The Big Common
West Midlands based Tom Fellows has been in touch with news of a nice haul of fish from a local park lake over the Christmas break, including the lakes big common…
‘With such mild weather and a busy schedule at work the Christmas break was long due. I was itching to get the rods out so a couple of nights over new year was the plan for myself and Glenn on a local lake.
I decided on an area that covered the middle of the lake, a nice 12 feet deep silty area at 50 yards range. A mixture of 10mm mc nut boilies, 14mm bonoffee boilies and sweetcorn. Six spombs over each rod and a little 12mm Linch Special pop up as hook bait.
The ‘Fully’ 22lb
A couple of hours into dark my right hand rod was away ! What a relief… as Glenn had already caught 3 of the lakes smaller carp before dark, the biggest going just over 16 ! This fish gave a good account for itself and once in the net Glenn confirmed it was the fully at just over 22lb. I was well happy !
The next morning I woke to the same rod tearing off, this time a nice little character. Later that day Glenn managed 2 more with a nice old original being the biggest at just over 20lb.
Then again just like the previous night, a couple of hours into dark my right hand rod was away again ! Instantly I could feel the weight behind this fish as it stripped 30 yards of line off me then hugged the bottom most of the way in after a good battle and a few tense moments the fish was in the net… “big common” we both shouted. On the scales she went 28.06, by no means a monster fish by today’s standards but an old warrior common at a new lake record!’
All fish caught on hinge stiff links tied with 25lb ESP bristle filament to size 4 ESP Big T’s on the ESP silty leadcore fished helicopter style.