‘Pirate’ of a Great Ouse common sails in at 28lb

Dave Little edged ever closer to his goal of a 30lb river common carp with this 28-pounder.
The 30Plus-backed angler caught the fish from the Great Ouse during an overnight session.
He said: “A slow-sounding alarm had led me to believe a bream was at large, but after a heavy battle, and heavy tugging on the line, it was obvious a river carp was responsible. Like a pirate captain it was blind in one eye, pouring bags of character into the fish.
“Its flanks were scaled like a chequers board – it was a perfect example of an Ouse carp, with a dark back and golden belly.”

Switch of swim for first UK 40lb carp

Moving away from a swim full of showing fish is a ballsy move, but the gamble rewarded James Hibbard with his first UK forty.
Fishing a syndicate water near his north Lincolnshire home, James arrived on a Sunday and immediately found the carp.
He said: “The fish were active in one area of the lake so I dropped in the swim closest to them. They showed in front of me all night but I awoke to find I’d not had a bite. I sat it out until the sun came out, but it didn’t seem right where I was.
“At 11am I saw one come out of the water at the opposite end of the lake, so I packed away and was round there in a flash.
“I knew the swim from previous sessions and fished all three rods on just one spot.
“Afternoon passed and with no action I re-did the rods at 5pm. Within 30 minutes the right-hand rod pulled tight. The fish weeded me up once or twice until I slipped the unit into the net. It was Floppy Tail at 41lb 8oz, my target fish for the year and my first UK forty.”
James fished CC Moore Pacific Tuna pop-ups on hinged stiff rigs and baited with 20 Spombs of boilies and particles soaked in Tuna Extract and Slicking Booster Liquid.

Snail trail to carp victory

Baiting up with a kilo of snails helped Mark Munson to land this new pb common carp and tick off the last of the lake’s ‘A-Team’.
The fish weighed in at 45lb 9oz and rounded off the Navitas clothing company boss’s time on his Essex syndicate.
“In four seasons over there I have managed 10 forties and a fifty,” Mark said. “The common was the last one of the A-Team for me.”
The 45-year-old, who is also a sponsored skateboarder, has been on a roll at the water in recent weeks, banking a number of decent fish.
He added: “My pb common was caught on a new bait on test from Sticky, fished snowman-style with an XL Baits’ white pop-up topper.
“I fished at 50 yards to a clear spot in weed and baited with 15 Spombs of crushed and whole glugged baits with 1kg of snails in the mix too.”
Mark used a size 4 Atomic Grabba hook to a 25lb Thinking Anglers Tungskin hooklink and a 4oz Fox pear lead on his overnight session.

Pro boxer wins battle with Nina at 44lb 8oz

Professional boxer Warren Fenn came out on top after a “brutal battle” with this 44lb 8oz Surrey common carp.
The south Londoner beat the bell by catching the fish, known as Nina, shortly before he was due to pack up from a weekend session at Twynersh Fishery’s Pit Three.
The capture gave Warren his first 40lb common and was the first time the fish had been caught in a year.
“She’s the queen of the lake,” said the Korda and Urban Baits-backed angler, who fished a swim called the Treeline and had already banked a 31lb common on the first night of his trip.
“The take came at around 10am on the Sunday, just hours before packing up. Fishing towards a snaggy bush on the far side, the take and battle was a brutal one – probably the hardest-fighting carp I’ve managed to hook.
“I spent a good 15 minutes fighting to keep her away from the savage snags and weedbeds. Finally she gave up on her powerful charges and I slipped the net under her with a big sigh of relief.
“I could see she was going to be my first 40lb common. Little did I know she would also beat my personal best by a pound at 44lb 8oz!”

