Flatz Pellets do the business for Josh

By the start of April and with the success of the BCAC, I was ready to get back into the swing of things on the syndicate. Preparations were made and a 48 hour session planned so as to become reacquainted once again with the venue.

Sadly, the trip didn’t go very well and 36 hours of rain really did put a literal dampener on things. I did see a few shows mind, and even in northerly winds and driving rain, I managed to enjoy being back on the banks of Cotswolds.

My next session was a short day trip to a friend’s venue. Being so local, he had asked if I fancied a session and with 10 hours between night shifts available, I arrived just after first light. It’s a small, intimate venue, so being cautious and pinning everything down was key to achieving success. I was of course the only angler on the lake and as a result the fish were on guard from any alien activity surrounding their usually quiet home. Placing some hook baits in some likely areas, I pinned everything down with some line droppers and a length of lead free leader material. This alongside the outline terminal tackle meant concealment and rig efficiency was as optimal as possible. Free offerings consisted of boilies and some Flatz Pellet for good measure. A PVA mesh bag as is my usual way accompanied the set-up and we were fishing. Three fish throughout my short stay meant the day was both a successful and enjoyable one. The fish weren’t huge, but they were pristine and a credit to my friend’s fishery management.

With the success came renewed vigour to get back to the syndicate. With another 48 hours at my disposal I opted for a shallow area of the lake, heeding the advice from the weather app and awaiting the arrival of the so called heat wave! The heat did indeed arrive and plenty of fish began to enjoy the warmth of the upper layers. With rules prohibiting the leader material, I opted to fish straight through to a lead clip system with the naked tail rubbers allowing the leads to drop easily in the already prompt weed growth. A short ‘slip D’ rig was utilised to house a wafter topped with a matching fluoro pop up. This settled lovely with a size 6 CRV hook and rested gently onto the clear areas I was targeting.

Three fish made their way to the net folds that session, the largest of which being a lovely 36lb 6oz common, which roared all over the swim for a good 20 minutes or so. Nerve wracking stuff when you can see such a well-proportioned fish in the clear margins. I regretfully returned to work for 7 days after that, but managed to fit a night in between shifts. The nights itself was quiet, but with the morning came a short feeding spell. The right hand rod had hooped round and just 5 yards out in the deep margins, the hook pulled. Devastated, I flicked the rod back out and within 20 minutes managed redemption, with a nice 24lb 4oz common. The recent sessions have given me confidence in my approach and further emphasised my already eager need to be bank side at this fresh time of year. The season always seems to reflect our approach as anglers; giving us hope for the warmer months encroaching.

Until we next speak, the very best of luck to you all and if you could return that sentiment I’d be very grateful. All the best

Josh