Two 30lb Commons in Two Hours

I arrived at a tricky deep club lake on the Cotswolds Water Park for a 48-hour session. I had a good look around, watching for carp giving themselves away, and it didn't take long for a good fish to stick its head out around 40 yards out.

I grabbed the rods and set up quickly, fishing solid bags on both rods loaded with Hinders Mini Combo Mix and 12mm pink Betalin & Almond Wafter hookbaits, with slow-melt bags to combat the 12–13 foot depth. I was running 3oz drop-off inline leads and size 4 Krank hooks.

Through the night I caught bream and tench steadily, along with two stockies to 19lb. Then, around 9am, I had an incredibly violent take. After a spirited ten-minute battle that gave me the run-around, I finally slipped the net under the first big Common. I unhooked the fish in the net so I could get the rod straight back out before sorting it properly. It went 35lb 2oz. Big thank you to Lee for being on photo duties.

Two hours later the same rod was away again, this time with what I thought was an even bigger fish. I just couldn't stop it on the take; it stayed deep, hugging the bottom. Ten minutes later it was sulking in the net. I repeated the process, unhooking it in the net and getting the rod straight back out before sorting the fish, and it went 31lb. Two-tone on one side, it was my second 30lb Common within two hours.
Happy days!

The following week I managed to get a 24-hour session on the same lake. After catching four the week before, including those two 30lb+ Commons, I was pleasantly surprised to find the same swim free and wasted no time wrapping the rods up to just over 40 yards. I stuck with the ever-faithful setup: Mini Combo Mix, 12mm Betalin & Almond Wafters, 3oz inline leads and size 4 Krank hooks.

It was a repeat of the previous trip, catching bream, tench and a stockie around 16lb through the night. At 8:30 the next morning the right-hand rod was away again, the Delkim struggling to keep up with the speed of the take. It must be the deep water, because these fish fight so hard!

This one kited off to the right and got snagged on what I thought was one of the aerators. But when I moved down to the next swim, I could see the line was past the aerator and stuck solid. (I later found out it was a big log on the bottom!) I returned to my swim and gave the fish some slack line, hoping it was still on. A couple of minutes later it moved off, and after a tense five minutes of steady pressure, not knowing how badly the line was damaged, a decent mirror rolled over the net cord.

The rod went straight back out with another solid bag after I'd unhooked the fish in the net, and yet again Lee was in the next swim for camera duties. Big thank you again. The mirror went 33lb and I was buzzing!

Just as I was packing things away to head home, the right-hand rod was away one last time. An upper-twenty Common that didn't have a mark on it. Such a clean fish!

Happy days again!

Andy