Sunday 21/08/2022 - Windmill Open - Match Lake

All clear on the hernia so booked in to the Windmill Open which ,meant loading the car etc... by myself. Leighton kindly took the trolley to my peg - thank you matey. So a free draw for me. I was hoping for peg 1 as I can catch short there. However, out came peg 25. Not unhappy but would me limiting for me.

I must say the lads have done a great job with new platforms mine was exceptional - built by non other than Lee Masey - great job. 

Got to the peg and found it flat calm with a decent breeze to the opposite end, not what I wanted. To test things out decided to fish for carp today. However, would just test the peg for silvers first 😁. So set up two paste floats - one for the margins and the other out in front at two barrels and the short Ronnie rig. The margins are full of reeds with the LH side being the most productive but the worse for loosing fish with the need to fish long. The RH side is closer giving some chance in stopping the carp reaching the reeds. To aid this I fished the Drennan margin pole with their 25 elastic.

Fed the long paste line and the RH margin with pellet but started on the Ronnie rig with single maggot over maggot. Immediately I got pestered by Ronnie fry, got to about twenty for 11 oz and foul hooked a carp so abandoned the silvers for the carp. The upshot was I caught one Mirror at two barrels and five more from the RH margin at top set plus one barrel, all on paste. I lost about the same number. However, these were the small Commons of about 4 lb which are like lightening and hard to stop. The ones I landed were up to 14 lb with the biggest carp the easiest to keep out of the reeds.

Silvers went 11 oz and the six carp weighed 51 lb 6 oz for 52 lb 1 oz, happy enough with that today. The peg was worth more especially is I could fish long and shallow. Andy Gard is to clear some of the reeds.

The match was won by match organiser Gerry Walsh (pictured with the silvers winner) with 127 lb 4 oz from peg 16. Gerry started on the straight lead with 8 mm banded pellet for a couple. Tried the method which wasn't producing so spent the rest of the match at 15 metres up to the far bank fishing 6 inches deep with 6 mm banded over pinged 6 's. Well done matey. 

Shaun Townsend was relegated from first to third due to going 10 lb over the net limits of 50 lb.

The silvers was won by the fishery road Guardian Andy Gard (excellent job too)with 13 lb 5 oz from peg 10. Andy caught short on small pieces of worm over chopped worm and GB. His catch consisted of mainly Roach with a bonus three skimmers. Well done matey.

It fished really well today with 5 tons.

I felt my fitness wasn't up to it today so going to have another couple of weeks off.

Result:

1. Gerry Walsh 127-04-0 peg 16

2. Leighton Palmer 123-3-0 peg 8

3. Shaun Townsend 122-3-0 peg 23

4. Nick Sanders 111lb 11ozs peg 14

5.  Pedro 110-06-0 peg 1

6.  Chris "Shipp" Davis 82-07-0 peg 18

Silvers:

1. Andy Gard 13-05-0 peg 10

Weigh Sheets:

Sunday 14/08/2022 - Tony Rixon's Rip Off - Plantation Jubilee Lake

The owners of the plantation complex have modified the Horseshoe lake, taking out the islands and making an even bottom of 5 foot throughout. Pegging is now all around the outside of the shoe instead of both sides. It's has been renamed Jubilee lake for obvious reasons. I understand that some small carp have been added, otherwise it remained the same stocking.

The usual hype about Bream to 5 lb from Rip Off, he would make a good salesman. Nineteen fishing today.

The talk was that the end pegs would dominate - pegs 8 and 9 today.

Once again it was going to be a very hot day - 34 degrees or more, so umbrella packed. Really aching this morning and if it wasn't for the help I get from Glenn I don't think I could go at the moment. A good friend indeed. We could park behind each peg so full draw for me albeit a tad early to give us chance to off load. Peg 16 it was, fancied this side to have some shade for the brolly. For company I had Ryan Summerhayes, on 17 what a well mannered lad and Rich Major on 15.

Plenty of decent sized carp charging around and looked decisively uncatchable. Decided to fish for the 5 lb Bream with maggot and GB. So set up the Ronnie rig and a 4 x 13 MR to fish top set plus two. Plumbing up the further out it shallowed a little otherwise reasonably flat.

