Myles said:

“As soon as the pesky restrictions were lifted, I shot down to Dinton to hopefully get my year underway. I knew I wanted to be on Black Swan, as there’s still a whole load of fish I haven’t had from there yet. Of course, I wasn’t the only one to take advantage of the lifted restrictions and the fishery was reasonably busy with anglers, as well as the public. I settled on an area that had good form and got about getting the rods out.

“Having previous form for Zigs in the early spring months, I went in with various depths all soaked Mulbz Bait Spray. Having mooched round the lake for some time, it was quite late, so I kept watching the water as much as I could before settling down for the night. I was confident of course, having been in contact with a few locals during the earlier part of the year, but I was a little bit behind in terms of current knowledge.

“As darkness fell, I could hear some shows in another area, and over the next hour or so, these intensified to the point I needed to move! I whipped the rods in and got everything packed up in the pitch black. After wheeling into the swim, I dispatched some fresh Zigs into the zone. I always change the foam for fresh, Mulbz soaked foam when recasting as it gives me far more confidence than an unflavoured piece.

“I couldn’t quite see the fish, but their presence was clearly obvious, with the rods in place, I was set, and very much ready for a few hours sleep. I woke the next morning and although there wasn’t any action, I was confident of a bite during the day. The shows had slowed, but the birds and general feeling around the swim suggested the fish were still there.

“Sure enough, that afternoon, I received a steady bite and connected with something beyond powerful. It was so angry, but extremely methodical, which could only mean one thing…. It was a good one! Slowly but surely, I inched the heavy, ponderous weight towards me, before scooping up a stupidly long, black as your hat common!

“I was absolutely buzzing! It was a proper, Black Swan beast, getting on towards four feet long! I hoisted her up on the scales where she went 46lb 12oz, and the grin never left my face until she swam off safely to her watery home. What a result!”