ANGLING: Matty's perfect present (From Oxford Mail)

ANGLING: Matty's perfect present

11:00am Saturday 26th January 2013 in Sport

This week’s freezing weather didn’t deter young Matty Morrell from a spot of carp fishing and he celebrated his 15th birthday with a personal best mirror of 26lb 4oz and another of 22.4.0.

The Bicester youngster, who attends Cooper School and works at J&K Tackle in the town on Saturdays, fished the Newland AC pit, near Stanton Harcourt, with his father.

Matty takes up the story: “After a quick walk round some likely looking areas, I settled into a swim that give me a far margin full of snags, a perfect holding area for carp in the winter.”

He baited up before setting up the bivvy, later putting out more bait, and his right-hand rod screamed off just before dark.

Matty continued: “After a very hairy battle, I was pleased to net a 22.4.0 mirror.

“Next morning, I awoke at first light and the alarms had remained silent, until the left-hand rod pulled round.

The fish was aiming for the snags, so I had to turn him.

“After a nervy fight, a very plump-looking fish came to the net and she tipped the needle round to 26.4.0 – a personal best.”

The fish came on a single Active Bait Solutions belachan and seasnail pop-up.