And another unknown angler also chipped in with a 38 lb 4 oz giant from the shore as Chew Valley ended its 2017 pike sessions with a bang.
Peter, a senior technical manager for the University of Portsmouth, explained: “It is a fish of a lifetime and am still a little speechless.
“Before this my UK PB was 19 lb 15 oz from the Dorset Stour and I have been searching for a UK 20 lb fish.
“I have had a 38 lb pike from Holland on a lure but couldn’t get a 20 in the UK.
“I caught this on a herring in 11 ft of water and was using a 12 ft 2.25 lb test curve Shimano rod which made playing the fish fun but slightly harder.
“I would have struggled to land the fish without my boat partner Kevin Beer who helped clear the anchor rope, second rod and with netting the fish.
“My perch PB is 5 lb 2 oz from Holland and a 3 lb 15 oz perch topping my UK best from the Kennet and Avon Canal.
“The only other slight oddball PB was a dace of 1 lb 2 oz which I didn’t realise was such a big fish.
“My current targets are a 4 lb river perch and a 20 lb pike from the Thames,” added the 36-year-old from Southsea, Hampshire.
Peter’s fish is the biggest of 2017 from Chew Valley but neighbouring Blagdon Lake opened for the first time for fly-only pike fish and produced a 44 lb 2 oz croc to Martin Cooke.
CAUGHT A BIG FISH? Email photos and details exclusively to: anglersmail@timeinc.com – you could star in the brilliant weekly Angler’s Mail print magazine.
SUBSCRIBE NOW TO THE CHRISTMAS DEAL!
A subscription to Angler’s Mail print magazine comes at a great price and makes a brilliant Christmas gift for someone – or for YOU.
THE Angling Trust have helped save trout and ultimately pike fishing on Somerset’s Chew Valley and Blagdon Lake for at least another year.
Bristol Water has announced that it will delay a decision about the fishing it offers at its waters, after pressure from the Trust and MPs, including high-profile Tory, Jacob Rees-Mogg.
Local MP Rees-Mogg is seen above with England international anglers John Horsey and Mark Witham, and Mark Lloyd of the Angling Trust.
Bristol Water had been considering a massive reduction in trout stocking and facilities for fly-fishers from 2019.
The proposals, which were intended to save money and reduce financial risk to the water company, could have brought meaningful trout angling to an end at this historic venue and led to job losses at local businesses. Pike sport would also inevitably dip.
The Trust organised an emergency meeting with Bristol Water, and its board announced this week that the decision would be delayed for 12 months.
Mark Lloyd, Trust and Fish Legal chief executive, said: “We will fight to protect fly fishing for trout at Chew and try to persuade Bristol Water to meet its moral obligation to restore this historic venue to its former glory.
“The reservoir has strategic importance for fly fishing competitions and as a convenient venue for local and visiting fly anglers alike, many of whom have fished at Chew for several decades.
“We want to see Bristol Water following the example of other water companies like Thames Water and Anglian Water, which actively promote and encourage angling on the waters they own.”
Pike historian Neville Fickling said: “Chew is without doubt the best pike fishery in the UK, if not the northern hemisphere. To lose it would be like selling Lords cricket ground to build a supermarket.”
GOT SOME NEWS OR CAUGHT A BIG FISH? Email photos and details exclusively to: anglersmail@timeinc.com – you could star in the brilliant weekly Angler’s Mail print magazine. We also welcome your views on angling matters, for possible publication. Email to: amletters@timeinc.com
SUBSCRIBE NOW TO THE CHRISTMAS DEAL!
A subscription to Angler’s Mail print magazine comes at a great price and makes a brilliant Christmas gift for someone – or for YOU.
FISHING BOOKS OF THE YEAR are exclusively revealed inside this week’s Angler’s Mail print magazine, out now. Read our insightful verdicts to decide which one you fancy reading this Christmas!
Angler’s Mail is No.1 for the latest news and this week’s print magazine includes how action is being taken at the 83 lb British carp venue.
The 83-pounder shocked the angling world when reported by Angler’s Mail, but there is a lot more to the venue …and the owner has been explaining his latest action to the magazine.
This week’s Angler’s Mail brings you a wide variety of great catches, like the huge perch on the front cover and a Thames record-rocker.
Must-read columnists galore in AM print magazine this week include:
John Bailey on catching ‘impossible’ fish
Steve Collett uses his least favourite bait
Pete Reading helps you catch grayling
Dave Coster helps you save time with the right tools
Dr Ian Welch on keeping fish alive
Andy Browne on all you need for the ‘golden hour’
Neville Fickling’s guide to pike fishing in the cold
New Gear selections by Richard Howard
Catch More carp in cold water
Buying a barrow, with Colin Davidson
Jamie Londors catches winter carp on maggots
Tom Pickering’s planned revealed
Lee Kerry on winning hair-rigs
PLUS lots more including the nation’s biggest and best Where To Fish guide, by local experts who really know their stuff.
This new AM print magazine is in good newsagents and supermarkets, priced just £1.99.
SUBSCRIBE NOW TO THE CHRISTMAS DEAL!
A subscription to Angler’s Mail print magazine comes at a great price and makes a brilliant Christmas gift for someone – or for YOU.
THE British record carp title will not be awarded to this catch... a mirror weighing an astonishing 83 lb 4 oz.
