Bailiff Comments

Week Commencing: Sat 19/04/2025

It’s All Kicking Off

 

Welcome to yet another Road Lake catch report, and with the weather more settled and the fish more action it was looking to be another good week on the fishing front, and we weren’t disappointed with the action that came the angler’s way this week.  Read on to discover more and what happened where.

 

Let’s kick off this week with a joint report of Joe Payton and Craig Mitchell.  Despite the different family names, they assured me they were a father and son duo and shared a set of rods in Tea Party 1, taking it turns when/if the bites would come along……..and the bites certainly did come along, and in number.  

It was no surprise that this swim was picked high up on the list, not only after producing a few fish the week before to just shy of 50lb, but during the walk around right on queue it was like a jacuzzi out in the zone fished the previous week.  And with the pair set up in the swim it was a no brainer to start off where we had seen the fish activity at 21 wraps in the direction of Turtles Corner as you look across.  Three rods deployed here, all on the same set up of lead clips and spinner rigs made from 25lb boom and utilising the super sharp Kamakura Wide Gape hooks in size 4, and barbless naturally, they were sure to get through a fair few hooks this week.

Sunday would see the duo land six fish between them, a lot of smaller fish amongst these with the standout fish falling to Craig who landed “Old Town Road” at 44lb.  A good start for sure.  And the action just kept coming thick and fast for the guys, three more on the Monday with “Long John” being the largest at 30lb 4oz.

Then we had Tremendous Tuesday, with them landing seven fish, they certainly kept me busy on camera duties this day, this time Joe landing the largest of the day.  “Big Scale”, again weighing 44lb on the nose.  The average weight was also getting better with “Mr Miyagi” at 37lb 8oz for Craig also being one of the standout fish.

With Wednesday came a big change in the weather, lots of rain and much cooler temperatures, and along with it a change in the fishing conditions, with a very noticeable drop in bites being hand around the complex.  Just the one fish to report for them on the Wednesday, this being “Slabman” weighing in just under the 40lb barrier at 39lb’s.

Thursday was set to live up to its reputation of being called Big Fish Thursday as Joe had notified me that he had one that he was sure to be around the 50lb bracket, so once I arrived and we got in the water to weigh it to see we was not disappointed.  This one surpassed the 50lb category and spun the scales to 65lb exactly.  Upon having a good examination of it I quickly identified it to be “Two Tone”.  Joe was certainly made up with his reward and was like a kid that had eaten to many blue sweets with his reward.  Four other fish came along during the day, with Craig also getting amongst the fish which was topped off with “Mr Mison” at 37lb 8oz.  

The boys didn’t end their action here, as on the Friday they netted another 6 fish between them, topped off with Joe landing “Joe’s Common” (very apt) weighing 36lb 14oz.

With them having just slipped back a handful of small fish during the week as well, they ended up with an incredible tally of 31 fish for the week!  Not bad going from one swim and three rods shared between them.  I feel Craig also learnt a lot during the week and by the end of the week was holding the carp like a champ.

Bait wise, they baited predominantly with a fish meal boilie that was chopped and crushed and blended with a matching cloudy liquid and fished with, as mentioned above, spinner rigs baited with match the hatch boilies to tempt all these fish.

Very well done the both of you this week, great to have seen you again.

 

Kicking the action off this week landing the first fish was first time visitor to Gigantica, Martin Lambley, who had plotted up in Shingles this week that would see him positioned in a great area of the lake with the bulk of the fish currently holding up in this area.

Around 7:30pm on the Saturday he had manged to land a fish known as “The Skrutinizer” at 28lb 2oz.  This was taken at 18 wraps and on a solid bag with just a single grain of slow sinking corn as the hook bait and at this time he was yet to introduce any bait to his swim.  A fantastic start for your first session and getting the pressure of catching off his shoulders so soon.

Martin then went on to land back-to-back fish over 50lb’s, with “Boilie Head” being his first on the Sunday weighing 50lb 8oz and then he went on to back this one up with “Baldrick” going a little bigger at 52lb 6oz on the Monday.  These were both caught at 18 wraps out in front of his swim and both caught on a spinner style rig using Kurv shank hooks and a very boosted bottom bait with a pink topper for added attraction on top of this.  Another one having a great start to the week.

A few quieter days were in store for Martin, and it wasn’t until the Thursday that he managed a couple of fish, this time from the 18 wrap spot out towards the dot island and these weighed in at 26lb (“Neenie”) and a nice common of 30lb 4oz.

The final bits of action for Martin were “Norfolk Common” at 42lb 6oz on the Friday and lastly a small common on the Friday night just below the 20lb mark.  A great session from drawing ball number 8 at the beginning of the week and made the most of the opportunities that came his way.  

Great to have met you this week, and again well done this week.

 

Coming with Martin this week was Stewart Ritchie who after pulling a good ball on the draw placed himself into Tea Party 2 for the week ahead.  And again, Stewart landed one on the first evening fishing out at 24 wraps with a solid bag fished over a spread of a fishmeal boilie put out with a throwing stick.  This early reward was “Atlantis” weighing 36lb 8oz.

Stewart had a good day on the Monday landing six fish, although many of the smaller residents, up to 29lb 8oz that is called “Skrappy”, but it was still nice to get some action on the rods.  Similar happened for Stewart over the next couple of days, plenty of action, landing four more fish, again this was made up of low to mid-twenties.

