Campaign off to a flyer with 53lb 12oz mirror

IAN Warner could not have asked for a better start to his campaign on an east midlands gravel pit, landing this huge 53lb 12oz mirror during his first night on the venue.

With a fresh south westerly wind hacking across the six-acre lake the 46-year-old decided to setup on the end of it as he was confident that this is where the fish would be.

A quick cast of his marker float located a couple of small clear spots among the thick onion weed at around seven and five rod lengths from the bank and these were both baited with around 30 boilies.

“Four hours later I had a really shy drop back bite on my left hand,” said the Kent-based telecoms engineer. “I don’t think the fish even realised it had been hooked at first and it wasn’t until I got it under the rod tip that it started to wake up. The water was really coloured so I couldn’t actually see what I was connected to until I lifted it out of the water. On the bank I recognised it as the lake’s biggest resident – a mirror known as Harris. I literally couldn’t believe! Four hours into my first session on the lake and I’d broken the lake record and my previous personal best of 45lb.”

The following morning Ian added to his tally with another specimen mirror of 34lb.

Both fish were caught on Denham Bait Innovations Element boilies fished snowman style with Atom pop-ups on size 7 Fox Arma Point SSC hooks.