Having got my campaign off to the best possible start imaginable (https://gardnertackle.co.uk/2013/06/new-venue-new-challenge-by-dan-chart/), I was naturally very keen to return to Fox Pool to see if my good luck would continue…
Over the month of June, I managed to sneak in a few quick overnighters, and gain some all important knowledge of the behaviour and movement patterns of the occupants of this rather engrossing lake. The fish are generally fairly easy to find, as they often frequent the snags and bosh about all over the place, however, at no point did I witness them feeding hard out in the lake; something the Fox Pool residents tend to do once they get on the bait, often sheeting up which is a sight to behold. So, with this in mind, I decided to hold back and not give them too much bait and concentrate on fishing areas which may contain natural food larders, similar to my last approach.
Last weekend, I had two nights available, a rare “treat” from the wife, but with the year’s highest temperature being forecast I wasn’t as keen as I should be to do two nights. I didn’t feel the conditions would be that conducive, doubts that were reinforced by the fact that they still hadn’t spawned yet.
I arrived at a scorching Fox Pool late Friday afternoon. As usual the lake looked beautiful in the full sun, with the surface covered in a white scum. After a good look around and chat with some of the members, I decided on plotting up for the night in a swim called ‘The Middles’. No prizes for guessing what part of the lake this commands!
I’d fished this swim a couple of weeks previous for the night so had a good idea of the topography. My right hand rod was positioned on a 7ft hump some 60 yards out, which had a light coating of silkweed on it. The left hand rod was fished in a nice silt gulley, somewhat shorter at 40 yards. I tied up a couple of pop-up combi rigs comprising of a cork balled hookbait mounted on a size 6 Covert Chod hooks (sharpened using the Point Doctor), a two inch 20lb Trip Wire hook section tied to a 6 inch boom made up with 15lb Chod Skin hook link. A 3oz Bolt Bombs mounted on a Covert Lead Clip system and a five foot long 25lb Plummet leaders completed the set ups.
I liberally spread a kilo of 15mm PGB Chocolate Orange boilies onto the two spots using my Skorpion throwing stick, and presented two S2 hook baits over the top. Job done…
Unfortunately I didn’t see much that night, although to be honest, I’d retired to bed rather early after having had a tough week at work. I was still feeling the effects of my labours come the morning and although I had one eye watching the lake, I wasn’t paying enough attention to the activity over my right spot.
My friend Wayne came over for a cuppa and to inform me of his fine capture of a fish called ‘Trio’ at 28lb. I said to him I hadn’t seen much going on in front of me, when he said “a fish has just crashed over your right hand rod mate!”. At that point, I embarrassingly got off my bedchair to watch the feeding frenzy develop in front of my eyes. Plumes of bubbles were hitting the surface as the fish obviously fed hard on the spot.
The first cup of tea was downed and before I could remove the tea bags from our second, the right hand rod tightened up in a flash. I pounced on the rod immediately and, at first, I wasn’t sure whether I was connected to a tench or carp. The fish kited to the right and I was forced to wind in furiously to keep up with it. Eventually it scrapped on the surface (the Covert Lead clip doing a superb job of releasing the lead) with me now realising I had a decent fish on. Changing the direction of the rod a few times, I managed to regain control and guided it into the waiting net that was expertly wielded by Wayne.
I instantly recognised it was a good fish and was naturally over the moon to be holding another of Fox’s jewels called Whiskers weighing in at 35.12lb!
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