Trio of twenties and two personal bests from Berkshire stillwater
A change of swims paid off for Paul Codman who went on to land three carp, including two new personal bests, during a recent session on a Berkshire stillwater.
After a blank first night and spotting a fish show in another part of the 10-acre lake, the Hampshire-based rod decided to up sticks and move.
He said: “I’d settled by lunchtime and had my rods positioned where I’d seen the fish top. At 4pm one of my indicators let out a few bleeps and I struck in to a 22lb 14oz common. The next morning I landed fish of 26lb 12oz and 24lb 8oz.”
Paul used a simple pop-up tiger nut rig with 15lb fluorocarbon mainline.
Following the fizz nets Kev Hewitt a 31lb mirror from Milton Abbas
A guest session on the incredible Milton Abbas syndicate in Dorset produced this 31lb 14oz mirror for Kev Hewitt.
The Cotswold Angling manager had seen fish fizzing at the opposite end of the lake to where he was set up so he wasted no time taking a single rod up to the swim and casting out a single CC Moore 15mm Equinox cork ball pop-up 50yds to where he’d seen the activity.
He said: “Less than two hours later I had a stunning 31lb 14oz linear in the bottom of my net. I also managed to land a smaller mirror of 17lb during the 48 hour session.”
Kev beat his prize with a hinged-stiff rig constructed with seven inches of 25lb ESP Strip Teaze and an ESP ready tied chod rig.
A boilie-only approach fools a pair of thirties
Ed Betteridge has reaped the rewards of a boilie only approach taking a brace of 30lb-plus from the ultra-tough Burghfield Lake in Berkshire.
The Derbyshire-based Greys media manager had been pre-baiting a long range spot on the daunting 96-acre venue since September with just Mainline Baits Hybrid boilies to reduce the number of nuisance fish picking up his baits.
This certainly did the trick and his first bite produced a 32lb 12oz linear. “The fish was completely hollowed out as if it had recently spawned, which is crazy for the time of year,” Ed told Angling Times.
His second take almost 24 hours later, resulting in a chunky 37lb mirror. “I was really pleased to bank this fish because it meant I had caught a full house of thirties in every pound increment from 30lb to 39lb this season! This was especially pleasing because the two waters that I have done it on are both very low-stocked where a few fish a year is classed as an achievement.”
Both fish were taken on Ed’s favoured hinged-stiff rig presentation with pop-up hookbaits.
“Previously I had been baiting up with a mixture of boilies and pellets but the smaller nuisance species were beginning to become a bit of a problem. Thankfully, ditching the pellets and only using boilies seems to have solved it,” he added.
37lb 3oz 'Angie' in first session
A 350-mile round trip to Orchid Lake paid off for Derek Stewart who bagged one of the water’s biggest residents on his first visit.
The Oldham rod travelled to the Oxfordshire gravel pit with son Dale and the pair banked five carp including the mirror known as Angie at 37lb 3oz.
Derek, who caught the fish on the first night of a 48-hour session in the Boards swim, said: “I was fishing to a hard patch a couple of rod lengths from the island and I spodded out about 2kg of Dynamite mixed particles.
“The bite came at about 8.30pm and it was an absolute belter. I knew it was a decent fish as soon as I hit it, and it was 25 minutes before I even saw it. It plodded around at range but when it got in close it shot off again. The whole fight lasted 40 minutes!”
The new personal best fell to a Mainline Cell boilie tipped with buoyant plastic corn on a size 6 Korda Wide Gape hook tied to coated braid.
Fishing next door in the New Middles swim, son Dale had four carp to 22lb 4oz. Elsewhere at the venue, Birkenhead angler John Kearney snared an immaculate 31lb common from the Alamo swim.
Orchid has now reduced its prices for winter, with 24-hour tickets down from £20 to £15. For venue information visit www.orchid-lakes.co.uk
Classic trotting tactics fool huge Test roach
This 2lb 4oz roach caught by Tim Lennon is a prime example of why the River Test is regarded as one of the best venues for the species in the UK.
The 52-year-old from Ringwood adopted classic trotting tactics and tempted the specimen redfin with a piece of breadflake on a size 12 hook and 3lb hooklink fished close to the bottom where he had been feeding small balls of mashed bread and brown crumb.
