You may remember Martin Nichols, also known as 'Weeman,' catching a brace of carp totaling 99lb from Grenville Lakes earlier this year, all while battling cancer. Fishing at Euro Aqua, Martin has now landed another monster carp—an incredible 80lb 8oz mirror.
This wasn’t the only huge fish he caught during his dream trip. Martin went on to land another three carp over 60lb in an unforgettable week of angling, that saw him obliterate his personal best twice in the same session.
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"I have just returned home from a trip I have been excited about since I was given the chance to go," Martin shared.
"The venue is renowned for the huge carp that reside there, and the opportunity to try and catch one of these monsters was a dream come true."
"I accompanied my good friend Steve Hitcham, who organised the trip and got us out to the venue."
Upon arriving at the lake, the anglers settled into their allocated swims for the week. With big fish rolling and showing everywhere, their enthusiasm was sky-high as they quickly set up and positioned their rods to target the giants that call Euro Aqua home.
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"As we were fishing for big fish, we used a lot of bait—around 100 liters of maggots on the spots every day. It sounds like a lot, but these fish can eat it so quickly that you have to introduce that much bait to keep them in your swim," Martin explained.
"Our rigs were simple but strong. I opted for my favourite Slip-D and Blowback rigs with large bunches of maggots on the hair as this was the in-form bait on our visit."
Martin's approach paid off handsomely as he went on to land all 16 fish he hooked during the trip, which is a testament to how effective these rigs are.
"Of the 16 fish, eight were between 30lb and 60lb, with three weighing 68lb 10oz, 67lb 12oz, and 61lb, respectively—topped by my new PB of 80lb 8oz."
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"I simply couldn’t have asked for a better trip, but the best part was seeing Steve land a stunning 88lb common on the same day as my 80lb mirror," he said.
Reflecting on the experience, Martin added: "With everything going on with my cancer, we had been speaking about life and karma. I told Steve he’d catch a big fish to reward all the good deeds he had done to get the trip sorted."
"Thankfully, the carp gods were listening. The fish was just enormous, and I’m so glad I got to see it and that he got to catch it!"
"I just want to show my gratitude and appreciation to Steve and EPIC (Exercising people in communities Norfolk) as without them the trip wouldn't have happened," he concluded.
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