Innehållsförteckning för Issue 3677 från Angling Times

THIS WEEK MOST anglers catch their biggest chub in winter, but Alfie Naylor landed this remarkable fish of 8lb 4oz during the opening week of the season. The Daiwa-backed rod was fishing the River Trent, having recently returned from a six-month break from the sport. He kicked off his session by introducing 4mm and 8mm pellets via a bait dropper, alongside a generous hit of 15mm boilies soaked in Nutrabaits’ spicy fish protein liquid. “I started fishing around 6pm, but didn’t have much action until 8,30pm when, suddenly, I had a significant bite from what turned out to be something extraordinary,” said Alfie. “I was truly taken aback to catch such a fish at this time of the year. It’s a new personal best and left me feeling both…

“SHE’S A VERY KEEN APPRENTICE!” Andy and Thea Waters – 8lb 9oz tench “MY daughter Thea and I attended this year’s annual Tenchfishers fish-in at Norfolk’s Bawburgh Lakes the other weekend. “She’s eight years old, and is a very keen apprentice, coming fishing with me on a regular basis. “Over the course of this weekend we had tench of 8lb 9oz, 8lb 4oz, 7lb 7oz and 6lb 3oz on feeder tactics, using a mixture of Method and maggot feeders. She was thrilled with the fish!” Andy and Thea’s top tip: Fishing close to weed is a great bet. We caught from a spot where there was 7ft of water. SEND US YOUR PICS • newsdesk@anglingtimes.co.uk • Make sure your pics are hi-res and that you are in them “WHEN HE…

TACKLE GUIDE ARE you looking for the perfect rod for a newbie angler? Or perhaps you intend to get involved in the upcoming Take A Friend Fishing campaign, and want to find a quality fishing rod for a family friend that won’t break the bank? Not so long ago, rods with a low price tag came with an equally bottom-end performance. That’s no longer the case. Keen competition between manufacturers, and advances in materials, mean that quality rods are within almost everyone’s reach. So take a look at our tactical selection of the best beginner rods currently on the market. BEST CARP ROD SONIK HEROX RODS WHAT THEY SAY: The HEROX series are leaner, lighter and faster than any of their predecessors at this price point. Progressive power gives them…

THE JOY OF FISHING THE ALARM shrieks out, shattering the peace of the night as a giant tadpole of a fish tears off with the bait. The braid pulls taut, and the rod arches over as battle commences. Sounds great, doesn’t it, or could this drama be more honestly related? How about this? Warm inside a cosy sleeping bag, the screaming indicator rips the angler from his dreams. Still suffering brain fog, he manages to only half slip on his boots as he makes a desperate lunge for the rod. Bewilderment gives over to discomfort as the cold bites, because in the panic there’s been no time to don a coat and, worse still, our angler suddenly realises that for the next 10 minutes he’ll be getting soaked while a…

EVERYONE knows how important attention to detail is when baiting up, and that ‘chucking and chancing it’ on the whole is a lot less productive than a well executed plan. Remember, carp can be consistently inconsistent. One thing that I’ve learned is that there isn’t a right or wrong answer in carp fishing. Take baited spots, for example. A decent baited area on a good feature with an accurately placed rig over the top should, and often does, produce the goods. But not always! In fact, sometimes a rig cast accurately over the baited spot is exactly what you don’t want, whereas one fished slightly off the spot can deliver better results. Here are a couple of very clear working examples of times where a bait just off the baited…

LAST CAST WITH DOM IT HAD been teasing me for years. An overgrown bit of the River Culm, part gurgling stream, part backwater, peering back at me every time I crossed the little bridge on the outskirts of Exeter. To my shame, this summer is the first time in ages I’ve wet a line here, despite it being just three miles from my back door and available on the Tiverton AC ticket. Most of us have water like this, spied from a car window but seldom fished. So, what stopped me? Neck-high undergrowth? Scant information? I can’t use either excuse, because such things usually just encourage me. Last week, though, finding an urge to fish but little time, it seemed too close not to have a cast. So, after killing…

EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW FROM THE WORLD OF FISHING IT’S OFFICIAL – the British records for roach, eels and catfish have all been beaten, or matched, in what’s been a staggering first half of 2024. The news was confirmed this week by the British Record Fish Committee (BRFC) and, combined with Lloyd Watson’s 47lb 5oz pike from February, means four new records have been set already this year – a first in coarse fishing history! Steve Rickett’s 11lb 3oz eel, which pips the previous best by an ounce, is arguably the pick of the bunch, with Darren Reitz’s 143lb 14oz catfish representing a landmark for fans of the species, as it’s the first ‘cat’ to be accepted after they were removed from the list in 2000. In a slightly…

KRIS Kent, a man who played a pivotal role in the ongoing fight to clean up Britain’s rivers, has sadly died. The Angling Trust employee was instrumental in the launch and success of the Water Quality Monitoring Network (WQMN), a drive that mobilised nearly 800 volunteers, or ‘citizen scientists’, across over 250 angling clubs to conduct tests on waterways to build a database of evidence. He was a popular figure in the wider angling community, as shown by the hundreds of responses on social media following the shock news of his death from the many angling clubs he’d worked with. “Kris was a warm, well liked, and highly respected colleague who cared passionately about the environment and his fishing,” the Trust said. “He will be sorely missed.”…

