ANGLERS KEEP CATCHING TO BEAT THE FREEZE!
Huge river match weights, specimen grayling and even giant carp all banked in bitter conditions
BRITAIN may have been gripped by icy weather in recent weeks, but that hasn’t stopped intrepid anglers from venturing out and showing what can be achieved with a little determination!
Matchmen, specimen hunters and carpers alike took some remarkable catches, with the River Wye through Hereford arguably producing the standout result, with three anglers landing over 100lb each in the penultimate round of the Wye Winter League. The match was won by Bob Giles, who weighed in a phenomenal 140lb of whip-caught chub. Hot on his heels was Trevor Chalk with 131lb, with Martin Challenger taking 101lb for third place.
Trevor drew fancied peg 96 but was pipped Bob on peg 95 just above him. “I kicked off fishing breadflake on the Bolo and had a 2lb 8oz chub first cast
“Although we couldn’t feel our feet, it really was a trip to remember!”
followed by chublets, one-achuck,” Trevo said. “I was just starting to get that smug feeling of being home and dry when a lad came down and told me Bob thought he had 100lb with two hours still to go. But I wasn’t too gutted – I still had a banging day’s fishing!”
Grayling are an iconic coldweather species, as Adam Fisher showed with a 3lb 2oz beauty from a river in mid-Wales. The Angling Dreams boss woke to overnight snow and got to the venue in prime condition.
“My good mate Rich and I landed three two-pounders on trotted maggots before I hooked an acrobatic fish that fought for around 15 minutes,” Adam told us. “It was my fourth grayling over 3lb, and although the rod rings were freezing up and we couldn’t feel our feet, it really was a trip to remember.”
Carp anglers also got in on the sub-zero action, with Jamie Kings landing a stunning 38lb 8oz common from The Quarry lake at Staffordshire’s Baden Hall Fishery.
“I was the only person fishing on the lake and had one aim at the start of the session – to bank a snow carp,” he told us. “It fell to a zig rig fished at range, made from a piece of black foam topped with maggots.”