WHY WE LOVE OXFORDSHIRE!
Check this out for a classic Oxfordshire gravel-pit carp, the new personal best of James Ingram!
James landed the stunning scaly 34lb 8oz mirror during a session on Unity Lake, one of three Linear Fisheries syndicate waters, coming as part of a six-fish catch that included one other thirty and three twenties to 27lb.
“I recently headed down for my second session on the Linear Fisheries syndicate lakes, with the aim of targeting Unity Lake,” said James.
“On arrival I could see that there were few anglers on and the majority of the swims were taken, but after pulling up in one of the car parks I noticed one of the members was starting to pack down. The area seemed to be slightly off the south-westerly wind, with it coming across the face of the peg. However, given that the wind had been consistent for the past few days, I thought the fish may come off it slightly, so I decide this would be a bad area to start.
“Looking out of the swim, I could see three distinctive trees on the horizon, so I started to lead around at a reasonable range to try and find an area where I could present all three rods. After a few casts, I had found a spot big enough for all three, opting for a trio of solid bags filled with Crayfish Mini Mix and PB wafter hookbaits, injected with Salmon Oil. I also put out a slight scattering of Bug boilies, hemp, corn.
“The first bite, a 26lb mirror, didn’t come until the early hours of the morning. After sorting the fish out and doing the self-takes, the rod was back out on the spot with a couple more Spombs of freebies over the top. A couple of hours later, the rod ripped off again with what can only be described as one of the best fish I’ve caught and a new personal best at 34lb 8oz. Buzzing! Luckily, one of the members was on hand to take the photos for me.
“Over the next few days, the bites came at around the same time between early morning and mid-morning, with one being late afternoon. In the end, I ended up with six fish, two thirties, including the new PB, three twenties to 27lb and an upper double.”
