Tuesday, 14 April 2026

12/04/26 - Windmill

Weight - 24lb 15oz 
Catch - 4 Carp, 1 Perch, 1 Rudd
Weather - Windy, sunshine, showers, hail
Match - Tackle Den (19 fished) - 7th overall, 3rd in section

This match was originally scheduled for Heron Lake at Ivy House; however, it was switched when Heron was ‘sold’ and Andy took a load of fish out of the lake. Since then the sale has fallen through, and I understand the fish have been transferred from the canals back into Heron.

The last time I fished Windmill was 9 years ago when I lived in Bristol and to be honest, I think I only enjoyed 1 of the 4 matches I fished there.

On seeing the lake, it had certainly matured, although there seemed to be plenty of reeds and overhangs for any hooked carp to make their escape.

I drew p16 and looking at results for the past 2 months the peg has only featured once finishing 5
th, so not a great draw. At least I had a spare peg either side of me, which also illustrated it wasn’t the best area. Plumbing up revealed it was 5.5ft down the middle and it was less than 14m to island, which is the narrowest part of the lake.  

However, the wind was again going to play its part, and it was unlikely I could fish the pole to the island as the wind was blowing left to right down the lake. I did plumb up around the island, just in case the wind died down, but every time it looked like the wind was easing it would kick off again!

On the all-in I started across on the method with a mix of So Simple Kriller and Baninion micros, with an 8mm orange gofter. This didn’t produce a bite, neither did fishing the straight lead with meat or 8mm pellet.

With 55mins gone I had 1 liner and had seen very little being caught elsewhere.

As I hoped the carp would feed later in the match I thought I would try for a few silvers on dead maggots over micros and groundbait. I caught 1 small perch and a rudd. Oh well at least I avoided the blank.

In the meantime, I had been pinging 6s across to the point of the island and tried the method, this time with mostly groundbait (So Simple Top G) with only a few micros and a squirt of Top G Smog, fishing a 6mm orange gofter. At last, the tip went round and a 7/8lb carp was in the net.

Later I caught another 2 carp both on the straight lead and a 6mm expander by the island.

I had also fed meat at 2+2 and down the right margin. Neither swim produced a bite, which was disappointing.

To make something happen the right margin received 2 cups of groundbait and micros with an hour remaining. With 30mins left of the match I hooked a fish down the margin, but the hook pulled almost immediately and I felt it was a foul hooker.

Surprisingly I couldn’t catch another fish from the island, and I never had a bite over the short meat line. Back down the right margin with 10mins remaining I eventually hooked a carp on meat, netting a 7lber after the all-out.

I was glad when the match finished.

1.    90-  3 – Steve Venn – p9
2.    62-15 – Alistair Tilney – p8
3.    40-  0 – Vince Grillo – p3
4.    39-15 – Michael Triggs – p11
5.    33-  8 – Liam Reynolds – p25

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