Windmill Fishery Open

 First thing today, thank you Matt Bridgwood for your comment on my last post, great that your daughter is enjoying her football! That must be a fair few years since you last fished, Silver Dace is a distant memory sadly.

Back to the here and now, after a lovely and relaxing weekend away last week I was looking to get back out on the bank this Sunday. Originally I was going to fish Tony Rixon's float only league as a stand in for Mike Nicholls, but Mike has had to pull out of the league so no place for me. Luckily I got one of the last places going on Windmill Fishery open and so was at least fishing a local match. 

I grabbed a large breakfast at Wetherspoons Sunday Morning and got to the fishery in good time. There were 20 fishing today and not much space for some, so I was fairly happy to draw peg 18 as peg 17 was left out. I have drawn this peg a few times now, and in fact my last match on May 1st was here and I drew peg 18. That day I never caught a carp and managed to win the silvers with 10lb, so I had this in mind as I was setting up.

Once again the far bank looks very good for carp, with some reeds and a tree over the water.

My right hand margin also has some reeds in it and with nobody on the next peg I hoped this might come good later.

I set up a 4x10 rig for fishing hard pellet over with 16 KKM-B to 0.15, a 4x12 edge float with 14 XSH to 0.17 for the margin. As I was setting up I saw a few bubbles coming up in the deep water, so I decided to knock some paste up, and set up a rig for fishing it at 11m. Lastly I set up a 4x12 rig for fishing for the silvers if I needed to.

The match started at 10:30 and I began by feeding a pot of 4mm pellets at 11m, fed some 6mm pellets across to the island / tree. Out on the paste and it was a short wait for a proper bite and fish on, first drop and a 4lb carp. Next drop in and I had a longer wait for a bite, but one came but sadly it was a fouler and it came off. Next drop a longer wait and a missed bite, and this was the end of any life on the paste line despite a few more looks here. I went across to the island 14.5m and soon had a bite, lost a fouler, lost another fouler and then all quiet. I tried the straight lead over by the tree and had a good few liners but no bites. I went out on the pole but this time at 16m and tried a bit of slapping, no good, and then tried on the deck, no good. It was arm aching holding 16m so spent a bit of time on the lead for nothing.

Three hours into the match and still only got the 1 carp, I had a few goes at the silvers but it was clear to me I couldn't catch them fast enough, 2 rudd, 1 roach and 2 perch, not good. Back on the lead and there were a lot of carp by the tree and liners were plenty, finally the rod ripped round, after a brief tussle fish came off, hmmm. Next cast and the rod nearly pulled in, but as I played the fish it went everywhere and I thought it was fouled and as it nearly went round the island the hook pulled. Near enough the next cast another carp hooked me, I took my time and realised this was also not hooked in the mouth, but I got this one out, it was hooked in the dorsal fin and was about 7lb. All activity on the far side ended after this.

I was fairly cheesed off 11lb in the net and really not going to do any good. I had begun to feed 4mm pro feed Sonubaits pellets and corn into the RH margin, in about 3 feet of water and 2 feet off the reeds. The reeds hadn't knocked or moved all day, but with 2 hours to go I spotted a shaking reed. Out I went with double corn on the hook, I had to pull the rig into the right place to get the bristle visible as the bottom was sloping away. I was probably only in the right spot for a few minutes before the float shot under, decent fish hooked and did not go into the reeds, landed an 8lb carp. I frustratingly then had a 20 minute spell where I missed three bites. I kept topping up with pellet and corn and was soon into another munter, nice common close to 10lb. The margin was not full of carp, I would set the trap and sit and wait for a fish to come in, sometimes I just had the bite, sometimes the float waved about, but always it took about 10 minutes to get another fish in the swim. However, every fish was worth the wait as they were big and hooked in the mouth! The biggest may have been close to 15lb, and was a common carp. When the all out was called I was feeling a lot happier about the match and reckoned I had put around 65lb in the net in the last 90 minutes.

I hadn't a clue how I had done, mid match Dean Harvey had walked around the lake and told me it was fishing really hard with only venue expert Shaun Townsend on peg 2catching a few carp. The scales got to me fairly early this time, and Gerry and Mandy Welsh thought I had struggled when I put 2 carp and a few silvers on the scales, they hadn't spotted my other net lol. My final weight was recorded as 75lb 5oz.

As it turned out I had done enough to win, as I stopped Towner from winning another match here as he came second with 59lb 15oz. Third was Gerry Welsh with 37lb 15oz and fourth Dave Haines 37lb 10z. Silvers was taken out by John Osbourne on peg 24 with 15lb 8oz.

Here's the board. Tough for some today.

Well it seems the break from fishing didn't do me any harm, Windmill has certainly been kind to me this year and it was nice to get some big fish from the margin today. I doubt I will fish next weekend as I have to find some time to prep for the week away at viaduct fishery, definitely need more rigs, hook lengths and new elastics.