February 18th – Windmill Fisheries Open – Back To Earth With An Almighty Bump!

Windmill Thursday Costcutter

Once again, I’ve had 2 outings this week and they were both at Windmill Fisheries, near Westerleigh. The first one was the Thursday Costcutter and with only 9 anglers turning out for this one, we had a rover match. I drew number 3 and I really fancied the in-form peg 14 today but Matt Taynton who drew number 2 also wanted it so my second choice was peg 18. Same bank, wind off your back but with fewer fish as it turned out. My usual plan at Windmill is to spend half the match fishing for silvers because the silvers pool payout is the same as the top weight payout and silvers fishing can be more interesting in my opinion. It can also be very frustrating if the big skimmers don’t show.

So, I set up a shallow rig for fishing right over at 16 metres against the island. This consisted of a size 16 Guru LWG hook to 0.13 hooklength and 0.15 mainline. My float choice was a 0.2 gram pencil float and the elastic was a 12-16 Daiwa Hydro, which I have been testing recently. It’s probably the best elastic available but it’s a bit pricey when compared to the many other options such as Dura Slip, TKS, Middy, Drennan, Nufish etc, etc. One thing I know for sure about pole elastics is red, at whatever rating, is probably the worst colour option. Red materials absorb photons of ultraviolet light, which causes fading and degrading. I once had a red car and after about 5 years it was nearer pink than red. Anyway, I do digress.

I also set up a 0.4 gram pencil float rig for fishing 8 feet deep at 9 metres out in front for silvers and for my 2 edge lines, I would use the same rig, which was made up of a number 18 elastic, 0.22 mainline, a 0.2 gram (4×12) Chianti style float, a size 16 Guru LWG to a 0.17 hooklength. I meant business today. On the all-in, I dropped a small ball of Thatcher’s Green groundbait and micros onto the 9-metre line and sprinkled a few dead red maggles and pinkles over the top. Next, I lobbed out the bomb with 2 maggles to a size 18 hook, just off the edge of the island. I know some anglers go straight out on the pole for carp but I always like to let the swims settle before picking up the pole. Besides, there is always the chance of a carp or big skimmer early on the bomb.

Well, with 30 minutes gone, I had nothing on the bomb and no liners either so it was time to go over onto the 9-metre line with 2 pinkles on a size 18 hook to a 0.8 hooklength. I started cad-potting in groundbait and pinkles at every put-in and eventually, the small roach turned up. I absolutely flogged this swim for the next 2 hours only to end up with less than 3lb of fish. Meanwhile, the two anglers opposite me, on pegs 7 and 8, were catching carp with impunity. WTF was I doing wasting time trying to catch silvers when all this carp action was going on all around me? I always ask myself this question but I won’t ever learn… Anyway… it was halfway through the match now and decision time. Do I carry on with the silvers line and hope a few big skimmers turn up or do I abandon it and go for carp?

The only way to decide is to have a dabble for carp and see what turns up. If they don’t show I can always go back to fishing for slivers. I fired out some maggles towards the island and I dropped a large cupful of corn and meat to my right-hand margin. I also dropped in a large pot of micros and expander pellets to my left-hand margin. Next, I baited with a single maggle and pushed the pole out to 16 metres, which was inches from the island bank. I didn’t have to wait long before I hooked a carp only to lose it. A foul-hooker I guess. I fired out some more maggles, shallowed up a few inches and went out again. Minutes later I was playing a carp of about 5lb. However, the wind was getting up and presentation was becoming increasingly difficult so I thought I would focus on the edge swims instead.

A look over to my right, alternating between corn and meat brought no takers. A look on the edge to my left with expander pellet brought a few enquiries but no proper bites. I had brought some Krill-flavoured soft pellets with me today and I put one on the hook. It was the first time I’ve tried them and as soon as the float settled, it sailed away. A carp of about 6 lb was safely netted. I topped up the swim adding a few Krill pellets and micros and with a Krill pellet on the hook, I was in again almost instantly. This was a proper brute of a fish that must have been all of 12lbs. 

I repeated the process and it wasn’t long before I was in again and this fish was bigger. When I finally netted it I reckoned it was about 13lbs. It had 3 hooks in its mouth so I had to undertake some hook extraction surgery before I could put it in the keepnet. Time was ticking away fast now and I could tell there were quite a few fish in the swim. Inevitably, I foul-hooked a couple but also managed to land 2 more before the all-out. My silvers net went just under 3lbs and my carp net was just over 50lbs giving me 53lb in total. That was enough to finish second in the match with Matt Taynton on peg 14 winning comfortably with 93lb 13oz. Well done to Matt. When you put a good angler on an in-form peg there can be only one outcome. BTW, my biggest carp went 14lb 6oz, which is the biggest I have caught at Windmill. And… it absolutely p*ssed down at the end of the match and we all got a soaking. Brill!

Windmill Sunday Open Match

Well, after Thursday’s match, the weather was a little milder and the air pressure was on the up so I was thinking ‘big weights’ today. We had 16 booked in for this one and I would have loved to have drawn in-form peg 14 but it wasn’t to be. Instead, I drew peg 9. I hadn’t fished this peg before and with no margin reeds to keep the fish interested plus about 18 metres to the island, I wasn’t feeling too confident. According to the match organiser, Dave Haines, I was in a good area for skimmers and so an all-out silvers approach was the plan… at least to start with. I had Tim Ford for company on peg 7 to my right and I thought I’d keep a close eye on him. If he started catching carp then I’ll change tack. Whoever was drawn on peg 10 to my left was always going to catch carp, I was absolutely sure of that.

So, my ‘man-with-a-plan’ theory today was to fish at 13 metres with soft pellet, 9 metres with pinkles and maggles plus both edges with meat, corn and pellet, even though there wasn’t any inside cover. On the all-in, I dropped a large pot of Thatcher’s Green groundbait and micros over the 13-metre line and a tangerine size ball of groundbait and dead reds on the 9-metre line. I noticed a few small carp were popping up regularly over by the island so I spent the first 30 minutes having a go for them with bomb and maggot, pellet and corn but I had no takers. So, it was onto the 13-metre line for a look but after 20 minutes and no bites, it was time to try the 9-metre line with double pinkle on the hook. I didn’t have to wait long before the roach arrived but man were they small. I must have landed on a roach nursery as every fish was a minuscule one ounce or less.

I carried on knocking these out for the next 2 hours, losing every other one and missing loads of shy bites. I couldn’t see very much being caught from pegs 7, 10, 11 and 12, so I carried on until finally, I decided enough was enough. There’s only so much sprat bagging a man can take on a commercial fishery before he loses his mind. It certainly didn’t look like any big skimmers were going to show and besides, I had noticed Tim catching some much better quality roach, any one of which was worth about 8 of mine. So, we were well into the second half of the match when peg 10 started to produce a few carp, although most of them must have been foul-hooked because he lost quite a few. Carp were also showing up on pegs, 11 and 12 so I had no choice but to join the party.

However, my edge lines didn’t look very ‘carpy’ and after spending about 30 minutes down the left-hand margin with nothing more than a twitch on the float, I gave up on that one. With only my right-hand margin left to try, I thought it might be better to fish away from the edge so I was actually fishing at about one and a half metres out in 4 feet of water. My rig had a strung-out shotting pattern, allowing the bait to fall naturally through the water. I threw in some soft pellets and laid the rig over the top. A carp quickly intercepted it and I was finally in. This one went about 6lbs. Then nothing… While it was quiet, I thought I’d have another quick look on the 9-metre line with double pinkle and I got a bite right away. It was a carp. Oh no! FFS! I only had a 0.8 hooklength on and this was a big fish.

Well, despite playing it for about 10 minutes the inevitable happened… and away! The frail hooklength was no match for this one. So now I’m thinking… WTF should I do now? Carry on fishing the 9-metre line and beef up the kit or stay on the short line? I thought the short line would be the best option so I potted in a large ball of groundbait and micros followed by a few expander and krill pellets. I put a krill pellet on the hook and within 5 minutes I was playing another carp. I knew it was all a bit too late in the day to make any impression on the results sheet even though I added 2 more carp before the final whistle. My total catch amounted to just 24lb 7oz, which was way, way short of the 119lbs needed to win.

And the winning peg? Peg 14 of course. Well done to Paul Staite for putting in a fine performance and well done to Tim Ford for taking top silvers despite a shaky first half. Once again, it p*ssed down with rain at the end of the match and we all got soaked. Shish! Well, just as I thought I was on the up and up, I’m now back down to earth with a bump and I’ll have it all to do on my next match, which will be at… Windmill! Yes, I’ll be back again next Thursday and then I’ll be on Margaret’s Lake, Whitehouse Farm on Sunday 25th for the last of the Alcove Winter League matches. Phew! Keep you posted!

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