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This 46 lb 4 oz carp (pictured above) was caught over in Germany by Christian Dörr of Browning Team Saar.
His pole tackle included a 0.5g float and 0.19mm Cenex Power line straight through to a size 12 hook.
Christian told the full story: “Last Saturday morning was supposed to be a typical session at the club pond. I was planning to use a double feeding strategy; one feeding area straight ahead with conventional groundbait and another swim with particles diagonally in a corner.
“The seat box was positioned so I could fish tight up against the adjacent left bank with the pole at full length. Since the water depth was 1.5 metres just half a metre from the bank and the strong wind meant there would be a strong undercurrent, compact feeding was required to ensure the particles reached the bottom quickly without being widely dispersed.
Pellets and crushed meat
“Standard groundbait was out as a “particle transporter” as it would attract too many small fish, which would be off-putting to carp, my target fish in the corner swim. That is why I had also moistened some 2mm trout pellets the night before.
“These now had the perfect consistency to be moulded into tangerine-sized balls along with sweetcorn, 6mm pellets and crushed luncheon meat. The crushed luncheon meat gives off an incredible scent and fills up any passing small fish fairly quickly without attracting so many of them as maggots. I started by dropping in six tangerine-sized balls with pinpoint accuracy using the pole cup.
“The swim straight ahead was fed with six orange-sized balls comprising a 60/40 mixture of Browning Etang and Browning Black Monster laced with dead maggots and pinkies. The small roach were then quickly drawn to the central feeding area producing some entertaining fishing. However, I was constantly peering over to the left to see if any carp were bothering with my swim in the corner.
“After almost an hour, I was in business. The first signs of activity were apparent and I quickly switched to the top kit with the carp rig.
Floating sweetcorn on the hook
“Two floating pieces of sweetcorn were then taken from the water-filled bait box for hookbait and the tried and trusted rig was presented in the corner swim. Every tin of sweetcorn contains some floating pieces that are ideal for counterbalancing the weight of the hook, making bait presentation as natural as possible.
“After just three minutes, the float began to wobble slightly before slowly vanishing beneath the surface of the water.
“The fight that followed was indescribable. It went from straight ahead on the other bank, over to the right to the other bank then back to the left for a change. The Stretch 7 elastic remained true to its name and the Xitan Z Allrounder pole allowed the elastic to do its work diligently without complaining.
“After 35 minutes, the fight was over and a carp of significantly above 15kg, new dimensions for me, lay on the unhooking mat. I did not even have to unhook the fish as the barbless hook fell out in the landing net once the tension had been taken out of the elastic. However, the tension on the bank grew as I wondered what the scales would say. Around 21kg (46 lb)!
“Try it for yourself on your club water in the corners and near the bank.”
The pole tackle used
Christian said: “With the Browning Z Allrounder, Cenex Power line and “Stretch 7” Hollow Elastics, you will certainly be well equipped. The top kit was the 2.6m SLK Power with the 5.5mm tip diameter. The kit is incredibly robust and has been a reliable partner in the past with fish between 10 and 15kg.
“The elastic was “Stretch 7 Hollow Elastic” from Browning with a 2.5mm diameter. This elastic has also proven itself with big fish in the past. Things sometimes take a little longer than with a thicker diameter, but it reliably absorbs the runs and head shakes of large fish and minimises the risk of pull-outs, which is massively important, particularly if only a small number of fish are biting.”
