Persistence pays off with 33lb 2oz common carp
This immaculate 33lb 2oz common was Paul Nixon’s reward at the end of a gruelling three-night session on a windswept Cambridgeshire pit.
The 30-year-old Ipswich angler presented a Sticky Krill boilie to a weedbed at 80 yards and endured a frustrating time before the common arrived.
He said: “It was the most punishing trip! I moved twice and was wiped out by floating weedbeds five times at all hours of the night. It's been pretty horrendous really!
“After getting the rods back out as good as I could at first light in big winds, heavy rain and just about everything Mother Nature could through at me, this beast made it all worth it.”
Click here for more angling news...
Second-largest Irish carp is caught at 37lb
The second-largest carp in Ireland has been banked at 37lb.
Gerry Heapes slid the net under the specimen, known as The Other Mirror, during a three-day session at Lyreen Carp Lake in Maynooth, County Kildare.
The Dublin angler said: “This fish is one of the most sought-after carp in the lake due to the fact she goes very long periods of time without visiting the bank. She is no mug fish, and this made it all the more sweet.”
The 44-year-old hairstylist presented Sticky Krill boilies in the margins on multi rigs.
Click here for more angling news...
Foreign carp removed from Cheshire fishery
Environment Agency fishery officers had a catch to remember after removing these three non-native silver and big head carp from a fishery in Cheshire.
The fish, which weighed around 40lb each, were removed from Shakerley Mere, near Knutsford, after a request was made by controlling club Lymm Angling. Both the big head and silver carp which can grow to 100lb in weight are native to China and the Eastern Asia regions and look very similar in appearance. As well as harming native species, bighead carp have an alarming response to danger, jumping out of the water, which can pose real risks of injury to boaters and anglers.
Andy Eaves, an Environment Agency fisheries officer, who was involved in the eradication, said:
“Fishery owners play a vital role in our work to tackle non-native species and we encourage any other clubs to contact us if they suspect they are present.”
Click here for more angling news...
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.”
Click here for more angling news...
50lb common carp from Bluebell Lakes
Bluebell Lakes’ reputation as a big-fish venue continues to rise after the day-ticket complex produced this 50lb 12oz common.
The fish, which has packed on an incredible 10lb since its last capture in four months ago, fell to Jared Ferguson during a 72-hour session which also produced a 34lb mirror and two twenties.
The Essex angler, who has caught on all five of his visits to Swan Lake at the Northamptonshire complex this year, said: “It’s my new British personal best and in, terms of my fishing in this country, it was an excellent session. I didn’t realise how big the common was until I looked in the net and then I was all smiles.”
Jared fished 10mm Mainline Hybrid boilies on hinged stiff rigs and baited with an initial 3kg of matching freebies, sweetcorn and hemp.
He said: “I arrived on Sunday and found a swim in the middle of the lake as I know Kev Hewitt has had some success this year from that area.
“Within two hours I’d had the mid-thirty mirror, followed by a couple twenties, before the common arrived at about 7pm. It was a slow and steady take and a fairly uneventful fight. It weeded me up a little and I lost my lead, but it didn’t cause me any problems until it got tangled in another of my lines in the margins.”
That was the last of the carp action for the 46-year-old landscape gardener, who went on to catch a succession of tench to 9lb.
Click here for more angling news...
Radio plea saves carp
An angling club is celebrating a major victory after BBC Radio Two’s coverage of its protest against a planned fish culling operation helped save the lives of over 600lb of carp.
Listeners of the popular Jeremy Vine Show last Tuesday, heard the story of Bristol’s Henleaze AC, who faced the prospect of having fish killed at their Henleaze Lake, after the swimming club that share use of the venue gave the green light to the removal of carp to rectify issues raised by their members over stock management water clarity.
Health checks had previously revealed the lake’s fish had a grade two parasite which prevented them from being transferred to any other water. As such it was initially believed there was no other option than to humanely destroy the 58 carp that had been removed from the lake.
But after hearing the interview with passionate local angler Shaun Pine on BBC Radio 2 the owner of Mainstream Fisheries LTD came to the rescue, agreeing to take the carp to his Lincolnshire-based facility that specialises in treating fish infected with grade two parasites.
“I got straight onto the Environment Agency as I couldn’t let these carp die when I have the ability to treat them and give them new homes,” said company director Carl Francis.
“They put me in touch with the guys at Aquatic Environmental Solutions Europe who were carrying out the electrofishing work at Henleaze Lake and they were delighted to work with me.
“There’s no doubt that the protest and radio coverage saved the lives of those fish,” he added.