The British record carp weight, still listed at 68 lb 1 oz on the official chart, was obliterated with the shock catch (above) from from a Kent syndicate.
But it is not, and could not, be claimed as a British record, via the British Record Fish Committee.
The colossal mirror from Kent’s Wingham Fisheries, has put on over 30 lb since last being caught at 52 lb in spring 2016.
At over 83 lb, it is suffering from a medical condition so it is full of spawn and water.
The catch came from Wingham’s Carp Lake which has, along with the Main Lake next door, been tipped to produce a bona fide home-grown British record carp in the future.
Wingham boss Steve Burke said: “The fish appears spawnbound. As a result the captor doesn’t wish to be named and will not be claiming the record.
“This is the rarely caught Big Plated that was supplied by renowned fish breeder Ken Crow as a three-year-old at a weight of 10 lb. Her heaviest recorded weight was 52 lb in the spring of last year.
“I didn’t allow the captor to lift the fish for a photo. She swam off very strongly and hopefully someone will catch her again without spawn.
“I’m often asked about whether the Carp Lake or Main Lake is the more likely to produce a record carp.
“My answer has always been the Main Lake as I’ve deliberately allowed very little pressure at all there until recently, and as the old saying goes: ‘big fish thrive on neglect’.
“The carp in the mysterious Main Lake are typically about three years younger than those in the Carp Lake and have already nearly caught them up,” concluded Steve.
Wingham’s 15 acre Carp Lake boasts seven 50 lb-plus English carp to 60 lb 8 oz.
The 40 acre Main Lake at Wingham has lots of 40-pounders including two 50s up to 56 lb 14 oz plus is tipped to do a record bream.
GOT SOME NEWS OR CAUGHT A BIG FISH? Email photos and details exclusively to: anglersmail@timeinc.com – you could star in the brilliant weekly Angler’s Mail print magazine. We also welcome your views on angling matters, for possible publication. Email to: amletters@timeinc.com
SUBSCRIBE NOW TO THE CHRISTMAS DEAL!
A subscription to Angler’s Mail print magazine comes at a great price and makes a brilliant Christmas gift for someone – or for YOU.
STEVE COLLETT, the ace Angler’s Mail columnist, has surprisingly been made the new manager of the England lure match fishing team.
Steve Collett, who is arguably the No.1 modern all-rounder in UK angling, is without question the country’s leading lure angler.
He’s been twice winner of the British Lure Angling Championship, European champion and winner of at least 40 big tournaments, many by a wide margin.
In coarse fishing, he’s won the Division 1 National Championships individual title. In fly fishing he’s competed at the very top, and also notched up big sea specimens around the world.
But Steve Collett’s name has always been overlooked for selection in the national lure team.
Now the Angling Trust has dared to go where the Football Association didn’t – by appointing angling’s own Brian Clough.
Steve Collett has been openly outspoken about the perceived problems within the Trust itself. But now he’s gearing up to leading the Trust’s lure team forward, aiming at glory.
Steve, 44, from Nottinghamshire, said: “I decided to throw my hat in the ring and apply for the job, and all credit to the Trust, they have given me the chance despite me having been very critical of them in the past for the way they have run the England lure team.
“I have already heard someone comparing my appointment to someone like Brian Clough being appointed to be England football manager. I don’t know about that but we are both certainly winners.
“Frankly the way things were going we were on target to come last in next year’s world championship but I am hoping to turn it round quickly and at least win a medal.
“My non-selection for the team in the past despite winning everything in sight is history now. I am not a politician, I am a competitor and a winner.
Zander, like Steve Collett is holding, will be a key species in the World Lure Fishing Champs at Rutland in 2018.
“My appointment is open-ended and really I’m seeing the role as developing not just the team but English lure fishing generally over the next four years, and hope to bring home the world crown but we have a lot of catching up to do.
“But next year we are on home territory – it is being held at Rutland Water which I know very well having regularly run my own tournament there so hopefully, like the England football team in 1966 that will give us an advantage. We had never won the football World Cup before then – so who knows, we could pull it off?
“Whether I can be a player-manager and pick myself in the team I’m not sure yet. I will have to discuss that first with my assistant Eric Edwards.
“What I have already decided is that I will be taking a couple of younger anglers along for the experience and won’t be calling them reserves but squad strengtheners.
“I may not be the best manager in the world but I certainly aim to be in the top one,” Steve concluded.
Trust competitions manager Ben Thompson commented: “Steve Collett is a serial winner and has a phenomenal track record in competitions and will bring fresh ideas and instil a winning mentality in the team.
“He has won significant titles in coarse, sea and fly fishing as well as being twice national champion in lure fishing.
“Both Steve and Eric are highly skilled in their field, are hugely respected by their peers and we believe their skill sets will complement each other well,” he added.
Steve Collett’s must-read weekly column, with stunning pictures by Ian Chapman, is exclusive to Angler’s Mail print magazine. He tackles a range of species – always with insight and humour, often with a touch of controversy… and has a big loyal following.
GOT SOME NEWS OR CAUGHT A BIG FISH? Email photos and details exclusively to: anglersmail@timeinc.com – you could star in the brilliant weekly Angler’s Mail print magazine. We also welcome your views on angling matters, for possible publication. Email to: amletters@timeinc.com
SUBSCRIBE NOW TO THE CHRISTMAS DEAL!
