According to British fishing bible Angler’s Mail metal legend Adrian Smith has smashed his Personal Best Tench record with this 10 lb 8 oz Tinca after a ten-year quest man-made lake in the UK…

The Iron Maiden guitarist is a former Angler’s Mail front cover star but he doesn’t normally have the opportunities to target tench in late spring. This year he made the most of some spare time when he slid the net under the huge tench..

The sixty-two-year-old told Angler’s Mail: “It was caught on worm over caster, hemp, pellet and groundbait. “It was my only bite of a three-day session on a lake in south Buckinghamshire. “I’ve been trying to get a double for almost ten years, but don’t often get a chance to fish in the spring, as I’m usually preparing for a tour.

Catching a double-figure tench has been a bit of an obsession. “I recently spent a week trying to track down the big tench in Lac d’Orient in France, to no avail. It is six thousand acres but I’ve heard stories of seventeen–pounders. The lake was high, right up in the forest. I had a small boat, and did a lot of looking among the trees. The water’s gin clear. I only saw tench on one occasion, plenty of carp though.”

Smith first caught the eye of the Angler’s Mail newsdesk nearly two decades ago when he sent in a picture and an old Fish of the Week form.

On the form, he noted his occupation as simply: guitarist (Iron Maiden).

The guitarist’s current list of best catches ranks highly on the UK specialist angling scene, all coarse fish being targeted with specific tactics and very carefully returned.

Adrian revealed: “My PBs are: Barbel 15 lb 8 oz, Chub 7 lb 14 oz, Bream 13 lb 6 oz, Carp 42 lb 12 oz, Perch 3 lb and Roach 2 lb. I’ll spend the next few weeks trying for Barbel, and maybe Tench also but then we’re on tour again,” he added.

Adrian is in the middle of Iron Maiden’s two-year Legacy Of The Beast World Tour.

It involves a an epic and gruelling stretch of 44 gigs in North and South America from July 18 to October 25.