Shrewsbury Angler Nick Harrison had an unbelievable session fishing the Oxfordshire complex’s Unity lake – part of the fishery’s Guys Lake syndicate - banking a total of seven fish including three of the water’s biggest residents.
In a haul that saw the 43-year-old net two 40s and two 30s, including one of 38lb, along with three doubles, Nick managed to catch the three biggest fish in the water on the bounce – a dream run by anyone’s standards. However, fishing a four night session, it wasn’t until the last day that Nick got into the big fish thanks to a change of tactics.
“I was fishing over gravel and had only had a couple of doubles in three days, so it wasn’t looking too good,” Nick told ACF. “The fish had had leaches on them though, so I decided to change to stiff hinged rigs and target the weed, and that’s when the rods started ripping off!”
Fishing Mainline Cell Opal pop-ups on a stiff hinged rig, Nick fished to a weed bed at 68yards, baiting with a couple of kilos of boilies and topping up after every fish.
The switch more than worked, with a new English mirror personal best coming in the morning with a fish known as Moonscale at 43lb – it’s weight also setting a new lake mirror carp record. Just 6hours later his alarms were screaming again, this time with an English common personal best of 43lb 15oz, with the lake’s biggest ghost carp, Appollo, following not long after at 38lb 14oz.
"Two forties in one session and two new PBs is just unbelievable,” continued Nick. “I’d been after the big common for a while, but to have it and a 40lb mirror just 6hours apart was something else.”
Nick's winning stiff hinged rig was fished 2inch choddy style on a 4inch stiff boom looped either end. His pop up was fished on a size 6 Fox SR hook.
A new Unity Lake record mirror, Moonscale at 43lb.