Steve Tallant, a local lad has only fished the lake twice so far and has been successful on both sessions. His previous (first) visit to the lake saw him landing 5 fish including 2 30’s so he was already over the moon, little did he know what was ahead of him…..
Arriving on the 24th of August for a 4 night stint. A day later than planned, he decided to drop in peg 3 alongside his good friend Lee Smart after Smarty had seen fish showing in the area the night previous.
He set up up and spent some time observing the waters surface before leading around to build up a picture also of what was below it. At around 65-70 yards he come across a significantly clearer area among the weed which seemed large enough to take two rods on it. Happy with the area, a few kilos of bait were applied ensuring he maintained a good spread whilst the third rod was fished as a roamer.
That night at around 12.30am, the spot produced its first fish; a common weighing in at 40lb 8oz, a new 40+ common from the lake that was first landed the week previous. After rebaiting the rod, he topped up the swim and settled back down already on a high. An hour later another rod was off, this time in the shape of another common at 29lb. Again the rod went back out and a few baits were added.
It wasn’t until the following evening before he received another take at around 10.30pm, when he landed yet another common at 26lb 2oz. That was quite an achievement in itself given the ratio of commons to mirrors and the fact the three 40lb commons have proved illusive all year.
The spot received a top up despite the action slowing down with no sightings or indications throughout wednesday. The following morning at around 4.30am, he noticed a slight indication on the bobbin which progressed into a steady take on the alarm so he lifted into it. A slow dogged fight, kiting through the swim before he calmly waded out and slipped the net beneath it. It wasn’t until he popped the net and headed for the mat that he realized he was unable to lift it…..it was a chunk!
Once safely on the mat with the help of Smarty, he zeroed the sling and transferred the fish across before lifting it on the scales. The needle swung round and flickered at 60…..Sh*t just got serious!
Wading back out into the deeper water, he safely secured the fish and rang a few other lads on the lake to get round as soon as they could. A short while later they arrived and the 3 sets of Reubens were zeroed before settling 58lb 12oz.
“3 scale”
Given that Steve Isn’t necessarily concerned when it comes to the weight of his captures, this came as quite a shock.
“The lads give me a helping hand with the weighing and photos both on the bank and in the water and for that I am truly thankful”
To top the session off, he backed the fish up with another mirror at 36lb 7oz. (pics to follow). Words don’t describe what a session that was!
Over the years the question has always been raised with regards to what weights the fish in Erics Willows will achieve, and each year sees the lake reach new milestones. Last season come to a close with a noticeably milder winter in comparison to years previous and there were significant weight gains all over the country. Some individual fish were recorded gaining between 8-10% of their body weight at the lake. Time to time the question is always proposed as to the longevity of the stock and the truth is; it is a hard question to answer as nobody knows for sure. What I can be certain of, is that the fish are still young, their individual and overall health has never been compromised and they inhabit one of the richest environments I have witnessed. This year in particular has seen a significant populations of freshwater crustacean (naturals) which may be a contributing factor to the weight gains this season. The gains in which they achieve are somewhat irrelevant to myself and whilst it is encouraging to see them progress, I focus my observations upon ensuring they are met with the welfare they deserve and treated with the utmost respect through enforcement and education in order to preserve what we have.
A massive congratulations to Steve Tallant on landing such specimens. A session producing memories that will be embedded forever.
Tight Lines
