Ghostly Goings On!

The last day of the season 30/03/12 saw me back at crf, but on lake one this time in a quest to recapture the big ghostie that resides there, I had an unfair advantage this time in the fact that the water level was low as there were some issues with the eroding dam, not good but the club were well on top of this.

Like most lakes there are areas that produce more than others and with this in mind I looked for her in the area where i thought she would be! I knew what she liked to eat but she was very cautious, I caught her 2years previous by flicking a bait into the rings she had left from breaching and it was a massive fight to say the least, one of those fights when they are swimming on the spot trying to pull you in! However it was 2 years later and i hoped she would be heavier, and more importantly still fighting fit. She was 18lb 1oz when weighed but she was carrying a bit of spawn due to time of year.

2 years previously

I stood behind the snag tree which is my favourite place to hide and watch, I waited for about 20 mins but no signs,so I walked round to the dam to check from the other side, sure enough there she was sat there waving her pecs looking awesome and long! Suddenly almost like she sensed I was there she swam off slowly towards the back of the tree, excellent, she wouldnt expect to be caught from the shallow water under the tree, it was hard enough when the level was up!

I crept down through the nettles and branches to get as close to the tree, this time rod in hand,simple bolt rig, large cube of spam on the hair and a 2.5oz square pear lead. I lowered this in straight off the rod tip without making a splash,and watched and waited, shortly after I saw her mooching,obviously tasting the spam in the water and she soon found it!

This was extreme snag fishing at its best and the old prodigy didnt know what had hit it! It was a case of hold on, no clutch, just using the rod action to hold on and let her fight, surprisingly she didnt fight long, and Claire passed me the net but due to the situation I couldn't control her enough to get her in.

Luckily my mate chef was with us and he came down the bank through the nettles in his flip flops and netted my prize, proper hardcore! Just as chef netted her I slipped on the bank and landed flat on my arse, much to the amusement of Claire who had been videoing the whole drama, she had tears running down her face! Anyway, what mattered was my prize, the old girl looked awesome, actually she looked amazing!

Older ,not wiser!

We weighed her at 17lb 2oz so down a bit in weight,a fter all it was March as opposed to July. She looked mint, a massive rudder and her tell tale strawberry kiss on the nearside flank. Was good to see she had no mouth damage either which can be a problem on some waters. We took a few shots and returned her to fatten up ready for another lucky angler.