Catch Reports
Park Lake Blitz!
Posted in Catch Reports on 11th May 2008Bristol based anglers Steve Sweeten and Terry Hancock decided to open up their ‘new season’ account on a tricky Southern Park Lake where a hand full of carp each season is the norm. However, within 48-hours of the season opening up, the ‘Dynamic Duo’ managed to bank no less than 18 carp which totalled a staggering 500lb plus and included three 40’s and five different 30’s!!
31-year old plumber Steve Sweeten managed to break his personal best no less than 4 times during the hectic haul and ended up with mirrors of 41lb 5oz and 40lb 2oz, a 36lb 10oz leather & three other 30lb plus mirrors and six more carp over 20lbs!
Meanwhile in the next swim along, his fishing partner Terry Hancock was also on a typical ‘B5 bombing’ mission and managed to add to the impressive tally with mirrors of 41lb, 34lb, 23lb, 19lb and 17lb to complete an historic achievement from the difficult venue.
Both anglers were using Essential Baits Shellfish B5 frozen ready mades in 16mm and 20mm and introduced approx 7kgs of boilies between them during the frenzied feeding spell. All the fish fell to ranges of between 60 and 80 yards over firm spots surrounded by silt and sparse weed.
Essential Bait boss Mike Willmott knows the venue well and wrote a chapter on the lake (Park Life) in his book ‘Carp Life’. Commenting on the 500lb haul Mike commented: “A catch of this magnitude has never been equalled before on the venue and it couldn’t have happened to a nicer couple of lads. I know how difficult the lake can be at times so for Steve to smash his PB on 4 different occasions during 48-hours is an incredible achievement. Awesome angling from both of them”.
Balanced Dumbells
There are definitely times when standard round hook baits can lose their effectiveness and a switch to a different shape can often produce the goods. These pellet shaped hook baits offer a viable alternative to standard round hook baits and when mounted on a slightly longer hair and fished over a bed of pellets, they can often make the difference between success and failure!
Their shape not only makes them very difficult for the fish to eject, but coupled with their added buoyancy due to the inclusion of cork dust, they are also superb for fishing over the top of silt or weed. They are also very durable and will last for many hours without being nibbled away by nuisance fish, Crayfish or diving birds. Definitely worth considering when the going gets tough!
Top tip
Try mounting the dumbell on the hair long-ways. This will enter the carp's mouth easier, but will spin around on ejection thus making it more difficult for the carp to eject the hook.
