wider audience.
First up is the Sensas Challenge on the Gloucester Canal at the end of March, an event that’s fished to strict international rules over two days, thus suiting the type of fishing the highest-ranked English team will do in the Float Champs in Slovenia or Italy next summer.
Then comes the new Feeder National again on the Gloucester Canal on Sunday August 23, the winner of that heading off to either Bulgaria or the Ukraine for the 2021 event, as the qualifier for next summer’s champs has already been fished.
Entry into the six a side Feeder match is just £120 per team and is open to all Angling Trust member sides and this too will be fished to international rules. Teams are welcome to register their interest in the Feeder National at this early stage by e-mailing Sandra Johnson at sandra.johnson@anglingtrust.net and application forms for all Nationals listed below will be available in the New Year.
2020 Angling Trust National & qualifier dates at a glance…
Saturday March 28 & Sunday March 29 - Sensas Challenge, Gloucester Canal (World Float Club Champs qualifier)
Saturday April 25 - Commercial National, Drennan Lindholme Lakes
Saturday June 27 - Junior and Youth Nationals, Packington Somers
Saturday July 28 - Ladies and Disabled Nationals, Gold Valley Lakes
Wednesday July 29 - Veterans and Masters Nationals, Decoy Lakes
Saturday August 1 - Individual National, Grand Union Canal Northampton
Saturday August 15 - Division One National, Grand Union Canal Northampton
Sunday August 23 - Feeder National, Gloucester Canal (World Feeder Club Champs qualifier)
Saturday September 12 - Division Two National, Gloucester Canal
Four day quest for giant Lea roach
JOE Royffe’s four-day pursuit of a big River Lea roach finally turned up trumps with the capture of a 2lb 7oz specimen.
The Hertfordshire-based angler had spotted a brace of large redfins tucked under a reedbed and decided to target them on trotting gear with red maggots.
After hooking a number of smaller fish Joe finally struck into a strong resistance just before the light faded.
He said: “I was met with a solid resistance and could soon feel the classic jagged lunges and head shakes through the rod as the fish lunged around the swim.
“This has got to be one of my favourite captures so far this season – knowing how hard big roach are to come by on the Lea system.”
Chocolate river no problem for monster chub!
FLOODWATER has halted fishing on many rivers across the country but anglers targeting southern waterways are currently enjoying sport from a glut of specimen fish.
Hampshire specialist Simon Daley was one of them and he found success in pursuit of chub on the Dorset Stour with the capture of a 7lb 7oz giant.
The big-fish hunter, who made headlines a fortnight ago with a superb 16lb 13oz barbel, had intended to trot maggots for his quarry but a rapidly rising river forced a change of tactics.
He said: “The river was bank high and chocolate in colour, so trotting was out of the question.
“Instead I decided to fish the slacks with a strong-smelling paste hair-rigged to a size 8 hook, 8lb mainline and my favourite Drennan 1.25tc rod.”
Early in the session Simon thought his chance was gone when he missed a bite but a few taps on the tip five minutes before packing up was enough to warrant a strike.
He added: “I connected with a heavy fish and had to play it hard to keep it away from the snags.
“I was shocked when it surfaced – the length and girth was immense.
“I’m sure come February or March it’ll be a proper monster.”
Get on the bread for a big Avon roach
Alan Storey was left speechless when he banked this sublime 2lb 11oz 8dr roach.
Targeting Christchurch AC’s stretch of the Hampshire Avon at Winkton, the 65-year-old had struggled to fish the float in harsh conditions and was forced to switch tactics to find a result.
He said: “I’d caught small roach and dace but thought there would be a chance of a bigger fish on the bread feeder.
“After making a few casts I soon found the sweet spot and watched as the quiver tip signalled a positive take – I knew straight away it was a big roach from the classic nod, nod, glide during the fight.
“My heart was in my mouth as the roach went into the main flow near to where a big pike had surfaced previously, but thankfully I was able to net it first time.
“Whilst I would love to have caught it on the float a switch to the bread feeder made all the difference – it’s important to have a couple of options with you on the day.”
Alan’s successful set-up included 4lb mainline to a 2lb hooklink and a size 12 hook mounted with breadflake.
Should match vets have more time to get set? - Keith Arthur
I used to be a regular visitor to White Acres and would be today if my circumstances were different. I know how well run all the fishing is down there which makes it very difficult for me to understand how in the recent Veterans’ Festival, only 90 minutes was allowed from the start of the draw to the ‘all-in’.
At least two great anglers, ironically both with Team England management experience, fell foul of this race to get fishing: John Weedon, who manages the disabled squad, and none other than the great Dick Clegg.
Dick at least got to fish, albeit starting very late without the all his required kit assembled: John on the other hand was disqualified for the day by having too much bait with him. He isn’t the first to fall foul of that very sensible rule but with terrible weather and the massive rush to start he forgot he had stuff already in his carryall.
Dick seems to have made the decision to not fish the event again because of the lack of time to set up, which is also very understandable. It’s sad and perhaps more consideration should be given to us veterans to prepare.
High water keeping barbel feeding despite the cold
DESPITE freezing temperatures barbel anglers have been hitting the banks in their droves in search of a new personal best.
Here are three recent barbel reports to inspire you to get the rods out…
Dariusz Prech 16lb 15oz barbel
Scunthorpe-based angler Dariusz Prech braved unsavoury conditions on the tidal River Trent to bank his biggest barbel ever at 16lb 15oz.
Targeting an area of slack water Dariusz opted for a maggot approach and fished four grubs on the hook in conjunction with a cage feeder loaded with spicy pellets and a shrimp and krill groundbait.
