This Saturday I visited a blustery Hillview for their regular open

The forecast was for strong gusty winds all day and it was only a spur of the moment decision to go as there isn’t a lot to do on a cold windy Saturday in February . So glad I fished the match!

The match had 26 anglers fishing over Moorhen and Heron pools plus one of the canals. I drew Moorhen 19, not really a good winter peg but it proved to be a match winner today. 

I set up just two rigs as the depth of water was the same long and short. A rig with a tapered shotting pattern for fishing maggots on the drop but could double up for soft expander pellets and a margin rig was all that was needed. I had a throw to the island so I also set up a small Preston ICS maggot feeder.

The plan was to feed micro’s short at 7 sections and fish an expander over the top, a maggot line long if the wind allowed and micro’s into the right hand margin in front of the next pallet. But to start on the maggot feeder due the strong gusty wind.

So at the “all in” I fed pretty heavy for the time of the year as the temperatures had risen in recent days. Half a big cup went in at 7 metres another half cup went into the margin/pallet swim before starting on the maggot feeder. An hour on this produced one small carp so I tried the 7 metres line next with a 6mm expander. After 20 minutes on this with 6mm and 4mm expanders I connected with two carp or F1’s but bumped them both off. This told me pellets were the way forward rather an maggots. So it was a case of finding the fish. I’d only fed mirco’s into the margin as this point so I tried this first rather than opening up a new line. 

I tied an 6mm expander over the micro’s which had now been there for 2 hours and the float buried straight down after 10 seconds, a Skimmer around a 1lb. So I felt I’d stay on this line and kinder cupped in a few more micro’s and fished a 6mm expander again to see what comes. The next fish was a carp around 3lb after 10 minutes. So at this point my mind was made up. I intended to stay on this line for the rest of the match. The wind hadn’t died down and fishing the margin was a little easy to keep the float still. 

I caught all the rest of my winning weight here just kindering in a few micro’s after every fish, which were a mixture of F1’s and Carp and Skimmers. The last hour came good but I did foul hook a couple of carp which beat me, but stopping the fed when this happen stopped more foul hookers. The last fish was the best, a carp around 8lb in the last 5 minutes so I felt confident at the weigh in. 

I was the first one to weigh in, putting 61lb on the scales which received comments like “that’ll do it” So I packed my tackle away in the car before going back to see the last couple of anglers being weighed in. I had enough to win and also from a peg that isn’t the best winter peg going. So considering I nearly didn’t fish the match because of the weather it was happy days!!  

Margin Rig – 0.3g Nick Gilbert NG XT edger pole float on 0.19 Guru N-Gauge mainline with a bulk of no.8 shot above a 6 inch 0.13mm size 16 Guru LWG Ready rig. Set up on Black Nick Gilbert Amber Core elastic (12-16)   

Hook bait was 6mm Sonubaits Pro Expanders over fishery micro pellets. 

These pellets were designed by England International and world-class angler, Des Shipp. Des wanted an expander pellet that would stay on the hook well, and that every pellet you soak, created a useable hookbait, which wasn’t the case with most expander pellets on the market.