Whenever I plan a summer fishing trip, I usually manage to hit either extremely hot or extremely windy weather. This time was no different: back in April 2026 we chose and booked our June slot at Bene-hegyi Lake.
Image source: www.benehegyito.hu
From 28 to 30 June we spent two nights in swims S-1 and S-2, on the occasion of a family competition. We arrived at 9 a.m., settled into the swims, and after finding our spots and setting out the markers, the rigs went into position. My brother and I had agreed on our tactics in advance: my rods went to the marker placed at 132 metres, while his were positioned 30 metres out in front of us, on a baited area built up with a Spomb. The lake holds a good head of carp and grass carp, as well as some specimen catfish. My rigs were taken out with a bait boat, and the first hookbaits on the hooklinks were two 20 mm Competition Ready-Made boilies in M1 flavour. We didn’t have to wait long for the first bites, as the fish responded very quickly to the competition-series boilie. Within a few hours we had four bites, including a lovely 9 kg grass carp that paid us a visit.
Since only fish over 10 kg counted in our competition, and the lake holds a great many fish between 5 and 10 kg, we had to put the competition boilie aside. The fish simply responded to it so quickly that we would have had bite after bite, whereas this time our aim was selective fishing. With this in mind, on the first night three rigs were baited with double 24 mm Ace Lobworm, while on the fourth hair rig I chose a single 30 mm M1 Premium Boilie. As a result, the bites stopped – which we knew was a good sign, as it meant we had managed to make the rigs selective. At dawn the next day our first fish over 10 kg arrived, unable to resist the Ace Lobworm. Hoping for more of the same, early in the morning, while it wasn’t yet too hot, we refreshed all the rigs and prepared for the heat, which – with only slight exaggeration – drained every ounce of our energy. Because of the layout of the swim, every fish had to be played and netted while standing in the water, so we also moved the closer rigs from 30 metres out to 132 metres.
Bene-hegyi Lake lies on the outskirts of Csepreg, nestled among charming wine cellars. This well-kept and beautifully landscaped fishing lake offers apartment houses for every need, wooden cabins with jetties and tent pitches. Around the lake there is a regularly maintained shower and toilet block, as well as several snack bars, so everything is in place for a comfortable and enjoyable session.
On the second day, at around 2 p.m., our next carp over 10 kg announced itself with a run – and once again we had the Lobworm to thank. The heat was so extreme that, after playing the carp, the rubber boots I had taken off started to melt. With the welfare of the fish in mind, we released them immediately after weighing and didn’t take any photos in the midday heat. Taking our receivers with us, at 7 p.m. we strolled up to the wine cellar tucked away above our swim. We had a pleasant chat with our host while enjoying a bottle of truly delicious white wine.
Alongside the bites, our evening entertainment was the football World Cup, which gave the evening by the water a special atmosphere, rounded off with a late-night barbecue. My brother and I only managed to fall asleep at around 2:50 a.m., but 25 minutes later, at a quarter past three, a very powerful run woke us. The 30 mm M1 had found a taker, so we quickly pulled on our chest waders and the fight began. The fish was in great condition, and it took almost half an hour before we guided the biggest fish of the trip into the landing net.
We were able to land this mirror carp of over 15 kg thanks to a perfectly prepared, selective big-fish tactic. For feeding we chose only 24 mm Ace Lobworm, without any particles or pellets. After a short photo session and verification by the bailiff, we returned it to the water, and it swam off as if waving goodbye.
By 9 a.m. the heat was already unbearable – no wonder the all-time temperature record was broken that Tuesday. By late morning the water had gone completely quiet, and we didn’t get any more bites. Using the last of our energy we packed up and thanked the helpful bailiffs for the three days we spent there. I think we got the most out of this two-night trip, and once again its favourite was the M1 boilie – one that not only the fish but our dog Mese would happily eat too.