On the 20th anniversary of the Tyne Championships, a 103lb haul of chub and dace topped a string of impressive weights.
Winner, Ripon angler Nathan Procter, caught quality fish from the off on 6m and 7m whips, feeding heavily with groundbait and fishing a single maggot on a size 12.
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His weight from the ‘Cables’ peg at Ridding Mill is the first over 100lb from the venue. Between them, 72 anglers caught a total of 1,645lb – averaging 22lb 8oz per man! And the top six to frame all had in excess of 50lb.
Steve Hoggins has organised matches on the river for 20 years and has fished it for 50. He’s delighted that, after being wiped out in the 1990s following water releases from Kielder Reservoir, the Tyne has well and truly bounced back.
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“The quality of the fishing is unique, particularly with regard to the quality and size of its dace,” he told us.
“Fish of 8oz-10oz are not unusual here, and Nathan caught them between 14oz and 1lb!
"It’s predominantly a salmon venue, so we’re only able to run four matches a year. But it’s a special bit of river, unique in that it fishes so well in warmer weather, unlike venues like the Wye, that only produce big weights in winter. The Tyne has come on massively since the 1990s, when one match was won with just 1lb of minnows!”
RESULT: 1 N Proctor, 103-0-0; 2 M Allison, 77-12-0; 3 P Rambow, 59-3-0; 4 P Close, 57-10-10; 5 S Tummey, 52-13-0; 6 T Richardson 52-1-0.
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