Bailiff Comments

Week Commencing: Sat 04/05/2024

The ‘Limebrook’ Massive

 

Certain weeks of year at Gigantica there are certainly highlights we all look forward to, and this week has been one of those. 

We were this week joined by a group of regular lake exclusive bookers from the Limebrook syndicate lake back in my home county of Essex.  All these guys who come on this trip are great lads and you know that there will be plenty of banter and fun to be had with them.

 

So it was that time on the Saturday that the gates were opened and in came our lake exclusive lads for the week, full of expectations for the next 7 days ahead of them.

Sadly, the weather was not great upon their arrival with chilly temperatures and gloomy looking clouds filling the sky above.

Walk around completed and it was then time to retreat to the main lodge for the ever-dreaded draw for swims.  No matter how many times you do it tension always creeps in.

The lads where all off to their chosen swims to set up, during which time they had to endure some truly biblical rain that was coming down on them.

This weather was how it stayed for the first couple of days, very very wet everywhere.

 

Lead booker for this group is Will Greenhill Snr. And he found himself pitched up for this year’s trip in Alcatraz.

Sadly, for Will, not a great deal happened in his swim this week.  He did manage to spot a handful of fish showing slightly off his areas he had chosen on the first morning (Sunday) and upon seeing this activity cast a single hook bait at the fish and it then didn’t take long for Will to have the first fish of this year’s trip in the net.

A fish known as KonKave and a new 30 for the lake at 30lb 2oz.  Will’s tactics to land this fish comprised of a Hybrid lead clip system and a KD style rig using a coated braid and a size 4 Wide Gape barbless hook.  Hook bait of choice for the week was a match the hatch Activ-8 boilie, straight out the bag.

Unfortunately, Will did manage to lose a nice fish at the net on the final morning, but other than that this was all the action that came his way.  But as ever Will kept plugging away and smiled all week, plus he managed a few nice Perch too on the jigging rod for good measure.

 

Will Greenhill Jnr managed a good draw coming out ball number 2 and chose a swim that suited his style of fishing and made him comfortable in what he does when it comes to his angling, Stock Pond.  This is a great thing to take away from reading this, pick a swim that suits your style of fishing.  There is no point in picking a swim that is out of your comfort zone or angling ability as you will probably not get the rewards that could be out in front of you.  Sensible decision Will, well played!  It this decision did play into Will’s hands nicely during the week.

Once the weather began to improve during the early part of the week fish started to investigate more and more under the tree’s along the margin and with one of Will’s baited spots being at 9 wraps into the corner of the lake against the tree line some action started coming his way. 

Tuesday morning a nice mirror known as ‘Smudger’ paid him a visit, weighing 37lb 12oz.  This was caught on a D Rig with a Krill bottom bait topped with a corn topper and caught over a feed of boilie, maize, hemp and pellet.

Will was watching these fish in the area and felt that they were more occupied on the smaller feed items of the mix so opted to have a change of tactic and fish small solid bags with Manilla pellet and a Pineaphell wafter hook bait.  This change certainly paid off as bites now came more regularly for him.  That same evening resulted in a fish called ‘White Spot’ 27lb, and then in the early hours of Wednesday another one graced his net.  This one went 21lb 8oz and known as ‘Little Rump’.

Then almost to the minute the next night something a little more special rolled into his awaiting net, ‘Buttercorn’ weighing 52lb 4oz and a new PB for will by just 4oz!  Someone was going to get wet on the Friday with the PB bucket ceremony.  Awesome fish that one, well done mate.  Friday went quiet for Will, but he did manage one more just before it was pack down time on the Saturday, a little scamp weighing in at 18lb 4oz. 

In total not a lot of bait was required, as he had regular visitors to the area so little traps in the edge at 9 wraps produced all his results.  Will got through approx. 4kg of boilie and a 4kg mix of hemp, maize and pellet.

 

Mike Reynolds pitched himself up next to young Will in Pole Position this time around.

Mike had to wait a few days before a change in the wind direct moved a good number of fish on to his area that he was fishing, which was 29 wraps towards the area of Stink.  With the wind uncomfortably now pushing straight into Mike bites started coming his way and at around 9am on the Wednesday morning he was playing his first fish.  Sadly, when this one was close in it picked up both of his other lines and was away.  But the action did not stop there!  One hour later a 40lb 6oz common laid in his net and was identified as ‘Bobbins Dancing’.

Midday and a nice original scaley mirror was his prize, ‘Stinger’ weighing 23lb 12oz.  Then lastly at around 3pm ‘Baby Leather’ came to visit him weighing 36lb 8oz.  Not a bad Wednesday, 5 bites and 4 fish landed.

Thursday Mike managed another couple of fish, these coming at 7:30am and around 11am.   Firstly ‘The Mosaic’ at 38lb 8oz and then ‘The Stocky Common’ at 26lb 10oz.

Again, with a complete swing in the wind on the Friday action slowed for Mike as the fish pushed up towards the Tree Line on this new wind but he did have one final piece of the action landing a nice 29lb 8oz common on a zig this time over the same area.

Mike approached the swim a little differently to the norm, he fished in the low weed off the normal ‘spot’ and presented pineapple pop ups on hinge stiff rigs with long chod sections.  He also never put in anymore bait after the Monday despite catching fish.  Well done for thinking outside of the box and going against the grain.

