Snags home to giant Lea perch - Simon Baker
“I was overjoyed to catch this 4lb 4oz perch – my second over four of the season.
“Fishing the River Lea, I targeted a slack in the stretch tight against a nearside snag, where I suspected perch mught be hanging out.
“I had a few sharp taps on the top and struck into what I first thought was a pike! A hectic fight followed, as the fish tried to head back into the snags next to where I hooked it.
“When it rolled on the surface I knew it was another huge perch, and I was so pleased to get it in the net. A small roach livebait fished on a sunken paternoster rig did the trick.”
Simon Baker – 4lb 4oz perch
Big river roach on the float
A two-month campaign for a big roach paid off in fine style for London angler Adam Jones, in the shape of this immense 2lb 10oz fish.
Fishing a local river, Adam opted for his favoured stick float tactics, loosefeeding hemp and maggots for a while before casting out, in the hope of drawing fish into his swim from the deeper, inaccessible pool below.
He said:
“I’d just been catching minnows and tiny dace, and as the light started fading, I could only just make out my float.
“As it neared the end of my swim it dipped, and I was fully expecting to connect with another minnow.
“My strike, however, met with solid resistance, and a huge roach immediately surfaced.
“The rest is just a blur, but I can confirm I’m still shaking from the catch. I can’t believe what happened!”
Adam Jones – 2lb 10oz roach
Schoolboy bags brace of a lifetime!
DAY sessions don’t get much better than the one enjoyed by Kyle Brayne recently.
At just 13 years old, he became the envy of many a seasoned big-fish specialist when he braced a 7lb 10oz chub with a 17lb 14oz barbel.
After being stuck inside for weeks, Kyle had been itching to get out fishing, and he got his wish when his dad’s friend Robert Bown offered to take him to a local stretch of the middle River Trent a mile from home.
“The river is within walking distance of both our houses,” Robert told us,
“so Kyle and I spent the few days leading up to the session baiting a swim we fancied.
“When Wednesday arrived, we got to the bank for 9.30am, and it wasn’t long before we were into fish, the first being the huge chub. Kyle played it like a professional, and after a few minutes’ battle the fish was netted.
“Unsurprisingly it’s a personal best for him, and we ended up chatting for hours about his extraordinary catch.”
Kyle Brayne and his monster 7lb 10oz chub
The pair decided to pack up late in the afternoon, but just before they called time, the right-hand rod roared off again.
“This fish went on a series of big powerful runs, but Kyle again played it brilliantly, coaxing the fish out of a snag that it had kited into,” Rob revealed.
“We saw a huge barbel surface, and on the scales it registered 17lb 14oz – another big PB for Kyle!
“A little later I picked up my rod to reel in and head for home, and it almost tore off in my hand, with a smaller barbel being the culprit. It’s sod’s law that I landed the smallest fish, but it was Kyle’s day, so him landing the biggest was only right.
“We walked home wet and muddy but over the moon. What a day session!”
Kyle backed up the chub with this huge 17lb 14oz barbel
Perfect conditions bring huge Avon chub
Making the most of perfect conditions resulted in this immaculate 7lb 12oz Hampshire Avon chub for Gavin Barrett.
Arriving after lunch and creeping into position, Gavin found the river in great shape, with a tinge of colour and rapidly warming water following a long cold spell.
“I lowered a lump of paste on to a crease off the rod-tip where I was able to fish a slack line” he told us.
“After 10 minutes, it suddenly whipped tight, and I struck into a fish already trying to get under my own bank. Fortunately, it stayed in the calm water, and after netting it I was greeted by the most pristine chub I’ve ever witnessed.
“If it hadn’t been for travelling restrictions, I’d probably have been fishing for roach. But catching this chub has certainly made my season!”
Gavin Barrett – 7lb 12oz chub
Huge Ribble perch in the snow! - Dominik Chrobak
“On a cold, snowy morning I decided on a trip to Lancashire’s stunning River Ribble – a venue always capable of throwing up a surprise.
