Maker Takes 57 Carp Haul in 48 Hours!

A massive haul of a staggering 57 CARP,  topped by a brace of 30-pounders, saw carp angler Tom Maker record probably one of the best-ever sessions at Oxfordshire’s famous Linear Fisheries.

The Fox-backed ace spent just over 24 hours targeting the residents of the venue’s Brasenose One water.

Arriving at 10am in the morning the 21-year-old set about finding a clear spot at 70 yards. Fishing over this with three rods, Tom initially baited with 10 spods of particle mix, including hemp, corn, Mainline Response pellets and Hinders Little Gemz pellets.

Over this, he presented plastic corn hook baits soaked in betalin on size 5 SSBP hooks to 4in hooklinks of 15lb Reflex braid. A 2ft leadcore leader was employed to keep the rig down on the bottom, with a 4oz inline pear lead used for casting and helping the fish to hook themselves. A tennis-ball-sized PVA bag of pellets was also added to the rig on each rod.

“The action was pretty much instant,” commented Tom, “and by Saturday evening I’d landed 33 carp, with the biggest going 29lb 4oz, as well as a few other twenties to 26lb 4oz.”
After every fish Tom topped up each rod with three more spods of feed, and the action just kept on coming.

“I was getting double or even triple takes at times,” added Tom. “I never caught anything at night but the following morning at 10 am the action started again.

“Fortunately for me a mate of mine turned up next door and was a huge help, as during the next six or so hours I went onto land a further 24 carp up to 31lb. I think at one point I had six fish in five nets and a retainer sling – two doubles, a 24lb 6oz, 26lb 8oz, 30lb 6oz and 31! In fact, I had played one thirty and just netted it when my other rod went off with another!

“This beats my previous best session of 42 fish from the venue taken during a 48-hour session last year. I don’t think there will be many occasions like this again in the future, when I drop on fish on a busy weekend.”