He said: “There are some fantastic roach in this beat and I have witnessed them to 2lb 12oz. This particular fish came from a very narrow swim and was just 2oz short of my personal best from the river.”
**Fancy catching a 2lb roach like this? If so, Tim runs guided trips on this exclusive stretch of the Test. For more information call: 07743 484621.**
First thirty in months for Haydn Hoskins
The dip in temperatures hasn’t stopped the fish feeding at the Surrey’s Frimley complex, as this mid-thirty shows.
Local angler Haydn Hoskins snared the 35lb 6oz common during an overnight session and believes the fish are still eating readily.
He said: “I was pleased to have this fish as I have been having success on overnight sessions but hadn't landed a 30lb-plus fish in several months.
“The red belly of the fish and how solid it was tells me they are still clearly feeding hard. The only question is how long will it last.”
Haydn baited with about a kilo of frozen 15mm NashBait Scopex boilies and fished matching bottom baits on his rigs
Hunstrete giant falls during 24-hour match
The Bathampton Angling Association carp record has been broken by Les Walter with the capture of this 40lb 5oz mirror from Hunstrete Lake.
This fish was caught by the venue regular during a 24 hour carp match on the venue and is the first carp over the magical 40lb-barrier to be caught from any of the club’s waters.
Les said: “The fish took about 15 minutes to land after four powerful runs. She looked in good health and put up a good fight.”
His successful setup consisted of a single 18mm boilie on a size 6 barbless hook attached via a knotless knot to a Sufix Camo Skin hooklink.
Mirror from the margins at Rockford
Having worked into darkness to spruce up one of his club waters, John Sudworth was rewarded with this 36lb 14oz mirror after deciding to fish the night.
The Ringwood and District AA committee member had been carrying out maintenance at Rockford Lake but finished late and decided to get his rods out for a quick overnighter.
The 41-year-old said: “It was dark by the time I finished working and I found a spot just behind a gravel patch right under the rod tips just deep enough to avoid the swans gobbling up my bait!
“At 1am I had a few bleeps and on lifting the rod I thought there was a fish on but couldn’t be sure as it was stuck solid in the weed. I put the rod back on the rests to see if anything happened and waited, and waited. I had virtually given up hope but some six and a half hours later I received a few more bleeps and on picking up the rod this time I knew there was a fish on. At this stage I had confidence that the size 8 Fox Arma hook would hold.”
John, who fished trimmed-down 20mm Cultured Carp Baits Fruits of the Sea boilies with a matching PVA stick mix, added: “Since acquiring the lake this year I have fallen in love with the place, hence the very long hours I work there for the benefit of our members. I just hope that more and more people get to share the joys of this amazing carp water.”
Huge common banked and released in USA
This 54lb 8oz common is believed to be one of the biggest carp ever banked in North America.
Raphaël Biagini caught the 98cm-long specimen from an undisclosed river in New Jersey State last week.
The Quantum Radical-backed angler said: “I am very happy to announce that I had the incredible opportunity to catch the biggest carp ever caught and released by a carp angler with modern fishing techniques in the USA!
“After an amazing fight and lots of great pictures taken I had the pleasure to put her back in her natural environment. It was a magic moment!”
Plastic bait fools 41lb mirror carp from Fryerning Fisheries
Plastic hookbaits proved to be the key to success for Mark Baker when he landed this 41lb 4oz mirror from the Main Lake at Fryerning Fisheries and ended a run of 15 blank nights.
With only two other anglers on the venue, the Essex-based rod headed to the point swim where a number of fish had been showing.
“The crayfish in the lake are a nightmare and can quickly destroy your baits. Previously I’ve wrapped my hookbaits in shrink tubing but I don’t have much confidence in this tactic as the baits look, and feel, awful,” he told Angling Times.
“I decided to give the new Korda Banoffee slow-sinking plastic dumbells a try as I thought they could be the solution I was looking for.”
Mark spent an hour spreading 2kg of 10mm and 16mm Mainline Baits Cell boilies over a wide area at 60yds range and cast three combi-rigs tied 25lb Kryston Snake Skin and size 8 Korda Wide Gape hooks.
“Later that night I received a slow and steady take on my left-hand-rod. Having rushed out of my bivvy in a hurry I had forgotten my head torch so had to net the fish in the moonlight – thankfully it went in on the first attempt.
