T.H.P.C: Part Ten: 37 Days, New Canal PB.

 Thirty seven days is how long my canal personal best carp stood at, that was until I beat on the 26th May. Having worked so hard for my common which tipped the scales at 25lb 7oz I was rewarded with yet another towpath titan! Many early risings, many many miles walked and plenty of time spent muttering to myself it has surely got to be easier than this.

Releasing something special :)

 On my iPhone there is a health app which also has a pedometer, for my nine trips on to the canal since the beginning of April I have sauntered along 120 miles of urban and rural canal sections. Many of those miles walked have proven to be more fruitful than I could have ever imagined.

 Before this particular day I spent eight sessions for a return of four carp, but having walked so much and beginning to see the same fish (not specimens which will enable me to achieve my goal on the canal) the search for new pastures had begun. Within an hour I was to be rewarded with this lump!.

 With the sun high and bright, very light northerly winds and zero boat traffic I was able to stalk unimpeded, this doesn't always happen and when I stumbled over a small group of carp (four to be exact) I stuck around to try and catch one, as I tracked them a large mirror just caught my eye as my brother noticed it lift up off the bottom. Was this the very specimen I was looking for? As I tracked her every move I decided not to cast until I could see it slow down as she was cruising with real intent. About 40 yards from where I first noticed her she cruised into the margins and got her snout down into the weed, as she did that I flicked a piece of free-lined flake out which I hadn't squeezed so it remained very buoyant and as she arched up off the bottom she noticed the flake.

Absolutely ecstatic!

 Five or six minutes later a new canal personal best carp lay resting in my net, although she was ready to burst her appetite was certainly not thwarted, at roughly 0930 I cradled this wild monster. At 27lb 9oz it is actually my fourteenth largest mirror ever. I could not have been happier. Am I going to find a carp to break the 30lb barrier? I will certainly try!