“I don’t fish Chew a lot, usually a handful of times each year, generally with clients,” he told us. “This year, the big girls really seem to have been feeding, so I headed to a spot relatively close to the shore where I’ve had good fish in the past. It’s deep here, and the area I wanted to target was where the ledge where the bottom dropped away.”
Using a 10wt dedicated predator rod and stepped-up gear, Ben had been happily fishing when he noticed a large shape follow his hand-tied fly in. “I said to my boat partner that there was a big fish behind the fly, and when it engulfed it, I initially reckoned it was upper ‘twenties’,” he says. “The fish then rolled on the top, and I could tell then that it was over 30lb.” As the fight went on, the fish’s true size became clearer.
“As it neared the net, it just got bigger and bigger!” Ben revealed. “When we saw the depth of it, we just looked at each other. It was then I knew the fish weighed over 40lb.” In total, the battle lasted around 20 minutes, and despite catching fish from all over the world, this one was extra special to Ben. “I’ve had a fair few thirty-pounders, but I consider myself lucky to have been in the right area at the right time with this fish. It was a beautiful creature, and a PB I’m pretty sure I’ll never beat.”
Great angling Ben!