Sunday 29^th June – Margaret’s Lake, Whitehouse Farm – It’s All Come Tumbling Down

Well, I have 2 short reports this week with both following a very similar and familiar theme. So, let’s start with Windmill on Thursday… It was hot, hot, hot but that didn’t stop the fish from feeding especially later on but only in certain pegs. Lots of fish were caught in the margins on pegs that had plenty of inside reed cover and surprisingly, the big weights came to worm. So, there were 13 fishing today and I drew peg 8, which is okay if you can catch right over with a feeder but if you can’t or you don’t then it’s pretty much curtains. When I got to my peg there were a few carp cruising and few carp crashing around over on the far side of the island. However, come kick off and they all did a disappearing act.

My plan today was to fish worm on the deck at 9 metres over to my right and to fish paste at 6 metres over to my left. The wind was getting up and due to get stronger later and so I had to set a distance limit. Now my left-hand edge was a no-go area as it was between 6 and 12 inches deep. Now my right-hand edge, although it didn’t have any reeds, was 14-18 inches deep and so worth a look at some point during the day. However, I was counting on the feeder to deliver in the first 2 hours and that’s how I started the match. On the all-in, I lobbed out a small method feeder to just off the edge of the reeds and to the left of the gap… and then I waited. I had a couple of liners but no proper bites during the first hour so I changed to a maggle feeder and caught a micro perch. Enough said! Now, with 2 hours gone it was time to check out my paste line.

On the very first put-in, the float buried and I was into a 5lb carp. I wasn’t expecting that but then it is Windmill and you should always expect the unexpected. So, I carried on with the paste for a while but not much else was happening. Tony Ponting, who was on peg 1, had wandered down to see how everyone was doing. When I said I had just one carp he said I was winning at that point. He hadn’t had a bite. With that, I had to just carry on doing what I was doing but every now and again I would check out the worm line only to get a micro perch or a small rudd. I was kind of hoping for a couple of big skimbos on the worm line but that didn’t happen. From my vantage point I could see John Williams who was on peg 10, Shay Gillman was on peg 11 and Steve Mundy was on peg 12. Opposite, and on the other side was Kev Murch on peg 18.

I saw Kev catch a few and I heard at least one carp fighting for freedom on peg 10. Shay was losing a few and landing a few but Steve packed up early and went home. (The reason is yet to be determined). Well, I carried on fishing paste and had a couple more but lost 3 or 4 during the same period so I started feeding my left-hand margin with meat and micros. 20 minutes later, I hooked into a very hefty carp on the inside and it broke me. FFS! A 0.19 hooklength! Another look over the worm line brought nothing but 2 smaller carp did succumb to paste, giving me 5 carp in total. Then I had to stop for a moment and listen to Shay Gillman as he had a total meltdown. The wind had picked up one of his top kits, which was then followed by a whole series of mishaps. The air was the bluest blue I have seen or heard for a long time and I must admit, I did have a little giggle… naughty!

Anyway, I didn’t get any more fish from anywhere and had to settle for just 26lbs. John Williams hadn’t fared any better from peg 10 with just 18lbs for his efforts. Then came the big surprise… Those anglers on the pegs above me all had some decent weights, even Tony who hadn’t had a bite by lunchtime ended up with over 50lbs for a section win. John Smith on peg 6 had over 70lbs for third but on the other side of the lake an incredible 193lbs was caught by Laurie Laing from peg 16 and Adrian Davies on peg 14 had 135lbs… Phew! It was like a different match over on the other side. Well done to all the top weight framers! I still have it all to do and like Churchill said, “We will never surrender!”

Alcove Club Match, Margaret’s Lake, Whitehouse Farm

I woke up with a real stiffy in the morning. I am of course referring to my neck… well what else could it be? Yeah, my back and neck have been causing me some jib over recent weeks and today I was suffering so before I mingled for a bit of jolly joviality with the Alcove crew, I slipped a couple of co-codamol down my throat. Then it was onto the draw. I had been blindly chatting away to someone and before I knew it there were only 2 peg numbers left in the drawbag. One was peg 12 and the other was peg 4, neither of which got me the slightest bit excited. So, uninspired, I ended up with peg 4. This peg isn’t usually put in as it’s quite shallow and peg 18 would have been a better choice but that one was left out. Needless to say, I was quite deflated before I even wet a line.

Well, I put on my philosophical hat and said to myself, “It’s all the luck of the draw and you have to do whatever you have to do to make the most of what you have.” Wow! And so early in the morning too. Okay, so I didn’t fancy my peg but I had options. I could chuck a feeder out toward the island, although there isn’t much overhead cover there. I could fish out in open water… but it’s only 3 feet deep… or I could fish the margins, both of which have lily pads. Well, after 40 minutes on the feeder and nothing but 2 micro perch to show, it was time to probe the margins with meat, corn and paste. I started on the left-hand margin as this one looked the more likely to throw up a stunning 15lb carp. Instead, it gave up a 1.5lb skimbo. Thanks a lot!

I couldn’t see any signs of carp in the lilies but what I could see was a stream of carp coming around the island and heading for the spit between pegs 5 and 6. I tried mugging them but they didn’t want to know. However, that made me think about fishing meat shallow, which sort of worked… well, I did catch one small chub on it. Then a look over the right-hand margin and I spooked a carp on the first put in. I didn’t see any more signs of carp after that. I did manage to catch a hefty one-pound perch there on worm a bit later. So, it was all going as I expected… (Some expletive words deleted due to sensitive eyes). Meanwhile, Don Searle on peg 5 was catching a few silvers and losing a few carp but from further down the lake, I could hear lots of splashing going on and it wasn’t from swimmers or paddle-boarders!

I had a couple of looks on the 13 metre pole out in open water on maggle and worm but only more micro perch there. I had a go at fishing pellet on the waggler close to the island but nothing on that. So as far as I’m concerned, I gave it my best shot. I tried just about every method and a whole variety of baits but there were just no carp, no way, not today, not for mae! Well, now feeling totally pi**ed off, I then decide to chuck back my 2.5lbs of silvers and dry my nets out. Verdict? A rubbish day from a rubbish peg. Funny how this peg holds a ton of F1s and carp in the early spring but probably because they are getting ready for spawning. Nevermind, it is what it is. Well done to Kev Murch who was on peg 8 and found a host of begging carp and silvers galore right out in front, finishing up with over 60lbs for a comfortable win. And well done to Andy Gard and Kev Swanston who finished second and third respectively.

Well, it’s Windmill again for me on Thursday… Err… keep you posted!

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