Bailiff Comments

Week Commencing: Sat 23/08/2014

Water Temp

The Eagerly awaited Korda Trip to Gigantica has finally arrived and you could cut the tension with a knife before the draw. Rob Willinghurst came out number one and drew Co's with the other main swims going early too in between a few weird choices but with 14 on and every swim taken this was set to throw up a few fish. Barty went through his repertoire of joke which killed 30 seconds and the excited atmosphere.

Sat Night/Sunday

21degrees day, wind swinging between West and South, broken cloud then sunshine.

Rob W got off the a flyer in Co's at 26.5 wraps taking a 38.02 common in the night and a fish called Alcatraz at 42.08 the next morning. Both on Tails Up bait tipped with various pop ups, 8" of Dark Matter braid and lead clips over 15 medium spombs of boilies as boats were not allowed this week because of the high number of anglers. Tom Dove, 13th out of 14 had a 22lber and lost one on a lovely clean area at 21 wraps towards tip of the spit in Big Girls, a great start to an unlucky draw! Dan F lost one at 21 wraps out of Baxters Hole and then redeemed himself with The Long Common at 47lbs at 7:30am, balanced tigers doing both bites over hemp and tigers. A slow start for the rest, except Jon 'Nice Guy' Sissons who had to spod at 24.5 wraps (98 yards) with the entire party standing and cheering behind him, nerves of steel prevailed!

Sunday Night/Monday

18 degrees Day, clear night rain in day, calm night light S then moderate SW wind in day.

Dan F had Quazimodo for the second time at 37.08 still tigers at 21 wraps out of Baxters casting at and left of Stink at 1am, followed up at 5am by The Survivor at 50lbs 8oz. Another new 50 pounder for Gigantica and a stunning carp it is!! Rich 'Big Bernard' Stewart got on the score sheet with a 36lb common at 7am, good angling Rich! Tom D lost one in the weed at the same time, hooked at 21 wraps out of Big Girls.

Spoons fishing in Oblivion landed his first carp of the week at 1pm, a 31lb common on one of his long rods fished at 25 wraps between Alcatraz and Pole Position. Six inches of Hybrid Stiff and two pineapple Goo'd tiger nuts did the trick. Soon after at 2pm, Bailey, fishing next door in left hand Alamo got weeded up and with the help of DF who was resting his swim, got the fish out after an epic boat battle in the middle of the lake. If a fish weeds you up, keep a tight line on it, call the bailiffs and the boat will often help free the fish. Bailey nicknamed it The Buzzin’ fish, weighing in at 34lbs, a super clean mirror taken at 28 wraps towards Baxters on a white, slow sinking hookbait over 3kg of hybrid. Soon after, Spoons was in the boat with DF freeing his margin rod only to find no carp present, just a foul hooked Rudd that had been savaged by a Pike after being impaled. ‘Lucky' as we named him did not make it.

Monday Night/Tuesday

Fresh South Westerly wind all night, heavy rain early evening, clearing before first light. Strong SW winds all day and savage rain.

DF started proceedings again with a super clean 30lb mirror at 2am, 21RL spot and balanced tigers again. Next was Bernard with a lovely 40lb 12oz mirror known as Mr Chow off his 25rl spot, Atlantic heat hooker with a Scent fromHell topper over 3kg AH freebies doing the trick. Dovey then had a 30lb common from Big Girls from a new spot tight in the corner, just 6.5 wraps out. A single tiger on a super stiff Combi rig was its downfall. Then at 5am Bails was in again and landed a mint 35lb common on his 28 wrap spot. A Hybrid hook bait tipped with white Hell pop-up proving successful. Spoons had an amazing 34lb fully scaled mirror known as Mad Max at first light on his 'Lucky' close rod cast 15RL towards Scotties, this was on a Hybrid bottom bait tipped with a pink squid pop up. This is one of the many things that sets G off from most other French waters, fish like this! Then Dovey scatters birds from miles around with his YESSSSSS! The Cut Tail Common was his at an amazing high of 57lbs 13oz, caught from his 21 wrap spot towards the tip of the spit. Once again, the fluorocarbon to Supernatural Combi, size 4 Krank and tiger balanced with a goo pop up did the trick fished with the heli drop off system he has worked so hard on. It was amazing to be a part of the weighing and photographing, Tom who came out second to last in the draw was fishing Big Girls perfectly, getting 5 bites in the first 3 nights. This shows what these forgotten swims can produce with good angling.

Arris in The Beach gets off the mark on his 20 wrap spot aiming half way between Stink and Alamo. Hybrid tipped with a Hell pop up on 8 inches of Hybrid Stiff doing the trick with an awesome orange coloured carp, now named 'Ginge' after Arris's Moroccan Sunset hair colour. It weighed in at 46lbs and is pristine with a perfect mouth and proper set of shoulders, unlike it's captor. Looking back through records it becomes apparent that this carp has never been caught before!!!!

Tuesday Night/Wednesday

Slight SW wind then calm at night inc Weds W and SW all day 21deg.

A gathering happened of biblical proportions in the clubhouse, Darrell Peck and Girth Ecclescake drank more beer than 10 men. Spooner and Dovey lost 10-3 at darts to the Bailiffs, having to down a beer/shot for every loss and Jon Mann allowed a crayfish from the Road Lake to nip his tongue and scrotum. An uneventful night all round, music courtesy of Dixon and Anne, Techno all night long...

With so many people socializing, the fishing was slow. The intense rain not helping those who fished on.

