Winter Commercials

(Updated Feb 21)

Another requested subject. I'll do my best to explain how I approach commercial fisheries in the Winter. I cannot guarantee its the best way but I have had a bit of success.

Hopefully we all appreciate that you will catch less, probably feed a lot less and generally have to work harder than in the Summer.

I actually don't change much from Summer to Winter. But I'll go through my three main methods, one ledger and two pole, that I use in Winter.

 

Targets

In matches, or even pleasure sessions at any time of the year I like to set myself a target. In a match I will normally have a good idea of what sort of weight should see me frame, exceed the target and I may win. To me this is important because I can judge whether I am keeping to target or falling behind. If falling behind then I know I have to change something. Probably even more important in Winter due to the normally lower target.

In Winter it may take me an hour, even two to get my first bite. But rather than panic, if I know my target, I can judge whether there is time left in the match, once I get things right, to catch up anyone who has started well. If everyone is struggling then I know that hard work will give me the possibility of stealing a frame or win, even in the last hour. So a poor start is no reason to give up.

In pleasure sessions I still like to know what a good day will look like. On my local club water that is fashioned like a commie I look for ten carp in five to six hours as a good day.  Or on the canal it may be 50/100 fish depending on the stretch.  Over that is a bonus. So I always have something driving me on and keeping me focused.

Leger

I have found the pellet feeder to be just as effective in Winter as Summer and so this is my go-to method. The only real change I make is the length of time I will wait for a bite before re-casting. Summer I would expect a bite within five minutes, Winter I wait fifteen. It is surprising how consistent the timing of bites can be. Almost as if the fish back off the feeder and take an average length of time to get curious enough to approach it.

To that end I will place my watch on the platform beneath the rod so I can see the time as I tighten after casting, set a "reel-in" time and watch progress without losing concentration on the rod. If at the end of fifteen minutes I am getting line bites I may wait a short while longer. That has to be judged on the day.

You may find that bites come after, say, twelve minutes. This is where your target comes into play. Will five fish an hour achieve your target? If not change something, if it will then stick at it until it slows, hopefully it won't.

Similarly bites may come after seven minutes. In that case you may as well re-cast after ten, not fifteen.

I always use micros in the pellet feeder. Hookbait though can be the key on a hard day. I carry a selection - corn, polony, dead reds, hard pellet. I still can't work out how fish can be picky in amongst a pile of micros but far too often I have proved they have a definite preference on any given day. So be prepared to swap baits until you find what works.

Location can also be a key. In that first hour or two try different spots in your swim until you find where the fish want to be. You may even find that the bigger fish are located in a different area to the smaller specimens. But again, once you have location and bait sorted you will catch people up who may have started better than you.

If the pellet feeder isn't working then its time to consider the Method with groundbait or a Banjo with micros. And yes, strangely presenting the micros in a Banjo as opposed to the pellet feeder can make a difference. That's one reason I carry two made-up feeder rods to matches. I can quickly swap feeders by swapping rods and change the feeder on one rod while waiting for a bite on the other.

Of course if the feeder fails totally or the swim dictates it may be time for the pole.
 

Pole

You will probably find two differing weather conditions in Winter. It will either be flat calm or blowing. I approach each differently on the pole. But first what changes do I make to my pole rigs and set-up?

Tackle & Bait

I make few changes. After all I'm still trying to catch fish that may well go to double figures.

At the end of October I will switch my elastic from a sixteen solid to a fourteen solid in four of my long pole topkits. Yes I know that for many this is still heavy. But I do what I am confident in and works for me. At the same time I will start to carry my Winter rigs.

These will be on 0.13 mainline and generally 0.10 hooklength to a size 18 Kamasan B611. The float will be a BGT Grey 0.5g. This float is long at around 24cm, a slim rugby ball shape and has a 1.2mm, fairly long, bristle. On calm days I can dot this down or on windy days allow a little more tip to show without sacrificing much in sensitivity terms.

BGT Grey

My shotting of these, and other floats, may be of interest.  I use three No.10 Stotz as droppers and then a string of 6 or 8s above.  Conditions will dictate how far apart the shot will be.  Generally I start with the 10s 4-6 inches apart with the lowest just above the ten inch hooklength.  The larger shot will spread up to just below the float.  Poor conditions with a strong tow will see me close up the gaps and have the top shot closer to half or threequarter depth.  If I don't think this float is working on a bad day I will switch to the 1g version or even some special floats I use on really windy days (see my Simple Approach To Pole Fishing post for details).

