Carp thrill to the Krill

Linch Hill Fishery’s decision to open its Christchurch water on a day ticket has made some of the country’s finest carp accessible to all. One person to take full advantage is Baz Lloyd, who has had great success on recent visits…

After fishing up the road at Linear in previous years, I jumped at the opportunity to fish for these highly prized carp on a day ticket.

Having seen what damage the Krill boilies were doing on the Christchurch I decided to start using them for myself. On first inspection, I noticed just how much goodness there is inside them. They smelled and looked superb and I could not wait to give it a go for myself.

I barrowed up to the lake and decided to go for a quick walk around. I found a few good fish sitting under a snag in peg seven. I quickly rushed back and grabbed my barrow, shifting quickly to the swim.

I made up a solid bag consisting of Krill powder and a few Krill pellets, and dropped the rig in to position. As I sat there, watching a couple of huge fish milling about the spot, a fish known as the Perch Common bulldozed its way in and made a beeline towards my hook bait.

In one suck, the rig flew in to its mouth; it shook its head and bolted off in a flash. I held the rod as the fish made its way out in to the main body of the lake when the hook pulled.
I was gutted – my favourite fish from the lake and it was lost.

Still, I knew that they liked the bait. I moved swims and set up in the end trees. I spombed out a kilo of chopped and whole Krill boilies, a few handfuls of bloodworm pellets and some hemp.

That morning there were fish showing all over the spot when the right-hand rod melted off. That resulted in a stunning 29lb 4oz common. I got the rod back out and it was away again soon after. Once again it was a good common, this time going 28lb 8oz. They really are lovely fish in there and that is why I keep going back.

I ended up catching another one the following morning too, this time a cracking little 18lb mirror. All of the fish were falling to snowman rigs, featuring a 16mm Krill bottom bait and a 12mm White Chocolate pop-up.

I was delighted how well the bait was working for me, so I planned another trip the following week.

I fished the swim that I had lost the Perch from and decided to drop the rigs in short for the night. I put a couple of Spomb fulls of my winning mix over the top and sat back as optimistic as ever.

At 5am the following morning the middle rod was away. The fish was immensely powerful and I thought it was one of the lake’s real biggies. When it popped up to the surface I didn’t change my mind. When I managed to net it I could see it wasn’t one of the real bigguns but a big fish all the same. It was a common of 34lb 14oz and what a fish it was too.

Shortly after getting the rod back out the left-hand rod was away. After another epic battle a lovely dark mirror lay in the net. It was a cracking mirror of 29lb 8oz and a great way to end my session.

If you are travelling down to these fantastic waters, be sure to take the Krill because they’re absolutely loving it.