This 14oz dace was the highlight of a summer holiday in a cottage near the Hampshire Avon for Henri and James Stonell.
James told Angling Times the story of its capture...
“On the first walk round with my son, Henri, we came across a small, gin-clear feeder stream," he said.
“Armed with a bag of bread, we fed various swims and watched the chub and dace smash the free offerings.
“The next day we fed a bit of hemp into one swim just off a small bridge, and we could see some decent fish, with a shoal of good dace really standing out. Returning with a short drop shot rod, a packet of hooks and some bread, I held back and let Henri go for it alone.
“Peering over the bridge, he said, ‘Dad, there’s some big ones there!’ Then he pinched on a bit of flake,dropped it off the bridge and watched it like a hawk as it trundled downstream.
“Suddenly he struck and the rod hooped over. After a quick, splashy fight, we had this ‘proper’ dace in the net, weighing 14oz. We went back to the cottage with big smiles and a feeling of ‘mission accomplished’. One happy son and a proud father.”
