Blog

Cake-A-Boo & The Guvnor.

Posted: 27th Oct 2013

The second to last week comes to a close and the weather has been very mild to say the least but with some heavy rain on and off all week. It has caused havoc with the back bay work for me and I even managed to get a massive "Case" tractor and 10 ton trailer stuck for the second time this year which went down like a lead ballon with the farm!!! If the rain stops I will be filling the backbay in the next 10 days and it's looking fantastic. My aim was to film the whole thing so you could see what has taken place, popping it on "Facebook" but with the amount of water coming onto the lake bed by the day I think most of the backbay will be underwater by the time I finish the top of the dam. Either way I have taken lots of pictures over the course of the last 3 months work and to be honest it has been a massive undertaking for a one man band, and I don't know how it's all coming to completion, other than blood, sweat and tears getting us there. It has been one of the largest undertakings since we set the fishery up over the last 7 years and it has tested my metal and physical strength to the maximum, but is it all worth it? O yes, and it will be a stunning lake when up and running. With so many features like islands, bars, spits, reedlined bays etc, it's a real anglers paradise and will be a very different atmosphere from the 7 acre lake, being even more seculded and intimate. The plan this winter will be to move the fish from the side of the 15 acre lake which they have resided in all season, over the spit into the side of the lake which has been completed. The whole process will then continue next summer on remaining 50% of the lake bed and Dam, but this time with a little more experience under my belt!!!

Back to the fishing, the two chaps who booked the lake had some nice fish but once again there was so much free space for the fish to move they seemed to sit out of range from Cliff in Peg 3, showing down towards the far side of Peg 4 and into Peg 5's water most of the week with fish bubbling and clearing the water with mighty sploshes. Now Rob had been here a couple of years ago so had a feel for the lake but it was first time for Cliff on the lake. Now this big Fella had a voice that made "Vin Diesel" sound like a choir Boy, and I could hear him while down on the digger, booming that deep laugh, while no doubt ripping Rob in Peg 1 every 5 minutes about being "Loaded"(Cake-A-Boo in Cliff terms).  They were great lads, and a laugh each morning on the "Breakfast Round" But it's a shame I missed the Highlight of the week. Rob thought he could rival "Tom Daley" on the diving board after losing his footing while playing a fish, with his body weight past the point of no control the only option was chuck the rod and go for the Full-On nose dive into the lake!!! Class. Moments like that you wish the camera was at hand.

The better fish came to Rob's rods this week with them hanging up in Peg 1 area & with a little and often baiting aproach they seemed to once again come towards the later part of the week, also over our pellet too which may have helped? The best fish of the week was just under 50lb at 49lb 9oz, followed by a 47lb 8oz (pictured) along with 6 fish over 30lb+ (including 2x 38lb,1x39lb+) the remainder of the total being 4 fish of 20lb+ to 27lb, which came to Cliffs Rods. He was unlucky with the size of his fish but I think he was just picking the small ones up off the edge of the shoal. He did move into Peg 5 for a few afternoons in the week taking 3 fish to 35lb+ which was good angling.

Well this is it, last week of the season and we only have 1 angler on this week. We have had another cracking season being fully booked all year but this week was not taken and the Infamous "Cockney Roger" being the only one who has braved it. Lets hope "He Who dares Wins" and with this mild weather I hope he has a few good fish. This time of the year can be very changeable which is why the last week of the season never gets booked as quickly as the other weeks of the season, but make no mistake, it can produce some of the biggest fish in the lake which it has done  numerous times before. Also the fish are in stunning condition at this time of the year being in full winter splendor with Deep Orange/Golden Flanks and looking plump for the winter months ahead. They are also fighting like River Carp with the lads this week losing a couple that they could do nothing with, just holding on as they kite up the lake like a run-away train.

I will be back soon with the winter low down, no rest for the wicked  because we have lots planned so keep your eye on the winter Blog!!!

The new clothing has also arrived in the last couple of days & we have now liaised with an Angling clothing company to get the quality spot on, but I will post a blog all about the clothing in the next couple of days with pictures.

Back Soon

Team Sanctuary