Joined
·
11,810 Posts
In the continuing spirit of Welsh Mini-Bumbles, a posse of intrepid Croc Hunters set off for deepest-darkest West Wales this morning. The Welsh Champion Croc Wrestling Team consisted of me & Luke, Iestyn, Steve & Adam, Tim & George - a fine group!!
Iestyn was armed with a deadly bucket of the most bizarre lures that i have ever witnessed, along with full camo . . . which frankly made him difficult to spot at times today !!! Tim & George were fresh off the back of their success last week, whilst Luke & I, along with Steve & Adam were the rookies of the group with no Crocs under our belts.
The weather was glorious today, with the early showers soon dissipating to leave us dry & warm. The early going was hard, with the generally recognised hot-spots not producing the goods. We watched in awe as Iestyn sent his Rampant Rat into the thick of the bank-side cover, with an accuracy that can only be described as spectacular !! Iestyn also managed to move a few fish in an area that produced some impressive results later in the day.
After a couple of unproductive hours, i switched to the Injection, along with a 6g lure i'd picked up specifically for the rod. I was targetting Perch, whilst quietly wishing that something bigger might take a lunge :wink:. I was mimicking Iestyn's precision aiming, firing the lures into the danger zones along the bank, when whilst retrieving i got hit . . . . this was no Perch !!!! The Injection bent into a Croc, and it was game-on !!! My lightly-set drag was singing as the fish made several strong runs, and i had to eventually clamp the drag down a little more on the Rarenium and start to exert some additional pressure. Her head lifted, and she was guided into the waiting net . . . . . . . . . . and here we have the fish that christened my Injection . . . . . a double-figure Croc . . . .
![]()
![]()
At 10lbs it was my very first Croc, and a fabulous experience on the light gear.
We continued, and Tim & George headed off to explore pegs further around the lake. I switched to the Supermix and a hybrid hard / soft lure, with a stunning wiggling tail. After some more precision casting :wink: i got hit hard !!!! Game-on again !!!! The Supermix bent into a very spirited Croc, this one smaller than the last. After a few good runs, Iestyn expertly chinned this guy out for me . . . .
![]()
![]()
He was around the 5lb mark, and had nailed my lure hard !!! He was again returned gently by Iestyn.
We fished on, and Iestyn got hit, but the fish surfaced, thrashed his head, and managed to throw the hooks. Shortly afterwards he had a crack-off on his beloved Rat. But, not to be beaten, he got his second rod, and on his very first cast, hooked his lure out in the middle of the lake and reeled it in !!! What a cast !!! Infact, Iestyn's casting all day was just ridiculous & completely fearless.
Iestyn had been working one particular area under some overhanging trees, convinced that there must be some Crocs lurking. He eventually decided to try a different area, and i moved into his spot and cheekily told him that i would pull something out of there straight away . . . . . well on my second cast, as the lure came in to my feet, i was just about to shout to the guys that i had a follow, when the follow became a take !!! FISH-ON !!! & this was a proper Croc !! One deep hard run that had the Supermix bent over, and then 'Steve Quick-Net Lewis' bent over the small wall and scooped her out of the water . . . . . . .. . this was a beauty, and bottomed-out my 15lb Boga !!! Following a Stewards Enquiry, we agreed on an estimated weight of 18lb. . . .. . . my new pb . . .
![]()
Absolutley delighted.
So we carried on, but our little group didnt manage to bank any more Crocs, so we headed back to the car, and met up with Tim & George. They also had tales of Crocs to tell, and i'm sure that Tim will be along shortly to share his success.
So, yet another belting day in first-class company. We had an absolute scream with many very funny moments. Thank you gents for another memorable day !!!
Iestyn was armed with a deadly bucket of the most bizarre lures that i have ever witnessed, along with full camo . . . which frankly made him difficult to spot at times today !!! Tim & George were fresh off the back of their success last week, whilst Luke & I, along with Steve & Adam were the rookies of the group with no Crocs under our belts.
The weather was glorious today, with the early showers soon dissipating to leave us dry & warm. The early going was hard, with the generally recognised hot-spots not producing the goods. We watched in awe as Iestyn sent his Rampant Rat into the thick of the bank-side cover, with an accuracy that can only be described as spectacular !! Iestyn also managed to move a few fish in an area that produced some impressive results later in the day.
After a couple of unproductive hours, i switched to the Injection, along with a 6g lure i'd picked up specifically for the rod. I was targetting Perch, whilst quietly wishing that something bigger might take a lunge :wink:. I was mimicking Iestyn's precision aiming, firing the lures into the danger zones along the bank, when whilst retrieving i got hit . . . . this was no Perch !!!! The Injection bent into a Croc, and it was game-on !!! My lightly-set drag was singing as the fish made several strong runs, and i had to eventually clamp the drag down a little more on the Rarenium and start to exert some additional pressure. Her head lifted, and she was guided into the waiting net . . . . . . . . . . and here we have the fish that christened my Injection . . . . . a double-figure Croc . . . .
At 10lbs it was my very first Croc, and a fabulous experience on the light gear.
We continued, and Tim & George headed off to explore pegs further around the lake. I switched to the Supermix and a hybrid hard / soft lure, with a stunning wiggling tail. After some more precision casting :wink: i got hit hard !!!! Game-on again !!!! The Supermix bent into a very spirited Croc, this one smaller than the last. After a few good runs, Iestyn expertly chinned this guy out for me . . . .
He was around the 5lb mark, and had nailed my lure hard !!! He was again returned gently by Iestyn.
We fished on, and Iestyn got hit, but the fish surfaced, thrashed his head, and managed to throw the hooks. Shortly afterwards he had a crack-off on his beloved Rat. But, not to be beaten, he got his second rod, and on his very first cast, hooked his lure out in the middle of the lake and reeled it in !!! What a cast !!! Infact, Iestyn's casting all day was just ridiculous & completely fearless.
Iestyn had been working one particular area under some overhanging trees, convinced that there must be some Crocs lurking. He eventually decided to try a different area, and i moved into his spot and cheekily told him that i would pull something out of there straight away . . . . . well on my second cast, as the lure came in to my feet, i was just about to shout to the guys that i had a follow, when the follow became a take !!! FISH-ON !!! & this was a proper Croc !! One deep hard run that had the Supermix bent over, and then 'Steve Quick-Net Lewis' bent over the small wall and scooped her out of the water . . . . . . .. . this was a beauty, and bottomed-out my 15lb Boga !!! Following a Stewards Enquiry, we agreed on an estimated weight of 18lb. . . .. . . my new pb . . .
Absolutley delighted.
So we carried on, but our little group didnt manage to bank any more Crocs, so we headed back to the car, and met up with Tim & George. They also had tales of Crocs to tell, and i'm sure that Tim will be along shortly to share his success.
So, yet another belting day in first-class company. We had an absolute scream with many very funny moments. Thank you gents for another memorable day !!!
