Bailiff Comments

Week Commencing: Sat 02/11/2024

The Stakes Are High

Another week of familiar faces this week on the Main Lake here at Gigantica, it was sure to be a good week regardless of how it fished.  And as with recent weeks, the lake has been very reluctant to throw up any of its gems that swim freely in its waters, but will this week see a change in fortunes?

Ball one this week went to the hands of Bob “Carp Angler of The Year” Flisher, and without a seconds thought opted to go straight into Co’s Point. 

Bob opened his account this week on the Sunday with a fish that goes by the name of “Looking Busy” and it weighed 32lb 12oz.  A nice start and one in the net early in the week always help to get you settled in nicely.  Despite the early fish it then took until the Tuesday before Bob was underway again, this time a much nicer fish and one over 40lb’s, “Pollpits” at 40lb 14oz.  Wednesday evening was Bob’s next but of action with one of our nice scaley stockies, “White Spot” weighing 29lb.  Another fish that will break into the 30lb category next year on our website.

Just before breakfast on Friday Bob had landed his second 40 of his week, one that is called “The Spectator” and this went 40lb 4oz.  

A final bit of action came Bob’s way on the final morning with another of our more recent stockies, “Phillip Schofield” weighing 23lb.

Bob fished a little different to many that visit us here at Gigantica.  He fished double K2 bottom baits to tempt all his fish this week and fed a mixture of boilies from the ABS stable over the top of this.  Bob baited steadily all week and caught steadily all week as well.  Rig set up this week was spinner rigs fished on lead clips.  Well done Bob, great angling and wouldn’t have expected anything less from “Angler of the Year”.

Tom Burns also had a good draw this time around and put himself into the inform Bob’s Beach.  And after getting himself sorted in the swim and rods out it really did not take him long to get underway.  At around 8pm on that first evening he had landed “Rapala” at 34lb 12oz and a great way to start your week.  And Tom’s second wasn’t far away either, as by the morning he had also landed another one and another 30lb’er in “Rumi’s” at 37lb 9oz.  A very good first night’s action, it’s good to get one on your first night let alone two.

The rest of the week seemed a very frustrating one after that action packed first night, as it wasn’t until the very last night of his week’s trip that he managed a bit more action.  And like his first night also managed two more fish on his last night.  The first a 38lb’er called “Willo” followed by his biggest of the week, just before winding in time, “Violet” at 42lb 2oz.  A nice way to start and end your week, it was just a shame about the middle bit.

Tom opened his baiting approach on the first evening with around 25-30 spombs of bait that consisted of Krill boilies mixed with hemp and corn.  He then topped up at the start of the week, backing off the quantity as the week went on without any action.  Hook baits over the top of this was a matching Krill bottom bait topped off with a pink coloured topper.

Well done this week Tom, and a great way to finish.

In The Stink this week we had Lee Terry visiting us, and after setting his traps out at 30 wraps towards Baxter’s and just to the right of it as he looked from his swim it took until Tuesday before any fish came his way, and just like buses, two came along at once.  Opening his account was a nice 35lb common and this was followed by “Tosh’s” weighing a very similar weight at 34lb 8oz.  Small yellow cell flavoured barrel wafter hook baits fished on D Rig spinner rigs on. A helicopter style set up produced the goods on this occasion.  Terry fed a mixture of boilie, hemp and maize this week.  Not baiting heavily but just sensibly to get a bite and to then keep them coming.  And then on the Thursday two more fish came Lee’s way.  The first was this week’s biggest fish of the week “Baby Pawprint” at 47lb 8oz, with the second being “Strap on Sally” at a healthy weight of 35lb 8oz. These where caught on a slight rig change and a move onto more of a multi combi style rig, again with small yellow hook baits.  Well done this week Lee.

Paul Carpenter started off this week in Oblivion, but just after midweek opted on a switch to just one swim away to his left and went into Big Girls at around 5am that morning, that’s dedication and commitment to move swim at that time of morning.  But with several fish showing in this area it was not to be ignored, and it also worked out quite nicely for him to.

Thursday Paul went on to net his first fish of the week in the shape of “Elsa” weighing 31lb, caught on double yellow slow sinking corn on spinner rigs fished over a mixture of 10mm boilies, hemp and maize at 26 wraps towards the head land.

Then the next day, Friday, his second fish was netted, and his reward was a lovely looking original scaley fish known as “Happy Daze” at 31lb 8oz.  I love these old scaley river carp, they don’t have to be big to be enjoyed, especially these ones.

Sadly, at first light on the final morning Paul was playing a fish that he described as being easily over 50lb, which parted way with his hook right at the net.  Absolutely gutting way to end, but with the lake fishing incredibly tough currently, a little bit of effort rewarded him with a couple of fish to his name.

Well don’t this week Paul, shame that big one didn’t finish off with your name it.

Dan ‘Smiler’ Coles began this week in Big Girls before an early week change of swim that put him into Tree Line after seeing numerous fish in this area.  And it was the Tuesday that his move paid off for him with “Tripple M” coming his way at 31lb 4oz.  Another of our nice looking scaley stockies.

This was caught from 26 wraps towards Stink and landed on a spinner D rig baited with a match the hatch bottom bait with a Gigantica Squid and Garlic topper with a boilie, hemp and maize mixture fed over the top.  Despite a move over to Oblivion later in the week no more fish came Dan’s way.  

Am sure we will see you again throughout 2025.

Lastly to talk about from this week is young Rhys Richardson that put himself into the consistent Stock Pondswim.

Sticking with his opening gambit fishing at 26 wraps towards the headland and baiting lightly each day with around 10 spombs daily he was eventually rewarded late on in the week with “Flecktarn” weighing 27lb 8oz on Friday.  Again, like most anglers catching this week, this was caught over a boilie, hemp, corn mixture but with a little pellet included in Rhys’s mix.  Small barrel wafter hook baits soaked in the ever-popular Isotonic Goo was the winning formula for him.

Another tricky week on the Big G, a lot of the bigger fish remain very illusive at the moment, but with a full moon on the cards at the end of next week its fingers crossed for some of our bigger residents to show their faces surely.

That’s me done at Gigantica until the new year now, it has been a very enjoyable time seeing familiar faces plus meeting a few new one’s as well.  So, until next year, tight lines to those visiting us here before my return.  I will miss the place over the winter.

Cheers, Gareth “Gino”.