I switched to this shotting pattern a couple of Winters ago.  I was fishing with the traditional bulk and two droppers but got the impression the fish were abandoning the bite quickly, possibly feeling the bulk.  I spread the bulk (made of 6s) and started to catch.  I haven't switched back.  I believe the string gives me the advantages of the weight with the sensitivity of a string. 

I feed micros in the main. I will have some 4 mil pellets soaked and may try these if I feel the fish will respond to them. Hookbaits again will be a selection, the only change from the Summer being the addition of some red maggots, pinkies and 2 mil expanders. So my simple bait table will consist of micros & 4 mils for feed and for hookbait expanders (2 & 4 mil), corn (to be used as whole grain or skin), maggot and pinkie. 

On a good day I can still get through 3-4 pints of soaked micros.  If the fish show that they are hungry then you have to feed them or lose them.

Corn skins - something I was at first sceptical about but over the last couple of Winters I have caught a fair number of fish on.  All I do is squeeze the middle out of a grain and then use the hook to pull a small tear in the top of the grain.  This helps any trapped air escape and so let the skin sink.  I then hook it near the tear.  With the BGT Grey I can watch as the last shot settles, I then know that with my ten inch hooklength the skin will fall nearly naturally over the last twenty inches and I can then see it register on the float.  This is where the shotting pattern helps along with a sensitive float.  If I don't get a bite after a couple of minutes I will lift two foot and drop.  I think its the slow drop that can attract the interest of a fish.  The skin will inflate underwater to look like a whole grain but with a fraction of the weight.  The size 18 B611 helps here.

One thing though, for some reason I can't fathom I seem to get more foul hookers with skins. 
 

Calm Conditions

The way I approach pole fishing in Winter in calm conditions is to look for anything up to six swims/spots that I can hopefully fish with no more than two rigs. To do this I will, for example, plumb up at topkit + 3 sections of pole and hopefully find three spots, at least six foot between each that are all within an inch or so of being the same depth. I then add a section and do the same thing.

I now have six spots that I can fish easily, rotate around and feed differently. Initial feeding my be something like left - small tosspot, middle - large tosspot, right - large tosspot topped up more frequently than the middle or even started with a full 200 mils of micros.

I can then judge how the fish want to be fed on the day. The right hand spot may take a while to get going with fish backing off the initial heavy feed but I have known this line come to life late on once the fish settle.

As I say it may take an hour to get the fish feeding or to get your first bite. This seems like a long time but here's how I use that time. Say I have three spots and four baits (4, 6 mil expanders, corn skins & maggot/pinkie). If I fish each bait in each spot for five minutes then that is my hour gone. Hopefully in that time I will discover where the fish want to feed and which hookbait is preferred. Then I can start to tailor my feeding and presentation to what I have learned. As Abraham Lincoln once observed "If you have four hours to cut down a tree best spend three hours sharpening your axe". In other words preparation time is never wasted.

If I get nothing in the first hour then I just go through the routine again.  At some point I expect to get bites.  I can then home in on what the fish want in the way of feed and hookbait.

Here I cannot stress enough my belief that getting the depth spot on is vitally important. On a calm day this should be achievable. I am looking to get the bait just touching bottom. To do this I will plumb up slightly shallow then put on a 4 mil expander and get the shotting right.  Replace the 4 with a 6 or grain of corn and the float will settle lower. Here's where the Grey with its long, 1.2 mm bristle comes into its own. Adding depth a fraction of an inch at a time you will get the pellet resting on the deck and the same amount of float showing as with the 4 mil on the hook. If I am not catching then I will constantly be making minute adjustments to the depth. To this end a backshot level with the float tip helps. I use a No.11 Stotz. And every half hour or so put on a 6 mil pellet and check the depth. Sometimes this can bring a solitary bonus fish.

People have told me that by fishing these multiple spots I am splitting my fish. I accept that may be the case but I think, particularly in Winter, that the benefits outweigh the disadvantages.
 

First of all I think that feeding one spot you will draw fish from within a circle centred on the feed. With two or three spots that circle is enlarged into an ellipse. Hence I believe I can draw fish from a wider area That will be more fish than I would draw from a circle. I may even draw fish from my neighbour's swim, not a bad thing in a match.
 

