360-mile round trip is rewarded with two 40lb-plus carp
Round trips of 360 miles haven’t stopped Simon Harbottle from enjoying success at Cambridgeshire’s Monks Pit in recent weeks.
The Stockton-on-Tees angler has made the long trip south to bank two forties in two sessions at the well-known syndicate water.
First up was a 41lb 1oz mirror, which came from the No Carp Corner swim.
Simon told Angling Times: “I had my usual lap of the lake and a chat with a few anglers before deciding on my chosen swim. I had a lead about and chose to fish on a clay area next to a Canadian weed bed at 80 yards.
“I fished all three rods at the same range and baited quite a tight area, trickling in a few Spombs of 10mm Nash Scopex Squid boilies and Scopex Squid Monster Carp Pellets.
“Just as it was starting to get light I hooked into a scaly 23lb 14oz mirror, and the 41lb 1oz mirror followed shortly after I’d topped up the area with more bait.”
Simon hoped to get in the same swim on his next visit, but it was occupied so he settled into a peg known as The Rota where he had seen showing fish. “I employed the same tactics,” he said, “and the fish continued to show into dark so I was confident that one would make a mistake.
“A fish known as Moonscale was the one that did, just as it was getting light. It weighed 43lb 9oz and the most satisfying thing was I had it on my homemade Scopex Squid corkdust wafters.”
