Angling News Sunday July 18th

Huge River Chub

The past week has certainly been a good one for big fish catches up and down the country. The fish of the week has to be the huge river Ribble chub caught by Sean Donnelly a member of the Warrington Anglers Association. Many of the rivers chub anglers must have been filled with envy on Sunday 11th July on hearing the news of the huge chub weighing 8-2-0 from the River Ribble at Balderstone. Sean was float fishing a prawn bait intended for a salmon at the time of capture. The area where the fish was caught is not recognised as a popular chub swim, but no doubt it want be long before the circus arrive.

Standish Lancashire angler Mick Holgate a soccer coach at Macclesfield Town F C fishing the Prince Albert AS water on the river Ribble with a trout pellet bait on a size 8 hook to 6lb line fixed spool reel 12 quiver tip rod 5-6-0. During the session Mick fed just a few pouchful of pellets.

Manchester painter and decorator, Brian Golding has caught his personal best Chub during a recent session on the lower river Ribble. Using luncheon meat on a size 6 hook to 8lb line Brian had 6 chub best at 5-10-0 and 4 barbel, his best barbel weighed 8-8-0

Specimen Carp and Perch

Phillip Leibbrandt Watermarks assistant fishery manager in South Cerney Gloucestershire has been fishing some of the companies stillwaters with great success. Rugby playing Phillip who represents Cheltenham RFC decided to have an early morning stalking session on the Watermarks Bradley Lake fishery in the village. A water which is capable of producing 40lb plus carp. At just after 5-30am Phillip spotted a good fish rooting around in the bottom, a few feet from the waters edge. Quietly creeping forward, he carefully dropped two grains of the Enterprise tackle popup sweetcorn a few inches in from of the feeding carp. Within minutes the big mirror carp picked up the imitation bait. On feeling the hook, the fish made a fast run towards the centre of the lake. Phillip who has had plenty of practise in catching good size fish was master of the situation. Some ten minutes later the fish was in the landing net. After a quick picture the 25-12-0 mirror carp was back in the water.

During a photo call for a National trout fishing magazine, Phillip was asked to catch a few trout, during the session at the Watermarks trout fishery which is situated next to the Little Horseshoe lake he caught a big perch weighing in at 3-8-0. which grabbed a Montana nymph fished on a 9 foot 6 weight rod with a floating line with a 12 foot 4lb tippet leader.

A few days later young Phillip fished the Watermarks Little Horseshoe lake at South Cerney with a legered lobworm, catching a perch of 3-3-0. The best perch caught to date from Little Horseshoe Lake is 5-2-0 and with lots of crayfish to feed on who knows how big these perch will grow. You can fish the water on a day ticket for just £10-00. a day, while a season permit will cost £200-00 that's just £4-00 a week certainly excellent value for money. Little Horseshoe lake is also an excellent carp fish producing fish over 30lbs. For further details on Watermark Fisheries Telephone 07711513462

Big Lune Roach

42 year old machinist John Young from Manchester fishing a private stretch of the river Lune with lobworm bait on a size 8 hook to 8lb line for seatrout caught a roach of 2-8-0. The river Lune is not just a salmon and seatrout water, it can offer double figure bream and two pound roach for anglers fishing the Lansil AC water just upstream of the M6 motorway bridge.

Cottswolds Tench

I recently visited Watermarks Little Horseshoe lake in South Cerney for a few days tench fishing on this delightful and beautiful gravel pit approximately five or six acres. It's a £10-00 a day ticket water, with safe car parking, toilets and showers. The swim I chose was between 10 and 11 feet deep with a foot deep ridge some 15 feet out from the bank. I raked, then baited with hemp, corn, chopped lob worms and crushed Toch special boilies from Cotswold bait creations. I always reckon two of the top baits for tench are bread and lobworms, I chose to fish a lobworm bait with some air injected into the tail segment on a size 6 hook to 6lb line, with 13 foot rod, centre pin reel with a red tipped quill float fished waggler style. My chosen swim was about ten feet deep about two rod lengths out from the bank. Within an hour of starting to fish the float dropped flat lifted slightly then slowly moved across the surface before submerging. The strike connected with a powerful fish, which after a few minutes of give and take was netted by John Bodsworth of Sussex. On the scales it weighed 7-7-0 by best tench of the season. Sadly I had to leave the fishery early having been in a lot of pain during the previous days. On visiting my doctor I got told I had a bad hernia.

Double Figure Kennet Barbel

David Hallett a retired accountant Of South Buckinghamshire fishing the river Kennet near Reading Berkshire had one of those days to remember. David started fishing around 3pm finishing his session at 9pm. Unlike many anglers, David chose to walk the river bank dropping a meatball bait on a size 6 hook to 8lb breaking strain line in to all the likely looking swims. It was certainly worth the effort of walking the bank. David landed 8 barbel with a personal best river Kennet fish of 11lbs. His friend Kevin Dyer travelled up from Maidstone Kent arriving on the river around 6-30pm. Like David Kevin roamed the river bank, in a three hour session he caught 11 barbel. One of the best catches reported to www.martinjamesfishing.co.uk this season

A Reporter Who Does Know How To Fish

In the Anglers Mail W/E July 17th issue Gary Newman is pictured with a 14 lb 12 ounce barbel from the Great Ouse. Gary used double gentles on a size 10 ESP big T hook to 15 ESP Sinklink hook length using a medium Stonze weight. Gary has now taken Tench, Bream and Barbel over 14lbs. Having fished with Gary on the river Kennet last winter, I must say "He is one of the great young big fish angles around today"

A New Book From Chris Turnbull A Time For Tench Published by Harnser Books

Likeable Chris Turnbull from Norfolk a man with a passion for catching big fish has written a new book titled A Time For Tench published by Harnser books price £28-95 which includes postage and packing. In the past twenty odd years tench fishing has changed quite dramatically. Back in the 1950's a six pound tench was considered huge, today many anglers are catching ten pound tench. The record today weighs in at 15lb 3 ounces 6 drams. When I started my quest for a big tench ( over 5lbs ) back in the 1950's the top baits were redworms, lobworms, bread and gentles. Today its boilies, corn and pellets fished on a hair rig. Chris Turnbull has given us a book to bring us all up to date with the latest tench fishing techniques tackle rigs and baits. The last great book on Tench was by the late Len Head of Suffolk, who wasn't just a tench angler. He was one of the great tench fishers of our time. I feel Len would be quite happy with this book from Chris Turnbull titled A Time For Tench. In the 223 pages you will find a well illustrated line drawings and photographs. Its a good read and one I can recommend. To order a copy write to Harnser Books Manor House Farm Barn, Reepham Road Foulsham Dereham Norfolk NR20 5PP Telephone 01603 412388

Fishery Report Tewitfield Anglers caught 174 fish rod average 4.5 per angler.Best bag Nigel Haigh from Blackburn 14 fish. There has been a few fish taken around the 4 -.5lb mark, but the bigger fish seem to have gone deep. The water is still very low and warm, the rain has helped to freshen the water encouraging the fish to be more aggressive.. Floating lines and dry fly patterns still seem to catch the most fish, but don't account for the bigger ones which are invariably taken on nymphs, buzzers ,and lures fished deeper

Coarse lake:-Water level very low, but fishing exceptionally well.
Carnforth High School fished a match on Saturday 10th July all caught.
Results:
Year 7. Jonathan Croad. 2lb 1oz.
Year 8. Lawrence Taylor 9lb 7oz.
Year 9. Tom Bateman 6lb 4oz.
Year 10. Craig Westwood 8lb 12 oz.
Heaviest fish. Josh Fowler 4lb 4oz Common Carp.