Second I nearly always find that eventually one spot will outperform the others. Feeding and fishing one solitary spot will never tell me if there is a more preferred feeding area for the fish.

Even if one spot does produce better than the others I think it is vital to keep feeding all your areas. This gives you somewhere to fall back to if the "best" spot goes quiet or needs resting. An odd fish from another, rested, spot could make a difference on a tough day.

On a perfect day my routine across three spots will go like this after the initial feeding. 

1. Fish spot 1, 2, 3 in rotation five minutes on each. Say you catch from spot 1.
2. Feed spot 1 fish spot 2, catch a fish.
3. Feed spot 2 fish spot 3, catch a fish
4. Feed spot 3, fish spot 1, catch a fish
5. Feed spot 1, fish spot 2 .............................etc

If having fed spot 1 and I don't get any bites or indications in five minutes in spot two I will fish spot three without feeding. If spot 3 blanks then fish 1, still no added feed. Keep rotating until you catch then feed spot 2 and repeat the rotation process. This will help regulate the amount of feed and judge the fish's reaction to it. Eventually you should spot a pattern and be able to adapt feeding and fishing to that pattern.
 

Windy Conditions

 

I am assuming that the wind has set up a tow otherwise I will fish as if calm.  My first aim is to get the float set so that it will go with the tow. I find that to aid this a string of shot is better than a bulk. You may also have to shot the float lower than you might imagine to get the bristle out of the wind and stop it acting like a sail. I will also set up a heavier float than in calm conditions, probably a 1g instead of half. If I am going to change something then I like it to be a positive one and not just fiddling around.
 

This heavier float does two things. Obviously it helps keep the float stable and the bait on the deck. But I also think the extra shot strung down the line (I will use size 6 or 8) help pick up the tow and counter the effect of the wind on the bristle.
 

There is little point in trying to be precise with depth so I will go up to nine inches over to ensure the bait is on the bottom. I am looking to balance keeping the bait on the deck and the float being able to drag it through with the tow. Why 9 inches?  Remember I use a 10 inch hooklength with the last shot just above the knot.

 

When there is a tow on the water I will feed a mixture of micros and 4 mils. This I believe will create a trail of bait down tow with the 4 mils falling quicker and the micros slower and thus spreading out. You have to feed in the same spot all the time so pick an immovable far bank marker and make sure you cup in in line with that every time. If the wind isn't too strong and the tow not significant I will cup in at two spots one or two yards apart to create the spread I am looking for.
 

The aim then is to fish the float along the line of the feed. Hopefully fish will be drawn from either side and down tow, lining them up along where your hookbait will travel. Then it is a case of fishing almost like you would a river. Play with the float, let it run, inch it through or hold still. What you should eventually discover is what the fish want on the day. This may be that they want the bait still or moving. Or the fish may settle a certain distance from where you fed. If this happens do not adjust your feeding point. Keep feeding to the same marker. But what you can do is then set the float off closer to that point where you are getting bites with a view to speeding up your catch rate. You may also find that the bigger fish sit further down tow and so it is worth letting the float run the full distance you can manage occasionally in the hopes of picking up a bonus.
 

Never be afraid to go for a heavy float in poor conditions. Well shotted it will still register bites. At the end of the day the fish will accept a well presented bait and give you more bites than struggling with a light float that gives no control and poor presentation. I carry some specific floats that go to two grams for particularly nasty conditions. By well shotted I mean that the bristle should ride through the waves/chop and not bob up and down. Yes you lose sight of the float but you will quickly see a pattern. You are then looking to strike into any variation of that pattern.

I will also fish a shorter pole in poor conditions.  I would much rather have better control and be able to feed accurately.  With the surface disturbance the fish will come closer.  By feeding you give them a reason to.

 

Finally

THE most important thing about any Winter fishing is to be warm and safe. Invest in decent clothing. Take a flask of something warming (not alcohol) and carry some hand warmers. I use the"Magic Gel" type that you can recharge by boiling.

 

 

 

 Another thing I have found works well is a snood. Doesn't need to be expensive, I got mine from Ebay for under £3. But it is surprising how much warmer you are with the neck area insulated.

Only when you are comfortable can you fish effectively.

Tips, Tricks & Hints

Time to share some of the little wrinkles that I use in various aspects of my fishing.

