Welcome to my fishing blog… July 2026
Sunday 5th July – Well, Billy’s Only Gone And Done It At Windmill Fisheries… But Then It’s Back To Earth With A bump At Harescombe
So, I was at Windmill Fisheries again on Thursday for another gruelling day under the hot sun, with fading hopes of qualification in mind. First, I checked out the wind direction… it was blowing down the lake and so I wanted to draw either peg 10, 11, 12 or 14. Peg 16 could also be in contention and I would have been more than happy with that. Well, we’re queuing up for the draw and then Simon Shilton said to me, “What peg do you want Bill?”, “I want peg 14”, says I, as I dip my sticky little fingers into the draw bag, and then… (drumroll) Ta! Da! Out pops peg 14. FFS! A plum draw at last! Peg 14 has been throwing up winning weights for weeks now and with the wind blowing toward it, I had every confidence of doing well today.
I drew this peg in a qualifying match last year and ended up with 98lbs but only finished third on the day, so it was going to be down to me to up my game and get it right. When I got to my peg, there were carp boiling about 2 metres from the platform over to the right. Also, there were carp galore just off the edge of the island in around 12 inches of water. I could see tails and dorsal fins unashamedly on display and so I thought I would target this area first. I set up a method feeder rig with a very small feeder, which I intended to use with micros and yellow wafters. I also set up a margin pole for my left and right-hand edges, where I intended to fish meat. I had brought some paste with me today and so I set up a rig for that at 6 metres out in front.
That was the only kit I set up as I was sure I’d catch short or failing that, I would catch on the method. I had Paul ‘Barney’ Barnfield for company on my right, who for some reason was not a happy bunny on peg 12. It’s strange how that peg hasn’t been fishing well lately, despite the wind blowing straight at it. On peg 11, was Jason Crump, a good angler on a good peg and the one to watch. I couldn’t see anyone else from my vantage point. Well, reality check… I’m on a match-winning peg with fish everywhere and 2 very capable anglers in my sights… just a little pressure then… LOL.
On the all-in, I fed a large ball of Scopex groundbait and a few micros over my 6-metre line, in preparation for a bit of paste fishing later. Then I had a probe around my margins with an 8mm cube of meat. The carp that were boiling just off the platform had now disappeared but I could see the reeds to my right waving at me, so I reckoned that’s where they had retreated to. It wasn’t long before I hooked into a 5-pounder from my right-hand edge but the fish backed off immediately and I couldn’t get a bite after that. So, I cupped in about 20 cubes of meat to both margins and then picked up the method feeder rod.
On the very first chuck. I must have landed right in the middle of a shoal of carp, as they scattered in all directions. A few minutes later the rod was almost ripped off the rest as a feisty 6-pounder was duly played out and landed. On the very next cast, the feeder landed on top of a carp who then shot out of the water. FFS! It was absolutely solid with fish in that one particular area for some reason. I lost the next 5 fish in row… all foul hookers. Then I managed to get one and then lost another 3 fish. This was crazy… there were just too many fish out there and I was wasting time hooking and losing so many. I had to rethink my tactics and thought about changing to bomb and pellet but then decided to abandon that line altogether.
I know it seems crazy to give up on a line that is full of fish but after losing 9 or 10 fish it kinda made sense. So, I went on my 6-metre line with paste. I had to wait about 15 minutes before I had my first bite and another 15 minutes before landing another 5-pounder. However, this line was way too slow and so I abandoned that one too. That just left my 2 margins. I kept looking down the left-hand edge but had absolutely no response whatsoever, which is a bit odd to say the least. I did notice that a lifebelt was laying on the bank and the grass was well worn down on that left hand side and so maybe someone had been going in and out of the water there, which might have had a long-lasting effect on the fish… maybe… not sure… but there was defo a reason why the fish wouldn’t come in on that edge.
