Golden Autumn by Tommy

The last weekend in October was upon us. For me, it was the absolute prime time of the year. The weather, however, offered little hope, high pressure and temperatures around 20 degrees. No matter, the vacation was booked. True to the motto, only wet lines catch fish. Everyone knows that feeling, that butterflies in your stomach that lasts for days, the anticipation, the plan and the tactics in your head... when you're really fired up again.

It was going to be four nights at the local lake around the corner. A relatively small but very nice old quarry lake. I already know the lake very well and I know where the hot spots are. Luck is part of fishing. But I'm not someone who relies solely on luck. For me, success on the water means good preparation, work and investing a lot of time beforehand. So I went to the lake every day for a week to feed my spods. A small risk at this time of year, as the lake is known for its good stocks and the fishing pressure is quite high. No matter, I was able to hit the lake on Wednesday afternoon. A big advantage for me. For bait, I decided on a mix of 20mm and 24mm Squid Bomb and Liver Bomb Boilies. I pimped the whole thing up with krill and liver liquid. Added liver stick mix and a nice ladle of Bait Activator Fish. With that I went to my holy lake every day. 3 to 4 coarse ladles per spod per day should be good preparation.

On the third day, the coveted weevils appeared in my chosen area. This makes your heart beat faster and you can hardly wait any longer.

Three days later the time had come. I got the work day over with as quickly as possible. I had already packed the car and headed straight to the water after work. I hoped no one was sitting in my seat and accompanied me the whole way. I arrived and there was no one at the lake! Yes!!! I could feel it was going to be my weekend. I stamped the bivvy into the grass. Now it was time for the rigs. I have trusted my D-rig for years. The wide gape hooks in sizes 4 and 2 have proven particularly effective in my fishing. I trust my rig 100%. The bait was to be a snowman rig with a 24mm Squid Bomb Hookbait and a matching 15mm Poppi. On the other rod I used a 24mm Liver Bomb Hookbait with a 15mm Squid Poppi.

I approached the spods, put them down and fed them another large scoop of the mix mentioned above. Unfortunately the weather forecast didn't improve, which was noticeable on the first night. Not a single wobble on the rod. I slept well... but that wasn't the plan. So after my first coffee I went looking for clues. I went over the spods with the underwater camera. To my surprise, everything was eaten up and there were tiny holes in them. I didn't think twice, I had to find a different tactic. I knew that people fished here all year round with snowmen. Perhaps the colorful poppies were now a deterrent. Long story short. I re-equipped the rigs, this time with squid and liver bomb as a 24mm single hookbait.

What happened next is what many anglers would probably describe as a golden moment on the water. The following night, the tables turned. At dawn, the spark rang and I was able to land my first good squid. On a squid bomb, mind you.

Continue reading. Rod sharpened again. The next run took place in the middle of the day, again on the freshly laid Squid Bomb rod. The first mega escape went straight into the weeds. Into the boat. The carp put up a mega fight, but I was the winner. Number 2 on the plus side. Yes!!! Things were picking up speed.

The next night the Squid Bomb rod was chattering away again. The next squid couldn't resist. On average, all of them were in the 30 pound range. Cool, I thought. But the Liver Bomb rod was still silent. Why didn't I get it working? But old orphan anglers once told me to leave it alone. I decided to keep trusting my Liver Bomb boilie.

This was the right decision, an unforgettable moment. The catch of the year. Do you still remember what the anglers said? Yes, it was the Liver Bomb rod that lay untouched for almost 2 days. An angler one spod away just held his hands in front of his face and laughed his head off. Stories that life writes. The smallest fish of the session attracted the most attention and gave me an incredibly exciting but mega moment. The rest is history.

Then I took the irons out of the fire and headed home. What an incredible weekend. I hope you enjoyed my trip and thank you for reading.

Your Tommy