Birthday Carp and Jungle Weed: A Session to Remember at Thorney Weir

Like many weekend anglers, I rarely get more than a quick overnighter on the bank. But this birthday was different, two full days, booked months in advance, and I was buzzing to make the most of it.

Each year, I treat myself to a UK fishing trip for my birthday, and this time, I had my sights set on the legendary Thorney Weir. I’d heard plenty about the place over the years, but somehow, I’d never actually fished it. Originally, the plan was to target Mets Lake, but that changed the moment we arrived.

We rolled into the venue just after 6 pm and spent a good two hours walking around both lakes. Being a Tuesday evening, swims were plentiful. But it didn’t take long to spot the action, carp were showing all over Thorney, while Mets looked lifeless. The choice was easy.

There was just one problem: weed, and lots of it. Thorney was choked, like an underwater jungle. But where there's weed, there's oxygen... and carp.

The activity was concentrated on the far end, away from the car park. The thick weed limited where I could fish, so I focused on spots where the weed broke, possible patrol routes where carp might cruise through. Since weed produces oxygen during the day but absorbs it at night, I aimed to find a swim where I could fish in the weed by day and in open water by night. That balance could be the key to multiple bites.

I approached this session with my usual strategy, a spread of boilies over a target zone, but made some important tweaks. I dusted off the old rod pod (not usually my style) and got those rod tips high to keep the line clear of weed. For bait, I went with a mix of Sticky Baits Krill and Manilla boilies, soaked in water, hemp oil, and the matching liquid attractants. The goal? Create a heavy scent trail and saturate the area.

Spinner rigs on helicopter setups were my rig of choice, with the bead set 2–3 feet up the leader. My hookbaits, super-buoyant pop-ups soaked for months in liquids, were drilled and corked to keep them riding high above the weed when casting. Pro tip: Soak all you want, but if you don’t cork them, they’ll eventually sink like a stone.

It wasn’t until 11 am the next morning that my right-hand rod finally burst into life. After all the anticipation the night before, I was beginning to doubt myself, but that all vanished when I landed my first-ever Thorney carp at 19lb. Not a monster, but a special moment all the same. 

Then, exactly an hour later, boom! The left rod in a clear hole within the weed ripped off. This one felt different. Heavier. Slower. After a nerve-wracking battle through the jungle, I managed to slip the net under a stunning 31lb mirror. Buzzing!

Now, if you’ve never battled carp in weed like this, you’re missing out on a proper adrenaline rush. The fish don’t scrap hard at first, but it’s the netting that turns into the real challenge. Without net floats (rookie mistake), lifting that weed-laden mesh at the right moment becomes a high-stakes operation.

With two solid carp in under 24 hours, I couldn't have asked for a better start. Both bites came as the day started to warm up, which gave me confidence in my theory that they’d push into the oxygen-rich weed during the heat.

There’s something magical about being on the bank when the rods are set, the lake is alive with movement, and anticipation is in the air. As the afternoon drifted into evening on that first full day, the bites dried up, but the carp kept rolling in my zones like clockwork. I knew it was only a matter of time before I’d see some more action, so I opted for an early night. Tomorrow was my birthday, and I wanted to be sharp and ready for whatever the morning would bring.

And wow, what a morning it was.

Around 7 am, my alarm wasn’t the phone; it was a screaming take. Beep, beep, beeeeeeeep! One of the long rods fishing toward open water had finally roared into life. YES. The plan was working, long rods getting hit in the low light, the weeded margins doing the business during the heat of the day. I was buzzing when a lovely 21lb mirror graced the net.



At 9 am, another mirror, this one 24lb. At 10:30 am, a beautifully plated 29lb mirror slipped over the cord. And then, just after lunch, at 2 pm, my first common of the trip, a dark, pristine 27lb warrior. Four fish in under eight hours, all on my birthday, all from Thorney. Honestly, how’s your luck?

You know the saying—if Carlsberg did birthday fishing sessions...

The swim fell quiet after that final birthday gift, but I wasn’t about to complain. That evening, with the rods resting and the grill sizzling, we lit up a proper BBQ, and I couldn’t wipe the grin off my face, six carp in under 48 hours. I was smiling like a Cheshire cat.

The next morning came with a bittersweet edge; we had to be off the lake by midday to return the rental van. But Thorney wasn’t done with me just yet. At 6 am, I had one last take, another gorgeous common, this one 22lb with the kind of unique scale pattern you don’t forget. 10 takes all together with 7 landed in harsh weedy conditions, I'll take that all day-long.

Seven carp. One unforgettable birthday.
Thank you, Thorney Weir. You bet I’ll be back.