Rob had a 24lb mirror in the night and Bailey bagged a stunning 21lb scaley mirror and a chunky 34 pounder at first light off his 28 wrap spot in Alamo. Jonny Sissons bagged his first one in the shape of a scaly 19 pounder after some epic spodding and hookbait placement at 24.5 wraps out of pole position aiming half way between Stink and Alamo.

Bell finally got off the mark in Alcatraz at his 19.5 wrap spot straight ahead. The fish turned out to be an angry 17lb common, so small for Gigantica standards but it was a bite all the same! Well done for sticking at it Bell!

Wednesday and it was JT in right hand Alamo off the mark with a fish known as White Lines at 48lb 12oz! Taken on a size 4 Krank and an 8 inch Combi rig at 28 wraps, well done JT for remaining calm when Bails was hauling and you were playing ghillie. Then disaster struck as a tackle failure cost JT another big fish from a second bite only minutes after the first.

Weds Night/Thurs

SW wind fell away to nothing, cool night with the SW wind picking up the next day. 20 degrees.

Night-time proceedings started at midnight with JT again, this time Pips at 55lbs 8oz, what a carp! A White, Banoffee slow sinker proving effective, once again fished over Hybrid. DF received loads of liners and hearing constant shows they were all over him again. After resting his longer spot in the swim for the night and opting to fish 13 wraps towards Co's and Big S over nuts, that didn't produce but having bait and no line in the other area had clearly brought them in again. Shenanigan’s a plenty as Darrell and Garth from Road Lake party on as they don't fish more than a couple of hours a day!

Next it's Dovey's turn……..again! Off the 21 wrap spot out of Big Girls, the mighty male Shoulders at 51lb 10oz. A fine display of angling from Tom this week. Two 50's from a totally un-fancied swim.

The lake was on fire, shortly after Tom's fish a huge shout comes up from professional drinkers Garth and Darrell as Jon Sissons lands the colossal Brutus from Pole Position at 63lbs 12oz, a new PB by some margin for Jon who was totally blown away by it all. It really was a privilege to be part of the weighing and photographing of this mighty beast. Jon held it brilliantly and DF got some stunning pics. Oh and the Bartman got a soaking to, poetic justice for the water sports obsessed bailiff.

Next up DF is in on his 21 wrap spot with a super clean 'baby' born in the lake no doubt and one for the future at 23lbs 12oz and sadly he lost another to a hook pull at 6am.

Thursday Night/Friday

The night is quiet, well apart from Jon Mann having a Techno Party in The Stock Pond swim! The carp here must love a bit of Techno because he bags his first fish of the week, Pimple Tail at 50lbs 8oz. First time over 50 for that fish! Balanced Tigers doing the trick. As dawn threatens, so do the carp. James Turner strikes gold with the magnificent Target, DF's most wanted carp. It weighs in at 65lbs 4oz, and is a sight to behold on the bank. The perfect, deep-bodied mirror once again falling to a Banoffee wafter, size 4 Krank, N Trap Semi Stiff combo over 3kg of Hybrid. Everyone gathers for the photo session, which is breathtaking. DF comments that there are only 3 possible outcomes when it comes to this Carp…….'either it dies, I die or I catch it one day!'

Dovey is on fire in Big Girls taking 3 fish, two on the 6.5 wrap spot towards the last poplar in the corner, the Spotty leather at 48lb 13oz and a super scaly Sutton lookalike at 21lbs. The 21 wrap spot does him another leather at 27lbs. What a catch from this swim!

Big Bernard bags a super scaly 30lber at 1pm on his 12 wrap spot to the right in Stink. Atlantic Heat boilie doing the do for him. Dalton in Tree Line races back from the BBQ to get the rods out after hearing that a load of fish have finally turned up in the snags and promptly bags his first Gigantica carp, Black Eye at 37lbs! Well done for sticking at it!

Friday Night/Sat morning

After a week blanking on DF's spots (what does he know, noddy!) Dalton changed to fishing super close to the trees to catch Black eye and followed it up at 2am with The Sargent at 42lbs. Two PBs in 12 hours, what a HERO!

Dovey managed a small common on his left rod as he was packing up, the ‘nut cluster’ rig doing the biz on that rod all week consisting of four tigers and 2 small bits of cork in a circle on the hair, very crafty!

Well, what an eventful week it's been, two 60's, five 50's and loads of others, too many beers, ice bucket challenges, mankini’s, the lot. ‘Epicano’ sums it up, thanks to all the bailiffs who looked after us so well and fed us, Steve's Pie should win medals...

Much love

Gigantica Collective

Angler Comments

Neil Spooner "As always anticipation was high and the journey down to the lake was filled with talk of the hippos that we all wanted to catch, that and a few dodgy sing songs…..

Me and the draw bag don’t always see eye to eye and as expected I pulled out number 11 of 14! Not a great start but I found myself in Oblivion. Not a swim I’d fished before but with a warm breeze blowing in and T-Dog (Tom Dove) next door in Big Girls the social was going to be good!

I managed a total of 3 bites, landing 2 and unfortunately losing one to a hookpull. I had a scale perfect common of 31lb and quite possibly the best carp I have EVER caught in the shape of Mad Max at 34lb. This came off of a little margin spot I had found so it meant that little bit more, to me anyway!

Can’t wait to get back……"

Jon Sisson "What a lake and what a week! My aim was to get a bite, and I ended up with two - the second of which was from a sixty! A fish of a lifetime and a huge PB. Immense thanks must go to Darrell Peck and Garth Ethelston for helping me through the final stages of the fight, and of course to Danny for making it all possible. I can’t wait to go back!"

Jon Mann “The gates to the entrance should be made of Pearl as this place is heaven”