Billy's Fishing Blog » Billys Fishing Blog April 30th

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Welcome to my fishing blog… April 2023

April 30th – Windmill Open Match, Westerleigh – Right Place, Right Peg, Wrong Angler?

In my last match at Bitterwell, I was doing everything possible to avoid the carp but the plan today was to coax as many carp as possible into my peg. I arrived just after 8am for the 9am draw and had a quick look around the lake. Carp and silvers were topping everywhere, which was a good sign. The wind was blowing down the lake again, so chances were, the pegs between 10 and 14 would be favourite once again, with peg 12 being the plum draw as usual. Only 11 turned up for this one, which was okay as this would allow for some of the dodgy pegs to be left out.

Before the draw, I had a good old natter with Paul Haines, a former West Wilts winter league teammate, going way back. Fishing seemed so very different then with hardly a commercial fishery or pole in sight. So, onto the draw and everyone seemed a little hesitant to make the first move, so I dived in and pulled out peg 10. I was well happy with that as I would be at the business end of the lake. I noticed Tim Ford had pulled out peg 12 and we should have just given him the money there and then. A top-class angler on an in-form peg can only mean one thing.

When I got to my peg there were carp topping across to the island, which is just out of pole range here, so out came the short bomb rod. My left-hand edge would be the main focus today, with all the reeds offering a safe haven for some of the bigger carp. There wasn’t really a right-hand margin worth targeting but I would still drop in some feed and give it an occasional look during the course of the day if I had to. So, I set up a 4×10 (0.1 gram) short-tip margin float rig (floats handmade by Kev Murch), which is not exactly a dibber, more like a hybrid. Anyway, it works perfectly.

My hook choice for this rig was a size 16 Guru Kaizan, a super strong hook with an angled section that holds a pellet band firmly in place. I have found this to be the best hook for a banded pellet… ever. This was tied to a 6-inch length of 0.15 Guru N-Guage line. I have caught carp to over 20lbs at Whitehouse Farm using this rig, so the carp in this lake would be no problem. I also set up a 4×14 (0.4 gram) rig for fishing at full depth at 12 metres. So just 2 simple rigs for fishing meat and pellet, and a bomb rod for fishing banded pellet across to the island.

I had a clear view of Tim over on peg 12 so I would be keeping a close eye on him. I couldn’t see Paul Haines on peg 14 but I was well aware that there was another good angler on a good peg. On the next peg to my right, was in-form Mat Taynton, who fishes Windmill regularly, so another class angler to contend with. However, I wouldn’t be able to watch what Mat was doing, as I would be spending most of the match with my back toward him. A young keen angler, named Kieron, had come over to watch the match and I asked him to keep an eye on Mat for me.

On the all-in, I cupped out a ball of groundbait, laced with 8mm meat and 6 mm expander pellets to the 12-metre line right in front. I then cupped out half a pot of micros and 6 pellets of meat plus 6 no. 6mm Red Robin pellets to my left-hand margin. Next, I fired out about a dozen 6mm hard pellets toward the island and cast a bomb and pellet over the top. I started getting liners right away but for the next 20 minutes that’s all I got until the tip flew round and I was in… and then I wasn’t. A foul hooker was quickly lost. I didn’t want to waste too much time on this so it was onto the margin swim.

After 10 minutes, there were no signs of life so I cupped out a large pot of corn to my right-hand margin, thinking this might come into play at some stage and maybe sooner than later. Back out to my left with meat on the hook and the float sailed away. A welcome little tench put up a good account of itself, all 8 ounces of it. I began probing this left-hand edge with meat on the hook, starting at about 8 metres and moving along the reed line to about 12 metres but there were no signs. A change to 6mm banded pellet and I finally got a response from an angry 10-pound carp.

With over an hour gone, I was getting a little edgy because the carp didn’t seem to be there in any numbers. Not only that but Tim was now catching, John Osborne on peg 11 was catching too and Mat was also catching. I cupped out a few more pellets at various points along the length of the reeds and then tried the right-hand margin with corn on the hook. I got an indication almost immediately and then a proper bite, which I missed. Then nothing over the next 10 minutes. So, it was time for a cup of tea.

I cast my bomb and pellet rig out to the island and started making a cup of tea. I know I shouldn’t during a match but I’m a self-confessed tea addict and I had to have my fix. It has to be a proper cup of tea too. Hot water, milk, tea bag etc… the whole works. So, I’m halfway through making my cuppa and the tip flies round. Isn’t that always the case? I only just managed to grab my rod in time before it went in and then I started playing a really hard-fighting common. A few minutes later it was in the net and I finally managed to finish my now very lukewarm and very stewed cuppa.

I had a few more casts on bomb and pellet but I was only getting liners and again, another foul hooker, so back to the left-hand margin. I dropped my pellet baited rig in and hooked a 10-12 pounder right away. This was followed by 2 more of the same stamp before it went deadly quiet again. Everyone else around me was catching, so I’m not sure why my swim was only intermittingly productive. I fed a few more pellets and decided to give the long pole line a try.

Having dumped a couple of balls of groundbait and a few expanders over this line previously, I was expecting an immediate response from a skimmer. Instead, I got an immediate response from a carp. I was on a number 7 elastic, 0.12 hooklength and a size 18 hook, so I had to work softy-softly with this one. I managed to land him but I couldn’t get any more bites from this line. I noticed Tim was now fishing shallow and slapping. The fish were topping all over, so I had a quick go shallow but only a couple of missed bites for me.

With probably an hour to go I was resigned to the fact that I wasn’t going to be in for a ton today and I was sure that Tim had already nailed it. However, Mat had been quietly putting together a good weight, fishing both long and short so I thought it could be close between those 2 for top honours. In the last hour, I managed to land 3 more on meat from the margin but it was hard work having to wait so long for bites. I finished up with 61lb 9oz and in the middle of the table, so not a disaster but I feel I should have done a lot better.

Needless to say, Tim won the match with a hefty net of carp weighing 132lb 4oz, closely followed by Mat who finished up with 122lb 10oz. Well done to those 2 top anglers. I think I might be heading back there next Sunday, although I’m not 100% sure at this stage as it’s another bank holiday weekend. Anyway, as usual… I’ll keep you posted.

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