Bailiff Comments

Week Commencing: Sat 25/09/2021

The originals come to play and some whackers amongst them too………..

Well how exactly do you follow a week where the entire complex had fished so well. There were swims that had really kicked off and others that had laid dormant but as we all know its called fishing not catching and anything can happen at any time. We were due some cold nights which would mean that Gigantica mist would be descending so how would this effect the week ahead? Nearly all our guests this week had fished The Main Lake before so it was just a case of a good walk round and discussion on how the pegs had been fishing and what going method was working. Draw done and then like smoke they drifted into the beyond only to be seen popping up bivvies in their designated swims and homes for the week.

One thing to be said for the peg “Oblivion” is of lately there has been stacks of fish showing!! Those who know this peg well will know it can be quite a weedy one and in an ideal world the angler choosing this area should be able to reach distances in excess of 100 yards to be able to fish effectively. This week Jason Warwick took up the challenge. The distance? 28 ½ wraps, The casting marker? Big Tree Left of Beach. This spot is usually a very clean area as it is regularly fished but with the lake being closed in recent weeks there was a small amount of onion weed but mainly clean, nothing that worried Jason. Rig choice was the trusty “Spinner Rig” using an 8 inch boom with a size 4 wide gape J Precision hook. Jason was using a homemade freezer bait boilie mixed with our house pellet and lots of shrimp liquid and Himalayan salt. 3 kilo was deposited on the spot to open the weeks fishing and it didn’t take long. Whilst delivering tea a live bite saw a low 20 slip into the net and it had snaffled his wafter hook bait. Things looked great for the night and a top up of the spot the rods were set!! At 3am a call came through that a lump lay in the folds of Jasons net and a lump she was. “Spences” at 73lb had taken the homemade wafter and what a creature she was smashing Jasons PB (Soaking due). The rest of the week pretty much followed suit, Jason stuck to it through the lulls in action constantly topped up the spot depositing roughly 7 kilo a day out and more fish graced his net. He had to purchase some Mainline link and Cell as he had run out of the boilie he brought. The constant activity on the spot brought about another stunning creature in the form of “Grey Plated” at a weight of 48lb 4oz. Not a bad week that mate 8 fish in total and with that chunk of a fish  im sure you would have taken that before you set off the previous Saturday !!!...............

Now “Big Southerly” it has to be said is a peg not in form! The previous week it hadn’t done a bite but this week we have seasoned regular Chris Clarke in there, so you just know it’s going to kick right off!!! Chris is a massive believer in fishing the spots and fishing them well and he proves this time after time here on The Main Lake. In typical fashion 2 rods were deployed at 25 ½ wraps to the hump (drop off) in the direction of Alcatraz, just to the left of the peg. One rod made its way at 12 wraps tight to the left towards Big Southerly’s snag. Boilie loose feed for the session was to be Sticky Manilla and plenty of maize and fishing Scent from Hell wafters as hook baits. Chris always puts one of his rods out on the spot in a solid bag which was loaded with fish smart liquid. It didn’t take long for the approach to prove its worth as at 20.00 the very first night Chris landed a stunning original in the form of “Slate Grey” at a weight of 53lb, I mean….what a start! That wasn’t it for the night as he had me back out of bed again at 23.30 with another cracker “The Rudder” at 48lb 4oz. the tactic of baiting after every fish tightly and accurately was doing the trick and in the end Chris was introducing in excess of 10kilos a day, mostly boilie with a good helping of maize. The days were quiet but the nightime was prolific and the second evening saw a rare original “Petal” grace his net at 43lb. That’s 3 originals and a stocky so far!! Then ANOTHER original came to the party and well dressed for it too, “Smartie Pants” swung the scales to 52lb 8oz, this was turning out to be a red letter session! Another 3 fish the following evening including “Ugloe” at a new top weight of 40lb on the nose. A 44lb 12oz Common named “Wipe Out” came for a cuddle on big fish Thursday in the morning but it was the night time that surely something special was about to happen. It most certainly did when the call came through at 22.30 that a chunk resided in Chris’s sling. What a unit !!! What a creature!!! What a fish!!! Danish Bacon at a colossal weight of 72lb 4oz, now I have to say that she was well deserved it was a week of extremely good angling and worthy of every fish caught!!!!! Chris with 13 fish caught and 8 of them originals now that is some session, congratulations pal……….

