Some sessions just seem to go exactly to plan, and this was certainly one of them for Freddie Baalham.
Fishing a quiet club water tucked away in the Suffolk countryside, Freddie arrived for a 48-hour session with a clear plan in mind. Despite walking the lake and failing to spot any showing fish, he stuck with his instincts and dropped into a swim he’d already been prebaiting.
Fishing just off the edge of a big weedbed at around six or seven wraps, he introduced a mixture of DNA Bug boilies and tiger nuts before sitting back to see what happened.
It didn’t take long before the first rod absolutely tore off. After a proper scrap through the thick weed, steady pressure eventually won the battle and Freddie slipped the net under one of the lake’s sought-after original carp.
Although the venue is known for producing most of its bites after dark, the following morning proved otherwise. While chatting on the phone, his left-hand rod suddenly screamed off, resulting in another original, this time a beautiful common with tiny, distinctive fins.
With fish later cruising just beneath the surface, Freddie adapted his approach and flicked out a short 6ft zig. Just 15 minutes later it was away, proving once again that being prepared to change tactics can make all the difference.
After topping both spots up with a few Spombs before darkness fell, the session wasn’t quite finished. At around 2am another screaming take produced a third fish, a stunning cricket-bat common to round off a memorable trip.
Freddie’s hookbait choice centred around trimmed Bug Hard Hookers tipped with yellow Bug Half Tone pop-ups, while the second rod was fished with a yellow Bug Half Tone pop-up.
A brilliant result and a great example of sticking with your original plan when confidence is high.