Onions
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2008 for OnionsAfter a long time away skiing, i returned home buzzing to get out fishing again. Once the caravan park was back up to date with jobs, the first thing needed was to get the tackle out and have a sort out to see what was needed before I go for a session, so I made a list of things I needed and set off to the NEC show. NOt the best show so decided to stop off at a tackle shop in Shrewsbury to get most of the items i needed as i hardly got any from the NEC. Whilst in the shop i picked up a bag of Assassin-8 base mix, activator liquid and some maple flavour as i bought a table and gun at the show at Sandown last year.
After re-spooling the line ready for the year i thought i'd nock up some boilies. After sum faffin' around I had finished about 1kg of maple assasin-8 boilies of sum sort. I bunged 'em in the freezer ready for my session. I also prepared around 10kg of 'Brunch' (my particle and whatever mix) ready for bank holiday. Dad said that if i worked friday and saturday morning i could have tuesday and wednesday morning off, i thought great a 4night session- don't get many of them. Friday night i loaded up the land rover so i was would be ready as soon as i finished on saturday. As I finished fitting a gate for Dad's log shed, a guy off the site asked if i would go down and sort his T.V out. Great.
Eventually, well only half an hour later i was ready to leave so off i bombed on my 35minute journey to the lake. I arrived at the lake to find only 2 anglers fishing who were only in one little corner so i was felling half confident already. i went for a walk around the lake with my marker rod to check out a few swims i had never had chance to explore before due to weed. but after an hour of seaching i chose a fairly popular swim with plenty of deep water away from the swans. 2 gravel bars run along this swim, one to the left at about 60-70 yards and one across the front at around 90 yards. so i position one bait on the left bar, 2 baits on the front bar and kept the forth rod to move around to see if i could find some fish as i had not seen one at all. After speaking to the other anglers and the owner, it was clear it wasnt goin to be and easy session especially s it isn't easy in the first place and also with snow and gales forcast the weather wasn't looking to good either.
The first night came with heavy rain/snow and wind but no fish. I didn't mind as I still had 3 nights left and during the second day the other snglers left which meant i had the lake to myself, AWESOME! Throughout the day i tried to work out where the fish mite be when the penny dropped. The island in front of me was fishable as the plateaux had no weed on it but it was a long way so i needed the boat to get the bait there acurately with free offering. I placed a glugged home made Maple Assasin-8 18mm trimmed down bottom bait coupled to a longshank nailer fished blowback style with a PVA bag of chops and about 6 whole boilies under a little bush on the island i had caught near to before about 2ft from the bank as it drops straight down to 7-8 ft. After i good 15mins of battleing it out on the lake in the boat against the wind, the rig was in position and i had a good feeling about this one.
That night i woke up around 1am to see the lake flat calm and it just looked amazing, i could just feel something was about to happen. After drifting in and out of sleep i was allerted by my delkim making 2 single bleeps a around 4:30am. Due to conditions they were set very low onseitivity so i grabbed my glasses and headtorch and could see the hanger up to the rod. Knowing ti was the island rod at sum 120-130 yards i struck and was met by i reasoble resistance. After all that range of co-operationit still wants to go mental under the rod tip around 3 other rods but fortunately i managed to slip the net under it without any hastle. I sorted the mat, sling and scales out and then placed me prize on the mat. It was a bit larger than i thought and counted 18lb 14oz on the scales. Wicked my second biggest fish from the lake; in march; in pretty aweful weather and on my home made boilies and for my first fish of the year! I sacked it up to wait till daylight and checked on it every half an hour or so. I awoke to a reasonably plesent morning so i set the tripod up and fathemed how to use the camera for a first every self-take shot. God knows how many attemps with no fish, i finally got the fish out and got a decent pic. I slipped her back and rebaited and rowed back out to the spotted with the exact same tactics. The folowwing night I awoke at 4am and decide a cup of horlix was needed. as soon and i put my empty mug on the floor the 2 bleeps occured once more. I boletd out of the bivvy and connects with a much smaller resistance. Unlike the first fish it was tired by the time i had got it under the rod tip. I quickely weighed it in at 9lb 2oz and slipped her back.
The next day Pete arrived and bivvied up in the next swim up and got the rods out. That night brought more heavy rain and winds and it was time for me to return home a happy bunny. Pete stayed a further 24hrs but came to no avail unfortnately.
Thats the longest thing i've ever wrote i think, anyway cheers for reading and heres the pics from the session.
The Stunning 18lb 14oz mirror
And the view from the swim
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02jlloyd
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awesome write up rich 
nice one on that 18 to 8)
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PeteB
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Good writing mate... very nice fish...  I just love those heavily plated mirrors...
