Due to the fact that I work late on a Thursday, I was in two minds as to go fishing but with it being a bit cooler I could not resist the urge. No sooner the last customer left the shop I was at the water by 8pm rods out and set up in record time, with just one other angler on the lake things looked perfect and felt perfect it was one of those sessions when you just know you are going to catch it was a matter of when not if.
It was 12.20am when my left hand rod was away giving me a hard fighting 25lb-2oz Common, my next take came at 04.15am when my right hand rod which was cast to the middle of the lake was away, after pulling into the fish I picked up my left hand rod resting it on the reeds getting my line out of the way as usually when I catch them from the middle they tend to go left into the lily pads only this time the fish came straight towards me plodding around under the rod tip as soon as I had the fish in the net I turned on my head torch and recognised the fish as the large plated mirror looking all of 30lb, I then picked up my left hand rod and put it back in the rod rests only to notice the tip being pulled round, I pulled into the fish which headed into open water keeping it on a fairly tight line I leant my rod up against the bank stick slackened off the clutch slightly and ran to my bivvy dragging my rod bag out and quickly setting up another net hoping the barbless hook did not drop out I picked up my rod and another hard fight pursued and another fish in the net a large common this time.
I woke up the other Angler sorry [Adam] and asked him to give me a hand we weighed the common first, this set the scales at 29lb-0oz followed by the mirror which weighed 29lb-6oz all this happened in just 10 hours fishing, the bait was a Premier Protein mix in 18mm which I baited approximately a kilo on each rod.
25lb-0oz Common
29lb-0oz Common
29lb-6oz Mirror
21lb-10oz