Windmill Fishery open

 I have been busy last couple of weeks, with last weekend spend at Cheddar Woods with my family for my S-I-L 50th birthday. Weather was really nice and even sat out on the decking without a top off! I was keen on getting back out on the bank this weekend though as I am busy again next weekend. Wasn’t sure where to go and even what day, but in the end I hatched a plan. I’d ordered a new box from Preston and it was coming Friday, so Saturday plan was sort the new box out, get to the gym and get the vegetable patch sorted and put some seeds in.

My new box is an Inception 3D 150, I chose this one as it’s a similar design to my old space station, and it’s not too heavy so I can get it up and down river banks!

It looks nice and clean and still is today, I realised that I didn’t have enough leg inserts to match my accessories so it couldn’t be used. Blessing in disguise really as the garden was a little more work than I anticipated! I’d booked in to fish Windmill and so sorted my gear and rigs for the following day.

Sunday morning and a good start as I remembered that the clocks went forward. Loaded the van and off… errr no, flat battery! I could have just gone back to bed, but then I remembered that Geoff Francis was going and he would be driving virtually past my house. I called him, but he was already in a cafe in Staple Hill, but he still came back to pick me up. Cheers Geoff! 😊

Unfortunately there was a low turnout of only 8 anglers, and 4 pegs were in either side but not evenly distributed. I drew peg 19, not one of my favourites unless it’s warmer.

As normal there was no wind whilst setting up, but this would be a false dawn as the wind increased and it colder as the day went in. I wasn’t going to set a lot of kit up, a 4x12 with 0.15 to 16 GPM for the margins, similar for across at 14m, a 4x16 F1 pellet for the deep water at 11m 0.13 to 16 SFLB, and a lead rod. 

I fed small balls of micro pellets left and right at 11m and the same at 14m but with a few bits of sweetcorn in, so edging my bets with silvers or carp and see what pans out. 

I began at 14m, but after 25 mins one missed bite or liner was my lot. Onto 11m with a Sonubaits 4mm expander, and didn’t wait too long to get a bite, it was an 8oz skimmer. Next drop in and another skimmer but a bit smaller, and another next put in. Next put in and in again but it’s a carp, took my time and landed a 5lb common. No more bites here so went on the RH line and had a skimmer of 1lb straight away, then a wait for the next bite which was a carp. Had to hang on to this one for a bit, but another common landed about 7lb. I hooked one more carp in the deep water but came back with a scale, and no more skimmers.

Back over towards the island and I had a few indications before hooking a carp, despite being on decent gear it took longer to land, a 6lb common hooked in the pectoral area. I then suffered two more foulers which both came off, and that line died. More looks on the 11m line were fruitless and no more fish came from there.

The wind was blowing hard right to left making long pole fishing tricky, so I tried a lead first, and then a method feeder towards peg 18. Neither produced a fish and I was going nowhere fast. Opposite Gerry Welsh on peg 6 had a good run of carp, and the lad on 10 had a few on the lead. I did manage 1 more carp and a skimmer from the 14m line, and had a 9lb mirror from the margin. It was obvious I wasn’t going to do any good with about 35lb of carp and 4lb of skimmers (skimmer weights of 25lb have been winning here). I decided to tip back the carp net, but Dave Haines said to weigh my silvers, so I hung on.

My carp

My silvers went 4lb 3oz, not enough as Nic Saunders had 3 skimmers for 6lb on peg 23. With Gerry and Mat taking top 2 prizes, well done all.

1. G. Welsh peg6   84lb 1oz

2. M. Tainton p1    57lb 2ozs

3. F. Brown p10     46lb 1oz

4. N. Sanders p23 27lb 9ozs

5. Pedro p3            21lb 3ozs

6. G. Francis p14    7lb 7ozs

Silvers

1. N. Sanders p23  6lb 5ozs

2. M. Tainton p1     5lb 12oz

Geoff got me home and kindly helped jump start my van just to get a little life in the battery. I got back in time to see England see their goals, and enjoy the extra hour of daylight, just needs to warm up a tad now!