The biggest bream of 2017 topping the scales at 20lb 7oz caught by specimen angler Gary Knowles.
It’s a capture that well-respected specimen all-rounder Gary Knowles described as ‘a dream come true’ when he smashed his personal best during a session at an ultra-tough 90-acre northern mere.
This is the first bream he has banked from the water in four years of fishing the venue that’s situated on the Cheshire/Shropshire border, where whole seasons can pass without it producing a single bream!
“I know anglers that have fished this lake for 15 years and are yet to have a single take…this is as difficult as it gets,” Gary exclusively told Angling Times.
“It’s places like this that truly define the phrase ‘a tough water’. So you can imagine how hard my heart was pounding when I watched that bobbin climb and saw the line slowly peeling off the reel.”
Gary baited up with mixed particles Sonubaits ‘S’ pellets and a handful broken Code Red boilies.
His rig consisted of 20lb braided mainline, a coated 15lb hooklink and a size 10 hook that was baited with two trimmed down Code Red boilies tipped with a 6mm pineapple boilie.
“The fight was painful, bringing an obviously huge fish in using braid and a relatively small size 10 hook takes patience and I’m not ashamed to say I was a nervous wreck while slowly gaining line,” Gary continued.
“When the black tail waved at me from about 30 yards I knew for certain it was one of the meres giants and after a flurry of activity over the last few yards I was overwhelmed with relief when it was finally guided into the waiting net.
“Instantly I recognised it as the fish I had caught at 17lb 2oz some four years ago but it looked much, much bigger. And it was, with shaking hands I lifted the scales to record a weight of 20lb 7oz to achieve a milestone that I had thought was beyond my wildest dreams.
“I’ve fished the meres since a was a young lad, and in those early years a ‘double’ was the dream target, never did I imagine that I would actually double that weight from one of my local meres.“