Bailiff Comments

Week Commencing: Sat 01/03/2018

With the freezing temperatures of February behind us, we were hopeful of some slightly better weather during March, but the rain decided it would come back again, and raise the water levels back to the highest levels we’ve experienced. We did have a few hardy souls who decided to pay us a visit and try to snare one of the beasts, in their winter colours. 

On the Second week of March Elliott Scott moved onto the Main Lake, after having had seven fish to 43lb out of the Road Lake. He decided to go into the Tree line swim, as the sanctuary of snags can be a great place to target in the colder months. It wasn’t long before he was into his first fish, and what a cracker it was, Sashsquash at 52lb 4oz, a great result for some consistent angling. Elliott used a Hinged Stiff Rig with a supple boom, and a Sticky Baits Pineapple & N-Butyric Pop Up. It was cast over to the left hand margin, where he baited up with 10 Spombs of crumbed and chopped boilies. 

The Third week of March brought snow and very cold temperatures again with North Easterly winds, but it didn’t stop Chris Jackson from catching a nice scaley 22lb mirror called “Mac’s Pretty One” which he caught from Big Girls. The fish came on a Hinged Stiff Rig with a white pop-up as hook bait. He found a nice clear, hard area on the far margin where he baited up with a kilo of crumbed boilies.

The weather improved during the fourth week of March, with the temperature reaching 14 degrees during the day and a pleasant 8 degrees at night. Combined with a westerly wind; the better weather  helped Joe Atkinson who was fishing in Oblivion, and it wasn’t long before he was into his first fish of the trip, a nice 22lb mirror known as Cleavage. The next morning, he was in again this time with a 29lb 9oz mirror called Pebbles, followed by a 34lb 12oz mirror (Short Dorsal), and the biggest of the trip being the common known as Foreign Legion; which went 36lb 4oz. A simple multi rig with a Sticky Baits signature pop-up which was fished at 23.5 wraps. Joe was baiting up after every fish with 2 kilos of whole and chopped Sticky Baits Krill boilies, which were soaked in pure krill and manilla liquid. He also landed a couple of doubles on zigs, which were fished straight out in front at 70 yards. A six fish haul for the week was a great result for some good angling.

Steve Bartlett went into Pole Position, and decided to put out all three rods on zigs. 18, 20 and 22ft. It wasn’t long before he was into his first carp of the trip, a nice 23lb mirror called “Indian Spice”, which picked up his black foam hookbait, which was soaked in the new Outrageous Orange Goo, on the 18ft zig.

Michael Levers was set up in Alcatraz, and it wasn’t long before he was off the mark, with a cracking 35lb 8oz Mirror known as “Cookies & Cream”. Michael also landed a 33lb Mirror in quick succession. Both the fish fell to Zigs with black foam which had been soaked in the new Outrageous Orange Goo, which were presented at 20ft.

Luke Cornelius went into Co’s Point, he put all three rods straight out at 28 wraps and baited the area with a few kilos of boilies, after no action he decided to change to zigs, as a few fish were coming out on them. It proved to be a wise move, and it didn’t take long before one of his rods ripped off; and after a hectic fight playing a carp on a 20ft zig he lands a nice 21lb 8oz Mirror known as ‘Monster’. On the last evening Luke decided to cast out a single hook bait, a Salty squid wafter which had been soaking in some Korda Squid Goo, the next morning just as he was packing up, the right hand rod went off, after a short battle a cracking mirror went into the net. It turned out to be an unknown fish so Luke got the chance to name it, and decided to call it ‘Little B’ and it went 35lb 8oz. We do keep getting these surprise fish which must keep evading capture.

Well that’s it for March, not a bad month to be fair as the weather has been so bad for most of it with rain and rain and even more rain. We so need some warm sunny and dry days to warm the lake up and dry the saturated ground out. Roll on Spring!