Bailiff Comments

Week Commencing: Sat 19/10/2024

Another New 70

This week we had the pleasure of welcoming back a group of anglers that have been visiting Gigantica for 15 years all the way from Denmark, this year with a few missing faces but a couple of new ones in the group it was time to get the guys in and settled into their swims for the week ahead.  Only eight anglers on this week, so plenty of spare swims would be available if anyone fancied a move later in the week.

After they had endured a near on 15-hour drive to get to us, they were all eager to get on with the fishing.  A slight change again in the weather ahead of us this week, much warmer day time temperatures and cooler nights made it feel a little spring like and not very autumnal.

Anyone that follows Gigantica and know about our Danish friends, know that they tend to have a slightly different approach to their fishing than what we class as “the norm”.  They only fish boilies, plenty of them and big baits.  And this week was to be no different for the guys as you are about to read about.

First this week we have Per Hansen, and with ball number four in his hand after the draw he managed to bag himself Co’s Point.

The action started from the first night for Per and it continued to be steady all week, getting himself off the mark with “Bullet” weighing 41lb 12oz and a nice way to start your week.

During his second night he had three slings lined up with fish in the following morning, these were two mirrors 39lb 4oz and 42lb 4oz and a nice common of 44lb.  It was beginning to line up to be a nice week on Co’s.

Yet another common came Per’s way the next night, although a little smaller at 35lb.  This was then it seemed the end of the run of commons being caught in Co’s, and then along came the mirrors being “Bubbles” at 34lb 5oz and “Smudger” at 37lb 4oz on the Tuesday night.

Another three mirrors were ready on the Thursday, a clean 33lb 13oz one, “Bel Bambino” at 37lb and then for the third time in as many weeks “MK” at 35lb 8oz.

A good number of fish had been landed this week from Co’s and despite them being mainly 30’s and 40’s (not to sniffed at) for the number of fish he was landing it was surely only a matter of time before something bigger came Per’s way. And leaving this to the very last minute he did!  On the Saturday morning, I had heard news that he believed he had one over 50lb that might even go 60lb in the sling.  We waited for a bit lighter and then headed over to Co’s to have a look at his prize.  Once the sling was opened for a quick look, I instantly recognised the fish to be Baby Cluster, not out since September last year that time at just over 69lb, so I knew in my head that it had to be bigger and that it was.  Baby Cluster had broken the 70lb barrier for the first time and spun the scales around to 73lb!!  Just shy of his P.B. but what an amazing fish to end his week on.

Per fished slightly different areas to the “norm”, being 24 wraps to the left of the tits and 28 wraps towards the flat oaks, with most of the fish falling to his rods at 24 wraps.  He fed just boilie during the week, as with almost everyone on the trip he was using DT N-Blend boilies straight out of the bag and fed 18 and 22mm baits with a spomb and throwing stick, and fished a lead clip arrangement with a basic slip D style rig made with Dark Matter Coated braid and size 4 Kurv hooks.  Real simple stuff that always works for these guys and produced 12 fish this week for him.

Well done Per, and a great achievement at the end of the week.

Peter Milter was another angler that had a fair week, after getting ball number five he put himself into the inform Bob’s Beach.

Peter set his stall out very much in the same was as Per in Co’s.  Using the same boilie, rigs and lead system he went about putting his trap out at 28 wraps to the left of Alamo as he looked.

After a bit of a nightmare with his first fish, which he managed to lose transferring it from net to sling, he went on to get under way with a nice 38lb 12oz common.  After last week’s full moon, the run of commons being caught wasn’t letting up it seemed.

As with Per, Peter carried on catching pretty much every night this week, and again was almost matching the average weights that was being caught, mostly 30’s and 40’s.

“The Clap” was next along at 32lb 2oz followed by “Shakemaker” at 48lb, then after an unusually quiet next night the run continued with “Gogglebox” weighing 31lb 8oz and then back to the commons with a clean 33lb 8oz fish.

Again, copying Per continued, with the very last morning he had a couple of fish in the sling awaiting their pictures at first light, “K.C” weighing 48lb and one of our stockies that hasn’t been caught for five years, “Aristotle” coming in at 34lb 4oz.  An amazing looking big scaled linear to end his trip on.

As I have already mentioned, his bait was again the N-Blend in 18 and 22mm with one of the larger sized baits fished on slip D style rigs with the same components I have already mentioned above.

Eight fish for the week is not a bad achievement at all, so well-done Peter on your fishing this week.

Despite being last this week to pick his swim Jan Hlomfound himself fishing in Pole Position.

After a bit of an explore about, Jan concentrated his fishing at 20 wraps at the “scary tree” and towards Alamo at 16.5 wraps.

It was a quiet first 36 hours or so for him this week, but after he came and let me know he had one in the sling that he believed was over 50lb on the Monday morning I went and had a look for myself and upon opening the sling I knew this fish was well over what he had guessed it as, and once I rolled it onto its side in the sling I straight away identified this one as “The Spotted Leather”, last out only a couple fo weeks ago at 68lb so knew it was going to be in this area of weight.  Once an extra pair of hands was available to help it balanced the scales out 70lb exactly!  What a great fish to start your week on.  This had also smashed his personal best by almost doubling it.  Congratulations on the new P.B. Jan.

A couple of fish came his way much later in the week, 27lb 12oz and “The Snacker” at 29lb 2oz.  Tactics again was almost pressing repeat to what I have already reported above.

Well done and congratulations again on your fish.

Another notable catch this week came from Big Southerlyand the angler in here this week was Lasse Christiansen.  He stuck to his spots all week, again fishing with a boilie only approach although this time was using a matching liquid booster over his free offerings and a Green Beast dumbbell wafter over the top of his offerings.  Rig of choice was again exactly as I have touched on already.

Lesse had to wait most of his holiday before his waiting paid off.  It was just before first light on the Friday that he slipped the net under a truly remarkable looking original fish here, “Humpy” at 52lb.  A lovely looking fish that would certainly be a target fish on any water back home in the UK.  Worth the wait this one, well done.

Another couple of anglers that had single fish to their names this week was Mikkel Thomasen in Alcatraz, who fishing at 31 wraps towards Big Southerly managed a nice mirror of 35lb 4oz.  And also, one of our own, Rob Neale who dropped into the vacant Big Girls for a handful of nights between work and managed to catch an almost immaculate common of 36lb on the Wednesday fishing a very basic rig set up with a small stick cast at short range in the direction of Bob’s Beach (approx. 10 wraps) and no free offerings.  

This week has certainly been about doing things differently and going against the grain out here at Gigantica.  A very much basic boilie and rig approach for a change.

A new moon is on the calendar for the back end of next week, which usually produces some good fish so my guess is it might be big fish Tuesday next week just a couple of days prior to the new moon.

Thanks again to the guys making the effort to drive all the way from Denmark to visit us, hopefully see you all again next year.

Tight Lines

Gareth “Gino”