Welcome to my fishing blog… December 2022

December 28th – Windmill Fishery, Westerleigh, Nr Bristol

With no match fishing for a couple of weeks due to the shit weather, I was gagging to get out and at least use some of the bait I had been holding onto. After a quick check on Facebook, I was booked in for the Wednesday open match at Windmill fishery. It’s not my favourite venue but when needs must. The weather forecast was not good, with wind and rain expected throughout the day but I wasn’t deterred. I got to the venue around 8.15 am for the 9 am draw but was the only one there. I was beginning to wonder whether this one had been cancelled and I was the only one who didn’t know. Then at around 8.30 am, the other crazy carpers began to arrive. I say ‘carpers’ because carp will be needed to be caught today to stand any chance of a place in the frame.

I handed over the twenty-quid entrance fee, which included the pools and had a quick natter with Gerry Welsh the match organiser. He said, “a peg with the wind off your back would be a good draw today”, so peg 25 would fit the bill or should I say… suit Bill. Yes, I drew peg 25. I’ve only ever fished this venue 3 times before so the pegging doesn’t really mean that much to me. However, the wind was off my back and with my brolly set up and anchored into position, I was happy to get started. I had plenty of options with an island out in front and nice, sheltered inside lines to my left and right. It’s quite deep here with about 9 feet of water at 10 metres. I decided to set up 1 short rig to fish at 7 metres in 8 feet of water, consisting of a 1-gram Chianti float and a size 16 Guru extra strong hook.

My other rig consisted of a .75 gram Chinati float with a size 16 Drennan push-stop hair for dobbing bread around the margins. So, the plan was to start with bomb and bread to the island for the first hour. Then if that didn’t work, I would dob bread and corn around the margins for the second hour before feeding some corn to my 7 metres line slightly to my left and expander and micros to my right at the same depth. Well, the first hour produced nothing, not a bite or a liner. As I’m sure everyone knows, carp will shoal up tight in the winter so if you can find one you’ll probably find a few more in the same area. The challenge though is to locate them so you have to keep looking for signs.

Dobbing around the margins didn’t prove very fruitful either but as I hadn’t seen anything being caught down either side of the lake I wasn’t too bothered at this point. Next, I cupped out 4 grains of corn to my left-hand 7-metre line and a pinch of micros with 4 expander pellets to my right. I had an enquiry on the corn but it didn’t materialise into anything. Then on a 4mm expander to my right-hand swim, I had a kind of a bite. Well, I mean the float moved but it didn’t sail away. I struck to find a small roach on the hook. Whoopee! I hadn’t blanked. Then the angler on peg 3 caught my eye as he pushed out his landing net for a skimmer. I also saw the angler nearest to my right on peg 20, land a small fish. 

With 3 hours gone, I was beginning to wonder whether I should pack up as just one small roach to show for all my efforts and endurance was nothing to be proud of. Then, right out of the blue and totally unexpected, a carp kind of half jumped out of the water about a metre from the right-hand point of the island. It just popped its head up out of the water as if to say “Hey! We’re over here knobhead!” Well, that was the sign I had been waiting for. I picked up my 11ft Tyson feeder rod and changed the bomb for a small maggot feeder. I also changed the hook to a size 18 Guru XS to 0.15 hooklength. I put one red and one white maggot n the hook, filled the feeder and then cast right over the top of where I had seen the carp rise. I was happy to wait as long as it took to get a bite.

Ten minutes later the rod tip wrapped round and a fish was on. These Windmill carp fight like demons even in the depth of winter so I took my time to tire this one right out before putting the landing net out to net it. With a lovely 8-pound common safely in the net, my confidence was now restored and my enthusiasm got a much-needed boost. So, it was now just a case of rinse and repeat. After another 10 minutes of prayers and promises of being a good boy in future, the tip went round again. Another lovely carp of about 6lbs fought all the way to the net and now I was on a roll, or at least I thought I was. I hadn’t seen any carp caught but then I couldn’t see the anglers right down the bottom end of the lake. I thought to myself, well if I’m catching then they probably are too.

Then I saw the angler to my right land a small carp but just as I was watching him my rod tip went again and I was in. This time it was a smaller fish of around 3lbs but still very welcome. With about an hour to go I began to think the unthinkable… I wonder if I could be in with a shout today? However, after 3 more casts to the same area, it was a good 30 minutes before I latched onto another carp, which was to be my last of the session. This one was a chunky mirror and went about 7lbs. I had no more indications in the last 30 minutes so I assume they moved away. I reckoned I had about 24lbs in the net and I was sure I had more than all the other anglers that were in my line of sight but the scales would eventually reveal the truth.

Gerry’s partner, Mandy, came over with the scales, and we waited for Gerry to join us for the weigh-in. My net went 26lbs 10oz but it sounded like Gerry had caught a few so I would have to wait and see where I finished up. Well, it seems I got lucky today. A good draw and 4 carp resulted in a much-needed win for me. Much-needed because I have definitely had a lean season this year both on the river circuit and on the lakes. As it stands, I’m not too sure where my next match will be. I’ll probably wait until my next river match, which will be on the Crane stretch of the river Avon. 

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December 2022

   4th – Winter League#2 – Georges Lake – Whitehouse

   11th – RBL Xmas Match – Bitterwell Lake, Coalpit Heath

   18th – Alcove Xmas Match – Whitehouse Farm

   28th – Windmill Fishery – Westerleigh

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