Dutch angler Hans Moolenaar followed up his successful trip to Italy back in November with a sortee just across the border into Germany and had a brilliant result, well done Hans!
‘Following on from the ‘Italian Job’ in November, with the weather still mild in mid-December I just knew I was going to get myself a carp. Hopefully a decent carp. Being all alone at the water is one of the big advantages when angling in winter, and now I had the whole lake for myself.
Therefore I could fish three different zones, and create at least three changes. The ready tied ESP Chod Rig (size 5) had to do the job, this time an German Job. In Italy I experienced the deadly efficiency of that hook and rig, in combination with an hinged boom made of ESP Twotone. All balanced with a large piece of ESP Tungsten putty.
The reason for choosing the chod rig was not only for the hooking characteristics, but surely also for the holding part. In Italy no fish came off, despite the Big Game fights from the dinghey. In Germany the carp were not that big, but just the same power, with a chance of losing the fish, so I needed as much a good hookhold as possible.
To keep it short, I caught 7 carp in the session, 6 of them during the daytime, not at all bad. Each catch a little bit heavier, starting with an 24,5 lbs mirror, and ending with one of the biggest ladies in the lake of 38,3 lbs.
Interesting to know that two of the four mirrors are at 40 years old and originated from Holland, from a Dutch castle near to the border that had to empty it’s castle channel and remove it’s fish.