The biggest tench ever caught by design in Britain has been landed, weighing 15lb on the nose.
Rotherham-based specialist angler David Pratt banked the whopper from a weedy Midlands stillwater after it picked up his worm kebab rig.
It’s just three ounces off carp angler Darren Ward’s 2001 British Record tench – a fish many believe will never be bettered. David, who fishes for specimens of all species (except carp) revealed how he couldn’t believe his eyes when he saw the enormous fish sat in the bottom of his net.
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“I was in total shock – not only was it fat, but also incredibly long,” he told us.
“Before this catch, my tench PB was 10lb 12oz, although I’ve had a few other ‘tens’. Something tells me this is a fish I’ll struggle to beat!”
David caught the tench from a spot around 25-yards out, where he baited with pellets, dead maggots, worms and hemp.
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“I’ve fished the water for a few years, and as it’s so weedy, things can be quite tricky,” he added.
“When I had the run and lifted into what was clearly a heavy fish, it made powerful, slow runs – classic of a big fish
– before I brought it to the net with weed around its head.
“That was when I realised that I’d caught a really long fish – I use a 32-inch pan net, and its tail was sticking out of the end! On the mat I saw just how broad across the back it was, and knew it was a truly special catch.”
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David tamed the history-maker using 12lb mainline, a 9lb hooklink and a size 10 hook. He fished his worm kebab rig helicopter-style, using a bomb, rather than a feeder, and cast it out with a 1.5lb test curve rod.
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