The 2024-2025 season has seen some tremendous fish banked, with the barbel record falling, huge dace and roach being landed, as well as the biggest river bream we’ve ever seen caught from a river. It has been an incredible season, definitely one for the history books.
Back in July, Alfie Naylor banked a chub weighing 8lb 4oz, and we weren’t sure if a bigger fish would grace the banks before the season closed. However, John Maddison caught a monster chub this weekend weighing a colossal 8lb 12oz—just 9oz shy of the current British record.
"I have a boat that I use to fish from on the River Thames, it’s a great way to access more secluded areas that bank anglers would struggle to fish effectively," John explained.
"I’ve been targeting pike and perch over the past few weeks with reasonable success, trying to get in as much fishing as possible before the season closes on March 15th."
"This weekend was no different—I had decided to spend it on my boat, but little did I know, it was going to be a truly memorable 48 hours!"
After a successful first day, John wanted to top up on small silverfish so he could focus on predator fishing at dawn. To catch the livebait, he used his Avon rod with a light quivertip, opting for a simple running feeder rig with maggots.
"I had a pretty standard bite a few minutes after casting out, but when I set the hook, I was met with an unexpected weight on the end," he said.
"There are a lot of big bream in this stretch, and the way it was holding in the current, I fully expected to see one of them roll as it neared the boat."
"I was only using a 2lb hooklink and a size 20 hook, so I played it cautiously. It’s always nice to land a bonus fish—regardless of the species—when you hook one."
" As the fish got closer I caught a glimpse of it under my lights and it looked like a small common carp. After a spirited fight under the boat, I was sure that’s what I had hooked."
"When I finally got the fish aboard, I was shocked to see that I had actually landed a massive chub. It was the biggest one I had ever seen in the flesh, and I knew it had obliterated my PB."
"It weighed 8lb 12oz, and I was in complete shock. I'm so glad my light hooklength and tiny hook held out because this fish was truly amazing to see."
With a few weeks left in the season, could this fish have broken the record if it had been caught a little later? It could very well be the biggest chub in the country—proving that you never truly know what you’re going to catch when you go fishing, and that is the reason we all do it!
IF YOU WANT TO CATCH A BIG CHUB BEFORE THE END OF THE SEASON, THIS ARTICLE IS FOR YOU!
