Ben revealed:

“I couldn’t wait to get started on the water, it holds some really cool and old carp which are very distinctive too. With the way of the world and how things have been for everyone over the past year, I really wanted to concentrate on my angling this spring, and so I took the opportunity early on to book some time off work. Not only to wet a line but to give myself the best chance of a good start on the syndicate. I did my homework on the place, read the odd article which I knew had been published in recent years, not only to try get a feel for the place, but to lock eyes on some of the fish I’d be targeting too.

“Having booked a full week off work around my 40^th birthday, I couldn’t wait to build on my early successes from the few trips I’d managed a few weeks previous. Fishing the same spots I concentrated on before, I could only hope that it would be a matter of time before one of the better fish made their way over the bait. My mix was made up of a variety of different items, mainly smaller baits to keep the birds at bay. Manilla Active formed the base (both crushed and whole) as well as both the 2.3mm Manilla and Bloodworm pellets, along with a few chopped tigers for good measure. A very visual mix, but with plenty going off!

“After spending the weekend on the pit with the other half for my birthday, I drove back home to drop her off, but instantly got myself back down to resume the hunt, and slotted back into the swim which had been so kind to me. The weather change was biblical, a strong south-westerly picked up overnight, along with a huge pressure drop. It really was big carp weather, straight out of the textbook! The Monday brought me a double take, something which no angler is ever prepared for! I managed to land both, two classic looking chocolatey-brown mirrors in the afternoon sun.

“The following evening/morning was going to be one to remember. Bite time had been on first light, and this particular morning didn’t disappoint once again. The take was as savage as ever, but the battle was won early doors as the carp kited away from the snags further out, and once I knew it was away from any potential danger, the fight was pretty straight forward. Everything held as it should, and with one swoop of the net, I could see it was a decent fish.

“Straight away, I sent a video to Tom, and he was on the road instantly to come do the honours with the camera. The carp looked incredible, and big too! The scales settled on 36lb 8oz; the icing on the cake in what had become a dream start to the week. With a few more days left, you never know what could happen next!”