68lb carp on pole sets world record

This is the photo of the world’s biggest-ever carp caught on the pole, weighing in at an incredible 68lb.
It was landed by angling adrenaline junkie Sebnash, who battled with the huge specimen armed with just a few metres of carbon and 25lb line.
Fishing the margins on a lake in the Seine et Marne region of France, it took him 25 minutes to tame the historic carp into the net after it took a paste hookbait just yards from the bank.
It’s a fish that made up a hat-trick of big carp that also included a giant that would have set a new world record – a common of 27.1 kg (59lb 7oz), which was backed up by a smaller specimen of 19.7 kg (43lb 4oz).
“I was fishing there for a week from Saturday to Saturday, but by Tuesday I’d had no activity at all and I’d tried all the spots I know where there are normally some fish in the margins,” said Sebnash.
“On the Wednesday a swim became free where there are trees in the water and many snags, perfect for my approach.
“I fished every morning from 7 to 11am and the first fish I got was 27.1kg, which was incredible, and the last catch was my new biggest carp on the pole of 31.1kg.”
The Crazy Carpa shop owner has made catching oversized fish on hefty pole tackle something of a speciality, and 12 months ago he made history with the capture of a 132lb pole-caught catfish, having also taken sturgeon to 62lb from France, his native country.
During his record-breaking session Sebnash baited up with amino-flavoured pellets and used 4.4 metres of a Colmic Sponda margin pole with 25lb line and a 3.5mm thick bungee-type elastic.
“It was a real hit-and-hold job,” Sebnash continued.
“My elastic was incredibly strong and tight because I was only fishing 0.5m from the bank and there were lots of branches there. You have to get control of the big fish straight away.”
The previous-biggest carp taken on a pole was a 56lb grass carp that fell to Englishman Alan Hayes several years ago while he was on holiday in Canada, while a 58lb 12oz carp was claimed to have been caught from South Africa in 2007.

Two scoops for 51lb 10oz carp after net fails first time

When Ryan Gibson slipped his net under one of the biggest carp in the lake he thought his night-time battle was over – but it was just the start.
Thinking he had just secured the known 50-pounder, the tackle shop manager watched in horror as his landing net came apart and the fish charged off 40 yards back into lake.
“She powered away in the opposite direction and pulled the head of my net from the end of the pole,” recalled the 28-year-old, who was fishing Cambridgeshire’s Rosemere syndicate.
“Never before had I ever had this happen to me with this style of net and I don’t suppose I shall ever have it happen again but, at that moment in time, I was absolutely gobsmacked at what had just happened.”
Ryan, from nearby March, was still in contact with the fish but far from sure about the outcome of the renewed battle.
“I was an absolute wreck, holding on to the rod for dear life, knowing full well what I was attached to and at the same time trying in earnest to put my net back together,” he said.
Having scrambled to get his head torch, which he had left under his brolly as he rushed to hit the 1am bite, the fish was subdued once more after a 15-minute tussle.
“Upon lifting the net around her for the second time I dropped the rod and grabbed hold of the spreader as quickly as possible, but this time around she was properly beaten.
“As I secured the net she lay there in the margins looking rather large!” he added.
At 50lb 10oz the fish gave Ryan, who fished Sticky Krill boilies on Withy Pool rigs made with Fox components, a new pb by more than 10lb.
The following morning, to round off a memorable session, he banked a 31lb 13oz mirror.
“It was a trip I will never forget and a capture that will forever be remembered as my first UK fifty,” said Ryan.

51lb Linear carp thanks to wife’s generosity

When Steve Palmer netted this Linear Fisheries 51lb carp he knew it was due in large part to the generosity of his wife, who renewed his season ticket at the 11th hour.

The Gaunts Lake specimen, known as the Uncle Albert Fish, generally only gets caught twice a year, in April and October. “During my time on there I’ve managed to be on the lake three times out of the four captures in the last two years,” said Steve. “Little did I know that this October I would be on the other side of the camera at long last.”

The capture very nearly didn’t happen, as Steve’s ticket ran out on September 30 and he was due to move on to another water. However, his wife, who knew how much he wanted to catch this particular fish, offered to pay the renewal fee and the pair were back at the lake the following weekend.

Settling in a swim called the Beach, Steve had a quiet first night before getting a bite the next morning.

“After a heavy, slow battle my prize was resting over the spreader block and sank to the bottom of the net. I looked at my wife, who was snapping away with her camera, and said ‘got him!’

“A quick shout to my mate and we soon realised it was not just a dream. I was totally blown away!” he said.

Steve fished Nash TG Active and Coconut Crème boilies as a snowman set-up.