Well, my options had been narrowed right down now and so for the latter half of the match, I concentrated on my right-hand edge, fishing meat only. Well, the more meat I put in, the better it got. At just 5 metres this was easy fishing but if it hadn’t been for my trusty old Garbolino margin pole I don’t think I would have managed to get so many carp out of the reeds. I did end up losing 4 or 5 but there was always another one there waiting on the very next put-in. I also caught a nice tench and a bream there too, which would have put me in the silvers money. Anyway, it’s been a long time since I have had 4 nets out in any match and so I was sure that I had done okay. But, I was aware that there were some exceptional anglers fishing the match today, and so I thought my weight might not even come close…
Chris Telling came down to weigh the section, (thanks for taking the photo Chris), and said he hadn’t done too well on peg 22. It was a relief to hear that, although Chris had already qualified. Well, my total weight was 102-13-0 but still not enough for the outright win. It was however, good enough for second place and as the winner had already qualified, I managed to sneak onto the list of finalists. Phew! Finally! I can now have a relaxing day fishing for silvers on the next Windmill match… unless I draw this peg again.
Sunday 5th July – Harescombe Fisheries Open
With no club matches on this Sunday, Jason Pitman and I decided to have a go at the Harescombe open on Doughnut Lake. Alcove Angling Club Treasurer, Tony Welsby, also had the same idea. Probably hoping to follow on from his epic 100lb weight a few days earlier. It took me 45 minutes to get to the fishery from my house, which was a doddle. The fishery management, consisting of Gary and Cathryn, run a tight ship at Harescombe. The fishery is amazing and the matches are very well organised. They also do a breakfast to die for. Harescombe is fast becoming a very popular fishery and Doughnut Lake is a dedicated match fishing lake, stocked with tons of small carp and F1s. You can also park behind your peg, so what’s not to like?
So, onto the draw. I drew peg 7, which is one of the ‘tight’ pegs on the approach road, I had not fished this one before. In fact, I have only fished this lake maybe 6 or 7 times in total, picking up a little wonga on at least 5 occasions. The last time I fished this lake was back last September, when I had a winning weight (can’t remember what it was), all caught on paste. Needless to say, paste was to be be my go to bait today. Well, as luck would have it, there was nobody drawn on peg 8 and so I had a bit of room to my left-hand side. This would be useful later as I intended to fish down the edge with corn.
So, I set up a line at 16 metres, where I intended to fish with 4mm and 6mm hard pellets. Then at 7 metres I would fish with paste over Scopex groundbait, However, my first line of attack was to fish maggle up in the water at 4 metres slightly to my right. For this line, I set up a 0.2-gram pencil float set at 3 feet deep, with just one no.10 shot down the line. It was about 6 feet deep here. For my paste line, I set up a 0.4-gram Chianti style float at full depth plus 2 inches. On my 16-metre line, I had set up a 0.2 dibber at just 18 inches deep and for my edge lines I had a 0.2 crystal dibber, set at 15 inches deep.
On the all-in, I dropped in a ball of Scopex onto the paste line and then started fishing a single red maggle at 4 metres. I gave that 30 minutes but only had 3 tiny perch. So, it was onto the 16-metre line but the fish were tight across, almost touching the far bank and so I needed another metre. Although I did have an extension, I had to draw the line there as my osteoarthritis-stricken back just would not be able to take the strain. So, I then went onto the paste line. I had my first 2-pounder after about 30 minutes and should have thrown in the towel then but being the silly, stubborn person I am, I stuck at it with nothing more to show for almost 2 hours despite the swim fizzing continuously. Then I finally, came to my senses and realised that the fish just did not want paste today.
Well, that cost me dearly as I had lost a lot of ground and didn’t have enough time left to make it up. The guy on peg 9 was off the mark right from the start and didn’t look back. I finally started fishing corn down my left-hand edge and began to put a weight together but it was all too little too late. My match was lost, over and out. A big lesson learned for next time. I ended up an ounce shy of 50lbs but with 3 weights over the ton, it was a “thanks for coming and on your way Billy Boy”. Winning matches is all about getting a good draw and then making the right decisions. A sprinkling of luck helps too but I don’t think I had any of those things going on this one and so it was never going to happen. But, I’ll be back.
Well, Windmill again for me on Thursday 9th, and then I’ll be back on the river with the Kingswood Legionnaires. We’ll be on the Bristol Avon at Staverton, for an aggregate points and Pairs match. This is a very moody stretch of river and it doesn’t give up its fish easily. There are some hefty chub, the occasional big bream and a few specimen perch in this stretch, but it almost always comes down to bleak bashing at the end of the day. Well, at least you can park behind your peg. Keep you posted!
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