Colne Valley Haul For Brad! 2nd May, 2014

Mainline carper, Brad Greening has been in touch following a Colne Valley haul - over to Brad to take up the story:

"With the close season now in place on all of my tickets, with the bug biting and itching to get the rods out, after a good spring on the venue last year, I decided to venture down to Thorney Weir in the Colne Valley. 

Upon arrival the lake was very busy. After a good few laps around the lake, it was evident the fish were held-up in two snaggy areas, which lead into an 'out of bounds' at each opposite end of the lake. 

Unfortunately, the swims that covered the areas where the fish were showing were occupied. With little swim choice left, I decided to plot-up in a swim which was as close to the fish as possible. Within 10 minutes of casting out I had a beautiful, low-double mirror. 

The rest of the day was uneventful, and the fish were still held-up in the swims that cover the entrance/exit to the out of bounds. At around 10pm that night, I noticed the angler in one of the swims where the fish were showing packing-up and fish were still showing out in front. I packed my gear-up as quick as possible and moved round there in the pitch black. 

The move paid off, because by the following morning I had banked a colossal 13 fish, with the best being a lovely 25lb 8 oz fully scaled mirror.

The rest of the day was slow, however mid afternoon out of the blue, the Delkim burst into life rewarding me with a 27lb 8oz common. During the night I managed another four fish, all being low-twenty commons.

However, at first light, a long slow battle resulted in one of the A-Team, a fish known as 'Redspot' at 37lb, who I was lucky enough to catch last year - a real old Colne Valley brute. 

The action didn't stop until mid day when it was time to hit the road and get ready for work in the evening. By the end of the session I had accounted for 23 bites, landing 20 fish. All the fish were taken on Mainline Essential I.B. pop-ups fished over a combination of 15mm and 18mm Hybrid/Cell boilies. Supple Hinge Rigs to account for the blanket weed, using a combination of Korda N-Trap Soft and Mouthtrap, Helicopter style with a Size 6 Barbless Korda Choddy Hook do the trick!"