Neil - Yes mate. I'd had the Gurm at mid-30's after it'd spawned out which is normally the biggest in the lake as well as a 40 called Chunky.
Bob – So, on this particular trip where were you fishing?
Neil - In the Lodge. I was fishing all three rods long down towards the tree line which is the best area in this swim.
Bob - What bait were you using?
Neil - N Blend of course mate! With the ever reliable N Blend Fluoro pop ups over the top.
Bob - All tubed up?
Neil - Yep, all shrink tubed up to keep them safe and sound. Doubling up in the Lodge with 'Pretty Boy'. A lad called Charlie was packing up but I could see fish on the top so I didn't mess about and just pinged some zigs out there. Two rods, white N-Blend flouro's and within half an hour one ripped off. It was a 28lb 12oz common.
Bob - That was the smallest of the commons in the lake you've had wasn't it?
Neil - Yeah, and it left only two! After that the fish did the off a bit and faded away out into the open water, so I got the rods sorted for the night and about 7am the next day I was talking to Pretty Boy over a cuppa and I had a dropback which was unusual for that swim and I wound and wound and wound until eventually I caught up with it. But when I did the rod hooped over and I could feel straight away that it was a big old kipper and it was chugging up and down and went along underneath Pretty Boys lines which was a bit of a mission to get sorted but eventually I walked a little up the bank onto a jetty and played her from there.
Bob - Was it a good scrap?
Neil - Oh yeah! She was giving it a proper old row, I could tell it was big but when she surfaced I could see the scales down her back and the bald patch on her flank and I just knew which one this was! The knees started to give it the biggun!
Bob - But normally you're a man of steel!
Neil - Well yeah I suppose but I was playing a forty, the last one I really wanted from this lake and I was being filmed as well so it was all a bit tense! But I got her in the end and she turned the scales to 42lb 6oz. I even smiled for the pictures.
Bob - Really? Normally you look miserable in all your pics!
Neil - Oh yeah, I'd wanted this one for a while. But later on in the afternoon I had another kipper! It was Chunky again. I've had it at 40lb in the past but this time she was 37lb 12oz. Again as its one I've had before I popped it back without any pics.
Bob - That wont please your sponsors! (laughs)
Neil - No, but I've got plenty of pics of it already! I don't need to put her through it again. It was nice to catch her though, and she took me out in the boat as well as she jumped into a big old weed bed. Its the first time i've needed to do it on there but I won in the end.
Bob - So what did you do then?
Neil - Well the carp started spawning and they went off up the top of the lake where they always go to do it. They were shedding loads of weight as well so I had the Mommon at exactly the right time.
Bob – You’ve had one more trip over Fryernings since then haven’t you. How did it go?
Neil - Oh, not bad! (laughs)
Bob - When did you get there?
Neil - On the sunday, I went for a walk round and found out what'd been going on and what had been out from where. It was clear which areas were the best - mainly the shallow water. The lodge was free which is the best swim on the lake so I jumped in there again to begin with. I wasn't sure if it was the right area to be honest, it'd been slow down there but I thought that as its free i'll give it a go, I could always move the next day. The conditions weren't ideal for it though, chilly, cloudy, northerly wind all grey and specks of rain in the air. It felt a bit like the weather for the deeper water. I really wanted a nice warm easterly and bright sunshine pushing the fish up towards me. I took a bit of a gamble really but, as i said it's a good swim and I could always move later if it didn't produce.
Bob - so you went with your gut rather than your instincts? What happened?
Neil - Well I'd whacked them really long, right down as far as I could to the far tree line and scattered about a hundred N Blend baits into the zone with the stick and at 9 the following morning I got the first bite.
Bob - What was the rig and hookbait?
Neil - Just a really basic pop up rig with a white flouro N Blend pop up.
Bob - You didn't go in with lots of bait?
Neil - Oh, no. I wasn't really sure that they were in the area so I just went in light. 100 baits over the three rods. Just fishing for a bite at a time.
Bob - So? What happened then?
Neil - The first fish I had was one called Stripes and i've had that one before, this one proper rucks and took me all over the swim but at 30lb 4oz was a cracking start to the trip. So I did the pics and a bit of videoing with Chris the owner. Then about an hour later I had another. All three rods were in the same area so I didn't recast any, but it was always the right hand rod that went first. It was as if they went out into the main part of the lake overnight and then in the morning they came back up to the shallow area in front of me. This was perfect really because I could get the rods all sorted and baited last thing at night and they'd not be spooked as they weren't there. Then they'd come back into the area and there was a nice scatter of grub out there for them. And it kept working all week. So the next one was a 28lb 12oz zip linear which was a lovely fish, but again I'd caught that one before so I popped it back without a photo. Then on the second morning I had the Round Tail common at 32lb 8oz which was one of the ones I'd really wanted which completed the set of commons as I'd already had 'Lukes' and the 'Mommon', the next take after that was a double - it ripped off as I was about to do the pics of the Round Tail common and was a 27lb mirror. Charlie had to put the camera down and hit it whilst I popped the Round Tail back in the water in the net and I quickly set up my second landing net. But I soon had them all sorted and back in the pond. It was going well!
Bob - Yeah doesn't sound too bad so far eh! So what happened then?
Neil - Well that was it for the day but the following morning I had another peach at 30lb 6oz and then I had to wait until the evening for the next bite which was a 31lb mirror. I was getting two takes a day without fail, it was a shame the third never went but I cant be too greedy can I! The next day I had another thirty at 30lb 4oz, what a session this was turning out to be eh! Then I had a 28lb mirror and on day five I had the largest on the last day at 33lb, a fish called the Nun. My last bite was from a common of 25lb 8oz which I'd had the trip before when I had the Mommon. Then on the saturday morning I packed up very happy!
Bob - You've had worse weeks eh!?! (laughs) Knowing a little about the lake in question I'm surprised you hadn't nailed one of the bigger ones.
Neil - To be honest they were all well down in weight, the 25lb common was a prime example. When I had it a couple of weeks before it was 28lb's - all the thirties I had are normally a good few pounds heavier as well.
Bob - I'm surprised you didn't go in heavy with the bait then?
Neil - Well if i'd have been 'on them' I would have, but they weren't stopping in the area, just passing through so I needed to find that balance of knicking a few by giving them just enough to stop them but not too much that they'd have their fill and leave the swim without getting caught.
Bob - Were the crays much of a problem?
Neil - Not too bad. I had the N Blend Fluoro's on all three rods which are very tough anyway but I wasn't going to take any risks and had them shrink tubed up. It's not tricky but it's easier to direct the readers to James' video clip of the method in the 'video vault' on the website at dtbait.co.uk - its much easier to follow than me telling you!
Bob - Nice one mate. That old N Blends done you proud again eh! How longs it been going in there now?
Neil - Two years, and it aint slowing down either. It's the most consistent bait on there bar none.
Bob - a good indication of a quality bait.
Neil - Totally mate. The Mommon came at the right time and with only a month left on my ticket so I'm in a bit of a dilemma now. I've got my eyes on another nice one near by, we'll just have to see how that goes.
Bob - Well i'm sure if you have it we'll be hearing about very soon.
Neil - Oh, I've already had the second biggest mate!
Bob - Really? Give the rest of us a chance eh mate!