Essex fifty is biggest carp of the year

The biggest carp of 2014 so far has been landed by Phil Blanchard in the form of this 50lb 10oz mirror from Fyerning Fisheries’ Main Lake.

The impressive specimen called The Gurm was the highlight of a 72 hour session on the Essex syndicate water and came from a deeper area of the venue that the 45-year-old paint sprayer from Ipswich had a feeling the fish would be held up in.

“I’d been studying the catch reports on the fishery’s website and could see that this fish would get caught from this part of the lake at least twice a year, and particularly in the winter,” Phil explained. “One of the main features in this part of the lake is an old stream bed that runs across it. I had a couple of casts here but it felt too silty so I cast a little further to a spot at 90 yards where it felt a bit lighter.”

Each rod was baited with 100 Nash Bait White Chocolate boilies and he presented bottom bait hookbaits on simple blow-back rigs constructed from seven inches of ESP Strip Teaze and size 7 ESP Raptor Longshanx hooks.

“At first light I received a couple of quick bleeps on my alarm. I got out to check and as the line felt tight I decided to lift in to it. At first I wasn’t sure whether or not I actually had a fish on as everything felt solid but then it started kiting to the right.

Once I’d got it to within 10 yards of the bank the fish rolled and I knew exactly which one I was attached to. At 50lb 10oz The Gurm beat my previous best of 45lb 1oz which I caught from the venue last October.”