With the big common to my name I'd already had a good start to the summer campaign; little did I know it was to get even better.

Unfortunately the weather which had merely been threatening had got worse and the start of the week was one of those nights when I really asked myself ..'Why I am doing this'... As I pulled into the car park the only other carp angler there was loading his gear onto his trolley and he looked soaked to the skin already... just lovely!! He looked beat before he started but I had the feeling that even though it was wet it certainly felt mild and the fast moving clouds gave me hope that the storm may be passing me later that evening.

The trolley was duly loaded up, the hair was duly soaked and yours truly waddled to my swim choice. Again it was the same swim I'd had the thirty pound common but as I'd baited it the night before it was my best bet with little else to go on. The shelter was set up and the Infinity and Basia combination taken out of the holdall. Each rod sleeve was already marked 1, 2 and 3 and each rod was left clipped up from last week. Luckily the clip on the Basia is kind to your mainline so I had no fear that the line was going to be crushed.

The end tackles were matched with the required presentation (in each case a coated braid and a size 8 hook and pop up) with two nuggets of PVA foam to eliminate tangles and to ensure that the pop up gently settled on the weed. The weed really was starting to take hold so by increasing the hook-length of eighteen inches I was surely the finely balanced pop up would be sitting pretty. Such was the strength of the wind and rain that the end tackles were assembled under the shelter and whacked out before the foam dissolved. In a matter of seconds the foam would pop up to the surface providing me the ideal marker for the freebies to be catapulted at. No need for the extra disturbance of a marker float and pin point accuracy ... on the money.

By 7.30 pm all three rods were in place and although it was still raining and dark it looked like it was getting better. Time to get the kettle on, the clothes dried off and listen to the radio. Don't you just love glorious summer fishing UK style.....NOT!! 
 
By 9 pm it was dark and I had seen a number of carp and tench rolling in front of me....sleep was calling...

10.30 pm the right hand buzzer glowed blue and the Basia clutch went into overdrive. With the clutch screwed tight and a drop off lead attached the carp went up in the water as I drew the Infinity rod into it. Looking at the curve of the rod above me it definitely wasn't the dreaded tench or bream....game on!! The fight was slow but ponderous with what was obviously a large fish lunging in front of me time and time again. I couldn't see its shape in the dark but the sound it made and the vortex’s it created as it avoided the net left me under no miss apprehension....lump on.

Eventually the carp tired, went into the net and my torch revealed yet another 30 in under 6 days. This time a mirror and as the scales spun round to 34.12 I realise the soaking had been worthwhile. The pictures were done, two more carp kissed the net that night and yours truly went to work that day with a spring in my step...albeit very tired....
 
Julian Cundiff
 
STOP PRESS... As we went to press it appears Jules has still been hauling big style with twenties galore. More news soon...