After catching one of the season's biggest barbel last year, Ian Green has landed another monster from the glorious River Trent. Much like that barbel session, this one nearly didn't happen either, but a last minute decision saw Ian setting up in one of his favourite swims, and his efforts were rewarded in fine style with a superb 30lb common.
"The conditions weren't particularly favourable, with warm weather, bright skies, and low water levels, everything seemed to be against catching, but, unperturbed, I managed to motivate myself to get down to the river," Ian told us.
"I set up with my go-to Redemption boilies from 3FT Specialist Baits Redemption, as they have caught me so many big fish. The bait was placed in my chosen spot, but unfortunately, it didn’t take long for the bream to find it," he added.
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After quickly banking three bream around the 5lb mark, everything fell quiet in the swim, with no liners or signs of fish activity. While this might worry some anglers, thinking the fish have moved on, Ian actually prefers this, believing that too much activity from fish like bream being hooked can disturb other species in the river, reducing your chances of catching them.
"A few hours had passed when, out of nowhere, my right-hand rod gave a few beeps, then a really slow take followed," Ian recalled.
"It was very similar to how the bream had been taking, so when I lifted into it, I fully expected to be reeling in yet another one. However, this felt a lot heavier, which was a real surprise."
"The battle was more reminiscent of a carp than a bream. I carefully slipped the net under what, at first glance, seemed to be a decent common. After a rest for both of us, I lifted the net and was lost for words at how heavy it was."
"I secured her safely in the net while I got the scales and camera ready. Once everything was set, I lifted her again and placed her on the mat to weigh her."
"After seeing that she’d just broken the 30lb mark, I was over the moon with a new PB, a 30lb common carp from the Trent."
"I've been very lucky, within just a few months I've had a 20lb barbel and now a 30lb carp from the river. I'm not sure what I'm going to target next, but let’s hope my luck continues," he concluded.
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