Thursday 28/11/2019 - Windmill Cost Cutter - Match Lake

I was tempted by Dave Willmott to go to Viaduct - Wish I had!! Instead chose Windmill Cost Cutter only because it was local. Arrived at the fishery gate and it took longer to negotiate all the potholes than it did to drive from home. The road is about 300 metres long and full of potholes (typically pictured right Road to Hell). Needs sorting.

Good turn out  with 14 fishing - probably because of the good weather forecast.

Into the draw bag and out comes red milk bottle top peg 4. Reasonably happy with this as it's a good Silvers peg and can sometimes throw up the Carp. Hang on - redraw - not enough pegs - bugger. Back in to the draw bag and this time peg 6 - not so happy with this one in the winter - good summer peg though, but won't be here that long! The Lake was flat calm and with the bright sunshine expectations was low.

With peg 7 not in I set up the waggler to fish into the gap with maggot over maggot. A 4x14 to fish top-set plus four sections at 10 o'clock and last but not least the Ronnies rig.

I fed the Ronnie line with GB and Pinkie. The longer pole line with micro and DR's and started to pult LR's into the gap. I started on the long line expecting an early Carp, alas not so picked up the Ronnie rig and was surprised to get a bite straight away an 1/2 oz Ronnie. I had a couple more then a 12 oz Skimmer before I foul hooked a Carp which came off and killed the peg. Re-fed as it was time for the banker waggler. The ducks were a nightmare as soon as I pulted  they were there attacking the red float top. I persevered and hooked a decent Carp which broke the hook length. Rested the peg and tried the long line again with double DR on the hook over kindered DR's and micro and had a 8 oz Skimmer - out again and another bite and on the strike my pole broke on the sixth section, a quick recovery to find I had a decent Skimmer still attached which I lost at the net - double bugger. I got the spare section which proved to be a waste of time. Back on the waggler and I was soon playing another lump but we soon parted company when the line broke on the locking shot so lost the Carp and my current favourite waggler - now two double buggers. Time for the Banana walk to discover it was fishing extremely hard for most. I decided to give up on everything except the Ronnie rig and fish for the Silvers. This resulted in a few 1 oz Ronnies and another Skimmer.

I weighed 2 lb 8 oz for an unbelievable second in the Silver pick-up.

The match was won by Nick Saunders (pictured right with his catch) with 44 lb 6 oz from you guessed it my first drawn peg 4!! Nick caught on 6mm meat over 6mm meat at 14.5 metres in 3 foot of water.

The Silvers was won by Enigma with 3 lb 6 oz from peg 10.

Result:

1. Nick Saunders 44-6-0 peg 4
2. Jeff Grant 38-08-0 peg 20
3. Paul Haines 28-10-0 peg 18
4. Ray Bazeley 25-08-0 peg 25

Silvers:

1. Steve Dawson 3-06-0 peg 10
2. Mike Nicholls 2-08-0 peg 6
2. Nick Saunders 2-08-0 peg 4
4. Gary Bowden 2-0-0 peg 8

Weigh Sheet: