So after a few weeks without any fishing and not really having the time to travel over the bridge to Flint id planed on doing a mid-week school night (7pm- 6am) on the Wharf followed by a few 24hr sessions at weekends. The wharf fish seem to have woken very hungry with catch reports coming thick and fast. So with this in mind a few kg of Red Ball the night before would hopefully tempt and hold them until I got there the following evening.
Work Tuesday couldn’t have dragged any slower and with the added text message from a mate telling me somebody had turned up late evening into the swim I had baited and landed 2 fish to 30lb+ made it even worse, nevertheless 5pm came I was coiled ready to go, with the van already loaded it was straight to the Lake. The lads that had turned up the evening before weren’t in the swim I had pre baited so that’s where I set up. With minimal gear it wasn’t long before the shelter was up and all three rods on their spots.
RB cork dust popups on critically balanced hook links have always been a winner for me here. I could see fish moving just at the back of the bait so was confident they would soon move over it. A quick brew and some Sarnies got tea out the way. About an hour later I had a vicious take on the right hand rod taking line it kited straight into weed, a quick walk down the bank and I had managed to get it moving again. The fish was staying deep and giving a great account of itself, there’s a shelf about 10 yards out and every time it got near it just pulled the rod over and would take more line, I’m thinking this is one of the chunks,,,, after what must have been 10 minutes back and forth the shelf a great big tail rolled and to my amazement it was a Catfish Noooo ! Not what I was after but a great fight none the less. I’ve never caught one it was a first for me so I suppose I had to have a few pics which a good mate of mine Nathan done whilst laughing at me screaming every time it moved on the mat lol. I’m not surprised it went a bit quiet after the commotion it made in my swim and the next morning I packed up and went to work.
The weekend came and I turned up at the lake ready for a 24hr session but was surprised at the amount of anglers already there, most are arriving either Thursday or Friday and staying until Sunday. I eventually settle in a swim but haven’t seen any signs of fish and by late afternoon I’m thinking a move could be on the cards until I see a head poke out not far off the left hand rod so decide to sit it out. Just before night falls I’m into a fish but it’s only on 30 seconds before it comes off. Arrrrh !!! No sooner I get the rod back out I see a fish roll 20 yards down the margin a rod length out there’s a bit of weed there so I attach a long hook link with a critically balanced RB Cork-dust popup. It’s not out there long when the rod bends around, it’s a great feeling when you get a screaming run but the sight of a rod being bent around from a margin take is something else. A pretty mid double mirror is my reward. The following morning I’ve packed the barrow early ready for a move for the last few hours, I get to the opposite end of the lake and spot a small shoal of fish moving under the boat that’s moored close to the bank and there’s a few mid-twenties amongst them, I put a rig about 5 yards away from the boat with only about 10 freebies and less than an hour later I land an upper double mirror. Time soon caught up with me so I loaded the van and made my way home.
The following Saturday no sooner I turn up at the lake I see two fish jump in the same area,, That will do me. I empty the van and get set up just before the rain comes which to be honest didn’t stop for a good two hours so I still managed to get wet putting the rods and bait out. By late afternoon Kiki was a bit board and pestering me to throw her ball, so up and down she ran fetching at one stage the ball rolled into the lake 30 yards away so I quickly ran to get it before it floated away, as I bent down to pick it up I here’d a slap on the water not far away behind me!! Sounded like a fish I thought? I wasn’t wrong either because out it came again, I spent the next 20 minutes by the Bivvy watching fish after fish jump and roll….I’m on the move! Right on queue the rain starts again it’s in for the evening so there’s not going to be a good time to move so I may as well get on with it. After the bivvy’s up I go about setting the traps again, little and often I put a kg of bait out then sit back make some grub whilst watching the water.
Apart from the odd show now and then the swim seems to have gone a bit quiet. My mate Owen pops over for a visit well his flat overlooks the lake so he’s not got far to travel, we soon get into the big common conversation “Ollie”, he reminds me what he said a few weeks back about the moon and it being caught this weekend ? Then suddenly I get a take on the middle rod and you know what’s going through my mind lol but it’s weeded me up and despite my efforts it hook pulls. Owen ums “n” r’s about whether he should set up or not, by now it’s going on for 10pm and despite me telling him to go and get his gear he leaves still unsure, but half an hour later I get a text telling me he’s on it lol No action through the night and when I wake early next morning I’m trying to work out why? Maybe they were on the move when I first stopped them who knows, I make a cuppa lay back on the bed just as the middle rod erupts, stripping line heading for the middle of the lake, It feels like a good fish, fishing close to a large weed bed
I’m setup to drop the lead which it has and I’ve soon got it under control. It puts up a great fight and I’m relieved when it rolls over the cord. 24lb 8oz, a beautiful dark common and a great way to start the morning.
Not long after I get a text from Owen asking how the night went, after I text him back he replies with dead haven’t even seen anything……shortly after he rings me and says “Guess what I’ve got in the net” giggling like a chipmunk lol,,,, I knew straight away and Fair Play to him as well after all he had said. I couldn’t reel the rods in any quicker and got myself down there to do some pictures.
What a sight that fish is 40lb 4oz CHUNK! The fact he’d been after it for so long the excitement and relief was written all over his face, well done Owen. ( STORY SOON FOLKS)
A week later I arrive for another 24hr session this time there’s only a few anglers setup so I spend a bit of time looking for fish, 2 hrs in fact without any rock solid signs. I decide to fish off the back of the barrow in case I move later, which I did twice until I found fish by which time the sun is starting to set so I need to get a move on. I’ve got two rods on a nice clear spot about 45 yards out and the other is over light silk weed at 60 yards which is the first rod to rattle off a small mirror about 9lb. I’m walking the line out to clip up which I would end up doing almost every hour through the night because the runs on that rod didn’t stop coming and by 6am I’d lost one and landed Six to 21lb 4 and a catfish I was absolutely shattered and just about out of bait.
After the last fish at 6 I decided to try get an hour or two kip but no sooner I put my head on the pillow I seen a real good fish bosh but not over any of the rods so I took one of the two fishing the same spot that hadn’t produced and dropped a C-Nut popup on a stiff hinge rig right on it. I only got my head down for about an hour and was woken by the middle rod screaming,,, an upper double common from the spot that hadn’t done a fish. I’d had enough by then was completely out of bait and needed to get home for some rest so decided on a slow pack down. Almost ready to get the rods in when the left rod I’d put on the showing fish in morning screamed off I knew it was a bit of a chunk straight away, it stayed deep and didn’t want to come in. I eventually got it within 5 yards of the bank watching it turn and dive in that clear deep water is a great sight. It tipped the scales at 28lb a great end to an awesome session.
