I joined CAP's, my local fishing club a few weeks ago, and have visited a few lakes in hope of a nice double figure carp or two, however failed to produce, then I turned to the Ocean Fresh, Oily Crab 15mm bottom bait.

I turned up to "Oliver’s" a water on the CAPS list, mid morning on Friday the 17th April, this lake has many fish a few said to be topping 30lb with some nice mirrors and the odd few ornamental fish.  As soon as we got there, things were looking up, carp were showing, it wasn't raining and I had my bait.  I went round to the area of the lake I was planning to fish and began to throw in a few handfuls of pellet and about 5 of the Oily Crab boilies I was planning to be fishing with.  I then proceeded to finish getting my rods ready.

On my right rod I used the Oily Crab boilie on a hair rig with half of a Banana Ocean Fresh pop up, so it just sat up off the bottom without coming up too far.  I used a tiny PVA bag with ground up crab boilies to give a fine area of attraction the same flavour as my hook bait.  I then glugged this set up in the Ocean Fresh Liquid Crab to give me a bit of extra attraction.  This rod was now ready to go I cast this to pretty much the middle section of the lake I was in.  

On my left rod I used a Zig Rigged Ocean Fresh Banana pop up with a piece of fake sweetcorn at the top of the hair, about 3 foot deep, this was again cast to the middle of the lake.  

As I began to boil my water for my pot noodle I was just stepping into my bivie and I said to my mate,- Ryan, I'm going to keep my shoes on, I'm getting a bite in a minute, roughly 3 seconds after I had said this my alarm went on my right hand rod.  It ran off briefly but stopped, I lifted my rod to feel for any bite but couldn't feel anything then it went again, I slowly struck and it was on!  Although to begin with it felt as though it just gave up as it got closer to the net the fish went steaming off to my left hand side, however with not much difficulty I brought the fish back round and landed it.  Ryan unhooked it and got it in sling ready to be weighed, whilst I went to get my camera, it went 12lb on the scales, although this doesn't seem that big of a fish, it done me :). It was a new PB and a double so I was happy and shall certainly be using the Oily Crab again this season.

Jack Edmondson