TWO DURLEIGH 30S IN A DAY ON FIRST SESH IN 15 YEARS!

  • Posted: 18th April 2024
  • Author: Team DNA
We recently heard from Ryan Morgan, who shared with us the remarkable story of his uncle, Les Parker, a former carp-fishing fanatic but somebody who hadn’t fished for 15 years!
Incredibly, on his first session back since the late noughties, Les bagged himself a couple of 30-pounders from Durleigh Reservoir in Bridgwater, the largest of which being a PB-smashing 36lb 6oz common.
Ryan explains: “I’ve been using your bait for the past four years now. Previously I was using another company, but my catch rates started to drop, and that’s when I discovered your bait and I haven’t looked back since getting on the SLK.
“I recently caught up with my uncle who got me into fishing at the age of 12. My uncle would always go on about the carp he had caught from the pit and this got me more interested in the art of carp fishing and from there I was hooked! Anyway, he hadn’t fished for 15 years and asked me if I would take him to Durleigh Reservoir in Bridgwater, as I literally live up the hill from the Reservoir and have been fishing it since I was 14 – I’m 36 now! He asked me what bait we would need and I told him DNA, so placed a 30kg order, booked the swim and got everything set to go.
“I had to set my uncle up with rigs and lead set-ups, as he was old school and had been out of the game for a while. I set him up with Ronnie rigs baited with 18mm SLK bottom baits tipped with 12mm PB pop-us, which were fished at range surrounded by 18mm SLK boilies soaked in matching SLK Hydro Spod Syrup.
“As we were talking away, he told me in the 40 years he’d been fishing, the biggest carp he had caught was 23lb, which I hoped we would beat due to the large presence of 20lb-plus fish in the Reservoir. Anyway, we were sitting in the bivvy, as it was very windy, when at around 10.30am his alarm sounded as the bobbin hit the rod! After a lengthy battle, the fish came to the surface. I told him play it cool as it was clearly a good fish. As I slipped the net under it, I could see it was going to smash his PB. I carried it to the mat for him, as he was a bit shocked at the size of it – you could have got a tangerine in its mouth! We popped the fish on the scales and it weighed in at a massive 36Ib 6oz. He was speechless!
“With the pictures done and the fish returned, we got the rod back on the spot, again with an 18mm SLK bottom bait tipped with a 12mm PB over matching SLK freebies soaked in SLK Hydro Spod Syrup. Two hours later, the rod ripped off again and I could tell it was another good fish! Incredibly, it was another common of 31lb 2oz. After not carp fishing for 15 years and to come back and catch two twenties in a day, both of them smashing your previous PB, was incredible. He was ecstatic and is hooked on carp fishing once again.
“As for myself, I landed three fish to 23lb, so all in all, a good day on a tricky days-only water.”