Winter time isn't particularly conducive to great carp fishing, with many anglers hanging up their rods until spring. January and February are probably the bleakest months of the year to try and catch yourself a carp, but a few hardy anglers persist—one of them being Aaron Bunning
Aaron fishes extensively in Cornwall, a region that isn't blessed with loads of big fish, but his efforts have been duly rewarded. In February alone he has landed the biggest mirror carp in the county at a staggering 51lb 1oz, only to have gone one better this weekend, landing one of the biggest ghost carp in the UK at a colossal 52lb.
As far as we’re aware, this achievement makes Aaron the first angler to bank two Cornish 50s—an extraordinary feat, especially considering he did it in one of the toughest months for carp fishing, all within just a few weeks!
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"Following the result I had at the start of this month, my campaign on the Oaks Syndicate culminated in the capture of my target fish. The lake owner, Jack, offered to return my deposit if I didn't wish to renew my ticket for the following year," Aaron explained to us.
"We agreed that I could instead exchange this for a session at Jack’s exclusive venue, Spooky Pool, towards the end of the month," he added.
The idea—more in hope than expectation—was that it would give Aaron the chance to bank a second Cornish 50 in a month. Spooky contains two old ghosties over that magical barrier, the only other 50+ fish in Cornwall and two of the biggest ghost carp in the whole of the UK.
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"Fast forward to Tuesday afternoon, a little over 24 hours into my session. A short flurry of beeps on my receiver alerted me as the line pinged out of my washing-line clip on the far bank. Upon picking up the rod, I furiously wound down to pick up the slack and make contact with the fish," he said.
"As the line approached my margin with a distinct lack of resistance, I feared I had been done. But then, a moment of relief—pressure built up through the line, and a tail pattern the size of my bivvy began swirling a couple of rod lengths out as the fish went on a slow, unstoppable run to the far side of the lake," Aaron recalled.
Knowing he was attached to one of the two huge fish, Aaron simply had to keep his cool as it navigated its way around the lake. With no major snags and the weed not having grown much, the risk of getting snagged was low—but the whole time, he was fully aware of what he was attached to adding to the nerves.
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"Thankfully, I managed to net her on the first attempt—a huge relief. I immediately rang Jack, as the light was fading and I was keen to get some daytime shots."
"To his credit, he came straight down to the lake and, as always, did a sterling job with the camera in the rapidly diminishing daylight."
"On the scales, she went 52lb exactly—what a month. As far as I am aware, this puts me in the fortunate position of being the first angler to bank two Cornish 50+ fish."
"I caught her on a hard spot just off the side of a bar, using 18lb ESP Syncro Loaded mainline with a 5oz drop-off inline lead anda 7" KD rig, constructed from ESP Tungsten Loaded Soft and a size 5 ESP Cryogen Slammer—proving to be the winning formula."
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