A year-long quest for a big eel paid off in fine style for Mason Whittaker with this specimen eel weighing 6lb exactly.

Targeting a stillwater in North Yorkshire, Mason had to put in some serious graft before being rewarded with this fine fish. “I fished every corner of the lake on different pegs and swims in search of a specimen but hadn’t managed one,” he told us. “There was one swim I had always wanted to fish though, with a bunch of lily pads that seemed a good holding feature. I presented a roach head on a Dyson rig three feet off these and was rewarded with this beautiful fish! All the hard work and persistence has finally paid off.”