Elastic Frustration
You know that frustrating moment when you are elasticating a pole or re-tying a connector you let go of the elastic and it springs back into the pole and you have to start again.  I prevent this very simply.  Pull out enough elastic so you can work comfortably and then tie a "cow hitch" knot around something like a disgorger or cocktail stick.  The tension will tighten the knot as the disgorger rests against the pole tip.

The Cow Hitch knot

This will prevent the elastic from pinging back into the pole and allowing you to work on a length of elastic that is not under tension.  You should recognise this as the same type of knot used to attach a rig to a Dacron or crows foot.  When ready the knot slides off and the elastic straightens and retracts back into the pole.

Universal Leger Set-up

On all my leger rods I use a system that allows me to change from Method to straight lead to feeder in seconds. 

I tie a four to six inch long loop in the end of the reel line.  I then can thread on whatever type of ledger rig I want and keep it in place with a Drennan Method bead.  These are like a stonfo but double ended so can be quickly removed from the line to change set-up and also allows quick change of hooklength.

It only takes seconds to switch from this

to this

To aid this quick change I do a bit of surgery on my Method/Pellet/Banjo feeders.  With a sharp knife I cut a few millimetres off the end of the tail rubbers.  This reveals a slightly bigger hole through which to thread the loop.  If you are still having trouble then when you tie the loop leave a tag end of a couple of inches and you can thread this single thickness through a feeder easily and pull the loop and knot after it.

One other benefit is that the knot in the loop, while it will pass through the feeder or swivel, will snag a little and so aid self hooking.

Loopy?
I used to not bother with making sure all my loops were the same size.  I just tied them freehand, after all what difference could it make?

Then I discovered how to use the free Seymo loop sizer I had got with a magazine.  I started to use the tool to make consistent sized loops and strangely there was a small but noticeable improvement in my results. 

The Seymo Looptyer

I'm not sure that the consistent sizing of loops actually made a direct difference, though I'm willing to concede the possibility it improved presentation.  But I think it was a general attitude change.  Instead of saying "That'll do" I was now taking a little more care in getting things spot on.  Things like fine tuning shotting.  Seems a fiddly job but sometimes, even on carp rigs, I now go as far as using a 13 Stotz to get it exactly as I want it.  Tying hooklengths exactly the same length and plumbing up precisely are other examples of going the extra step towards perfection.  I now believe its the angler that strives for this that will consistently outdo those that don't.

Recently I was told this theory is "tosh".  I accept it may be.  But, I know my fishing improved when I started to tie consistent, neat loops.  All down to that or something else as well?  You decide.

And if you haven't tried Stotz then you are missing what I believe to be one of the best angling innovations of recent years.

Backshotting

To clarify, I refer to any shot above the float as a backshot.  I know some people split the definition between backshot and trimming shot.  I can't be that complicated.

I have three reasons why I backshot most of my rigs. 

1. To increase sensitivity
2. To aid float control, particularly in a wind
3. To allow fine tuning of the shotting

Although I was aware of backshotting I didn't use it much until I had its benefits for increasing the sensitivity of the float clearly demonstrated to me one day on a drain near Boston.  We were practicing for the Div. 3 National  It was a windless, clear blue sky Summer's day when everything on the water sparkled in the sunshine.  I was using a canal rig without backshot for the small roach & skimmers in the drain.  The line above the float could clearly be seen laying in the surface tension.  I could also see the occasional dip that didn't pull the float under nor pull the line through the surface.  It was only occasionally that the float disappeared.  I decided I needed to backshot the rig to sink the line.  After I did I started to catch more regularly as the previous dips translated into sail-aways.  Since then I have added backshot most of the time.  Even with carp I believe they can abandon a bite if they feel the resistance of the line in the surface tension.

When there is a breeze or strong wind the addition of backshot allows the line to sink out of the effects of the wind.  You can also use a shot to act as a shock absorber on really windy days and the pole tip is being blown around.

I can fine tune the shotting, allowing for different weight baits or just adapting to how the fish are biting by incorporating some small shot into the backshotting pattern.

So, how do I backshot?  My normal set-up is to have a No.11 just above the float, set level with the top of the bristle.  I then have a No.9 below the pole tip.  Between these I can have up to four No.12s.  The 12s can be slid down to the No.11 or up to the No.9 to trim the shotting during the session.  In high winds I will either add another No.9, 8 or even 6 below the pole tip.  This heaveier shot can be slid closer to the float thus creating a V shape in the line between float and pole.  This V will absorb some of the unintended pole tip movement. 

