For many carp anglers, catching fish of a different species is usually the last thing they want to be bothered with. However, every now and again, specimen fish fall to carp fishing tactics, and the anglers are more than happy to see something else resting in their nets.
Paul Fairfield had booked a 36-hour session on Wetlands Lake in Retford with the intention of targeting its prolific stock of carp. While his first day got off to a great start with plenty of bites, it was unfortunately the lake’s bream that had taken a liking to his hookbaits, and it wasn’t until darkness fell that he finally got amongst the carp.
"I was fishing in Peg 8 for the duration of my stay, but it appeared I had found all the lakes bream as I couldn't get through them to begin with," Paul told us.
"The first 24 hours were pretty hectic, as I began to catch carp in amongst the bream, which made the session far more successful than it was looking to begin with," he added.
Despite being tired, Paul fished on with full enthusiasm, determined to make the most of the remaining time on the bank. With 12 hours of his session left, he replaced the rods with fresh hookbaits, and within 30 minutes he had another bite that almost pulled his rod pod into the lake.
"I ran to the rod and struck into what I thought was another of the resident carp, that was until a giant eel threw itself out of the water. I couldn’t believe what I had hooked," Paul explained.
"After an unusual but spirited fight, I managed to bundle the eel into the net! It was a struggle as it was longer than my 50-inch net."
"I couldn't believe the size of it, rather than put it into the sling I placed it into a large carrier bag to weigh it more accurately, and at 9lb 8oz it was even larger than I thought it was."
"It is the fish of a lifetime and made the session even more memorable, even if it wasn't the carp I was hoping to catch," he said.
IF YOU FISH LONGER SESSIONS FOR CARP, THE BEST FISHING BEDCHAIRS WILL KEEP YOU COMFORTABLE.
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