This Autumn Tactic Helped Me Bank a New PB Common | Grant Hilton
Autumn is one of the best times of year to catch a really big Carp, but it isn't without its challenges, as Grant Hilton found out on his recent visit to France...
I've just returned from a very successful trip at Napoleon Lake 1 in France, a session which resulted in a mega new personal best Common Carp.
A big fish water, Lake 1 is not without its challenges and it certainly isn't easy. With us now being well into autumn, things were made trickier still by the leaves falling from the trees. Getting the presentation right would be crucial...
The lakebed was pretty choddy in parts, so I opted to get popped-up over the new and old debris with a classic Hinged Stiff Rig, which I tied easily with the OMC Chods Away Short and new Kickback Linkz. This awesome combination gives me a Rig that presents over most bottoms, resets every time and is very tough for Carp to deal with.
Finding the right depth the fish want to feed at is also important in the autumn months and on this trip I had decided to hedge my bets with two Rods at 9/10ft and the other in the deepest part of the lake at 18ft. With the weather getting colder, I had a suspicion that the deeper water is where the Carp would want to feed.
I deposited around 30kg of bait on the deep spot over three days, thinking they might drop down as the water stays a more consistent temperature in these depths.
The bite from the Big Common came at first light and it absolutely ripped off. My new personal best Common now sits at 60lb 4oz - mega!
It ended up being quite a productive session, my other catches going 42lb, 41lb, 38lb, 32lb, 28lb - plus a sneaky 32lb Grass Carp!
Journalist Chris Haydon joined the OMC Family in the spring of 2024, after six years working for the UK's number 1 fishing publication, the Angling Times. He is a keen Coarse and Carp Fishing All-rounder, fishing in the South West region, including the famous Cotswold Water Park.
