Sunday 08/05/2016 - Windmill Open - Match Lake

Bela, Geoff and me back to Windmill expecting 24 degrees, but arriving it was raining! It didn’t last long though but you can always count on the wind at this venue to keep you cool!

Twenty one in the draw bag, I was first in and pulls peg 3. By all accounts not a Carp peg, so Silvers it was to be. On peg 2 was Gerry Walsh and next peg 5 to the left was Simon Belcham. Opposite me I had a Silverback Gorilla (pictured right thrashing around at 17 metres – its amazing what the sun brings out).

The wind was blowing left to right which would have been difficult to fish the longer Ronnie rig so set up 4x10 fish on a double top-two but with one of the top two’s removed, to fish maggot over neat GB. I also set up a 4x16 Jolly to fish just up the inside shelf in 6 foot of water this was for the 4mm semi-hards over 2mm pellet and my banker. Just for insurance I set up a paste rig for over the Ronnie line in case the Carp arrived later in the match.

I fed the jolly line and the Ronnie line, starting on the Jolly and in five put-ins I had five small Skimmers on the drop, then it went quiet – a Carp in the swim somewhere me thinks. On to the Ronnie rig with live red maggot hook bait which is where I stayed for the remainder of the match catching small Skimmers and Rudd. The Ronnie’s weren’t in attendance today in any numbers. I hooked five Carp landing just the one 3lb 12oz Common. The wind here is amazing, it switched around 180 degrees about four times and 90 degrees about the same number of times making presentation difficult.

My Silvers weighed 17lb 10oz (pictured upper right) for first in the Silvers with Billy Ferris coming the closest with 14lb.

The match was won by Craig Challings (pictured right with some of his catch) with 95lb 14oz from peg 6. Craig caught at 16 metres in 12 inches of water using 7mm banded Pellet over loose fed pellet. Craig fed about one pint through out the match.

The Silverback Gorilla came second, so a double pick-up in the van which was celebrated with a few Pinky Ponks in Bar-gar-age.

Credit where credit is due Terry looks after his fish and is always there with his doctor stick (pictured lower right with Matt Tainton treating a Carp). However, Terry needs some new scales especially if he is going to loose feed them into the Lake regularly!!

Full Result:

1. Craig Challings 95-14-0 peg 6
2. Bela Bakos 75-0-0 peg 25
3. Stuart Barnett 68-1-0 peg 8
4. Martyn Rayett 68-03-0 peg 7
5. Matt Tainton 67-09-0 peg 30
6. Dave Haines 65-02-0 peg 28

Top Silvers:

1. Mike Nicholls 17-10-0 peg 3
2. Bill Ferris 14-0-0 peg 32
3. Simon Belcham 12-06-0 peg 5

Weigh Sheets: