GEORGE BENOS had a week he will never forget when he caught giant carp in two different venues for a combined 121 lb, just stopping off at home for a quick shower in-between.
The 41-year-old started his giant carp double at Wasing Estate’s Cranwell Lake, Berkshire, landing the famous ‘Parrot’ at 62 lb 8 oz (pictured above).
George then moved onto Wingham Fishery in Kent, where on his first-ever session he caught ‘Black Spot’ at 58 lb 6 oz.
The AA patrolman from Broxbourne, Hertfordshire explained: “It’s my first season on Cranwells, and I had been fishing the lake hard recently, as I always take leave in May, and this particular session was one week long.
“The swim I wanted to fish was taken, but I knew the chap fishing it was off the next day around lunch time, so I decided to get up really early and move my kit around there to ensure I got there first.”
Weed gives giant carp reward after an hour
George continued: “I fished to a weedy area, just at the base of a sandy plateau, using a hinged stiff link with a Proper Carp Baits 12 mm Yellow Pineapple and N-butyric Acid pop-up, with around about 10 crumbed up Black Seal boilies.
“About an hour later the right hand rod was away and for the first half of the fight I thought I was just dragging in a weed bed before, as the fish got closer, I realised I was attached to something very special.
“After a tense five minutes plodding up and down the deeper gully in front of me, thankfully my Gardner Covert size 5 chod hook held firm and I slid my net under my prize, giving it the big shout.
“The Parrot was my 30th fish landed from the lake, having caught some lovely looking scalies previously, including the awesome Floppy Tail Linear at 41 lb 2 oz.”
Second giant carp was in store for George…
George added: “After having the Parrot following an intense campaign, to have Black Spot on the first day of my first ever trip to Wingham (in Kent) is amazing.
“Never in my wildest dreams did I expect my first Wingham fish to be the biggest!” he concluded.
Arriving there in the afternoon, George spotted a few fish near a reedbed and cast 35 yards into 3 ft of water.
He used a single Proper Carp Baits 15 mm Black Seal boilies plus their 12 mm White Pineapple pop-up on a snowman rig over a half a kilo of boilies.
George’s giant carp, Black Spot, is pictured above. It is one of many heavyweights at Wingham, a venue tipped to grab the British carp record in future.
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