He told us “After a very early start on one of my favourite stretches of the River Trent, I settled in to my first swim fishing a slack just off the main flow and near some marginal snags. Just 45 minutes later it was away with a very steady take which indicated a decent fish.

I knew it was a big fish as she boiled on the surface after setting the hooks and then all hell broke loose, after a solid 15-minute fight she was In the net on the third time of asking, she dwarfed my big predator net! It was massive and something I’ll never forget, she went 33lb 6oz which is a new pb and my second river 30. The rig consisted of a float ledger setup with 20lb monofilament, 30lb Drennan Green Pike Wire and size 6 Extra Strong Pike Trebles. The chosen bait was a popped up pollen, after weighing and some nice photos she went back stronger than ever.”