The world famous “Co’s Point” is Big George Jenkins made his home for the week, now when I say big hes the only person ive ever seen to make a 40lber look like a 20 haha. Jokes aside George isn’t a newcomer and relished the opportunity to jump into Co’s. Standard fishing for Co’s is 28 wraps and that’s exactly where the rods headed towards “The Tits”. A mixture of Mainline Cell, Maize and Pellet with a good helping of GLM Sausage oil made up the bed of bait and on average George deployed 5 k a day. This amount after reflection probably wasn’t enough and speaking to him afterwards agreed a bigger bed would have got the fish feeding with more gusto and held them on the spot. It couldn’t have started any better really when on the first evening at 1am in the morning the call came that he had a lump waiting for photos. What a fish “Baby Weld” is and at 47lb 12oz it was a pleasure to share the moment !!..... George followed that fish up the following evening with a 24lb stocky mirror but things then went earily silent for a few days. Not deterred he stuck to his guns and along with some great patience he was rewarded on Tuesday evening with another stunning original! 47lb 8oz of leather carp in the form of “The Leather” yet again night shots were done and she was safely slipped back into the depths of the obiss. This was to be the end of the action in Cos and with George leaving early and still with a smile on his face we said farewell to meet another day soon, well done pal and say hi to Vinny for me :D………….

Just a short spomb away from the clubhouse is a little swim that has a good reputation in throwing up a good one or two with the name of “Alcatraz”. Already it has produced some beautiful fish since the re open so how would Paul Clements fair up this week. Well im going to say it was a week of two halfs as the first few days proved frustrating for a better word. Paul started out with a new pattern of hook on his slip Drigs and put this down to dropping a few fish. I think that’s one thing sometimes that happens over here that people always use new tactics, rigs or approaches. Im a big believer if it aint broke don’t fix it. Paul went back to the trusty size 4 curve shanks and guess what? The ratio started swinging into his favour!!...... A gorgeous 29lb 12oz mirror was the first to slip up named “Scrappy” which was fished 28 wraps to the left of the wonkey tree, over the next day or so a couple more stockies graced his net but it wasn’t till Big Fish Thursday that something rather large slipped over the net chord. When I say large how does 64lb large sound in the form of “Split pec” such a great capture so congratulations mate. The following day he only went and had “Alcatraz” from “Alcatraz” at a whopping 52lb 8oz!! How could his week get any better!!! The regular baiting up of 8 kilo of DNA Bug and S7 mixed with maize and pellet every day was working, they were troughing it and you could see it in the sling!! On the final morning in the early hours a call came through that he had caught one of the big stockies with circular scales, 2 fish jump to mind when those words are spoken and true to form “The Dustbin” had been captured. The same as last year she had been on a mega feeding spree and had stacked weight on again and this time weighed a new top weight of 57lb 8oz. A new record for the biggest stocky in the lake which is amazing!!!!! An amazing week finished in spectacular style, congratulations Paul top bloke and top fishing, and stop eating those chocolate bars Mr Dairy Free Man hahahaha……..

Mr Tattoo man himself Geoff Langley resided in “Baxters” which for a big caster like Geoff was certainly a change of scenery for the week.  Choosing to fish 25 wraps to the orange mast was the approach. With DF fishing the spot the week before Geoff new it would have been fished well so didn’t hesitate to jump on the spot!! Loaded with DNA Bug and S7 with more liquid than I think I have ever seen anyone bring the loose feed was pimped up to the max!!! Rigs of choice was Spinners with size 4 Kranks with match the hatch Bug or S7 either on their own or tipped with yellow or white corn. The first evening resulted in a lovely stumpy stockie named “Jelly Tot” at 35lb so not a bad start. Geoff had to work hard the rest of the week though to keep the bites coming. All takes were in the hours of darkness and making sure the bait was in and waiting for them turning up was key. The ratio was 3k boilie 1k maize and 1k pellet around 5 kilos a day were deployed to the spot. Geoffs tally would have been a very respectful one but for some reason suffered from hook pulls on this weeks session, a total of 6 fish landed and 5 lost but he still banked some beauties!!!! The final night it was action stations!!!! Geoff had 2 fish in very quick succession, a low 20lb stockie named “Budgie Smuggler” (makes me giggle that one) and a lump in the form of “Baby Brutus” at a wacking 54lb|!!!! what an ending!!! I reckon if you had a couple more nights left on your week they were finally on you in force by the end. But hey….thats fishing and a great end to a great week pal, see you soon my friend………..

Hes asked me not to write about him but I can’t help not too!! In “The Alamo” we had Badger who I have to say was “suffering” with a very painful back and nowhere near his usual precise level of accuracy for the week. Every spomb hurt and to be honest I don’t know how he lasted the week. Still banging that spomb out fishing just to the left of the big tree to the left of beach with all three rods at 28 ½ wraps. The wind changed into his face and still ploughed through. Badger managed to bank himself 4 fish for the week including a cracker of a common named “Long Spot’ at 40lb 4oz, also to grace the net was “The Exclusive” at 38lb and “Hollet” at 36lb. I think it’s fair to say on a week in full health there would be a fair few more but credit where it is due mate the pure Mainline Link approach with maize and using lead clip arrangement with combis and link wafters still did the business. Can’t wait for next time and say “Hey Burt” to burt for me :D……………..

All in all a good week …………. Understatement !!!!! those originals had a field day this week and it was amazing seeing swims that hadn’t been producing finally do some big big fish.

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

Phil