Ash Bradbury

Name: Ash Bradbury
Occupation: Tails Up Director and Chub consultant
Venue: Manor Farm, Essex
Date: 27/7/07
Fish Caught: 35.8 ghost lin
Length of session: 48 hours
Bait used: enterprise dog biscuit with pro liver dip   
Set up: Diawa 6000t reel, Chub Outcast 2 1/2 rod, 10lb  clear sensor line, chub controller size 3, 6ft 10lb double strength, size 8 B175.

Details of capture: With the weather being just a little indifferent this year, I had not really done any floater fishing over the Manor. The session had been a little frustrating up to that point on the last morning, I was sitting up a tree looking for any signs of carp swimming through my swim when I noticed a large group of fish including the big ghost linear  bathing in the calm water on the opposite side of the lake. The swim I was fishing is known for doing bites early afternoon, it was now nearly midday, the wind was pushing perfectly in front of me. It just looked so good for a bite, but  I could see the fish on the far bank with their backs out of the surface and looking well up for a mixer.

I just had to get round there, a quick pack up saw me bundling the gear minus the floater rod and a few essentials into the van, before speed walking to unsuspecting carp. A few pouch falls of mixers we sent skywards out in to the lake, with the wind blowing from behind the mixers were landing right in the zone of the cruising fish, a few minutes past before the first few mixers disappeared with relative confidence. Half hour past with growing confidence on the fishes part and mine, I new I had a chance of getting a take if I could get the presentation right. Suddenly two fish were in close proximity to the bait and the mixer, difficult to pick out a around 60 yards range seemed to disappear, looking  desperately to see what was occurring, the float bobbed up and down, before I realised what was going on, I wound down and struck but to no avail…. A few words to myself saw me scooting the controller back towards me. A missed opportunity, this was quickly followed by another and I was starting to loose the plot. The wind by this time had  picked up and now I only had a small section of calm water running a long the side of  the pump rope that crosses the lake. The fish were still having it and I could see a lighter coloured fish taking the odd mixer, out went the controller, plop right on the money to drift over the spot where they were taking most confidently. A few minutes later the adrenaline was pumping as a few fish approached the bait, one took a mixer 3 feet away then its head came up and engulfed mine, I wound down and as  I struck  the rod hoped over and the battle began, it was really powerful taking 30 yards of line and heading for the pump, I think it even went under it, keeping the rod low in the water I steadily pumped her back towards me as hard as I dared. A few minutes later all was under control, it felt like a real gooden as the powerful surges were then followed strong slow head shakes. It wasn’t to long before the fish rose in front of me and I got the first sight of  what could only of been the ghost linear, I remember shouting out  “yes you beauty” before realising I still had to get it in the net before I could celebrate. The fish powered around in the edged for ages, I had it over the net a couple of times before it tore off back into open water. I was starting to panic a little, but then finally the fish popped up and into the net it went. I was shaking like a leaf, one of the ones I really wanted from the Manor was in my net, “The ghost linear”. It looked big in the net a lot bigger than I thought as id seen it at close range the week before but thought it was low thirties. On the scales it went 35lb 8oz, weight was not really important as id just caught one of the joules of the manor.