Young Finley Drew became the envy of anglers nationwide this week after landing a remarkable roach weighing a whopping 3lb 12oz, making it potentially one of the biggest ever landed by a junior angler.
The six-year-old was fishing with his dad, Tom, at Devon’s Old Mill Reservoir, when the fish took a grain of corn fished under a float in the margin.
The catch epitomises the wonderful unpredictability of fishing, and proves that, if in the right place at the right time, it’s possible for anyone to bank the fish of a lifetime.
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The pair were on a 24-hour carp session, and Finley was fishing the float to keep himself occupied.
“He’d woken me up at 5am, keen to get the float rod out,” said Tom.
“We’d found a spot where there was around 7ft in the margin and put some pellets, hemp and corn out. He started catching straight away using a grain of corn on a size 16 hook and 3lb line.”
While doing the same the day before, Finley had landed a small pike that’d grabbed a little roach he was landing.
“I was making a cup of tea when he shouted, ‘I’ve got a big one!’ I assumed it was another pike, so casually added the milk before going to help with the net,” added Tom.
“He was super excited playing it, as pike are his favourite fish, but when a massive roach surfaced we both went into panic mode! He shouted at me to ‘get it in the net’, and thankfully I did!”
After weighing the fish and taking pictures, Tom explained to Finley the magnitude of the fish.
“He rang his mum and gran to tell them all about it! An hour later he also landed a mirror carp of 17lb, and I managed a few too. They capped a session that neither of us will forget in a hurry.”
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