Bagging Up At Makins
A really nice coaching day yesterday at Makins Fishery. Matthew comes from a specimen carp background and wanted a bit of a crash course in some key match fishing techniques; particularly the feeder and pellet waggler. We didn’t want things too easy, so we opted for Lake 2 on Phase 1. I know the fish in this lake are old and wise and have to be worked hard for – but they’re worth catching when you get them!
I half expected a slow start, which gave us plenty of time to go through tactics, theories and strategies. Targeting a couple of key areas we swapped and changed until we hit on a really successful combination. Matthew had also never caught a ghost carp before, but we soon fixed that as he slipped the net under two great looking fish!
With plenty already in the nets and an hour to go we started to prime a swim down his right-hand margin with green Dynamite Swim Swim groundbait and pellets. The water was surprisingly clear and we could see a really big mirror carp repeatedly circling the swim. Plopping a Matrix Open Method Feeder down the margins with a yellow Washter hook bait he managed a couple of small carp before finally latching into the unmistakable old warrior of a fish we’d been watching. It wasn’t particularly photogenic, but at an estimated 14lb it was a great fish to end on!
As ever, I must say a really big thanks to Alan and his team at Makins Fishery for having us. With 18 lakes spread over three Phases there’s something for everyone at this place!