BIG EELS are rare creatures, even in high summer, but one of the biggest of the season has fallen as the chills of autumn set in.
Bryon Baker was after perch on a local reservoir when he latched into this amazing 7 lb 5 oz eel.
The 75-year-old retired builder from Bridgwater, Somerset, used a king prawn on a wide gape size 6 hook with running lead and long fluorocarbon trace.
And pal Martin Emery chipped with stripys of 2 lb 13 oz and 3 lb 4 oz.
Martin said: “We’ve found at the moment on the reservoir that the larger fish seem to be lurking around in the deeper water, so we were both fishing around 35 to 40 yards out. No groundbait, just a single hookbait.
“Bryon had a scorching take which, as he played it, we assumed must have come from a carp. It was a strong fish.
“When he finally got it to the surface we were staggered to see it was a monster eel.”
CAUGHT A BIG FISH OR GOT SOME NEWS? Email photos and details exclusively to: anglersmail@timeinc.com – you could star in the Angler’s Mail print magazine.