21/07/2025 - Big Eel from The Pit....Micky Erends

Common Carp

The hot recent weather had decided that after a slow start to the new season, I needed to arrive at, the gravel pit as early as possible. Arriving around 4.40am, I quickly set up my chapman 550, matched with a Mitchell 300, my intended quarry, were the very large Bream the water holds, another reason l decided to use this rod, there was just that chance of hooking one of the 30lb plus Carp the pit holds.

After rigging up with one of my home made goose quill floats, l then set up the landing net. I baited a size 6 barbless hook with a large lump of paste, this was flicked out to land among a bed of corn and hemp. After a few half hearted bites, the float sailed away, my Chapman rod was well bent over, as a powerful fish made a steady runout into the pit, taking line from the Mitchell 300, but I held on

After some time, a large fish was steered over my waiting net, "not a monster bream", I was targeting but a 16lbs Carp!

Having released the carp, my float was quickly cast back out, sometime later the tip ducked down twice, then was sliding away. My first thought, as the rod took a savage bend, I thought "Was this another Carp" as the unseen fish was taking line. I felt several thumps, the typical feeling through the rod one gets from an Eel. Sometime later after what was a hectic fight, then several attempts at getting its tail in the net first! I managed to net my prized fish.

The Eel was lip hooked, then weighed the scales, gave a reading of6lbs 4oz. Sadly there was no one around to take a picture of me holding this big fish. I had to settle with this magnificent Eel curled in the landing net, which is not the best way to show off its true size .

I was never to catch a big Bream, in fact I didn’t get another bite, but the Eel being the biggest I’ve ever caught in my life, certainly made a day to remember. “One I will never forget”!

6lb 4 ounce eel       

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