Mike Pisera landed this huge fish of 20lb 6oz on lure tactics during a recent trip, with the specimen the biggest ever reported from one of the man-made waterways, comfortably topping Mike Duffield’s 18lb 14oz fish landed from the Gloucester Canal in 2023.It also rattles James Benfield’s longstanding 21lb 5oz record caught from the River Severn nearly two decades ago. Mike has dedicated much of his time this year in search of a big ‘zed’, and his efforts have certainly paid off. “I told my friends and family that I’m after a record-sized fish,” he revealed. “I had a zander of 14lb 13oz from the Warwickshire Avon early in the season, with that fish falling to a fly-style lure. “On this occasion, I was casting large plastic lures and having fish nip at the tail but not connecting with the hooks.”

In response, Mike added a second hook on a ‘stinger’, but that caused the bites to stop. “My only option was to scale down, so I swapped to a small 7.5cm pattern,” he explained. “I had a hard and fast bite and, initially, the fight wasn’t anything crazy. However, as it neared the bank it battled hard, trying to stay on the bottom.

“I knew it was a big fish, but after it surfaced and I netted it, I had to sit there for a moment whilst we both recovered. My heart was pounding! “It measured 90cm and is, I believe, the new UK canal record.”

Well done Mike!