New record for Linch Hill's Christchurch
A decade after its last lake-record fish died, Linch Hill’s Christchurch has produced a new biggest-ever carp in the shape of this 49lb mirror.
Daniel Smith caught the magnificent Oxfordshire mirror during a week-long session that also produced a 35lb common, a 31lb mirror and two twenties.
The Essex angler, who presented a Sticky Krill wafter over a large bed of boilies, maggots and pellets, said: “This fish broke the long-standing lake record which has stood since the days of Petals many years ago!
“It was a great way to cap a fantastic year, having already caught 12 thirties including eight over 35lb, of which two were 39lb-plus – Hartley’s and the Long Fish – and two different 40lb-plus commons!”
Click here for more angling news...
Box Common caught on ditched boilies
A resourceful student clawed discarded bait out of the margins and used it to catch the biggest fish in the lake at a new top weight.
Jack Crook bagged the Box Common from Linear St John’s at 47lb 8oz after finding about 5kg of particles and boilies in his swim. The thrifty Sparsholt student also used a lead he found on the ground.
The Oxfordshire teenager spodded out the discovered bait to a silty spot at 80 yards and dried some of the boilies to use as hookbaits.
The 18-year-old, who is on work experience at Linear, told Angling Times: “When I walked into the swim I saw a load of boilies in the margin and just thought I had to use them. There were boilies, tiger nuts and sweetcorn not even a foot from the bank – someone had clearly just poured it all in.
“I’m on work experience here for three weeks and fishing at night, so I just brought particles with me as I wanted something that would last. When I saw the bait in the margins I just thought ‘boilies!’ and I couldn’t let them go to waste. I think they were Mainline Activ-8 ones.”
Jack, from nearby Berinsfield, crumbed up some of the bait and created a spod mix with a mix of his own particles and those he found. Speaking from the bank, he said: “Each night after work I’ve been putting in about 10 spods of bait around the area at about 80 yards. I dried out some of the boilies to use as hookbaits and topped them with pop-ups to create snowman rigs.
“The bite came at 10.30pm and was a drop-back on a tight line. As I was bringing it in I thought it was one of the small stockies we’ve just put in, but as it came up marginal slope it just got bigger and bigger!”
The fish, which has since been caught again three ounces heavier, is a new pb for Jack and was fooled by a 13ins rig comprising ESP Stripteaze and a size 6 longshank hook.
Click here for more angling news...
Magnificent common on fourth visit
Karl Hall struck gold on only his fourth session at Darenth Tip Lake with the capture of The Major at 49lb 8oz.
It was the Essex rod’s eighth fish from the historic Kent water and came after the 29-year-old spent a long time observing the water.
He said: “On my arrival I completed three laps of the lake looking for signs of fish, but due to the strong wind that was blowing I was unable to spy any activity. However, after sitting in a tree for a while overlooking the back of the snags I did see a couple of fish pass through, followed by a couple more.
“Braided hooklinks aren’t allowed and the spots that I had found to be productive were small, so I opted to fish a hinged stiff rig made up of 20lb 30plus Kodex Shape Shifter due to the overuse of the chod rig.”
Karl received a few line bites during the night but had to wait until 1.15pm the following day for a take. He said: “My alarm sounded and I was soon attached to a very heavy, powerful carp which I managed to navigate away from the snags that I had baited.
“Once out in the open I felt the true weight of the fish and I knew it was one of the better ones. An epic heart-in-mouth battle ensued and I finally pulled the massive common over the net cord and he was mine.
“I looked down and in the net to was the fish that I had joined the lake to catch. On the scales the common was at an all-time best, weighing a staggering, amazing 49lb 8oz.”
Karl baited with The Nutz and Wicked Whites boilies from Mad Baits and fished a Wicked White pop-up over the top.
Click here for more angling news...
New water produces six carp to 42lb 8oz
A chance to fish a private Cambridgeshire water resulted in a six-fish haul to 42lb 8oz for Ian Harle.
