Silverfox Match Angling: Sunday 03/04/2016 - Windmill Fishery Open

Sunday, 3 April 2016

Sunday 03/04/2016 - Windmill Fishery Open - Match Lake

Beefeater for breakfast purchased for me by matey Geoff Francis as a belated birthday present – 67 yesterday!!

It was a reasonable turn out with 17 anglers in the role call. In to the wooden box and out comes wooden peg 16 which is the far end, near side corner peg. So with the wind coming from the SSE combined with the high bank behind me I would be well sheltered. All the info was that it was Carp or nothing. Arriving at the peg I was relieved to find the bank reasonably free from mud. The wind was blowing more towards the far bank than mine which was a bit disappointing for targeting Carp.

I set up two rigs, 4x10 Drennan Chop to fish in the margin at top-set plus 4 sections of my margin pole and a 4x16 Jolly to fish just down the inside shelf at top-set plus two out in front. The plan was to fish semi-hards on the Jolly over micro and triple maggot over maggot and micro in the margin.

After I fed the margin I started on the semi-hards, even though presentation was good with the float being neutral against and with the wind I didn’t have any indication for the first 30 minutes, so I tried the margin and had a 10 lb Carp first try. I optimistically re-fed but didn’t have any further indications, so back out on the Jolly and foul hooked a small Carp which escaped the net. After a top up with micro in the kinder pot I had a 2lb Carp losing another foul hooker. Back down the margin and I landed a 4lb Carp followed quickly by yet another foul hooker which snapped the hook!! I kept having a look on the Jolly line but abandoned it for the last two hours to focus on the margin. After foul hooking two more lost Carp taking the tally to five, I started to get frustrated. It was difficult to unship due either the close high bank or when shipping along the bank the saplings that have been planted where hampering me some what, so it meant double unshipping which was preventing the steady playing of the fish. The fish did settle for a while due I think to the wind veering towards me giving some wind cover. Altogether I landed eight Carp until the wind disappeared leaving the swim dead clam for the last 30 minutes and all I could catch was Rudd and Ronnie’s. However, because I was elasticated for the Carp most on these Silvers were being bounced off under the double unshipping method, including a near 12oz Roach. At the time I thought this unimportant but the results proved me wrong!

I think the reason for all the foul hooking was due to the margin swim being flat. It may have been better to have fishing nearer the shelf or just down it. Now in the memory bank for next time.

My few Silvers weighed 9oz and my eight Carp 38lb 14oz for a total of 39lb 7oz for second overall by 5oz!! Umm.

The match was won by Magician Dave Willmott with 39lb 12oz from peg 21. Dave fished at 14.5 metres towards the end of his RH island in two foot of water fishing banded pellet over pellet. Dave did have two Carp on the lead.

Apparently Dave is camera shy as shown in the video below doing a disappearing act - exit stage left, which includes John Barker weighing in his 16lb catch of Silvers from peg 29 briefly explaining how he caught – Ronnie Rig!! Umm where have I heard that before?