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The Holy Grail

Alex Chalmers-Wilkes

Senior Member
Afternoon All was just wandering what everyones Holy Grail would he when it comes to fish and waters. I think mine would have to be a.
15lb barbel, 3lb roach (close at 2.55lb), 10lb tench (8lb so far) 30lb carp a 25lb pike and a 3lb+ perch. All would be great from rivers but i know that probably wont happen, Just be nice to hear what others would like to catch. 🎣🎣
 
Excellent going Graham. Im not to far off my tench or carp targets. Hoping to get them this year. Pike im alittle way off and barbel im still a virgin to catch yet but hoping to get to a barbel water this year for a trip so fingers crossed 👍
 
I’d like to hit the magic 16lb barbel mark at some point.
I’ve Had a couple of 15’s
A 3lb perch would be lovely as would a high 7lb plus chub. (7 dead been my pb atm)
never had a 20 of anything yet but my excuse is I don’t fish for carp or pike 😜
 
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A 3lb Roach on the float has been a target for years, had two at 2lb 15oz and two at 2lb 14oz so have been close. Hopefully I will get one some day but will have to travel and be really lucky. At the moment I am trying for a 7lb chub from the stretch of river I manage, I am getting close. I did very well on the Dorset Stour in its prime when float caught 7lb chub were almost a weekly catch. But all of them will never be as special as one from the river I grew up on. One thing I will say is never take special fishing for granted it never seems to last, take as much advantage as you can whilst you can.
 
My aspirations are always based on the waters I'm fishing and what might be reasonably possible. However, I'm not unduly target driven these days. If I can find a six pound plus tench from one particular water I'll be pretty happy. I'd also be happy to catch one of the 10lb+ bream. However, I rarely fish anything but a float and I've only had three of the bream (then sub 10lb) on a float in ten years. That took weeks of raking and prebaiting to achieve. I couldn't be bothered enough to maintain the effort. If I can find even bigger tench on another water I fish, I'll also be pleased, but not to the same extent.
 
My aspirations are always based on the waters I'm fishing and what might be reasonably possible. However, I'm not unduly target driven these days. If I can find a six pound plus tench from one particular water I'll be pretty happy. I'd also be happy to catch one of the 10lb+ bream. However, I rarely fish anything but a float and I've only had three of the bream (then sub 10lb) on a float in ten years. That took weeks of raking and prebaiting to achieve. I couldn't be bothered enough to maintain the effort. If I can find even bigger tench on another water I fish, I'll also be pleased, but not to the same extent.
I agree completely Chris
While it’s very intriguing to think about what monsters might lie beneath I don’t actually set out on any of my fishing trips hunting the next pb.
My best fish and best fishing moments don’t actually involve any personal best catches. More around achieving when the odds were firmly against
That said it would still be nice to bust through the 16lb barrier one day 😜
 
Great replys from you all and thank you. Just nice to know what others would like to catch before time runs out. I had a cracking day last year on a still water im a member of. I was only fishing afew rod lengths out using 20mm nutcracker boilies and had 2 tench at 5.5 amd 6 lb a 2.55 lb roach. And 2 carp at 17.5 and 20.4 that was a cracking afternoons fishing. And onei will remember for a long time to come. I would love a barbel this year regardless of weight and a nice size Perch would be great too. But like most out there as long as i get a bend in the rod im not too fussed what i catch either way. 🎣🎣
 
Afternoon All was just wandering what everyones Holy Grail would he when it comes to fish and waters. I think mine would have to be a.
15lb barbel, 3lb roach (close at 2.55lb), 10lb tench (8lb so far) 30lb carp a 25lb pike and a 3lb+ perch. All would be great from rivers but i know that probably wont happen, Just be nice to hear what others would like to catch. 🎣🎣

I have only hit the carp target in this list. Mine would barbel 14lb, roach 2.5lb, tench 9lb, pike 20lb, perch 3lb and chub 7lb. Although I seldom sea fish these days I think a double figure bass would beat them all.
 
I was talking to a guy in one of my 'locals' who was on about a small, very old pool he rented within the densely wood grounds of a Public school. The club he ran only had about a dozen members, and they just match fished it ~10 times a year...with a prize turkey for the overall winner at Christmas. In passing he mention 2lb+ perch ....so I immediately joined :p
The pool was, as he said, small...and on my first visit I had a perch of 2-05 plus a double figure carp, both on prawn under a perch bob, and great fun on 5lb line. A few sessions later I had a perch of ~2-14 and popped in for a pint on my way home.
As I walked to the bar in my fishing gear I heard a shout of "Any good Terry?" and turned to see the club Chairman. On telling him of my 2-05 and 2-14 he said "Oh you've done well then, you've caught them both".
I didn't re-join 🤯
 
10lb tench, 7lb chub and 4lb perch and the only real target weights that are top of mind for me, everything else just falls into ‘it would be nice to catch a new PB’ but no specific plans will be made to do so, other than a couple of trips a year to target roach back on the Bristol Avon.

Highly unlikely I’ll achieve any of the above this year, but will still, as ever, be as happy as a pig in the proverbial as long as I’m on a bank somewhere 😊
 
I was talking to a guy in one of my 'locals' who was on about a small, very old pool he rented within the densely wood grounds of a Public school. The club he ran only had about a dozen members, and they just match fished it ~10 times a year...with a prize turkey for the overall winner at Christmas. In passing he mention 2lb+ perch ....so I immediately joined :p
The pool was, as he said, small...and on my first visit I had a perch of 2-05 plus a double figure carp, both on prawn under a perch bob, and great fun on 5lb line. A few sessions later I had a perch of ~2-14 and popped in for a pint on my way home.
As I walked to the bar in my fishing gear I heard a shout of "Any good Terry?" and turned to see the club Chairman. On telling him of my 2-05 and 2-14 he said "Oh you've done well then, you've caught them both".
I didn't re-join 🤯
Thats a brilliant story. 😂
 
Im hoping on joining a new syndicate this year. And have been told of 10 lb + tench and 15 lb + bream plus they have a carp lake. And some nice streaches of river. Iv been lazy last year and hardly fished any rivers but it will all change this year. Find a spot prebait and hopefully reap the rewards.
 
My aspirations are always based on the waters I'm fishing and what might be reasonably possible. However, I'm not unduly target driven these days. If I can find a six pound plus tench from one particular water I'll be pretty happy. I'd also be happy to catch one of the 10lb+ bream. However, I rarely fish anything but a float and I've only had three of the bream (then sub 10lb) on a float in ten years. That took weeks of raking and prebaiting to achieve. I couldn't be bothered enough to maintain the effort. If I can find even bigger tench on another water I fish, I'll also be pleased, but not to the same extent.

I'll see you back on one of those waters this spring Chris;)
 
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