The local angler took full advantage of the offer to fish the venue, which is expected to open next year, and managed one upper twenty, four thirties and the personal-best forty.
He said: “On my arrival at the 26-acre gravel pit I found a southerly wind blowing along the length of the water, with a forecast of it turning southwest that night.
“With fish showing occasionally in the middle of the lake, I decided to fish on the southwest bank as it gave good access to the open water.”
Ian found relatively clear spots at about 110m and baited with 1kg of 14mm PCF Cocofruit boilies and 500gr of PCF pellets on each rod. He fished hinged stiff rigs over the top and added: “I had been told the lake held big fish and was confident that if they visited me they would find my hookbaits quickly.”
The first fish of the trip arrived just before dark and weighed 28lb 14oz. Three more mirrors followed that night, weighing 36lb, 35lb 10oz and 42lb 8oz. “The following day was quiet until 7pm when my middle rod let out a couple of bleeps, followed by a one-toner, resulting in a 30lb mirror. My sixth fish of the session followed at 10pm and weighed 36lb 8oz.”
Click here for more angling news...
Brace of 39lb carp from Wasing Estate
Good karma befell Craig Runham as he bagged two 39-pounders on a session he had won at a charity auction.
Having been the highest bidder at a Cancer Research event, the Berkshire angler and his friend Andrew Smith got a chance to fish the exclusive Wasing estate for 48 hours.
Targeting Cranwells, Craig caught a 39lb 8oz mirror and a 39lb 8oz common after photographing the lake’s biggest resident – the Parrot at 64lb 8oz – for Bernie Loftus.
The Korda and Mainline-backed 28-year-old said: “The waiting list is very, very long and it will be many years before I get on the syndicate, so it was worth every penny we bid to get the short-session ticket.”
Having moved into the swim vacated by Bernie, Craig and Andrew endured a biteless first night before a change in the weather turned the session around.
During a windy second night, Craig received a screaming take. “I could not believe the power of the fish I was connected to,” he said, “I knew that out in the darkness I was fighting a very decent fish. The runs were mindblowing and I prayed for it to stay on. After what seemed an eternity I finally had a good common gliding up and down the margin.
“On the scales we both settled on 39lb 8oz – a new personal-best common for me.”
An hour later, a mid-twenty mirror slipped into Craig’s net and, as he was enjoying his first cup of tea of the morning, another fish picked up one of his white Cell pop-ups.
“Through the clear water I could make out a rather special creature, a dark heavily plated long mirror of epic proportions.” The fish also pulled the scales round to 39lb 8oz.
Craig, who fished hinged stiff rigs to a silt gulley, added: “It was a true honour to hold these special carp aloft for the camera.”
Click here for more angling news...
Eighth fifty is a lake record
Les Watts chalked up an incredible eighth 50-pounder from the UK with this 53lb 8oz common.
The Lancashire angler caught the fish, known as Tarka, from The Avenue in Shropshire to set a new current lake record. It came just 30 minutes after moving swims, following two blank days at the RH Fisheries venue.
Remarkably, it only ranks as the fourth biggest carp for the 57-year-old, who has caught The Lady from Ringstead at 59lb and Bill from Acton Burnell at 55lb.
He said: “The lake was pretty busy and I went down the far end, where I spent two days without a thing. On a hunch, because nothing was happening in front of me, I moved on the third day and had the bite within 30 minutes. I knew I had to try somewhere different and the move certainly paid off!”
Les, who fished a homemade pop-up as a single hookbait, said: “It was a slow, casual take but I was immediately met with solid resistance. It was a typical big-fish fight – it took its time wasn’t a fish that was going rush anywhere.
“I saw it roll just under the surface and could see it was one of the big commons, but there are two in there and I didn’t know which one it was. Fortunately there were no great worries during the rest of the fight and I managed to net it at the second attempt.”
