In itself, a 16lbs 4ozs mirror is not earth shattering news although still very pleasing to the captor, especially when they have only just started carp fishing and this marks a new personal best. But then Lucy Bowden is more at home holding a fly rod and reel and casting to rising trout and only recently took up the challenge to try carp fishing.
“This was only my second time carp fishing and I am thrilled to have caught another PB! My first carp was a 14lb Mirror.” said Lucy.
“I have always wanted to try Carp fishing and I enjoy fishing for many other species. Catching another PB on my second trip was a dream come true; they certainly put up a good fight and it’s a bit different using a fixed spool reel compared to a fly reel!”
22 year old Lucy, who is the Public Relations Coordinator at Hardy Greys, caught the beauty using one of their Greys Torsion 13ft 3.5lbs T/C carp rods.
Her story in her own words –
“As a child, Dad would take me to a local river with my net where I could catch tiddlers to my heart’s content. My first taste of fly fishing was when I caught my first real trout, which is still my largest catch to date. My biggie was eight and a half pounds which I took from a small Scottish fishery. Would you believe I was the first female and the youngest person both to fish the newly opened lake at the time? So a lot of records were broken and you could say my fishing career was meant to be!
“Fishing isn’t all my life though. I love the outdoors and go for long walks in the beautiful Northumbrian countryside. I enjoy swimming, keeping fit and, like most girls my age, I love socialising with friends and going shopping!
“I’m a member of many fishing clubs and I write for various fishing magazines and website round the world, including Reel Women magazine in Australia and the Sky Sports Tight Lines website where I am the only female writer at present. I also founded the fishingforeveryone.com website. Fishingforeveryone.com is central to my life, helping me setting up a ladies fishing club in my local area, the very first of its kind ever to be seen in the North East of England. We currently have forty members and it is growing all the time.
“I know just how lucky I am in life so I like to donate time to non-profitable events. I annually take part in “The Big Fish” – a yearly competition held at venues all over the UK to raise money for Macmillan Cancer Patients and their families. I also donate five percent from every sale of wellingtons on my website to Casting for Recovery. This is a marvellous non-profitable organisation which helps women who have or have had breast cancer to recover using fishing as their therapy.”
The 16lbs 4ozs Common was caught at Lodge Lakes, a private syndicate venue in Newbury, during a fishing trip with Grey’s Product Manager, Lee Collings. Bait was a Mainline 15mm Cell boily tipped with plastic corn with a 3-boily stringer. Fishing the corner of an island where the bottom shallows off, the fish was caught at around 6pm.
Fishing For Everyone website
Meanwhile Hardy & Greys Coarse Academy member, Tony Runnalls has landed his new PB tench.
The 8lb 2oz Tench was caught on an evening fishing session at Bovington whilst Tony was testing the new Greys VX 12ft Specimen Twin Tip 1.25lb – 1.75lb Rods.
Tony said; “As soon as I hooked the fish it made a b-Line straight for a reed bed to my left and I knew that I had to apply immediate pressure or lose the fish. I didn’t need to have worried as the VX Prodigy did exactly what it was designed to do and all of the attempts for freedom the fish made were subdued, even under the tip and as she made a couple of hard surges I always felt in control. I will be using this rod a lot in the foreseeable future.’’
The new VX Prodigy range will be available in January 2010.
