The FISHINGmagic Blue Pool Teach-in 2004

At the BBQ, from left: Will, Jason, John, Jeff, Kyle, Skive, Bryan, Frothey Snr, Frothey Jnr, Barry

Frothey’s 28.8 common – a superb fish (click for bigger picture)

Fun on the Blue Pool
Well, that was a fun few days. Most of us caught, a laugh was had, and hopefully someone learnt something! I was lucky enough to have the lake to myself on the Sunday night, as I would’ve had to do a fair bit of traveling, ferrying the wife and little ‘un around.

I arrived in the rain at about 5.30 Sunday afternoon, to find a couple of people on the lake, on the ‘un-bivviable’ bank. Right, I thought, I’m going to find a nice comfortable swim, where I can see the lake without the rain coming into the bivvy. And as the wind was blowing into the nicely grassed bank, I picked the muddiest, grottiest corner swim on the lake that you can bivvy up in (number 11 for those that know). There were fish swirling and crashing all over the main part of the lake, so at least they couldn’t accuse me of nicking the best swim.

As I was setting up, one of the other anglers came around for a chat. I found out he was the bailiff, and he was wondering why I was bivvying up (as you can’t normally night fish).

Frothey’s ‘grotty’ swim (click for bigger picture)

He also advised me not to use much bait, just small bags and a sprinkle of pellets. After he had gone, and I’d got the gear sorted, I found a small gravelly area for the left hand rod, approx 30yds out, and fed it with 10 balls of method mix and a handful of both Frenzied Maize and Hemp, and cast the right hand to where the fish were showing in the main lake with a Tigernut boilie stringer, and a further 1/2 kilo of freebies.

It was just dark as I cast the second rod, so it was straight in the bag as I was knackered! To cut a long story short things started at 9.30 with an immaculate 15lb near linear on the method rod, and finished nine takes later at 3.30 with an 18.04! All mirrors, biggest 22lb and all of them absolutely lovely looking fish. Three of the fish were on the Tigernut boilies, the rest on popped up or normal Dynamite Frenzied Maize. Lovely, I thought, that was from a bad swim, what are the others in for!

Graham’s and Skive’s cramped swim

People started arriving at about 7am Monday, and as the weather wasn’t great, I told them to have a look around and bivvy where they like. It was great meeting the people behind the faces, most (like me!) look totally different. We had a chat about what I’d had the previous night, and what the prospects were. I pointed out that we might not catch much till it got dark, so everyone got settled in. Once people were set up, I delivered their goody bags, a kilo of each of Dynamite Source and the new Tigernut boilie with pop-ups and dips, a pack from Kryston with the brilliant Mantis in, and some of GLT’s new No-See Fluorocarbon and Stiffy stiff rig material – both of which look great.

Graham and Skive (Stuart Johnson), who had previously asked (more like demanded!) for the first double swim nearest to the carp park, then proceeded to squeeze themselves into one of the narrowest swims on the lake (presumably so they could hold hands?), which was fine, but they did nothing but moan about it! Specially as it was one of the best swims according to the bailiff. Want it on a plate these superstars…..

I then get a call about half an hour later, Graham asking if I had a spare bedchair (like you would!) turns out that he’d been supplying a family of mice board and lodging in his bedchair, and they had an indoor toilet!

John’s first fish

The evening wore on , and the fish started showing, John getting things underway with a 16-pounder, and another shortly after. People then started catching along the main bank as well, Tim catching his first ever carp at 13 plus, and Bryan landing an 18+. Jeff had a couple, Stuart winkled one out, and Nick had one – he’d been sent off to the takeaway, and arrived back just as the activity slowed….still, I think he caught Stuart’s eye – Graham kept calling him Gay Boy for some reason and tightly zipped up his bivvy door on both nights….

I had a poor night after overdoing the baiting (about the same as the previous night) – four fish, topped by an absolutely gorgeous 28.08 common!! I thought I’d better keep my head down, people were accusing me of nicking the best swim – completely overlooking the skill needed in fishing the worst swim on the lake (cough!). Only six people didn’t catch the first night, but there was time yet!

