Angler Name: Jess Hopkins

Hometown: West Midlands

Fish Weight: 51.7

Bait: Baitworks Cre-amino/Royal Marine - House Pellet, Babycorn + Plenty of Salmon Oil

Venue: Clay Lakes

Rig: Slip D

Tactics: Match the Hatch, Far Marginal Snag

Additional Info: Lot's of planning and uncertainly went into this trip... I promised my Nan who has recently been diagnosed with a terminal brain tumour, I would go off in pursuit of a 30 in her honour! With this being my first Euro Fishing Adventure I was excited but also very nervous. Things got off to the flying start, however after multiple catches of mid/upper 20s I decided to switch things up a little... Opting for snaggy areas along the far margin, with a match the hatch style approach - Fishing locked up was very new to me but as the bites came in my confidence increased. Having not handled carp of larger proportions before, for me it was all about the experience! From that initial take, to landing then handling the fish, were all areas I felt required improvement. As fish safety is paramount at first I was very cautious, however after a few encounters I'd say my ability in handling these beasts improved dramatically! This absolute beaut of pristine common made an appearance on my final day, coming in at a whopping 51lb 7oz, I was also given the opportunity to name this fish 'Maggie' - My Nan who didn't think she'd be around to see this adventure was over the moon that such a fish was named in her honour. Now back to normality and the pursuit for a UK 30 continues...