A subscription to Angler’s Mail print magazine comes at a great price and makes a brilliant Christmas gift for someone – or for YOU.
PREDATOR fishing ace Andy Black tempted one of the largest perch of the winter with this 5 lb 1 oz beast. But at first glance, he thought he was on top of a group of large bream!
The huge perch was the largest of a five-fish catch made on a Northamptonshire stillwater and it’s a new PB for the Angler’s Mail contributor.
Andy’s impressive catch made it on the front cover of the weekly must-read print magazine (above).
Andy said: “After fishing for pike for most of the morning we motored past a small drop-off and on the right side of the boat I saw a small tight shoal of what I thought were reasonable-sized bream on the side-imager.
“I marked it and went around to see if there were any pike with them and as I did so my boat partner cast out and hooked into a good perch on-the-drop.
“Not being slow off the mark, I realised that the fish I was seeing were not bream but in fact very big perch.
“I quickly rigged up a small Zvartzonker McPerch lure in fire tiger colour with a light 15 g jig hook and cast it to where the fish were showing in 20ft of water.
“I had a couple of plucks on the way down and as soon as I was bringing the lure back through the shoal the big one hit.
“I knew it was a very big fish straight away as big perch don’t really fight but bang their heads hard from side to side and try and get rid of the hook.
“Luckily, it stayed on the hook thanks to the soft tip of the rod I was using and I scooped it up in the net as soon as it hit the surface.
“We had a couple of others to 3 lb 8 oz which looked tiny compared to the big one, but the shoal then split up and moved off and I was unable to find the fish again,” he added.
GOT SOME NEWS OR CAUGHT A BIG FISH? Email photos and details exclusively to: anglersmail@timeinc.com – you could star in the brilliant weekly Angler’s Mail print magazine. We also welcome your views on angling matters, for possible publication. Email to: amletters@timeinc.com
SUBSCRIBE NOW TO THE CHRISTMAS DEAL!
A subscription to Angler’s Mail print magazine comes at a great price and makes a brilliant Christmas gift for someone – or for YOU.
BIG PIKE historian Neville Fickling (pictured) revealed his Top 5 of waters during 2017, and here it is... do you agree or disagree? Read on...
Big pike maestro Nev won’t have surprised anyone with his first choice on the Top 5 list, but his comments throughout the chart make fascinating reading.
1. CHEW VALLEY
“No.1 for me which has produced huge pike consistently for the last five years and shows no signs of easing up, and large 30s and even 40s are on the cards.
“Mind you I wouldn’t want anyone to think that it is an easy water – I fished four whole days there last week and blanked although my boat partner did catch.
2. BLAGDON LAKE
“Although it has only just opened for fly-only piking for a limited period, Chew’s smaller neighbour has to be second already.
“I am convinced that the unreported record pike caught there are genuine. I strongly suspect that they will want to keep the pike fishing going there after this year’s trial as it is a very clear money-spinner.
“If they allowed lures as well in future that would add to the record breaking potential.
Kev Shore is one of the big pike hunters who regularly drive long distances to target pike in Somerset. This is one of two over 39 lb the Cheshire-based angler caught in 2017 at Chew Valley.
3. LAKE OF MENTEITH
“Another primarily trout fishery, this time in Scotland, which has produced plenty of big pike in the past but is now recovering after a few years in the doldrums.”
4. RIVER TRENT
“Some might find this surprising but I would put the Trent fourth.
“There are hotspots but pike fishing is great along its whole length. The main factor influencing the number and size of pike in the river is the improvement in water quality.
“When I first started fishing it back in the 1980s the water was quite dirty but now it is very clean with huge numbers of bait fish and pike thrive in those conditions.
“The river might not produce a record breaker but its great for large pike.
5. LOCH REE
“I would select Loch Ree in the middle of Ireland. Again it had gone off the boil but is now producing big pike consistently again and well worth a visit for the UK angler.”
CAUGHT A BIG FISH or got some views to share? Email anglersmail@timeinc.com You could appear in Angler’s Mail print magazine.
ROSS SARGANT came within a few ounces of the River Thames barbel record with this 18 lb 10 oz giant.
The telecommunications worker matted the specimen from an undisclosed stretch of the ‘middle Thames’.
It smashed his old PB of 12 lb and was witnessed by two independent witnesses.
Billericay, Essex-based Ross, 38, said: “I cast into the fast flowing part of the Thames and through in some freebies and waited.
“I can honestly say I have never had a fish fight as hard and nearly had me in the river. The barbel really is the king of the river and a fish of a lifetime.
“My personal best before this was 12 lb so that totally went
“I had a bad motorcycle accident years ago and smashed myself up, shattered my leg and on crutches so been having ops ever since – fishing is the only thing I can still do that I love and is a great escape,” he added.
Ross legered boilies with a size 8 hook to 12lb line with a 3 oz lead.
The Thames barbel record had been held jointly with fish of 18 lb 5 oz respectively for nearly a year until a few weeks ago when it was smashed by Garry Teer with a barbel of 19 lb 1 oz.
CAUGHT A BIG FISH? Email photos and details exclusively to: anglersmail@timeinc.com – you could star in the brilliant weekly Angler’s Mail print magazine.