The next day started with clear blue sky, and a really warm sun. not much went on in terms of fish caught until about 2pm, when Stuart managed to lose a fish (the first during daytime). I don’t know what me and Graham were more surprised by, him getting a run, or him losing it! About five minutes later, my dad had a fish of 16.04. I heard a buzzer, but thought it was someone playing with their alarms.

Bryan’s 18-pounder (click for bigger picture)

I made up some rigs and method rigs for Muzz, who was yet to catch, and took them round just in time to land a 16.08 mirror! Well done, and the first of many from the Blue Pool I hope (he’s lucky enough to have a ticket). And I bet he wished he’d stayed on his own rigs as he didn’t catch another! It was then time for the Barbeque (behind my swim, strangely enough!) and a bit of a natter. Steak and salad for me and my dad, left over burgers, sausages, bacon and buns for everyone else!

Luckily, we just finished as it started raining, and everyone disappeared back off to their swims. It started throwing it down, but things did look good. John had his customary couple of fish early evening, and Graham managed to keep his rods out long enough to catch one at 17lb 5oz. All Stuart could talk about was Nick…..

Ian Welch and Bailiff Ivan [Frothey’s swim and the island in the distant background] (click for bigger picture)

Well, can I just say thanks chaps for an enjoyable couple of days, thanks to John for looking after Muzz, thanks to Graham for the help with organising it, and once again to Ian Welch for the use of the lake, Andrew at Dynamite for the bait and Kryston/GLT for the end tackle.

Oh, and if I do another one, someone else can choose my swim!

First Blue Pool fish for Muzz (click for bigger picture)

Okay, reality check from Graham
Me and Skive had to bring all the bait and goody bags with us, which was not a small load considering how generous the sponsors had been. And then we had two lots of tackle, bivvying gear, food and cooking gear to try to get into the car as well. No chance of that, so we had to share as much as we could, hence the reason why we needed a double swim.

Skive and I were the last ones to arrive, which shouldn’t have mattered, for the first two swims on the lake had been left vacant for us. but we declined them as they looked a bit cramped (for the fishing, not for us) and decided to fish the other side, opposite the lovely little carp-ridden island that Frothey was fishing in the vicinity of. Remember, he said, “I picked the muddiest, grottiest corner swim on the lake that you can bivvy up in.” Oh yeah, compared to what me and Skive ended up in it was Buck Palace lawn class. And did you notice he never mentioned the island that was attracting carp to its perimeter like bees to honey? As were the snags to the left of the island that graced one of the nicest looking bays on the water.

A 13-plus common for Skive (click for bigger picture)

We borrowed a barrow off Jeff and made the first of about eight 600 yard return journeys back and two with all the bait, goody bags and tackle. By the time we’d done this someone else had claimed the swim we wanted, opposite Frothey’s island. It was a case then of us being just too absolutely knackered to go back round to the other bank. So we just got into the biggest swim we could find, which was hardly big enough for one bivvy, never mind two. Things got worse when I opened up my bedchair and found a few big chunks of it had been scoffed by mice!

I’d decided that I wasn’t going to fish at night at all (I know, old git and needs his sleep) so I drew my rods in at 10pm on Monday and at 11pm on the Tuesday. And I had Skive with me which meant I was safer with the bivvy door zipped up. Skive decided he was just going to leave one rod out.

Anyhow, in spite of 95% or more of the fish coming out in darkness we did manage one apiece, a beautiful 13lb-plus common to Skive and a 17.5 mirror for me, both on the best bait by far for most at the fish-in, those fabulous Dynamite Tigernut boilies.

Jeff’s 14-pounder (click for bigger picture)

Frothey did a great job organising the event and setting up the BBQ and he worked hard to catch the fish he did and therefore deserved them. Jeff arranged for Chris Bell, the Technical Officer for Fisheries and Conservation for the Environment Agency, to visit us and hand over 20 Shakespeare whips to give away to kids (more about this initiative later). Ian Welch visited us on the Monday afternoon, giving us a chance to catch up on the goss for about three hours and arrange some fishing trips together when the rivers open again. And I mustn’t forget Ivan, one of RMC’s bailiffs, who made us feel very welcome and even brought us some water.

It was a teach-in that turned into more of a fish-in, but it didn’t matter, it was a good event that brought more of us from FM together and sealed some new friendships.

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Graham’s 17-pounder (click for bigger picture)