Rob Phillip Nets Thames Record Barbel

The fish which sets a new record for the River Thames, is the third biggest recorded barbel in angling history, swinging the scales round to a staggering 20lb 9oz! It was landed by time-served barbel fanatic, Rob Phillips, who was understandably delighted with the capture, claiming “I still can’t believe… Read more

14lb 7oz Barbel On Size 18 Super Spade Hook To Nylon

Wiltshire based all-round angler, Mark Woodage kindly sent us this report from a recent session on the Hampshire Avon just before the end of the river season. How many of us ever stop and think about the quality of those minor items of tackle we use on a regular basis? A… Read more

Colossal 44lb 12oz Pike For Brendon

The biggest pike of the season has been landed in the shape of this colossal 44lb 12oz specimen. Captor Brendan Guilar caught the monster predator – which he described as ‘the fish of a lifetime’ – after it devoured his herring deadbait at Ravensthorpe Reservoir, in Northamptonshire. To help cover… Read more

Pristine 2lb 9oz Roach For Danny Taylor

A single maggot and a size 18 was the successful combination that Danny Taylor used to catch this superb 2lb 9oz roach from the Hampshire Avon. Adopting classic stickfloat and maggot tactics, the New Milton, Hampshire-based specimen hunter targeted the main river and a sidestream during a day session on the… Read more

Martin Lofthouse Rewarded With 3lb 4oz Grayling

Playing big grayling on fine lines in fast currents can be heart-in-the-mouth stuff, but Martin Lofthouse’s nerve held firm long enough for him to land this 3lb 4oz cracker from a Northern river. The 50-year-old all-rounder, from Harrogate, North Yorkshire, trotted a worm hookbait under an Avon float carrying 7BB… Read more