“The fish known as Charlie fell just a few ounces short of my pb and is one of the oldest and most sought after fish in the lake. I feel blessed to have caught two of the A-Team fish within my first two months on the lake, previously banking The Chunk at 39lb 4oz.”
40lb mirror carp from Cotswold Water Park
This cracking 40lb mirror was landed by Rich Price during a recent session at the tricky Bradley’s Lake on the Cotswold Water Park.
The Gloucestershire-based angling bailiff targeted a long-range feature at 105 yards which he baited heavily with Solar Quench boilies.
Over the top of this he offered a matching flavoured hookbait and eventually beat his prize after a spirited scrap.
Five thirties in big haul from Suffolk Water Park
Dean Vaughan and his fishing companion James Swayze enjoyed a memorable session on Suffolk Water Park’s Big Fish Lake, landing 19 fish between them.
The Norfolk-based duo’s haul included five different thirties to 34lb and all came after a change of swims 24 hours in to their five night session.
“The lake was packed with anglers when we arrived so we dropped in to pegs five and six which were free. We’d heard that pegs 10 and 11 had done a couple of thirties earlier in the week, so when the lake quietened down we decided to move as we hadn’t seen any signs of fish in our original swims,” said Dean.
Spreading their rods between the central channel and the far margin the pair enjoyed the majority of their sport during the hours of darkness.
“The fish were obviously using the channel to move from one area of the lake and into deeper water water during the night,” explained Dave. “I managed fish of 34lb, 31lb 8oz and 31lb 12oz along with several twenties and a couple of doubles, and James had a common of 32lb 8oz, a mirror of 32lb 12oz and a three twenties.”
They both put their faith in snowman rigs using a new boilie on test for Carp Baits UK on Korda Kurv Shank hooks and IQ fluorocarbon hooklinks.
47lb mirror carp is new Cottington Lakes venue record
John Castle broke the Cottington Lakes’ venue record with the capture of this 47lb mirror during a 72 hour session.
Fishing tight to a clump of reeds in the margins of Pepper Lake on the Kent day-ticket complex, the Cornwall-based 70-year-old baited up with 10 Mainline Cell boilies and a bed of mixed particles.
He backed up his new personal best with a 22lb common and beat both fish with rigs comprising size 7 Nash Fang hooks and 15lb Korda N-Trap Soft coated braid hooklinks.
Sticky Krill nets 27lb 9oz common carp
Sandhurst has a reputation as one of the UK’s best winter carp venues and with fish like this cracking 27lb 9oz common on offer it’s easy to see why.
The impressive specimen was caught by Chris Beasley who baited up a silty area at 60yds range on the Yateley day-ticket water with around 20 16mm Sticky Krill freezer baits.
The 27-year-old from Thatcham said: “As the day went on I saw two fish show to the right of my swim and then at 6am the following morning I received a blistering take. Nothing else got caught that night and only one other fish came out in the three days I was there.”
Chris presented a 15mm White Chocolate pop-up on a size 6 JRC 360 hook and a 20lb Korda IQ2 hooklink.
New fishery record for Frimley Pit 3 with 49lb common carp
Scott Sullivan has completed his incredible year on Frimley Pit 3 in style with the capture of Charlie’s Mate at new fishery record weight of 49lb 10oz.
On his previous session the 29-year-old from Reigate in Surrey had landed a heavily scaled mirror of 39lb and a 35lb common so was eager to return to the 11-acre venue.
Arriving on the Saturday morning, Scott set up in a swim which allowed him to target a slightly deeper, silty area of the lake where he had a feeling the fish were holding up.
He said: “I used a throwing stick to spread 1.5kg of 15mm Obsession Carp Baits Nut Mix boilies over the area after casting out three matching cork ball pop-ups on chod rigs.
“The night was uneventful, but at 6.45am I received a slow take and after a good scrap I had my target fish in the net. At 49lb 10oz it was not only a new personal best common for myself but also a new lake and complex record. It was my 48th fish from the venue since April this year and really was the cherry on the cake,” he added.
Scott constructed his chod rigs with size 6 G-Force Straight Point hooks and 15lb ESP Stiff Rig Bristle Filament.