He said: “The fish was very strong, and the fight took about 10 minutes as it tried to get away in the strong flow.”
Mitch Godfrey 15lb 1oz barbel
Perseverance was key in the capture of this 15lb 1oz chunk for Mitch Godfrey who fished all day to finally receive a take whilst he was packing up.
The Nottingham-based rod targeted his local River Trent and lowered two 10mm Bait-Tech Krill and Tuna boilies into a crease behind a tree in hope of a take.
He said: “Considering the cold the fish put up a superb scrap and there were a few twitchy moments as it rubbed around a snag but a very welcome 15lb 1oz barbel eventually made it to the net.”
Paul Potter 14lb 2oz barbel
Barbel fanatic Paul Potter continued his superb run of form on the Dorset Stour when he slipped his net under a 14lb 2oz specimen during a recent evening trip.
He told Angling Times: “This barbel is possibly one of the most stunning 14 pounders I have ever caught.
“A simple change in winds from North to South East also brought the air and water temperatures up a touch and got them on the feed.”
Paul used a Hook Bait Company Spicy Fish Pro boilie to help temp the barbel.
100lb of dace from the Wye!
Just weeks after weighing in 97lb of Wye silverfish, under-25’s world No.1 Rory Jones has gone one better after bagging exactly 100lb of dace from the river in Hereford.
The catch is believed to be one of the biggest weights made up entirely of dace ever to be taken in the UK, and checks are currently underway to find out if there has been anything larger.
Before the draw there were two pegs Rory fancied, and incredibly it was one of these that he pulled out the bag.
“I told the lads that I fancied either peg 93 or 94, and when I drew peg 93, I couldn’t believe it.” Rory revealed.
“It’s one of the noted pegs on the river, where the bottom shallows by about four feet into a gravel run.
“I actually started the day hoping to catch roach, and I kicked off the peg with 10 balls of groundbait laced with a pint of caster, hemp and chopped worm, but I was quickly into quality dace.
“I therefore started loose feeding maggots to bring the fish shallow and began catching well using a pole stick on a six-metre whip.”
On occasions when the sunlight peaked through, Rory could see just how many fish were in his peg, but this didn’t mean they were easy to catch.
“Its remarkable how crafty dace are. There were so many fish in the peg, but at no stage were they suicidal.
“If my maggot was damaged at all I would run the float through and not get a touch.
“I hooked these by threading them up the shank of the hook, and if I presented them conventionally I would only land smaller fish.
“I actually caught best using a long hooklength, as the dace seemed to take my hookbait better without the resistance of a shot close to the hook.”
Long-shanked hooks were key to Rory’s success
Despite having so many dace in the peg, there were periods of the day where the fish backed off and Rory had to adapt.
“There was quite a big crowd of people watching me, and if anyone came too close you could tell as the shoal dropped downstream.
“When this happened, I balled in groundbait to create some noise to bring the fish back into the swim, after which I would catch them on the deck before bringing them shallow again with loosefed maggots.
“The sport was phenomenal, and whilst I didn’t keep count of my fish someone stood behind me and kept a tally. In 70 minutes, I landed 174 dace.
“By the end of the match my arm felt like it was going to drop off after swinging in so many fish!”
Rory caught on an elasticated six-metre whip, using an 8 x No. 4 Woody’s stick to fish through the water, as well as a Sensas Alberto float for fishing on the deck
Rory’s choice of float for fishing on the deck - a Sensas Alberto
“The Alberto was fished with No. 8 shot strung out shirt-button-style through the rig to catch in the deeper water, whilst the stick was over-shotted with a bulk.” Rory explained.
“I fished this by laying it in and holding it back, which helped to hit the quick bites. Some of the fish actually pulled the elastic out, just like carp do when fishing shallow!”
Rory used a Yellow Sensas Hollow elastic in his whip, a size 14 Sensas Feeling 3065 hook and 0.11mm line. This hook pattern was crucial in Rory’s approach, as its long shank allowed him to thread a maggot past the bend.
Giant 36lb 12oz pike banked at Chew Valley Reservoir!
A 14-YEAR quest for a giant Chew Reservoir pike finally ended for Ivan Newton with the capture of this immense 36lb 12oz predator.
Fishing the famous Walley Bank with his grandson Josh, the 69-year-old had no idea he was about to battle the fish of his dreams when his herring hookbait, legered 50yds from the shore, was picked up.
Ivan Newton’s 36lb 12oz personal best pike from Chew
Speaking to Angling Times, Ivan admitted to still being shocked over his catch of such a special fish.
He said: “My grandson Josh had just released a 3lb rainbow trout when my alarm sounded a few bleeps, and line began to peel from the reel.
“I picked up the rod and it was solid – I’d never felt anything like it.
“At first I thought it was a rock or some weed, but then it started to move – the sheer weight and power of the fish was incredible.”
After a few minutes the frame of a huge predator appeared on the surface 20 yards out and the pair knew they’d hooked a monster, but the fight was not over yet…
“The pike almost drifted across the surface as if it didn’t know it was hooked,” Ivan added.
“As I edged the fish closer Josh questioned whether it would fit in the net – it was gigantic!
“Thankfully the huge pike was safely landed and I was left completely stunned by the experience.
“I was so over the moon with this catch.
“We wanted to dispel some of the rumours that Chew doesn’t have the fish it once had anymore, and I think we did just that.
“I would also like to say a huge thanks to my grandson – without him it wouldn’t have been possible.”
Did You Know?
The Chew Reservoir pike record was banked in 2014 by Liverpool angler Paul Millar at a staggering 44lb 6oz. Fly expert Mike Green has also registered a 40lb 8oz fish from the venue, which is believed to be one of the biggest pike ever caught on fly tackle.