It had been decided some time ago to visit the Southern gravel pit this April for a spot of bream bashing. It all started when myself and Dave Colclough fished the same water last year and took a number of double-figure bream, including a personal best to Dave at 12lb 1oz on his first cast. And on a subsequent visit when we were joined by Suffolk angler Dave Dowding of the Mr Wriggles company, who sorted out some nice carp, but missed out on the bream.
Now my old mate Eddie Bibby has, like me, been a big bream fanatic for most of his angling career, 
and we go back over 30 years when we have chased the species over a number of Cheshire and Shropshire meres catching a good few to over 14lb. So he didn’t hesitate when we invited him to join us for a spot of snotty bashing down south. Dave Dowding couldn’t wait to get back to see if he could better his best bream of a little over 8lb.
So Dave Colclough, Eddie and me began the long jaunt down south at 3am and arrived at the water about an hour after daylight. Dave Dowding arrived about a half hour later and dished out the Mr Wriggles groundbaits that included the Method Mix, and Frutti Tench Mix that is marketed under my own name as ‘Marsden’s Magic’ (soon to be reviewed in FISHINGmagic.com by Gary Knowles). If you want to know more about these nip over to the Mr Wriggles web site.
We chose four swims in a line with Dave D on the right, then Eddie, then me, and finally Dave C. We all fished Method Feeder, with various hookbaits, including boilies, worms and flavoured sweetcorn. 
It was Dave D who took first blood with a small carp of about 8lb and, as it turned out, one of only two small carp caught over the two days. That fish took flavoured corn. Ed chipped in next with a ‘small’ bream of about 6lb that took a couple of 10mm boilies. Not a small bream on most waters but it certainly was on this one. A little later Dave D was in again with a beautiful tench of 6.12. Myself and Dave C had yet to get a bite.
It was 1pm when Ed hit his double, a lovely silvery fish that just made it at 10lb 1oz. A little later Mr Wriggles, or Santa as he’s affectionately known by his northern pals, or Dave the Flave as he’s known locally, slipped his net under a superb tench of just on 7lb, and I entered the fray with yet another ‘small’ bream of 6lb or so and a 5lb tench. But much later, about an hour before dark I chipped in with a double-figure bream of 10lb 2oz. Which wrapped up the proceedings for that day, it being the last bite.
Myself and Dave C didn’t even bother to fish that night, we were just too tired after having to get out of bed at 2am and making the long journey south. Eddie was braver, for both he and Dave D left their rods out. Ed had a small carp about 4am and Dave D upped his personal best bream to exactly 9lb at 5.30am. That was when Ed came round and woke me with those magic words, ‘Come on, get up, they’re rolling, and Dave’s just had a nine-pounder.’ 
I woke Dave C and we couldn’t believe what we saw. There was a thick frost covering everything. So thick in places it was almost like a scattering of snow. My rods were white and the landing net was frozen to the platform. I couldn’t believe it, but it was true, bream were rolling about 40 to 50yds out, just like on a warm, summer day. It was incredible. And not long after I opened my account for the day with a bream a little over 8lb, and Dave D popped round while he had his breakfast, a triple whisky.
I had two more 9-pounders and a male tench of 6lb 2oz later that day. Dave D netted an 8.12 bream and upped his PB yet again with a lovely slab of 9lb 10oz. Ed had an 8lb bream and a 4lb tench. Poor old Dave C had yet to open his account. It looked like the fish were not venturing any farther to the left than my peg. It happens regularly when bream fishing. They feed to a certain point along the route and simply will not go past that spot. Unfortunately for Dave C he’d drawn the short straw. He decided to stick it out but realised later that he’d made a mistake. 
That evening it went bitterly cold, freezing and raw with it somehow. Yet it stopped freezing later in the night and the trees dripped onto the bivvies. The previous frost had done its damage though and nobody on the lake could get a bite the following day. Perversely though, as we packed for home, Dave C had a beautiful bream bite – and missed it! Sod’s Law in full flow. I’m sure he’ll make up for it next time though.
