Sunday 21/05/2023 - Windmill Open - Match Lake

Sun, flowers and shorts out so officially Red Knees Day.

I had booked into the PSV match at Shiplate (love the silvers fishing here), however, went out with Geoff and Glenn for an Indian Saturday night so thought it wise to stay local cancelling instead booking into Windmill. Right decision as it turned out!

I don't have problems walking but the knees suffer going up and down the slopes on some of the pegs carrying items of tackle. So Kev sorted a draw out for me to avoid these pegs. Unfortunately old age doesn't come alone. Into the silk draw bag and bloody peg 16 stuck to my hand. I just can't catch carp on this peg, in fact can't catch anything from it. So it was a question of doing what I like best catching silvers - hopefully. Signs of carp spawning.

Set up the 7" waggler, short Ronnie rig, 4x13 MR and a 0.3 gram RJ Slim. Started on the Ronnie rig with single LR over loose fed same and pestered by micro Rudd - last years eggs. So on to the waggler again with LR's in search of big Skimmers but the wind was difficult had one skimmer before foul hooking two carp then pestered again by last years Rudd eggs. Waggler abandoned. With some anglers already having 100 lb of carp started to feel sorry for myself. So it was catch what you can. I knocked up so GB to feed off the eggs, fed a ball on the top set line in front for the 4x13 MR and some down the margin with loose fed LR's over the top. Set the short Ronnie rig to the margin depth 30 " and same for the RJ Slim. The upshot was by fishing the Ronnie rig in the margin and switching it out in front hence fishing shallow caught some better Ronnie's and another Skimmer. Hooked 3 carp landing two and by putting the RJ Slim down the margin caught two more Skimmers but because it wasn't a "to hand" rig lost a few Ronnie's and Rudd swinging. I reckon by the end had 300 fish in the net but didn't have a clue of weight.

My two carp weighed 10 lb 4 oz and the silvers 16 lb 4 oz for the silvers win.

The match was won by Matthew Hamilton (pictured with the silvers winner) with 172 lb 6 oz from peg 8. Matty caught shallow between 10 and 20 inches fishing caster over caster at either 14.5 metres and 13 metres. He fed about 2 pints of casters. Likewise he was initially pestered by micro Rudd which was a worry for him but came good catching carp to 10 lb. Well done matey.

Result:

1. Mathew Hamilton 172-06-0 peg 8

2. Gerry Welsh 152-13-0 peg 25

3. Shaun Townsend 128-11-0 peg 22

4. Leyton Palmer 99-08-0 pg 20

5. Matt Tainton 70-02-0 peg 14

6. John Williams 65-03-0 peg 6

Silvers:

1. Mike Nicholls 16-04-0 peg 16

2. John Osbourne 8-04-0 peg 6

Weigh Sheets: