Bailiff Comments

Week Commencing: Sat 19/04/2025

Sign Him Up

Only one place to start this week and that’s in Co’s Point where we had Aaron Metcalfe. Back on his second trip of the year this after a successful week in Big Southerly 3 weeks ago, Aaron was ready for a stab at Co’s, a swim he’d had great trips in before and where he caught his PB from last year, will he break it again? Starting off fishing a 20ft zig, after such success by the previous week’s anglers, Aaron was soon off the mark catching his first couple on the Sunday both coming on red and black zigs landing ‘The Immortal’ at 34lb and ‘Unicef’ at 23lb. starting short on his bottom bait rods and after seeing them show further out, he decided to move his bottom bait rods out to 30 wraps at the tits, while fishing his zig at the same distance and started to pick regular bites up off these rods as the weather cooled down. Spombing out our house pellet and fishing either slow sinking maize or dumbbell bottom baits over the top on D rigs, Aaron had had several fish on his zig, but noticed he was getting the larger fish off the bottom, so decided to go with all three on the deck halfway through the week. Topping up the spot after each fish, he was very confident in his rigs giving each rod time to go off before casting out to avoid disturbing the spot and this certainly seemed to work as Aaron was getting double takes and runs within minutes of each other while spombing and at one stage in the week, after phoning me for a photo, by the time I got there I was greeted with 3 fish in the net but the show wasn’t over, Aaron had caught the mighty ‘Shoulders’ at 70lb 8oz and yes a new PB, so all the anglers got together to see one of the best carp around have its picture taken and just as he lifted it up, one of his rods was away with the full crowd behind him he landed ‘Cameron’ at 41lb 8oz and just as that went in the sling the third rod was away, cheered on by the crowd he then landed ‘Your Old Girl’ at 44lb 4oz, the show goes on. Come Friday it was another double run for Aaron landing ‘Ridgeback’ at 45lb 8oz and a new 50lber for the Main Lake with ‘The Rudder’ at 51lb 8oz. Aaron ended his week on 25 fish including 5 forties 2 fifties and a 70, what a session and well done on the new PB!

Next up we had regular guest and friend of Gigantica Marcel, who got ball 8 in the draw and got himself in a swim where he has unfinished business after a couple of tough trips, The Alamo. Marcel came with a plan to fish with a good amount of boilie and to fish a spot for the week but also try and create a spot for later in the week. Starting off fishing 2 rods at 20 wraps towards Baxter’s Hole and roamed with his zig fishing a brown coloured zig topped with fake maggots at 20 feet. Marcel was first off the mark this week landing 3 in his first night on his zig rod catching a recently stocked ‘Biscuit’ at 12lb ‘The Runt’ at 39lb and the original common known as ‘The Heart Tail Common’, what a start! Sticking with his 20 wraps spot, baiting with fishmeal boilie, flaked maize and hemp all soaked in a matching liquid Marcel started to pick fish up off the deck managing another 3 the next night landing ‘Fish Finger’ at 34lb, ‘Bucket o Pellet’ at 30lb and the incredible scaley ‘Fight Club’ at 42lb one that had been missing for two and a half years. After the zig bites slowing up towards the end of the week, Marcel then concentrated fishing on the bottom and then kept picking up steady bites having the likes of ‘Fortuna’ at 35lb 8oz and a 29lb unnamed mirror now going by the name ‘Ze German’. Throughout the week Marcel had been trickling bait in here and there at 16 wraps towards the clubhouse and decided to put a rod on it for the last couple of nights and his plan worked out perfectly, knowing this spot likes to trip up a biggun, he managed to land ‘Mr Tong’ at last knockings Saturday morning. Great angling Marcel we’ll see you soon.

Next in line, Clappo who got himself in The Stink this week. After observing fish activity the first night, he decided to fish his rods in short down his right-hand side towards the poplars at 10 wraps. After a tough few days seeing the fish show on his spot with no action and confident on what he was doing it was then Thursday night, he landed two fish one being ‘The Courier’ at 31lb 8oz and the other ‘The Vicar’ at 68lb 8oz one that doesn’t show its face a lot last being caught three and a half years ago, this was also a new PB for Clappo, well done mate.

Across the pond in Alcatraz, we had Maik Marschke. Maik spent his week following suit going with 2 rods on the bottom and roaming with his zig. Settling on 33 wraps towards the left of Stink, Maik was baiting up with Nasty Squid boilie and house particle, fishing spinners over the top and a 20-foot zig going with black and red. Another quick bite on the lake with him landing ‘Scratches’ on the first night at a new top weight of 54lb 8oz getting himself a spot on the famous Gigantica wall.  Another cracking start but then it slowed up for Maik until Tuesday evening after dinner when he had ‘Monty’ at 27lb again on his zig. After putting in the work with his zig they just seemed to get their heads down so Maik then went all 3 on his bottom bait spot and was away on the Friday morning at breakfast time where he had ‘Rolo’ at 44lb 4oz. That was it for Maik this week, but we look forward to your next trip.

Next door in Pole Position we had Patrick who only had the one fish this week but was a new French PB so he was happy. A 20-foot black on black zig tricked this one up fishing towards the right-hand side of Alamo casting around 100 yards to where they were showing, Patrick had ‘Tank’ at 53lb 8oz. 

Over in Big Southerly we had Manuel who spent the week fishing one down his left towards the snag, 14 wraps at Alamo and two out at 25.5 wraps towards Alcatraz. Trying everything, along with a zig varying depth and different approached on the bottom, Manuel kept his head and watching the water when he spotted fizzing a couple of rod lengths to the right of his left-hand spot on Friday afternoon. Manuel then quickly tied up a solid bag and cast towards it, which then lead to him landing himself his new PB of 54lb 8oz known as ‘The Teacher’ which was a very fitting fish as Manuel is also a teacher back at home. One thing we can’t stress enough at Gigantica, keep going right until Saturday morning!

Down in Big Girls we had another one of our regulars, Stephenwho spent the week fishing 3 spots up the tree line 11, 16 and 21 wraps. After losing one the first night Stephen went on to have two the following night fishing spinners with yellow Gigantica specials on in the shape of ‘Gogglebox’ at 33lb and an unnamed fish now known as ‘Three Rings’ at 24lb. Unfortunately, that was it for Stephen but we will see you next time. 

Tucked up in Scottie’s Corner we had Sascha who was fishing 3 separate spots in the corner going towards the hole to his right at 12 wraps, just before the weed bed at 17.5 towards Alcatraz, his left-hand margin and roamed one on his zig in the day time. It was the left-hand margin that produced Sasha’s only fish of the week and was an unnamed dumpy mirror now going by the name of ‘Kushman’ at 23lb 8oz. Until next time Sasha.

Finally in Bob’s Beach we had Kim. Kim was fishing 30 wraps towards Alamo as his main spot while roaming his water with a zig, and trickly bait in his right-hand margin at 9 wraps towards Alcatraz. Kim was another that only managed the one fish this visit and caught this on a solid bag casting at a showing fish, stuffed with crushed hand rolled Cell boilie and a 10mm boilie inside. This was another unnamed fish weighing 21lb 8oz.

So that’s it for this week things are certainly living up here at Gigantica and hopefully it continues.

Tight Lines,

Greg.

Team Gigantica.