Maggots take 77lb brace from Linch Hill

Maggots are one of most effective winter baits – and Marcus Howarth used the little wrigglers to help him land a brace of specimens for a combined weight of over 77lb.

The Portsmouth-based rod made the long journey to the Oxfordshire Linch Hill complex and set up in an area of Christchurch Lake where he’d lost two fish in a night a couple of weeks earlier.

Before getting his hookbaits out he Spombed out four pints of maggots coated in Sticky Bloodworm liquid and Krill Powder over a clean silty area at 70 yards. He then cast out critically-balanced 12mm Buchu-Berry pop-ups.

Marcus said: “The first night was uneventful and nothing was caught anywhere on the lake. Everyone else started baiting up and causing loads of disturbance the next day so I decided to leave my rods alone for the second night.

“It turned out to be a good decision as early the next morning my left-hand-rod was away and after a typical big fish fight, which included getting weeded up 20yds out, I managed to net one of the lake’s bigg’uns at 40lb 10oz.”

He re-baited the spot with a couple more Spombs of maggots for the final night and once again he received a take the following morning.

“The fish put up one hell of a fight but I eventually got the better of a lovely, dark 36lb 12oz mirror,” he said.