Simon Ashton landed this impressive ferox trout during an early morning pike session on a northern stillwater and weighed in just shy of 7lb.

The fish put up a spectacular fight on Simon’s 12ft E-Sox Piker Bait rod and after giving it’s all the fish finally slid over the waiting net. This is Simon’s first ever ferox trout so he was absolutely chuffed when it was finally in the net.

Ferox trout are a fantastic example of the genetic diversity that exists within wild brown trout. Ferox, like other trout, feed mainly on invertebrates when young but after they reach a length of 30 – 35 cm, a change occurs, with a switch to an almost entirely fish-based diet, which explains why it was caught on a small joey mackerel.