Bait switch results in 32lb 11oz common carp

A change of baiting tactics and a tweak to his rigs gave Ben Francis this 32lb 11oz common known as The Tiger.

Having endured a frustrating few months, the long common was Ben’s reward for analysing the situation and adapting his approach. “That’s the joy of fishing,” he said, “you can always learn from your mistakes and improve your success.”

The Wychwood brand manager had caught another 30lb common from the venue in April on tiger nuts, which he had used to avoid the resident bream, but the tactic faltered over the summer.

He said: “The bream started getting on the tigers and I spent a very frustrating few months trying to work out how I should be fishing the lake. Other anglers were picking up the odd fish here and there and a few of them had started catching consistently, so there was something wrong with my approach and I have no shame in admitting that things don't always go to plan.

“In the early part of September I changed approach, did away with the tiger nuts and starting baiting a marginal spot with scopex boilies in an attempt to bring the fish to me.

“It was clear that the fish were on the bait within days and the first couple sessions were uneventful, but the fish were lumping out over my baited area all night, every night. At this point my baits were fished on a mega-simple stiff rig attached to a micro swivel on the D loop.

“I really felt I should've had a bite with the amount of fish in the area so the next night I tweaked my stiff rigs to present the bait on an elongated, supple hair instead. The first night using the revised rig resulted in one of my targets, The Tiger at 32lb 11oz.”

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