Scaled down rig bags 44lb mirror

When all others around him were struggling for bites, David Preston made a slight change to his tactics and landed this 44lb 1oz mirror during a short session on the Ashmead Carp Syndicate in Somerset.

After hearing that the notoriously tricky lake had been fishing particularly slow, the owner of Preston Innovations and Avid Carp formulated a plan that he thought could tempt one of the venue’s wily old residents. Rather than fishing with boilies like lots of other anglers, he decided to try something completely different.

Drawing on his match fishing experience he knew that refining his approach and scaling down his tackle could make all the difference while the fish were feeding so cautiously.
He had a quick lead around with a 1.5oz lead and once he’d found a couple of spots that were firm and clear he flicked out two simple rigs that were baited with yellow 10mm Avid High Lites.

To make his hookbaits perform more naturally on the lakebed he trimmed them down and added a small split shot to critically-balance them.

To give his High Lite an added boost, David kept it soaking in some Sonubaits Booster Cloud before the session. “The hookbaits take on the liquid and flavour making them really attractive. Once in the water, they release a cloud of attraction that carp find irresistible,” he said.

With both rods in position he sat back and waited in anticipation. He didn’t have to wait long and at 2am, his right-hand rod screamed into life as the carp made a bid for freedom. After a long, hard fight he slipped the net under the stunning 44lb 1oz mirror known as Moonscale.

“Sometimes, thinking a little bit outside the box and trying something a bit different, can tempt fish when other tactics are failing,” he added.