Linear Fisheries in Oxford is one of the busiest and well known carp venues in the country. Over the years it has seen underwater cameras, hosted the biggest names in carp fishing and contained some of the most sought after carp in the country.
Recently, they unveiled a new complex as part of the fishery, Tar Farm, and despite being relatively young, it hasn't taken long for the carp to catch up to their counterparts on the main complex.
Despite blanking on a previous session to the venue, angler Darren Pollard returned in great style, managing to break the complex record when he landed this stunning 51lb 13oz mirror during a session on lake 8. It is a fish we have reported on before, that has shown incredible growth rates and shows no signs of slowing down.
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"I started fishing at about 19:30 on Friday night, but had nothing to show for it, so I made sure to get up early on the Saturday morning. That’s when I decided to switch all three rods over to solid PVA bags," Darren told us.
"I tried three different colors of DNA wafters: a yellow PB, a white Bug, and a pink Bug. In each bag, I squirted some of the Bug Smoke liquid along with the Crayfish Mini-Mix Pellet to enhance the attraction. This is an approach I have every confidence in, and these baits have been catching me a lot of fish lately," he added.
"After getting my third rod into the lake, the middle rod, which could only have been out for about five minutes, it burst into life, and I watched line being stripped off the reel."
Darren immediately knew it was a good fish as he picked up the rod. As big carp often do, it powered off in slow, steady runs, using its weight to hug the bottom of the lake, trying to find weedbeds for sanctuary. After carefully playing it back to the bank, Darren was left trembling when the huge fish surfaced a few rod lengths out.
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"When I saw it, I knew it was going to obliterate my PB. That’s when the fear took hold, as I was desperate not to lose it. Thankfully, a few minutes later, I netted it, and when I pulled back the mesh, the biggest fish I’ve ever seen was staring back at me," he recalled.
"That feeling is why we all do it. I was lost for words and couldn’t believe what I had actually caught."
"Trying to calm myself down, I got the fish unhooked and let it rest while I wet the sling and got everything else ready to weigh it. I have to say, carrying the fish in the net to the mat was an effort in itself," he explained.
When Darren lifted the fish onto his Korda digital scales, he was astounded to see them read 51lb 13oz, so much so that he thought he had zeroed the scales incorrectly. After checking them again and getting the same weight, he even borrowed a set of manual scales, such was his disbelief. The manual scales also confirmed he had landed a UK 50.
"The next hour or so was just a blur. I didn’t even get the rod back out for another hour as I tried to comprehend what had happened," he said.
"My emotions ranged from excitement to total disbelief. I’d fished this lake once before back in May and came away with a blank, so this was an incredible return. Definitely the best trip I have ever had."
"I went on to bank another five fish during the remainder of the session, including three twenties and one thirty."
"Every bite came from that same spot, tight to the margin by a tree that protrudes out in Swim 1. I also lost another three fish, with everything coming to a white Bug wafter. None of the other colours worked for me that day."
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