TWO Polish men surprised everyone with a successful couple of days’ fishing at a lake high on Llandegla Moors – despite five inches of ice on the water.

Staff at Lakehill Fishery could hardly believe what they were hearing when the hardy anglers turned up there on Saturday saying they hoped to land a few trout or salmon.

Andy Black, who works there, said: “The lake has been frozen solid for the past couple of weeks – even before it started snowing – and the ice is now five inches thick.

“These two Polish guys in their thirties came along and said they wanted to do some ice fishing.

“I said it was ok but I asked them how they were planning to get through the ice.

“They asked me if I had an ice drill they could borrow and when I told them I hadn’t, they just took out a couple of pick-axes, walked out into the centre of the lake and started smashing their way through to the water.

“They were hammering away for some time and eventually made a hole of about nine inches in diameter.

“They then dangled their hand-lines through that.”

Andy added: “Within about half an hour they had caught a couple of three-and-a-half pound trout and shortly afterwards they pulled one out that was even bigger than that.

“It was incredible to watch them. They did it so well they must be used to this sort of thing in their own country.

“They were well equipped and even had devices with spikes sticking out fitted to their hands to pull themselves out of the ice if they fell through.

“We also put a rope and safety ring around them both to make sure they were safe.

“They came back on Sunday and caught some more trout.

“The freezing conditions have been so bad that nobody else has been to the lake for a while.”