Kev Hewitt was very close to his first blank trip on the Bluebell complex earlier this week, when an opportunist bit of stalking helped save the day. Here’s Kev’s story:
After a successful day at the Linear Fisheries open day I made a two hour drive down to Bluebell lakes near Peterborough. It was very busy and the weather was bang on. The fish were showing like dolphins when I turned upat 6.30pm and it looked fantastic for a bite. The only problem is that I couldn’t get on the fish with it being busy. I set up in a corner swim and pretty much camped for the night waiting for anglers to pack up in the morning. I was up at 5am on Sunday looking for signs of fish but nothing showed. When the weekend anglers pulled off on Sunday I moved into the swim where the majority of fish were showing the previous evening. I put some bait out on a spot I had done well on before and set my traps. All was quiet until the afternoon when a few fish showed in short down to my right so I tried casting singles and zigs to showing fish but they were having none of it.
The night was very quiet and I didn’t have so much as a bleep. All hopes of fish turning up in numbers like they were on Saturday night were quickly fading. The morning was quiet too so I packed up and took a look round the complex. I soon found a number of fish showing on the windward bank on Mallard which is the biggest venue on the complex. I set up on the fish and had a take on a single hookbait within minutes but unfortunately suffered a hookpull.
By the time I got the rods sorted and some bait on a spot 100 yards out, the fish had stopped showing. I was confident that there were still a few fish about and was hopeful of a take but as the hours passed by I started to see the fish showing further up the bank. The fish had done the off and again with the lake being busy I had no chance of moving swims and getting on them.
The night was uneventful and the weather had turned hot and the wind dropped the following day. I would see fish cruising up the other end of the lake but again there were no empty pegs to get on them so I packed up and had a wonder round the complex. I managed to find a few fish in the edge on Bluebell lake including a near 30Lb common and a few small mirrors. I watched the fish coming in and out for about an hour before I decided to set a trap under a tree they were visiting on a regular basis. I only had a few hours left. I crept up and peered into the margins from behind a big tree branch and watched as fish came into the swim but whenever they came near the rig they seemed to sense the danger and their mood changed. All of a sudden they seemed on edge and were very aware of the rig and within an hour had all vacated the area.
So I packed up yet again and decided to call it a day. I drove towards the gates with my tail between my legs after my first ever blank on the bluebells complex. And then from the drivers chair I spotted a few carp on the surface in the corner on Mallard. I jammed the breaks on and walked round the bay and found the water to be chocolate brown in one of the corners. I could see the odd fish drifting in and out of the chocolate cloudy water and I just knew they were having a bit of a feed in the edge. I quickly pulled a rod out of the van and lowered my hinged stiff rig right in the edge in less the two foot of water.
I was using a double ESP yellow plastic corn hookbait soaked in Betalin and after carefully setting my trap I sprinkled a handful of sweetcorn over the top which had been soaking in CCMoore Response and Cream liquid. It really didn’t take long before the inevitable happened and the take was an absolute screamer as the margins erupted. I got the fish in pretty quickly as it was only a common of low double figures. I had worked very hard for that fish and although it was smaller than what I am used to catching, it was a more than welcome character.
I decided to give it another 45 mins in the edge before I set of for home but this time I set the trap further round the corner near a reed bed. Again a sprinkle of corn and it was a case of sitting and waiting. The margin was still coloured a little and after about 30 mins I saw the odd fish drifting in. I sat back and kept quiet and then there was an almighty eruption in less than 2 foot of water where my rig was set followed by my rod arching over, bobbin dancing and bite alarm screaming. I could feel that this was a much better fish and after a five minute battle I slipped the net under a stunning common. All my gear was packed in the car so I had a quick snap, slipped her back and headed home having saved the blank with a couple of margin stalked stunners.
Tight lines,
Kev