Spencer's On the roll with SSRR!
28/05/2010
During the following week, after my capture of the big common and on a roll with the SSRR, I asked my partner to come fishing with me the following weekend as the weather would be hot and sunny. There are not many women willing to lug a bed chair and large carry-all around the lake in the baking hot sun to spend the night in a mosquito-infested swim (fair play to her), but having been with me a few times before she can see the attraction of being out in the countryside and at one with nature. She is now a regular visitor to the lake (summertime only, I hasten to add!).
I arrived first around 11am at the same lake as the previous week having arranged that my partner would join me later. A few of my friends were fishing so I sat in the sun and chatted. All the while, I noticed that the fish were in the mood to spawn, following each other and venturing close to the swims. They were due to spawn at any moment so this just gave me doubts about remaining at this particular lake. As much as I wanted to fish this spot, I felt so unsettled and could not relax, knowing it was best to leave them to it. When my partner arrived, having balanced her gear precariously from the car park to the swim I was in, I let her set up, sit on her bed chair, wipe her brow and look at me astonishingly when I suggested moving swim. Having only just set my bivvy up 10 minutes previously, we moved my gear to another lake on the complex which is much deeper and where the fish spawn later. I felt something in my water and not even an enthusiastic fishing girlfriend could keep me from the swim I needed to be in!
The sun that afternoon was relentless in our swim, and I was looking forward to it cooling down for the night. I chose a swim with an island around 40 or so yards out. I needed just one cast with each rod to get the distance. I knew the lake bed quite well in this swim so I didn’t thrash the water to a foam with the marker. I promptly dispatched just shy of 2kg of 15mm SSRR to the island with a throwing stick which just made me even hotter! My girl and I enjoyed the afternoon sun and as evening drew in, I prepared my rigs having already marked my distances earlier in the day. I used my good old stalwart tactics - good old choddys!
I cast to my spots at around 7pm, two rods to the baited area and one outside by a few feet. I threw out another few handfuls of bait with the stick giving a nice big spread of bait which is ideal for the choddy. We settled down for the night having applied copious amounts of insect repellent spray to my partner to fend them off...then off to bed. At 1.30am, I had a steady take off the island and when I pulled the hook home, my catch just belted off up the lake and took me totally by surprise. I had to get to grips with her pretty quickly as I knew she was now near some large snags. After a bit of heaving, she finally turned towards me and I was a bit more in control though she put up a real battle. During this entire time, my girlfriend was stood clutching the landing net,scales out, camera out and bucket of water at the ready. Finally my catch was in the net - 25lb of very strong mirror. I was exhilarated!
I re-baited and re-cast all the rods, then fell asleep, only to be woken again by the same rod! By this time it was getting light and I drew her into the net quite quickly in comparison to my first mirror - a cracking common of 29lb!
Photos taken...back into the lake she went. I dealt some more SSRR free offerings with the stick before relaxing in my bed chair to observe the impressive early dawn.
Around 8.30am, I was just about to swap my rods back on to zigs as the weather was really living up to its promise and it was steadily warming up. I touched the rod and felt I may give it some time before reeling in... just in case...just in case... and then POW! Out of the blue, a good fish hit the surface and I was into a common which weighed in at 19lb 2oz.
The fish could just not get enough SSRR that night and I think continuing to bait after landing each fish seemed to hold them there all night and into the morning (though my partner is convinced that she had been something of a lucky charm).
Happy hauling
Spencer Lunn