‘BLEDDY MARVELLOUS’ SLOVENIAN CARPFEST
HUNTING for fish in the dark at Slovenia’s iconic Lake Bled helped Brit Sam Toro get among the bigger carp at the day-only venue.
The Salford angler caught mirrors of 55lb, 49lb and 47lb as part of a seven-fish haul in three day trips.
The 32-year-old was a guest of Jamie Clossick’s VIP Carp Holidays venture, and the pair began their assault on the popular Alpine resort in the dead of night.
Said Sam: “We’d missed the firstlight bite time, but we’d located the fish, which were very active and obviously on the feed.
“Shortly after lunchtime, I got my first lake Bled take from a lovely common. I decided to bait fairly heavily before evening drew in, and an hour before dark one of my rods was torn from the grips.
“Jamie’s partner Gasper spotted the carp in the clear water and stripped off, diving in with the net. Just before the light faded I held up a brute of a carp at 22.5kg – that’s 49lb-plus.”
Overnight fishing is banned on Bled, but Sam added more bait before nightfall and returned at dawn on the second day. “Within 15 minutes of casting out at 4am I had a common and another mirror which went 21.5kg (47lb-plus),” he said.
“On the final morning I landed my Bled donkey. At 25kg (55lb-plus), this was the seventh of the session.”
Sam fished whole and chopped Sticky Manilla boilies coated in matching cloudy liquid and betaine powder.
His IQ D rigs were topped with a Manilla Tough One and a homemade fruity pop-up.