“A juicy lobworm was the bait of choice, and about half-an-hour after setting up I noticed a knock on my rod-tip before line started peeling off the reel.
“I struck into a fish that went on several powerful runs, diving for every snag and putting up a belting fight. When it finally surfaced my heart started pounding – it was a magnificent perch.
“Weighing in at 4lb 2oz, it’s my personal best and a fish that I’ll remember for a lifetime. All those cold mornings this winter were worth it.”
Dominik Chrobak and his 4lb 2oz perch
Break from school results in stunning dace brace - Richie Martin
“As a break from the home schooling I took two of my boys, Ted and Buster, for an hour’s stick float fishing on a local stream.
“Both my sons caught fish over 10oz, while I had a few casts myself and managed a PB-equalling dace of 14oz 8dr – it was an absolutely stunning fish.
“The brace shot is of it alongside another fish of 11oz 8dr.
“Eventually we ran out of bait but headed for home feeling very happy with ourselves… even though the next home school lesson was equivalent fractions!”
A fine brace of big dace
Richie Martin with the biggest fish, a 14oz 8dr dace
3lb-plus Itchen grayling
Specimen angler Matt Fernandez was left blown away by this 3lb 3oz grayling – because it was a new personal best from a river where grayling this big are rare.
Targeting the intimate River Itchen, Matt caught the fish on trotted maggot, and when he first hooked it, he suspected it to be a trout.
“To my knowledge, only one of my friends has had a 3lb grayling from this stretch, and that was seven years ago!” he told us.
“I never expected to beat my personal best grayling on this river, but am truly pleased that I have.”
Matt Fernandez and his 3lb 3oz Itchen grayling
Only bite is a monster pike!
This immense pike left seasoned specimen angler Keith Wesley stunned. Weighing in at 38lb, the fish came during a trip with Angling Times columnist Martin Bowler to an unnamed chalk pit.
It was Keith’s only fish of a two-day session, and it took a further day for the catch to sink in.
“I was blown away by the fish – it was so fat!” he told us.
“In the water, Martin and I both agreed it looked to be around 25lb, but its depth was tremendous.
“To catch such a fish is always special, but to do it with my old mate Martin by my side was really the icing on the cake.”
Keith Wesley and his giant 38lb pike
Giant Norfolk chub...on a lure!
FEW hardy souls target winter chub on lures, but judging by this 7lb 10oz fish banked by Savage Gear team member Robbie Northman on a 5.5cm Cannibal Shad lure, maybe they should.
Targeting Norfolk’s River Bure, Robbie found it in perfect nick during a mild spell after weeks of snow.
“I was working my tiny lure through a bankside slack when I felt a sudden thump on the rod,” he told us.
“I struck instantly, and the fish took off powerfully across the current.
“I could tell it was a big one, and at 7lb 10oz it broke my previous PB by 8oz.”
Robbie Northman’s 7lb 10oz chub fell to a lure
Huge trout banked...from a canal!
This large brown trout caught from a canal in Yorkshire is likely to go down as one of the most surprising catches of the season.
The impressive game fish was landed by Jamie Brearley, who was deadbaiting for pike on his local Wakefield Canal, and was just packing up his kit to head for home when his bite alarm sounded.
“I’ve been fishing the canal every week for nearly three months,” he told us,
“and this was the first bite I’ve had!”
“I’m absolutely chuffed to bits with the fish, though, which I reckon weighed around 8lb. All that time, effort and resilience certainly paid off!”
Jamie Brearley’s impressive canal trout fell to a deadbait
Prebaiting pays off for big Thames barbel
“After Storm Christoph hit, conditions looked perfect for a big barbel from my local River Thames.
“A warm wind was forecast for a couple of days and the water temperature was rising, so I prebaited a 9ft-deep crease with boilies for two days leading up to my planned evening session.
“I arrived just on dark and baited my rig with a 3 Foot Twitch Redemption Black wafter wrapped it in matching paste before lowering the bait roughly a rodlength out from where I’d baited.
