One of the joys of fishing as a family is the healthy competition of beating each other's personal best catches, and Taylor Burton certainly took the bragging rights over his dad Ash on his latest trip to the River Trent, where he smashed both their records with a monster 7lb 6oz chub.
It is the first time the pair have managed to get out on the river since the big floods, and they came armed with new tactics and tackle to try and hook some of the river's legendary big fish.
FIND THE BEST RIVER FISHING TACKLE IN OUR DETAILED BUYER'S GUIDES TO RODS, REELS, LINES, CHAIRS, LUGGAGE AND MORE.
"Given the cold nights over the preceding week, we used groundbait feeders with maggot hookbaits set up ‘mag-aligner’ style – the first time we’d tried them," Ash said.
“The stretch we were on is synonymous with big barbel, so we geared up with strong lines and big hooks. Hookbaits were six real maggots with one artificial threaded up the shank."
After an amazing sunrise, a large fish rolled in Taylor’s swim, but the only action was from grebes and cormorants diving on the pair's baited spots.
They kept plugging away, however, and consistently topped up the area with bait. Just after 3pm Taylor's rod pulled round steadily...
“Initially, we wondered if it was a barbel," Ash told us.
"When a massive chub rolled a few feet out, all I could say was ‘don’t fall off’!
"Luckily, it went in the net at the first attempt, and at 7lb 6oz, it smashes not only his PB, but mine too!”
GET THE BEST TIPS FOR CHUB FISHING IN THIS EXPERT ADVICE ARTICLE.
