It was caught from the River Lea – a waterway that’s been in blistering big-fish form this season. Finding the river dropping nicely, but still carrying a little colour, Andy started the day roving with trotted bread flake but had no success. By the time he settled into his fifth spot of the day, he decided his best chance of a bite would be on the ‘tip’.

He told us “I baited upstream with liquidised bread, ahead of a far bank slack I wanted to target, and then went back to the van for lunch. I chatted with my good friend Simon Lashmore and I mentioned that my quivertip rod – an old 1lb test curve Fox Specialist – had caught me a lot of good fish. I’ve had six different seven-pounders on it from three different rivers. It’s funny how certain tackle can give you so much confidence.”

Andy rigged up a simple four-swan link leger, using 6lb line straight through to a size 8 hook. Baiting with a lump of bread flake, he fed a bit more liquidised feed upstream and cast out.

“Maybe 20 minutes later the tip bounced back and just kept bouncing. I struck swiftly and connected with a solid resistance as the fish went hard for the far bank snags. Pointing the rod downstream whilst walking downriver, I applied steady pressure. It eventually kited into midriver – exactly where I wanted it. I use a long landing net handle so I can land the fish out in the flow before they get a chance to dive under the near bank, and soon had the chub safely in the net.

I called Simon over and neither of us could believe the size of it. My previous PB of 7lb 9oz is totally smashed!” he added.

Well done Andy!