31lb linear from southern syndicate
This stunning 31lb 2oz linear was caught by Dan Gilbert during a two night session on a southern syndicate water.
Targeting a long range patch of silt 100 yards from the bank, the 32-year-old from Marlborough fished two rods with chod rigs over a scattering of Sticky Krill boilies and one with a bottom bait over a bed of Krill and Bloodworm pellets and broken boilies.
The bottom bait rod produced his first fish of the session in the form of a short and chunky 31lb 2oz mirror before the big linear and a smaller fish of 27lb 6oz fell to his chod rigs.
Dan tied his rigs with 25lb ESP Stiff Rig Bristle Filament and size 5 Atomic Chodda hooks.
Target 40lb carp from close in
A short evening session on a southern park lake saw James Kelly land his target fish from the venue at a weight of 41lb 6oz.
The London-based Gerry’s of Wimbledon employee had seen a few fish cruising up and down the shallow margins and after closely observing the exact route that they had been taking he waded out and carefully lowered a single Obsession Carp Baits Nut Mix boilie on to a spot which he thought the fish would be most likely to stop and feed on.
Shortly afterwards his alarm signalled a slow take and after a spirited scrap he landed a stunning low-twenty linear.
“As I knew there was obviously a few fish feeding in the area, I quickly tied on a fresh rig and hookbait and waded it back out to the same spot,” he told Angling Times. “Within an hour I received another slow take with my bobbin slowly tightening up to the rod. I lifted in the fish and a savage fight followed before I had the lakes most sought after resident, Single, in my net. Once weighed at 41lb 6oz it set a new personal best and was also my first English forty,” he added.
Two bites, two carp for over 50lb
Two bites in a matter of minutes resulted in commons of 21lb 12oz and 33lb 8oz for Duncan Arrandale.
The 39-year-old from Evesham was fishing an overnight session on the Carp Society’s Farriers Lake and targeted a hard spot surrounded by sparse weed at 45 yards range.
After baiting the feature with around 150 free offerings he cast Mistral i40 pop-ups over the top on hinged-stiff rigs constructed from Korda Mouthtrap and ACE Camo Core hooklinks along with size 6 Fox Arma Point SSSP hooks.
He said: “I was just having my second cup of tea of the morning when my right-hand-rod burst in to life resulting in the 33. I slipped it into the margins in the retainer sling and while I was setting up the camera, the left hand rod roared off with the 21lb’er.”
First session on Suffolk Water Park produces two 30lb carp
Glyn Gardiner couldn’t have asked for a better first session on Suffolk Water Park’s Big Fish Lake, landing a brace of thirties.
The 41-year-old car mechanic from Ipswich had a quick walk round the venue on his arrival and with strong winds forecast headed to a sheltered area.
After making several casts with his marker rod Glyn located a patch of silt at the back of a weed bed which he baited with half a kilo of Mainline Baits 15mm Cell boilies.
He said: “I hadn’t seen anything show during the first day but at 8.30pm I received a steady take and after a decent scrap I landed a 33lb mirror known as 3 Scales. I was delighted to catch on my first trip, especially a thirty, as the lake receives a lot of pressure and can be very tricky.”
The best was still to come, though, and three hours later his alarm burst in to life for a second time.
“Another spirited fight followed and I managed to get the fish past the weed bed without any major problems. Once I got the fish on the bank I recognised it as one of jewels in the lake’s crown – a mirror called 4.3. It has been caught at over 40lb but was slightly down in weight on this occasion at 36lb 3oz.”
Glyn mounted 15mm bottom baits on blow-back rigs tied with Fox Camotex hooklinks and size 6 Korda Wide Gape hooks.
New personal best carp from Hunstrete for club bailiff
Bathampton AA club bailiff Aaron Burke took a break from his duties to land this new personal best 36lb 4oz mirror from the society’s Hunstrete Lake.
The Bristol-based rod had only had his rods in for position for a couple of hours when he landed a 21lb common. The best was still to come, though, and 60 minutes later he received a second take -this time the culprit being the sought after specimen known as The Pig.
“The common and the big mirror made it a special day for me. I’ve been after a UK thirty for ages,” said Aaron, who offered a Supreme Baits 16mm Spicy Seafood boilie on a snowman rig with a 12mm Richworth S-Core pop-up.
