FARRIERS' Record Carp!
3on the left at 8lb
38lb
Caught by Neil Cowlard in October 2007
Well done Neil!
And on the right:
25lb 10oz
What about YOU?
We are eagerly awaiting pictures from you of your latest or best catches at Farriers.
Catch Reports
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THE CARP SOCIETY Horseshoe Lake Burford Road Lechlade Gloucestershire GL7 3QQ T: 01367 253959 E: info @ thecarpsociety.com
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NEW WATER SUCCESS
I had fished Horseshoe for about five years with some good fish banked, the biggest being a 36 lb mirror, but I had never caught a 30lb plus common. Therefore after reading in Carp Fisher that Farriers contained 30lb commons I decided to have a crack at it. I put my name on the waiting list and in due course received my permit which began on
My first trip to the lake was on Friday 22 June. I arrived after a day’s work and loaded the carp porter. I set off pushing it right handed around the lake. As I stopped to look at almost every swim, it took me one and a half hours to reach my chosen swim. If only I had turned left it would have taken me about five minutes. I was exhausted, but pleased with my choice, however there was no time to rest.
I found a clear patch in the weed using the marker float, (remember, this was before it had been treated). I used about five kilos of spod mix for the two baited rods, but had no luck on the Friday. On Saturday morning I watched as the swinger on one rod went up, then fell back, so I struck, anticipating my first Farriers fish. Yes, a tench of course. Nothing else for it, but more spodding. At the effort paid off, I had caught my first Farriers common, weighing 20lb 8oz. I went home happy on Sunday afternoon.
I blanked the following weekend, so returned on Friday 13 July. I went back into the same swim, turning left this time. Same spot, same procedure, same bait. At on Saturday morning a one-note screamer had me out of the bivvy sharpish. After I had a brief fight with the carp, Craig from the next swim netted it for me. We both weighed it and agreed on 31lb 4oz. I was well pleased with my third trip as I had achieved my goal, a 30lb plus common.
But, pride comes before a fall and I had to endure four successive blanks, one of these weekends being the first my wife came with me. Do you remember the Friday of the floods? It took a long time to get to Farriers, due to diversions and traffic jams. But amazingly the rain stopped as soon as we got there. Although this episode involves no fish, it just reminded me of all the weather conditions I have subjected my wife to on previous fishing trips. She has woken up to a frozen lake, sat in the pouring rain all day under an umbrella, spent all night in gale force winds and now flooding. I didn’t like to tell her that the lake had risen about twelve inches in the night. However, she has enjoyed some good sunbathing!
On Friday 24 August she joined me again and I chose a different swim. I found a clear patch about thirty yards out, cast two baits to it and spodded out. At I caught a 26lb 14oz common and at 5.00am a 28lb 12oz common. A very satisfying weekend’s fishing.
I was back again the next weekend and on Sunday 2 September I caught a 25lb 10oz common. Thanks go to Trevor, the bailiff, for getting into the lake and shredding the weed off the line. I don’t think I would have landed the fish without his help.
After another couple of blanks I returned on Friday 28 September. As I was pushing the carp porter towards one corner of the lake, I stopped for a rest. I decided to have a look at a swim that you can’t see from the path which I hadn’t fished before. I was very pleased to find it vacant, so soon began to settle in. Ian was fishing the next swim up and said he had seen fish close in next to a weed bed. It took a while but I found a clearish “choddy” hole twenty five yards out. I put one bait on it and the other on a clear bar far left of the first rod. I then did my usual spodding. Now time to sit and wait. Not a twitch in the night, they were just not having it. I had not recast since on Friday night. Unexpectedly at Saturday the bite alarm went off and I tentatively struck. Ian had joined me and netted this rather big fish. All weighing equipment was checked. We used my metal landing net pole shoulder to shoulder to assist the weighing. Ian had the first reading 37lb 2oz and we turned around and I had a look. Yes a 37lb 2oz mirror carp. What a result, I could not believe my luck. A new personal best and a new lake record in one. I recast the bait and after a while went into the adjacent swim to celebrate with Ian and Trevor. As we were talking, a single bleep rang out from the remote control in my swim. It was the right hand rod again. I ran the eight or nine paces back and struck into another heavy fish. Again Ian landed it for me. The three of us weighed it as before and we all agreed on 33lb 12oz. Fantastic. I went home a very happy man.
My next session was from Wednesday night to Sunday afternoon. But nothing happened until Saturday 13 October. I was in the same swim where I had caught the four fish with my wife. I fished 75 yards out, spending two hours marking and spodding. Both rods were on the clear patch. At the right hand rod was off and I leaned into a hefty feeling fish. The fish kited right and it was a slow methodic fight. I had to lift the rod over a bush and play the fish from another swim. It had made it into the back bay. My heart was pumping hard, I knew it was another big fish. Finally I landed it and another angler came to help me weigh it. We used the same technique mentioned before. It weighed 38lb. I couldn’t believe it, a second lake record in two trips and another personal best. At I also caught a 20lb 4oz common. Lots more spodding at dusk then nothing else for it but sleep.
At Sunday morning another run produced a 28lb 12oz common. Again at after a good fight I banked a 35lb.6oz common. Four 30’s in two trips, now that was special. I never had a run of fish like that before.
Thanks to everyone who has helped and advised me. Tight lines to you all.
Neil Cowlard