Finding the stretch in perfect trim for trotting, Dean landed a 6lb 15oz fish early in the day before heading to a swim that had seen little attention from anglers.

He told us “It’s a short run, so it took a little while to work out where to feed and at what depth to run my double red maggot hookbait through. After a couple of hours the float buried and my strike was met with that unmistakeable head thump. The fight was dogged, with the fish twice trying to bury its head under my feet. My size 18 hook and 5lb fluorocarbon hooklink held, and I soon saw what was clearly a ‘proper’ chub roll on the surface.” After a few minutes, Dean had the jaw-dropping fish in the net.

“It beats my previous PB by 2oz, and that was a fish I never thought I’d better.”

Well done Dean!