Early start the trick to huge specimen rudd capture

AN EARLY morning raid on a Fenland river turned up trumps for Matt Delabruyere in the shape of a new PB rudd of 3lb 4oz.

Just before first light, the 30-year-old from Colchester baited his near and far-bank margins with 50p-sized pieces of bread and listened for signs of feeding rudd before casting out.

Sure enough, before long a large fish swirled at his loose offerings as the sun began to creep over the horizon, as he explains:

“This rudd came up right under my feet and started taking my freebies extremely delicately,” he says.
“My hook was already baited and while hiding behind a huge reedbed I gently lowered in my floating bread. Eventually the fish came up again, engulfed the lot and sank down into the darkness.
“A sharp upward strike set the hook and after a nervy battle, where this old warrior tried every trick in the book to avoid capture, it eventually slid sideways into the net.”

After climbing up the bank through stinging nettles, Matt finally got to set eyes on the biggest rudd he’d ever seen.

He added:

“I just stood there in awe. It’s a fish that I’m incredibly proud of.”