SUBSCRIBE NOW TO THE CHRISTMAS DEAL!
A subscription to Angler’s Mail print magazine comes at a great price and makes a brilliant Christmas gift for someone – or for YOU.
ADAM BURLEY showed his creativity to tempt this stunning 35 lb 6 oz pike using a home-made lure.
The 24-year-old, from Hereford, was on his local River Wye when he matted the stunning pike using a modified dessert spoon from the cutlery drawer with trebles attached.
Adam, a full-time dad, said: “I had enough of spending money on lures so I got a dessert spoon from the kitchen.
“I cut the handle off and kept the round bit. I drilled two holes either side, I put a treble hook one side and my trace the other end attached to a swivel clip.
“I then went and tried a few different spots down by the rowing club in Hereford. I had no luck for the first hour.
“Then out of nowhere I was bringing my rod in, I felt like a dead weight. I kept reeling not knowing what was attached.
“It only took only a few minutes to manage to get it in, it never put up a fight just felt heavy.
“My old PB was 20 lb 4 oz so I could tell I had beat it before even weighing it.
“I’ve been told it is probably one of the biggest pike caught on the Wye in the last year,” Adam concluded.
CAUGHT A BIG FISH? Email photos and details exclusively to: anglersmail@timeinc.com – you could star in the brilliant weekly Angler’s Mail print magazine.
SUBSCRIBE NOW TO THE AM MAG CHRISTMAS DEAL!
A subscription to Angler’s Mail print magazine comes at a great price and makes a brilliant Christmas gift for someone – or for YOU.
THE British Record Fish Committee's final meeting of 2017 resulted in them turning down an application for the Israel-born potential record 68 lb 8 oz carp ‘Captain Jack’ from Cambridgeshire’s Holme Fen.
A year ago, they British Record Fish Committee rejected RH Fisheries’ Big Rig, another Israel strain carp from the same source, at 69 lb 3 oz.
That decision, even though the fish was over the 68 lb 1 oz official best, was made on the grounds that the carp was artificially reared.
The captor Nigel Ludbrook hoped that a subsequent certificate provided by the manufacturer, saying they only weighed 4 oz heavy, might be accepted as a British record weight… but this was not to be.
Chairman of the British Record Fish Committee Mike Heylin explained: “We can only go what we have in front of us and the detailed report from the Cambridge Weights and Measures Department was clear that the scales weighed 8 oz over, making the fish 68 lb and 1 oz under the record.
“Unfortunately the certificate provided by Reubens was not in the format we require and had insufficient detail so the committee decided that we had to accept the original teat result and turn down the claim,” he concluded.
Nigel told the Mail: “I was disappointed when I got the news but can understand the reasoning.
“Everyone at the committee was very helpful and considerate so it is what it is, and there is nothing I can do now.
“Reubens are top of the range scales and these were brand new so you wouldn’t expect them to weigh so much over.
“But still I have caught officially the biggest living carp in the country and no one can take that away. And I have great memories of a fantastic fish.
“It was even featured on BT Sport’s angling programme the other day.
“I actually went back to Holme Fen for two nights recently for another crack but it was very hard. Apparently no-one had caught a thing there all week. I guess that is fishing,” he added.
The BRFC also turned down any chance of wels catfish going back onto the British record list.
CAUGHT A BIG FISH OR GOT NEWS OR A VIEW TO SHARE? Email exclusively to: anglersmail@timeinc.com – you could star in the brilliant weekly Angler’s Mail print magazine.
SUBSCRIBE NOW TO THE AM MAG CHRISTMAS DEAL!
A subscription to Angler’s Mail print magazine comes at a great price and makes a brilliant Christmas gift for someone – or for YOU.
DAVE BRICE wanted to crack the 2 lb roach barrier after fishing for 45 years... and he did it in the best style possible with this 2 lb 13 oz monster.
The 52-year-old maintenance engineer got the roach of his dreams from an Oxfordshire gravel pit.
Dave said: “On my third visit I found the lake much murkier than usual after being whipped up by storm force winds.
“I decided to fish a gravel spot at 45 yards – knowing I would still be able to reach it if the wind got any stronger.
“Bait would be double red maggot on a helicopter rig, with a short fluorocarbon hook length to a size 16 Kamasan B983 hook.
“After a few quick casts with a feeder to put some bait down, I started to get indications then two quick fish just below 1 lb.
“After a couple of hours with no sign of a bite, I decided to recast, I tipped the double red maggot with a fluorescent pinkie as a bit of a sight marker in the stirred up water.
“Ten minutes later I had a drop-back bite. On lifting the rod I knew I was into a better fish and with the jagging on the tip it had to be a good roach.
“Not much later, I slipped this beautifully big roach over the net,” concluded Coventry, West Midlands-based Dave.
CAUGHT A BIG FISH? Email photos and details exclusively to: anglersmail@timeinc.com – you could star in the brilliant weekly Angler’s Mail print magazine.
SUBSCRIBE NOW TO THE AM MAG CHRISTMAS DEAL!
A subscription to Angler’s Mail print magazine comes at a great price and makes a brilliant Christmas gift for someone – or for YOU.
TOUGHER court punishments have meant a farming couple who killed over 15,200 fish with fertilizer were ordered to pay more than £62,000.
