Thames River Carp

Thames River Monsters

21st September 2018 Carp_Social News Leave a comment

We were lucky enough to catch up with the one and only @ash_geden. If you don’t know who that is then you may recognise him as the guy who caught that truly stunning unknown 40lb+ Zip Linear Mirror Carp from the river Thames this month. We asked him to give us an insight into his river Thames expeditions and how he catches these true river monsters.

“After a fair few weeks spent tracking down these highly nomadic river Thames Carp, I started baiting my chosen area with around 5kg of Dynamite Baits ComplexT boilie, pellets and particle every 3 days. I had a couple of smaller mirrors going 20lbs over the next couple of sessions from the spot and was also very unlucky to loose a 3ft long common at the net one morning. Then I had a hook pull within seconds of hitting into a heavy fish just after 3am the morning before something I had been longing for.

I had planned not to fish the night, having been flat out on the bank recently and in need of a break but whilst sitting at home licking my wounds looking at the moon and weather apps, I thought to myself ‘you’re mad for not fishing’ and saying to myself “Don’t give up”, so with that thought of determination I jumped in the motor around 10pm and set off on my mission. I just knew I had to be there! I arrived in the area and was settled in by 11:30pm and with my senses running at their peak.
 
The bright moon lit the night sky, so one by one the rigs were positioned on their respected spots with a top up of bait. I knew I was there for a morning bite so it was time to try and get some sleep… I had done all I could.
 
The bite I had been longing for finally came just after 8am on the 24th August 2018,  my first 40+ Carp from the Thames,  wrenching the needle on the scales round to 42lb 10oz.”

 

It wrenched the needle on the scales round to 42lb 10oz, a mad and at times soul destroying turn of events on the lead up to it and an epic, epic battle with this beast.

The second from the spot going 20lb. Thought this one looked familiar, turned out to be one I had off the surface last year further upstream.

Just as the last bit of mist burnt off the river in the hazy morning sunshine, so too did the middle rod with this 27lb 2oz Thames Mirror. An old friend I had previously caught off the surface 6 years ago at 22lb 4oz!

 

They are all welcome, they all have stories to tell…