37lb 9oz surface caught pb

Darren Underwood claimed that ‘no carper should go fishing without a bag of dog biscuits,’ when he banked his biggest ever surface-caught specimen – this cracking mirror which topped the scales at 37lb 9oz.

The 33-year-old, from Cambridgeshire was staring a blank session in the face at his local Fenland Fisheries’ Willow Lake when he and many other anglers around him fishing bottom baits struggled for bites.

But just a few hours before he was set to pack up his gear he decided to start feeding Chum Mixers to see if he could encourage the carp to start feeding on the top, and that’s when his fortunes turned around.

He soon had a group of fish mopping up his free offerings and cast out a cut down Dynamite Baits pop-up boilie hair-rigged to a size 10 hook and a 10lb Korda Kruiser Control hooklink. Minutes later, the specimen mirror took the hookbait and shortly afterwards he was holding his new personal best up for the cameras.

“Surface fishing is by far my favourite method and I would never leave for a session without my floater gear,” the mechanic told Angling Times. “Sometimes you’ll only get a small window of opportunity when the fish will be really having it and you need to make sure you’re ready or you can miss your chance.

“I really can’t get my head around the fact that some anglers will see fish feeding on the top and carry on fishing on the bottom without giving it a go because the results can be instant and it’s a method that’s easy to master.

“If there is one tip I’d give anyone that’s fishing on the surface it is to whip your bait onto the shank  with the finest braid possible and tie your mainline to the eye of the hook because this gives a really natural presentation and has resulted in so many more fish on the bank for me.”

*To find out more about Fenland Fisheries visit: www.fenlandfisheriesltd.co.uk or call: 01487 841858