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”.
Cork ball advantages
Although we provide cork dust pop-ups, we also appreciate that some customers prefer cork ball pop-ups and I think that it's generally accepted that cork ball pop-ups are the best method for long term buoyancy. This can be particularly advantageous for many modern day rigs such as chod rigs and Hinged Stiff-rigs. These clever little packs allow anglers to create their own cork ball pop-ups with little effort. You can also regulate the amount of paste you use to make them more buoyant or turn them into slow sinkers.
Top tip
If you are having problems with diving birds or nuisance fish, you can combat this by 'meshing up'. The best method we have seen to do this is to cut a small section of tights (we recommend you get your missus's permission first!). Wrap the pop-up in the fine mesh, pull tight, tie off with floss, 'blob' the excess with a lighter and away you go.
