Welcome back to this week’s round-up! We’ve pulled together the top catch reports from this week's Angling Times that you won’t want to miss. Let’s dive into what’s been caught and where... there might even be a few surprises.
A real red-letter day
James O’Reilly – 16lb 10oz barbel
“On a trip to the middle Trent I managed to land this 16lb 10oz barbel, along with a fish of 15lb as well as 20 others! It was a real red-letter day."
Targeting pacy water near a weir, the river was still low and I just couldn’t catch on a static bait. Knowing that scaling down wasn’t an option in the snaggy swim, I decided to try rolling meat, thinking that a moving bait might stir a fish into taking."
"What followed was a hectic session, as I rolled the hookbait through a short run where I could get a clear trundle. When I had a take, it was a ‘hit and hold’ situation, but thankfully my strong tackle was up to the job. As the light faded, I did manage a few more fish on static baits as they came out to feed.”
HERE ARE SOME OF OUR BEST TIPS TO HELP YOU CATCH BARBEL...
“It fell for a piece of chorizo!”
Charlie Fachiri – 2lb 6oz eel
“I recently visited a stretch of the Shropshire Union Canal in torrential rain, where tench were my target.
“After feeding a bed of sweetcorn and chorizo, the latter of which I’d nabbed from the fridge before leaving the house, I hooked this eel, which weighed 2lb 6oz. It fell for a piece of chorizo on a size 18 hook! After that, two bream followed before I darted into the pub for a pint of Guinness and a roast dinner!”
TRY THIS RIG IF YOU WANT TO CATCH MORE EELS!
“First night trip was a success!”
David Barnett – 11lb 10oz bream
On my first-ever night session at Walthamstow Reservoirs, I set out to target bream. Knowing that bites during the day were unlikely, I put out a bed of dark fishmeal groundbait and dead maggots and kept casting my cage feeder over the top.
“At 8pm my bite alarm went off, and I was into my first bream, weighing 11lb 10oz and smashing my PB. The action continued, with several more fish over 10lb, making it a very successful trip.”
HERE IS ALL THE KIT YOU WILL NEED FOR YOUR FIRST NIGHT ON THE BANK!
"My first-ever zander"
Alex Smith – 9lb 12oz zander
“With temperatures starting to cool, I decided to spend an evening spinning for pike on my local canal.
“I was with a friend who was showing off pictures of his previous catches while I made a cast beneath a bridge.
“Lo and behold, I hooked a good fish and at first thought that it was a pike. However, it turned out to be this beauty of a zander, weighing 9lb 12oz. It’s my first one!”
THESE EXPERT TIPS WILL HELP YOU CATCH ZANDER ON LURES.
"It leapt out of the water like a salmon!"
Adam Dunn – 7lb ide
“During a 24-hour session on the River Trent, things were slow over the first few hours. Fishing two 15mm boilies in the hope of catching a big barbel, I had a few light twitches on the rod followed by a screaming run, which then suddenly stopped."
"I could see the rod-tip bouncing, though, so I lifted into what felt like a dead weight. Then the fish took off out of nowhere, taking line and leaping out of the water like a salmon!"
"At the net, my first thought was that it was a big chub, but I’ve since learned that it’s an ide. I’m buzzing to have caught a new species that’s rare in rivers, and a special example at that.”
Subscribe to Angling Times magazine today. Choose a Print+ Subscription and you'll get instant digital access and so much more. PLUS FREE UK delivery.