Matthew Bevan 17lb 4oz Zander

Like many anglers this winter, Matthew Bevan has struggled to fish his local rivers due to the floods. But, with conditions looking perfect as the season drew to a close, he landed this immense 17lb 4oz zander.

In the powerful flow, he opted for a ShadTeez lure mounted on a 50g jig head that he planned to vertically jig tight to the deck. 15 minutes in, Matthew had a ferocious take and struck into a fish that hooped his rod over, giving violent head shakes. He knew it was something big, and slowly managed to ease it towards the boat. After a few lunges back down to depths in the coloured water, Matthew finally saw a huge zander surface.Measuring 93cm, the fish smashes his previous PB. Matthew doesn’t mind admitting that he shed a tear of joy at what had just happened.

Well done Matthew!