The glorious 16th has finally come around again, with anglers around the country making the most of the first day of the 2025 coarse fishing season. While most turned their attention to barbel and chub, Colin Hebb landed an enormous ide, a species more commonly associated with commercial fisheries, and one that is incredibly rare in our rivers, with only a few small populations known to exist across the UK.
Being the current British Record holder, it comes as no surprise that Colin banked the ide on his very first cast, fishing his local stretch of river in East Yorkshire.
“I got to the river at dawn, as this stretch can get very busy with boats, which not only makes fishing between them really difficult, but it can also spook the ide. It’s also nice to be the only one beside the river, too,” Colin explained.
“I’ve found that one of the best ways to catch these fish is with floating crust. Not only is it effective, but it’s also really exciting to watch the fish come up and intercept it,” he added.
After locating a shoal of quality fish, Colin began feeding a few pieces of bread into the flow, with the ide taking the free offerings almost immediately. Wasting no time, he cast a hookbait among the feeding fish, hoping to capitalise on the activity.
“The first cast couldn’t have been any better and as I watched it float downstream, I almost knew what was going to happen. It was one of those perfect casts that, as an angler, you just feel will lead to a bite.”
“Sure enough, there was a massive swirl on the surface, and a confident strike put me in contact with a good fish.”
“After a spirited fight, I managed to subdue the big ide. After peering into the mesh, it looked like one of the better fish in the shoal too, and the scales confirmed it at 7lb 3oz."
"I couldn’t think of a better way to kick off the season, it is great to be back on the river again!”
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