Mark and Anne Bennion of Rosehill Farm, Dymock, pleaded guilty at Hereford Magistrates Court for polluting Preston Brook and the River Leadon.
The Bennions were each fined £5,500 and each ordered to pay £25,798.55 in costs along with a victim surcharge of £170 each.
Hundreds of tonnes of digestate were discharged into the river killing prime brown trout, chub, eels, dace, roach, lamprey, and bream.
The discharge – meant for an orchard and main picture – was the worst in ten years in the area.
In passing sentence, the Magistrates sought to achieve a balance between the major adverse impact on the watercourse and the powerful mitigation put forward on the defendants’ behalf.
The Bennions were both previously of good character, with no previous convictions, and were co-operated with the Environment Agency immediately after the incident. Their remorse was evident throughout the investigation and court hearing.
Since then the EA have restocked with more than 15,000 fish and more will follow over the next four years.
An EA spokesperson said: “Agriculture uses 70 per cent of the land in England and farmers have a major impact on the environment. Most farmers act responsibly and we work with the industry to respond to incidents, tackle the root causes of pollution and promote good practice.
“But where farmers are responsible for serious pollution incidents, we will not hesitate to take enforcement action, including prosecution. Agriculture is the single biggest source of serious pollution incidents and all farmers have a duty to prevent it.
“We are pleased that the court has accepted the seriousness of the case and imposed appropriate penalties.
Elsewhere, a West Yorkshire house building company has been fined £120,000 for illegally polluting a watercourse from a Huddersfield construction site.
Harron Homes Limited was sentenced yesterday at Leeds Magistrates’ Court after admitting one charge of causing illegal discharges from its Farriers Croft estate in 2015 into a tributary of Grimescar Dyke.
Despite no fish dying, the Leeds firm was given the tough fine plus ordered to pay £8,706 in legal costs and a £120 victim surcharge.
GOT SOME NEWS OR CAUGHT A BIG FISH? Email photos and details exclusively to: anglersmail@timeinc.com – you could star in the brilliant weekly Angler’s Mail print magazine.
SUBSCRIBE NOW TO THE CHRISTMAS DEAL!
A subscription to Angler’s Mail print magazine comes at a great price and makes a brilliant Christmas gift for someone – or for YOU.
LEE HAYNES tempted the biggest dace of the year with this 1 lb 3 oz giant from a free river stretch – and thinks the venue could do a fish over the long-standing 1 lb 5 oz 2 dr British record.
Ruislip, West London-based Lee tempted the impressive dace on feedered double maggot on the upper Hampshire Avon at Salisbury, Wiltshire.
Lee said: “This is my joint PB dace I caught from a free stretch where my army regiment is based.
“I found trotting maggots slow that day so switched to a maggot feeder as the bites were slow.
“The fishing picked up and after a few trout and grayling, I landed this dace during early evening.
“This fish mirrors a catch I had years ago of another specimen dace caught on almost identical tactics, also from a free stretch.
“Even though not a monster, fish like these are the ones I savour most as some will never catch a dace this big in their life.”
CAUGHT A BIG FISH? Email photos and details exclusively to: anglersmail@timeinc.com – you could star in the brilliant weekly Angler’s Mail print magazine.
SUBSCRIBE TO THE AM MAG CHRISTMAS DEAL!
A subscription to Angler’s Mail print magazine comes at a great price and makes a brilliant Christmas gift for someone – or for YOU.
TOP Kent water Wingham Fisheries, which shocked the nation with a spawnbound carp of 83 lb 4 oz, has installed otter fences to protect its historic stocks.
As Angler’s Mail revealed, the giant 83 lb 4 oz mirror carp at Wingham had put on over 30 lb with spawn and water and couldn’t be eligible for the official British record anyway under BRFC rules. But the captor didn’t want to either or have any publicity.
Now Wingham boss Steve Burke has protected the fishery which has at least nine 50 lb-plus carp and is widely tipped to produce a bona fide British record in the coming years.
Steve said: “The fish was one of our 50s bloated by her condition and as a result would never qualify to be a record but we obviously hope she will survive.
“Our carp are still growing fast, particularly in the Main Lake where fishing for them has only been allowed for the past few years so they have not been under pressure, and as they say neglected fish grow large.
“Many of our carp were born here and some stocked at around 10 lb and have all grown naturally. Given the relatively low numbers I allow on the syndicate they don’t even rely on angler’s baits to grow well.
“Record fish are often freaks that have grown faster than others or lived longer but we have a very high and quickly increasing average weight so it is impossible to predict whether one will reach record proportion.”
Wingham’s heaviest resident – the bloated 83 lb 4 oz carp that was around 30 lb above its normal healthy weight.
Wingham creator Steve continued: “There were many doubters when I set up the fishery 20 years ago with a view to its long-term growth but now my dream is coming to fruition.
“With the 15 acre Carp Lake containing seven fish over 50 lb up to a best of 60 lb 8 oz, and the younger 40 acre Main Lake already containing two 50 pounders up to 56 lb 14 oz, it was essential to act before otters even arrived in this area. I wasn’t going to let my dream be ruined in five minutes.
“Because the lakes are divided by a stream they’ve had to be fenced individually. This has meant that the total length of the fencing is over 3.5 kilometres (2.25 miles), making it possibly the biggest project of its kind in the country.
