Tom ‘The Machine’ Maker takes a look back at three of his most memorable carp fishing captures and what made them so special…

1) Manor Farm Fully Scaled @ 29lb+

Without a doubt the best looking carp I have ever caught! I arrived up at Linear Fisheries in early March and was faced with bitterly cold northerly winds and extremely high air pressure. The weather was far from ‘carpy’ conditions but I was determined to fish. Having fished the complex for a number of years I knew these super rare original fully scaleds resided in Manor but never in my wildest dreams did I think I would catch one! For the record it weighed a shade under 30lb and was part of a 9 fish hit.

2) River Ebro Common @ 43lb 5oz

This powerhouse of a river common carp was caught whilst filming a section for the  second Carp Fishing Edges DVD a few years December’s back. The fishing had been steady for me landing fish to low 30s but I had long awaited to catch my first common over 40lb, and on the final day I did just that with this fish, and to catch it live for the cameras from such a wild expanse of water was just  an incredible experience for me.

3) Oxlease Snow Carp!

Not so much one capture but a session never to forget! Arriving up at Oxlease on a bitterly cold March morning I was greeted with a half frozen lake and disappointed anglers in nearly every peg. The lake had fished very poor over the weekend but I was determined to fish, slotting in between 2 guys I made a cast with a bare lead on the spod rod and to my surprise It hit a couple of fish on the way down. I estimated these to be about 2-4 feet off the bottom so instantly got the Zig Rigs out. What happened over the next 72 hours was quite unbelievable, fishing single 3ft zigs, myself, Mark Bartlett and my dad managed to land an astonishing 90 carp, with the icing on the cake being this triple snow shot! Every time I'm having a bad session I just a look back at this picture and think to myself "anything is possible".