PERRY BAGS FIFTH MONKS FORTY OF 2023!

  • Posted: 16th August 2023
  • Author: Team DNA
Even by his own admission, Perry Alabaster is enjoyed a very special season on Monks Pit, after landing his fifth different 40-pounder of the year from the Cambridgeshire syndicate.
Known as Coop and weighing in at 48lb 10oz, the mirror was amongst Perry’s main target fish from the venue and came in the final moments of an already prolific session.
“The syndicate has been pretty busy these past few weeks, so I arrived before first light on Sunday just so I could bucket a decent swim to set up in after the pre-arranged work party that morning,” said Perry.
“We spent a good few hours doing our best to cut and remove some of the dreaded Monks Pit kelp weed from the shallow end, which made a pretty big disturbance, so I figured fishing as far away from the commotion as possible might give me a chance of catching a few fish that may have taken cover up the quieter, deep end.
“The session ticked along nicely, with a string of twenties to 28lb 14oz coming my way, but in the last hour of my last morning, one of my margin spots produced a 33lb 8oz mirror, which had me wondering if some bigger fish had moved in. Whilst the person waiting to get in the swim after me took a walk around the lake, I decided to get the rod straight back on the marginal hot spot for the final 30 minutes of fishing time I had left.
“I decided to stick to the tactics of using a light-coloured Crayfish wafter hookbaits, presented over a large bed of Crayfish Maxi and Mini Mix pellets, mixed-sized S7 freebies and some S7 chops. Within seconds of resetting my bobbin for the last time, it was away again and following a tense battle, during which the fish tried to bury itself in the reeds to my left, I landed Coop, a 48lb 10oz mirror that was well up there on my most-wanted list.
“Coop is my fifth different Monks forty so far in 2023, with most of those falling to the irresistible Crayfish wafters. It’s turning into a very special season!”