Stonfo Frustration
Occasionally I find that the loop on the top of a rig can become tangled around the stonfo connector.  A simple way to avoid this is to incorporate one inch of fine bored tubing above the No.9 backshot.  Once the rig is attached to the connector just slide the tubing over the loop and that should prevent problems.

Play Time
I think we all know the popular image of an angler playing a fish - rod in the air, bent with the line cutting through the water.  Thing is that in my opinion this is the wrong way to play a fish.  Yes you need to lift the rod to net the fish but first you need to get the fish to a netting position.  I'm not talking small fish here.

To me the best way to keep control over a fish is to keep the rod or pole low.  When playing a decent fish I like to try and bury the tip as far under water as I can.  Why?

Once a fish is hooked it senses it is in danger.  Ignore the pain debate for now.  But the fish knows something is trying to force it where it doesn't want to go.  That place is the surface.  A frightened fish will seek the sanctuary of the river or lake bed.  Once there it feels safer and becomes compliant.  So as long as it can hug the bottom it will then succumb to the pressure of rod or elastic.  The moment you try and lift it towards the surface it will get scared again and try and dive for the deck and head out into the lake.  At that point drop the tip underwater again and you will find the fish will accept the pressure and come towards you. 

If you haven't experienced this then try it.  It is particularly noticeable on the pole.  Once you are down to the topkit lift and let the fish run then dip the tip and you will feel the pressure come off as the fish comes towards you and the elastic retracts.   Its the same when playing a fish on a rod.  If hooked at distance keep the rod low, at least level with the bank or even with the tip underwater.  The fish will be reeled or pumped in easier.  Again, when lifting to net and it runs then drop the rod to the side and feel the pressure come off.  Repeat this a few times and the fish will tire and become docile for netting.

Finally on this subject.  I haven't used a drag or clutch on a reel for at least forty years.  Ivan Marks advocated backwinding.  I copied him and have never done anything else since.  By backwinding I give the fish line when I want to not when some unfeeling, mindless device decides to.  I can control how much line a running fish takes and at what speed.  Its never let me down so I guess I'll never change.

Twister
We all suffer line twist I'm sure no matter how careful we are when loading a reel.  The way I eliminate this may look odd to dog walkers but it works.

I take a rod and the reel to a playing field (you could also do this on the bank) set the rod up as if fishing and open the bail arm.  Grasping the end of the line I walk 50-100 yards away from the rod, drop the line and return to the rod.  I then reel in using my free hand to tension the line.  The grass combs the twist out of the line.  For a badly twisted line you may need to repeat but I find one go is normally enough.

Smelly Flask?
We've all done it, left the flask with tea/coffee in it until the next week.  One way of cleaning, steralising and freshening it up is to fill it with water and put in one or two denture tablets and leave a few hours (top off).  This should return it to its former glory. 

But of course I have a simple way of never having this problem.  If I take a flask (Winter only) I just fill it with hot water and take along some Oxo cubes.  Hot Oxo & a couple of sausage rolls on a cold day, super!

And if the flask gets a build up of limescale just fill with water and add some vinegar.  Leave overnight & rinse.

Breadpunch

I am writing this not because I am a brilliant punch angler but because someone asked me to.  I think they were just interested in my way of doing it.  I mainly fish the punch on the Wellingborough club stretch of the Leicester arm of the Grand Union Canal near Market Harborough.  For some reason the fish in this stretch respond best to punch.  I struggle to catch the skimmers but normally can have a good day with roach, unless its a match.

Many people will tell you that you HAVE to use this bread, THAT bread etc.  I'm afraid I go for the cheap option - a Tesco Value loaf for feed and hookbait.



Preparation
Firstly the feed.  I don't bother cutting off the crusts.  By the time I have finished I can hardly see the crust crumbs so I can't see it making any difference.  The crust can only be 1-2% of the entire loaf.  I liquidise a loaf and pass it through a squatt riddle.  This makes sure there are no large lumps to fill the fish.  If the stamp of fish I was planning on catching were around the 6-12 ounce mark then I may be tempted to use a maggot riddle.  But as most of the canal fish I catch on bread are in the 1-4 ounce bracket then I think the squatt riddle is OK.  I know of some who go a bit further and use a flour sieve. 

