What's the longest battle you've ever had with a fish? How about a two hour tug of war? That's what OMC Sponsored Angler Max Braby endured on his recent visit to Linear Fisheries St John's Lake, where he unintentionally hooked a giant catfish!
Fishing 5ft Zig Rigs in the hope of catching some of the resident carp, Max's first bite of the session was far more than he bargained for...
"After a long two hour battle on pretty light tackle, this big old catfish ended up in my net and spun the scales to 70lb," he told us.
"My Zig was made up from a size 8 Lock Hook and some 1.6mm Simply Shrink Tube.
"Despite being small, the hook stood up to the test of the big catfish perfectly, still being razor sharp and not misshapen in any way after the epic fight."
After the quite tiring battle, Max managed to get a bit of a rest, before the famous St John's carp decided to pay him a visit too...
"I spotted some fizzing near my Zigs, which prompted me to put a rod out on the bottom. It only took 30 minutes and the rod was away with a mega mirror well over the 30lb mark," he said.
Max's bottom bait rig was the increasingly popular Multi-Combi Slip-D , which he constructed using the following rig components…
- 20lb Blend Fluorocarbon Soft
- 35lb Blend Coated Braid
- 50mm Blend Tungsten Anti-Tangle Sleeve
- Blend Tungsten Putty
- Size 6 Cassien Hook
- Dazzler Bloodliner Aligner
- Vitabitz Micro Ring Swivel Size 18
How's that for a thrilling Spring carp fishing adventure! Top work Max!
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.
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