Having caught thirteen fish in total by the Friday evening he said he didn’t want to end on that number, and he didn’t have to wait too long as later on the Friday evening he landed his 14^th fish “Kaiden” at 34lb 8oz.

But the best of the week would leave it late for him, when on the Friday night he managed to slip his net under his biggest of the week, “Missing Link” weighing just shy of the magical 50lb target at 49lb 2oz.  

Stewart stuck with the solid bag approach for most of the week and this accounted for almost all of his fish for him.

Very well done none the less and it was a pleasure to have met you.

 

Returning customer Danny Boreham slotted into The Beach and stuck to his spot all week, fishing at 14 wraps towards Decoy as you look from The Beach.  

This is where he was first rewarded on the Sunday when he landed “Kaena” at 29lb 14oz.  This fish was caught on a IQ D rig approach baited with a fishmeal wafter to tempt the fish, and this was cast over a spread of boilie crumb, hemp, corn and flaked maize with some liquid for an extra punch.

Danny stuck with this approach for the rest of the week and was rewarded with a new personal best on the Thursday in the shape of “Nana’s Mirror” weighing over 50lb’s at 51lb 8oz.  This time his hook bait incorporated a pink topper for extra attraction.

Very well done on you new PB Danny, pleasure to have met you.

 

Fishing just around the corner to Danny was Tom Warburton in The Bund.  Danny started out fishing the week in Decoy but soon moved after seeing fish showing in the vacant Bund swim.

And the very next morning after moving he had one slinged up ready for its pictures.  Not a monster by Road Lake standards but nevertheless he had a fish under his belt.  22lb 8oz and in need of christening Tom chose to call it “Reedy Boy” after his son.  Sadly, although he landed this fish he managed to lose a number of carp that same night.

Tom waited patiently until Thursday for his next and final fish, at 42lb it was a nice one to end on for him.  This one is called “Borris”.

Tom caught his fish almost under the rod tips and landed them both whilst using spinner rigs with a pineapple flavoured wafter hook bait and baited the area with a cream-based boilie and a little maize.

Well done Tom.

 

Mark Mayhew moved into the vacant Decoy swim from Billy’s after just a couple of nights and the move almost instantly paid off for him when on his first evening in the swim he caught “Frankie” at 50lb 4oz and another personal best from the lake for one of the anglers this week.  Well worth the effort to move that one was.

Mark Caught this one from along his right-hand margin on a spinner rig and baited with mainly boilie over the area.

Effort equals reward as they say, and it certainly was true for Mark.  Very well done on the fish.  See you again later in the year.

 

Alex ‘Chip’ Sheerin joined us again for another week after having a go on the Main Lake last year and after nabbing ball number one put himself into the inform Turtles Corner.

After following on from the angler last week Chip set his stall out at 23 wraps, a little more along the margin and was rewarded Sunday with a 22lb fish from our 2021 stocking. Over the week he went on to land five other fish all similar weight and he saved his best until last, catching “Hillzy” at 33lb 14oz.

Chip fished mainly with a fishmeal boilie and some maize, not baiting to heavily each day, and used a matching bottom bait with a mulberry topper on a blow back style rig on a soft coated hook link and a lead clip arrangement.

Well done, and a pleasure to see you again.

 

Joe Slee began the week in The Goo before towards the end of the week moving around to Birches.

Whilst fishing in The Goo on the Monday he managed to catch a couple of fish from 18 wraps towards the ‘lone tree’ as I call it to his left slightly.  One was a smaller fish of 18lb called “Rybe W Occie” and the large of the two “Wage Packet” at 36lb.  Solid bags with a Link Quad hookbait fished over hemp, pellet and maize with plenty of liquid and powder goodness caught these two.

After moving swim Joe went on to catch a 25lb 4oz and a 20lb 2oz fish on the final morning.  These coming from 14 wraps to the right of the dot island as you look from his swim.  Again on the solid bags but this time with a single grain of IB maize as hookbait.

Worth the move in the end for a couple more fish.

Pleasure to have you here this week Joe.

 

In Double Boards we had Lewis Beirne and after a positive start with an 18lb’er and a 26lb’er caught from along his right-hand margin I thought he was going to be in for a good week, but that is where his action finished in this swim.  Lewis did do a move up to Dunkerque later in the week, but nothing paid off for him by doing so sadly.

Solid bags again doing the do for him, with two grains of slow sinking corn for hook bait and baiting with a fishmeal-based boilie.

Well done Lewis.

 

Lastly to write about this week we had Paul Matley inBacheliers.

Paul worked very hard during the week and managed the one fish on Tuesday with a nice 25lb 12oz mirror caught just before first light.  This was caught from 17 wraps toward the ‘lone tree’ to his right on a solid bag with a single grain of IB maize as hook bait and baited with hemp, maize and Cell boilie.

Despite the fish showing in numbers it was proving tough to get another bite despite his efforts.

Well done Paul.

 

11 out of the 12 anglers caught this week, which is great and just shows how well spread during the week the fish where, obviously some areas still holding more fish than others, but it shows everyone is in a chance to catch if fished well.

Well done the lads, great week and great company.  Really enjoed it. 

71 carp landed this week!

 

Cheers

Gareth “Gino” (or G Dog to Joe in TP1 after calling me Graham all week!)