I find I need to liquidise and riddle the bread three times to get most of it through the riddle.  So what I do is start by doing the whole loaf, four slices at a time and riddle off what I can.  The lumps are put aside for a while to let the liquidiser cool, the fine stuff is bagged.  I then repeat the process another twice, again leaving a while between the second and third stage.  I find then that at least 90% of the loaf has gone through the riddle and been bagged.  The remainder go to my pond fish, its cheap enough.  The bagged bread is frozen unless I am using it next day.

For hookbait I do like to microwave and compress the slices.  As all of my bread fishing is done over Winter I will prepare and freeze a whole loaf in October/November and that generally sees me through.

I cut the crusts off (they go in the feed) and microwave for ten seconds and then just compress the bread with my hand on a worksurface.  The slice is then cut in two and bagged, two half slices to a bag.  These are frozen and taken out for use on the morning.  One bag being ample for a day.

Floats
My go-to float is the BGT Greenie.  This is a slim, wire stemmed 0.4g float.  A little heavy some may think but I prefer to have that bit of weight in case the canal tows a little.  It also gets the bait down quickly.  Shotted with a string of No.9s & 10s.  Backshotted with a No.11 near the float and a 9 near the pole tip.  To me backshotting is vital when targeting small roach.  Get the line sunk and bites will be more confident and positive.

 BGT Greenie

 

If conditions are perfect and/or in swims under 3ft then I love to use the BGT Blood.  For me this is the most perfect canal float I have ever used.  It has a bristle that can be sunk with a No.13 shot/Stotz.  Difficult to shot perfectly but get it absolutely spot on and its a joy.  Easy to see the bread settle.  Being only 0.2g is shot with a string of No.10s.

BGT Blood

 

If the canal tows significantly then I will move to a BGT Blue.  0.5g in  three foot of water or less, 0.75g in deeper swims.  They will be shotted with a bulk of No.6 shot so I can hold back and still keep the bait on the deck.  I will go up to 9 inches overdepth if necessary.

BGT Blue

 

 

Like my commercial rigs I choose a simple set of lengths for each float.  The Greenie is on a seven foot rig on a lilac winder, the Blood on four or seven foot, yellow & green winder respectively the Blue 0.5 on four foot and 0.75 on seven foot on pink winders.  So you see selecting the right rig is simple and no need to label anything.  If I want a far shelf big fish rig I just carry some of my commercial margin rigs (4 ft. 0.2g BGT1 float on 0.17 line).   







 

Line, Hook, Hooklength & Elastic
I try and make my canal rigs as simple as my commercial carp ones.  Line is Reflo Power, 0.11 for the main rig line and 0.06 for the hooklength. 

I use a four inch hooklength when punch fishing.  This is just about the only time I will use one that short on the pole.  The other exception being fishing commercial margin swims less than 12 inches deep.  This means I can have a shot just five inches from the hook.  I don't like shotting hooklengths as this slows you down when having to replace.

My hook of preference is the Sensas 3530, size 20.  I like the long shank as this helps when hooking the bread out of the punch.  I think I could probably get away with an 18 but as I have bought a few packs of the 20s I will use these up first. 

Sensas 3530

Elastic is simple also, a solid No.4.  I find this will cope well with the unexpected bonus as well as cushioning the smaller specimens.

Breadpunches
If you can't work it out from the photo check out my "Bits & Bobs" post on how I adapt my punches to make them easy to handle and unsinkable.

 I think they started life as Drennans

 

Feeding
Feed is taken to the bank in the bag the bread came in but I use two 1 litre ice cream tubs to keep my feed in on my side tray.  Reason I do this is that they are free, have lids and the unused bread can be frozen for next outing.  That may sound cheap but I have spent precious time liquidising and riddling the feed so why waste that time by throwing away unused bread?  It also saves tying up a couple of bait boxes.

I put the feed into the tub and add water then mix like groundbait using a disgorger as a stirrer.  The reason for having two is that I can make up two mixes with more or less water in.  One will have only a little water so I can form a sinking groundbait-like ball.  The other will make a sloppy mix.  I normally start and top up with a ball of feed and while fishing use the sloppier mix.  The slop will form a sinking cloud.  By adjusting how sloppy it is possible to make the feed either explode on the surface or with a little less water it will sink a little before exploding.  But being wet all the bread will sink.

Two ways of feeding - pot or by hand.  To be really accurate I feed through a pot.  But one of the best punch anglers I know advocates feeding by hand, even if that means throwing the slop across the canal.  His reasoning is that roach, the normal target, are not grazers but darters and thus absolute accuracy is not essential.  They will roam around the swim looking for food unlike skimmers that tend to graze an area.  So by throwing you get the roach searching a wide area and attract yet more from further away into the vicinity of your hookbait.

