Mark Simmonds’ first session on a 100-acre Cambridgeshire lake has produced a new personal best tench of 10lb 14oz.

The impressive fish was taken on hair-rigged casters, using a Drennan in-line feeder filled with maggots. “I also had a new PB male at 8lb 9oz on maggots and the same feeder set up an hour later,” the St Neots-based specimen hunter told us.

Mark has since followed these up with three 9s (9lb 1oz, 9lb 3oz and 9lb 11oz) and a 7lb 12oz male. All were caught using normal Drennan block-end feeders and helicopter rigs or in-line feeders, with either hair-rigged casters or maggots.