It was so good to be able to go fishing again and this particular trip was going to be special for 2 very good reasons.

1. Due to fisheries being forced into lockdown, this was to be our first fishing trip of the year(apparently, "The Rona" is so infectious it can even find you while your fishing on some remote farmland, confined to a one-man tent).
2. The second reason for this being such special event was because it would be my first time on a lake called "6 Islands", a venue renowned for keeping MONSTER CATFISH, some weighing in excess of 90lb!

Previously I had fished for specimen carp with my biggest catch being a 28ld common caught on a lake in Skegness. It was on that lake that I stumbled across my first catfish, netting a relatively small(18lb) example of this prehistoric looking fish. After learning how big these creatures get, it was a natural progression, and a matter of time, until I beefed up my gear and began targeting these monsters.
If you're willing to wait most of your life(or travel to France), you might just catch a 40lb+ carp. It takes decades for a carp to reach that size and most just never live long enough. Therefore, you don't get many opportunities to catch one. Catfish, however, grow much faster and there are many lakes that have several of them lurking in amongst the carp.

A year or two ago, my dad and I were told about Willowcroft fishery, and how people were pulling out catfish weighing 50lb to 90lb. There are a few different ponds at Willowcroft with only one of them being populated predominantly with catfish. To fish on that particular lake you must pay a premium and before this weekend I had only fished on the cheaper pond which stocked a mix of cat and carp. We'd both done well from that lake but whenever we fished there we could hear the premium lake catfish calling out to us like Sirens. My dad was the first to crack, paying up for his yearly membership early last season. I on the other hand, had waited it out until the end of last season, when I finally got myself assessed and was able to buy a season ticket. Big league here we come!

By the time this weekend rolled around, I'm not sure who was more excited about my first ever session on 6-islands, me or my dad. In one season he'd fished on here a dozen or more times, which is quite an impressive, marriage breaking, achievement. During his time spent on this lake he had netted some pretty impressive specimens ranging from 30lb to 55lb. Everytime he returned I would get a phone call, followed up by a series of pictures showing his latest catch. He would tell me how strong these fish are and about the awesome fight they put up. To be honest I'm not sure if these tales made me excited or apprehensive.

Just the thought of battling it out with a 50lb+ catfish made my arms and back ache. I know how tough it is to land a large carp but these beast weighed double and if you think you're in charge, think again. All you can do is try to steer the fish away from any snags and hold on tight while it exhausts its energy. That being said, all plans count for naught when you actually begin this tug-of-war. Every fish acts differently and until the bite alarm starts screaming and you strike your rod it's all just theory.

Welcome to 6-Islands

So, the day had finally arrived and two hours after setting off so did my dad and I. We knew the lake was busy that day and wondered what peg we would be given to fish from. After paying our fee at the office we were informed that peg-6 and peg-4 were ours for the next 24-hours. On hearing this, my dad's eyes lit up and he looked at me with a big smile before saying; "peg-6 is nicknamed 'cat alley' and it's all yours my boy!". Oh shit! No pressure then...

We set up as quickly as possible, rods first and then the tents(Or "Bivvy" as their known in fisherman's terms). It took around an hour or two to get set up completely, but once it was all done I was more than ready to begin. The swim in which I was allowed to cast was basically an upside-down T-shape lined with tall reeds. To say it looked inviting would be an understatement and I could feel the eyes of all the other fisherman around the lake enviously burning into me. After taking some advice from my dad and the guy who had vacated peg-6 on my arrival, I had decided where I was going to cast. Surprisingly, none of my baits were being placed directly inside "cat alley", instead I had decided to cut of the exit on either side. Now all that was left to do was to bait-up my rigs and cast in...

Two rods baited with two "Cat-Master's Glugged halibut chogs" on a hair-rig. These chogs were then encased within a mackerel based paste, something that my dad had prepared at home(He swore by this stuff, and from hearing how well he'd done I didn't doubt him).