Of course the big question is how much and when to feed.  There are no rules for this.  Like all feeding it has to be worked out on the day.  I will normally try and kick a swim off with a ball from walnut to egg size.  Size being determined by what I know of the venue.  Also I will introduce a larger ball onto a line I intend fishing later. That initial ball will always be cupped in so I know precisely where it has gone.  After that I will try and tailor my feeding to how the fish are reacting.

Fishing
Starting depth will always be just touching bottom.  There are days when the fish want the bait overdepth or a couple of inches off.  For this reason I usually set up two rigs for a swim.  One that will stay at dead depth, the other I can experiment with. 

My hookbait slices are kept in the bag and I will cut off a one inch section for immediate use.  This is dumped when it dries or is used up.  To slow down the drying process I keep it under a small piece of wood.

I start on a 5 mil punch and experiment with larger or smaller if needs dictate.  It can be worth trying a much larger punch if you suspect skimmers or bigger roach are in the area. 

On the canal I fish two lines, topkit + 1 and a far line in 2 1/2 to 3 foot of water.  I have had two canal experts tell me that fish like to inhabit this sort of depth.  Actually one said 3 the other 2 1/2.  I have these two depths marked on my topkits with tape.  I will set the float at the depth and then plumb up to work out where that is on the far side.  The opposite way round to how you would normally plumb up.  I may then adjust slightly between the two depths in order to get the pole at an accurate length.

After the initial feed I expect to catch fairly quickly.  The near line can normally be fished for 1-2 hours before dying.  Once that has happened it can be difficult to get the fish back feeding there.  The only exception I have found to this is when fishing through ice.  Then I expect to catch all day from just a couple of spots.  On at least one occasion I have broken a hole to top five distance and eventually found the fish wanted to feed at top four.

Re-feeding has to be a matter of judgement and experimentation.  You may need to top up with a solid ball or you can feed regularly (after every 1, 2, 3 fish) with the slop.    I carry a variety of sized tosspots so I can regulate how much I feed using different pots. 

I have found that you don't necessarily have to be right over your feed to catch.  Obviously if there is some movement on the canal then you can let the float move away from where you have fed because some feed will drift away.  I have caught up to ten foot from where I have fed.  Also even when the canal is still I have found that on difficult days the fish can sit around three foot from the feed.  So if you are struggling try placing the float three foot either side of your feed.  It can lead to a bonus fish.

It can also pay to work the bait, lift and drop the float occasionally to induce bites.

If the canal starts to tow strongly like when a lock opens then switch to the heavy rig and hold still  or let it inch through.  This is a time I find I can pick up a bonus skimmer or large roach.  Do not struggle with too light a float.  It is amazing sometimes how heavy a float you can get away with if it is properly shotted.  You must use a float capable of giving you the control you want.

And as always dot the float down as far as is comfortable for you.  On the heavy rig you can afford to overshot slightly as you will be holding it back against the tow and that will force the float out of the water slightly.

Finally
I love fishing the punch.  On one level its incredibly simple, on another it is complex because the fish are unpredictable.  I recall a Winter league match a couple of years ago.  I drew THE hot area from where the match had been won two weeks previous with around four pound.  Started like a train and had 16 fish in the first hour so well on my way to my first pound.  I finished the match with 19 fish.  I was so disappointed that I went back and fished the swim three days later.  I had 70 fish for over 7 pound.  I know pleasure fishing is different but just half that weight on the Sunday would have seen me win the section and probably frame.

Then there are days when its just great to be out and conquering the elements.

Possibly extreme but a great day for the punch 

 

And the result, around 50 fish for near three pound

Bits, Bobs & Groundbait

I thought it may be interesting to take you through a few of the odd items in my tackle box, some that I have made or adapted. A couple may surprise you.

The groundbait is stuff I make myself and may be of interest.  Put it in this post as I couldn't work out where else it would fit.

Secateurs and weedcutter

As I have mentioned in my Carp In The Margin post I carry these two implements so I can do a bit of gardening when needed.

