In January 2018, I got the phone call that every person on the waiting list dreams of, a chance to fish the incredible lake. With my time very limited during the first couple of months, I was itching to get down and have a bit of a recce. I managed to do my first night around the back end of February. I really couldn’t have picked any worse conditions to start my campaign in. With blistering winds, freezing temperatures and constant rain, it was safe to say I wasn’t feeling too optimistic of a bite.

After that first session, I didn’t make it back until the start of April and as you can imagine the lake had changed quite considerably. The trees had leaves, the pads were starting to grow, temperatures were rising, and the banks had got busier. Upon my arrival, I spotted a carp down in the shallow end of the lake. I quickly parked the car, grabbed a bucket and went and sat down in a swim called Lawns. After approximately 10 minutes I had seen all that I needed to, there was quite clearly a good number of fish held up down that end of the lake.

During the hours of darkness, I managed two lovely old carp, one just shy of the 20lb mark and the other was just a couple of pounds over. Unfortunately, I couldn’t build on this result straight away, as I found myself with insufficient time to play with, with a France trip that required a lot of preparation and work commitments, my hands were tied.

May came around and I was in full Tyram mode, there was nothing to stop me getting into a routine. I started fishing most nights between work during the week, when the banks were at their quietist and pre-baiting in between.

My plan was going well; I caught a large number of fish including what is now the fourth biggest resident, a fish called C-Scale at just under 33lb. Throughout the rest of my season in 2018 I continued to catch numbers of fish but none of the real gems of the lake.

Throughout the colder months of 2018 and into 2019, I really studied Baz. Making notes of how many times a year she got caught and where from throughout the year. It was very clear that she was a creature of habit as there was a pattern emerging. After I had gathered all of the info I could, I set about trying to put it into place, which is a lot easier said than done on Tyram. With such a good stock, it can become very busy at times which makes targeting particular fish a lot harder to achieve.

I was due to arrive at the lake on the 14th April for one or two nights, the conditions were perfect for Baz! I hate deciding on an area of the lake to fish before getting to the lake, but on this occasion, I knew where I wanted to be. Upon arrival, I was stopped by one of the other syndicate members who informed me that Baz had been caught earlier on in the day, not only that but it was caught from the area I was going to target. I was ecstatic for the member that had got his moment with the special carp, but I was even more thrilled that my fact finding was correct, I was on the right path!

During the rest of 2019 I found myself in the same predicament on quite a few occasions and as for 2020, well where do I even begin with that one! For me this year has been one hell of a rollercoaster and from January till June, my fishing was on the back-burner.

My first session back was on the 15th June and what a session that turned out to be! I managed to slip the net under six lovely carp, including two thirties and two mid-twenties.

During the rest of the summer months the lake fished hard, with extremely high temperatures the fish just did not seem interested. Towards the back end of August, I started to prepare my gear for a September attack! I knew Baz did two back to back captures during that month in previous years, so I wanted to be ready.

I wanted to go down to the lake on the 1st September, as the conditions were ideal. With a full moon shinning brightly over the lake and knowing full well that Baz was due out, unfortunately my commitments put an end to that idea. That evening I was not surprised when I got the message to say she had been caught, once again I found myself very happy because she had been caught from an area of the lake that I predicted.

Throughout the first couple of weeks in September, I decided to start baiting a new area in the main body of the lake. Looking back at previous captures there was a pattern that Baz liked to follow. The typography of this area was like an egg box, it gave me a multitude of options to explore.

I started baiting two raised areas that were about two rod lengths apart from one another. Over the course of the next couple of weeks I consistently baited these zones. The first time I managed to wet a line, I managed to slip the net under a lovely scaly mirror, it gave me a huge amount of confidence going forward!

On Saturday 19th September, I found myself on route back down to Tyram, I was extremely excited. Knowing full well that Baz loves to feed on a new moon phase, I really felt like it was my chance at catching the epic old carp! I arrived during the late afternoon and for the first time in a long time, the lake was severely busy.

As I got to the main carpark, I glanced across the lake to see the swim that I had been baiting was empty, I couldn’t believe my eyes! I wasted no time loading up the carp porter and making my way around to my chosen area. The first night passed very uneventfully, but with the lake being so busy it really didn’t surprise or worry me in the slightest, I knew when all the pressure was relieved the following day, the bites would come.

On Monday morning, I was sat up on my bed at around 6am, watching the mist rise from the lake as the morning unfolded. At 8am on the dot, the middle rod pulled up tight and I was into what was a very lively and characterful mirror.

Once I had returned the lovely mirror it was quite clear that there was still a very good chance of another bite, with the odd patch of bubbles still appearing, I felt quietly confident of another chance.

Although the pit can be a very tricky place at times as the fish are so pressured throughout the year, one thing I would never be doubting was my baiting approach. For me, Manilla takes some beating and I knew if the fish were in the mood, and my location was correct, I’d always be in with a shout of a bite or two.

At 10am the sound of the R3 grabbed my attention, as the tip of the left-hand rod swung round! As soon as I lifted the rod, there was a huge eruption on the surface down to my left, it was at that point I knew what I was attached to. After an almighty battle, I got my first glance of what was quite clearly Baz! My heart beat out of my chest, my stomach dropped, and I found myself trying to calm down. I had all manner of thoughts racing through my mind as this huge-framed mirror edged closer and closer to my net. After another gasp for air, Baz slowly slipped over my net cord and it was at that point I screamed out: “Yes, I’ve Got you!” After a quick call to a good mate, it was soon time to hold my nemesis up for the camera. Weighing in at an almighty 52lb 4oz, the relief and smile on my face said it all!