Bailiff Comments

Week Commencing: Sat 16/11/2013

Air temps are 3-8 degrees during the day then -1 to 4 degrees at night.

Water temps at the start of Week was 11 degrees and by the end of the week was down to 9 degrees.

Wind was a strong NE for the first 24 hours, then flat calm for 24 and then a NW to SW and back to NE for last 3 days.

Pressure was 1020 at the start of the week falling to 995 by Wednesday and then rising again towards the end of week.

Saturday

No boat activity and everyone getting out quietly meant lots of shows in the dark in the wind, stock pond, Baxters and beech main areas. Steve in Stock Pond had an 18 leather and 24 scaly mirror at 1 and 5am on rhr 16.5RL to right margin. Combi rig with Gigantica Almond Goo wafters doing the bites over a handful of 18mm Cell.

Sunday

Ady went to 26rl out of Baxters (50 yds off side of Alc as he controlled both swims) and promptly caught The Survivor at 48.12 at 11.30pm. His own Manchester specials rolled by Gary Bayes doing the bizz on an 10" Combi and size 4 Kurv B. He scattered a kilo of his bait from Alc with the stick.

Steve in Stock lost one on his rhr at 7.45am, hook pull on an almond wafter again. Fish still showing all down alcatraz bank in dark and moving out to middle as wind went slight SW monday morn.

Monday

Ady from Carp Crazy made the bold move of swapping to Alcatraz his other swim (6 Anglers means 2 each in winter) as fish were crashing super long from Baxters and was rewarded with a stunning linear called Horseshoe at 37lbs at 11.30pm, 20RL at the W off alcatraz, 10" Combi rigs, size 4 kurvs and his own Manchester specials fished snowman style got the bite over about 1kg of throwing sticked baits. His style of fishing has worked really well, opting not to use the boat and simply bait and fish to what he sees. Top angling from a thoroughly nice bloke, good skills as we say!

After a windless day the fish have definitely spread and can be heard crashing all over the lake in darkness. The first pigs falling out of Helicopters at about 7pm, and continuing on through the night.

Tuesday

The wind switched to WNW blowing into Oblivion and Alamo for the first time this week and Kenzo in Oblivion had his first Gigantica carp at 2am in the shape of a lovely 28lb mirror taken at 21 RL over to the euro tree line in big girls. Kenzo has both Oblivion and Big Girls and has been expertly swapping between the two areas which can both be hit from Oblivion. By resting one area and fishing another he has created confident feeding which got him a bite under slow circumstances. Tom Doves N Trap straight through rig with a snowman hookbait did the trick. Good Angling Kenzo!

Sadly Kenzo's dad Didier lost one in Stink at 7.30pm after baiting it for 3 days and then moving from Big southerly, his other swim. Gutted for him, but good tactics all the same, again a small snowman at 11RL did the bite.

Steve in Stock pond also lost one on his rh margin rod at 2am, a blunt hook to blame for the loss!

Wednesday

The wind blew strong almost gail force SW all night but no takes came and on first light odd fish were seen in the middle and in front of stock pond as the wind had swung N in the latter part of darkness. The temp is dropping now with 1-2 in the night and 3-4 in the day.

Thursday

The wind has remained N or NE all day and few fish have shown. After dark fish have started to crash in Big Girls, a good omen for Kenzo! It's amazing how many fish have been crashing close to the bank this week, it shows you don't have to fish at range in Autumn to catch them as we once thought! The same spots as summer are doing most bites. Last week everyone fished at range and this week there have been just as many bites and all from less that 80 yds from the bank.

Kenzo sadly lost one in the weed from Big Girls tree line at 4am. Gutted for him! It shows you have to play them hard even at this time of year!

Friday

A biting NE wind persisted all day and with it came icy cold rain meaning few ventured from their bivvy's to watch for fish. The night was cold and wet and we were all surprised to hear that Kenzo had 2 more bites at 2 and 4am, sadly both fell off at the net, one of them was a monster apparently! This could have turned the week around completely but that's fishing. Fish continued to crash in the night especially in scotties and big s, Lee (Hill Bill) in Co's and Didier in Big S heard them all night yet no bites came.

Bailiffs Comments

This was a tough week for us all, I expected more action and am disappointed to have blanked myself but well chuffed for those who caught. Ady deserved more after a fine display of angling. It just shows that you have to get swim and baiting choices dead right but the rewards are there at this time of year.

It was noticeable that the corners received far more activity from jumping fish than open water and the number of bites from these areas proves this is where they were spending most of their time. By rights my long area at 31RL on Alamo should have produced yet 4 bites came from Big Girls and 4 from Stock Pond. I think the almost constant N wind had a lot to do with it, the fish have been following winds at this time of year, even cold ones.

Mike and I reckon there are 5 over 70lbs plus Fudgies at 80lbs right now, so fewer bites is worth the risk for a monster at its best weight of the year. I for one will be coming in winter every year to target these huge fish.

And the capture two weeks ago of Fudgies at 80 and Pips at 59 in one night shows it can be done!

We had a great week all the same and I am sure all the anglers learnt loads to add to their fishing for ever more. See you in the spring when I will defo be back for some pre spawning madness!

Tight Lines

Danny 'Le Blank' Fairbrass

Footnote

You will have seen on last week's catch report that I lost Darrell's memory card from his camera with Gavs pics of Scar at 93 on it. Not so! Darrell rang me on Friday morn to say he had found it in a hook packet in his tackle box, this is where he put it when I handed it back to him the previous Friday eve!! Well chuffed me and Mike sifted through a week of rotten food, discarded pants and beer bottles looking for it, love you Darrell!