Shaun Pine who led the protest was delighted with the outcome.
“It’s been a hard road for the club and myself as this is a problem we’ve faced since 2009. Knowing that these fish don’t have to be killed is a dream come true,” he said.
“I’m so glad that the media coverage brought Mainstream Fisheries LTD to the rescue and the club is now looking forward to working with the Henleaze committee, the swimming club and AES Europe to ensure this fishery continues to thrive and give joy to so many people.”
To listen to the BBC Radio Two interview use this link http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b04jmh2f
Click here for more angling news...
The Fully is fooled at 26lb 2oz
This beautiful scaly mirror gave teenager Max Rippington a new personal best.
The Oxfordshire 16-year-old tackled a local stillwater to bank the 26lb 2oz mirror known as The Fully.
Max, who also banked commons of 21lb 6oz and 18lb 2oz from the tricky venue, said: “It was my best-ever session and the mirror was one of my target fish, so I was buzzing.”
The teenager used GS Crab boilies from Oxford Carp Baits and rigs made from Carper’s Arsenal components.
Click here for more angling news...
Pair of carp from The Avenue total 90lb
A 36-hour session at The Avenue yielded two fish for 80lb to Paul Thomas.
The West Wales angler banked mirrors of 42lb and 38lb using just a handful of bait over each rod.
The builder fished Sticky Krill White Ones pop-ups on chod rigs at the Shropshire water and said: “The fish were caught tight to an island at about 40 yards.
“The first one arrived at 3.30am and the second fish came from the same spot, which I had topped up with a couple of handfuls of 20mm Krill boilies, at midnight.”
Click here for more angling news...
72lb common carp caught from Rainbow Lake
Rainbow Lake’s Perfect Common has been caught at 72lb.
The impressive fish fell to Dutch angler Dennis de Wilde on day three of a week-long session at the popular French venue.
Dennis, who banked a mid-twenty carp and a 1.45m-long sturgeon before the big common made an appearance, presented snowman rigs made up of Solar’s new Chilli Club bottom baits tipped with 11mm Dairy Cream pop-ups.
Click here for more angling news...
New rig fools Apple Slice at 42lb 2oz
Jack Keating trialled a new rig at the challenging Dinton Pastures venue and banked Apple Slice at 42lb 2oz.
The 24-year-old from nearby Thatcham caught the big mirror from White Swan Lake on his first session using a ‘slip D’ rig – a variation on the stand D rig.
He said: “After checking the weather forecast on my arrival and noticing a south-westerly wind was coming in at 6am the following morning, I had a feeling the fish would follow. I set up at the top end and decided to get the rods in position before the fish turned up to avoid spooking anything.
“After the first night the wind turned and it wasn’t long before I could see a few fish. So far the plan was coming along nicely but with no action coming I decided to try something brighter to catch their attention. I opted for the slip D pop-up rig, popped up one inch, and decided a Sticky White Chocolate boilie would help do this.
“At 9am on Friday morning the left-hand rod went into meltdown. Once the rod was struck it went mental, the fish powered off, dropping the lead on the bite and you could see the bow waves on the surface. After an epic battle I slide the net under him with a big sigh of relief.”
Jack fished over a kilo of Krill freebies and made his rigs from 15lb Gardner Disruption and a size 6 Covert Mugga hook.
Click here for more angling news...
Stunning 32lb 8oz linear carp from southern syndicate
Paul Codman hailed this linear as “the best looking carp I have ever landed”, and it’s easier to see why.
The pretty linear tipped the scales at 32lb 8oz during a three-night stay on a southern syndicate water.
He said: “At 32lb 8oz it's my second biggest UK carp and certainly the best looking carp I have ever landed, with plenty of character to boot.
“I did have another one which dropped off not 6ft from the bank, which was gutting. Fortunately the photos of the linear soon put the smile back on my face.”
The fish fell to a hinged stiff rig fished over a bed of boilies on a clear area in 7ft of water.
Click here for more angling news...
49lb 14oz mirror carp after three week break for Lewis Read
Lewis Read returned to his syndicate after a three-week break and upped his personal best with a fish just two ounces under the 50lb barrier.
The experienced carper, who is Gardner Tackle’s media manager, tempted the mirror known as Little Big Head during a weekend session at Wellington Country Park in Berkshire.
He said: “‘God, I love it here!’ just about summed up my feelings. It’s not every day you catch a whacker!”
Lewis added: “Friday evening saw me rush home eager to get to the lake after missing a few weeks due to other commitments. I have been ‘on it’ this year so a three-week break was a killer!
