Scarface – 45lb 7oz
Our Belgian correspondent Wesley Mast had a lovely brace recently from a local venue- and they epitomise gnarly old Belgian carp. Well done Wes!
As the lakes i’m fishing are getting busier by the day and more anglers find their way to the pits I was in need of some stealth so I prebaited some spots for several weeks during the dark hours.
Keeping a low profile would be key if i wanted to catch some carp. So after ‘saying this and done that’ I arrived at the “New Gap”swim after work on a Friday, unloaded the barrow but kept an eye on the lake the whole time and whilst doing this I saw a few subtle shows on top of the prebaited spots!
Most people would flick a rod out and in most circumstances I would do the same, but not this time. I just gave them some whole and chopped 16 & 20mm boillies, hoping that they would stay on the munch and in the area…
After basecamp was up I armed my Hearn’s with an ESP adjustable leadclip system and the ever reliable multirig, made from 20lb Two-Tone, the prototype size 5 Stiff Rigger and a bit of ESP tungsten putty for a critically balanced pop-up presentation.
When I was almost ready two mates arrived at the swim and we had a little social. Equally important if you ask me, as there is so much more in carp fishing than catching (big) fish. Nonetheless,..they said I was out of my mind because I only baited up and hadn’t flicked my rods out yet. Especially when I told them about the shows, but I was determined I would cast out when me comrades left so I could give them a little bit more time to feed.
Time passed quickly and as soon my friends were gone I flicked one rod to the gap between 2 pits and landed with a firm ‘donk’ on the bottom.
By the time I got to my other rod, the first one melted off!
After an epic battle I netted my first carp of the trip and when I looked at it on the bottom of my landingnet I saw one of the originals, a fish called ‘Scarface’. A warrior older than me and one that seen it all.
It weighed 45lb 7oz. As you could imagine I was on cloud 9! I carefully sacked the crusty old warlock and minutes later that same rod landed again bang on the spot. When the 2nd rod was out to a hard spot in open water it was time to put the kettle on for a proper brew and a kip was soon to follow…
The Cut Tail Common
At 3am I got a few bleeps through the reciever, followed by a one toner. That same rod was off again! I jumped out of the sleeping bag and for the second time I was into a mental scrap. It felt pretty heavy all the way to the landingnet so I was pretty sure it was another good’un.
This time the “Cut Tail Common” graced my net. It went 33lb4oz. Happy days!