“Half-an-hour later I had a whacking wrap-round on the tip and I struck into a barbel that powered straight into the main river and went solid.
“It just hung in the main flow, which was tanking through. After a bit of a tussle, I was able to guide her towards me where she gave me a superb scrap under the rod-tip.
“At 14lb 14oz it was a Thames chunk, and I was delighted to have caught a near-15 in January.”
James Hook’s 14lb 14oz Thames barbel
Broken rod avenged with 3lb-plus roach - Paul Scowen
“FOLLOWING a run of four blanks and breaking one of my old rods, persistence paid off when I banked this 3lb 3oz roach.
“Targeting a southern pit, I fished a maggot feeder on a helicopter set-up to tempt the specimen redfin.
“Lockdown restrictions mean that I, like everyone else, am limited to fishing days only, so I’ve been fishing short afternoon sessions when bites are most likely.
“After a drop-back bite I was delighted to land this fish after what seemed like such a long wait. I’d fished the same venue last spring and had seven roach over 3lb.”
Paul Scowen and his 3lb 3oz roach
Huge canal perch in the snow - Nick Wright
“IT WAS a very cold day down my local canal. However, after seeing someone feeding bread to the ducks, I suspected that there might be a few bait fish in the area, and some larger predators.
“I had a few casts with my lure before feeling a heavy thud on the rod. The fish fought deep, and I expected it to be a pike. But then I saw this huge perch, and when it hit the net, I couldn’t believe it.
“I’ve had big perch before, but this was something else! Sadly, I was on my own and had to ask a dog walker for a pic, so it’s not the best shot – but it’s a fish I don’t think I’ll ever top!”
Nick Wright’s 5lb 1oz perch fell to a Texas-rigged Z-Man Goat lure
Switch to maggots on dropping river brings big chub
Chub fishing hasn’t been easy in flooded rivers across the UK, but southern specimen angler Phil Buckingham made the most of his local River Lea as it fined down with this 7lb 8oz fish.
Fishing the Kings Weir stretch, Phil returned to a swim where he’d had a few indications earlier.
“I’ve been fishing Kings Weir twice a week this winter, with it being my local water, and on a previous session I’d fished meat in a big slack but only had a few pulls.
“With the colour dropping out the river I switched to a maggot feeder, and when my centrepin screeched I thought I’d hooked a barbel!
“The lack of fight indicated otherwise, and I was delighted to slip the net under the fish – my 11th chub over 7lb.”
Phil Buckingham and his 7lb 8oz Lea chub
PB Avon barbel leaves it late
Taking advantage of a brief rise in temperature on a local stretch of the Hampshire Avon gave Darren Smith this 16lb 10oz barbel.
Arriving to find a swim he had in mind vacant, he fed a few broken boilies and pellets with a bait dropper and left the swim to stew for half-an-hour.
“First cast I had a 6lb 12oz chub, followed by two smaller ones,” he told us.
“I figured they had probably cleared up most of the freebies, so just on dark I attached a PVA bag filled with feed to top up the swim.
“I was just thinking of packing up when the rod hammered round, resulting in this 16lb 10oz PB barbel.”
Darren Smith – 16lb 10oz barbel
Homemade lure tricks big Trent zander
After a busy week at work, predator angler Andrei Adomnicai was rewarded with this immaculate
15lb 2oz zander from the River Trent.
Fishing in freezing conditions with a high river, the odds were against him, but perseverance paid off.
He told us:
“After an early 6lb pike I fished on through the cold. Suddenly, the lure was hit by what felt like a lorry and my heart started racing. The fish stayed deep, and after a good battle my friend netted a 15lb 2oz zander – caught on a 10cm homemade lure.”
Andrei Adomnicai – 15lb 2oz zander
Carp Team England boss on a 'species hunt'
Carp Team England manager Rob Hughes has paused his quest for huge carp and set his sights on smaller coarse fish.
