My first outing since this lockdown has allowed us out to go fishing. It was my intention to fish Cow Hey Dam on this complex today as I had no maggot or pinkie, and Lagoon is not the best water to fish without the little buggers. Rolled up at 7:30 ish and Jimmy C had beat me down the track and opened the gate. Surprised to see the car park 3/4 full. A quick recce on Cow Hey showed that it was not going to be possible without making the trek to the far side pegs in the woods. So Lagoon it was, I settled down on the fist peg on the back of the lake. I started off on my 4m whip, set up as a sliding rig with most of the weight down by the hook length to make it easier to to swing out a good distance. Fished dead bottom with 2mm expander soaked in Burt Baits Polony liquid. Fed the swim with hemp and Burt Baits 50/50 Xpander/sweet F1 ground bait. Not a touch for over an hour so switched to the tip rod with a banjo feeder, corn on the hook and the Burt Baits ground bait mix in the banjo. A few liners but again nothing showing. Decided to set up my pole and fish a GORTINI 4X10 Dibber shallow out at 10m this produced me 3 large Roach and 3 skimmers. Had an hour for lunch, sausage on brown and a couple of cups of coffee, there was not rush to get back as it was slow going in the morning. I switched to my right margin, under a low hanging tree, just tempting fate here!! Pulled in to 2 foot depth, top 2 plus1, started quite well with a fair few Roach and Rudd. Feeding walnut size nuggets every 5 mins kept the fish there and I was really starting to enjoy the day. Started to see some swirls close in, tried my luck at getting in right under the branches and the float disappeared and the line tightened, landed a nice ~3lb Bream, foul hooked in it’s pectoral fin, so they were swimming even shallower than 2 foot. Took 6″ out of the depth and had 2 skimmers in quick succession. Another ~4lb Bream and then my luck ran out and I snagged a tree branch! 😫. The float and a nest of line round the branch made it impossible to pull back, ended up snapping my elastic (Slik 3-5) leaving the rig and my dacron swinging off the tree. Jimmy C to the rescue with his weed cutter attachment on his potting top 2 managed to get the rig back and a testament to the GORTINI 4X10 it was undamaged and will just need making up in a new rig. Switched top sections with another GORTINI 4×10 Dibber. A few more Roach and Rudd and a final ~4lb Bream to wrap up the day.
All the marked Bream were treated with bonjella before being released back to the lake.
25/5/2020 GORTINI 4X10 Dibber.
I had trialled this float for Bri last year, however it was a bit too late in the year to give it a full outing and a fair review. Today was perfect conditions, Sun was out, water was mill pond calm a slight tow in the water but no wind. I dotted the floats down to just the top of the bristle showing, .5mm or so, and they were accurate on every indication and as proved by dragging one through a tree very strong and resilient. I normally fish the GORTINI 4×12 in the summer months, but that is going to change with small bait as I have every confidence in the Dibber when the conditions are right. As it is so short it is ideal to present small bait like 2mm expander, pinkie etc close in without having to switch out to a mini margin. Definitely impressed.
