BERNERS HALL FORTY
6th December 2021
Lauren Stanford bags her first UK forty amongst a host of others during another prolific session at Berners Hall Fishery.
No matter where you live, or fish, a 40lb carp is a huge achievement, and it’s a dream few anglers get to live out. You might think they are commonplace in the modern carp scene but a Lauren Stanford found out they are far from common, so when one does eventually come along, the feeling of success is massive!
As with any boilie in the Sticky range, the strength of Manilla comes from more than one ingredient. The rest of the bait is made up of refined milk proteins and birdfoods all of which have a great track record.
Lauren recalls the session that lead to her new personal best:
“I arrived at the lake around mid-morning straight after a lake exclusive was due off, so I had a good choice of swims available. After walking round and not seeing any fish show, I opted for a swim that had a large amount of water, where I hoped the fish would hold up in the late autumn.
“Without seeing any fish show, I didn’t want to pile in the bait in case I saw them elsewhere, so single solid bags were dotted about to begin with. A few hours with no indication later, I saw a fish show further up the lake. I kept my eyes glued on that area of water and saw a couple more show themselves, I knew a move was on the cards. Before totally committing to the area, I wandered up with one rod and a solid bag, I walked up into the swim and casted it on top of a show. I didn’t think it’d go as quickly as it did, as I was placing the rod on the alarm it tore off, with the first fish of 33lb.
“As the light started to fade, I moved my gear into the new swim and cast three solid bags to the area they were showing, which produced three fish during the first afternoon. With no bites throughout the night, I got up early the next morning to see if they had moved off, but luckily, they were still there. I re-did the solid bags ready for the afternoon bite time and waited patiently. A fish boshing on top of my solid bag signified their arrival and sure enough that afternoon, I landed three more fish.
“The action slowed down the next day, with no fish showing and no bites forthcoming, I knew I had to change my approach that evening. I had a feeling the fish were still in the vicinity, so I put 18 Spombs of 12mm Manilla boilies and maggots out with two solid bags over the top, with the third still roaming about.
“At first light I was awoken by a screaming take which signified the start of a manic period, I had eight more bites that day all on the baited spot. With the last evening approaching I moved the single solid bag onto the spot hoping this would give me one last chance, and I wasn’t wrong! Within an hour of putting it out, I leant into a carp which I knew was a lot bigger than the rest, it slowly plodded along towards me, when it went over the net cord I knew it was a forty and I couldn’t have been happier.”
