Drennan rod fools massive fish on overnight session.
Stewart Moss caught this majestic fully scaled Mirror Carp weighing 32lb, from an Oxfordshire Lake using Drennan Artificial Maggots.

“This very pretty fish helps make up for a lean run and several lost fish I’ve endured recently” said Stewart. "The night I had the fully scaled I was actually fishing with 2010-11 Drennan Cup winner Neill Stephen, who was fishing similar tactics in the neighbouring swim about 40yds away. He managed a 30lb linear the same night-so it was a good night for both of us.

We’ve both been adopting similar strategies lately, fishing quick overnight sessions after work.  This obviously makes it even more difficult on a pressured lake with big fish – so for us both to bag spectacular 30lber in the same night was pretty memorable.   That Sunday night in question the carp were really active in front of us and we were as quiet as possible so as not to spook them.  I took great care to lay my mainlines along the bottom, very slack lines, and set my rod tips touching the lake bed to try to eliminate liners. My fish came first, and Neill’s just before it got light."  

Stew spodded a mix of red & white maggots very tightly to a clear strip around 35 yards out, and then fished an ESP Raptor hook critically balanced with matching Red & White Drennan artificial maggots, on a ‘blobbed’ loop of ESP Soft Ghost Fluorocarbon. The fish was landed on an ESP Terry Hearn MK2 12ft 2.75lb carp rod and Shimano 10000 XTE reel loaded with 15lb Syncro mainline – fished with very light Jack Daniels bobbins on a long drop and with slack lines.