The Gigantica Bailiffs

How many years have you guys been bailiffs, and how many of those have been at Gigantica? 

BEN MORGAN: “Previously I was a bailiff in the UK on a lake called Bradley’s, which is located in the Cotswold Water Park. I did this for approximately two years and loved every minute of it! It made me realise I wanted to do it for a living, and I knew Gigantica was the place for me. I started off at a different venue in France in March 2022, and when the opportunity arose at Gigantica 6 months ago, I jumped at the chance.” 

STEVE BARTLETT: “I have bailiffed at Gigantica for almost 4 years now. It’s the only bailiff job I have had and the only one I would ever want!”

Is there a period which has stood out head and shoulders above the rest?

BM: “The whole of the last 6 months! I have learnt so much when it comes to bailiffing and cooking, and also met some of the best anglers in the country and learnt a lot from them all.”

SB: “My favourite year would have to be the 2018 season, as I really got to learn the ins and outs of the job. And on a personal level, I caught my first ever 80lber in the December!”

What is the most commonly asked question?

SB: “On the WhatsApp groups we set up for the visiting anglers, it varies from ‘which bait/rigs are working?’ to ‘what’s been caught recently and from where?” 

BM: “The Immaculate Common is always a topic that pops up most days, with the most popular question being: ‘how much do I think it weighs now?’” 

What are the most common mistakes you see made?

BM: “I see this week in, week out: anglers lose their heads by Wednesday if they haven’t caught and they start moving around the swim searching for different spots. Even with our advice of keeping to the spots and feeding correctly, I still see those marker floats flying about mid-week!”

SB: “Mine’s very similar: people moving off their spot and not committing for the week. Obviously if fish are showing elsewhere, you need to stick a rod out there, but people end up with bait all over their swim and when the fish do arrive it takes far too long for them to find their hookbaits!”

What’s the hardest part about running a French fishery?

BM: “There is so much going on behind the scenes that people don’t see… Taking photos, finding specific fish on the website, uploading the catch shot to the customer and to the website, keeping the socials busy, running the tackle shop, prepping dinner, the list goes on! It can get very tiring at times but I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

Do you have a favourite time of year to be on the lake?

SB: “Mine has to be spring, when the fish are waking up and getting into the corners of the lake. It’s amazing to watch these fish in the edges, especially when you spot a possible 100lb common!”

BM: “Summer, no question! Everyone’s in very high spirits, the weather’s good, the fish are being caught all around and the banter is flying.”

What’s the most ridiculous rumour you’ve heard about the lake?

SB: “That we shut off swims for weeks in advance of any filming projects. This never happens. Whoever is coming out to film will get the same information that the customers get building up to their trip—whether that be DF himself, Spooner, Dovey or Mr Stokes!”

BM: “The Immaculate has been sold or is dead. A ridiculous rumour!”

Out of all the amazing anglers who fish at Gigantic, who has impressed you the most and why?

BM: “That’s a very hard question to answer, as I have seen some great performances in the last 6 months. Andy Lewis kills it every time he turns up. Joe Mercer catching two 60s from the Road Lake in a week. Neil Spooner coming out last in the draw on the latest Masterclass and catching a new 60 on the last day—he fished extremely hard for that fish. The gaffer—Danny Fairbrass—smashing it up in Co’s Point… it’s a never-ending list.”

SB: “We have a lot of regular anglers that visit the lakes and all with their own strengths, but the most consistent out of them all has to be Chris Clarke for me. He comes and fishes the lake the same way every time he comes and ALWAYS catches them! He’s been fishing it for years and knows the place like the back of his hand!”

What’s the oddest rumour you’ve ever heard about yourself?

SB: “I’m sure word got around that I had apparently weighed ‘The Giggler’—which was the biggest fish in the lake at the time—after I pulled out from the lake dead last year. We were getting calls from anglers in the UK asking how big it was… I would never weigh a dead fish, I don’t see the point!”

What is the strangest thing you ever witnessed—it could be fish-related or angler!

BM: “I’ve witnessed a lot in my time here, some funny, some concerning, but the best one for me has to be an angler who had managed to respool his spod reel using the backwind! Every time he went to wind in after a cast, the braid would just drop off the spool and nobody could work out why!”

We know Gigantica now has an incredible stock, but can you give us some exact figures?!

SB: “We have an incredible stock here, with 97 fish introduced at the backend of last year. It is constantly being refreshed and increased. We have around 750 fish in the Main Lake at the moment, with so many different strains and types of carp to go at—there really is something for everyone!”

The Immaculate Common is believed to be close to 100lb—give us something to compare that too, size-wise?! 

BM: “Look at your living room coffee table and you’ll be about there!”

SB: “It’s hard to find a comparison to the Immaculate, but in terms of weight, it would be the same as a newborn baby hippo, which are usually around 40-50kg! It’s pretty ridiculous.”

How do you outsmart one of the world’s biggest commons? Does he have any set patterns?

BM: “He loves it around Baxters Hole, Bob’s Beach and Treeline. If you’re coming to target the Immaculate, this is the area of the lake you need to be. Doing something different to everybody else I think would outsmart this big common.”

SB: “The common definitely has had a pattern based on recent captures. It lives in a certain area of the lake, between Bob’s Beach and Baxters Hole, and especially in recent times has always been caught from these pegs! It loves a solid bag and always used to do one capture a year around October time. However, it hasn’t been caught for over two years now, but did get seen in the summer, so maybe its tastes have changed, or it’s found a new home in a different area of the lake?”