Having noticed river levels dropping and good water clarity, Phill was on the bank at first light and fished a running paternoster rig with a few shots to hold bottom and a lobworm mounted on his size 4 hook.

“I fed some red maggots over the top and waited,” he told us. “It wasn’t long until the rod arched round but there was nothing on the end and my worm was gone. I thought I’d give it another go before moving swims, this time with two lobworms on the hook.”

Around 40 minutes later Phill had another bite and hooked a very heavy fish. “I hoped it wasn’t a pike, as it dived deep and pulled line from the clutch. But when I saw a massive perch surface, I started to shake. Luckily, it went straight into the net, and whilst it rested, I sat back in my chair to reflect on what I’d just caught. When it came to weighing, it was clear the fish smashed my 3lb 14oz PB. When the scales read 5lb 10oz, you could certainly say I was a tad happy. This is the fish of many lifetimes.”

Well done Phill!