Black Spot Mirror - Michael Stewart

This entry was posted on 12th August, 2014

After finishing up in Northants it was time to get back to Cambridgeshire and a new lake!

The lake in question is around 7-8 acres in size and is fairly deep, with an average depth of around 16-18ft; it features a central island and contains a good head of Carp, some of which are rather large!

On my first visit, within ten minutes of being there, I’d messed up a chance from the surface, which soon scattered the feeding fish and my chances of landing one! However on that first visit I did mange to land one of the lakes residents, a nice Common around 24lb.

Even though I was quickly off the mark, I spent the next four sessions blanking in style, a busy lake, poor decision making and some extra hot weather were all contributing factors as to why my landing net remained dry. On the fourth session I did however get some action, losing a nice Carp and one of the six resident Catfish.

Throughout the months of May and June, with the summery weather, the fish had taken a bit of a spanking off the top and it became difficult to conjour up a surface fishing opportunity. Often I’d get the fish feeding but only for a very short period, they seemed to take a handful of floating Pellets before disappearing.

I was doing my best to persevere with the zig rigs, but with the high average depth and ‘mangrove’ like bankside foliage it was near on impossible, I needed to stick with what I knew and with what I trusted.



On my fifth and next session I had four nights at my disposal and was quickly off the mark; a surface caught mid double Mirror, broke my run of blanks.

I soon settled in for the first evening of my four night stint, opting to fish a swim where I’d previously seen a good fish show.

The first rod was tucked tight under the island tree line, rigged with a hinged Stiff Link and baited with a White Dynamite Baits Corkball Crave Pop-up, a good helping of 15-18mm Crave baits were spread over the top and in the area.

The second rod was fished in the margins, a standard bottom bait rig and a piece of plastic Corn was the chosen set up. This was baited with a good helping of particle.

The third and final rod was cast to the point of the island and was baited with 5kg of Hemp, 10mm Halibut Pellets, Sweetcorn and a mixture of Crave boilies.

Nothing happened during the night or at first light, so a move was on the cards, especially as the fish began to show at the opposite end of the lake.

Just as I packed away and just as I was about to wind in the rods I had a take on the first rod, the one positioned on the tree line.

Even though I was fishing ‘locked up’ the fish had managed to find a weed bed, but with gentle persuasion I eventually steered it into open water and into the folds of my waiting landing net. It wasn’t one of the lakes big girls, but was a nice Common around mid twenties.

Even though I’d had a fish I still opted for a move, and it wasn’t long before I was all set up again in a new area.

Two of my rods were staggered out onto a shallow area, off the point of the island, in around 6-8ft of water. Short Chod rigs were added and fresh baits of hand rolled 12mm White Crave Pop-ups, added to each hair. Five kg of the same mixture, mention before, went out over the top and primed the swim.

The third rod was tucked right under the Island canopy, this featured a hinged Stiff Link and a hand rolled, 15mm White Crave Pop-Up.

Nothing happened that night or the following, despite my best efforts with zig rigs and moving rods, I couldn’t get a bite, which was extra frustrating as the fish were still in the area.

5am Saturday morning and finally I got some action, the island rod producing a Scaley 22lb Mirror, which was soon in the net, photographed and returned. The rod was then quickly re-cast to the same spot and within seconds, before I’d had time to tension the line, was away again, this time a Common, a shade over 20lb.

With the fish looking ready to spawn again I decided to quit while I was ahead and headed for home.

The following week I was all geared up and ready to go again and when I arrived at the lake it was a pleasant surprise to see it relatively quiet.

I had a good walk round the lake before choosing a swim, setting up camp and getting the rods out. This time, due to the bloom of Canadian Pond and Silk Weed I opted for Chod rigs on all rods, baited with my hand rolled Crave Pop-ups.

Two of the rods were spread along the tree line at 60-65 yards and these were given a good spread of Crave freebies in both 15 and 18mm. The third was cast to the point of the island and was baited with a couple of kilo’s of my particle mix, however I’d eased off on the particle and had replaced large quantities of it with crushed boilies.



Friday night and Saturday morning passed without incident and with heavy rain forecast later that day I set about re-doing the rods and freshening up the hookbaits, as well as topping up the loose feed.

As soon as the rain came, so did the fish, as they began to show all over the swim. Evening came and went but I was still confident of a pick up.

Just as I was drifting off to sleep the point rod pulled up tight against the locked up clutch, I was quickly on it and soon doing my best to tease the fish from the bankside vegetation.

Kiting left and right and not really doing much, other than slowly plodding about the swim, I don’t think she realised she was hooked!

Within a matter of minutes and after no real fight she was soon in my waiting landing net and at first glimpse she looked an upper twenty, perhaps even a scraper 30.

With the fish secured I rang my mate Nick, who, unbeknown to me had already seen my head torch beam and was already on his way round!

When he arrived he asked me ‘how big’ to which I replied ‘perhaps 30ish’.

As I sorted out the weighing gear and camera Nick had a proper look at my prize and said he predicted the fish was closer 40 then 30! And he wasn’t wrong, as on the scales she went 38lb 11oz! Turning out to be one of the lakes A-Team known as Black Spot!

Nick clicked away a couple of pictures (cheers mate) before I released her back to her watery home, watching her waddle off through the clear water in the beam of my head torch.

The rest of the night passed without incident and I packed up early the next day and headed for home, I was one happy angler!