“The fencing is to an extremely high specification, including heavy duty metal posts for extra long life. Whilst members have helped where they could, they are limited in number, this has meant that much of the work has had to have been done by professionals.
“All of this has made it extremely expensive and so we’re thankful to have a grant from the Angling Improvement Fund administered by the Angling Trust on behalf of the Environment Agency. For a project of this size it was s only a proportion of the total cost but still very welcome.
“It’s been a massive cost, and has resulted in an increase in prices for syndicate members, but having already sacrificed so much in the past it was clearly the right thing to do to protect Wingham for future generations,” Steve concluded.
Former carp record holder Lee Jackson from Kent’s Tackle Box commented “I reckon Wingham has as good a chance as anywhere to produce a home grown, naturally reared record carp in a few years time.
“I feel very sorry for the fish that went 83 lb and think the fishery might have tried to retain her and call in an expert to see if any treatment might be possible.
“I know of an authenticated case in France where a similar huge fish was operated on by a bailiff who cut her stomach open and extracted the spawn and liquid, then sowed her up with fishing line, and the fish survived.
“But of course to do such a thing you would really have to be confident of what you are doing,” Lee added.
CAUGHT A BIG FISH? Email photos and details exclusively to: anglersmail@timeinc.com – you could star in the brilliant weekly Angler’s Mail print magazine.
SUBSCRIBE NOW TO THE AM CHRISTMAS DEAL!
A subscription to Angler’s Mail print magazine comes at a great price and makes a brilliant Christmas gift for someone – or for YOU.
STU LENNOX was meant to be at Cambridgeshire’s wonder water Holme Fen for four nights but packed up on the second day to celebrate - and get warm - after matting this huge 58 lb mirror carp.
Medmenham, Buckinghamshire-based Stu offered a home-made 12 mm white corkball pop-up and he fed a gallon of maggot, little and often with a bag of Manilla Active Mix when casting.
The 33-year-old said: “The wind changed and grew in ferocity. An hour later my brolly caught the wind and blew away… and just after rescuing it and pegging it back down again the rod was away with this 58 lb lump.”
The British Record Committee recognised the lower weight so could not even consider the catch as a record weight.
All eyes are on the day ticket venue to see if it will be caught again over the 68 lb 1 oz official British best… and then officially claimed and accepted by the BRFC as a record in 2018.
The venue with super heavyweights
The Meadows lake on the Holme Fen complex was planned to be one of the most prolific big carp waters in the country – and careful investment has created exactly that.
The 26-acre lake can be booked for individuals or groups at £40 for 24 hours but with a minimum of a two night stint.
Captain Jack was stocked in 2011 at under 40 lb in a batch of around 200 carp that had been legally imported into the UK at 2-3 lb and grown on.
Captain Jack was first caught at The Meadows in August 2014 at 41 lb and it has grown steadily on ever since.
There’s at least one other known 60-pounder after a 60 lb 2 oz giant was caught by Jon Faupel last summer.
Other super heavyweights caught in the recent past include fish of 59 lb 12 oz and 58 lb 8 oz. They too are likely to top the magical 60 mark when caught in 2018.
Plus there’s around 40 fish over 40 lb with a big head of 30-pounders that are growing fast too.
CAUGHT A BIG FISH? Email photos and details exclusively to: anglersmail@timeinc.com – you could star in the brilliant weekly Angler’s Mail print magazine.
The internationally popular programme again takes Jeremy Wade to various exotic locations around the globe including, for the first time, the bottom of the sea bed in his search for the answers to stories of fish suspected of killing or injuring people.
Jeremy Wade’s last trips take him from the frozen waters of Greenland to the remote tropical islands of Indonesia.
He’s trying to solve mysteries ranging from which predators were responsible for eating the survivors of a torpedoed WW2 ship to whether a double homicide in a remote jungle lake can really be pinned on a giant fish on the wrong side of the world.
The 61-year-old who lives in Somerset told the Mail: “It is sad to think this will be the last ever series.
“Its huge success came as a great surprise as it started out as one episode which grew into one series then kept going for nine years that’s the longest I have ever been in one job.
“River Monsters is very demanding filming and we think the idea has now run its course. There are plenty of fishing stories out there but it has become harder to find those which have the right combined element of danger and mystery.
Jeremy Wade continued: “It has been great fun along the way with some hairy moments – the one time I felt really scared myself was going across a large lake in Ethiopia in a boat made of pieces of welded together metal which had little buoyancy and a big storm blew up. I thought the boat might topple in the huge swell and the lake was teaming with crocodiles.
“In the new series the most unusual episode involved going down 2,000 ft to the bottom of the sea in Honduras in a home-made submarine in search of a deep sea monster. The guy who made it is totally unqualified but has been making his own subs for decades since he was 17, and I trusted him completely.
“It took 45 minutes to descend and we went down three times for up to nine hours. It was very cramped with the cameraman sat on my lap – and you spend a long time with nothing much happening down there.
“The most unusual experience I remember was actually accidental when we fortunately managed to rescues a man who was stranded on a scorching hot uninhabited island without water off the isolated north coast of Australia, thereby saving his life.
“My biggest fish was a shark of over 1,000 lb but I have not suffered any personal injuries from the fish, mainly because I stay completely focused when handling them.
