Sam revealed:

“Just before New Year, the weather conditions finally changed and instead of very cold temperatures and relentless rain, we now had a big south westerly storm moving in, along with some very mild temperatures. I had been waiting for a chance like this for a long time so to say I was excited was an understatement!

“I set off to the lake and upon arrival at the 50+ acre pit I could already see the wind gaining power and the waves were picking up. The spot that I had chosen was smack in the corner where the waves were hitting the bank, it really looked perfect. I didn’t waste too much time and just before it was slowly getting dark, all of my rods were in position. I opted to fish classic winter tactics, with a scattering of small food items consisting of Manilla crumb and pellets, hemp and maize, and over the top I presented Mulbz pop-ups on Ronnie rigs.

“At first, I wasn’t overly confident, and I was just hoping for that one bite, the water temperature had already dropped to a very low point over the last couple of weeks and it really seemed that they just were not interested anymore. This was all soon forgotten though as only a few hours into the session, I had my first run and it turned out to be a lovely 33lb 15oz mirror. This was the start of a crazy and stormy 36 hours with a total of six fish on the bank. During the last night, I was also lucky enough to catch one of the biggest ones in the lake, a lovely 49lb 13oz mirror with a unique scale pattern. What a moment and what a fish! This is what winter fishing is all about, it can be though at times, but the rewards are there when you are willing to put the effort in.”