This is what he had to say about the haul: 

“My season on Wraysbury North Lake started a week later than originally planned, due to me being in Hungary, competing in the IBCC on Lake Balaton. The competition was a success and we managed a section win, although I couldn’t wait to get back and get stuck in to my first session of the season at Wraysbury.

“That session came on Monday 29th April, where I found myself with three days to play with. After a few laps of seeing fairly little, I settled in an area of the lake that I knew quite well from the previous year, that gave me a good view of the lake, should anything show.

“The weed obviously hadn’t come up much yet, just a small amount of fresh growth in areas, so I was able to effectively fish a few productive longer spots, which would be far trickier to fish in the upcoming months.

“I found a nice clear area at just over 90 yards, in about 14 foot of water, with low lying weed all around it. The area saw about 12-15kg of mixed Krill boilies, Bloodworm Pellets, Krill Pellets and hemp, all heavily soaked in Liquid Liver. I’ve been loving the Liquid Liver since it came out, but it’s not a nice one to get on your hands or clothes!

“The rest of the day went by without any action although, by about 7pm, I started to see a few fish drifting my way and rolling on the back of my spot. The bites began at around 11pm, with the first fish being a nice mid-twenty scattered linear. I got a bite every few hours throughout the night and ended up by the morning on three fish and one hook pull. That first mid-twenty was the biggest from the first night. Bites seemed to dry up through the day, and by mid-morning, any signs of fish I saw were up the other end of the lake, in much shallower water.

“At this point, as I often do, I reeled in and spent a few hours walking the complex, looking for signs of fish. I found fish in all the normal places, snags, sunken barges etc, but nothing that really made me want to move, as I was confident in another few bites of the deeper baited area through the night. The plan paid off, and after topping up the swim with another 6/7kg of boilies, pellets and hemp, the shows started again on dark, with the liners not far behind.

“I was fishing three rods on the same spot, all with Signature Squid Pop-Ups in yellow. I find that fishing nice and tight over bait is the best way to build up a hit of fish on Wraysbury.

“That night I nicked another few bites, again with the average stamp around the low to mid-twenty mark. The bigger, older fish tend to do late morning bites, so I hung it out this time before doing a few laps. Lucky, I did, as just before winding in, I had a slow take and a hard fight in the deep water, resulting in one of the elusive Redmire commons at over 38lb!

“The weather took a real turn that day, with bright sunshine and soaring temperatures, so the fish had shifted accordingly down to the other end. I had to be at work early the following morning, so opted for a move right down the other end of the lake, fishing a swim I was very familiar with from previous sessions. The swim basically fishes towards the mouth of a channel behind an island. A safe zone for the fish but one you can fish the edge of safely and effectively. It’s around 105 yards out, and again I fished three rods over there fairly tight, over a couple of kilos of boilie, pellet and hemp mix, again with a fair amount of Liquid Liver. I heard a few on the back of the area going into the evening. I’d packed up most my gear, other than a bed, ready for a 6am pack down.

“The swim has a bit of a reputation for producing the smaller fish, so it was a nice surprise when, in the early hours, a fully scaled 32-pounder rolled into the net. The fish was called ‘The Friendly Fully’ and although I’ve had it once before, I was absolutely blown away with how mint she looked on the bank.

“Just as I was thinking about finishing packing up and making my way round to the car park, the right hander pulled up tight and started slowly ticking away; a classic big fish bite! The fight was fought deep down and she spent most of the time kiting from left to right. Compared to the 20-pounders from the previous night, it felt like towing a bus around the swim!

“I recognised the fish as soon as it rolled into the net, as one called ‘The Long Sutton’, a target fish of mine and in my opinion one of the best lookers in the lake. She weighed 43lb 4oz, and looked incredible, a real special fish and a capture I’ll remember for a very long time after an amazing week with a very unexpected haul.”