TOP CATCHES
Your best big fish celebrated
“THIS ROACH LEFT ME IN A MINDLESS PANIC!” Chris Haydon – 2lb 12oz roach
“WITH the rivers flooded for the past month, I’ve been a little bit lost with my fishing. That all changed when the levels at my local stretch of the Bristol Avon finally dropped off enough for me to wet a line. The river was a lovely tinge of green and looked bang on for roach.
“My first cast resulted in sharp taps and bangs on the tip, indicating fish were present. The next cast, I dropped my bread feeder a bit further downstream and five minutes later, a firm pull on the tip signalled something had properly taken my flake hookbait.
“It was obviously a heavy fish and I thought an average-sized chub was the culprit, but then this truly enormous roach flashed in front of me. In a mindless panic I bundled the fish into the net and I knew instantly it was bigger than my 2lb personal best, but when the scales spun to 2lb 12oz I was left stunned.”
“I’VE BEEN AFTER A 7lb YORKSHIRE CHUB SINCE 1985” John Clark – 7lb 1oz chub
“THERE aren’t many specimen fish in the cold rivers that run off the Pennines near my home in Leeds and, as a result, I’ve been after a 7lb Yorkshire chub since 1985.
“Although I’d caught many fish over 6lb, the ultimate specimen had always eluded me, until a recent session in freezing conditions, with a bitter easterly wind and temperatures below -3°C.
“Despite the awful weather I managed to catch this 7lb 1oz chub as part of a six-fish haul. All these were taken on my homemade milk protein paste baits.
“Finally catching this incredible fish was a real achievement – it had a huge girth.”
“IT WAS A NERVEJANGLING FIGHT” Vince and Harry Cater – dace haul
“OVER the last few seasons I’ve enjoyed some great dace fishing on the Hampshire Avon, but due to restructictions, this year I’m fishing my local Bristol Avon.
“This week, myself and my five-year-old son Harry arrived at a stretch no more than 10ft wide with only a few hours of daylight left. Using simple trotting tactics, Harry was quickly into small dace and roach, before the float buried and an altogether different fight began.
“A good dace threw itself out of the water, and after a nervejangling fight it was netted and placed in the keepnet. The fishing continued like this until we couldn’t see the float any more, and by the end of the session we had a handful of quality dace to 14oz. It was a dream session resulting in one very happy father and son!”
“HUGE PERCH TRIED TO LOSE ME IN THE SNAGS” Simon Baker – 4lb 4oz perch
“I WAS overjoyed to catch this 4lb 4oz perch – my second over four of the season.
“Fishing the River Lea, I targeted a slack in the stretch tight against a nearside snag, where I suspected perch mught be hanging out.
“I had a few sharp taps on the top and struck into what I first thought was a pike! A hectic fight followed, as the fish tried to head back into the snags next to where I hooked it.
“When it rolled on the surface I knew it was another huge perch, and I was so pleased to get it in the net. A small roach livebait fished on a sunken paternoster rig did the trick.”
BIG AVON CHUB IN IDEAL CONDITIONS
MAKING the most of perfect conditions resulted in this immaculate 7lb 12oz Hampshire Avon chub for Gavin Barrett. Arriving after lunch and creeping into position, Gavin found the river in great shape, with a tinge of colour and rapidly warming water following a long cold spell. “I lowered a lump of paste on to a crease off the rod-tip where I was able to fish a slack line” he told us. “After 10 minutes, it suddenly whipped tight, and I struck into a fish already trying to get under my own bank. Fortunately, it stayed in the calm water, and after netting it I was greeted by the most pristine chub I’ve ever witnessed. “If it hadn’t been for travelling restrictions, I’d probably have been fishing for roach. But catching this chub has certainly made my season!”
PERSONAL BEST ROACH AT LAST KNOCKINGS
A TWO-month campaign for a big roach paid off in fine style for London angler Adam Jones, in the shape of this immense 2lb 10oz fish. Fishing a local river, Adam opted for his favoured stick float tactics, loosefeeding hemp and maggots for a while before casting out, in the hope of drawing fish into his swim from the deeper, inaccessible pool below.
He said: “I’d just been catching minnows and tiny dace, and as the light started fading, I could only just make out my float. As it neared the end of my swim it dipped, and I was fully expecting to connect with another minnow. My strike, however, met with solid resistance, and a huge roach immediately surfaced. “The rest is just a blur, but I can confirm I’m still shaking from the catch. I can’t believe what happened!”