The first fish came after turning up at the lake to do a few hours in the morning. After walking into the first swim I saw a sheet of bubbles coming off the edge of some pads. I ran back to the car to get my rods and after changing to a light lead and attaching a visual pop up to my hinge rig, I was casting to the area I had seen the feeding fish. Within half an hour the bobbin slowly rose to the top and the rod tip bent round indicating a bite. The fish came rapidly towards me and once under the rod tip gave a good account of itself – a lovely 29lb common.
The second fish came in the final hours of a fairly uneventful 48-hour session. After losing a fish to a hook pull during the early hours of the last morning I noticed some bubbling close in, in the marginal weed. With nothing to lose I took the opportunity and flicked a hinge rig into a small channel in the weed the fish were feeding in and dusted over it with a few handfuls of mixed sized pellet. Within minutes the slack line pulled tight and a fish bow waved under my feet. Initially I thought it was a line bite but as the line started to pull of the spool I picked up the rod and was into a very angry common, this one going 29lb 12oz – the battle was fast but furious below me in the marginal weed.
The third fish came again on a morning where I had turned up at the lake for a few hours walking around with my rods. Once again I noticed some bubbles sheeting up at about 50-60 yards out against a weed bed. I attached a visual pop up as I had done with the first fish and cast to the area they were feeding and got a good drop. This time the bite wasn't instant but the fish remained in the area so I sat on my hands, and was rewarded an hour or so later with a 31lb 10oz common.