“As I drove there I had that wonderful knotted stomach – the excitement and anticipation twisting my insides into a ball.”
Having been told about some fish sightings, Lewis rushed to his swim and baited along the margins with Carp Company Nut Mix boilies before darkness.
“I struggled to sleep,” he said, “the excitement I felt was elevated by the occasional fish showing nearby – and when a beast came out over the top of the middle rod I got out of the bag and sat in the darkness waiting for a bite. At 3.15am it came. The middle rod ripped off and the old adrenalin rush kicked in.”
Having banked the 29lb mirror, Lewis stayed up and became convinced the fish were leaving the area he was fishing in.
“The bay looked too quiet and I was becoming quite fidgety. Then the right-hand rod bleeped a few times and, as I picked it up, all hell broke loose as a decent fish stripped 40 yards of line off the spool.
“The fish swept in on a tight line and pulled hard trying to get under the trees to my left. I was surprised how much time it took to bring her out and round, but with that done the fish still surged powerfully around for another few minutes before bobbing up and displaying a back that was beast-like in width.”
The fish was eventually subdued and a weight of 49lb 14oz was agreed, despite the needle of the scales bouncing over the 50lb a couple of times.
“No complaints there,” said Lewis, who fished a clone rig made up of Gardner Trick Link and a size 6 Incizor.
Click here for more angling news...
Target banked at 38lb from Essex syndicate
Gary Patterson caught his target fish from an Essex syndicate water in the shape of this 38lb 11oz mirror.
The fish, known as Shy, fell to a Mainline Hybrid dumbbell pop-up fished over 20 matching baits on a margin spot next to some lily pads.
The Kingston-on-Thames angler used a hinged stiff rig made with 25lb Fox Trans Khaki Rigidity and a size 7 SR hook.
Click here for more angling news...
Gill Cluster out at 41lb 10oz is new personal best
This 41lb 10oz mirror provided Jonny Fletcher with a new personal best at Cambridgeshire’s Monks Pit.
The 26-year-old Peterborough angler tempted the fish, known as Gill Cluster, on the second morning of his session.
He said: “It wasn’t until it was 10 yards out that I could see it was the of the big girls. I was soon to slip the net under it and could see it was a fish know as Gill Cluster.”
Jonny used a Mainline Hybrid bottom bait tipped with half a pineapple pop-up.
Click here for more angling news...
41lb 8oz common carp from historic Fox Pool
Derek Mallows declared himself ‘over the moon’ after bagging this 40-pounder the historic Fox Pool at Longfield Fishery.
The big common, which smashed Derek’s personal best, weighed 41lb 8oz and was his first fish from the water.
“The run came at 4am on Wednesday, September 10, and was my first carp from the lake,” said Derek. “To say I was over the moon would be an understatement. The fish weighed 41lb 8oz and is by far a new personal-best common for me.”
He added: “The fish was hooked at 80 yards on a smooth hard area which I had baited with 2kg of Richworth’s S-Core boilies in 18mm and 14mm sizes. The common was caught on a snowman rig made up of a size 8 Korda Kaptor Kurv Shank hook, 25lb Kryston Merlin hooklink and 17lb X Line mainline.”
Fox Pool was well known in the emerging carp scene of the 1960s onwards and was immortalised in Rob Maylin’s classic book of the same name. Following the collapse of the Cemex Angling empire, the venue has been under new ownership since 2012.
Click here for more angling news...
Four thirties taken in one overnighter
An overnight session yielded four 30-pounders in what Duncan Arrandale called his best quick-hit trip in 27 years’ angling.
The Mistral and Wychwood-backed angler netted commons of 35lb 12oz, 33lb 2oz, 32lb and 30lb 10oz in just 13 hours at the Carp Society’s Farriers Lake.
The 40-year-old said: “Four 30lb-plus commons in one night is probably my best cumulative catch on a quick night session in 27 years of carp fishing.”
He added: “I found a few fish milling around in a swim that receives very little angling pressure. The lake was busy so I decided to have a go for them, unsure if they would stay for the night. Baits were swung out on underarm casts and a handful of bait thrown in around each rig. The first fish came quickly after casting in, two came in the night and the final fish came as I was loading the barrow to get off to work, with just the rods left in.”
Duncan, from Evesham in Worcestershire, targeted a clearing amid weed and floating algae at 20 yards and baited with Mistral i40 boilies – introducing 30 baits after each fish.
