Well done to newest 5C’s Member Dean Garland who caught a 23lb 6oz Common from Nirvana’s day ticket Xanadu Lake.
Dean shared –
“After being rained off from work on wednesday, I turned up at anglers paradise knowing I’d be fishing 1 of the day ticket lakes but not sure which 1.
After speaking to Richard in the shop, I decided to go down to xanadu. I had un-finished buisness with this lake…I have caught some stunning carp from there previously but the 20 pluses had always evaded me!
After a quiet first day and night and the possibilty of going home blanking i decided to change a few things up. Within 30 minuites my rod went off.
It fought very hard and i knew i was in to a decent fish. And when i pulled it out i saw why, it was like the fish hadn’t grew into its own fins.
It weighed in at 23.6 lbs and seriously was in prestine condition. Gorgeous fish. Safe to say it made my session!!”
Lorcan Holdsworth who after watching Alan Blair’s Family Fishing video shot at Anglers Paradise inspired him to return to us with his family and he caught an amazing personal best 78lb 6oz Catfish from the Main Carp Lake!!
Lorcan’s story –
“On a return visit to Anglers Paradise with the family I met 15 year old Ozzy on the Easy Access Lake where between us after not much luck we partnered up and got 3 nice Catfish up to 25lb. Ozzy even broke his PB at 22lb and would you believe on sweetcorn!
After a terrific session Ozzy invited me down to the Main Carp Lake and with confidence high within 2 hours had a very strange bite. Once I picked the rod up I knew the fish was a decent size and new it was a Cat straight away. The fish was unstoppable and wrapped me around 5c’s Island where the rod went solid. I made a quick decision to swim out and release it from the snag. After a long battle Ozzy and I finally got this monster in a net as we cheered our success.
A very special moment that neither of us will forget. Great team effort as on this occasion I smashed my PB weighing in at 78lbs 6oz!”
WELL DONE LORCAN – WHAT A FISH TO CATCH AND IT’S THE BIGGEST CATFISH TO COME OUT THIS YEAR – CONGRATULATIONS AND WELL DONE!!
Here he is with his winning Fish and being presented his prizes by Zyggy and Zenia with special thanks to JRC Fishing.
**FISH OF THE WEEK IS SPONSORED BY JRC FISHING – THE MAKERS OF GREAT CARP TACKLE**
Well done to Martin Cox and Noel Hyland who both caught their personal best Catfish from our day ticket Specimen Cat Lake!
Martin caught a personal best 63lb 10oz Cat caught on peg 3 on Mainline spicy crab 20mm bollie over 10kg of Baittech pellets and Noel caught a personal best 40lb Catfish.
Dan Maher who caught an amazing personal best 68lb 12oz Wels Catfish from the Main Carp Lake!
Dan’s story –
“My name is Dan, I’m 33 years old and I’m from Liverpool. I’ve been coming to Anglers Paradise for over ten years and this is the first year I have come with my girlfriend, Nicola. I decided to fish Nev’s Point on the Main Carp Lake and after catching a couple of nice carp up to 21lb I decided to cast out a catfish rod I brought specifically to try and beat my previous PB of 54lb from the Specimen Cat Lake.
Nicola and I had just sat down in our chairs after a nice bbq and a glass of Zyg’s wine, when the rod ripped off towards the 5C’s island. The fish decided to go on a long run to a snag against the island opposite and then over towards Zyg’s boat house. I was using strong tackle to deal with the biggest catfish in the lake and managed to pull it back through the weed and into open water.
This catch was extra special because it is a new PB and weighed in at a massive 68lb 12oz. It was also amazing to have my girlfriend present to help me net the fish. Nicola is new to fishing and this is the first fishing holiday we have taken together. I would have struggled to net the fish on my own and with little fishing experience, Nicola did an amazing job. I smashed my PB by 14lb and the fish was caught on pellet. I was also lucky enough to catch another cat a couple of hours later at 55lb.”
WELL DONE DANNY BOY – THAT’S A BIG FISH TO CATCH!! CONGRATULATIONS!
Here he is with his winning Fish and being presented his prizes by Zyggy and Zenia with special thanks to JRC Fishing.
George Holder caught his first ever twenty at Anglers Paradise – a stunning 25lb 15oz Mirror from the Main Carp Lake which also won him our Fish of the week competition. George’s shared – “We got up early in the morning to fish the Main lake which was my first session at Anglers Paradise. There were a variety of swims available so I chose a swim where I saw fish feeding. I targeted an island which had many features so I knew fish would be around there. At around 3pm my rod screamed off and I was into a fish. I had to be careful as there were snags all around the 5C’s island. Although when I was about to net the fish he dived for the reeds and the fight was on!
