With the first anglers breakfasted and on their way home, we set about preparing for the arrival of our second group of the year.
Jack – 31lb Mirror
The group consisting of Barry, Stuart, Shaun, Graham, Luke, Jordan and Jack, who arrived mid-afternoon. We had a quick chat and the obligatory cup or two of tea and then wandered around the lake. The weather was mild with almost no wind, though the forecast for the week ahead was not so pleasant with very cold temp’s wind and rain due.
The guys decided upon their respective swims easily enough, and after another cuppa set off around the lake with their gear to set themselves up for the week. Jordan and Jack set up in Jack’s despite the frontage still being very soft. Graham being slightly older chose the relative comfort of the cabin.
Shaun and Luke decided on the double swim, and Barry and Stuart settled for the social swims.
Once bivvies had been erected, and rods prepared they came round for their evening meals. After which they set off back around the lake in earnest to begin the weeks fishing.
Saturday night turned much colder and sadly there were no fish caught. Sunday was spent markering and seeking out spots in their swims. Finally at around 8.30pm the first fish was landed by Barry in Social swim 1, a cracking mirror of 37lb. Overnight the weather turned cold again, and this continued throughout Monday. Sadly no further fish were caught on Monday.
Barry – 37lb Mirror
Tuesday evening and there was a distinct lull in the cold weather and inexplicably it warmed up by a few degrees for a couple of hours during the late evening. This switched the fish on immediately and at 9.30pm Stuart in social 2 hooked and landed a 38lb mirror. At 10pm our first fish was landed form our newly improved Jacks swim, spookily enough by a lad called Jack. It weighed in at 31lb. At 11.30pm Stuart landed his second of the evening another corking mirror weighing in at 37lb 8oz, not a bad brace.
Stuart – 38lb mirror
With very little let up in the cold chill Northerly wind that was cutting across the lake conditions were difficult and uncomfortable for the anglers, the weather was not helping the guys put fish on the bank either.
Despite all of this at 3.30pm on Wednesday Barry in Social 1 caught a mirror of 33lb 8oz, the first fish of the week to be landed during daylight hours. He followed this up with a 30lb mirror at around 11.30pm that evening.
Jordan – 36lb
The following day it wasn’t until 8.30pm before an alarm sounded loud and clear from the other side of the lake, again it was Barry, this time landing a 26lb 8oz mirror…… amazingly the first twenty of the week.
Jordan in Jack’s followed this up at 11.30pm with a lovely chunky mirror of 36lb.
Stuart – 37lb Mirror
At 1am on Friday morning Barry was off again, the resulting fish proving to be 28lb 8oz. Two hours later and Jack in Jack’s landed another of exactly the same weight…
Despite their best efforts the guys in the double swim and Graham in the cabin had still not managed so much as a bleep. I can only imagine that this was a result of the cold Northerly blowing hard across the front of them, whereas the bay in front of the social swims was flat calm and undoubtedly less affected by the chill winds affect.
Saturday morning and Stuart banked his third fish, at 36lb,s his smallest fish of the week. At 7am just as he was thinking about getting up and packing down his kit Barry was in again, yet another thirty pound mirror the result of the tussle that ensued.
Stuart – 36lb Mirror
Twelve fish between them for the week in the conditions that they suffered really not too bad a result. With nine of the fish caught over thirty pounds, many of them large thirties the boys were very pleased and plan to visit next year when the weather is warmer…
Lovely bunch of guys whose company Helen and I thoroughly enjoyed, well done for sticking at it guys you endured some very poor weather and did so with a smile.
Wally, Bailiff at Molyneux
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