Bailiff Comments

Week Commencing: Sat 31/03/2016

March round up

Well a lot has happened since last month, the main lake has been closed for two weeks for some swim work and weed removal. Oblivion and Stock Pond are two swims that have seen huge amounts of weed removed, which has created new feeding areas at ranges that everyone will be capable of fishing. Also with that we have removed weed from around known feeding areas, which will help with line lay and rig presentation. All these areas have been receiving plenty of bait to get the carp visiting them regular and to make sure they remain clear and fishable. Every other swim has also been raked not necessarily for weed clearing but to turn over the bottom and to freshen up old feeding areas, and again just like the areas in Stock Pond and Oblivion they have also been fed. It was also pleasing to retrieve a large amount of waste line and rigs out of a number of swims, which will be the reasoning behind some of the cut offs in previous seasons.    

The first week of re-opening after the two weeks shut down and amazingly we had no anglers booked on. A couple of friends stayed on for an extra week, who had been helping with the work and after a mini draw and coming out last Steve decided on fishing The Stink.

For the previous two weeks a rather cold northerly wind had been blowing, so with The Stink being on the back of the wind it generally felt a few degrees warmer in this area.

Steve received his first bite of the week on Sunday morning that resulted in a 31lb 4oz mirror and a fish called Gilly. This was taken on an area that had been raked at 25rl and was caught on a hinged-stiff rig and a 14mm Banoffee pop-up soaked in the new Bumble Berry Goo. In conjunction with this Steve fished over a kilo of chopped and whole Cell boilie along with a scattering of maize, which he introduced using a Spomb.

Monday morning Steve had his second take of the week, this time on his short spot of 15rl and after a long hard dogged battle he eventual slipped the net under the very impressive Shoulders. The scales eventually settled at 52lb 6oz. Again taken on a hinged-stiff and a Banoffee pop-up soaked in Bumble Berry Goo.

At almost exactly the same time on Tuesday morning the right hand rod was away again, another of Gigantica’s finest was laying sulking in the net. This time, The Clean Fish at 47lb 6oz. Taking his tally to three fish already for the week.

Tuesday lunchtime the weather and wind changed to a westerly wind and with it came the rain. All of a sudden from being on the back of a northerly and feeling rather mild the area that Steve was fishing felt much colder and certainly less comfortable as the wind and rain battered into his corner. Feeling a little despondent night fell and the optimism of more bites was slowly slipping away.

But at 6am on Wednesday morning his right hand rod was away, the result a 21lb scaly mirror called Scrappy. The change of wind direction didn’t seem to affect the fishing in anyway, as again just like the previous mornings Steve ended the week with another cracking fish. This time a common and a fish called Goldeneye weighing in at a healthy 42lb 10oz's.

The same morning Bill who was fishing in Co’s Point landed a mint 28lb 4oz common. Bill’s fish was taken at 16rl towards Big Girls and caught on a blowback rig with a Cell bottom bait tipped off with IB corn. Again like Steve a kilo of bait over each rod seemed to be the magic amount.

Were into the last week of March and James Hayden AKA The plumber set up in Big Southerly and after a few days of no activity he decided to move into Co’s Point where he had seen a couple fish top.  Later that afternoon he had a take on his middle rod after a long battle he goes and lands Shaky at 39lb.  What a beauty, he was fishing to a hard spot at 27rl with a hinge stiff rig baited with a Mainline Cell pop up as his hook bait doing the business for James.

The weather this week has been cold and very wet with strong northeasterly winds.  The lake temperature is still at 5 degrees.