Mega Mirror Ends Terry's Campaign

Pubblicato Carpa Novit at Nov 16, 2011

Carp angling superstar Terry Hearn has achieved the impossible by landing his 7^th UK 50lb plus carp!

Terry had been targeting the fish for more than a year and had landed every other known occupant before the big one slipped up. Even though the weight was irrelevant to the Dynamite angler, it still managed to top the magical mark at 51lb 4oz.

Below, Terry takes us through the capture of this magnificent beast:

“I don't really know what to say about the big one. I've been fishing the lake on and off since spring 2010, and the big mirror came as my 52nd capture. The pit contains less than thirty carp, so obviously I had a few repeat captures, I had to really work at it to catch the one I wanted most!

In fact, I’m very familiar with the stock of the lake and the big'un was actually the last of the known residents for me to catch - it was certainly a tricky one to fool!

I'd been close to it several times over the past eighteen months, but one way or another it would always manage to evade capture. Either it would prove to clever for my rigs, or one of its mates would nip in at the last minute and get caught instead. It's possible that I lost it last April as well, after a line breakage, but that's a long story.

Anyway, in the finish it came on my faithful Hinged Stiff Link, using a size 6 prototype ACE hook, with a home rolled 15mm Red Fish cork ball pop-up as the bait. The take came in the very early hours of the morning and I had a fair idea what fish it was as soon as I picked up the rod...

I'd already caught all the others and this one felt completely different, very weighty and I could feel my line pinging off of its fins – it was obviously a long fish. It kited left away from where I hooked it at around sixty yards range, and once I got it in close it made the sanctuary of a snaggy corner where I could feel the mainline rubbing against some branches. With steady pressure it came free, and from there I managed to keep it coming until eventually it was rolling around beneath the tip.

It was pitch black, but by this stage I was almost certain what it was. Even so, it wasn't until I got it in the net and flicked on my torch that I knew for sure. I can't tell you how much of a relief it was to finally catch it!

I've enjoyed my time on the pit, but the noise from the nearby M3 is enough to drive you mad, and after catching everything else I'd pretty much had enough of fishing the place anyway. I certainly wasn't looking forward to going back for yet another go next spring. Instead I can now have a nice fresh challenge somewhere else.

For now though it's time to do a bit of perch fishing I think!”