46lb 4oz Acton Burnell common carp tops the list

Duncan Arrandale capitalised on a week’s holiday by banking four carp averaging more than 40lb at Acton Burnell.
The Wychwood and Richworth consultant caught mirrors of 46lb 4oz, 41lb and 39lb 2oz, plus a common of 37lb 8oz during his seven-night session at the Shropshire big-fish water.
The 41-year-old got off the mark almost immediately and never looked back. He said: “I was fortunate to find a group of fish feeding when I arrived, and fishing single hookbaits to bubblers for the first four hours resulted in a 41lb mirror.
“The fish then drifted off, but on Tuesday morning I saw a fish show to my right. An S-Core pop-up cast to the area resulted in a 39lb 2oz mirror.
“The lake then seemed to switch off but I had seen a fish top in a bay to my right on Wednesday, right on dark. I baited the area on the Thursday and Friday mornings with a couple of handfuls of S-Core and on Friday lunchtime a fish topped on the spot.
“I cast a darker-coloured KG-1 hookbait over the brighter S-Core freebies and got a bite an hour later. After an epic 25-minute battle I netted a new personal best of 46lb 4oz.
“The week was then rounded off on Sunday morning with a common of 37lb 8oz, caught fishing to an area where I had seen a couple of shows the morning before.
“I primed the area with 45 baits on the Saturday afternoon, fished a hookbait to the area from dusk and had a bite just after first light on Sunday.”
The Worcestershire angler used hinged stiff rigs made from size 6 E-S-P Stiff Riggers, Kryston Incognito and Korda Mouthtrap.

A soaking... a winning bet... and a 46lb carp best

The highs and lows of carp fishing were summed up in an extraordinary session for Dan Johannessen.
During an eventful stay at Eric’s Willows Lake in Yorkshire, the Hull rod caught one of the water’s biggest fish, only for it to escape from the net before it could be weighed or photographed.
Amazingly, he dusted himself off to land a 40lb common, followed by a £1,400 betting win and then a 46lb leather.  
Dan, who fished peg 19, banked a 37lb leather and a stockie on his first night, then a 3.30am take and subsequent boat battle on day three kicked off the drama.
“I started to row back to my swim, knowing I had one of the big commons. I got the sling into the water and collapsed the landing net, but there was weed at the end of it. It pulled the net into the water and the fish escaped. I tried to grab the fish and went head-first into the water, feeling the huge common slip through my fingers.”
Dan’s next bite at 8.15am resulted in a common of exactly 40lb. Next, on his girlfriend’s advice, he put a bet on the football and won £1,400 and finally, at 7.30am, he caught the Steve Turner Fish at 46lb to set a new personal best and cap a remarkable few days.

From a hospital bed to a first UK 50lb carp

Ross Ryder bounced back from a week in hospital to score his first UK 50-pounder with the capture of this 50lb 4oz mirror carp.
The new personal best was the perfect tonic for Ross, who had four other carp including a 29lb 4oz mirror and a 28lb 2oz common.
The Dynamite Baits-backed angler said: “Once I was discharged there was only one thing on my mind, and that was getting a carp fix. I rushed home, loaded up the van and headed down to my local Ringwood syndicate.
“On arrival I noticed a close friend fishing in a peg next door to one where I’d had success previously, making this the perfect choice.
“There were fish in the area and I had the added bonus of a social with a friend to cheer me up after what had been a dreadful week.”
Ross found clear spots in the weed and baited with five litres of chilli hemp, sweetcorn, high-oil trout pellets and Source boilies. A 29lb 4oz mirror arrived the next morning before Ross stalked a 28lb 2oz common from a marginal spot later that day.
The next morning, Ross was woken by a fierce take on his right-hand rod. “With deep, heavy lunges the fish tucked itself under weedbed after weedbed and I knew this was a good one,” he said.
“After what felt like a long battle, a wide, deep-bellied mirror rolled into the net. At 50lb 4oz, it was a new personal best. While slipping her back, the same rod tore off again, this time with a stunning 25lb mirror!”
The trip was rounded off with a 20lb-plus common the following morning.
“What an enjoyable session,” said Ross.
“My first UK fifty, a new pb and some stunning memories.”

Cuttle Mill back to former best

Two years since plans for the HS2 rail link forced its closure, Cuttle Mill has re-opened with a bang.
The famous Birmingham venue still faces an uncertain future, but it re-opened last month to day-ticket anglers.
One of those to take advantage was Matt Rhodes, who managed nine bites for four fish in 36 hours.
He said: “Cuttle Mill holds a special place for me, as my childhood personal best came from there.
“It was fantastic to get another opportunity to fish what I believe to be the best water within the Birmingham postcode.”
Fishing a swim with access to marginal trees and an island, Matt opened his account quickly with a 20lb common carp, followed by a mid-double mirror.
“With the blank off the cards, fishing became more comfortable over the rest of the session and after introducing around 5kg of boilies, the bites came thick and fast,” said Matt.
“My trip ended with nine bites which resulted in four fish, including a 29lb 10oz mirror.”
Matt fished More Takes Promatein Liver and Liver White Tipper boilies on snowman rigs made with Nash Triggalink and size 5 Fang Twister hooks.

