Ian Russell’s Diary September 2024: The Fryerning Challenge

 

First up in September was the BYCAC competition at Linear Fisheries which I was asked to present again.

For me this has become an annual fixture in my diary as I believe it is a massively important event in our carp world. Lee Robbins was on camera and it went incredibly well with lots of lovely Linear carp gracing the banks.

 

Next was a Filming trip again but this time with my ole mate Joe Morgan and we were off to make a promotional film on behalf of Chris and Charlie – the owners of Fryerning Fishery – in Ongar, Essex.

I had forgotten just how much fun it was filming with Joe and we did indeed have a blast targeting all three lakes on site.

Firstly, the Car Park Lake which to be fair is stuffed with carp but my challenge was a mid-double which had to be caught using Joe’s grandad’s old Split Cane rod lol.

During the first half of the filming, a dozen Fryerning carp were hooked but they were all high singles so they did not complete the challenge but after fishing countless marginal spots, which I had previously baited with Dynamite’s 3mm Marine Halibut Pellets and 4mm CompleX-T pellets, I eventually hooked into my prize!

Joe constantly reminded me to take it easy with the rod which I did, and eventually scooped up my mid double and that gave me a move onto the Valley Lake next door which we again baited for the following morning.

The night was spent on the Big Lake which produced a solitary tench to me and mid morning, after bite time, we moved across to the Valley Lake.

Now Joe had primed a little edge spot as well so we both had a chance of completing the Fryerning Valley challenge of a 20lb carp.

With the wind smashing into the first end by the concrete monk, I set up two rods, flicked them out and laid them on the floor with stones on the spools. It wasn’t long before Joe called me up to film him with an incredible upper 30lb scaley carp!

It was a mega result for him that now left me to nab a 20.

Returning to my swim, I again under arm flicked the rods out and placed stones on the spools.

For an hour we sat creating small snippets for Carp Angle before the left hand stone flew off and I was into a carp as well. This tore up and down the margin to my left and Joe scrambled the ole camera into action.

Before long, a pure white common carp was scooped up! I had caught this particular carp a few years ago as a mid-double but a member walking passed informed me that last time out it went 23lb.

Alas, on the scales it went 19lb 12oz but as Joe had an upper 30, I borrowed 8oz from him and we called is ‘challenge completed’ on the valley lake LOL.

So we were now onto the big lake and this challenge was to catch a 30lb-plus carp of which there are many in there. However, by pack up time the next day, none had given themselves up to either of us so as the big guy said: I’LL BE BACK.

We did have a fantastically funny couple of days filming at Fryerning however and when Joe has edited it, you’ll find the footage on YouTube.

I then had a 48-hour trip to my friend Dean’s private lake in Essex with my brother from another mother – Matty Grover.

What a great trip it turned out to be with Matty taking four 20’s which included an upper 20lb pure Leather carp and myself managing 10 carp up to and including the lake’s big girl at 38lb, alongside nine other 20’s.

We really enjoyed a totally relaxed couple of nights angling with my Ian Russell 12mm Choccy Malt pop ups fished over handfuls of 12mm Monster Tiger Nut baits providing all my takes.

My final trip of September was with the new editor of Total Carp Magazine Jake and what a lovely bloke he turned out to be.

I have worked with DHP for 30 years now and obviously a good few editors in that time who were all great guys so I look forward to working with Jake going forward.

Well to see how we got on you will have to pick up next month’s Total Carp magazine!

Tomorrow i’m off to fish alongside my friend Steve Coe in the fun-fuelled Dividing Lines Comp on Berners Hall Fishery.

Last year not only did the Southerners ruin the Northern Team but because of Steve’s prowess as a long range angler, we came second overall.

Obviously we would like to better that with a first place this year.

I’ll let you know how we fared in next month’s diary entry!

Ian Russell

The post Ian Russell’s Diary September 2024: The Fryerning Challenge! first appeared on Dynamite Baits.

The post Ian Russell’s Diary September 2024: The Fryerning Challenge! appeared first on Dynamite Baits.

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