Hampton Springs, Long Lake – The First Official A.K.I. Blog
The kettle never cooled and neither did the buzz. Friday saw us roll up to Hampton Springs – Long Lake for a full 24-hour session. The plan? Put the Baits by A.K.I. range through its paces, fish hard, and probably abuse each other with banter in equal measure.
The ConditionsThe weather was textbook “can’t-trust-Britain”: highs of 25 degrees in the day, then dropping to a fresh 9 when the sun disappeared. T-shirts and sunburn by day, hoodies and shivering mugs of tea by night.
The TacticsWe kept it simple but savage:
• Method: PVA bag style, filled with micro pellet (1–3mm)
• Rigs: Curve shank size 8s, soft braid hooklink, and a hook kicker to keep it sharp
• Spots: Tight to a lily pad bed that just screamed “home of a lump”
• Hookbaits: A full line-up from the A.K.I. arsenal – Purple Aki’s, Squat-Berry, The Squeeze, The Boogeyman and Muscles.
The ActionFirst run came early – a mint 20lb common that couldn’t resist a Purple Aki Wafter. From there, it was carnage. Commons and mirrors kept tripping up one after another, with weights bouncing between 10 and 18lb.
By the end of the 24 hours, we’d stacked up 22 carp on the mat. No blanks, no messing, just non-stop bites and buzzers.
The VibeThis wasn’t just about fish on the bank – it was about building the brand. I was joined by my main sponsored angler – proper graft, proper grafts, and the banter flowing all night. Between the rods ripping off we talked shop, plotted the next stages of Baits by A.K.I., and laughed until the bivvy walls were shaking.
The Wrap-Up22 carp in 24 hours isn’t a bad return for a first proper blog session. The baits spoke for themselves, the laughs were top tier, and the fire for the brand’s future is burning brighter than a spod rocket on fire.
This is just the start – A.K.I. isn’t here to whisper onto the scene, we’re here to kick the doors off.
Remember: We earn it on the bank, not in the comments!