Les, who has fished at The Avenue for three seasons, fished a 6ins Krsyton Super Nova hooklink tied to a size 7 ESP Raptor hook.
Click here for more angling news...
Britain's biggest carp caught twice in less than 48 hours
The biggest living carp in the country has been caught twice in less than two days.
The Parrot, which inhabits Cranwells on the Wasing Park estate in Berkshire, first fell to the rods of bailiff Mike Brampton at a weight of 64lb 6oz. Just 44 hours later it was in the net of Bernie Loftus at a new top weight of 64lb 8oz.
The fish, which is more than 40ins long, could easily eclipse the British record of 67lb 8oz, according to Mike, who has worked at the complex for 13 years. He said: “I think it will go on to do the British record. It’s so healthy and so long. If it ever fills out its gut then who knows what it could weigh.”
The carp, which Mike said was stocked at 12lb about 20 years ago, gave him a torrid hour-long fight after picking up the 59-year-old’s bait on the second day of his first winter session.
“In all the years I’ve been with Wasing I’ve only done a dozen nights on Cranwells, and this was my first winter night this year,” said Mike, who fished a quiet corner of the water and baited lightly.
“I arrived on the Thursday afternoon and got the take at 7am on the Friday. It took off and just felt like a dead weight. I had a funny feeling it was the big one.”
After the fish got stuck in weed, Mike put the rod on the rest for 30 minutes and, when the fish began moving again, called for the assistance of a boat. “Once it was free of the weed it towed me around the lake and I couldn’t get it back to my swim.”
He added: “I just can’t get over it. To have this fish on my first session of the winter was just such a shock.”
Mike used Mistral i40 boilies and presented two of them on a simple hair rig tied with a size 6 Nash Fang X hook and Atomic Jel-E-Wyre.
Solar anglers banks 115 Rainbow carp
Another work team to enjoy a successful trip to France was a group of Solar Tackle anglers who netted 115 carp from Rainbow Lake.
The big haul was dominated by Alijn Danau, who caught 69 fish from The Island swim up to 62lb. In all, 19 of his fish weighed more than 44lb.
The biggest fish of trip, known as Briggsy’s Fish, weighed 77lb and fell to Wesley Lagaert in swim 18. Solar boss Martin Locke managed 20 carp to 64lb from swim five.
All the carp came to the firm’s new 4th Rod Special Chilli Club boilies.
Click here for more angling news...
New venue record for historic Crayfish Pool
Historic Crayfish Pool has produced its biggest-ever fish in the shape of this 39lb 12oz mirror.
The three-acre water on the revamped RK Leisure Horton Complex has been fished by angling greats such as Rod Hutchinson, Chris Ball and Ritchie McDonald over the years.
Captor Mike Broomfield has enjoyed a successful season on the lake, banking 18 different fish and six different thirties.
Click here for more angling news...
Spomb inventor bags a best 52lb 8oz mirror
The man behind the Spomb has achieved a new personal best with this 52lb 8oz mirror.
Bryan Broughton, who invented the popular bait rocket that takes its name from a mixture of spod and bomb, caught the fish after setting up in heavy rain after dark at a syndicate water in Essex.
Bryan used Mainline boilies and tamed the big mirror on a Free Spirit rod.
Click here for more angling news...
First forty joy at Brasenose Two
A day-ticket water famed for its multiple catches of doubles and twenties has produced its first 40-pounder.
Brasenose Two on the Linear Fisheries site in Oxfordshire threw up the mirror at exactly 40lb to Edd Pearson as part of a seven-fish haul.
The Leicestershire angler, who was fishing with two friends, said: “It’s my new pb and an experience that will stay with me for a lifetime.”
Edd and his two friends set up next to each other in the teeth of a warm wind and drew for swims. Picking peg 22, Edd found a steep drop-off at 50 yards and decided to fish on the shelf.
He said: “I put about a gallon and a half of maggots out with the Spomb then flicked the rods out tight on the spot. With fish showing all the time I thought I couldn’t fail.
