Nash Tackle's Hassan Khan is no stranger to catching big fish, but they are usually carp, totally different to the gigantic catfish he hooked on a recent filming trip.
The enormous fish came during a shoot with Catch at Furnace Lakes Fishery, where after catching plenty of the carp they were hoping for, Hassan's alarms let off a slow series of bleeps from something substantially larger.
FANCY CATCHING A BIG CATFISH YOURSELF? HERE ARE THE BEST VENUES TO GO AND DO IT.
"I knew it was a catfish as soon as I lifted the rod," Hassan said.
"I've never targeted them properly in the UK and I would imagine my PB is around 30lb, also caught by mistake whilst carp fishing."
Despite having caught a big catfish of 175lb on the Ebro before, Hassan admitted the fight from the monster fish was a little bit scary.
"The battle went on for over an hour," he told us.
"At times I just had to hold on for dear life but luckily all the components held firm, testament to the quality of modern tackle."
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Assisted by Catch's Dan Murrell, Hassan lifted the huge fish up for photos. At 101lb, it's a new UK personal best he's very unlikely to beat.
"Fair to say, it's an experience I will never forget," he said.
The fish took a 15mm pink Nash Scopex Squid pop-up on a Ronnie rig constructed with 25lb FluoroLink boom and a size 4 Nash Twister hook. This was fished on a 30lb Mono Snag leader with a 30lb braided mainline on Nash LR 10000 reels and X-Series rods.
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THREE TACKLE AND BAIT ITEMS THAT MADE IT POSSIBLE
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Strong, sharp and light thanks to Pinpoint advanced manufacturing and materials. The wide gape pattern of this hook helps it turn quickly in the mouth, securing faster and better hookholds. This is aided further by the down turned eye, creating a really aggressive hook that won't let you down when targeting really big fish.
Pros
- Stupidly strong.
- Aggressive pattern.
Cons
- Precision sharpness means they can blunt quite easily, so make sure you have tools to sharpen them.
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These really trendy looking LR reels from Nash feature an extended stroke spool with super slow precision oscillation, which gives an incredible line lay to reduce friction and improve casting performance.
With 8+1 stainless ball bearings, a 4:9:1 gear ratio and host of other features, including Fast Drag, these reels are superb value for money.
Pros
- Look fantastic.
- Great line lay for improved casting performance.
Cons
- Spare spool not supplied.
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Made with the same liquid ingredients as the popular and devastatingly effective Scopex Squid boilies, the Nash Scopex Squid pop-ups come in three colours, Pink, Yellow and White.
Available in 10mm, 15mm and 20mm, these pop-ups are perfect for Chod, Ronnie and Hinge rigs thanks to their superb buoyancy.
They release attractors over a prolonged period, meaning a bite could come at any time if you have one of these on the end.
Pros
- Incredibly attractive flavour to carp and catfish.
- Available in three colours.
Cons
- Can lose buoyancy if glugged too heavily.
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