Boothsmere Uncut: Part 2 - Gutted. The Story of Simo and Z

After a couple more long blank weekends of watching fish at range I felt as though a change was in order and decided that maybe a roving approach might be worth a shot, with maybe some surface fishing thrown in. After yet another strip-down of the kit I was ready to go at them again, wherever they were to be found. I arrived equipped with a couple of kilos of dog biscuits which I was sure would get them up on the top in the fine sunny weather we had been having. Upon arrival at peg 1 I could see maybe ten to fifteen fish cruising around in the shallow water, they were following the light breeze and looked like they were feeding, on closer inspection I could see areas of the shallows were clouded up - definitely feeding!

Brimming with hope and confidence I flicked out some surface baits, these drifted over the heads of the fish and were completely ignored, time and time again I fired out these irresistible morsels only to see the fish show no interest whatsoever in them. Time for a rethink. I put out three rods, one to the little island on the left, one at about 60 yards and the other in the margin, tight on the reed bed to my right. After putting out some pellets to the marginal swims I sat back and got all my bits sorted. A few hours before darkness and I still had not had a touch. Yet the fish were happily cruising around the vicinity of all three baited spots. They must be having it at night I thought. Ritchie arrived at about 6pm, saw all the fish in my swim and left me to it, wishing me lots of luck. He made the walk to the back wall promising that he would see me in the morning.

Darkness came along with the rain and wind. Just before midnight I received a run from the little island on my left, the fish fought hard and I was pleasantly surprised to find a tiny Simo lost in the bottom of my landing net, nevertheless on the scales it went 9lb 12oz. A quick photo on the mat and back it went. This is certainly a fish for the future.

At daybreak I came to realise that the fish that had been in front of me the previous day had left in the night. I searched the area thoroughly but could see nothing. A move seemed in order. I wrapped my kit and started to walk to the back wall to join Ritchie. Passing Chris on peg 3, on the way, he mentioned that a big fish had crashed out in the early hours of the morning in Tench Corner. Seeing as I was passing the swim I decided to pause and have a good look around. Up into the alders I went, and upon looking down into the water I saw a couple of fair sized fish at about 60 yards out over a clear patch. They seemed preoccupied, with their heads down, puffing up great clouds of black silt. That’s enough for me. As I climbed down out of the trees a fish bowed out from the reeds under my feet in the margin, it was the common! How had I missed that? It went about 30yards along the bank to my left and stopped, turning out into the lake. That was it I’m in here I thought and proceeded to set up. Rods out to the clear patch and a lovely tight margin to my right. The margin was baited up with a load of big halibut pellets over a bed of smaller pellets.

Throughout the day fish were seen coming in and out of Tench Corner on a regular basis, but I didn’t see any sign of the common again. I had tried surface fishing for much of the day but could not get the fish to respond, they would not even take any of the free offerings. A couple of the regulars told me that these fish are never caught off the top. This I like to hear from anglers as I feel that most of them will have given up trying, I have never failed to catch on any lake using this method, although often it takes great effort. Time ran out, darkness fell and into the bag I went.

At some point before first light on the Sunday morning a roaring take on the marginal rod saw me out of my bag with a rod fully curved round and a fish belting off towards the reeds 60 yards away, there was no slowing it. The fish reached the sanctity of the reeds and went solid, with constant pressure it came out and went haring off up the lake, for no apparent reason the fish shed the hook, and left me gutted. I reeled in the rod and threw it against the bivvy. Thankfully no one had seen the happenings. A quick check on the time and I had another two hours before daybreak. I climbed back into the sack and lay there, sure that I had just lost my prized common. After a few minutes I decided that I should get up and recast the rod into the margins again, so after drilling and mounting another pellet I repositioned the rod. On went the kettle and a smoke was rolled.

Light was creeping in when the same rod buried round to the right again, I was ready this time as the fish roared off. Again it flew out towards the reed beds, you aren’t getting there this time I thought and started to apply pressure to the rod, the fish fought for what seemed like an eternity before things went my way. Finally the fish was turned and into the net it went, a quick glance told me it was big. Whilst unhooking it I noticed a very fresh, bleeding tear in the opposite side of its mouth. Was this the same fish as I had lost earlier? Nobody else was up and about; I like to think it was the same fish and not my common.

Into a sack it went and after tying it up tightly in the margin along the bank I went to find someone to photograph it. A bloke who I have never seen before or since, did the honours and we weighed the fish at a scraper 20.The fish was a mirror, with the biggest pectoral fins I had ever seen, no wonder it went off at the speed it did. I was elated, photos done, fish returned and I was off round the other side to see Ritchie. The fish turned out to be known as ‘Z’ and was carrying extra weight, usually it showed at about 18 and a half pounds, Bash was happy to find out that it was putting on weight as this was one of the originals, he told us and hadn’t gained much weight in a decade.

Over the next two weeks I saw the common many times and always in the same spots. That was it I thought I’m on to something here. However, two weeks of blanking in the same peg saw me confused and brought back down to earth. I arrived on the Friday to find a new bloke on the lake, in Tench Corner, I chatted and found out he was only doing the night as it was his first session, so I set up in the adjacent swim ready for a move the next morning. As daylight broke on the Saturday morning I heard the sound of an alarm that wasn’t mine, I looked out to see this bloke playing a good fish under his rod tip. I ran out to help and got the net ready, gutted, I saw what he had on, my common, I could have cried. That’s it till later in the year I thought. He soon had the fish on the bank and after weighing her at 27lbs, I took the photographs for him and back she went. This chap started to wrap up, saying that he wouldn’t be back as that was the only fish he had come for! I moved into the peg straight away and proceeded to blank for the rest off the weekend.

The following few weeks saw the common get caught every weekend to whoever was fishing near me, but never to me, Chris had it feeding on maple8 boilies 2-foot from the bank in the same spot on a daily basis and he was soon to catch the magnificent fish at a weight of just over 27lbs. Would it ever be my turn?

Phil Wain