“As the last rod hit the water the wind died and I knew the fish were gone. After a still and uneventful night and following morning I called the missus, head in hands, saying I have a feeling this could be uneventful trip.
“I fell back to sleep and awoke around lunchtime to a strong wind pushing down the lake. A few minutes later I was away and landed a mid-double fully scaled beauty.”
Having caught three more fish to 25 that day, Edd kept the bait going in. Despite temporarily knocking himself unconscious after slipping over during the night, Edd baited heavily during darkness and continued to pick up fish as dawn broke. The 40-pounder picked up his middle rod just as he was dealing with another fish.
“It was a violent take and as I bent into it I knew it was something big as I couldn't stop it. After a 20-minute battle in which it snagged me once it was finally ready for the net.”
Edd presented plastic maggots on a clip attached to a size 4 Korda Krank hook.
Click here for more angling news...
240 pints of bait used in one session!
An incredible 160 pints of maggots and 80 pints of casters helped Lee Collings to bank this 41lb 9oz common from Linear Fisheries.
The 72-hour session on St John’s also feature other carp of 33lb 8oz, 27lb 9oz, 23lb and 20lb, along with two double-figure catfish.
Lee said: “I had decided to do something different from the norm and take 20 gallon of maggots and 10 gallon of casters, which cost me a small fortune as I had to pay for all my bait – no freebies!”
The Phat Fish-backed angler, who was shooting a promotional video for the clothing company at the time, fished at the far end of the Social Bank and targeted a raised weedy hump at 45 yards.
“I baited up with four gallons of maggots and casters to start with to hopefully let the fish clear the spot and topped the area up on a regular basis.
“The action started straight away with a two catfish and I was worried they might have spooked the carp out of the area. However, I was relieved when my next bite turned out to be a 27lb 9oz mirror.
“My next take a few hours later turned out to be The big common at 41lb 9oz – job done! The next 24 hours produced three other fish and I blanked for the final 24 hours even though I had fish showing over me. Unfortunately the spot was being ripped up and the fish were covering my rigs in weed making them infective. So all in all it was a good but frustrating session.”
Lee used size 4 Drennan Super Specialist Barbel hooks on long hooklinks and white Mainline Cell pop-ups topped with pink Evolution Maggotball Clusters.
Click here for more angling news...
Catch carp... in your lounge!
Anglers can now get their hands the most realistic fishing computer simulator ever made.
Dovetail Games Fishing has drawn on the expertise of the some of the biggest names in the sport to ensure the experience is a close to being on the bank as possible.
The game will see players tackle every step in the fishing experience. Once they’ve selected their tackle and rigs they will use a new intuitive casting and reeling mechanism called ‘Total Cast Control’ to test their skills by finding, baiting, catching and landing the fish.
The developers have worked in partnership with Essex-based tackle giants, Korda, who have provided their expert knowledge.
Dovetail brand manager and keen carp angler, Darren Nokes, said: “Everything from casting to how the fish fight and sound effects to the bankside environments have been taken in to account."
He also revealed that he will be meeting with Sparsholt college lecturer Simon Scott to ensure the fish behaviour within the game replicates real-life and that plans are in place to recreate some of the top carp lakes in UK and Europe.
“Once we’ve got the licencing agreements sorted we can make the accurately recreate the lakes – even to the extent, for example, that gravel bars etc will be in the same place. We will also include each lake’s main target fish and their weights will even reflect what they should be at certain times of the year and after spawning.”
He added: “As well as providing an opportunity for fishing fans to practice fishing when it’s not possible outdoors, one of our aims is to encourage more people to get into real fishing through playing our game.”
The game has now been released in Early Access mode which allows users to play the first phases of the game for just £4.99. They will then receive each accompanying phase – there will be seven in total – for free resulting in a large saving of completed game retail price expected to be around £29.99.