The upshot was I caught a few Ronnie's, Rudd and tiny Skimmers of the Ronnie rig in the first hour which was really slow. It then completely died with very few carp showing set up the 4 metre to chase the Ronnie's and Rudd up in the water. Had three more until that died. Decided to fish the MR for the rest of the match catching the odd tiny Skimmer. I then had a strange hour where I lost seven Skimmers 6 about 2 - 3oz and one about 2 lb with the hook pulling even though I had a number 5 elastic in. I thought it might be because I was using a LR to switched to DR but after couldn't get another bite. Had a walk around to Glenn on peg 6 who was blanking so hoping for an early bath but he couldn't get the van out whilst anglers fishing. I went back and packed up as the heat and fishing had got to me.

My silvers weighed 3 lb 14 oz and my one carp 10 oz. for a total of 4 lb 8 oz which wasn't quite last as the was 4 DNW's and one blank!! I wished I had taken some 4 mm expanders  think this would have been more productive over micro.

The match was won by Rod Wotton (pictured under the umbrella next to the runner up Steve Seager) with 64 lb from peg 8. Rod was one of two anglers that could reach the far bank with the pole and made the most of his Landsend mud fishing using 6 mm pellet over loose fed same. Well done matey.

The silvers was won by Martin McMahon (pictured nearly smiling) with 18 lb 2 oz from peg 5. Martin caught at 11.5 metres using maggot over small amounts of GB. Well done matey.

Non of the 5 lb Bream showed must have been the hot weather! I had a look at my past blogs on this lake and it seems to have fished similar for carp but a tad better for skimmers. 

A disappointed van driving home but nothing a couple of cold ones didn't cure.

Result:

1. Rod Wotton 64-0-0 peg 8

2. Steve Segar 55-09-0 peg 9

3. Joe McMahon 47-13-0 peg 11

Silvers:

1. Martin McMahon 18-02-0 peg 5

2. Tony Rixon 16-04-0 peg 7 

Fish seemed to be shoaled at the far end.

Weigh Sheets:

Sunday 07/08/2022 - Tony Rixon's Short Pole - Final Round - Todber Manor - Ash and Homeground

After a three month lay-off from fishing I felt I could try again providing I had a short walk. As there were some walks on Homeground Tony agreed I could fish Ash. Until I have seen my surgeon in ten days time I am avoiding heavy lifting. I thought I could fish for silvers and try to avoid the carp - might be a challenge at Todber.

PS: Guy Manton: I know a 73 year old that thinks there are too many carp in Todber match lakes.

I drew peg 71, for company I had matey Vince and Bullseye on 70 and Ginge Dark on 72. Tony warned me that the carp feed close in on Ash. Warning headed. Thanks to Glenn got set up on the listing platform albeit I was a tad rusty, forgetting where my stuff was. The plan was to feed the margin heavy all match to keep the carp occupied and fish the long Ronnie rig out in front with single LR's over lightly feeding the same.

The upshot was I had a Ronnie or a tiny Skimmer one a bung (although a good few wriggled off). I was fascinated by large carp munching on the GB and anything else I wanted to feed - sneaky fish. By four hours in I had managed to avoid the carp and thought I might get a record for the first angler not to catch a carp at Todber fishing a match. Alas I ended up with three, No way I could have fished for them all day, just lifting the three was a challenge!!

My three carp weighed 9 lb 9 oz and my silvers 24 lb 8 oz for the silvers win. A little stiff at the end but better than I thought.

The match was won by Ryan Shipp (pictured with the silvers winner) with 309 lb 11 oz from Homeground peg 80. Ryan started shallow with banded pellet over pellet and soon switched to his margin again with pellet over pellet. Ryan was one of the few anglers that sorted catching from his margin as many had plenty of fish in their margin but couldn't catch.

Ryan also won the knockout and runner up in the over all league with Martin Rayet taking the league and Vince Shipp coming third. All pictured right - looks like Martin is holding in a mighty fart!!

Apologies to Glenn for leaving him out of the picture as I thought Tony only paid three however, Glenn picked up fourth beating Tony on weight count back. Glenn also picked up a default section so happy double bubble van.

Result on the day:

1. Ryan Shipp 309-11-0 peg 80

2. Martin Rayett 261-08-0 peg 88

3. Joe McMahon 256-11-0 peg 83

4. Willy Willmott 215-09-0 peg 89

5. Matt Sheppard 187-03-0 peg 67

6 Glenn Bailey 186-08-0 peg 78 

Silvers:

1. Mike Nicholls 24-08-0npeg 71

2. Matt Dark 10-15-0 peg 64

Weigh Sheets:

Overall Final League Result: