Sunday 16^th February – “Killing Time” – Margaret’s Lake, Whitehouse Farm

Just a quick update on my latest shenanigans. Last Thursday, despite all manner of good advice, I ventured out to Windmill Fisheries once more, to partake of some match fishing pleasure. Well, the weights had been steadily improving slightly over the past couple of matches and so I was hopeful of at least catching more than one carp this time around. We had 16 anglers in attendance, all thinking the same thing but as ever, the draw always decides who will walk away happy and who will sulk off quietly into the night.

I drew peg 16 again. I kind of like this peg but when I drew it just a couple of weeks ago, I only had 1 carp in the last 15 minutes to save my blushes. Well, today my plan was simple. Chuck out the bomb and maggle to the edge of the island and hope. In case that didn’t work, my only other option was to fish down the middle at 8 metres with maggle or pinkle on the hook. However, I did bring some 6mm expander pellets and some corn too just in case. I also brought a little Scopex groundbait and micros but I was a little hesitant to add these “attractants”, as groundbait hadn’t been working very well lately.

So, on the all-in, I chucked out the bomb with 2 red maggles on the hook to a point just off the edge of the island. I had a liner straight away, which was encouraging. Then 15 minutes later, I slipped the net under a hefty 12-pounder. Well, WTF! A great start, which left those around me totally gobsmacked LOL. However, I had to wait almost an hour before I got another bite but hey presto! It was another clunker of around 10-pounds. So, we’re 90 minutes into the game and I’m over 20lbs up already. This had the makings or a runaway victory written all over it. And then… reality struck.

The carp had just up sticks and moved well away as I didn’t see another liner during the rest of the day. And now everyone else started catching. They were not bagging but catching steadily, except for the guy on peg 18, who hadn’t had a bite in the first 2 hours and then all of a sudden he just couldn’t go wrong. FFS! Advantage well and truly lost. I had nothing on my pole line either so I hastily set up a waggler to fish closer to the reeds. My brand-new float is still hanging there for all to see. So, on goes another waggler and I baited a size 18 hook with a single red maggle then I very carefully cast it out. About twenty minutes later I was in and a 5-pounder was safely netted. I only had one more small carp in the last hour and so for me it was game over. I finished up with 30lbs and 6^th on the day, which was a big improvement on the previous 4 matches.

Margaret’s Lake, Practice Session

With no club matches or opens today, I decided to go to Whitehouse Farm and join Jason Pitman in a cheeky little practice session. Jason was there before me and had settled into peg 13, so I went onto peg 14. I set up a bomb rod for fishing bomb and bread or maggle out toward the island. I also, set up a rig for fishing a pole line at 8 metres out in front and another over to my left. The aim today was to simply try out a few different baits, just to see whether the fish had any preferences.

I decided to kick off with bomb and bread at about a metre from the island. No sooner had I taken up the slack line when the tip went round and I was into a feisty little 5lb carp. A good start but just like my match at Windmill, it was all over too soon. I struggled for bites during the rest of the day and ended up with just 6 roach and a couple of micro perch. Jason fared much better, catching a big carp, an F1, a couple of big skimbos and a couple of nice chub. Corn was defo the bait they wanted on the day.

Well, I’ll be fishing at Windmill again on Thursday and then the last of the winter league matches next Sunday… in heavy rain and gusts of up to 50 MPH. Ooh wee! Can’t wait to try out my new £100 Guru brolly. Just hope I don’t end up doing any involuntary Mary Poppins impressions… Keep you posted.  

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