Simple Match Fishing Forum

Watching tight lines tonight, dean macey and keith arthur talking about bream, Keith said that the biggest bream he had seen was 8lb 12oz in a match but had never caught a big one. What is the biggest specimen any of you lot have caught or seen being weighed in, forget about carp.
Mines a 1lb 4oz dace caught in a match on the River Wear and a 6lb 8oz tench on a match on the Upper Nene

A few years back I ran a match on Xmas Eve on the Staffs-Worcs Canal. It was on what we call the 'Arches' length of the cut. I had the scales and weighed an individual ruffe in, not caught by me exactly one dram above the British record. If anything the scales were weighing just a fraction light; I service beam scales myself so there was no problem there.
We put it back because I hadn't my camera with me and no-one wanted to go there Xmas Day anyway. There were around 20 witesses to this.
Not 100 percent sure but the year after Graham Rhodes weighed one in at Stockton Lane, on the same cut, of exactly 6 oz!

I had a 2lb roach at Gold once,a 3lb 13oz perch on the GUC and 6LB tench from the cut off channel if they count.
Oh nearly forgot the 25lb mirror carp from Lake John on the pole.

I`ve seen quite a few 2lb+ roach and they are serious impressive fish, never caught one though. I`ve caught a 7lb 4oz chub on waggler match tactics but wasn`t in a match. :(

I have caught two 2 lb roach in over 50 years of match fishing.
They both came to stick and caster, last two casts in a match at Shrewsbury on the Severn. they weighed 2-0-0 and 2-3-8. I came very close to one on the T&M Canal four years ago; it weighed 1-15-15 but it was a knackered old thing with most of its tail missing. Never even seen a 20 lb carp; never seen a catfish of any size!
Best bream was 7-15-0 in a match on the R. Suck in Ireland, first put in!! Perch 3lb 10 oz foul hooked out of the R. Trent!

Your speci ruffe reminds me of one I had two years ago Bill on the Shroppie, the section before Cowley tunnel

I caught the biggest one I'd ever seen - a whopper

Dropped it in the net and a mate made a couple of calls to find out what the record was...........

Sadly it must have been hollow - it only went 4oz plus  :'(, but it was still a boster.

Had a 4lb 9oz perch a few years ago on a Cashmores match, when its back broke the water and I saw it the first time it looked like a crock  

About 4 years ago i fished in a winter pairs series at bradshaws near bolton, it was a freezing day in january. I drew on no2 lodge and had a one of those once in a lifetime days !!! I fished straight lead on the tip with 3 red maggots on a 16s hook, 0.15 hooklength etc, i knew the venue well and a short 20yd chuck straight in front into a deep bowl which was about 9ft deep sometimes produced especially when it was freezing cold. To cut a long story short my tip was hardly ever still (liners) and every now again it was just a matter of grabbing the rod when it dissapeared off the rest !!! halfway through the match i hooked and landed a stunning 17lb 12oz mirror, rebaited chucked out....... the rod went off the rest almost instantly and i landed a 15lb 10oz ghostie ......... 33lb odd in 2 chucks on a freezing cold day in january  lol. I weighed 89.10.0 and was beaten by 4oz !!!! I came second yet again !!!  What a day though and i never fed a thing  




Edited coz i cant spell

Most of my matches have been club or invitation matches. My best was a 2lb 4 oz Roach from the River Eden in Kent which was a massive fish for such a small river usually dominated by chub.

We did have an intercompany match on Jimmys lake in Essex, which is now a speciman water costing a fortune to fish, and the guy who won it had a 21lb 8oz catfish on 3lb line and a 16 hook.

TK,

Dave Barnard and myself put those ruffe in the Shroppie about 30 years ago (before Section Cs) or whatever thery are. They came from the T&M and were put in by the bridge at the end of the wood at Little Onn.
We went to Burston on the T&M, the last year Stoke City had it and had two dustbin loads on b&j.

3lb 14 oz perch at, wait for it,-manor farm