Thomas revealed:

“I arrived at the Old Mill complex having booked on Birch Lake for a week. During the weeks running up to the session, I had an idea of which part of the lake I wanted to target. This was all focused on the previous capture of the Big Common from last year. Upon my arrival the area, which is often quiet had a chap in, and he’d that morning landed a fish known as Black Spot; that same fish came from the same area of the lake only days before the big common last May. As you can imagine, my ears pricked up and I hoped to get in the peg behind him as I knew a full moon was coming and the weather was perfect for it!

“For the first night I got in a peg that had lots of showing fish, but nothing came to take the bait! Waking up in the morning with no luck, I got up and saw the wind had changed and was blowing straight into the peg I first wanted, which was now free! 

“I quickly packed down and got myself in the area. The rods went out in the low-lying weed on the edge of the main weed bed. Each one fished on a Ronnie rig with a 16mm Peach & Pepper pop-up in the zone where the fish were showing. I sat ack and relaxed into the night. 

“The Tuesday mornings’ sun broke, and I opened my eyes to yet another quiet night in regard to a take, but the fish were active, with a real big one showing itself all night breaking my sleep. As the day passed, I looked nonstop in and around the weed bed to see where the fish were patrolling. Before dark, I reset the traps and felt so confident, I told quite a few lads why I wanted to be in that peg, and I felt like I was going to catch the big common. Sure enough, the same as the previous night the big fish started showing again at midnight; would I be getting some luck come the morning? 

“In contrast to the previous two mornings, I didn’t wake with disappointment, I was abruptly woken at 5.15am to a one toner! I lifted into the fish and began to pull it back through the weed. As the fish slowly drifted towards me, the head of a common broke the surface, it looked a good fish, but I didn’t get chance to see its body before it flat rodded me and zipped back off. I gained some line back and got it close in and this time it came to the surface side on, and I could not believe my eyes; it was the Big Common! I kept my cool and after a few surges, I won the battle and got my net under her. 

“I stood in total shock for a moment, before getting a picture of the big ‘un to triple check it was her (even though I knew it was), I couldn’t believe my luck, it was the best feeling ever to date in all my years carp fishing! 

“I ran round to my mate, woke him up and said: ‘I’ve got the big common!’ We both welled up and jumped for joy full of emotions, a true euphoric moment! A couple more lads came to help weigh her and they all agreed as the scales settled on a huge weight of 60lb 12oz, a Lincolnshire giant. We then got the pictures done and a few buckets were thrown for my new PB, we popped a bottle of Moet and toasted the lake as a memento of the occasion I wrote the weight and date on the cork. It was the trip of a lifetime and one I will never forget!”