“Pre-Christmas and pre-lockdown I decided to spend time over the holidays with my 14-year-old son, trying to catch different species on short sessions,” he says.
A big dace, just one of the different species Rob has caught
“We set a few targets, and even fishing just short sessions in the afternoon have been great fun. Trotting maggots on the stick float, maggots and worms on the waggler, drop shotting and jigging, wobbled lures, fly fishing for pike, plus boilies and bread feeders were just some of the tactics we used.
“Once the box was ticked there was no repeating it. It was on to the next challenge.”
Lures did the trick for the perch
Rob enjoyed a phenomenal roach session recently, taking 48 redfins in an afternoon, the majority of which weighed over 1lb.
Just part of Rob’s phenomenal roach haul
“But the highlight of the winter for me has to be a gudgeon a smidgeon shy of 7ins!” says Rob.
This huge gudgeon has been Rob’s highlight so far
Rig change makes all the difference for specimen chub - Tom Stafford
“Conditions on my local river in Essex looked perfect for chub, so I headed down there at 8am with my quivertip rod, a net, a rod rest and a bucket of bait.
“With just a couple of hours’ fishing at my disposal, I could only afford 10 minutes in each swim and hoped for a quick bite on my link-legered cheesepaste and lobworm offerings, but before I knew it my time was running out and I was in my final swim without having had so much as a knock.
“It was an ‘S’ bend with an inviting slack on the far bank, and I nicked on a whole lobworm before flicking my rig out to the mark.
“After five minutes I reeled in to check the worm, only to find it chewed and covering the hook point, yet I hadn’t received any indication on my rod-tip.
“So off came the rig and I tied on a new, short hooklink incorporating a Drennan Quickstop before hair-rigging half a lobworm to the back of my size 12 hook. It’s a technique I often use when for perch, as I find it makes for better hooking efficiency.
Hair-rigging his worm bait to the back of the hook was only a small tweak, but it paid off for Tom Stafford
“A couple of minutes after casting back out, there was a little judder on the tip before it smashed completely round and I connected with a strong fish that immediately tried to get into the marginal snags.
“I was adamant it wasn’t going to reach them, though, and by piling on as much pressure as I dared I steered this huge chub up to the surface and shouted ‘get in!’ as it slid over the net cord.
“It was a massive fish for my tiny local river and, at 6lb 5oz, it proved to be a new personal best into the bargain.
“I had made only a small rig change, but it made a huge difference at the eleventh hour of the session!”
Tom Stafford – 6lb 5oz chub
Big carper finds perfect lockdown target
Big carper and The Challenge star Harry Charrington has put the carp rods away for now and set his sights on greedy river chub.
“If I’m still to get my fishing hit in lockdown that’s the only way to go,” he says.
Fortunately, Harry lives just a stone’s throw away from a fantastic stretch of river in East Anglia, one with a good head of chub.
“I’m very lucky in that I can easily access miles of quality river with dozens of great spots, all with the aid of my bike, so it couldn’t be more local. Since Christmas I must have had over 30 chub, with the average size between 3lb and 4lb 8oz.
“However, I struck gold the other day when I managed a 5lb 3oz and a 6lb 1oz in consecutive casts, with the six being a new PB!”
Harry is clearly delighted with his 6lb 1oz chub
Huge river pike is a "fitting reward" - Leigh Laffar
“I headed to a spot on my local river at sunrise and baited close to the near-bank snags with chopped sprats before casting out my floatfished roach deadbait over the top.
“By 4pm I’d not had a take, so I nicked on a fresh bait and cast it next to one of the snags. The float buried within seconds.
“Straight away this heavy weight charged downriver on a savage run. After 10 minutes of steady pressure I started to gain line and drew the pike to the surface, where I could see it was only lightly hooked on the bottom treble.
“Thankfully it went into the net on the first scoop, and at 29lb 4oz it was one of the proper ones, a rich and fitting reward for all those blanks I’ve endured this winter.”
Leigh Laffar – 29lb 4oz pike