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Bailiff Comments
Week Commencing: Sat 29/06/2019
I cannae’ take anymore Captain, the heat from last week was almost unbearable! The weather forecast for the coming week was showing a drop in temperature back to more moderate mid twenties, with mid teens overnight. Winds were set to be mainly northerlies which would be blowing across the lake towards The Cage and Beach. We had eleven anglers booked on, so there would be a bit of scope for a move around if the fish weren’t cooperative.
Chris Andrews had seen the fish near the bund and picked Decoy so he could attack them from the flank and out front if required. Bait for the week was Mainline Link and Essential Cell, which he introduced 3kg of chopped and whole baits, glazed in Link Particle Syrup. On Sunday morning he got underway with a nice 36lb Common from 14 wraps towards the bund. He switched all three rods to fish down there and he then picked fish up steadily through the week. The highlights were a brace of forties on Monday and then he caught “Frankie” at 52lb 8oz. He finished with nine fish for the week.
Dylan King went into The Beach and started out fishing with two rods at 18 wraps towards the bund and one rod on a zig with yellow foam. He was baiting with Mainline Link and DNA Nutta. The first rod to go on Sunday morning was his 14ft zig and it seemed that he was doing a world record attempt for the longest amount of time to land a fish. One hour forty-five minutes later a 23lb Common was safely secured in the net! Dylan went on to have a great week, taking eleven fish, with the best being a stunning fully scaled Mirror named “Fully Loaded” which hadn’t seen the bank since 2015. At 46lb it was a new PB and will probably be the best looking fish he will ever catch. Well done Dylan......your still Blacklisted for catching my target fish!!
Dylan’s Dad, Darren was next door in Dunkerque and fished the same bait and tactics; two on the bottom and one on a zig. He had to wait until Monday morning for his first bite, which also fell for a yellow zig and turned out to be a 29lb Common. He concentrated on fishing where the fish were transiting through. Most mornings he picked off fish and managed a very creditable nine fish for the week, including three thirties and a forty known as Twin Scale at 48lb 8oz.
Dan Pearson was first out of the draw and having seen fish showing in front of Birches during the walkround, he chose to set up there for the week. With the majority of “shows” being out in front over the raised central area, he spread three rods across the swim at 18 wraps and baited up with 5kg of ABS Hydra K and fished two Mainline Yellow Toppers on a Combi-Rig over the top. Initially the fish were holding down in front of the bund, but gradually moved further up the lake each morning. On Monday morning he got his first bite from a cracking 35lb 12oz Common, and backed it up a couple of hours later with a mid twenty. Tuesday was a blank, but he then picked up a fish on Wednesday and Thursday, ending his week with four fish.
Steve Maxwell was fishing next door in Brambles and sensibly fished at the same range as Dan, almost joining up the spots with a wide baited strip. They baited up together and fished almost as a team. It took a few days before Steve properly got into his stride, but on Wednesday it came good and he landed a brace of twenties which fell to IB Corn fished on a D-Rig at 18 wraps. Being his birthday week, Steve hoped for a chunk, and on Thursday evening just after tea, a supercharged Grassie weighing 34lb 4oz gave him a good scrap, and a good beating on the bank!
Dave Hurst went into Turtle Corner, and was just happy being by the lake for the week. Being a single Dad, time to go fishing is seriously precious, so he was buzzing all week. He started off fishing straight out at 20 wraps in the usual spots, but the fish were not in front of him in the early part of the week. At no point did he become despondent, and stuck to the task at hand. He suspected that a few fish were creeping down the left hand margin on a night, so set a trap for them in the corner. It worked like a charm, as in the early hours of Thursday morning he got the chance he had been waiting for when his ABS Plan B Dumbell with a yellow topper was snaffled by a 31lb 8oz Common which he got to name. Friday night and in a repeat performance the fish visited the spot. Unfortunately two fish slipped the hook, but he landed another thirty at 30lb 8oz. Rigs were simple blowback’s and Dave introduce 2-3kg of Plan B each day.
Jason Van der Merwe was on a return trip to the Road and got the chance to fish Tea Party. Jason was like a sponge during the week and was keen to put into practice the advice offered by Andy the bailiff. Unfortunately the fish just weren’t “on him” for much of the week, and you can’t catch what isn’t there. As the week progressed, crashing during the night suggested that a few fish had started to drift through from the other half of the lake. On Thursday night he got the chance he had been waiting for, with a 35lb Mirror being his reward. It got even better on the last night when he had four bites, landing two more fish. Credit to Jason for sticking it out on a tough week for the usually prolific swim.
Road Lake regular Nick Warburton was out for his first trip of the year and was happy to have a go in Billy’s for the week. The hot temperatures made it quite challenging, as there is so little shade on that bank. Being a tough “Northerner” Nick stuck at it all week, changing presentations to try and winkle one out. Disaster struck on Thursday, when his first bite came adrift during the fight. At last knockings on Saturday morning he managed to pinch out a pretty double to save the day.
It was a bit of a grueller for some of the boys this week. The fish seemed happy to stay down at the bund, then travel up in front of Birches, Brambles or round into the Cage. There are some things we can control at Gigantica; but the behaviour of the fish is out of our control. We would like nothing more than an even spread of fish between all the swims every week, but sometimes that is just not the way things pan out. It is after all, “fishing”, not “catching”.The week ended with a respectable forty-three fish being caught up to 52lb 8oz.
Until next time
Bonne Peche and Tight Lines
Andy
Team Gigantica