In Pursuit of the Big One...by Steve Kilgannon

Earlier this year I stumbled on a fair slice of luck when David Keep at Angling Lines asked me if I'd be interested in becoming a Bait Consultant for them and test out the new Angling Lines Specials. Like most of you, I was also a slave to buying kilo's and kilo's of boilies throughout the year and beamed at the opportunity of a bait sponsorship. David agreed to send me some samples and we'd take it from there.

On receiving the bait i was most impressed, a lovely textured bait with a fishy/crab smell to them. On splitting one in half there was no doubt whatsoever that these were quality baits. Excitedly I spoke with David, we agreed quanties and sizes, and very soon I took delivery of my bait.

As this year I’m on a club water, a 75 acre gravel pit with a low stock (but fish running to mid 40's... plus possible unknown fish), I was eager to start applying the bait and see how I went. The water in question is a very hard water, approximately 1 fish (carp) per acre and packed to the rafters with big Bream and Tench !! Speaking with some members, a fish a season is good going, that’s if you can find em at all !!! The water is vast and the carp rarely, rarely show...

I'd spent a fair amount of time at the water during the winter, watching....wondering...pondering... I'd spent a fair bit of time with a marker too and had found a few areas that I liked the feel of and started to trickle in some bait on the aforementioned spots, approximately 40-50 baits on each spot every 2-3 days with the intention of fishing nights during the week over them.

My first two sessions on the water revealed that the Bream definitely liked the Angling Lines Specials with takes on all presentations...no more than I expected from my conversations with seasoned anglers on the water. I had high hopes for the bait and was unperterbed by the close attention from the Bream.

My third overnight session came on the 4th June. I set up in a swim I'd been introducing the bait to for close on a month now. The wind was not in my favour on this day as a strong south westerly was blowing and I'd opted to fish on the back of the wind as opposed to the end of it. Predictably, dusk saw the inevitable Bream come alive and rekindle their obsession with the Angling Lines Specials... and so I put them on the bank....one after another !!!

I was sound asleep in my bivvy when at 3.15am the Delkim sprang into life and went into meltdown...now this didn’t sound like the takes I'd been having from the Bream. On pulling into it, this was definitely no Bream and after a relatively short lived battle I slipped my net under my first carp from the big pit, RESULT !!!

June - 28lb 4oz

June - 28lb 4oz

On the scales the Common went 14lb 4oz... not a monster but a carp from this water is a big result !! The fish went back, the rod back out and the angler retreated to his bivvy with a Cheshire Cat like grin !!

Back in the land of nod, I was peacefully snoozing the hours away when at 5.15am the very same Delkim again went into meltdown. Absolute screamer. On connecting with it I got a big old fright...as the baitrunner disengaged I could do little about stopping it off the clutch either and it stripped a good 25-30 yards from me. My heart was in my mouth, surely not another carp from this demanding water, surely not two in one night ???

I battled whatever I was connected up to for the next ten minutes....the fish making several powerful lunges and kiting off to my left. There I was, up to my knees in the water, the 2.75 X Flite curving beautifully into this angry creature on the other end. After several potential heart failure moments I eventually slipped my net under it. Another Carp....and a big fat Mirror at that !!!

On the scales the big Mirror went 28lb 4oz......what a result. Not only had I had my first carp from the big pit, but I'd banked two overnight on only my third night on the water... boy was I a happy chappy. Grinning like a total idiot, the fish was photographed and released and I retired back to my bivvy to contemplate what had just happened.

A new water, a difficult big pit...a new bait, a big result....A result I put down to the quality of the Angling Lines Specials. I am so impressed with the bait I'm fishing it exclusively on all 4 rods. I have previously been an ardent user of another big name bait company but our relationship has ended abruptly such is the quality of the range of baits from Angling Lines. My confidence in the Angling Lines Specials is flying. A brilliant bait which is producing brilliant results for me...

To be continued....

Steve Kilgannon

steve_kilgannon@hotmail.com