For more information about this re-opened venue visit:
www.cuttlemill.co.uk

47lb 2oz common carp’s annual arrival

This giant common carp known as the Colonel is making a habit of arriving at the same time of year with almost military precision.
Lee Walters caught the 47lb 2oz fish, along with two twenties, during a weekend session on Roman Lake at Stanwick Lakes Fishery in Northamptonshire.
The 56-year-old knew the fish was due a visit to the bank. He said: “For the last three years it has come out over the August bank holiday weekend. Two years ago I had it at 40lb from the same spot in the same swim on the bank holiday, but this time around it was a week later – the lads said they’d forgive it being a week overdue!”
Lee, who fished from Friday until Sunday, added: “I chose a swim in the middle of the lake with plenty of open water to go at. I baited lightly with 20 or 30 baits and small PVA bags over the top.
“I had a 27lb 8oz common on the Friday and a 27lb mirror on the Saturday before the common arrived on Sunday morning. It was a real one-toner, and from the way it just plodded I knew it was big. When I saw the width of it I knew which fish it was.”
The Northampton angler used double 18mm KCF hardened hookbaits from Xcel Baits mounted on longshank blowback rigs made with Fox hooks and Thinking Anglers Tungskin hooklinks.

'Back to basics' for giant 53lb 12oz mirror carp

A small cube of luncheon meat on a size 10 hook accounted for one of the largest day-ticket carp in the country.

Jay Mills made a conscious effort to go back to basics to tempt Dave from Bluebell Lakes at 53lb 12oz.

The Cheshire angler banked the giant mirror, alongside a 23lb 6oz mirror and a 30lb ghostie, at Swan Lake on the Northamptonshire complex.

He told Angling Times: “It was a dream come true. It was real back-to-basics stuff, which I love. I kept hearing Dave would come out on small hooks and small baits so I used size 10s and small cubes of luncheon meat.”

The 37-year-old, who is a regular at Bluebell and has had fish to 46lb from the complex before, arrived at the busy venue at night and headed for the less crowded far bank.

After Jay had been baiting with particles and crushed boilies for two days the fish homed in on day three.

“I could see they had moved in and I was getting liners so I was expecting something to happen, but I didn’t think I’d catch that fish,” said Jay.

“The fight was a typical big-fish fight and it did most of its scrapping under the rod tip. I actually didn’t realise which fish it was until Kev Hewitt, who was fishing next to me, came over and said ‘you’ve got Dave’.

“It was just sheer joy at that point.”

The fish came 10 yards to the right of Jay’s baited area and picked up the luncheon meat presented in a small PVA bag of freebies.

Kev Hewitt himself got in on the action at Swan Lake last week with a 38lb 8oz common and a 32lb mirror in a two-night trip.

New flavour boilie brings 44lb common carp

Despite the water’s tiny size, the fish in Strawberry Fields are tricky to tempt – as this elusive 44lb common carp demonstrates.
The fish, known as Cut Tail, had not been caught for more than a year before John Bartley tricked it on a prototype bait.
A two-night session at the intimate Kent water was the first time the East Sussex angler had used a new boilie from Nash Bait.
He said: “It’s something very different and I was keen to get out and try it out with low pressure and wind forecast.
“There was only one place I could think to test the new bait locally, and that was Strawberry Fields.
“This is known not to give up its fish easily. Over the years these carp have seen it all in terms of bait and rigs, but when I got there late on Monday I decided to bait up with half-a-kilo of boilies and a couple of handfuls of Carp Particles UK’s Ultimate Spod Mix along a marginal shelf.
“At about 9am the next day I had a single bleep and I could see the line pulling through the water. After a quick battle I had a common that I thought was a good thirty, but as I lifted the fish to the mat I knew it was bigger than I first thought.”

Eric's Willows Lake hits form

Fresh from producing a new Yorkshire record of 58lb 12oz, Eric’s Willows Lake has thrown up another of its big mirrors.
This 47lb 6oz carp, known as the Tin Opener, fell to Michael Wesgarth and eclipsed his personal best by 13lb.
Michael, who fished with a friend in the area around pegs one to five during a
two-night stay, said: “The area we fished was around a shallow bar which is located around the middle area of the lake.
“North East Baits’ Reaper pop-ups were fished to these marks and a good lashing of 20mm baits were sticked out over the area.
“The first night resulted in six bites between us, then the action slowed for the day. The same tactics were used for the second night and we were confident that the bait would bring more action.
“At 10.30pm the right-hand rod signalled a bite and after a brief but spirited battle
I was the proud captor of the Tin Opener at a weight of 47lb 6oz, smashing my previous pb by 13lb.
“I had a great time and I can’t wait to get back for more.”

