The record stuck.
The National Federation of Sea Anglers look after the paperwork for the BRFC – British Record (rod-caught) Fish Committee. This all sounds like a Boilermakers Union meeting so far so I’ll get on with it. Anyway, the BRFC envelope contained an updated list of the latest record fish. I need these documents to check our records are correct you see… because I’m fed up with people telling me that the record barbel is a bit heavier than 4ozs (!). I couldn’t help but to have a quick nose through the new lists whilst chomping my way through a bowl of Shreddies.It’s a bit of a mixed up little world this angling one. Every honest angler would admit that it would be nice to see their name listed as captor beside the record roach, carp, pike or whatever. Or would they? Did you know that the dace record is 1lb 4ozs 4drms. Now, I wouldn’t mind getting that one. Or even the gudgeon record, which is now a staggering 5 ounces, as there is a kind of romantic kudos that would go with that title. But the 3 spined stickleback record – which is measured at a colossal 7grams. Stickleback!? Really. This one the BRFC didn’t even bother converting into pounds and ounces. Well, drams them. Who on earth would bother sending in a stickleback record?? I mean, it would hardly constitute a major feat of angling would it. But someone did. I won’t name him but it’s there for all the world to see, and he also holds the record for the heaviest bleak and for the weightiest bitterling. Oh, and if it’s the same guy (??) he also has the silver bream record. This gentleman must be one serious kind of record collector. I sincerely hope he is not a traffic warden. God help us if he starts targeting catfish. It almost makes me want to get out there and take a few of those records myself just to… Yeah! Have my name in the record books. Hmm. Anyone know any good stickleback swims??Back to that record list. Wild trout are pretty rare in my neck of the woods. Something to do with the water being too dirty or too clean or something. Yeah, too ‘clean’ was the last excuse I heard, I guess it must have been all those rafts of detergent I can remember floating down the Thames when I was a kid. So, and this is mainly for the readers from the USA as most of the locals already know this; we have not-very-wild trout in most of the Southeast of the UK and our records are broken down into ‘natural’ and ‘cultivated’ fish. These are generally lake, not river, fish which are grown on and released with the angler in mind. A lot of US anglers are just as horrified to discover this as I was to find the same name three times on the record tiddler list, but… welcome to the year 2000. All over this part of the UK are stocked lakes where we can all expect to hook into rainbow trout of perhaps 2lb on average. Now, spare me your pity Bud, that’s not a bad size trout and in some lakes around here real monsters live. In particular, one fishery stands out. Dever Springs. Only 50 miles from London’s Heathrow Airport and with trout of proportions to stagger the imagination. From this fishery the British record brown trout of 28lb and the record rainbow trout of 36lb both were taken. The chance that an angler residing in the London area can find fish of this size in nature is infinitesimal. Fisheries like Dever Springs cater for exactly those anglers. These fisheries open their gates 52 weeks of the year for the city dwelling anglers with a shortage of time in their lives. That’s me. I was lucky enough to fish there a couple of weeks ago. Bill and Virginia Rushmer accompanied me and a cracking time was had by all. I finished up with 4 fish, all between five and a half and eight pounds and Bill took a similar set of fish. Listen, I know it’s not the same thing, we can’t all fish on a Rocky Mountain stream. But this really is spectacular fishing. Pick the phone up and book a session at Dever now. . Pick the phone up and book a session at Dever now Pick the phone up and book a session at Dever now
The record stuck.