Daiwa Pole Fishing Masters, Tunnel Barn Farm Canal, Club, Extension, High, House, Jennys, New & Top Pools 124 pegs, Mon – Weds OVER £18,000 in cash was paid out during the 10th Daiwa Pole Fishing Masters, where commercial fishery expert Kieran Marsden bagged the festival glory. A giant field of 124 anglers turned out at Warwickshire’s Tunnel Barn Farm, and the result went right down to the wire, with the Matrix-backed star needing a perfect score and a superior weight to see off intense competition. Kieran got his tactics bang on from the word go, winning his zone with relative ease on each of the three days. Here he picks up the story of how he won the £3,000 top cash prize along with a top-of-the range Daiwa Air Z…

MATRIX MXC-3 4INS BAIT BAND RIGS THESE durable Matrix rigs are tied using Jamie Hughes’ original band in a loop method, incorporating the tried-and-trusted Power Micron monofilament. The band in the loop not only provides a better presentation, but also prolongs the life of the bands. Intended for use with both Method and pellet feeders, they are perfect for use with pellets, wafters and dumbell boilies. The MXC-3 PTFE coated hooks feature an out-turned eye to enhance hair rig presentation, and are accurately tied to 4ins (10cm) of line which is easily stored in a hooklength case. Price: £3.99, www.fishmatrix.co.uk DRENNAN CARP METHOD HAIR RIG PUSHSTOPS WITH hooks boasting specially-shaped bends and offset points, the precise construction of these rigs ensures that once hooked, fish are highly unlikely to be…

IT’S DAWN. You’ve arrived at a tench lake, filled with anticipation, and settle into a good-looking swim. First up, you flick out a lead to check the bottom is clear, but your heart sinks as you realise the deck is caked in heavy weed. Fish love the stuff but, for anglers, it can be a daunting prospect. Hope is far from lost, though, and there are a few things you can do to keep your hopes alive. I recently visited Sywell Reservoir in Northants, a famously weedy water, to demonstrate a few tips I’ve learned over the years that’ll help you combat weed over the coming summer months. SELECTING A ‘SPOT’ The first thing to do when faced with a weedy swim is to methodically search for any clear areas.…

“I WAS COMPLETELY IN AWE OF THE FISH” 61lb 8oz – Nathan Johnson A single bite on a southern syndicate venue resulted in the capture of this 61lb 8oz common for Nathan Johnson. While others on the lake adopted a more cautious feeding approach, the North West-based angler baited heavily in the hope of triggering a response. After finding a clear spot in 4ft of water, he introduced 15kg of pellets and Mainline Essential Cell boilies. "When I got the take, after the fish made its first run, it held its own about 80 yards out, and I couldn’t gain any line on it for a little while," he said. "I then got some line back, causing it to surface 60 yards out. Two of my friends shouted: “Nath, you’ve…

THIS WEEK A PHENOMENAL fightback by the England Masters side in the recent World Champs bagged them a well-earned bronze medal. Ben Bray, Billy Reynolds, Darran Bickerton and Matt Hall represented the nation in the event on the Plovdiv Rowing Course in Bulgaria, with Mark Harper in charge. On day one, England secured a lowly eighth place. “We then sat down on Saturday night and had a big team meeting,” manager Mark said. “We knew we had to catch carp, as we couldn’t compete with Italy or Hungary when it came to carassio. By being more positive with feeding, using bigger baits and a different groundbait mix, we gave ourselves that chance.” The ploy worked a treat, with Darran and Matt winning their sections. Billy registered a seventh,…

AHEAD of the General Election on July 4, the main political parties have shown support for fishing and the health of our rivers in response to a document from the Angling Trust that’s been dubbed a ‘manifesto for anglers’. Vote for a Fishing Future presents 10 policy areas aimed at protecting , promoting and developing angling. It was sent to all the main parties in England alongside a call for politicians to commit to safeguarding the environment on which fishing depends, support policies that promote angling , and to maximise the sport’s social and economic benefits. TIME FOR CHANGE? Perhaps the most significant response to the manifesto came from Steve Reed, Shadow Environment Secretary for Labour. If the polls are to be believed, he’s the most likely to be in…

BY MY standards, this ‘archive’ almost still has wet ink: it’s from 1997. It wasn’t the first time that a swordfish had washed up – very dead – on our shores. This time it happened in Scotland’s Loch Long. Neither was it the last, as a slightly more recently deceased example was found on a beach in Barry Island some 10 years later. As usual, the ‘experts’ predicted that ‘global warming’, as climate crisis was known at the time, was going to bring loads more exotic species to our coastline. Like many others, I believed that swordfish needed semi-tropical conditions and would mostly be caught trolling lures, especially at night. Zyg Gregorek, the mildly eccentric owner of Anglers Paradise in Devon, set out to be the first angler to catch…

THIS RECORD WILL TAKE SOME BEATING! IF THERE was one record I didn’t think I’d see broken in my lifetime, it was Steve Terry’s eel. The odds seemed too stacked against anyone trying to achieve such a feat. Little shocks me in the world of angling these days, but news of Steve Ricketts’ new 11lb 3oz record eel definitely left me almost speechless! No words can do such a specimen justice, and, just thinking about how old that particular fish is, is mind-boggling. I was delighted for it to be caught by an angler who has dedicated so much time to targeting the species and, although I can’t recall the last angler to win the Drennan Cup with a single fish (I’m sure someone at Angling Times will be able…