German carp ace Simon Wichert has had a big hit with a catch of 11 commons averaging nearly 30lb. The Taska backed angler has been targeting the massive River Rhine because like in the UK, many of the stillwaters have been frozen and unfishable.

He started on the river, but a window in the weather allowed him onto his favoured stillwater and so he shared his catch between running and still water.Said Simon: “In the past few years there have been quite a number of decent sized fish on this stretch of the Rhine. My first night was quite good, I managed two commons, a grass carp and a nuisance bream! The night could have been a lot better as I lost three fish due to snags – the fishing on this stretch is not for the light hearted!“Two days later, I heard news that my local lake was no longer frozen, this put a big smile on my face, it meant I could fish during the weekend, however cold it may be.  “The nights were bitterly cold but during the day the sun appeared and took a lot of the chill out of the air. For this reason I placed my rig on a small flat spot not far from the edge with the hope that my instincts pay off.“On the first night, just after 10pm my alarm screamed off; I had managed to catch the first common of the weekend.  On the second night I managed a big koi. I was fishing with a double tigernut over a bed of particle in water around 4 feet deep. I ended with 11 commons averaging over 28lb, plus the grass carp and the koi. A great start to 2013 for me!!
Angler Name:Simon Wichert
Venue:Germany
Catch Details:11 Commons (Average of 28 ½ lbs)
Rig Used:Line Aligner Rig
Bait Used:Tigernut