YOUR SURPRISE CATCHES

Phil Lisa Mapp (above): “It was a a surprise to catch this turtle out of the Grand Union Canal!”

Gary Spencer: “I was feeder fishing a Thames tributary once and had a tremendous bite. I felt very stupid playing a bricklayer’s spirit level back to the bank!”

Martin Price: “I was on the River Severn and blanking. With an hour to go the tip went over, and I played what I thought was a big bream, which would have got me big section points in the match. Turned out to be a teddy bear’s head!”

Eddie Harrison: “My brotherin-law caught the head of a fairground horse while fishing at Ponders End on the River Lea Navigation some years back. At first we thought it was a real head, until we noticed the plastic eyes. Neigh, we both couldn’t believe what he’d caught!”

Kai Willsher: “While boat fishing my rod bent right over. I hit into it, then after a decent battle in flowing water, I got it up to the surface. It was our snagged anchor that we lost about a month before!”

Ross Guppy: “I caught a pair of hair straighteners on the Thames opposite Hampton Court. I played them for about 30 seconds!”

Ian Richardson: “I caught a sole from a shoe (pictured below) when fishing last weekend on the middle River Severn”

Steve Larrington: “Some years ago I was fishing with a mate who was convinced he’d caught his first 20lb cod off the beach... Turned out to be a rose bush!”

Trevor Wyse: “I once caught a mobile phone, the original bricksize type, hooked in the cap at the end of the aerial.”

David Highe: “This waterlogged piece of quay heading (below) gave me a good fight on the lower Bure. The 3lb bottom held but my mainline was ruined!”

Gareth Sherlock: “Here’s a picture of me with the new PB stepladder I caught recently. It really was a ‘step up’ for me!”