100-acre pit produces the goods in freezing conditions

FISHING a 100-acre pit can be a daunting experience at the best of times, let alone in the depths of winter. But that’s exactly what Tom Fellows did and was rewarded with this cracking 29lb 8oz mirror.

Arriving at the vast southern venue three hours in to darkness he settled in to a swim on the back of freezing cold northerly wind with the hope of being able to spot any signs of fish once it got light.

But after an uneventful night and nothing to go on by midday, the Swim Tackle-backed rod decided to wind his rods in and go for a walk round the water to see if he could search out any of its residents.

“I still couldn’t see anything so decided to stay put and stick it out in the hope that something would move over my spot at some point,” he told Angling Times. “It was so cold that I spent all of the evening and night zipped up in my bivvy trying to stay warm. To my surprise, just as the sun started to rise the following morning the tranquility of the pit was smashed as one of my alarms burst into life.”

A hard fight followed but it wasn’t long before Tom was scooping up his prize in the waiting net.

“I was ecstatic with the result – catching from such a large expanse of water when the conditions were so tough.”

Fishing at around 120 yards to a deep channel running between two islands, he fished an Oxford Carp Baits MC Nut boilie on a hinged-stiff rig, comprised from Swim Tackle components.