35 – Keith
The anglers due this week at Molyneux were old friends from last year, which is always so nice, as it is truly a pleasure welcoming back familiar faces to the lake.
Having been before they had predetermined what swims they were going to fish, mostly the same as last year. Keith opting for Social 1, with his mate Steve next door in Social 2. Another Steve headed for the Barn swim, while Troy chose to fish from the double swim. Jason started off in the Pines, and Bish chose the cabin swim where he fished last year.
Saturday was spent finding the old spots, and baiting up, and after dinner we enjoyed a lovely social evening with the lads in the dining room having a chinwag and a few beers. I don’t think anyone fished Saturday night as they were tired after the journey.
36.08 – Steve
The following morning a few speculative casts were made at first light hoping to pick up a fish before breakfast. Only one angler Keith was successful in this and after casting out into open water in front of the social swims landed a corking mirror of 34lb’s. Not a bad start to the week.
The rest of Sunday nobody managed to catch possibly due to the cold North wind which whistled across the lake. Monday sadly was much the same story, and at teatime Monday the guys still had only the one fish between them.
With the weather due to change significantly no one was too concerned and we all felt confident that with a little sunshine and a change of wind things would improve greatly. How right we were. Monday evening the wind died right down, and looked set to change. The temperatures without the wind chill immediately improved and so did the fishing.
At 1.30am Steve in the barn landed a new lake record Catfish weighing in at 62lb 4oz… A cracking beast almost as long as Steve was tall.
62.04 New Lake Record – Steve
At 4am Keith hooked and landed his second of the week, a 21lb 8oz Grass carp. Steve then landed two more from the barn in quick succession, a 31lb 3oz mirror and a 14lb mirror, one of the few double figure mirrors coming through. Steve Taylor in Social 2 was next off the mark with a 28lb 4oz mirror at 7.30am, and then Steve in the Barn swim landed another just before reeling in for breakfast, this one was a 20lb 4oz common.
Things were looking up, and with the light S/E breeze springing up after breakfast it could only improve. Steve in the Barn landed two more Mirrors in the afternoon, weighing in at 28lb 3oz, and 29lb 2oz respectively.
Tuesday night and a few of the big girls came out to play. The first fell to Steve in the Barn, a little after midnight, landing a lovely 35lb mirror. The next mirror caught was a massive new pb for Bish in the Cabin swim at 36lb 3oz. The next was caught at first light, Keith in the double swim landing the largest of the week so far at 36lb 6oz. He followed this up with a smaller mirror of 26lb 4oz just before breakfast.
36.06 – Keith
Jason who had been fishing the boat swim with little success decided on a move after breakfast and I gave him a hand round with his gear to Jack’s. He had seen a few fish showing down in the shallows early in the morning and thought it worth a chance.
At lunchtime Steve In the Barn caught what can only be a lake spawned Grasscarp weighing in at 14lb’s. Keith then had two decent mirrors in quick succession between 5pm and 6pm, a 30lb 8oz mirror and a 29lb mirror.
Just after midnight so technically Thursday there were two fish caught almost simultaneously at either end of the lake. Jason, proving that the move was worthwhile, landed a gorgeous 22lb common, and Steve in the Barn landed another Catfish, this one tipping the scales at 39lb exactly. Keith then caught another cat at 2.45am, this one weighing 27lb 12oz.
The next fish caught was at 4pm, and was a 20lb 10oz Grass carp landed by Steve down in the Barn, he was having a whale of a time down there and was catching consistently throughout both day and night. A short while after Keith caught our second ever double figure Grass carp at 17lb’s. They don’t normally breed very successfully in lakes, preferring to do so in running, or at least moving water. Tucked away as we are in a valley, it is testament to the water quality that we seem to be seeing fish which have obviously grown on in the lake as none were ever stocked as low as these.
Later that evening, Jason in Jack’s landed his first thirty of the week, a nice long mirror of 30lb 4oz.
36.03 – Bish
On Friday conditions were absolutely perfect and it was to be a cracking day for fish. It started at just after midnight, Keith in Social 1 landing a 22lb 6oz mirror.
Then at 5.30am Steve in the Barn swim landed a beautiful mirror of 37lb 5oz, as he put this back, another of his rods rattled off and resulted in a 23lb 9oz mirror. Keith then landed another just after first light, another mirror, this one weighing in at 25lb 10oz.
At 8.15am, Jason in Jack’s landed another scraper thirty at 30lb 2oz.
At 9.30am Troy landed his first fish of the week, a 20lb 4oz common. I don’t think the constant bellowing and noises he was making had helped in his cause.
After breakfast Steve who had been persevering in Social 2 moved into Stones after seeing fish in the channel. He then proceeded to have three mirrors in a short space of time during the afternoon. Proof that keeping your eyes peeled and making the effort to move can pay off. His first was 29lb 12oz, his second weighed 26lb 4oz, and his third weighed 27lb 4oz.
37.11 – Steve
Steve in the Barn also got in on the afternoon fun with another chunky mirror weighing in at 36lb 8oz. Troy whose voice had obviously gone by now then landed another at around 5pm, his second common, this one weighing 22lb 3oz. Just before he reeled in for the evening meal Keith managed a 26lb 6oz mirror.
At 10pm Jason landed his third thirty of the day and this one was a bit special, a gorgeous 30lb Grass carp.
At 11pm, Steve in the Barn landed a 30lb 3oz mirror, and at almost the same time Keith in Social 1 landed a 35lb mirror.
Steve in the Barn, then caught a 37lb 11oz mirror, just stealing the biggest carp of the week crown off of Keith by 6oz….
In the early hours of the morning there were to be two more fish banked. Steve in the Barn had yet another, a 23lb 3oz common, and Steve in Stones finished up with his largest of the week with a 33lb mirror.
All in all a good week, with every angler catching, and from only one fish caught by Monday evening they finished up with forty fish for the week between six of them. A very good result in the end.
Good to see you all guys, it was a pleasure as always, and we hope to welcome you back with a warm smile and a cold beer sometime soon..
Wally
For more information, videos and feedback from Molyneux follow the link – French Carp Lakes
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