Angler Rob Garland
Venue 6.5-acre gravel pit, Cheshire
The fish Big G, an original Gratwick mirror, a couple of ounces under 30lb
Bait The Swarm
This story started way back in the late 80s, but don’t worry, I won’t go that far back.
The carp that reside in some very special lakes in the heart of the Cheshire plains are very sought-after indeed. Granted, they are not the 50lb-plus carp you find south of the Midlands, but they are for certain some of the most elusive, dark and trickiest you will ever set your eyes on. If that’s not tempting enough, these fish go all the way back to the 70s, 80s and 90s, and they’re still around to this day.
Father Time is ticking on some of these unbelievable fish, which is why I had to move quickly. With full campaign mode well and truly kicked in, my hunt for that childhood dream began.
The Target
The fish I was targeting was an old mirror named “Big G”.
He is a Gratwick strain carp that was stocked into my local lake, possibly around the mid to late 90s, I can’t be certain. As I mentioned at the start, I have fished this lake since the late 80s with my late father, so as you can imagine it’s a very special place to me.
The Campaign
My campaign for Big G started back in September 2024. Alongside him there are another 8–10 original members of what we call the A-Team: old, dark, wily carp that I was happy to work through to reach my end game. Upper-20 mirrors and 30lb-plus commons that blow anglers’ minds when caught were there for the taking.
The Lake
The lake is a 6.5-acre old gravel pit nestled in lush Cheshire countryside, with very deep drop-offs and really shallow margins in places, surrounded by tall oak and willow trees packed with wildlife. The bottom can be very weedy, with holes and snags for sanctuary that the fish disappear into on a regular basis.
From being in and around the lake for a number of years, I felt fully in tune with not only the lake itself but the routine of the resident carp. I trod carefully with my wife Sammi to let her know I’d be on the bank for a minimum of 48 hours every week. Luckily it’s very close to my house, so I could walk the banks daily and never missed a thing.
Bait & Results
Armed with The Swarm, I was baiting the lake regularly. I knew I was going to use a lot of bait, so the support from the team was essential.
I started to pick off some of the A-Team originals fairly quickly, including some mega old ones called “The Earl”, “Lumpy” and “White Tips”.
Closing In
Going into late summer and autumn 2025, Big G hadn’t been caught for almost 12 months, which wasn’t unusual, as he only does two bites a year at best. Knowing where he was last caught, I focused on a particular part of the lake known to hold the main group of carp, including him.
All the other lads on the lake left me to it and encouraged me to finally land him. Fellow anglers with that level of etiquette are rare nowadays, and I truly thank them for it.
The Night
October 2nd came around and I knew he was close. The weather was set up for it: 18 degrees through the day and 13 at night. A very big storm was forecast that night, the air pressure dropped to 984, and there was a hell of a lot of rain.
Perfect!
I baited my two areas exactly as I had been doing all year, with 3–4 kilos of Swarm and chilli hemp.
I had recently changed my hookbait approach from my trusty snowman presentation (a Swarm bottom bait topped with a white chocolate pop-up) to two single Swarm bottom baits, matching the hatch, as I knew they were really going for it now. I never overcomplicate rig choice. My go-to is a combi rig: a stiff boom coupled with a supple hooklength is deadly, matched with a size 4 Wide Gape X.
Signs
Earlier that session I had caught a 23lb common along with “The Big Stockie” at 24lb 10oz on that spot. I just knew he was there, lying in wait.
The Take
The storm rolled in, with torrential rain and strong southerly winds smashing across the lake into the corner where I had my traps set.
I was bivvy-bound early evening with my son Harley, who had never done a night with me before.
8.15pm. Two single beeps on the right-hand rod. I popped my head out, flicked on my head torch, and the bobbin was up tight against the blank. Hmmm.
As I walked over, I could hear my clutch ticking ever so slowly. I was away!
Once I lifted into it, it was just plodding, giving a burst every now and then. I shouted to my good friend Tom Hughes, who was in the next swim. The fight wasn’t anything special, I must admit. The fish popped up a few rod lengths out and straight away I called:
“That’s a stockie, that, kid.”
Little did I know Tom had already seen its flank and knew exactly which fish it was. He kept quiet, knowing my head would have fallen off and I still had to land it.
He netted it for me, still saying nothing. Then he turned to me and said:
“You’ve got him, Rob.”
“What? You winding me up?” were my words.
We both got on our knees to have a proper look. He was right. Big G was mine!
The Moment
I let out an almighty celebratory roar and couldn’t believe my eyes.
The joy and relief that flooded over me was spine-tingling. All that hard work, all those hours going crazy at home wondering if someone else had caught him, disappeared instantly.
Some of the lads around the lake heard the commotion and came over to share the moment with me and see this absolute stunner on the mat.
He came in at just a couple of ounces under 30lb, but that didn’t matter one bit. The elusive black and gold mirror was right there, with a double Swarm hookbait nailed in his bottom lip.
I’ve not had another moment in fishing like it: cameras flashing in the wet, dark, atmospheric storm going on around us, shared with some of the very best lads I know, all because of carp fishing.
What a moment.
What a feeling.
What a carp.
Words by Rob Garland
