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: