Sergeant bags a Sandhurst 30

Setting up in a weed choked swim proved successful for Mike Bridges who landed one of Sandhurst Lake’s biggest commons at a weight of 37lb 8oz.

It was the first time the Wiltshire-based armed forces sergeant had tackled the famous Yateley day-ticket water and on arrival he was met with the news that the venue had been fishing very hard and had been extremely busy over the bank holiday weekend.

“After walking round I couldn’t see any sign of the fish so I followed my gut instinct and set up in a really weedy swim as I thought the fish could be held up in it,” Mike told Angling Times. “My plan was to trickle some bait in during the day and rest my swim – which is something I always do on day-ticket waters – while everyone else threw markers and spods all over the place.”

Later that evening he cast out three naked chod rigs baited with 16mm Sticky Krill pop-ups soaked in Cap Oil directly in to the weed at 80 yards range.

“I slackened everything off and put out a few kilos of boilies. The rods had only been out 10 minutes when one of my bobbins pulled up tight. An epic battle lasting 30 minutes followed before my friend Ben Hutt netted what was clearly a big common. I was later told that the fish was one known as Bubble Tail and is a very rare visitor to the bank and one of Sandhurst’s A-team.”