The Fishing Bloggers: Phil’s Lake
It was one of those days when you have 101 things to do and no time to do them! It was after dark by the time I was opening the gate to the syndicate and the weather was seriously windy, but I made the effort to do a lap in the hope I would hear something show in the darkness.
Arriving in darkness is never easy
Luck was on my side, as when I got halfway around the lake I heard one bosh on the end of the wind – that would do nicely. I knew there was a good area at about 60 yards range and after a few casts I had found the spot. Due to the mild weather I went straight in with the spod rod and deposited a good few kilos of NuttaS and Secret 7 dumbbells, mixed in with some pellets. This was all glazed in Secret 7 Hydro Spod Syrup – it looked perfect for a bite!
My spod mix
I put two rods tight on to the bait using simple knotless-knotted rigs on lead clips. My hookbaits were Secret 7 dumbbells tipped with Half Tone wafters for a fleck of colour. The third rod was on a solid bag filled with the potent Crayfish Mini Mix pellets and a Secret 7 wafter on the hair. This was sent down to the right-hand bay, which was receiving a battering from the wind.
Everything was looking spot on when I got my head down for some much-needed sleep.
At first light one of the rods on the bait started melting off! After a spirited battle in and out of the weedbeds, she was in the folds of the net, a lovely mirror that couldn’t resist that S7 hookbait. Weighing in at a respectable 23lb, I took some photos and slipped her back to fight another day. What a nice start!
A beautiful 23lb mirror to get things under way
I had to wait a little longer for the next bite (mid-afternoon, actually). I had seen some fish showing down my left-hand margin so deployed a Crayfish Min Mix-filled solid bag in their direction. A few hours later that rod was away too! This ended up being an insane battle in the weed lasting well over 30 minutes. I had to try every trick in the book to get this fish out of the weed, until finally, after walking down the bank and getting above it, she was free. What a stunner! Not the biggest one in the pond, but most likely the best looking.
Another stunning Phil’s Lake mirror
I kept the spots topped up in between the rain showers and tried to catch up on editing. Afternoon soon turned to evening with nothing more to show. After some food I planned to try and catch up on the sleep I missed out on the first night. I was confident I would get another chance, so thought I’d get in the bag early.
It took me a while to come around to the screeching in my ear, which turned out to be one of the rods tearing off! Unfortunately, the fish had got into weed and shed the hook by the time I got to the rod. These things happen, I guess! It was 1.30 in the morning, so there was plenty of time for another bite. I put on a new rig and a fresh S7 dumbbell and buzzed it back on to the spot.
Only a couple of hours had passed before the same rod was away again! This time she didn’t fall off and I guided her into the net – it looked like a good one. At 28lb 10oz, I was more than happy, as it was my biggest fish from the syndicate so far. It turned out to be a repeat capture from 14 months previous; she had gained and incredible 8lb-plus. That’s some weight gain!
At 28lb 10oz, I was delighted to see this one again
I had to be off the lake by 10am, as the rules stated. I didn’t have any more before packing up, but the fish were definitely on the bait. Here’s to next time!
Watch the latest Fishing Bloggers video from Phil’s Lake here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wMHS_KTndEQ&t=2s
Proof of the pudding
