Carp-flukes and twenties

Carp are a species that I enjoy catching but rarely fish for. If I do catch them then they are either a fluke when I am fishing for other species or I catch them by design off the surface. In fact my pb mirror was caught on worm while Tench fishing and my pb Common took a dog biscuit off the top. 

When I started fishing again in 2005 I fell into the trap that a lot of anglers do and concentrated on Carp, they are a big fish and relatively easy to catch (doubles!). My mates and I used to go to a small pond just outside of Evesham and rig up with boilies and buzzers. We caught several double figure fish a session. It was good fun and for inexperienced fishermen we thought we were doing well. Thankfully I like variety and we moved on. Do not mistake me I like catching Carp but life and time are too short to just concentrate on them alone.

Not far from home there are three pools which come under the collective name of Willow Farm. The top pool is stunning, very intimate and has some nice weedbed features. The Carp here love dog biscuits and there I learnt to stalk the fish off the top using the weed as cover and I raised my pb to 19lb 4oz with this immaculate common in 2005.

19lb 4oz

In August 2006 I landed my first 'twenty' this time on hair rigged luncheon meat.

28th August 2006 21lb 4oz

In 2007 I discovered Stubb's pool, a Birmingham anglers association water that had some stunning Carp with lots of variety. Sadly in July 2007 it was affected by the floods that hit the whole area. When the waters receded I had a wander down there and the bank was littered with carcasses rotting and covered in flies. It was a depressing(and smelly) sight and the water had gone from a clear natural blue to a coffee like brown. Thankfully the silt has now settled and although there are some fish that survived I am sure that as many that have died have also escaped into the river. I still fish it occasionally as it is local and handy for a quick summer evening session.

18th May 2007   20lb 12oz Stubbs Pool on Pineapple boilie

I then started fishing Linear for their big Carp stocks and it took quite a while until I finally captured one of their Mirrors. Ironically it was taken on worm while Tench fishing but I was still pleased to finally break my duck on Hardwick, my favourite pool on the complex.

I next broke my Carp pb again on Stubb's pool. It was not an overnight session as this picture probably suggests but I actually hooked this fish in daylight, well dusk but it put up such a battle it was dark by the time my brother managed to net it. No wonder it fought, look at the paddle and the muscular build. If it fed excusively on pellet and boilie it would be a definite thirty but not half as stunning. It actually took a dog biscuit and although I could not see the take I heard a splash and struck on instinct.

22lb 4oz 2nd June 2010-Click here for write up

Thick set or what?

In 2011 I broke through the next barrier in Carp fishing by landing a 'thirty'. I could claim that it was a special rig, chod, blowback whatever but it wasn't. I was Tench fishing again, my favourite spring pastime, and I fluked this beauty. The fact that it picked up my hookbait was lucky but it took a great deal of skill to play it to the bank on an 8lb mono hooklink and a size 12 hook so I will take some plaudits for it's capture! 

32lb 8oz-Click here for write up

2014

Still catching Carp but more as a by product of targeting other species:

But who cares when they are beauties like this 24lb 12 oz fish!!

Actually caught by design, chum mixer off the surface, the best way to Carp fish in my opinion!

20lb 9oz

21lb 9oz

23lb 2oz