Contributors

BILL RUSHMER
Age: 66 years.
Hometown: Ashford, Middlesex.
Favourite species: None but dislikes F1s. Generally what I am fishing for at any particular time is my favourite species.
Favourite venue: The tidal Thames.
Most memorable catch: Apart from Virginia, the Thames record pike of 33lb 6oz caught in February 1987 from a Francis Francis AC punt at Teddington.

TONY MILES
Age: 67 years.
Hometown: Coventry.
Favourite species: Barbel.
Favourite venue: Upper Great Ouse.
Most memorable catch: Six tench for exactly 60lb.

DOMANIC GARNETT
Age: 32 years.
Hometown: Exeter.
Favourite species: Pike, perch and brown trout.
Favourite venue: Somerset Levels.
Most memorable catch: Two 20lb river pike in one morning session.

STEF HORAK
Year of birth: 1954.
Hometown: Hinckley. Leicestershire.
Favourite species: Barbel and chub.
Favourite venue: River Avon.
Most memorable catch: A 7lb 14oz chub on the float and a size 20 hook.

DAVE TIPPING
Year of birth: 1956
Home town: Harrogate, North Yorkshire.
Favourite species: Grey mullet and grayling.
Favourite venue: Any mature, established and unspoilt stillwater.
Most memorable catch: A 10lb 11oz tench from Hollowell Reservoir in Northamptonshire.

STUART GILLHAM
Year of birth: 1954
Home town: Tumbol Khothong, Krabi, Thailand. Previously Uckfield, East Sussex.
Favourite species: My passion is catching big fish of any species.
Favourite venue: I believe in catching what I can from a venue and moving on.
Most memorable catch: Without doubt a 44lb pike from Llandegfedd.

ERIC EDWARDS
Age: 55
Hometown: Thatto Heath, St Helens
Favourite species: Pike
Favourite venue: Don’t have one. I like to fish lots of different places for different species.
Most memorable catch: Hmm... the one I remember the most is my capture of the biggest-ever pug-nosed pike caught on rod and line: it weighed 38¾lb and was taken from Lough Mask in 1996.

SCOTT CORDINGLEY
Year of birth: 1986
Home town: Ashford, Kent Favourite species: Everything but, if I had to pick one, probably perch.
Favourite venue: None.
Most memorable catch: Every catch has been memorable, big or small, I love them all.

STEWART MOSS
Age: 39
Hometown: Charlbury, Oxfordshire.
Favourite venue: All the Oxfordshire rivers.
Favourite species: Chub
Most memorable catch: First 2lb River roach, on trotted bread in 1989 at the age of 17

LEE SWORDS
Year of birth: 1969
Hometown: Sheffield
Favourite venue: Trent
Favourite species: Barbel, but chub, bream, carp, eels, pike, zander, roach, rudd and several others come a very close second.
Most memorable catch: A 1oz roach from Chaple Point land drain. I can still see the float going under... I was five-years-old.

JOHN McANGUS
Age: 68
Hometown: Brampton, near Huntingdon
Favourite species: Perch and tench
Favourite Venue: Sywell Reservoir before its awful decline over the past three years, or the River Ivel
Most Memorable Catch: A 60lb sea bass caught off the northern tip of New Zealand. I winched the fish up from 200m of water for nearly 10 minutes, unaware that a 200lb plus shark had grabbed it and bit it in two

JULIAN CHIDGEY
Age: 28
Hometown: Uffculme, Devon
Favourite venue: Variety is the spice of life!
Favourite species: Pike
Most memorable catch: 31lb 2oz pike from a South West canal

PAUL GARNER
Age: 40
Hometown: Redditch
Favourite Venue: River Wye
Most Memorable Catch: A brace of pike on lures from a Midlands stillwater totalling 62lb.
Website: www.drpaulgarner.co.uk

MICK WOOD
Age: 51
Hometown: Tadcaster, North Yorkshire
Occupation: Retired fire officer
Favourite Species: Barbel
Favourite Venue: Wherever I happen to be that day.
Memorable Catch: Forty-nine barbel, including four doubles, in a session on the Warwickshire Avon.

PHIL SMITH
Year of birth: 1944
Home town: Coventry
Favourite venue: Anywhere with monster fish.
Most memorable catch: Catching double-figure barbel from 16 different rivers in one season.
Website: www.philsmithanlger.co.uk
Blog: barbelblogger.blogspot.com

DANNY JOHNSON
Age: 34
Hometown: Doncaster.
Favourite venue: River Trent.
Favourite species: Tench, chub and pike.
Most memorable catch: A 26lb 11oz River Trent pike and a 6lb 7oz Trent chub.