Wol’s Amazing Treble

1 up – 17lb 4oz zed (click for bigger picture)

I’m glad I did for at 1.30 the following morning a huge zander that weighed 17lb 4oz took my roach bait. Later that morning, in daylight, I put out a sardine for the pike and within minutes took a good Fen pike of 19lb 12oz. The Zander at the time turned out to be the fourth biggest ever caught, or at least the fourth biggest ever reported.

BREAM – August 2001
It was that time again, 1.30am, a moon in full glory and quite a nip in the air. Bleep bleep bleep on the right hand rod and I’m at its side. Very slowly in classic bream style the indicator was nudging its way up. A gentle strike (I was using braid) and I’m in. A good heavy solid thump from the other end and I know it’s a good-un.

Up on the scales it went 17lb 4oz, matching the zander. The buzz in the morning was great, I think at the time it was the biggest bream ever caught intentionally. What a result, zander over seventeen and now a lunker of a bream to go with it. A few friends, including Andy Nellist, turned up in the morning to do the photos and comments like “how about getting the treble Wol?”

2 up – 17lb 4oz bream (click for bigger picture)

“Nah, them Barbel in the Colne (which backs onto Broadwater) are just nudging doubles,” I said with a wink.

BARBEL – 5th February 2004
A rising temp from Monday onwards and a flooded Ouse nicely coloured saw me on the banks late Wednesday afternoon. A temp of 49 put a smile on my face and I actually joked to Cakey that afternoon that a 17+ fish would make an amazing treble. I think the word ‘tossa’ was his reply and said any fish would be a bonus.

I settled quietly into a relatively unfished swim and baited up the rods, small boilies wrapped in paste. A PVA bag with some whole and crushed boilies was attached to the hook and gently lowered into the flooded margin. I settled back to try and focus on the isotopes on the tips, which were being battered around by the very strong but warm wind. A noticeable tap on the tip got my hand hovering over the cork handle. This was followed by two very small taps then a gentle pull round of a few inches to which I struck. Immediately the fished shot down stream with what all I can describe as extreme power.

3 up, completing an amazing treble of 17-pounders – 17lb 1oz barbel (click for bigger picture)

After 25 minutes the thing did still not want to come in and my arm was actually hurting. I tightened the clutch held the rod high and just heavily pressured the rod behind me and it reluctantly flopped over into the net. Head torch on, a mint condition bearded beauty lay in the bottom of my net. Confirmation on the scales of 17lb 1oz and I had done it – HATRICK!

The three seventeen’s: zander, bream and now the barbel. I packed up there and then and made my way home on an absolute high. Magic stuff!

The full story can be read in a future edition of Coarse Angling Today magazine.