Josh B

After seeing loads of fish milling in and out of some snags in a corner of the lake we quickly set up either side of the snag to shelter from the torrential rain. Shortly after the rods were sent out to the sports and we sat and watched the water to see if any other fish would crash further from the snags now we had disturbed their peaceful morning. After half an hour nothing had, so we sat and began to cook some breakfast in the form of some good old bacon. Well I’m sure it would have tasted lovely had we not have burnt it because we were too busy latched into the first fish. The rain had now stopped and it didn’t take long to get a dumpy 22lb common into the net. It had a few scratches and marks along its side and it was obvious that spawning was on their minds and this was treated with a little anti-septic.

The rod was quickly fired back out and after some cold, burnt bacon dad went back to his peg and got his rods out. After that it lashed down for a fair few hours and by mid-day it had really bugged them – they weren’t feeding in this foul weather. All of sudden dads head popped round my bivvy door; “just lost one!” He was gutted. The hook had pulled on what he said was a good fish and we both sat there wondering why we decided to fish on the 13th of May. Some might say it was only one lost, but when I lost another we weren’t happy. I contemplated going home, but thank god I didn’t.  

After re-casting the rod (we were fishing locked up by the way) I sat and watched the water. Suddenly after five or so minutes the rod bounced and let out a ‘bleep’. I watched the rod tip pull round again and this time I hit it. There was something there, but it was coming at me, then past me, then carried on going and on and on – this thing wasn’t stopping it went from the left hand side of the swim (where the snag was) to the middle of the bay; 40-50 yards in 15 seconds, I knew it was good! It surfaced 20 yards out and I saw three small scales along its left flank – it was the same thirty we’d had in the winter and it looked bigger. Without any fuss at all I lifted the net and did a little jig of excitement in the water and from the other side of the snag dad could see I’d had one and what a prat I looked! He reeled in and we weighed her at a lower weight of 30lb 10oz – still who cares!

The rod was put back out quickly and within minutes was off again, this time a 23lb linear was the culprit and dad was there to have a go at landing one. He had worked incredibly hard and deserved a fish or two. He stayed after that fish and packed up from the other peg as no action was happening that side. He also knew they would move out into the bay in the evening so set up next door to have a social and a bit of action on the rods. 10 minutes after landing the 23 a small 19lb mirror was quickly weighed and put back and I’d had a 30, a 20 and a 19 in half an hour’s fishing; this had never happened here before, we were ecstatic!

To round it off an hour before home another 19 visited the bank, this time in the form of a beautiful scale perfect common. 8 runs in around 10 hours fishing is the best result I’ve heard of from the lake in years and all down to some fantastic fishing and of course the bait (OCM)!!!

My tactics were simple: a clear (fluorocarbon) TF gear leader of 36ins. Through to a lead clipped square pear – I don’t normally use the lead clip (prefer inline), but wanted the lead to drop immediately. This was attached to a 5ins. piece of fluorocarbon with a single OCM dumbbell. The hooks were size 10 longshanks and I used some shrink tube on the shank and bend to turn the hook in the hooks mouth. It was the bait that did it tho’ get on it!!!