Another Big Fish for Bait Maker

Thirty year old Phil Chun of Aston Keynes Gloucestershire started his working life training as a climbing and sailing instructor, before specialising in the former which took him all over Europe. Though he still continued with his love for angling which started when he was a youngster in short trousers.

Over the past few years Phil has specialised in catching big fish, also designing and perfecting baits.

His latest big fish is a mirror carp from a gravel pit of some seventy acres holding a handful of carp, though it does have a good reputation for big tench, perch and roach.

In fact Phil's wife Nina an accountant, who is also a very proficient angler has taken some excellent catches of big roach to fifty odd pounds in a session.

Phil latest big fish came from a small gravel area roughly the size of a kitchen table in a sea of Canadian pond weed. The casting range was probably around 80 to 90 yards.

Time after time I watched Phil expertly drop all three baits into the feeding area. Two rods were baited with his Tock special's while the other rod was baited with a single grain of imitation maize on a size 8 extarctor hook. Tackle was 3lb test curve Century rods, 12lb Fox soft steel line, to 3oz leads on clips and Mantis braided hooklengths.

During the night Phil caught tench up to 6-5-0, also a lovely looking common carp of 19-8-0. Just after dawn with the sky all shades of golds and pinks, Phil had a run from the big fish. Though it tried several times to bury itself in the weeds Phil seemed totally in control of the situation. The result was a super mirror carp of 29-2-0