All set and now it was time for the rigs to hit the water...

Time to relax, read a book and enjoy a beer.

Unfortunately, there was a strong wind blowing over the pond the whole weekend and this meant fishing would be difficult. The water beneath the surface was being churned up and this caused the fish to be inactive. Looking around the lake I could see that nobody was catching and after many hours I started to wonder whether this was going to be a bad session. Regardless, I kept rebating my rigs and casting them out into the areas I'd chosen. I wasn't going home empty handed and certainly not while I was on peg-6! Patients is all it takes and at some point I was sure something would take the bait.

By the time I decided to let myself fall asleep I had only one dash for the rods. It was certainly a bite but like always these fish wait for you to be zipped up in a sleeping bag. By the time I had stumbled out of my tent and reached my rods the fish was long gone with a free lunch in its mouth. After that happened I reeled in my rods for the night and promised myself an early start.

4am the next morning and I was up with the birds, literally.

I rubbed the sleep from my eyes and ventured out of my bivvy. Still the wind was sweeping across the pond but that didn't put me off. Today I was going to catch my first monster catfish, I could feel it in my bones!

Two more hours passed and still we had nothing to show for our efforts. Then, about 06:30, my dad came over to me and suggested we start cooking breakfast. I agreed to the idea and said I'd be over to him as soon as I take my rods out of the water. I have to admit that we both felt pretty defeated at this point. The morning was rapidly passing us by, along with the chace of catching our prize. But then, as my dad turned to head back to his peg and I contemplated reeling in my rods, my bite-alarm finally yelled out for attention...I was "in" and it was a good take too!! Something had picked up my bait and wasn't letting go. Before my alarm could finish its favourite song I grabbed my rod and struck hard. I wanted this fish bad and there was no way I was letting a weak strike allow my hook to come loose.

It was now a game of tug-o-war, man against beast. As the fish looked for places to escape it pulled me in all directions. My rod bent over double and the line squealed as it was being stripped away from the spool. There were moments when I was sure the line would snap. I had never felt anything this strong and you could just tell that if I made one wrong move, if I pulled too hard against my opponent, or if I set my reel's "drag" too strong, I would surely be losing this fish.

After ten minutes my wrists burned and after fifteen my back began to throb. Inch by painful inch I started to reel in and take back the ground the fish had initially won. Twenty minutes had passed and now the fish started coming closer to the surface, it tail thrashing against the water in an attempt to dive back down. Each time it surfaced I could feel it getting weaker and soon after I had this monster within reach of my landing net. One more pull and the catfish presented its whole body along the surface of the water, finally admitting defeat. It was hard to control my excitement at the sight of such a huge catch, but I've lost too many fish in these final moments. I kept my line tight and made sure this fish found its way into my net. What a battle! I was exhilarated and exhausted in equal measures. As the adrenaline wore off my lower back felt like someone had pulled my spine out, but that could all be ignored for now. It was time to get this catfish out of the water to be weighed and have its picture taken next to me and my stupidly large grin.

The monster catfish weighed in at 51lb, which, for my first catch, is going to be pretty hard to beat. After feeling what it's like to land something like this, the thought of hooking into one that's 70lb to 90lb is actually quite terrifying.

As it turned out, that would be the only fish caught between my dad and I. Nonetheless, it made the trip worthwhile and my dad was so pleased for me to have gained the experience. It's always great to have these bonding moments and even though we are both fully grown men it secretly takes us back to times when he first taught his snot-nosed little kid how to fish :)

Fishing is a passion my dad and I will always share and as much as I enjoy the quietness and solitude of being in nature I equally cherish being in my dad's company. The guy is a legend and although I may have beaten him this time I know he'll be kicking my but soon enough.

Can't wait to return to this lake again and hopefully next time I'll catch more than just one, which will probably require some spinal surgery afterwards. A small price to pay for such good memories.

Peace to you and yours

@article61