Your catches
Best fish revealed
SPRING sunshine brought Simon Kenny back to the Essex Manor to take an impressive three-fish catch.
The 32-year-old welder caught mirrors of 44lb, 38lb and 36lb 4oz during a 72-hour stay.
Simon said: “This was my first trip back to the Manor since early January. I’d heard on the grapevine that a few fish had been coming out and with the weather getting more spring-like every day it was time to make a return.”
The Norfolk angler arrived on Sunday morning and found fish in the water controlled by the End Pads swim, where another member was already fishing.
“Luckily,” said Simon, “he was off to work the following morning so I set up nearby for the night and got up very early the next day to leave my rods behind the swim.
“As I sat watching the water while he was packing up I saw numerous shows.”
Simon fished all three rods on single yellow Sticky Manilla hookbaits close to the reeds and got his first bite late in the afternoon.
“My left-hand rod pulled up tight and I lifted into a heavy weight. After a fairly uneventful fight I was looking down at an old friend of mine, the beautiful Anchor at 44lb. She looked glorious in the spring sunshine.
“Just on dark I decided to spread half a kilo of chopped and whole baits down the reedline. The following morning I was holding up one of the lovely old Aveleystrain fish for photos, weighing 36lb 4oz.
“I had one more night left and felt sure I’d get another chance. Sure enough on my last morning the middle rod produced a lovely clean 38lb mirror.
“A hat-trick of mirrors on my first trip of the spring is more than I could have hoped for!” he said.