46.08 – the new lake record!
Well after all the hard winter work we have put in here at Molyneux to get the lake ready for this year, we had our first group of anglers arrive last Saturday morning. The South Coast Crew, of Sam, John, Steve, Tom, Glen and Lee and of course the lovely Becky arrived fresh after a nights sleep on the Portsmouth to Le Havre ferry, and only an hour and a half’s drive to the lake. They were absolutely blown away by the beauty of the lake, and after a cuppa and a chat, they were raring to get going.
We wandered around the lake, with a quick chat about the swims and features that lay in front of each of them and upon returning to the kitchen the guys decided amongst themselves where they would like to fish. Saturday as always is spent setting up home for the week, and by the time the guys had got themselves sorted and had a little feel around the swims with a lead it was time for dinner.
After dinner Helen and I cleared away and wandered around the lake in the late evening to see how they were all settling in. It was beginning to drizzle and looked to be a wet night ahead. We were just thinking of turning in for the night when the van door was knocked fairly urgently. It was Becky to tell us Sam her boyfriend had caught a big mirror of 46lb.
With the lake record standing at 43lb 14oz, this was a momentous occasion, so off I set around the lake as fast as my old legs would carry me to find a very excited and slightly shocked Sam. Glenn and John were also in attendance. The fish was lifted out of the margins and I opened the net to see an old friend, the fish we call the big Linear in all her glory… She looked enormous!!
We checked the sling was zeroed and once again she was hoisted up. The needle swung round to settle at exactly 46lb 8oz. A new pb for Sam and smashing the lake record by almost 3lb !
There were handshakes and hugs all round and then we took the trophy photos with poor Sam struggling to hold up the immense fish.