Day-ticket delight as session brings a string of thirties from weed bed.

Sessions don’t come much better than a recent trip to the bank for carper Russ Webb.

In a 48hour session on Oxfordshire’s Orchid Lake, the Blakes Baits-backed rod hit big, netting a total of four 30s to 33lb 10oz plus a mid 20 – not bad for December on a day-ticket!

The key to Russ’ success was his target area, with the venue regular casting 90yards to find a bed of weed where he knew the fish would be.

“The swim I was in has been unfishable for most of the year due to thick weed, and I knew that the fish would be around there,” Russ told Total Carp. “In winter all that the carp are looking for is cover, preferably with natural food, so I targeted a large bed of weed which no one ever fishes over, at about 90yards out and baited heavily.”

Casting around, Russ found a deeper section of weed in the middle of the bed, which he ‘filled in’ with chilli hemp, corn and chopped up 20 and 15mm Blakes Baits boilies in Crab and Cranberry and Nut Mix flavours.

“It took me while to get my rig right and make sure my snowman rig was just sitting on top of the weed, but when I did the fish just kept coming,” continued Russ.

The first day saw three 30s come to the bank, the first being a specimen known as Boycie at 30lb 11oz, then another called Little M at 30lb 13oz, followed by a fish known as JD weighing 33lb 10oz. Two more carp of 32lb 14oz and 23lb 6oz came in the following 24hours.

“The fish in Orchid are far from easy to catch but once you find then and get them feeding you can catch a few,” said Russ. “All the particles and freebies that I put in over the weed bed got them rooting around well and by the end of the session there was a big clear patch where my bait had been.”

Russ’ winning rig consisted of a snowman set-up with 15 and 20mm bolies fished on a size 6hook to 12inches of 20lb Korda Weedy Green hybrid hooklink to allow the 2.5oz lead to sink into the weed to leave the hook bait to sit on top.

To keep the hook point from being fouled, Russ also fished a PVA mesh bag of freebies surrounding the hook, leaving it clear and in a small bed of feed for the fish to find.



For more details on fishing Orchid Lake, click here

For further info on Blakes Baits, click here.