 

An early amount of action fell Sam O’Brien’s way fishing from The Alamo.  With the wind pushing straight in to this area at the start of the week it held the fish in this zone and Sam capitalised well on this fishing 18ft zigs towards an area he had observed them showing at 22 wraps out.

Tuesday was the day of Sam!  He manged 3 bites from lunchtime until the evening all on the zig.  First off was ‘Folded Tail Scaly’ weighing 23lb 10oz, a very nice fish to start on.

Shortly before dinner same banked another one, a very nice long leathery carp known at ‘The Leather’ and spun the scales to 49lb 4oz.  Lovely fish well done mate.  One that found its way up onto our wall inside the Main Lake club house.

Still fishing in the same area on the same tactics Sam manged one more bite before the day was out, ‘Rolo’ at 40lb 10oz.  Great day’s angling Sam.

Sam did persevere for the rest of the week trying different areas on the zig, but I think with the wind and weather change the bulk of the fish in front of him had done the off sadly.

Well done mate, nice tidy angling as ever!

 

Joe Horne had a very good draw coming out ball number 3 and selected to fish Big Southerly.

Joe had a very tough time fishing in here this week, but he kept to his plan and stuck to his spots.  Baiting up using a throwing stick and baiting beyond his casting area, he spread Cell boilies every evening around the zone he had chosen to fish, this being at 14.5 wraps out in front of him.

This all came very good for him on the Friday morning landing a very nice common carp that spun the dial on the scales around to 55lb 8oz!  An absolute unit of a carp, and most surprisingly it is so far a bit of a mystery fish as I still cannot find it on our website gallery!!  Maybe it should be called ‘Mysterio’??

Home-made banoffee wafter hook baits was this one’s downfall.  These were fishing on a heli safe leader set up with spinner rigs comprising of size 6 Krank hooks, barbless naturally.

Very very well done, you kept your head and kept positive all week regardless.

 

Harvey Claydon picked to fish from Tree Line this week, and like many others in the group the wind direction was a massive factor in how his week played out.

Harvey had to wait until the very end of the week before the wind was blowing straight in to the corner of the Tree Line and with-it bringing lots and lots of carps.  The sun was also by now gleaming, and the temperatures were rising bringing lots of fish up to the surface layers.  With these new conditions on the Friday he deployed zig tactics, again at around 18ft, towards the fish.  First fish was in the net by shortly after 9am, ‘Big Baby’ at 15lb.  They all count at Harvey was more than happy with this one regardless of size.

Not long after this one he did mange to net another fish, one of our more original carp in the shape of ‘The Leney’ weighing in at 43lb.  Lovely original fish this one, great work!

Just after lunch time on the same day, Friday, Harvey managed to net one more fish ‘The Duke of Edinborugh’, coming in at 22lb 2oz.  Despite losing a couple of fish that day as well, I think he was happy to end on a high for the week.  5 bites in the same day is good going.

 

Richard “Rick” Chunn plotted up in Baxters this week and with a number of fish showing in this area short on the first day he stuck at it and his reward was welcomed on the Wednesday morning when he slipped the net under ‘Buzz’s Kamo’.  What an amazing looking carp, and it weighed in at 42lb 4oz.  He was more than made up with this one, it is just one special one like this that can totally make your week worth it.

This one was taken from fishing towards the hole in the corner to the right-hand side of the swim, fishing tight up on the marginal shelf.  Very well done again mate, and another one who found his picture up on the wall before the week was out.

 

Darren Jones was the lucky recipient of ball number 1 on the draw, and not having fished it before and wanting to have a go in it found himself pitching up in the famous Co’s Point.

Last year we had to put up with him all week in Pole Position, so it was nice this year he was the opposite end of the lake to us here…….only joking mate.  As with all the group, you truly are great company!

The chance to fish in Co’s didn’t go how the dream in his head had played out.  Motionless bobbins and silent buzzers lay in front of him most of the week, and like I’ve already mentioned once that sun was out, and the wind was in his favour he started picking off fish on zigs a short distance in front of him where you could visibly see the carp packed up.

18ft zigs, as ever, put the first fish into his net on the Friday at around 3pm.  A fresh 20lb 6oz mirror had saved his blank!

Followed quickly by two more fish around an hour later, 21lb 4oz (this one got away before the pictures were taken) and a 25lb 8oz mirror that we had no record captures for since stocking, so this one got named ‘Del Boy’ as this was after his good friend Neil’s dad who had recently passed away.  We will come to Neil’s week shortly.

Another one came to Darren’s net before Friday was out.  At around 7:30pm a very nice mirror by the name of ‘Carlos’ was his prize, this weighed 45lb 8oz.  

Again, another great day’s fishing, and all of these boys kept me very busy on the Friday taking pictures of their prizes!

 

Neil Taylor fancied his chances in. Bob’s Beach this year, and I cannot blame him for giving it a go as on the walk around lots of fish where in this area.

Neil had one bit of action early in the week, one of the fresh stockings that we put in November 2023 found its way into his awaiting net, ‘The Last Mohican’ coming in at a colossal 12lb 4oz!

This was caught down his right-hand margin, a short under arm swing towards an overhanging bush was the zone this one taken from.  Neil had seen fish showing in this area shortly before catching it, just sadly it seems the smallest one of the bunch had picked up his hook bait this time around.

 

I’ve already said it but what a great bunch these guys are every year.

Already looking forward to next years visit!

 

Let’s see what next week brings.

 

Tight lines all.

Gareth