NICK’S GIANT A HIGH POINT
IT’S been an amazing 12 months of highs and lows and this column has captured them all. Here are my 2018 Angling Awards...
CATCH OF THE YEAR: A
50lb 12oz mirror carp was caught by Nick Helleur on the River Thames in October. Although monster carp have been rumoured from the river, this was the first time a giant had been fully authenticated. PREDATOR CATCH OF THE YEAR: John Rushworth landed pike of
40lb 2oz and 36lb 8oz with float-legered mackerel in a huge session he had on a Midlands lake. SPECIMEN HUNTER OF THE YEAR: Norfolk angler Darryn Stolworthy caught huge hauls of big tench to 12lb 13oz, monster bream to over 17lb and in the past few weeks a string of big roach to over 3lb to show off his many skills. VENUE OF THE YEAR: It was neck and neck between the Trent and the Thames for an array of huge catches and in the end it’s the Thames that just edged it. ANGLING LEGEND AWARD: Sadly the sport lost some big names in 2018 including carp legends Rod Hutchinson and Len Gurd, but the sudden death of John Wilson rocked angling.
BEST TV SHOW: Gone Fishing, with Bob Mortimer and Paul Whitehouse, was full of camaraderie and humour and is returning for a second season.
BOOK OF THE YEAR: Matt Hayes and Mick Brown have a huge following from their TV shows – including Wet Nets and Rod Race – and their book ‘The Duke and I’ is beautifully written and illustrated.