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”.
Boilie Glugs
The use of boilie Dips/Glugs to increase attraction levels can be extremely effective, particularly on short sessions or for using single hook baits when you want to boost the food signals.
For 'glugging up' your baits, just pour approx 20ml of your chosen liquid into a 1kg bag of boilies and shake well to ensure even distribution. This can be done before placing them into the freezer or after they’ve been taken out. If applying the liquid after the boilies have been taken out, it’s best to let them thaw out first before adding the liquid. It's also advisable to add the liquid to the boilies a few hours before you hit the bank, thus allowing a little time for the boilies to soak it up, although this isn't imperative.
For boosting your hook baits only, one useful ploy is to leave them permanently soaking within the solution and this will really ‘kick out’ the attraction. Bear in mind that pop-ups are likely to loose a little buoyancy if doing this for long periods. Alternatively you can just pour 10ml of the liquid solution into a jar of pop-ups and shake well. This will give them an extra boost without effecting buoyancy levels too much.
