Slate Grey banked after four-year quest

A four-year, 150-night quest for the mirror known as Slate Grey finally came to an end for Aaron Hardy.

The 29-year-old banked the sought-after fish from a Midlands pit at a weight of 36lb 7oz after seeing it show just as he was due to pack up.

The Loughborough angler said: “This carp has been my target fish for more than four years, since I started fishing the venue. The age and the history of the fish were what attracted me to her.

“I’ve fished more than 150 nights and have caught most of the other stock over the years, but this one always seemed to elude me, until now.

“I was due to pack up and leave but I thought I saw the Slate Grey rollover on my baited area on the last morning of my trip. I just had to stay. A quick trip home for some more supplies and bait and I squeezed in one more night before I had to go to work. At 3.30am I had the one I so dearly wanted!”

The self-employed builder targeted an 18ft bar 60 yards out and fed 4kg of Sticky Krill boilies with matching pop-ups. He used helicopter rigs featuring 25lb Korda Mouth Trap and size 6 Atomic Chodda hooks.

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