Well, as I sit and write this at home we are going through a very hot spell with high pressure and ‘Non carpy’ conditions, but do you know what? I love it!

For whatever reason, in these conditions I always seem to manage to pull off a result of some sort and whilst a 22lb common is far from my biggest carp, the circumstances surrounding it make it a good capture to me personally and that is what it’s all about!

I’d started the season well, landing the second biggest common in the lake at 35 lb 15 oz on the first day of the season followed by an upper double common the following day. The following week was a blank, however this week the Carp Gods were on my side again and the Chilli Chocolate produced a result.

The Chilli Chocolate seems to be very attractive to common carp, commons are cunning whatsits at the best of times so having a bait that they will eat means you’ve got a good chance with anything in the pond!

I spent 36 hours sitting in blistering heat, surrounded by other guys all surface fishing and whipping the water to a foam. I was in a lovely quiet corner with a nice chunk of water to myself and a load of carp, all on the top avoiding the ‘Fluff Chuckers’ like the plague. The reason I didn’t join the others was quite simply because I had so many fish on me including the biggest carp in the lake, right over my baits, albeit nine feet too high!  The Big Girl hasn’t been out for a long time and was I’d guess in the region of 46-47lb. I wasn’t going to risk spooking this fish, when I had the ideal trap underneath it! 2 Kilos of 10mm Chilli Chocolate shelf lifes with two pop ups on razor sharp hooks. So I waited and I waited and in fact didn’t recast  at all for the next 20 hours. I was confident that the rigs were spot on and the pop ups would stay popped up for long enough, they’d been heavily glugged for a while now, so all was ok. There had been 9 to 10 anglers on all week with no takes off of the bottom at all. All or nothing!

I had to be packed up and away by 6am for work, I had another angler waiting behind me to get in the swim and motionless bobbins, I couldn’t believe I hadn’t had a take, albeit conditions were pretty grim and nothing had happened for anybody else. I’d packed all the gear away, all except the rods which were on the ground, yep you’ve guessed it, the tip of the right hand rod bent round and the spool went into oblivion. Now I’ve caught quite a few Carp in my 20 odd years of trying but none with the rods on the deck at the last minute and none that have fought like this!! This Crazy Common took about 70 yards of line and tore from one side of the lake, across me and into the margin to my left, it beat me up!! Check out the tail on it. The weight was immaterial, it was a stunning English Warrior that fought like a demon, came in difficult conditions after a 20 hour gamble. I was well pleased and late for work! I’m back again tomorrow night, ready for more. No matter what the conditions, angle well with a few Chilly Chocs and you just never know…..

Spence

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