freeline-106 - Flipbook - Page 69
EXCLUSIVE
h a ve spent the majo rity o f
m y Bluebell time. It’s on e o f
t h ose lakes that respo n d s
w ell to a variety o f tac t i c s
a n d I’ve caught them o n
s i ngles, floaters, metho d b a l l s,
n a turals, washed out bait s , i n
t h e edge and out in the l a k e.
T h e fish are hugely pressu r e d
o f course and do ta ke s o m e
t h e si te a n d t h e m o s t h e a v i l y
stocked. Mallard is unique in
respect that if you get it right,
m u l t i p l e t a k es c a n b e p o s s i b l e
m a k i n g i t a l m o st s e e m li k e a
r u n s wa t e r ( w h i c h i t i s n ’t ! )
but at the same time you have
a chance at some seriously big
c a r p to o wi t h 3 d i f f e r e n t f i s h
having topped 49lbs. It also
c a tching but Bluebel l i s a
p l ace where dreams can b e
m ade for anyone.
Bait boats are permi tted a n d
a r e the main approach b u t I
h a ve foun d that (as al wa y s )
g i ving the carp so meth i n g
t h ey are not used to seeing w i l l
o f t en bring impressive resu l t s .
O ne of my favoured tactic s i s
t o fish str aight bottom b a i t s ,
a n d bait lightly with a bo i l i e
r o cket or catapult. I al so l i k e
s mall hooks and soft l ink s ; a
s i ze 8 and braid have ser v e d
m e well o n Swan, King fi s h e r
a n d Sandmartin pro duc i n g
f o r ty pound fish from all . O n e
l a ke I haven’t fishe d muc h i s
M allard - the biggest l ake o n
h a s g r e a t wi n t e r f o r m a n d i s
probably the most popular of
t h e 5 l a k e s.
Another thing to bear in mind
is that due to the proliferation
of bait boats (and the general
nature of modern carp fishing),
everyone wants to get out as
f a r i n t o t h e l a k e a s p o s s i b l e.
As you might expect, the carp
can be found quite close to
t h e b a n k a nd t h e m a j o r i t y
of the fish I’ve caught from
the complex, including the
whackers, were lured within
30 yards or less of the margins.
The
complex
provides
fantastic
fa c i l i t i e s
which
i n c l u d e a v e r y i m p r ess i v e
t a c k l e sh o p , s h o w e r s a n d
BigCarp 67
