When most anglers go carp fishing, one or two bites are usually the norm, with blank sessions happening more often than anyone would like to admit. Every now and then, we’re treated to a red-letter session where everything falls into place and the carp are more than willing to have their picture taken. What constitutes a prolific session may vary, but I think most would agree that Shane Beard's epic haul of 46 carp in a single 36 hour session is quite the feat of angling.
Shane was fishing on a lake that will be familiar to many, Brasenose Two on the Linear Fisheries complex. While this lake was once known for its prolific fishing, it has become much more challenging in recent years as the fish have become increasingly pressured. Nevertheless, Shane found the right tactics to put together a hit of fish many would envy, also landing two 40-pounders up to 46lb in a session he’ll never forget.
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"I had planned a session down at Linear with my little boy, and despite getting on the road earlier than expected, my van broke down on the way. Undeterred, we were still determined to get to the lake for a much-needed session together," Shane explained to us.
"We arrived later than I’d planned, but the excitement was still high. Knowing that decent swims would be hard to come by, I set off down the path, and to my amazement, I quickly spotted two fish roll in a vacant swim," he added.
That was all the encouragement Shane needed and he quickly got back to the van, loaded their gear onto the barrow, and made his way to the swim as fast as he could. After unloading the gear, he wasted no time getting the rods out to make the most of the feeding fish he had found in the area. A few well-placed casts were made onto a silty spot near where the fish had rolled, before he introduced a mix of Hinders Blitz Multi Mix, along with crushed and whole Blitz boilies over the top.
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"I opted to use my ever-faithful Longshank Fluorocarbon rigs with Hinders Blitz pop-ups, matched with Trident Special LEDs leads," he said.
"Within 10 minutes of getting the bait out, I couldn't believe it when thealarm burst into life with the first take of the session. Before nightfall, I’d had nine takes in total, topped by a 41lb mirror," he added.
Expecting the action to continue into the night, Shane kept applying bait into the swim, but as darkness fell over the lake, the activity slowed down. This was a blessing in disguise as it gave Shane and his son time to rest after the eventful journey to the lake and the incredible start they had experienced to the session.
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"At first light, I was woken by an awesome 28lb scaly mirror, and from there, the action didn’t stop. I kept topping up the swim with bait, and the bites just kept coming."
"As the afternoon rolled on, I had another bite. This fish gave me a hectic battle, dragging me through several weedbeds and refusing to let me gain any line."
"I finally managed to slip the fish over the net cord, and when I peered into the mesh, I knew it was a special one. The scales confirmed it as the biggest fish of the trip, a cracking mirror weighing 46lb."
"From there, the action continued steadily, with bites coming consistently through the rest of the evening and into the night."
"It was an amazing session, and sharing the experience with my son made it all the more memorable. I can’t wait to get the rods out again soon," Shane concluded.
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