43lb carp falls from the margins

The biggest fish in a Bedfordshire estate lake succumbed to Alex Bransby’s margin tactics after a “heart-in-mouth fight”.

The magnificent 43lb common tripped up just a few rod lengths from the bank in a silty gulley during a two-night session.

Fox-backed Alex explained: “It was a 48-hour session and the bite came during mid-afternoon after I moved onto a prebaited area in a deep silty channel just 15 yards out.

“The fish put up a great account for itself having nearly snagged me up on island margin vegetation a number of times. I eventually netted the venue’s biggest fish after a 20-minute heart-in-mouth battle.”

Alex has recently set up his own company, Raw Baits, and the common picked up one of his 16mm Nutex boilies that he had been introducing to the venue for a number of weeks.

“The results while fieldtesting this bait has been nothing short of phenomenal, having taken the venue’s two largest and most rarely caught fish out within weeks,” said Alex.

He presented his bait on 12 inches of Fox Illusion fluorocarbon and a size 6 SSBP hook, with a 2.25oz flat-pear lead.