40lb 10oz carp caught at Monk's Pit

A LAST-minute bite turned a frustrating weekend into a successful one for Carl Sharp as he tempted one of the jewels of Monk’s Pit.

The West Midlands rod fished a 48 hour session on the Cambridgeshire water but wasn’t rewarded until moments before packing up when the mirror known as Moonscale picked up his bait and turned the scales round to 40lb 10oz.

The Solar-backed 29-year-old said: “Not a lot happened throughout the session, and although I could see fish present in the opposite swim – which was occupied – I couldn't help but feel that I wasn't far away from slipping the net under one of the Monk’s carp.

“I was all packed away bar the rods on the Sunday morning as I had to be away by 10am due to Father’s Day plans.

“I was just contemplating which rod to reel in first at 9:55am when the middle rod pulled up tight! Fortunately my dad was on hand to quickly reel the other rods in out of the way as I could tell straight away from the slow, deep, plodding fight that I was connected to one of the Monk's Jewels.

“I was under the impression that I may have possibly landed a mid-30, but it wasn't until I laid the fish on the unhooking mat that I could appreciate its sheer bulk!

“It was a fantastic start to Father’s Day as my dad played a part in helping to land the beast – amazing.”

Carl used a Solar Club & Cream dumbbell boilie tipped with an 11mm Dairy Cream pop-up over boilies and hemp. Rigs were snowman setups featuring 10 inches of Solar Easy Strip and a size-six Solar Stronghold Longshank hook.