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Record-breaking carp banked at Linear Fisheries

by Aidan Bordiuk |

Published on16th October 2025 at 12.33pm

Linear Fisheries in Oxford has to be one of the most well-known and popular day-ticket carp venues in the country. Not only is it home to an incredible stock of carp, but it also offers a wide variety of lakes to suit every type of angler visiting the complex.

Jo Higginson was one such angler who enjoyed the best of what Linear has to offer, where on a recent trip, she went on to break the Brasenose 2 lake record with a massive 49lb 15oz mirror carp.

After arriving around lunchtime on Sunday, Jo began searching for a suitable swim, with her good friend Jo Smith due to join her later in the day. The pair had planned to fish on either Brasenose 1 or 2, hoping to find a double swim or two pegs next to each other so they could enjoy a relaxed, social session together.

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Jo with the new B2 record!

"Before arriving, I had done some homework and knew the light North Easterly wind, that was forecast to blow all week, would be pushing into the nearside banks, which is where we wanted to be," Jo explained.

"Braseonse 1 was very busy, but I soon learned that's because Brasenose 2 had been shut prior to my arrival, and had only just re-opened, so I headed over there hoping to find more space," she added.

"I managed to secure a peg big enough for the both of us, and although the peg next door was occupied by an angler, they were only there for the day, so we could have that one too when they left."

"While I waited for Jo to arrive, I watched the water for a few hours to make sure we were definitely in the right area."

While scoping out the area, Jo got chatting to the angler in the swim next door who informed her the whole complex had been fishing relatively slow. Seeing a few fish showing in down towards the bowl area, but not a lot else, Jo wasn't sure if she was in the right area, until the angler in the swim started to get a few runs, landing four fish throughout that afternoon.

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A session to remember for Jo.

"My friend Jo Smith arrived and started to set up in the vacant swim, but I made the decision to wait and properly set up after the day angler left. However, they were kind enough to let me start setting up around them so I wasn’t doing it in the dark," she told us.

"Although it was a bit of a rush getting everything sorted before nightfall, I managed to get the traps set on a nice gravel area, and get some bait out. I opted for small PVA bags filled with micro pellet over a bed of Munch Baits Cream Seed boilies, maize, hemp and pellet coated in a soluble hemp Liquid food," Jo said.

Despite going into the night with a lot of confidence, the pair had nothing to show for the efforts come the morning. As lunchtime approached, Jo was informed by the bailiff that her car had been broken into which put a dampener on the session. Thankfully nothing was stolen, but Jo, through no fault of her own, now had the inconvenience and added costs of having to get her window fixed.

"After securing the car, I tried not to let it affect my session and as I sat with Jo enjoying a cuppa, from nowhere, my alarm burst into life and I was into my first fish of the session," Jo recalled.

"I was aware that there was still quite a lot of weed present, so I was conscious to get the fish up in the water as soon as possible to avoid any issues with it burying itself and potentially losing it."

"It was a slow steady fight to get the fish in, with Jo helping me put on my waders incase the fish got snagged and I needed to go into the water to free it."

As Jo netted the fish for her, the pair realised just how big the fish was and that it was most definitely a 40lb carp. This wasn't Jo's first forty, having landed a 41lb fish before, but this fish looked significantly bigger. Trying to compose herself, she unhooked and safely retained the fish in the net, giving them time to get the weighing equipment sorted before taking the fish out of the water.

"As I rolled the net up and lifted the fish up onto the bank, I struggled with the weight and knew instantly it was a new PB," she said.

"I vividly remember my heart racing and it was great to have a friend to share the experience with this time as I caught my last 40 on my own in the early hours. We got the fish out of the net into the retainer and lifted it onto the scales."

"To our amazement the scales stopped at 49lb 15oz, which we have been informed is the new lake record. I was overjoyed. Jo took a selection of pics for me and then got a couple of shots in the water and a release video. After which there was lot of jumping up and down in excitement and a high five!!"

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One last look before retiring the record home...

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