Kenneth said:

“The weekend arrived, and I planned a social with my good friend Arjan Braad, a session which we’d had on the cards for a while but had to cancel numerous times due to various reasons. In honesty the session wasn’t filled huge expectations, it was more for a good catch up with plenty of cake (but only if we did catch!)

“The session started with a few bites, but only from the resident bream but as usual, it doesn’t take long for the carp to tune into the disturbance and right on cue after a few bream bites, we got the take we wanted. I’d baited with a mixture of crushed and whole Manilla boilies as well as a good helping of hemp which is probably why the bream moved in quite quick with the smaller items in the mix, but by using larger baits too there’s always something left for the carp.

“The fight was heavy from the start, peeling line off the spool as I looked to try take control, but I eventually gained the upper hand, and I was soon staring into the folds of the net at what looked like a huge common. Arjan and I got it transferred into the sling and grabbed the scales. The dials read 23.2kg (51lb 15oz) and I was over the moon! After the capture of the Black Mirror earlier in the year, I didn’t expect to also break my personal best common this year too, especially on such a short session! It’s safe to say the cake tasted very, very good after we’d slipped the magnificent beast back into the water!

“Arjan did a great job with the photos, and it’s yet another memorable capture using Sticky’s bait. I think a lot of anglers believe that you need long sessions to ensure you catch these fish, but if you make the effort and really channel your focus into the location and provide them with a bait which you have utmost confidence in, you really are onto a winner.”