Now as Ive mentioned in the bait thread my Season campaign starts in less than 2 weeks im doing 4/5 days on my canal,it is rumoured to have 3 x 30's in there I've had this information off a well known big fish angler who has a bait company in my area,now I've already had one of the big 3 out at 32(common) there's apparently 2 mirrors left and I heard from someone last year that one was found dead but my question is could a 20lb plus carp look like a 30 when it's been left in the water for a while I mean it will swell and take on water I'd imagine so I find it hard to believe,especially if it's been found by an inexperienced angler who might think a 20 is actually a 30,you know what I'm saying when someone says “oh I've seen some big fish further down lake/river/canal and you go and look and it's a bream or small carp around 3/4lb mark our guess at sizes are different to occasional anglers and walkers or dog walkers.
Anyway the other rumour is that one of the mirrors has come out last year at 35 plus in an area I'm now looking at away from where I've fished in the past just further down the canal.

What's everyone's thought on truths and rumours as I'd appreciate peoples advice

In reply to Post #1
Without pictures everything is bullshine.

Pretty much everything bloats after it dies weather its in the water or not, so id say yeah its possible that a dead 20lb fish would appear larger...but a whole 10lb larger? That may be a bit of a longshot, but yeah like you said if someone unexperienced or just someone assuming that said dead fish was the big one then yeah I suppose its possible to make the mistake.

In reply to Post #2
Well the guy who I had some bait off he had pictures sent to him of fish caught on his bait and he even had a 40 plus out of a public lake but dodgy area that's not far from me as well so I know he's not telling BS.
And I know of another stretch where there's a few big uns in there and I mean 30 plus,I've even seen one my self that was knocking for 30 so I know they are there it's just when you hear someone say “I I've seen one dead in the edge”you don't know whether he was telling ALL the truth or it could be a completely different fish.

Only 100% believe what you see with your own eyes.
In a canal absolutely anything is possible, I've known carp to go both ways through locks and travel miles. Come to that I've known carp to travel miles between lakes as well.

In reply to Post #5
It's more to do with a fish being found dead and can a dead 20 be mistaken for a dead 30 and the 30 is still alive and well,I've had people come upto me when I'm fishing and say they've seen massive fish and when I've looked it's not as big to me as what they are saying

You have some bloating as the gas in the body brings it to the surface, not sure how much bigger it will look or weigh. Very difficult unless you have a known weight and id of the fish.

I'm always wary of rumours about fish disappearing. I've caught a few that had supposedly disappeared and were suspected to have died, then reappeared a few years later.

The hardest part on rivers and canals is how far they can move, through locks, over weirs.
I know fish in the River Gipping have gone around 15miles downstream, through the tidal Weir and taken residence in the brackish section. That's at least 5 weirs and Mills.

Some fish have moved upstream from Riverside over one Weir into a section about 2miles long.

In reply to Post #4
There you go pictures, let's honest a thirty isn't a big fish by today's standards , many canals have much bigger if that's your thing.

In reply to Post #1
Doesnt help you in any way but I've got pictures of all four 30s in my local stretch (including a 39) having been ottered in the last 7 months

Fish for them whilst they still 'might' be there. You can only truly believe what you see for yourself and as with everything, it is only a matter of time anyway

In reply to Post #8
30lb didn't start weighing any less just because they are less rare.
Its still the fish of dreams for many anglers and shouldn't be looked down on.

Rule number 1 - never believe a single thing in carp fishing unless it is a truly trusted source

I would be trying to find them and see them

Good post ...

You have to catch it or see it with your own eyes..I don't believe anything until I see it or catch it..

Years ago a lake I have fished since a 14yr old ..I'd caught literally 00s of carp many of them repeats ..not a double did I see or catch ..
One day I met someone, who was on holiday ,he'd had four carp over double figures ,but no evidence to back it up ,I didn't believe him at all..
The manor got sold,and the very last carp I caught was 10lb and one oz..a repeat capture as it had an ottered tail....

And another,a big ressi ,over the road..,had 'no' carp ....I didn't believe it had any fish at all,despite knowing the place..so on a hot day I went to the shallows ,..and I did indeed see some carp..,not many....,so my point is always back up your info,sometimes it's true ,sometimes not ....I err on the side of BS ...

In reply to Post #12
I've seen a picture twice off a guy at work he's a well known bulls**ter and he told me they were rack his uk pb and his French pb I laughed afterwards about it,but the source is a well known guy by me who told me originally about the 3x 30's in there

Unless you see it yourself everything is a myth
That's how I look at it

In reply to Post #4
If your referring to who I think your referring to yes he did have a 40 from public lake but he grafted for it and if he says there are three thirties in the cut I would be inclined to believe him