Mirror carp 'Big Plated' hits bank at 47lb 3oz

One of the most coveted day-ticket carp in the country has been banked at 47lb 3oz.
Paul Westall slid his net under the mirror known as the Big Plated at St John’s Lake on the Linear Fisheries complex in Oxfordshire last week.
At the time of going to press, the 29-year-old from nearby Wantage was still fishing and, according to Linear general manager Chris Blunt, had caught a number of
other fish.
The Big Plated is the largest mirror in the 18-acre former gravel pit and was caught by Korda boss Danny Fairbrass during filming of his company’s Underwater DVD series

It’s all go at new venue Monument Two

A new day-ticket fishery opened with a bang last week.
The Monument Two in Shropshire welcomed paying anglers for the first time – with nearly 30 fish being banked in the opening 36 hours.
The pick of the bunch was this 38lb carp for Adam Deck, with Steve Johnson and Matt Wilshaw also getting among the thirties.
In test fishing, the lake produced fish to 43lb. It is believed the water now holds at least 50 thirties.
For more information visit www.rhfisheries.com or call 01952 463 141

First French carp is 87lb!

When Bruce Head set off for his maiden trip to France he had his sights set on a 20-pounder, but his first Gallic carp turned out to be one of the biggest in the world.
On his first day of fishing, the 34-year-old banked the Scar Fish – a huge mirror which once held the world record at 99lb. This time it was down in weight, but still pulled the scales round to 87lb.
“I went thinking ‘if I catch a twenty I’ll be happy’,” said Bruce. “I could only have dreamed of catching the legendary Scar Fish, but I did! Everyone I tell thinks it’s incredible – my first French fish is 87lb!”
The Norfolk angler arrived on Saturday, but after baiting a selection of spots he didn’t get his rods out until the following day. At 5pm on the Sunday, the giant mirror picked up one of his baits and Bruce jumped in a boat to do battle out in the lake.
“After about five minutes the fish came to the surface and it looked big, but I had no idea it was Scar.” After being pulled around in circles for 10 minutes, Bruce steadied the boat.
“The fish came up and looked ready to net, and as I’ve gone to slowly pull the fish towards the landing net I’ve seen the scar and the size of the fish. Just then it was off again!
“All I was thinking is that no-one is going to believe me that it was Scar if it comes off! After another 10 minutes of being pulled around she came up again, but this time I got the net under her – but with great difficulty!
“I couldn’t believe the size of it, it took up the whole net!”
Bruce, who had two forties later in the week, tempted the Scar on a corked-out 18mm Mainline Cell boilie tied to a size 6 wide-gape hook on a blowback rig.

Two 20s and a 40lb carp – all on floaters

Floaterfishing sessions don’t get much better than the one Rich Seeds experienced at Farriers in Gloucestershire.
The 31-year-old banked two twenties to 27lb and this 41lb 6oz common carp.
The Hampshire fishery manager said: “It was a great day’s floater fishing, with this new surface personal best. This was the first bite of the session, which was unbelievable!”
Rich spodded floaters and presented a 12mm Sticky Krill pop-up on a size 10 Korda Mixa hook tied to a 4ft length of Korda Kruiser control.

Fifth 50lb carp this year... from the same venue!

It’s highly unlikely that any other carp angler in the country can rival the 2015 that Kris Ollington is having.
Staggeringly, this 52lb common is the fifth 50lb-plus fish he has caught from Berkshire’s Wellington Country Park this summer.
The fish, known as the Big Common, came along with a 36lb 10oz mirror in a 15-minute spell at the end of a gruelling four-night session in which the 33-year-old fished five different swims.
“It’s been a once-in-a-lifetime summer, it’s something that is never, ever going to happen again,” he said.
“I started in a swim called Brambles for two nights and ended up fishing five swims in four nights, chasing the fish around the lake. I ended up in a swim called Hole in the Bush and had two in 15 minutes!
“The fish were showing close to an island at about 140yds, which is just out of my range, so I was fishing at about 125yds with single hookbaits. I had the 36, which is known as the Pretty Sutton and is one of the prettiest fish in the lake, then literally as I was putting it back I had the other bite.
“Both fish put up great fights, keeping me on a long line for a long time.”
Kris fished with Mainline Activ-8 boilies on blowback rigs made with Gardner Ultra Skin and Korda Kaptor Kurv hooks.