The heaviest bream of 2019 fell to a young angler at a club water in the south of England.
Billy Saunders had a shock on a carp trip when he tempted the year’s biggest bream.
The Poole, Dorset-based 18-year-old doubled his personal best with a 16-pounder. He soon went on to catch then caught an even bigger 19 lb giant.
Billy, a bricklayer at college, took the astonishing catch from his local Longham Reservoir.
The 25-acre Ringwood DAA venue, that is also fishable on day tickets, is more noted for big pike and carp.
But Billy’s catch is not a total one-off as the water is known to hold double-figure bream.
Billy explained: “My biggest bream before was about 8 lb so this was a bit of a surprise.
“First I had a lovely 16 lb bream which was then followed by the 19-pounder.
“The 19 lb bream fought just like a carp, giving a great account of itself.
“I was using home-made boilies from my own recipe just on a normal braided hair rig fishing the margin.”
Billy admires his 16 lb bream before – not knowing he was about to catch the biggest bream of 2019!
What’s the biggest bream in Longham?
Billy told Angler’s Mail: “I’d seen some really big bream a few years back so I knew they were in there.
“I can’t believe these are the biggest bream in the lake so there could well be a 20 and I’d love to catch one. I strongly believe they are in there,” added Billy.
Billy’s catch was the biggest bream reported to Angler’s Mail magazine during 2019.
And now all eyes are on the water if it can get close to the 22 lb 11 oz official British record.
That record fish was caught by Scot Crook from Ferry Lagoon in Cambridgeshire back in 2012, and still stands at the top of the list.
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