Details

Ben : " After fishing 3 swims in 3 nights I finally managed my bite at 11am resulting in a 24lb common. With the pictures taken and the fish slipped back the rod was back on the spot and another kilo and a half of crushed Red Monster Squid boilie and particle was spodded out onto the spot. Within 20 minutes the rod was away again and this time I could feel this fish was far bigger. After a long nervous fight that saw me wading down the margin to the next swim and having to be patient with moving the fish from a large weed bed, the fish finally slid over the net cord and I don't know if I was more relieved or exhausted. I got back to the bank and let the fish rest while I sorted out the scales, fish care and camera gear. Jack and myself hoisted the fish up and letting him read the scales I was over the moon when it was a new PB by a couple ounces. Jack did a great job with the camera and with the fish back he shook my hand and left me to sort my gear out and get the rod back in the lake and fishing.

That afternoon I was on cloud 9 and with the weather improving I was sat behind my rods with a bottle of cider, listening to the football and flicking through the pictures when that same rod burst into life and after a long fight from a heavy plodding fish I managed to get the net under it. Looking down on the fish I was gob smacked when it looked like another good mid 30. I rang Pete to see if he could come and help with the weighing and photo's. He was soon around and came bounding into the swim asking what I had caught. As I lifted the fish out of the water and made my way up the bank he said something which I won't repeat but I knew before he said it that it was of a good size. We hoisted her up on the scales and when he said it was 38lb 08oz, I was in shock as to have had 2 PB's not only in the same afternoon but in only my 3rd trip to the lake.

The pictures came out great and after a bit of treatment with the Nash Medi carp to its badly damaged tail that was an old unhealed wound I slipped her back and Pete was off to get his rods back out for the night. The following morning I was woken with my final bite of the session and that was a 26lb 10oz common and that was the icing on the cake to a great session.

Terminal tackle used to land the fish were 3oz leads, Diffusion camo tubing and lead clips, 10 inches of 20lb missing link, size 6 Fang X hooks, Hook swivels and 2mm hook beads. The hook bait was a 14mm Monster Squid Wafter.