Wes starting off with a Bang!!!!

With the Rods off their rests at the moment we thought we’d ask the team to share a story of a memorable recent capture. 

“Early March I saw a fish head and shouldering in the middle off the lake which caught my attention. I was really surprised to see already fish movement and decided to start baiting 2 area's every other 2-3 days with just 3 to 5 spombs filled with a mixture of Club mix and Red Herring boilies. The first area I chose was where I had caught my last fish from in November, the second area was near the middle off the lake situated around a lovely plateau. If the carp where still in the deeper end, then I would catch them from there, if they preferred to be a bit more shallow, well then I could hopefully pick them up near the plateau or along the sides off it. I fished 2 single nights the first 2 weekends off March without a single bleep or a single sign off carp. I fished with the new released pop-ups on ronnie-rigs in the hope attracting/hooking some moving carp. A few carp had already been caught on the other side off the lake so I hoped they would soon arrive on my lightly baited spots, fingers crossed and it is still so early in they year remembering I had my first carp last year on the 7th off April. Then out off the blue, like turning on a switch, last week fish started to move and I saw multiple shows over my baited area near the plateau. Finally it was Friday and soon enough the rods were in position and I was in full anticipation. The night was pretty cold and the strong easterly wind didn't help a bit. I started looking for signs off carp whilst brewing a few cups off coffee to keep me warm. Half an hour passed without a single show and then I saw 2 consecutive shows way short off my baited area. I reeled in one rod and placed my ronnie-rig where I saw the disturbance. I threw around 30 baits with the throwing stick in the same area and kept on looking. Half an hour later that same rod signalled a few bleeps and I was playing my first carp off the year. After a really slow fight I landed the mirror and I let out a little cheer! The first carp off the year is always a little special and especially if it is a lovely mirror weighing in at 18,8kg. I replaced the rod and while threwing some freebies around my other rod near the plateau signalled a few bleeps and needed my full attention. Sometime later a clean 10kg mirror was being photographed together with my daughter and returned to the lake. The easterly wind was by now so savage and so severly cold that casting to the far spot was just not possible. Honestly, it was freezing cold and I still can't understand how on earth the carp where feeding and jumping in these arctic conditions! I was soon fishing a second rod closer in and watching every now and then a black shape throwing itself out in the big waves! Not much later my last rod on the plateau burst into life and the carp snagged me up in the margin behind some rocks. I'd put the rod back on the rest and gave him some slack line in the hope it would eventually free itself. I'd just turned my back and another rod was away again, this time a lovely 17,8kg was mine for a few moments. Rod back out and then I tried to pull again as hard as I dare and luckily the carp started to move. A little while later I was able to land the old carp which weighed 14kg. I was really really lucky with that one! As I thought it couldn't get any better I had another take resulting in the biggest carp off the session at 19.8kg. A hectic 5 hours resulted in 5 lovely carp and the new pop-ups working as a threat! I fished another night and landed a 12kg mirror at 2 o'clock at night and then saw nothing any more. As the weather was an exact copie as the day before I expected some more action but it wasn't to be. Well the action was fast and furious and then the carp simply disappeared in less then 24h.”