Target achieved

At the start of the year Mark Pitchers set himself the target of catching thirty UK 30lb-plus carp and he recently achieved this with a four fish haul from an Essex syndicate water which was topped by a 42lb 3oz mirror carp.

The 33-year-old Yorkshire-based fishery owner also landed fish of 37lb, 32lb 2oz and 26lb 4oz during the productive 48 hour session.

Heavy baiting tactics proved successful and he presented a snowman hookbait consisting of a Sticky Vor-tex bottom bait tipped with a 12mm Buchu Berry pop-up over 3kg of Vor-tex and Bloodworm freezer baits.

Mark fished his hookbaits on blow-back rigs tied with Fox 15lb Reflex hooklinks and size 6 Fox Kuro S4 hooks with a 3oz inline flat pear lead.