Carp PB Blitzed Down Linear

A recent family fishing trip to Smiths Lake at Oxford's Linear Fisheries in search of tench turned into a right carp fest. For the first 36 hours we caught the odd Tinca but not like my previous sessions down there - it seemed like the tench had switched off. Fishing my usual bolt rig maggot feeder and worm kebabs, I caught fish to 8lb 6oz and half a dozen smaller fish in the 5 to 6lb range, but it was the predominant carp that took centre stage for most of the trip. I was fishing over a bed of Hinders Mini Combo Pellets and Blitz Multi Mix ground bait and recasting every 30 minutes.

After 2 days the wind finally swung round and started blowing into the bay I was fishing. Instead of the predicted tench getting their heads down, it was the carp! The first one landed weighed a respectable 28lb and turned out to be a lovely looking mirror. The girls were buzzing to see a big carp, so I got to work rebaiting the swim and got the rods back out on the same spot. It wasn't long before the bait runner went into meltdown and I was playing another zoo creature. I was using the new Drennan Specialist Tench and Bream rods with 12lb XT mainline, which might sound a tad heavy for tench fishing, but when they grow into double figures and there are 50lb carp present, you've got to beef up your gear to suit. After a hell of a scrap, a 29lb fully scaled mirror was lying in the landing net. What a fish, and one of the finest looking carp I've caught.

I decided to change over to an ESP XL Method Feeder on one of the rods with a Betalin & Plum dumbbell wafter. I'd found a lovely looking spot close to the far bank margin in about 6ft of water. The wind was really pushing down into that area, so I sent Amy across to bait up from the far side. 



A couple of balls of ground bait and micros plus a handful of corn went in directly after the method hit the water and the trap was set. Again, it was the carp that responded first and another 29 pounder was the reward!

The following morning the action started again at around 10am, which resulted in another 4 upper 20s, then it went dead. I decided to bait up heavily and rest the swim for an hour as it was my last full day.

A quick shower and a browse in Linear's fantastic tackle shop and I was soon back in the swim with all three rods in position. It didn't take long before the liners started and the left-hand rod screamed off. For a short while I was convinced it was a catfish from the off because I could not stop the damn thing. The fight was on a different level to the ones previous, but eventually I gained the upper hand and netted a huge carp that turned out to be a new personal best for the species at 36lb 6oz!

After the pics were sorted, I let Amy and my 13 year old daughter Harper take the next couple of fish, so they didn't miss out on the fun. A 22 pounder for Amy and a scraper 30 for Harper finished off an amazing afternoon.

Our final tally consisted of 10 carp over 20lb including a brace of 30s, and 7 tench to 8lb 6oz. The perfect family fishing trip I'd say. 🎣