Finally I netted the fish and what a stunner it was. Tipping the scales at 25.15 blew me away as this was my first Anglers Paradise fish and to catch one of this size was unreal. I caught the fish on a mainline high leakage pineapple wafter fished on a hair rig KD style. Thank you so much to Anglers Paradise for the great fishing and help in the tackle shop, I’ll be back soon!”
(Above) Dave Smith had a session on our day ticket Xanadu Lake and caught the beautiful Xanna at 28lbs which is less than she normally is after spawning in May.
Dave has only been Carp fishing for 6 months so as you can imagine, he was absolutely over the moon to catch Xanna!! Dave caught the beauty on a Manilla bait with a white pop up snowman style.
Luke Cornforth, 19 had a nice surprise when he landed this beaut of a Common Carp at 25lbs from the Specimen Carp Lake. Luke shared –
‘Before arriving at Anglers paradise last Saturday my cousin Kieran and I had the idea of fishing the Specimen Carp Lake later in the week. We walked around the lake in the evenings and found a few carp holding up in the pads and the potamogeton and on Wednesday evening we set about baiting a few spots for the following morning.
We were at the lake at first light on Thursday morning and fortunately there were a few signs of carp on our spots, a few hours after getting the rods out Kieran lost one under the rod tip in the potamogeton. Although this was frustrating, especially with a relatively low stock of fish, it gave us hope that the location was right and pre baiting the night before might have put the odds in our favour. The day was quiet but with more and more fish frequenting the dense weed growth to my right we felt confident going into the evening.
My chosen tactics were solid bags filled with a few 2mm pellets and gs crab boilie crumb from Oxford carp baits with a trimmed down gs crab wafter on a simple rig with a size 4 hook and a few handfuls of whole, chopped and crumbed boilies over the top.
Just as the temperature began to drop at around 6:30 in the evening my right hand rod closest to the pads pulled up tight and after a short fight through the dense potamogeton a stunning common of 25lb rolled over the net cord. A lovely fish and the highlight of my week !’
Jamie Cox from Folkestone, Kent with a 20lb Mirror.
Here is a quote from Jamie
“It’s my First time back at Anglers Paradise since my Dad took me 20 years ago. I returned this year with my own little boy and what a way to celebrate Fathers Day by having this 20lb mirror from the main lake on floating crust. A memory I will never lose”.
ANGLERS PARADISE FISH OF THE WEEK WINNER 7TH JUNE IS…
Emma Tanner AND Damian Armes – A JOINT WIN! Both were worthy of winning this week that we couldn’t not choose them both, Emma caught a personal best 22lb 5oz Grass Carp from the Main Carp Lake and Damian caught a personal best 55lb Catfish from the Specimen Cat Lake.
Emma’s story –
“Here we are, another year at AP and although we predominantly target the ornamental fish while we are here, we thought we’d have a go on the Main Lake after a couple of good days on Easy Access. We set up on the Tuesday and it lashed it down all day. Cold and a bit miserable at the June weather, there was nothing but a small pasty for hubby and a big fat blank for me (my first blank day I’ve had here which is probably why I enjoy a few hours on float, koi or magic on the way back to the villa if the other lakes haven’t producing!).
Not to be put off by my day of no action though, we visited Main again on the Wednesday. The lake was much quieter this time and we picked a better swim with lots of features – the weather was looking spot on too! I fished just off the island with a cell wafter and a PVA bag of particle and sweetcorn mix and sat back…at lunchtime my bite alarm went off, nothing much, just a couple of bleeps and the bobbin dropped back, I was out of my chair and poised ready for action but no screaming peel of line, just a couple more half hearted bleeps! Ever hopeful (and a little despondent!) I struck into it anyway and realised I was in. I remember saying to Mark ‘it’s only a pasty but a fish is still a fish’. Swimming towards me with still no fight, I suddenly saw the shoulders and length of what I had called ‘the pasty’. Turns out it was a 22lb 5oz grass carp! I was made up! After lots of thrashing on the mat, I was allowed a couple of photos. I haven’t stopped smiling since as this is my first ever grassy (and a pretty big one at that) so I’m guessing this can be classed as a new PB for me and what better place to set a new record than in Paradise!”
Damian’s story –
‘’I never thought in my wildest dreams I would catch Catfish of 55lbs and 33lbs! I never tried for Catfish until I came to Anglers Paradise in Devon and I got 2 in 24 hours, this 1 being the biggest. I’ve caught that many different species, over 30 Carp biggest being 20lbs, but I’ve seen some monsters that were much bigger and also Koi, Gold fish, Golden Tench, Orfe, too many to name them all!
What a place, the name really does fit as an Anglers Paradise! Zyggy and Zenia are so welcoming and funny, I’ve never laughed so hard, they are a delight to be around. The tackle shop has everything you need and give you helpful tips when trying new lakes. Food is excellent, Zyggy’s wine is lovely fruity and packs a punch, picturesque surroundings and the wildlife is something else, I’ve seen Kingfishers, Barn Owls and a Kestrel. The Lakes are well kept, the fish are spotless and all I can say is I’m already looking forward to my next trip WHAT A WEEK it has been best fishing holiday ever!’’
