Pre-baiting with Clubs pays off

The last week I’ve been down at Chad Lakes’ Home Pool, home of the famous Black Eye. As always, it’s been a mad rush style of fishing for myself, venturing down for two days, then coming back up north to work for two days, and then heading off back down for the remainder of the week (an all round trip of 800 miles). The first two days I was lucky enough to have the lake to myself, and what a lake it is. At all of two acres, it’s just amazing how somewhere so small can produce a home-grown UK fifty-pounder, as well as several great back-up fish to almost 43lb. Everywhere I walked on the banks there were lovely fish looking back at me, but straight away I noticed how spooky they were of me when I moved.


A quick glance through the catches book showed that the lake responded better during the day, with the nights being almost fishless. I therefore spent the first two days close quarter stalking on the top and bottom. Straight away the fish were responsive to surface baits and it wasn’t long before I tempted my first fish, a nice scaley mirror known as CP’s, the same fish Terry Hearn is holding on the cover of his Quest for Black Eye DVD. The next day wasn’t so brilliant on the top, probably due to the weather being so hot, but just as the light was fading I managed a lovely 28lb common over a bed of 18mm Club Mix freebies and hemp.
The next day I was off early to go to work so scattered a healthy supply of Clubs over three areas that took my fancy. I was due back in two days time so I gave each of the spots a couple of kilos which would hopefully entice them to feed with confidence when I returned.


When I arrived back, out went the rods to the baited spots – one tight to the far bank which is out of bounds, another on a clear area half way across the lake, and the third close to the corner of an island which looked a perfect passing point. Unfortunately the fish were all down at the opposite end of the lake where my mate Adam was fishing, but at least the rods were in place for when they decided to venture down my way which wouldn’t take long being such a small water. We’d agreed to split the lake in half, with Adam having one side and me the other, and neither of us allowed in each other’s half.


I kept the bait steadily going out, topping it up every few hours with half a dozen Clubs and some matching 365 pellets. The next day turned out to be a blank, although I remained confident because Adam had landed five fish which would sooner or later spook the rest down towards me – which was what happened the next day. Just as it was going dark I found myself in battle with a nice double from the corner of the island. That night I then chipped in with a lovely 24lb 12oz mirror from the clear spot half way over, and then the very next morning at 11am the venue’s second biggest resident known as The Red One took a liking to the Clubs on the clear spot half way over and pulled the needle round to 42lb 10oz. A lovely fish, and my second UK forty of the season on the Clubs, yet again proving its big fish capabilities on the pressured venues.


Hookbaits were offered on size 6 X-Wide Gape hooks with eight-inch hooklinks, and 3oz leads to help drive the hook home. This was the first time I’d fished the lake, and once again The Clubs had come up trumps, certainly an all time classic instant carp bait. My thanks to Dave & Gay Ayres for inviting me to fish their lovely lake, and thanks to Locky and the boys for putting together an awesome bait.
Simon Crow