Annie - My quest is over

27.05.08. A day like any other for most, but for me the day, it all went right.

I`d fished that Sunday with the intentions of staying over till Tuesday morning, the wife and kids were off hand so I had to make the most of it. The weather had other ideas and me and my old dog Murphy got absolutely battered by the wind and rain and to be fair on my dog I had to take him home.

Tuesday morning I had over done it and when I turned the news on they were saying that London was grid locked because of the fuel protests, say no more I was on my way back over the Manor.

I had baited up a few other swims ready for me to move into on the Monday for when the wind changed. I spoke to my mate Paul to find out if the swims I had baited were still available, only one he said because I`m in the other, no problem “I`m on my way”.

I set up in a swim called the End Slope; it’s a very overgrown swim and very rarely fished because of it. I had two rods on the spots in no time and both were nomore than a rod length off the bank in eight feet of water at the bottom of the shelf. The bottom is covered in silt weed at the moment so both rods were fished with Tails up pro fish pop ups fished an inch and a half off the rig putty.

I`d attached a PVA bag of foam to help the hook-bait stay clear of any debris but also knowing that the rig would be slightly pulled into the silt. I had put in a couple of handfuls of mixed sized boilies prior to casting out; I clipped up and put the kettle on for a brew.

The wind had changed as predicted and the fish had moved with it. I told myself I`d be away by ten, so nine o`clock I started to put a few bits in the my rucksack when my left hand rod started to go into melt down, I picked up the rod and lent into what felt like a heavy fish.

I can honestly say the fight wasn’t spectacular and how relieved I was that it wasn't, when Paul put the net under her and said it’s the Annie.

My first reaction was to scream out “ANNIE!!” a couple of the other guys had come round and helped with the weighing. The moment of truth, ‘fifty seven pounds’ but to be honest the weight had never been an issue and she and she alone had been my goal.

This is one for the weekend angler who can only do a night a week and shows that if you put a bit of time and effort into baiting up and paying attention to how the carp react to weather condition on your lake you can eventually reach your goal.

Below are some pictures with reference to the rig that I used and how to tie it.

Tight lines.

Perry Harris