Adam Fitzpatrick Masterclass Day Hayfield Lakes
3rd July 2014
Adam with his first fish
This was a special Christmas present from Adam’s parents. The wonderful Hayfield Lakes near Doncaster was the chosen venue.
an F1 almost 2lbs
It was a warm overcast morning, perfect conditions for catching fish. Pellet Waggler was the chosen method Adam had never used this style before and was keen to learn. Loose feeding 8mm hard feed carp pellets, with an 8mm pellet on a banded hair rig set at about 4 ft deep. It took about 45 minutes to hook into the first fish and after a 20 minute fight, it was lost in the nearside rushes. But after that fish were hooked and landed at regular intervals. The largest carp was about 8lbs.
a hybrid almost 2lbs
A switch to method feeder down the edge with meat on the hook resulted in his largest fish of the day a carp over 10lbs.
Bob
Here some more pictures:
a fully scaled mirror carp about 8lbs
just in the net
you never know what you might catch here
an 8lb common carp in perfect condition
John Houston Master Class day Decoy Lakes
July 9th 2014
brilliant catch John
This was a special birthday present from John’s wife Yolanda. His fishing friend Kevin had also come along for the day. The wonderful Decoy lakes near Whittlesey in Cambridgeshire was the chosen venue.
John with his first fish
It was a sunny morning with a very strong northerly wind. I decided that Cedar lake would be a good choice. John started on the pole loose feeding with Van Den Eynde 4mm hard feed carp pellets with a banded 6mm pellet on the hook and was soon catching carp. A switch to a 4mm soft hooker pellet worked well in the afternoon. His last fish of the day was a barbel over 5lbs. Kevin was fishing with a flat bed method feeder with a banded 6mm pellet on the hook. He also was catching well, with one carp into double figures.
a big fish boils on the surface
We left the bank at about 4pm John having caught close to 100lbs and Kevin around 70lbs.
Bob
Some more pictures:
a beautiful barbel
I will net this one for you Kevin
Kevin with an 11lb mirror carp
almost in the net
a 5lb common carp
a 4lb mirror carp
biggest barbel of the day well over 5lbs
David Whitehead Masterclass Day Decoy Lakes
July 10th 2014
brilliant catch Dave
This was a special early retirement present from his work colleagues. His fishing friend Gary Buckmaster had also come along for the day. The wonderful Decoy Lakes near Whittlesey in Cambridgeshire was the chosen venue.
Dave’s first fish a 6lb common carp
It was a cool overcast morning. The bottom end of Cedar lake provided some shelter from the strong northerly wind. Pole in the margins was the method for both anglers; loose feeding with 4mm hard carp pellets, with a 4mm soft pellet on the hook. Dave was soon catching some quality carp: Gary was also catching well: A switch to banded pellet improved the catch rate with David getting a good run of barbel and by 2 pm he had already reached his 50lb limit in both nets and was returning his fish as he caught them.
it was nonstop action
I took the catch shots at about 3pm: I guess David had caught about 130lbs and Gary around 100lbs.
Bob
Here some more pictures:
almost in the net
Yes, it’s mine!
a quality mirror close to 6lbs
just in the net
Gary with a 5lb common
the barbel were in perfect condition
great catch Gary
Lukasz Witkowski Masterclass Day River Yare Beauchamp Arms
13th July 2014
brilliant catch of big roach
This was a special 30th birthday present from Lukasz’s wife Ilona, The brilliant Beauchamp Arms stretch of the River Yare in Norfolk was the chosen venue. The river is tidal here with strong flood and ebb tides and presents various challenges throughout the day.
Lukasz with his first fish
It was a very humid morning with light winds and a threat of thunderstorms for later. Pole was the chosen method, the peg was deep close in and the tide was flooding. Top 5 to hand with a 1.5 gram float was perfect, feed was a small ball of Van Den Eynde Super Crack Roach every put in plus loose feeding hemp and casters. Hookbait was 2 red maggots on a 14 B512 hook.
the boats did not affect the fishing
Lukasz was soon catching a fish every run through. Some of the roach were real quality. The tide slowed at about 2 pm and then started to ebb but the catch rate did not alter. The flow did speed up and a switch to a 5 gram float was necessary. A crack of thunder and lightning signaled and ended the session. Lukasz said it was one of his best days fishing ever. I guess he had caught close to 20lbs of quality Yare roach.
Bob
A few more pictures:
almost in the net
a superb Yare roach
a 4ozs roach is swung to hand
just in the net
a beautiful roach over 1lb
great day well done Lukasz
Brian Boczko Masterclass Day Decoy Lakes
August 1st 2014
great catch on a tough day Brian
This was a special 50th birthday present from Brian’s wife Julia. His good fishing friend Ian MacDonald had also come along for the day. The wonderful Decoy lakes near Whittlesey in Cambridgeshire was the chosen venue. Diane the owner had kindly allowed them to use keepnets.
Brian with his first fish
It was a warm morning with a light southerly wind. I decided that Oak lake would be a good choice. Both anglers started in the deep margins, loose feeding with 4mm hard feed carp pellets, with a banded 6mm. It was very slow hardly any signs of fish most unusual for Decoy.
a big fish swirls on the surface
A switch to 10 mts out cupping in with a small pot on the pole, with a 6mm soft hook pellet, was much better and both anglers were soon catching. The afternoon was even better and as the fishing improved, a banded pellet on the hook was more successful.
We left the bank at about 4.30 pm. Brian on a really difficult day had caught about 70lbs. Ian having had his best day ever, close to 100lbs.
Bob
Some more pictures:
Yes, it’s mine!
a 5lb mirror carp
this feels like a big fish
a beautiful fully scaled mirror carp
great catch Ian