“I am delighted that the show has appealed to many non-anglers and shown them some of the appeal of fishing – it has also been good for teaching them that we care for the fish and they are all returned healthily to the water.
“I love the fact that its become popular round the world and we can go to somewhere like Mongolia and the local tribesmen will say that they love the programme. With all the problems in the world fishing provides a common bond and language.
“There will be life for me after River Monsters as I’m working on a few other ideas for programmes but can’t say yet what they will be about.
“One thing I do want to do which I really haven’t had much time for in recent years is actually to go fishing in this country.
“A friend of mine has suggested going after the barbel on the Wye, and living in Somerset the idea of tackling the pike on the fly at Chew Valley is high on my bucket list,” Jeremy Wade oncluded.
Jeremy Wade takes a boat of the coast of New Britain Papua New Guinea
River Monsters episode guide
River Monsters will be broadcast weekly on ITV1 for 30 minutes from 8pm starting on January 5, 2018. The episodes are as follows:
Volcanic Island Terror
On a volcanic island in the Pacific Ring of Fire, an ancient fishing community is being terrorised by something in the water that’s left behind a trail of bloodied victims.
Coral Reef Killer
On the tropical island of Sulawesi, Indonesia, a snorkeler is impaled and killed by an unseen underwater assailant in front of a packed tourist beach, and Jeremy Wade finds a spate of similar attacks.
Malaysian Lake Monster
On a remote lake in Malaysia, two men mysteriously vanish – just hours apart.. Could the killer be an interloper from South America, as reports suggest, or is there a home-grown predator that fits the bill.
Return of the Killer Catfish
On his very first ‘River Monsters’ investigation, Jeremy Wade was propelled into an Indian river by a wallago catfish as big as himself, now he hears a report from neighbouring Nepal of a mysterious attack that sounds strangely familiar: a lone fisherman on a mountain river dragged off his feet and into the water by an unseen creature, never to be seen again.
Ice Cold Killer
After a mystery sea monster washes up on a UK beach, Jeremy Wade sets off on a journey to unmask this beast and find out if it poses any threat to humans.
Killers from the Abyss
Jeremy Wade embarks on the biggest and most complex investigation of his career; to unravel the mystery of what happened to over a thousand passengers of the RMS Laconia, torpedoed in the mid-Atlantic in 1942, with recently uncovered reports telling of stranded swimmers attacked by shoals of unidentified fanged fish.
CAUGHT A BIG FISH? Email photos and details exclusively to: anglersmail@timeinc.com – you could star in the brilliant weekly Angler’s Mail print magazine.
FORMER Arsenal and England football legend David Seaman set two new personal bests in a fantastic river day that saw him land a 1 lb 1 oz dace and 2 lb 1 oz roach in a great mixed haul.
Berkshire-based David Seaman was out on Hampshire’s River Test with Clearwater Angling Solutions boss Ollie Johnson.
Ace all-rounder Ollie explained exactly what happened: “We felt it right that pike should be the target with fish to close on twenty a realistic target.
“But best-laid plans meant that we were met with torrential rain and breakfast in the local cafe was the destination of choice until mid-morning.
“A break in the weather saw us by the river but the extra colour meant a change in tactics were likely to be needed. We’d fish a pike rod but enjoy the roach, dace and grayling that we hoped would fall to our float fished maggot and bread flake.
“Starting on the millpool at the top, a constant supply of maggots were fed into the crease where two streams met. Float rods set up and first run through for David saw a grayling of around 10 oz find its way into the net. He had a repeat performance on the next trot.
“It was almost a bite a cast for the next hour until the pike float slid away. Unfortunately we suffered a hook pull but took the chance to rest the swim and move downstream.
“Adopting the same approach I began feeding the swim, a deep hole where a sidestream met the main river, and a really enjoyable hour saw a succession of small dace and roach landed.
“The extra flow had clearly got the fish feeding but bites were coming throughout the swim, suggesting the loose feed wasn’t concentrating the fish in a particular part of the river. We were also keen to tempt one of the resident chub or a better roach.
“I suggested we move further down the river to a steady glide on the far side where I suspected some of our free offerings may have ended up. I began spraying maggots and after shallowing up the float David had his first run through the swim but had a missed bite.
“Next trot saw the float bury and the rod hooped over as contact was made, a good fish rolled in the current and we both thought we had found the chub.
“All of a sudden the urgency was to increase as our ‘chub’ splashed under the rod tip and gave itself away as a roach – and a specimen one at that. There were big smiles when the scales swung round to 2 lb 1 oz. There’s something magical about big river roach.
“As the light levels reduced fish started to swirl on the maggots as they entered the river, suspecting dace, the float was shallowed to mid-depth.
“This proved to be the right decision as the float buried and a dace made its way to the waiting net. Any dace that needs the landing net is a special fish!
“A further half a dozen fish were landed with a couple more needing the net.
“The biggest dace went 1 lb 1 oz giving David a fantastic brace, and it’s a dace that I would like to find in February!” concluded Ollie.
YOU don’t have to be a star to appear in Angler’s Mail. Email great catch photos and details exclusively to: anglersmail@timeinc.com – you could get into the brilliant weekly Angler’s Mail print magazine.
ANGLER’S MAIL print magazine starts 2018 with a special issue, revealing 2018's Greatest Venues.