WELL DONE AND CONGRATULATIONS TO YOU BOTH – GREAT FISH AND BOTH WELL DESERVED!
Here they are with their winning Fish and being presented their prizes by Zyggy and Zenia with special thanks to JRC Fishing.
**FISH OF THE WEEK IS SPONSORED BY JRC FISHING – THE MAKERS OF GREAT CARP TACKLE**
The latest catches from Anglers Paradise. Warm weather has Brought out the cats and carp!
53lb Wels Catfish from the Main Carp Lake!
Well Done to Paul Fullman
FISH OF THE WEEK WINNER 24TH MAY IS…🐟
Jonny Kitson who caught 8 Twenty Pound plus Carp during his week’s stay with us at Anglers Paradise which is pretty amazing angling!! Jonny caught 7 20’s from the Main Carp Lake of 22lb 2oz, 20lb, 22lb 13oz, 24lb 7oz, 24lb 10oz, 26lb 6oz, 23lb 10oz AND a 22lb 13oz Mirror from the Kracking Carp Lake making his catches in weight over 163lbs of Carpy action!!
Jonny’s story –
“I arrived on the Main Carp Lake on the Tuesday morning and after a couple of laps opted for a swim near Zyggy’s roped off area as it was clear there was a lot of fish patrolling the Lilly’s opposite. I then started spreading 18ml of Cell in and around the Lilly’s. I fished Ronnie rigs with Cell wafters just off the Lilly’s and over 2 nights I caught 7 20lb+ carp followed by a 22lb 13oz Mirror from the Kracking Carp Lake. Unbelievable session on an unbelievable lake!!!!”
MASSIVE CONGRATULATIONS AND WELL DONE JONNY – YOUR ARMS MUST BE ACHING FROM ALL THAT HAULING!!!
Here he is with his winning Fish and being presented his prizes by Zyggy and Zenia with special thanks to JRC Fishing.
**FISH OF THE WEEK IS SPONSORED BY JRC FISHING – THE MAKERS OF GREAT CARP TACKLE**
CATS AND CARP ARE ON THE FEED!
Michael Pearson from Notttingham did very well on his annual holiday trip to Anglers Paradise. Not only did he catch Catfish of 53lbs 1oz and 52lbs 4oz from our day ticket Specimen Cat Lake but he also caught a lovely 24lb 9oz Leather Carp from the Main Carp Lake.
The fish are well on the feed after spawning, I’ve got fish pictures coming out of my ears!! Lots more amazing catches to share with you all so watch this space!
Ben McDonnell, 27 from Kent caught a personal best 67lb 13oz Catfish from the Main Carp Lake.
Ben caught the catfish on a casual carpers 15mm spiced krill boillie topped with a 12mm spiced krill pop up, it smashed his old PB of 19lb 1oz by 48lb 12oz!!
(below) Alan George, 49 from Wales caught his 1st ever ‘30’ from the Main Carp Lake, a stunning 30lb 8oz Mirror winning him our Fish Of The Week competition.
Alan shared –
“After arriving at Anglers Paradise on the Saturday afternoon, we enjoyed a few drinks with our friends before venturing down to the Main Lake to take advantage of the peace and quiet as a 5c’s member. I decided to do a bit of stalking on the surface free lining bread. It wasn’t long before I spotted a few in one of the back bays, soaking up the sun. I flicked out a single piece of bread and it wasn’t long before a carp slipped up and took the bait!
After a short hard battle through the pads, my good friend Mick Pearson did the honours of netting the fish and couldn’t believe his eyes when he saw what was in there.
The mirror carp weighed in at 30lb 8oz and was a new PB and my first 30lb plus carp. Not bad for the 1st cast of the holiday!”
(Below)Ben Gregory caught a personal best 5lb 8oz Golden Tench from the Specimen Tench and Orfe Lake. Ben shared – “I’d already had quite a good day on the lake having had 13 Tench and 1 Barbel. However despite my friend Mitchell’s pleads to leave because it was pretty cold, we persisted for another 30mins and I had one final bend in the rod from the lily pads. The biggest was saved to last on a robin red pellet. My new personal best at 5lbs 8oz! It’s been a great week, we hope to get back soon!”(Below)Steve Self caught a beautiful 8lb 6oz Koi and a rare two tone Koi from our famous Koi Lake off the top with bread crust stalking them for hours. Steve also tried a new tactic and fished with a daisy off the top to see if he could catch one on a flower and he did it!!!
Fish of The Week Winner at Anglers Paradise is Steve Deverson with a new UK Personal Best 52lb 8oz Leather known as Silverback!! He also caught a 35lb 10oz Mirror AND his mate had 2 30’s!! All from the Kracking Carp Lake.