OXFORDSHIRE’S day ticket Linear Fisheries has hit what may be its best ever form, with a string of magnificent specimen fish being taken in the last month.
Top carp anglers like Nick Helleur and new Shimano signing Ian Poole have been bagging up to eight 20lb plus fish in a session, with fish to 35lb gracing landing nets.
However, it’s not the carp, but the venue’s other species that are really raising the eyebrows of anglers right around the Midlands region, with monster roach, bream and catfish all hitting the angling headlines.
If size comes for before beauty, then we have to mention Mark Sinclaire’s 63lb catfish first. The Cheshire angler took the monster moggie on only his second ever visit to St John’s Lake, after bagging carp to 33lb 10oz on his first visit. For the full story and pictures check out June’s Midland Angler magazine.
Meanwhile, Linear’s Hardwick Lake has been producing some monstrous roach to nearly 4lb. Topping the list is a 3lb 11oz beauty to Leicester angler Lee McManus, and in this case he was fishing for them with feeder fished maggot baits at a swim near the 25 acre stillwater’s entrance. The lake record redfin may even have been bettered by a huge fish taken by carp angler Nick Helleur. Witnesses put the specimen close to 4lb, but Nick didn’t even bother to weigh it!
“Big roach have always been present in Hardwick, but with the amount of anglers now feeding high protein baits and with some of them fishing particles for the carp, it’s now inevitable that the fish will be growing fast and more of them will be caught,” commented venue expert Len Gurd.
“From what I hear there are big roach showing all around the lake in the evening, and I’m also told that carp anglers are landing LOTS of bream into double figures at night there.
“But in the main they are neglected. If someone really set their stall out for the bream and roach there, some fantastic results are on the cards. The venue is fishing brilliantly and from an all round point of view better than ever.”