Bailiff Comments

Week Commencing: Sat 20/06/2020

First of all here at Gigantica we believe it fitting to say “We are back!” 

As of the week beginning the 20th June our doors opened again and we saw the return of our pre booked guests here at that venue that produces “carp only bigger”. We had anglers on both the main lake and road lake all arriving eager and with the excitement of a child on Christmas Day to catch a fish of a lifetime.

Main Lake

Through the lockdown James, one of our bailiffs, isolated here on the banks (who’s jealous?) not only did he have the longest fishing sessions of his life but he also worked hard feeding the lakes, at this time of year the lakes see allot of bait so James and his new best friend “Kimberley” (his boat) replicated this by feeding the lake with copious amounts of maize and high grade pellet to fill the bellies of our swimming water giants.

The point in informing you all of the above is the best results so far have been fishing our home prepared maize, pellet and hemp. Rig of the week is the ever popular spinner rig and 3 grains of plastic slow sinking maize (IB flavour). This deadly method has accounted not only for the majority of this weeks captures but for many of James’s lockdown fish.

Back to the week in hand and it saw a mixture of Gigantica regulars and newcomers all searching for PBs and fish of a lifetime, the weather was due to be hot and staying in the 30s all week with gentle winds and just for good measure the odd thunderstorm thrown in. With conditions like these it was soon quite apparent that the fish were going to be in the corners of the lake and the  margins. 

With everybody settled in their pegs and food delivered to pegs (as it was was all week due to social distancing) the sun set with a fantastic sunset, worthy of any instagram photo, but it was at 5.30 in the morning before the first alarm was to scream off. Stephen Middleton landed a lovely mid 20 mirror. Stephen fished well all week in “Stock Pond” landing several fish and it was apparent right from the off they were hungry. The bailiffs were kept busy cooking daily to keep up with the amount of feed they were polishing off in the margins. Accuracy was key and on his first visit saw Stephen stay on to do another week taking advantage of a late drop out place. 

Just like stock pond the fish were seriously in the margins over in “Big Girls” Adrian “the hauler” James was fishing again tight to the margins. In “Big Girls” there is a water inlet where the oxygenated water from our growing ponds flows back into the lake. Ady fished very clever, he baited and left his rods out of the water during the days, a mixture of maize, hemp and pellet scattered all down the margins was his tactic of choice. The spinner rig and 3 grains of maize as a hook bait proved a wise choice. His first was not only a whacker but he landed “The Punisher” at a spawned out weight of 50lb on the nose which was a new PB :). Ady stuck to his game plan and landed 7 fish also including “Soft Focus” at 44lb 4oz. 

New boy to the Gigantica bailiffs team Phil Swift slipped into the vacant “Treeline” swim where he had seen a few fish cruising up and down the margins. With only being able to pop down after work he baited once in the afternoon and once before fishing early evening. Mainly hemp and pellet with a sprinkling of maize and deciding to only fish 2 rods to keep things quiet the results were instant over 3 overnighters he had 5 fish, a double, a 20 and 3 30s the pic of the bunch being  “Short Dorsal” at 39lb. Phil then offered the swim up to see if anybody would like a move and take advantage of the regular visits to the margins. Robert Burr upped sticks from “Baxter’s" and made the move. After 2 failed attempts before to tempt one of Giganticas beauties he not only had 1 but 3 fish up to 30lb 8oz, a fish called “Hollet”. The same Gigantica mix and slow sinking maize hookbaits on a spinner rig doing the business once again, its a deadly method! Great angling, a bit of advice from James and Phil and Robert left a very happy man! Job done!!!!..... 

Let’s have a jump across the lake to “Stink” now where we have Mr Ben Mitchell. Ben is a solid angler, very precise and he really worked his swim hard. “Stink” being an open water swim and most of the fish coming around the margins in the corners he could have easily been downhearted but he never gave in. We have a 1 zig rod rule on Gigantica and Ben took full advantage. On a particular hot day he saw fish around his swim but having no liners or activity he made a tactical change. I believe 18 foot was the magic number. Using this approach turned Bens week around and gave him 3 fish the biggest being newly named “Third time lucky” at 33lb 4oz.

Next door in the famous “Alamo” John Allen really fished hard and stuck to his spots, John slipped up a few of our stockies along the way and from open water too! Fishing a full on partical approach and fishing at distance. John also booked on for the following week, I think he has a score to settle!!

The last mention but by no means least goes to Gordon McMillan who fished out of “Coes Point” who fished out into the open water at around the 28 wraps fishing a mixture of boilie and our particle who stuck to his guns, baited daily with around 6 kilo a day. Gordon was rewarded with a stunning mirror at a weight of 44lb, well done that man!!!

For the first week with anglers all over the lake it was challenging but the atmosphere was electric, the sun was beaming and everybody enjoyed a lovely week.

Till next next week guys n gals, tight lines, be lucky and bag a chunk.

Phil

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