Drennan’s Ryan Hayden decided to make the most of the good conditions on the Great Ouse and made the trip over after work for a short three-hour session.

Arriving at the venue just after 6pm Ryan made his way down to his first swim. But without a single tap after an hour, he decided to make a move further downstream. Within two minutes after recasting tight up to the snag, he received a single tap, closely followed by another, and then bang, the rod hooped around. After a spirited fight, she slid over the net.

“An immaculate fish with not a scale out of place, which is rare nowadays, and at 6lb 2oz, definitely one to look out for in the future.”

Ryan used a Drennan Series 7 Specialist Avon/Quiver rod with 8lb monofilament mainline loaded onto a BR 9-40 Specimen reel. His rig consisted of a simple running rig, but rather than being completely free running, Ryan used a single Grippa Stop with a buffer bead 2″ above the run ring to create a bolt-rig effect. A 2ft braided hooklink tied to a size 10 Super specialist Barbel hook with a very short hair completed the rig.