Bailiff Comments

Week Commencing: Sat 08/10/2016

Water Temp 16 degrees

Start of week constantly brisk NE winds but mild air temps up to 15 in day, dropping sharply to as low as 1 degree at night with dense fog in early hours. Clearing middle of week wind swinging E then SE and S by the final morning with gradually increasing big time temps.

Saturday Night

Mark B was off to a flying start in Co's Point taking The Godfather of Soul at 42lbs from his middle rod at 27.5 wraps towards the bald spot dead ahead. His favorite 7" IQ to braid combi rig, fished helicopter style with a Baitworks Royal Marine hook bait and Scent from Hell 8mm topper doing the business. He put in 5kg of boilies and 5kg of maize by 7pm and had the bite at 11.30pm.

Later that same night Jake Taylor in Alamo had his first Gigantica carp in the shape of a well-proportioned 27lb mirror at 29 wraps straight out again on Royal Marine hooker over 3kg of boilies and 3kg of maize.  A 10" combi rig and running lead clip was the successful set up. Jake was made up with this first fish from the water after a blank on his first trip last year. He learned from that session and is now applying the lessons well. 

Sunday night

Much less fish activity tonight, fish are still spread right across the pond but are mainly in front of the Alamo bank with odd fish now showing in front of Tree Line and Beach areas. No bites......

Monday night

Jake takes a new PB at 3am landing Quasimodo at 39lbs 8oz, again at 29 wraps over 4 kg mix of boilie and maize. Same rig and Royal Marine hook bait.

Tuesday night

What a night this turns out to be......

Mark is away again in the night, same rod same rig and bait over another 5kg of mixed boilies and maize. After a slow ponderous fight a huge set of shoulders breaks the surface in the headlamp 30 yards out and Mark and Stevie Rocke both gasp at the size of it. It gives him little trouble in the edge and Stevie has to double scoop the fish to get it all in the net. A crowd gathers and Steve and DF cannot decide which one it is. The width across the back in the net is immense. Finally the penny drops, it is FUDGIES!!!!!! Transferred in to the weight sling and weighed in the water it goes a very healthy 85lbs 8oz. Andrew Gibbins and avid fish keeper with 60lb koi in his pond at home comments on how clean and fresh it looks for such a big fish. The photo session the next morning is awesome with the whole group watching Mark very skillfully hoist the huge fish up. An amazing feat considering he almost died in a horrific car accident this time last year and is now held together with wires through his pelvis!! A hugely just reward for Mark, and it was great to be part of it.

That same night Neil 'The Cowboy' Lunn gets off the mark in Bobs Beach with The Baby Weld at a new high of 42lbs. The fish comes off the ever consistent 21 wraps spot aimed at the Alamo swim. It is taken on an 8" Hybrid stiff hook link fished unstripped other than the hair, with a running lead clip and tubing. Active baits MGM wafter gets the bite over a kilo of freebies per rod. Then at 9am Neil 'Rigadon' is in again this time landing one of the lakes most sought after residents, Fred also at an all-time high of 57lbs 12oz, same rig same bait this time snowman style on his left rod, 21rl at The Stink swim. Again over a kilo of freebies on that rod. Top angling Neil, he is ever consistent on this lake even after a few years away. They say the cream always rises to the top..........

Whilst all this is happening Greg 'Ginge' Taylor of the Bait Works team, awesome spark, donator of the sperm that made Jake in Alamo and all round top bloke gets his first Gigantica carp in the shape of The Punisher at 45lbs. Royal Marine doing the business for Greg in the Stink swim fishing at 25rl over 3-4kg of Boilie and some maize. A great result for Greg after losing a fish last year at the net. The fish is in fantastic condition as well and at a new top weight, these long scallys will get to 50lbs one day just like Fred has!

That same night Andy Reynolds in Big Girls has two fish both on his 21.25 wrap spot at the reeds. A low and mid twenty grace his net after epic battles. Top angling from Andy fishing an 8" N-Trap soft hook link straight through D rig style with a Manilla hook bait over Manilla and Krill freebies. Andy has been baiting every other day to avoid over baiting his swim and when the fish have switched on he has made the most of it!

The fish were very active this night and the lake did six bites in spite of the cold air temps and foggy conditions, clearly they have not read the same books as us.....

Wednesday night

Only one bite tonight but one worth waiting for Billy 'Golden Balls' Hodkin, the very consistent fishing machine, bags The 43 at 60lbs 8oz. He keeps it quiet until the morning when he come round to say 'I tried to lift it out and it wouldn't come out of the water, so I thought No it's tooooo big leave it till the morning.' He moved two rods to a new spot that had been fished the previous week in Baxters 18rl direct at The Stink swim, this being his second night on the new spot. He baited with two kilos of Krill fishing Krill snowmen topped with a tiny pink Krill pop up over the top. The rig was a size 2 Kurv made barbless on spinner rig on 8" of the new Boom fluorocarbon to a running lead clip.

That was it in spite of fish crashing all down that Baxters and Beach area most of the night.

Thursday night

Neil 'Nial' Lunn is in again on his left rod 21rl at The Stink and lands the amazing Apple Slices, back up to its proper weight of 41lbs 8oz. MGM wafter again over a kilo of freebies per rod for the ever consistent lover of the ladies and tamer of the carps.....

Jake decides to give ‘em the bait and puts in 5kg Boilie plus maize and smashed up crayfish and has two bites in quick succession at 4.30 and 5am. Both at 29lb from The Alamo on his faithful 10" Hybrid stiff combi rig and size 4 Wide Gape B hook. He doesn't recast the first rod and the second bite happened shortly after, very crafty. The first is Wipe Out at 31lbs and the second another new PB, Classico the common at a new top weight of 45lbs. Well done Jakey, great angling and great attitude all week.

Friday night

Andy is back in again after a cut off the previous night, this time it's another mid twenty, bad luck on the weights but a good result for him from Big Girls, which was unfancied by many of other lads on the trip. Again Manilla over Manilla and Krill on same n trap d rig as before.

Mark B has another over 5kg of boilie and similar of maize, a lovely scaly 30lber to end his dream week. He and long suffering girlfriend Claire will be smoking big fat cigars and throwing wads of cash at West Country strippers after his 85lb 8oz result on his own Royal Marine bait, send us the pics Mark, we can't wait to see you up on stage spinning round a pole!!!!!