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.”
Matt Delabruyere and his 3lb 4oz rudd
20 mile walk pays off for big rudd - Simon Ashton
“During my first trip to the Fens I learned that travelling light and going the extra mile (or 10) is the way to go for big rudd.
“It was a Thursday, and despite a 250-mile journey from my home in Country Durham to Cambridgeshire, I arrived at the river for 6pm.
“Floatfishing has always been my preferred tactic for rudd so I packed my 14ft Drennan Acolyte rod with a reel loaded with 5lb line.
“My rig was simple, too – a 5g pellet waggler wedged between float stops above a wide gape hook for corn and breadflake hookbaits.
“Between 6.30pm and 2am I’d walked probably three miles and although I’d caught loads of rudd to around 1lb, I just couldn’t find anything bigger.
“The slog along the bank was long, but I was only scratching the surface on what’s a massive river, so I went to bed with a plan to wake at 6am and just keep walking the river until I spotted the larger rudd.
“As the hours passed and the miles and heat increased, scouring the water for signs of fish became hard. At 10am I finally saw what looked like a pod of big rudd so I crept down to the bank around 60 yards upstream before flicking out a few pieces of crust followed by my rig
“It took 10 minutes for the float to reach the area, but it sailed away instantly. I was into a big fish and at first I thought it was a trout by the way it zig-zagged up the river, but the sun soon caught the golden flanks of a huge rudd.
“At 2lb 7oz it was just 3oz short of my PB but I didn’t care – I’d caught a big rudd on my first trip to the Fens!
Simon Ashton – 2lb 7oz rudd
“I put the miles in again on the Saturday and banked a number of other big rudd between 1lb and 2lb 1oz. When I set off for home I was exhausted as I’d only had 10 hours’ sleep in three days and walked 20 miles – but it was worth it.”
A beautiful Fen rudd
Taking the pain for a giant rudd
ENDURING nettle stings, cuts and wet feet was worth it for Simon Irvine, who lured this 3lb 2oz rudd from a snaggy swim.
The 46-year-old from Cambridgeshire spotted a shoal of big fish hugging a reedbed on a Fenland river and waded through near-bank foliage to make a cast.
The giant rudd devoured his floatfished breadflake at the very first time of asking.
Simon Irvine and his 3lb 2oz Fen rudd
Night fishing pays off for big river rudd - Tim Debrowa
“Living just 10 minutes from a Fenland river, I made it my mission to fish it hard in an attempt to catch a 3lb rudd. I’m delighted to have achieved my goal, but it came after a lot of time spent trying to learn when the bigger ones wanted to feed.
“You just can’t beat catching rudd off the surface with floating crust and that’s the way I intended to do it. My rig was simple, with 4lb mainline straight through to a size 12 hook and a 2g controller float sandwiched between two float stops around 2ft from the hook.
“Since opening day, I’ve probably fished the river three or four times a week for a month in daylight, rotating between swims that had better access than others. I’d flit between them and feed bread to get the rudd competing and I didn’t have any problems catching them – but they were all between 2oz and 10oz!
“I’d fish all day and struggle to catch anything close to 2lb. There were just too many small rudd around, so I began staying later.
“As night descended on one session, I began to lose sight of my hookbait and loose offerings, but I could hear larger splashes in the swim.
“I didn’t catch anything substantial, but those splashes got me excited, so I planned another after-dark trip. Arriving at 8.30pm I baited the swim with crust and hoped the big rudd would return. Nothing happened until 10pm, when the splashes began to get louder and the silhouettes of the swirls grew larger.
“I’d already secured a Starlite between two float stops just above my controller float for bite indication and pinched on a piece of crust. The splashes got louder as my excitement grew, then there was a large swirl as the Starlite shot under.
Starlites secured between two float stops helped bite indication in the dark
“The swim was overgrown with weed and lilies, so I bullied the fish, praying my line wouldn’t snap. Thankfully, it didn’t and I managed to net this beast of a rudd! On the scales she registered 3lb, which is my second-biggest ever.”
Tim Debrowa and his 3lb rudd
Cam the place to be for a giant rudd!
THE River Cam further cemented its position as one of the greatest big rudd venues in the country when it produced a brace of 3lb specimens in two days.