Darren explained: “People who purchase the Early Access will be able to give us their feedback and work with the development team which all helps to ultimately create the best possible experience for players.”
**To try the game for yourself visit: www.dtgfishing.com and keep an eye out in Angling Times for further news about the game.**
Click here for more angling news...
49lb mirror caught for first time in two years
This distinctive mirror had not been caught for two years before in-form Rob Burrage finally tripped it up.
The 49lb 6oz fish came from Kent’s Wingham syndicate, where Rob had a venue-record 54lb 12oz mirror last month. His latest mirror had evaded capture since 2012 and has put on 5lb since its last time on the bank.
Rob said: "This is my second fantastic fish in three weeks and obviously I'm delighted. However, I'm genuinely not surprised at the size they reach at Wingham because when we pull the weed out on work parties it contains so much natural food the weed tries to crawl back in!"
The 43-yearold from Sevenoaks targeted a spot just 15 yards out and baited lightly with GLM Sausage Oil boilies from Shoreline Baits. He presented an S2 pop-up from Specialized Hookbaits on a size 6 G-Force straight-point hook tied to G-Force Blackout.
Wingham boss Steve Burke said: "We've already had both a 50lb-plus English common and mirror this year. Hopefully we'll have a third fifty by next spring."
Click here for more angling news...
Pair of 50lb-plus carp in just two trips
Two short sessions totalling seven hours gave Gary Spencer two fifties.
The Premium Carp Fishing boss had been baiting a spot for two weeks, but timed his angling time to perfection during the morning sessions on consecutive days.
The fish, both mirrors, weighed 50lb 13oz and 52lb 6oz and came from a large north Cambridgeshire gravel pit.
Gary said: “On the Sunday morning I did a short three-hour session and caught the smaller of the two fish, which I had previously banked in 2010.
“The fish was caught on my own PCF Coco Fruit boilies from a swim I had pre-baited for two weeks. The spot was 30 yards out on the slope of a gravel bar.
“On Monday morning I did a four-hour session and had the 52lb 6oz mirror. I first caught this fish in 2002 at 32lb, although I have photographed it for other anglers at over 40lb and 50lb. This one had eluded me for a long time!”
Both fish fell to blowback rigs, with the first carp taking a Coco Fruit bottom bait and the second falling to the soon-to-be-released PCF Squidly Diddly boilies.
Click here for more angling news...
History is made with capture of 95lb common
Mark Ryder became the first angler in history to bank two carp over 90lb from as many countries when he battled a 95lb giant into his landing net.
The big fish fanatic and bailiff at the famous Drayton Reservoir in Northants, was fishing Hungary’s Euro Aqua and struck into the new personal best when it took a critically-balanced John Baker hookbait fished at 130 yards from the bank.
It took Mark 40 minutes to beat the fish into the net with a ‘KD rig’ incorporating a size 6 hook and the huge specimen beats his previous best that was a huge 92lb mirror banked from Luke Moffat’s Graviers fishery in France in 2011.
“I can’t express how made up I am about this capture as I love to travel and target the world’s biggest carp and now I have two from as many countries, which is a hell of an achievement,” Mark told Angling Times.
“There were a few hairy moments in the fight as it really went like a demon, but I guess it was just meant to be.”
To watch the video of the incredible capture use this link: http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=IWTxdCzw5NE
Click here for more angling news...
39lb common carp from former Cardiff dock
Taking a gamble and starting a campaign earlier than anticipated paid off for Darren Charman when he netted this stunning 39lb common from a former dock in Cardiff.
The Nash field tester had been baiting two areas at Atlantic Wharf with 20mm Scopex Squid Red boilies and had planned to keep feeding for at least another week before opening his account.
But perfect conditions one evening left Darren unable to resist the temptation any longer and an overnight stint was quickly pencilled in.
High winds of over 40mph battered his brolly during the session but enduring the uncomfortable weather proved worthwhile.
