Nash Monster Squid Tempts Hedgehog!

The Paddock Lake at dusk

With muggy overcast weather forecast a trip in search of Britain's most elusive predator seemed like a good idea so Dad and I made the journey to Todber Manor's Paddock Lake for a night session in search of the wels catfish. On arrival a quick chat to other anglers revealed that the lake was fishing hard with only two catfish and a single small carp caught over the previous two nights. Undeterred we set up at the deeper end of the lake and baited heavily with Nash Monster Squid pellets and boilies, this bait has quickly become a favourite of mine and since its release a few months ago has helped me catch carp, tench, bream, barbel and chub and I hoped to add catfish to the list. During the heat of the afternoon we busied ourselves catching livebaits, small rudd and perch were plentiful with the odd bigger perch and even a crucian carp making an appearance. As nightfall approached we settled into the bivvies hoping that the alarms wouldn't stay quiet all night. We didn't have to wait long as dads right hand rod screamed off just before midnight, unfortunately resulting only in a hook pull and a lost fish. As I returned to my bivvy I felt confident that we hadn't seen the last of the action for the night and I was right, kind of! A small hedgehog had taken a liking to Monster Squid and I watched as it nibbled at bits of broken boilies near my rods before disappearing into the bushes. Despite a couple of very large fish showing near the baited areas during the night the session ended with no catfish banked and as we drove home we were left wondering just how big the one that got away was. For more information on Todber Manor Fishery visit www.todbermanor.co.uk

Nash Monster Squid proved irresistible to this small hedgehog