Well where do I start, my third visit to Welham, and after 2 blanks hopes were not high, even though i was on peg 10.
Set up and rods out by 12:30 the waiting began, not a thing and by 6 o'clock Alan and I were starving, so like the good guy i am I set off for the local chinese take away.
Got back to Welham around 30 mins later to find Alan on my peg asking me if i "Wanted to see the one he had just put back" typical of my luck he had caught a lovely fish on my rod, not wishing to open up the whos fish is it if someone else lands it using your rod debate, i conceded that it was Alans fish, and thought the worst , "Will this be the only one out tonight"?
I neededn't have worried, by 22:00 this 9lb baby was all mine
My first ever carp so for me a PB.
Off to bed feeling as happy as Larry (who is Larry by the way?) i settled down only to be awoken at 01:30 by this 9 1/2lb carp

a new PB wow "
Back to bed and apart from a few knocks through the night , nothing else.
Woke up to find it was a little overcast but warm, recasting i settled down in my chair when all of a sudden the now familiar sound of my alarms screeming, 10 minutes later i had landed this 10lb 5oz cracker


Yet again an new PB, life was good.
So with 3 under my belt i was off to enjoy one of Kelly's breakies YUM !
3/4 of the way through whilst Kelly was doing his housewife bit and starting the washing up his rod alarm went off, ever the helpful soul i grabbed his rod (at his insistance) and landed this 14lb beauty.



Give that I had let Alan have the one the night that he landed on my rod im claiming this one and yet again my PB was smashed.
Drove home with the biggest smile you can imagine YES !

The first 4 out of peg ten were all caught on single pop up sweetcorn over halibut pellets, or stim swim groundbait.
The last one of the dam wall was caught off the top using a pop up boilie and dog biscuit.

Nice catches mate top bombing!! how far out was u for the one off the top?

The one off the top was about half way between the dam wall and the far bank, cast at about the 10 oclcok position from the left hand side of the dam wall

Cracking result mate and a nice write up to match.

As for the vote i didnt vote as in this instance it really doesnt matter but if it had been the only fish of the session dont think i could of claimed it if i was either of you.

If you didnt set the trap you havn't put the effort or skill in and if you were at the chinese you def cant really claim it.

Have read a debate by two guys that landed a 30lb'er under similar conditions and the majority vote went to photo the fish with no one in the picture.

End result to keep it fair i'll claim the fish.

Well done mate superb your up and running

What about this one? Who claims the catch if one person strikes into a fish which is not on their rod then hands it over to the person whos rod it is.

I ask this because i struck into a fish when my mate was fighting his way out of his bivvie then i handed it over when he finally got out. Should i have played the fish till the end or handed it over which i did?

Def his fish Tim, gracious of you to hand the rod over but he has set the trap and in this case played the fish, his rig has obviously hooked the fish on the take. There is no skill in lifting the rod in carp fishing as there would be say in surface fishing.

my thoughts anyway mate

I agree.

Carl take note. And you tim ha. That means i caught the 2 biggest fish of our recent trip.. I set the trap. And cast out. . But then proceeded to get very intoxicated and fall asleep thus letting carl take the honour when my rod screamed off.. But seeing as though it was his new pb i didnt and still dont claim it as mine.. Some cracking pics and fish there lads. Looks like you had a real good time..

Slight difference when you dont even get out ya pit!

That dosnt come into it tim. Whats the difference -in your pit/at the chinese/round other side of lake/ having a turd. All the same thing. Not being there when your rod goes off all same regardless of what your doing..

ya whatever!!! I think in July if we have another comp we will have to say that if its on ur rod then it counts as urs regardless who lands it.

there was the same difference of opinion when i was out with my mate russ, he,d been on the lash the evening before and on arriving at our chosen venue, we set up camp and the rods went in and the traps were set, as the day went by i thought to myself wheres russ looking inside his bivvy the boy was fast asleep so played a few tricks on him, with the maggots on his lips thinking he would wake up theres was no way he was going to, i went back to my peg and carried on with my tactics of landing something when off went the sound of his alarm turning round and not seeing him come out of his pit, i ran over and shouted him still he would wake, so i picked up the rod and struck into it, and landed it a nice common to 18lb, well he came out of the bivvy while the fish was getting banked and having a bit of banter with the boy c.p.r was done.... i say if you snooze you lose, after all its the welfare of the fish that counts, and who knows anything could have happened, fish death or tackle getting pulled in well i claimed the fish but other people voiced the opinions just like this subject, to be fare the fished lived to fight another day....

my votes with the person landing the fish who evers tackle it is, i would,nt mind if that happened to me.....

the welfare of the fish we love so much is paramount at the end of the day.....

Think im with u with this one!

I'd say his rods shouldnt even be in the water

I also agree with this, if ur going off somewhere such as to the toilet or chinese meal, or the fact that ur alarms dont wake u then ur rods should be pulled in.