On 22nd December I had a pass from the boss, so I was off out again. Unusually there was no one at the lake, which is nice, but means it’s easy to get it wrong too. After many laps and nothing to go on, I decided to go back in where I had caught the 39, you couldn’t script it better. At exactly the same time as the 39, I had a bite and a powerful fish ran me around for a while, and then tired and was soon in my net. I underestimated this one and it went 31lb 6oz on the scales. This was the winter campaign that just kept on giving. A few pictures and it was returned. After that action the night once again passed with no further action.

The next few days were filled with Christmas festivities and family socialising. The day after Boxing Day I had a day session at my disposal, I was surprised to see how many eager beavers were out and about with there new fishing toys. After a good look round, once again I dropped in my last haunt. Up until now the right rod had been the banker rod, and it was hard to buy a bite on the left. Most of the day had passed and I thought I was going to heading off home with my tail between my legs. Then at around 3PM, whilst I was chatting to some lads that I knew on the lake behind me, my receiver lit up in my pocket… A day-time bite! After a good scrap and I soon had another in the net, another 31lb 6oz common. A few pictures were snapped off and then it was released. I was homeward bound now with a December daytime 30lb’er under my belt.

The next few days were filled with Christmas festivities and family socialising. The day after Boxing Day I had a day session at my disposal, I was surprised to see how many eager beavers were out and about with there new fishing toys. After a good look round, once again I dropped in my last haunt. Up until now the right rod had been the banker rod, and it was hard to buy a bite on the left. Most of the day had passed and I thought I was going to heading off home with my tail between my legs. Then at around 3PM, whilst I was chatting to some lads that I knew on the lake behind me, my receiver lit up in my pocket… A day-time bite! After a good scrap and I soon had another in the net, another 31lb 6oz common. A few pictures were snapped off and then it was released. I was homeward bound now with a December daytime 30lb’er under my belt.

My next trip was with my cousin, for a sociable day of eating leftovers, so we fished the only double swim on the lake, more for socialising than fishing, but I still managed to catch a mid double common on last knocking. It’s definitely far better to be lucky than good.

My next day out was 2nd January, and there were 4 or 5 people on when I arrived. After completing a lap, I decided to drop into a zone I’d not fished before, purely because there were no lines there. I had a little lead around and found an area I was happy with. I got one trap set but was undecided what to do with my other rod. In the end I elected to put it close in, in the next swim along. I didn’t have to wait much time at all before the first rod was away, and after a strange start to the fight it was soon apparent it was another good one. I soon had a nice common in the net, 30lb 12oz, that will do! Starting the year where I left off last year. The mat and sling were stashed out of sight behind the bed under the brolly to conceal any evidence. After that the rest of the day past with no signs, so around 3PM I wound in and left, still very pleased with another bite.

I was not due to return to work until Wednesday the 8th January, due to having a funeral to attend on Tuesday the 7th. So, Monday the 6th saw me down the lake for another day trip, and after several laps in darkness I’d heard nothing and as the light broke, I hadn’t seen anything either. I opted to go into a peg that I’d caught well from and had a deeper silty area. I split my rods up in two different swims to cover more water and to preserve my banker rod (to stop anyone else going in the swim next door). The morning past quietly and I thought I was staring down the barrel of a blank when at around 2PM the banker signalled a flurry of bleeps, a typical bite from here. What first felt like a small one knocking its head, soon surprised me under the rod tip as the net was slid under a dumpy common. The fish weighed 27lb 13oz, the dice kept rolling. I did some shots, loaded the barrow and left victorious…

Friday 10th of January and I was back for a 48-hour session. I arrived at 6AM and found that I had the whole lake to choose from. Catching the mirror back at the end of November made my campaign really, but as anglers we are greedy. The 39lb plus common was also a massive buzz, but in the back of my head I still knew that the Dipped Back Common had not been out since I’d been fishing there, and to my knowledge not since June time. The dipped back common seemed to be a hard one to catch because of its length, it was reputed to be a powerhouse and didn’t like dropping its guard often. On my first trip down the lake in November, I was shown a photo of the Dip-Back Common, and to be brutally honest it blew me away. A proper long, dark character with a dipped back and it just looked like a old war horse. After the capture of the mirror I’d said if I was lucky enough to have the Dip-Back I would leave the lake knowing that I had been lucky enough to meet the A-team.

Like all good gamblers would, I decided to keep rolling the dice, fishing in the deeper silty zone as it had been so kind to me. Once again, I split the rods to preserve my own angling and space. The day past quietly, and all the day anglers had disappeared, and there was possibly just four of us left on for the night.

Around 6PM, the classic few bleeps interrupted my lasagne and glass of wine, and a fairly steady fight saw me leading another fish to the net. I quick call to my cousin, who lives locally to the lake, and he was soon there to assist. Once we’d got it out, I realised it was a repeat of the 33lb 14oz common I’d had early in the campaign. A quick weigh and photo for my records and it was back in the lake, and this time it went 34lb. My cousin disappeared and I proceeded to get the trap set again.

The obligatory tea before bed was supped, then I settled down for the night only to be awoken by a flurry of bleeps on the banker rod again. After a really deep heavy fight, and freezing my nuts off, I slipped the net under another good common. All is good, two 30 plus commons in a night in January, I’ll take that. A quick weigh up and seeing light was imminent I retained it for minimal time. This one went 32lb 8oz and was different to a lot of this lakes residents as it was box shaped.

Feeling very pleased with myself, I made a brew then re-set the trap – a pinch of maggots on a little size 16 Target hook tied on a hair, with the point drawn back to the section of Zig Foam to keep them in place and balanced. All easy and effective and the baited rig was again primed with a PVA bag of crumb’n’maggots. I climbed back in the bag with Dylan, but it seemed to take a age for me to defrost.

In what seemed like no time at all, I was awoken by a flurry of bleeps again as the same rod was away. This fish was stripping line and felt like another good one. It kited massively left, and I had to bury my tip and hold on to avoid the marginal snags to my left. I was stood in my long johns for what seemed a lifetime playing this one and I was shivering. There was a full moon and it was like daylight. The fish’s head came up and it took one big gasp of air, I quickly slid the net under and really had to push hard to get the length of this one in.

I secured the net and proceeded to get some layers on and perform a good 50 star jumps to get the blood flowing and warm me up. Unsurprisingly, Dylan was looking at me like I’d just dropped down from space. By this time, it was nearly light, and a friend was in the car park loading his barrow for the day. He came around and had a tea with me, whilst I relay the details of my night’s antics. It looked like that it was a hattrick of thirties in January from what I had seen in the net.

With the light breaking so were the herds of anglers. I was trying to keep my campaign and captures under wraps as I didn’t want to feed the sheep. I managed to talk people who walked round into the fact I was up one end and the fish were up the other. Some may say cruel, I say every man for himself.

We positioned ourselves where no one could see what we were up to, I got the retained 32.8 and we took some quick shots then sent it on its way. The fish in the net I managed to unhook in the water. I could see it was a real dark long one. I rolled the net up and carried it to my mat. On pulling the mesh back, there it was the massive dip in the back and the long dark flanks. I’d done it! We hoisted it up on the scales, 37lb 3oz it went. I was properly charged by this capture. We got some shots then sent old Dip Back on his way.

Everything was gathered up and hidden to leave no evidence. I calibrated the kettle and proceeded to txt the gent who had first shown me the pic of dip back common. The reply came back quickly, ‘where too now?’

What a winter campaign, several years ago I had a campaign on a lake through the winter and managed three 30’s, I thought that it would take some beating. This winter (which is not done yet) has been very kind to me…