The owner, Zyg, is a great Host and stocks his lakes with a whole host of unusual fish from huge Golden Tench, Rudd and Orfe, the most beautiful fully plated Mirror Carp you have ever seen, and monster Catfish! There are lakes to suit everyone so if you've never been, take a look, it comes highly recommended!
For the first few days I decided to unwind on the pleasure lakes catching Golden Tench to a couple of pounds and the Orfe and Rudd, took a rook of small Carp on the Beginners Carp lake, just bagging up really. I planed to have a good go for the carp this year but for what ever reason they didn't seam to be coming out. So after a bitless 24hrs on the main Carp lake it was time for a re-think. Earlier in the week I had a big Cat chafe through 15lb braid like it was Cotton on Octopussy Lake, and my mate Gary had taken a 50lb Cat from the main lake, along with a 40 and a 30lber, so it was off to the tackle shop for some 45lb quicksilver!!
The first big 'un came at about 2.30am Wednesday morning, after a blistering run and a spirited scrap, 10 minutes late my first ever Catfish lay in the net. As it glided over the cord I thought 'Good fish, 17lb maybe?' but after seeing her tail and trying to lift her out the lake I realised I'd seriously underestimated her. At 25lb I thought that this would be a long standing PB.
Happily I was wrong! After a not so good kip I was lay on my bedchair lazily dozing in and out of consciousness and BANG! 10am the right hand rod is nearly pulled in and I'm into a good fish. This one fights even harder than the first and about 10 minutes later my first ever 30lb fish is in the bag. Had a couple of mates to help with the pictures this time!
I rounded off the week pleasure fishing on Mystery lake with Tench and Rudd aplenty, before showering up for the award ceremony in Zigy's bar, that's Two bottles of his finest vino coming my way for each of those Cats, result!
Me and the Boys at Anglers Paradise.
Sounds like you had a good time Marc, well done on the catfish!
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