After a setting a new PB during my last session, I couldn’t wait to get back to the Southern Stillwater I had been targeting this spring. I arrived early Friday morning and with it being a Bank Holiday weekend, I knew the venue was going to be busy. After a few laps of the lake, I settled for a swim that allowed me access to the middle of the lake, which at the very least would give me a few options. After a few casts with a bare lead, I located a nice clear area at range. After measuring it out with the help of a pair of distance sticks, I soon had three rods in the zone. I got to work with the spod and with a few days ahead of me I introduced a bed of feed, which I hoped the bream would visit.
After two uneventful nights I was desperate for a move and after a quick lap of the lake, I spotted some big bream feeding on a fly hatch at range. As luck would have it, one of the anglers that occupied the area was packing up. I didn’t need to think twice and I soon shot back to my swim, packed my kit down and headed round there.
After setting up camp I located a lovely gravel bar at range, just short of where the fish had been showing. After measuring out the rods, I got to work with the spod and deposited a bed 4mm trout pellets from CC Moore, two tins of corn and some crushed XXX boilies on the top of the bar. I soon had three rods positioned tightly on the bed of feed, a tactic which can often produce multiple bites. My rigs consisted of 12lb Pro Light Blend main line, 3 feet of Plummet leadcore, Covert Lead Clip and Tail Rubber, six inches of 15lb Trickster Heavy and a size 8 Covert Wide Gape Talon Tip hook. Hookbaits were my ever faithful balanced stacks of corn from Enterprise Tackle or a XXX boilie tipped with a piece of buoyant corn.
As dusk loomed several big bream rolled off the back of the baited area and it looked good for a bite. An hour into darkness, the bobbin on the middle rod dropped like a stone and after picking up the rod, I was soon playing what I knew was a big bream. Gently coaxing the fish in, I soon slipped the net under it and after parting the mesh I was greeted by the sight of a very big bream. After carefully removing the hook, the scales read 17lb 6oz and a new PB to boot!
I slipped the fish into a retainer for a few minutes to recover and minutes later the left hand rod pulled up tight. After connecting with another good fish, the indicator on the remaining rod pulled up tight before dropping back and my initial thoughts were I had gone round my other line. That was until the line started to move right. I blanked this out of my mind and tried to concentrate on playing what was obviously another big fish. I was relieved when I slipped the net under it and after securing the net, I quickly dealt with the remaining rod, which resulted in a smaller sample around 10-11lbs. Remembering I still had a fish in the net, I placed what was obviously another big fish on the mat. This time the scales read an ounce smaller than the first fish and at 17lb 5oz made for a great brace.
In typical bream fashion that was the end of the action that night. I packed up early Monday morning and made the journey home with a big smile on my face.
