Last week saw me visiting a new venue which I haven’t fish before and I have been walking around the lake trying to get a feel for it and plumbing a few different areas.

I had big bream in mind and Saturday saw me arrive early for my first fishing session.  I had pinpointed an area from my recce trips and cast a couple of large PVA bags containing a mix of 4mm halibut pellets and some new prototype boilies that Ian has given me to try.  10 large ground bait balls containing lots of Hemp and Hali Crush, mixed pellets and a good squeeze of halibut pellet oil were mixed together and sent flying out into the lake via a ground bait sling.

Late morning large flat spots started to appear above the baited area.  A sure sign that something was feeding below.  After several line bites on both rods and seeing a bream roll over the area the left hand rod pull up tight and the indicator fell to the floor.  Picking up the rod I felt a thump of a good bream and weighing just over 7lbs it was a good start.  The bream soon drifted off and planning to return the next day I mixed up a big bucket of Hemp and Hali Crush, around 25 balls in the hope I could hold the fish in the area ready for my return. 

I arrived back in the swim at 7am the next morning.  Being a day only venue I would have liked to have started earlier but rules dictated otherwise.  As I looked out over the lake I was greeted by large flat spots appearing over the baited area as fish were obviously feeding on the bait I had deposited the previous day. 

Being organised I had clipped the rods up at the desired distance the previous day so it was a simple case of lining up with a far bank marker and casting out until the line hit the clip.  Two large PVA bags of pellets and a 14mm prototype boilie were sent flying out towards their desired spots.  I was hopeful of some early action but soon after casting the flat spots ceased.

There was no need to worry though as at 9am the indicator on the left hand rod dropped like and a stone and another bream was hooked.  At the net it looked a good fish and I wasn’t disappointed as the scales read 12lb 1oz.  A good start and I hope there is more to come.