39lb 8oz mirror carp in howling storm

Rich Shelley came close to breaking the magical 40lb-barrier with this 39lb 8oz mirror caught during a recent session on an Essex syndicate.

The Fox International sales manager spent three hours walking round the lake looking for signs of showing fish but with the light rapidly fading and nothing showing he had to follow his gut instincts and set up where he thought they were residing.

He said: “I cast one rod with a single hookbait towards the far margin and the other two closer in over 4kg of boilies and a jar of hemp. Three hours later the single rod signalled a take and I proceeded to land a carp of 35lb 10oz.”

The next day and night passed without event but on the final morning his left-hand-rod over the bed of bait burst in to life.

“It was at this time that the storm hit at full force and there was debris flying through the air and trees creaking as I was playing the fish. I got the fish in the net and photographed as quickly as possible before making the decision to pack up and make a hasty exit!”

Rich offered a pop-up hookbait on a size 5 Arma Point SSSP hook and a 20lb Coretex Matt hooklink.