He fished snowman presentation on combi rigs tied with Korda Mouthtrap, Avid Pindown braid and size 6 Fox SSSP hooks.
Click here for more angling news...
Youngster sets record at Cromwell Lake
Schoolboy Morgan Wigglesworth broke the venue record at Nottinghamshire’s Cromwell Lake with this 44lb 6oz mirror.
The 16-year-old banked Rose at her top weight and also managed another mirror of 29lb 10oz at the Newark fishery.
“This was the first time I had ever been to this lake so I didn’t have any preconceived ideas, I just went hoping to catch a big fish and beat my personal best. So when I pulled Rose out she was a definite bonus!”
Morgan fished a 2ins chod rig at 90 yards over a bed of bird seeds, hemp, maize and tinned tuna. The big mirror came 10 hours into the session. Morgan said: “At 5.15am the reel roared off. It took about 15 minutes to land after a dogged fight over and through weed.
“After I had come back down to earth due to it being the lake record and my own pb, my second rod went and I pulled out a 29lb 10oz mirror.”
The teenager, from Sunnyside in Rotherham, South Yorks, caught both fish on white Mainline Toffee pop-ups.
Click here for more angling news...
Triumphant return with 43lb mirror carp
Ted Bryan bounced back from a bad back to take this 43lb mirror on his return to fishing.
The Londoner targeted a Kent stillwater and snared the fish from the margins.
He said: “After a very long lay-off because of bad back problems and family camping holidays I finally got the rods back out again and I went for a quick overnighter on a Kent lake.
“I was having a good walk around the lake when I saw a few fish showing, not too far out from the bank. So I got my gear and got set up. I put two rods along the marginal shelf in 10ft of water and one out at about 40 yards in about 12ft of water. I then put 100 Nash Tandoori Spice 15ml boilies over each rod and at 2.40am left-hand margin rod was off.
“I pulled into a very big fish and had a good 10-minute battle. I landed the fish and in the moonlight I could see that it was a very large mirror. I weighed it and got my mate to come and do the pics, and later that day I packed up and went home a very happy man.”
Ted tackled up with Nash rods and reels and used rigs made of 25lb Nash Missing Link, size 8 Nash Fang X hooks and two Tandoori Spice bottom baits.
Click here for more angling news...
UK Carp Shakespeare Suit Facebook Competition Winner
Congratulations to Robin Milner from Suffolk! You have won a Shakespeare Two Piece Breathable Rain Suit RRP £120 in size XL thanks to UK Carp Magazine in the latest Angling Times Facebook competition. Your prize will be posted out shortly.
Make sure you 'like' Angling Times Facebook page for more great competitions - www.facebook.com/anglingtimes
New venue record set at Baden Hall Fishery
A father-and-son duo crowned a memorable debut session at Baden Hall with three thirties and the venue’s biggest-ever fish.
Alex Jaundrell, who was fishing with his father Neil, banked the Big Common at an all-time high of 47lb 8oz from Quarry Pool at the Staffordshire complex.
“It really was a dream fish, just a stunning carp,” said 20-year-old Alex, who also banked a 35lb 3oz common and a 22lb mirror. Dad Neil added commons of 31lb 10oz and 32lb 8oz to the tally during the pair’s four-day stay.
The South Wales anglers arrived at the lake on Thursday afternoon to find very few fish had been coming out.
“With an easterly breeze sweeping across the lake, we opted to fish the sheltered bay area of the and were lucky to bag the two swims available,” said Alex. The pair baited regularly, introducing 4.5kg of Pro Baits UK Squid and Orange boilies around spots in the margins and close to an island, but had to wait until Saturday morning for their first bite – a 31lb 10oz common for Neil.
At first light on Sunday morning, Alex bagged a 35lb 3oz common from a margin spot and Neil had a 32lb 8oz common not long afterwards.
A 22lb mirror greeted Alex on the last morning of the session, before he received another take at 7am. “I struck into the fish and it just stopped. I thought I had caught a snag on the bottom of the lake, but then it began a run that caught me by surprise – this was no ordinary fish!
“Several runs later the fish weeded itself, but I kept the pressure on and slowly he emerged, surrounded by a ball of weed, but done with his fight.
“In the net I could not believe my eyes at the sheer size of it. As I lifted it I just knew it was a forty! My dad took one look and said, ‘I reckon that’s the Big Common – biggest fish in the lake’. We just stood, speechless, looking in awe at this magnificent creature. I was in total shock!”
Alex used 5ins Fox Camotex Stiff KD rigs with size 6 Fox Arma Point SSC hooks.
Click here for more angling news...