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Onions
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I not long returned from a quick 24hrs session down at Springwater lakes with a fair result for there magaing 6 fish up to 20lb. Friday night dad decided that he wanted to take the caravan the following morning for the season again. We left the following morning at 8am and arrived around half 9 only to be greeted with high winds, heavy rain and 12 cubic metres of concrete. This was to be laid for Malc's (the owner's) son's chalet so after setting up the van i slipped on my wellies and offered a helping hand as i have done a fair bit of concreting in the last couple of years. After getting soaked and after a quick cuppa and a bacon sarny i grabbed my bivvy and set up so i could keep the gear dry once i got it down there. I set up on a swim known as crossroads which gives me acces to most of the lake and a good view. I flicked my left hand rod down the margin on a trimmed down home made maple assassin-8 boilie with a few free offerings and the other 2 were baited with fusion. The middle rod was chucked to the far margin to a a patch of lillies and the right hand rod was cast to open water to a patrol root i found a last year between the spit and the island. That afternoon i managed 4 small car all on the left hand rod and around half 5 i had a call from dad saying the spag bol was ready so i wound in and went for tea.
Half an hour later i placed the rods back in the spots and battenered dow the hatches due to the wind and rain. The rain awoke me every half hour or so but no fish came until the following morning wen around 9am the right hand rod dropped back slightly. From previous experiences i thought the fish was using the backlead as a pivot so i struck to find the fish 10yds or so left of where i hooked it. After a quick battle i slipped the net under a fish known as nemo usually between 19 and 20lb 8oz. After a quick pic it weighed in at 20lb on the dot so was chuffed to have my first 20 of the year so early leavin the rest of the season for another! 
I slipped it back and replaced the rod amd set about drying some clothes and stuff out as the bad weather had now passed- well so i thought. The bivvy had just dried when once more the heavens opened. I prayed not to have a run as i was on my last set of clothes and coats but just as quickly as it came it stopped and the second the last drop of rain fell the right hand rod burst into life once more. After a good scrap i netted a stunning 15lb 8oz common. A good result and travelled home later that afternoon with a beaming smile!- Chuffed as beans my mate once said :?
Nemo at 20lb
A beautiful common at 15lb 8oz
Looking out from crossroads - bit grim weater!
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bigkipper
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well in onions top dangling mate and a good write up to fella
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CARP ZOMBIE
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Some gorgeous fish.....the Linear has a beautiful color.
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Onions
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This weekend a mate fo mine from wrexham invited me up to meet him at Llyn Yr Gors as him as his dad were there for the week and i woould do friday till monday. As its over 2 hours for me most of it being up the coast road it was full of holiday makers who see sheep and feils as interesting and drive around at 40mph in a 60! im not the most patient behind the wheel and i had fishing to do! Also being in a 1.2 fiesta (not even the zetec lol) courtesy car didnt overtake very well when full of gear so wasnt easy to pass them. After being held up in porthmadog with road works i arrived at the lake 2 and 3/4 hrs after leaving home. I piled up my mates barrow and zoomed round to the Karpium (L Y G newest lake). The bayliff told us not much had been out so we gave it 24hrs. Nothing happened so we moved to thompsons pool for the chance of a biggie.
The saturday morning we moved the gear and i set up in a swim known as nightmare which had some nice overhanging trees to the right. I trickled in some chopped fusion and some bloodworm dumbells up the margin. I flicked the rods underneath as far as i cud then waited for the delks to scream off. within hlaf an hour the right hand delk burst into life and all the slack line was taken up and the hanger rose. I jumped up and struck to find my rig snagged on an under water tree stump. gutted i was as the average fish is around 25lb mark. After making sure the fish was not still on i pulled for a break. I rebated and recast to the same spot and continued to put in 3 or 4 dumbells and fusion chops every hour or 2. Nobody had anything then for the next night and it hailed and showed and was windy and then rained all night and day on and off. Sunday evening and it all slowly cleared. I rebaited the rods and left only one rod in the snags and chucked to other to the point of the island on a triple s dumbell with a small bag of pellets. The temperature really dropped that night and i was out for the count wen the right hand rod belted off. Knowing it wa sin the snaggs i jumped straight for the rod and when i felt the resistance i was just over the moon. The fish swam straight out of the snaggs fortunately and just plodded backwards and forwards around the swim. I swear that the leader pinged over the dorsal about 50000000 times and each time my hreart skipped a beat knowing that its a good chance of a 20, never lone a P.b! After a 15 minute battle my left leg was shaking with adrenalin and i was shivering, as i was only in a t-shirt and trackies, i slipped the net under the lump. I hooked it over my bankstick and scramble to the bivvy for my glasses and headtorch. As i peared into the net, it was a confirmed 20 so i shouted my mate and he came round to help weight it and do the pics. I zeroed the scales and Sos hoasted it while me and his father read it and it swung round to 29lb 2oz! Wicked a new P.B. And i can still keep trying for a 30. Over the Moon! We did a couple of pics and i recast and went straight bacl to sleep. Arounf half 7 i heard some voices coming from Sos' swim and i could here the splashing of a fish. i slipped on my boots on and went to investigate the stunning long common of 23lb 10oz. I splowly packed up and left at 3pm and had a nice chilled drive home with a beaming smile!
Sos with his stunning common- nice one mate!
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wuzy
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well done fella
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02jlloyd
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nice one mate
thanks for waking me up at 4:40 this morning 
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Mrmoo
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Well done fella,some lovely fish there mate 
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