A great holiday with carp to 30lbs and one massive 124lbs catfish!
This week we welcomed Lisa and Christian back to Beausoleil. Christian is a relative newcomer to the sport but he absolutely loves it. Christian did the tuition with me last time and decided to use the opportunity of a 2nd visit to learn even more.
Following their first visit, Christian was a changed man and even though he’s only been fishing for a couple of years, he began catching everywhere he went. He even messaged me to say how much his results have changed. We had a really fun time together on Sunday and it was a great opportunity for Christian to ask a load of questions that he’d been wrestling with.
Since his last visit his hook sharpening had come on leaps and bounds. He used the Nash Twisters as is, fresh from the packet, but then re-sharpened as he went along. This year he really wanted to beat his catfish PB of 68lbs and so that was the focus for the session.
After our day together I picked up a Whatsapp the next morning telling me that it was very much job done and Christian had nearly doubled his PB with a massive 124lbs specimen! Needless to say I was delighted for him. It was thoroughly deserved.
The catfish took nearly 1hr to land on a 4.5lb 10ft rod. It took him all round the lake and on multiple occasions he considered taking to the boat. TBH it was a good job he didn’t as it may have ended in disaster. You cannot control a fish such as this on your own and even if you have a friend on the oars, you can’t row against them. They are simply too strong. Christian is a landscape builder, fit, strong and you really need to be for such beasts. It took all his strength to haul it up onto the mat solo. A feat that I would not even have attempted!
After banking the massive cat, Christian wanted to understand the limit of the line he was using. He’d banked the catfish on a spool of 40lbs (0.61) Big Game. He was already familiar with our 8kg (17.5lb) kettle bell test. Passing this test with 20lbs Bullet or 25lb Big Game is not easy. It usually takes me a few goes!
For 40lbs Big Game it’s a doodle (or should be!) but Christian being the eternal student wanted to see whether he could get close to its stated breaking strain of 40lbs. He did this by literally lashing two of our kettlebells together weighing a whopping 35lbs. Now obviously this is well beyond what any normal fishing rod or reel can handle so this was just an exercise. You’ve gotta love his patience and dedication though. It took him 26 attempts to pass the test but he did it! Love it 😝
When I caught up with him on Wednesday he was very tired but happy. Christian’s sleep was constantly being disturbed by an old set of Delkims that he was struggling to tune in. I know these well and have used them for 12 years. Sleep deprivation was simply an accepted part of my fishing. It wasn’t until I switched to the Nash sirens that I realised it’s possible to fish the nights, sleep and never miss a bite!
Although this week was all about the catfish, Christian was also happy with the carp and the sturgeon he caught. It was another busy week for Sammy with three captures. Oh boy does he love his grub at certain times of year! As Christian was all in for the catfish I thought he’d have quite a few small kittens but this week like last, they just weren’t an issue and he only had a few.
It was great to see Christian and Lisa again. Lisa absolutely loves the place and although she doesn’t actually fish, she bivvied up with Christian all week and was always on hand to do the photos. Congratulations guys, it was wonderful to see you enjoy the place so much ♥️
No catch report for the next 2 weeks as we are closed and the fish get a bit of a holiday 😊
