“Former match angler has come within a whisker of breaking the British zander record”

A former match angler has come within a whisker of breaking the British zander record with this staggering 20lb 5oz fish from the River Trent.
As well as being the largest zander ever reported from the venue, it’s also believed to be the fourth-biggest ever caught in this country, and captor Graham Boddice admitted that mere sight of the fish left him with a ‘proper shake-on’… although his body temperature wasn’t helped by the fact that he ended up waist-deep in the icy water to net his prize from some nearside snags!

Graham, from Worksop, had been a match angler until late last year when he decided to pack it in after Covid struck. He had a few mates that lure fished, and after getting a bit of kit together, soon became addicted. Although he’d already landed some decent zander in his fledgling lure angling career, this latest fish beat his previous PB by 12lb, and Graham caught it during conditions he felt would be perfect for locating the species.

He told us “I’d seen that the river levels were up and decided that it was an ideal time to get out. The fish push into the slacks in high water, and I actually hooked this one on the first cast! I think big, crafty zander can suss out gaudy lures. This fish took the lure as it fell to the deck after I had jigged it, and as I hadn’t felt it hit bottom, I struck and hit into what I thought was a snag. Suddenly, the snag went on a storming run into mid-river, and I knew I was connected to something special. As soon as it popped up and I saw it’s head, I just thought, ‘that’s ridiculous!’”