Bailiff Comments

Week Commencing: Sat 13/04/2024

Angler Of The Year!

Finally some fish, its been a tough winter with loads of rain bringing up the water levels. So its taken a bit longer than normal to bring the water temperatures up enough to get them feeding, but we had a good week this week with a few originals showing their faces! 

Biggest fish or the week goes to Darren Proctor who was in Bob’s Beach, I very tough swim this time of year so he’s done well to get a couple of bites out of there, and to get them bites he done something different to the norm! He fished hard right, down his margin close to where he was hearing them. It was a two-man job to get it around a tree and under a bush each time but making that extra effort defiantly payed of! His first bite came on Wednesday and when dilivering breakfast I arrived in the swim to a beat up Darren who sadly got cut off. But he got his rod back in position and manged to the land the mighty Buzzin’ Fish at a new top weight of 66lb 12oz and a new P.B! Darren was using a IQ-D Rig with a banoffee wafter topped with a fake bit of maize, feeding chopped Boilie, Whole Boilie, House Pellet and Maize. 

2^nd we have Rhys Richards who was in Stink, Rhys opted to fish long with two rods and short with one. And it was the short spot that done his fish, only managed two but again from a tricky swim this time of year so he done well also. His first fish came Wednesday, a lovely mid 20 scaly original. Then sticking to that spot and keeping the bait going in he managed a unit on the final morning, Mammut at 60lb 2oz and another P.B. Rhys was fishing at 17 wraps towards the two popular trees in Treeline, he started of fishing bags but after a couple of bream he changed over to a Spinner with a great big pink topped snowman and that’s how he manged to land Mammut, Rhys was feeding crushed boilie, whole boilie, house pellet with a bit of hemp and corn mixed in. 

Treeline saw Dan Chase, it was Dan’s first time to Gigantica and first time to France, and what a perfect venue to break his French virginity at and there was defiantly no regrets because he left the gate Saturday morning with a big smile and a P.B, yes another P.B this time it was in the shape of Slate Grey at 57lb 8oz. A awesome great long grey carp. Dan was fishing over to the treeline again Putting  the extra bit of effort in by shipping a pole out running back casting over the pole then dragging his lead in, clipping a rig on and dropping it in. Dan also had a bite later in the week but was sadly lost. Dan was feeding boilie maize and pellet, rig wise it was the same as mates Darren a IQ – D Rig with a wafter. 

Then we have John who fished in Pole Position, started of very slow for John, he also started of short but with no joy he went to the long spot towards stink at 33 wraps. This defiantly worked, after applying a whole bucket of K2 Boilie and putting matching wafters on spinners over the top it was that night he landed two. With one of the most amazing looking linear’s you could ever lay your eyes on! Maddie at 43lb 2oz, some carp. He also managed one just before Maddie a fish known as Baby Eclipse, again another stunning carp!

Then last but no means least we have Bob AKA “Angler of the year” AKA “Spider-Man” AKA “60 year old baby”. Bob was in Alamo and fished 28 wraps between Beach and Baxter’s. He manged three fish this week and was crowned The Angler of The Year. But It didn’t start off all singing and dancing though, because he did start of with a bit of a nightmare on the first day. We had a few storms roll in and Bobs bivvy decided to do one, bent poles and everything wet the towel was almost thrown in. But he kept his head on and got everything sorted and got them rods out. He managed two of our scaley gems one being Little Plated at 37lb 8oz and the other being The Pretty One at 37lb 14oz, he also managed a low 20 common. Bob fed boilie in all different sizes and flavours with a little bit of hemp added. Rig Wise Bob was fishing spinners with double match the hatch wafters. 

For me I managed a couple of nights in Baxters with having one and losing one. A 32lb common graced my net on the final morning. Simple fishing, with Baxter’s being the deepest peg on the lake I wasn’t keen on fishing out in open water so I put one at 12 wraps hard right to the tree line and one at 12 wraps along the left hand margin. It was the right-hand margin that done the two bites. Hinge stiff rigs with sent from hell yellow pop ups with just half a tin of the small tins of corn over the top.

The weather is getting better, and the trees are getting greener at last! The water levels are finally starting to drop but  Waders and wellies are still needed for most swims. 

Until next time

Tight Lines 

Ben