The superb UK waters have been specially selected by the Mail’s exclusive team of regional Where To Fish experts.
Described accurately with latest info and top tips, there are a lot of waters YOU will want to try this year so don’t miss this special section of the magazine.
Angler’s Mail editor Tim Knight said: “This annual new year special feature really does pick out gems in each region.
“You can trust the information from our magazine’s team of experienced regional Where To Fish correspondents.
“They have scoured their region for the finest fishing waters and are keen for you to enjoy your precious fishing time more than ever over this year ahead.”
Barbel fishing great Ray Walton starts a new exclusive series in this big value, £1.99 issue of Angler’s Mail magazine.
Ray reveals the best parts of his learning from a lifetime’s dedication to this fascinating species.
Also inside this issue of Angler’s Mail print magazine:
Colin Davidson looks at where UK carping is heading in 2018
Shock Team England match fishing resignation
Steve Collett finds out if scaling down really works?
Dave Coster on how he uses four handy knots.
Dr Ian Welch looks at are our wild fish stocks in decline?
Andy Browne’s huge river roach
Catch More cold-water carp on match gear
John Bailey enjoys a river roach fishing feast.
Neville Fickling on how pike smell
Darren Cox explains how you can prepare to win
Billy Flowers on what it’s like to own a carp lake
Richard Howard’s New Gear selections
PLUS Historic Moments, Your Letters, The Informant, Best Catches – and much more!
This special issue of Angler’s Mail print magazine costs only £1.99. Hurry – get it whilst stocks last!
SUBSCRIBE NOW IN THE MAGAZINE JANUARY SALE!
Here’s a new year resolution that makes sense, and is easy to stick to. Subscribe NOW to one of the top January Sale deals online at magazinesdirect.com.
You’ll then get Angler’s Mail print magazine delivered to your door, at discounted rates from just 96p per week!
HUGE numbers of British rivers are heavily polluted with dangerous agricultural chemicals, a new study has found.
AM4805 Fishing River Waveney at Geldeston Norfolk Suffolk border
The first analysis of the new monitoring data has revealed that British freshwaters are heavily contaminated with neonicotinoids and there are growing calls for them to be banned.
Half of the 16 sites monitored in England under the EU Water Framework Directive ‘Watch List’ exceed chronic pollution limits and two rivers are acutely polluted.
Aquatic insects are just as vulnerable to neonicotinoid insecticides as bees and flying insects, yet have not received the same attention because the UK Government has not previously responded to calls to introduce systematic monitoring.
The UK was required to introduce a pilot monitoring scheme for all five commonly used neonicotinoids. Some 26 sites were sampled in 2016, 16 in England, four in Scotland, three in Wales and three in Northern Ireland. The Northern Ireland data has yet to be released to the public.
A staggering 88 per cent of a total of 26 sites in Britain were contaminated, with eight rivers in England exceeding recommended chronic pollution limits, and two were acutely polluted.
The River Waveney on the Norfolk/Suffolk border was the worst hit – a stretch of this venue is pictured above.
And the River Wensum in Norfolk, a Special Area of Conservation for its river life, was also chronically polluted.
These rivers supply the Broads home to many endangered aquatic animals. Sugar beet fields are the most likely source of pollution.
The River Tame, an almost entirely urban river in the West Midlands was only monitored twice, and the second reading was very high, indicating a probable industrial or disposal pollution event.
Even a remote Scottish stream in the Cairngorms was affected by Imidacloprid which is now a rare arable insecticide, but its high persistence in soil means that it will continue polluting water in arable areas for years to come. But it is still used in greenhouses, which are known to be a particular pollution risk to water bodies and is used as a flea treatment on pets.
Mark Lloyd, chief executive of the Angling Trust and Fish Legal, said: “Neonicotinoids kill insect life in rivers on which nearly all fish depend to survive and thrive.
“The Trust pressed the Environment Agency to monitor these chemicals several years ago, after we reviewed the scientific literature and saw the impact that they can have.
“Now that they have found them at dangerous levels in the majority of the small number of rivers in the sample, there must be a national survey carried out and an immediate Government ban on their use.
“Neonicotinoids are highly soluble, but also very persistent in the environment and could cause grave damage to our fisheries and other wildlife for many years to come.”
Arlin Rickard, CEO of The Rivers Trust, said: “Recent history has shown how agricultural chemicals which we initially thought were safe have proven extremely damaging to the environment and our wildlife.
“The Rivers Trust works closely with farmers and growers to reduce and better target chemical and fertiliser usage, however some chemicals are just too damaging and persistent to be tolerated.”
Angler’s Mail reader Boyd Butler of Reading, Berkshire said: “I have written to my MP about the reports of significant river pollution from pesticides.
“Perhaps all readers could voice their concern and ask their MP to get the Environment Minister Michael Gove to investigate this problem which may explain declining river stocks.
“Whilst the Kennet, Thames, Loddon, Pang and my other local rivers are not mentioned in this report it is highly likely they are polluted.
“This is affecting millions of anglers nationally as well as the angling trade which is worth billions to the economy,” he concluded.
GOT SOME NEWS OR CAUGHT A BIG FISH? Email photos and details exclusively to: anglersmail@timeinc.com – you could appear in the magazine.
