freeline-98 - Flipbook - Page 97
EXCLUSIVE
The week leading up to
t h e s e s s i o n w a s e l e c t r i c. T h e
forecast looked perfect: low
p r e s s u r e, b i g s o u t h e r l i e s ,
warm temperatures. I was
on the bank by 7am on the
first
d a y,
buzzing
with
anticipation. Speaking to
P a u l , t h e o w n e r, I l e a r n e d t h e
lake had been producing most
o f i t s b i t e s i n t h e d a y t i m e,
which made me even more
eager to get set up. I opted
for two rods on a spot at 25
wraps straight out in front,
with a third rod slightly
further right at 27 wraps. Paul
offered a bait drop from his
b o a t , w h i c h I w e l c o m e d, a n d
I started with 40kg over the
two spots — a mix of Cheshire
B a i t & Fe e d ’s M a n d e m a n d
G r e n v i l l e ’s h o u s e b o i l i e. O v e r
the top, I fished my absolute
confidence setup: the Bacon
R i g, w i t h 1 2 m m C C M o o r e
NS1 yellow pop-ups.
The day passed quietly
while I set up, but just past
6pm, the middle rod tore into
action, and my first carp of
the session, a stunning 37lb
m i r r o r, w a s i n t h e n e t .
T h e f o l l o w i n g m o r n i n g, a n
hour after rebaiting the same
spot, the rod dropped back,
producing a 31lb 7oz scaley
m i r r o r.
Things went quiet for over
24 hours, until the following
day when a small common
of just over 23lb eventually
found its way into the net.
I woke the next morning to
a breathtaking sunrise and
an overwhelming feeling that
today would be special. Fish
were showing over both spots,
so we baited them at 7:30am.
B y 8 a m , a n e a r- l e a t h e r 3 4 l b
mirror was in the net, but
t h a t w a s j u s t t h e b e g i n n i n g.
A t 1 p m , t h e l e f t - h a n d r o d,
m o t i o n l e s s a l l w e e k u n t i l n o w,
e x p l o d e d i n t o l i f e, p r o d u c i n g
a b i g p l a t e d 2 9 l b m i r r o r. A t
4pm, the right-hand spot, also
quiet all week, ripped off a
small common — the smallest
o f t h e t r i p a t 1 3 l b.