“Amazingly the fish was in the net within seconds, but once I looked down it truly was a sight to behold,” explained Darren.
“The venue is an old shopping dock of around 30 acres and it was once joined to the sea. It is getting a lot of attention at the moment - probably due to it being home to a near 40lb common.”
His successful rig incorporated a 15lb ‘combi link’, a 2oz lead and a size 6 Nash Fang hook that was finished with a 20 mm Nash Monster Squid boilie topped with a pineapple pop-up.
Click here for more angling news...
Target fish at 41lb 4oz for Steve Spurgeon
Catching a fish that is top of your hit list is not an easy feat but Steve Spurgeon achieved just that when he banked The Shy from an Essex syndicate lake at 41lb 4oz.
A thorough analysis of his swim helped locate a gravel patch 55 yards out and he introduced 200 Mainline Cell boilies and 50 Essential IB’s over the spot.
The Fox employee has been on the hunt for the elusive specimen for a long period of time and was finally able to scratch it off his target list when it fell for a Mainline IB pop-up boilie.
Click here for more angling news...
Brace of 40lb-plus carp after trip to the shops
Ed Betteridge had his decision to reel in a go to the shop to thank after banking his first ever brace of UK ‘forties’ with common carp weighing 45lb 6oz and 41lb 10oz.
After a biteless first night during a 48-hour session on Bundy’s Pit in Cambridgeshire, the specialist from Derbyshire decided to give his swim a rest, top up with bait then take a trip to buy some milk.
The Korda Tackle consultant’s theory behind what happened next is the fact that he gave the fish a chance to graze over his bed of Mainline Hybrid boilies with the absence of any lines in the water - a tactic that saw him set his hook into the 45lb specimen just a few minutes after re-casting his rods.
“I’d just got back to the swim after a couple of hours and I didn’t even have time to clip the bobbin
onto the line before the rod screamed off and I’m convinced it’s because I reeled in and gave the swim a rest,” Ed told Angling Times.
“After that my fortunes completely turned around as I banked five other fish including the 42 ‘pounder’ in just 24-hours – it was an incredible session and a real eye opener.”
”It’s too much of a coincidence that I caught after the swim was left to rest with no lines in the water, which is really something to think about.
All of Ed’s fish were fooled with a simple hinged stiff rig finished with a size 6 Korda Choddy hook and a 16mm Mainline Hybrid pop-up.
The other fish that he banked during his memorable session weighed in at 30lb, 27lb and two other that were into double figures.
Click here for more angling news...
Nine thirties topped by 47lb 2oz mirror carp
An attack based around sweetcorn has accounted for an incredible haul of carp topped by this 47lb specimen that was backed up by no less than nine other ‘thirties’ and all banked in just 25 hours.
Avid Carp backed Ian Russell had a feeling that something different would give him a vital edge during his latest session at RK Leisure’s Kingsmead 1 and it proved to be a masterstroke.
He fished two rods either side of a weedbed at 60 yards and after an initial introduction of three tins of Sonubaits F1 corn over each rig, he fed a tin after every fish landed.
A stack of imitation corn topped with a boyant Korum hairstop that was hair-rigged onto the back of a size 4 hook was the winning rig and it proved the downfall to a trio of fish all weighing 38lb 10oz, followed by specimens topping the scales at 38lb 8oz, 38lb 7oz, 36lb 2oz, 34lb 8oz, 33lb, 32lb 5oz, plus four other carp to 29lb.
“Sometimes doing something different gets results and this is perfect proof that you don’t have to spend a fortune on bait to get a big hit of fish,” said Ian.
“I hadn’t had a single touch after 23 hours, but then the swim just came alive and it was the craziest 25 hours fishing I’ve ever experienced in my life.
“Too many anglers get to a swim and the marker rod comes straight out and then every rig has to have a pva bag or stick attached.
“I picked my spot, fed some corn over the top and kept everything tight and it was as simple as that.”
Click here for more angling news...