The larger of the pair weighed 3lb 3oz and fell to Joe Royffe, who struck gold after he trotted breadflake down the centre of the river.
He said:
“It was a bit of a heart-in-mouth moment as I battled it through the marginal lily pads!”
Joe Royffe and his 3lb 3oz specimen rudd
Just a day later, all-rounder Simon Baker landed a stunning 3lb 2oz specimen.
It was a new personal best for the 30-year-old, who watched as the fish slurped down his breadcrust offering from the water’s surface.
Simon Baker and his 3lb 2oz Cam rudd
Big rudd falls after dark - Kevin Sanders
“The sun had set when I arrived at a Fenland river, but after walking the bank for a few hundred yards and trickling in breadcrust, it wasn’t long before a big rudd was slurping it down off the surface.
“I carried on feeding that area and two or three more big rudd joined the party. So I tore off a chunk of crust and threaded it on to a size 10 Drennan hook. Before casting it out I glugged it in Dynamite Baits strawberry liquid for added attraction.
“It was now dark, so I taped a Starlite to my waggler so I could see any bites I might get. The fish were still taking off the surface, and I could just make out a fish swirl at my hookbait.
“I watched as the light on my float slid away under the surface, then I struck and my rod hooped over.
“Initially the fish thrashed on the surface, but then quickly dived and snagged me in the marginal lilies. I had to change angles a couple of times to try to release it, and was expecting the hook to pop out any second, but the trick worked and I scooped the fish up as soon as it came free. It was a massive relief after that tense battle!”
Kevin Sanders and his after dark 2lb 10oz rudd
Floatfished corn tempts beautiful river rudd
The opening of the river season couldn’t have gone much better for Cambridgeshire angler John Turton, who slipped his net under this stunning 3lb 6oz rudd.
Living on a narrow boat, John hasn’t been able to move about much during the past few months, but landing this new personal best specimen certainly made the long wait for angling action worthwhile.
“I’d found a group of good fish in a small drain,” John reveals,
“and caught quite a few over the 2lb mark on floatfished corn before landing the three-pounder.
“Once I hooked it, the fish fought really strangely,” he adds, “and initially I thought that perhaps I was attached to a small tench.
“When I realised it was a rudd you can imagine my reaction. They’re such a stunning fish at all sizes, but this one was a truly impressive sight to behold.”
John fell into angling just six years ago when his mate told him to keep an eye on his rod.
“He passed me his rod to look after while he went and did something and by some crazy chance, I ended up catching a fish! I’ve been hooked since then, and my next aims are to catch a zander, chub and river carp.”
John Turton and his 3lb 6oz rudd
Rudd record rocked by huge specimen
The British rudd record was almost beaten recently with the capture of a 4lb 7oz specimen by Joshua Dorka.
This huge rudd of 4lb 7oz was just 3oz short of the record
It falls just 3oz short of the official record of 4lb 10oz, and was banked by the Rotherham, South Yorks rod from his local syndicate water. Joshua (24) targeted a spot around 30 yards out, where he’d spotted a handful of large rudd rolling.
“I usually fish for the carp on this lake, but I’ve been saying for a while that I’d have a go for the big rudd. I’m glad I did!” he reveals.
“I used leger tactics with a small, chopped down pop-up on my lighter rudd rod, alongside my two carp rods, to single out the big fish.”
The bite came at 11.30pm and Joshua netted a fish that he ranks among the best he’s ever caught.
“I’ve well and truly got the big-rudd bug now, and a few days later I returned and banked two more which weighed 3lb 7oz and 3lb 1oz.”
"I watched this large fish turn and engulf my hookbait" - Rich Wilby
“A couple of weeks after catching a 2lb 6oz rudd from a crystal-clear Norfolk pit, I returned in an attempt to catch a much bigger one. Considering it was another hot day, I was confident I’d get them shallow on corn fished under a short, loaded waggler.
“It didn’t take me long to spot a shoal of big fish with my polarised glasses and by being stealthy, I managed to position myself behind some cover and began feeding them with corn. Once they were preoccupied, I cast out my rig and had a bite straight away!
“In a crazy hour I had seven rudd over 2lb to 2lb 14oz. It was a fantastic sight, watching the largest fish turn and engulf my corn hookbait, and with steady pressure I was able to steer it into my net.”
Rich Wilby and his 2lb 14oz rudd