Primarily for margin fishing, I find that it can be useful to use the secateurs to prune bushes overhanging the bank preventing me from getting the pole tip and float where I want to. I will also use them on bankside grass and rushes that may be preventing me from seeing a margin. I do like to have a clear, unobstructed view of the float. Secateurs are also useful on the canal. Most stretches of canal I fish (Grand Union, Northants) have hedges behind. It can be tricky getting the pole shipped back through. A few snips with the secateurs can clear a path for the pole and make life a lot easier. I can also find overhead branches a nuisance. Again the secateurs make short work of these.

The weedcutter is for tidying up margin plants like rushes and reeds. I have invested in a cheap telescopic landing net handle. A few times I have come close to losing the top section of my take apart handle. So the tele is a must in my opinion.

 

Block of Wood

Yes honestly I carry a six inch length of two by three. It has two uses. First is to steady my feeder arm on the odd occasions I use it (its a cheap one). Second is when fishing the pole at length. I find that I need to raise my knee a couple of inches to compensate for the droop of the longer pole. The block of wood allows me to do that easily by placing it under my foot.

 

Counters

With most commercials having a net limit you need to keep track of your weight. Many use a clicker. I'm too stingy to buy one. My alternative is seven wooden clothes pegs. Five have the numbers 1/6, 2/7, 3/8, 4/9 & 5 the other two have 10/20, 30/40. Simple to just clip them on a bait box and move them around as I catch. As well as being free (I don't think The Boss has noticed them missing from the peg bag) if dropped in the water they float, unlike a metal clicker.

Yes I know some of the numbers are upside down. 

The pegs on the right would indicate I have 26lb in the net.

 

Bread Punches

I haven't made my own but I have adapted the shop bought ones. For me the stubby handles are too short, particularly in Winter with cold hands. I bought some Bic ballpoint pens, the basic clear plastic ones. With the ink tube removed you can glue the brass punch heads in. I then bought a set of foam pencil grips off Ebay and added these to the pen tubes. Two benefits of doing this. In time you learn which size is which pattern/colour and the foam keeps the punch afloat should you drop it in the water. 

 

Bread cover

Also for bread punch. I made a simple cover for the bread out of a square of thin timber and added a piece of strip wood as a handle. This helps stop the bread drying out too quickly.  I only tend to have about an inch square of flattened bread on my tray at any one time.

 

 

Knot Picker and Band Hook

I made two useful little tools out of a pair of plastic disgorgers and two pins. For the knot picker I just took off the head of a pin and heated the blunt end up and pushed it into the disgorger handle having first cut off the actual disgorger part.

The second tool helps pull bait bands through drilled pellets. I have tried Quickstops and got hacked off with having them ripped off the hook when the pellet got stuck in the landing net. So now I drill 8mm pellets and pull a bait band on a hair through the hole. That way if the pellet gets caught in the mesh it just pulls the band through. To get the band through the hole I made a small hook. Again taking the head off a pin I then heated the blunt end and bent it over using very fine needle nose pliers (jeweller's type). The hook just fits through a 2mm hole, the size I drill in the pellets. I then heated the pointed end of the pin and pushed it into another cut off disgorger.

 

 

Hooklength Storage

Years ago I was looking for a way of storing hooklengths. I hit on the idea of winding them round foam pipe lagging and have used this method ever since. For barbless hooks I cut a length of the lagging and run one piece of electrical tape down the length of the foam. This is so I can write on the details. I then hook the hook into the foam, wrap round and hold the loop in place with a plastic headed pin.
 

For barbed hooks I wrap the foam in electrical tape, red for canal and blue for river. I use one pin to hold the hook and a second for the loop. Cheap, easy to handle and no kinking of the line.

 

 

I also keep a made-up supply in my desk so I can replace losses quickly when fishing on consecutive days.

Pellet pump

As a confirmed skinflint I hate that a simple thing like a pellet pump costs the earth. So I have made my own for under £6. I bought a wine saver vacuum pump from Ebay, £4.99 post free. The type that has two rubber stoppers for wine bottles. I then bought a 400 mil. cliplock lid cup from Morrisons for 80p. I drilled a 20mm hole in the cup lid (carefully as it is easy to split the plastic if you rush). This hole takes the bung snugly. No need to seal it in as when you pump the bung pulls tightly into the hole. Works excellently for £5.79.

 

 

Hooklength Sizer

I'm sure most know that the way to get consistent length home tied hooklengths is to use a board and two pins or nails. I have made one simply out of a piece of scrap pine and three blob headed pins (taken from my hooklength storage). Done gently you can tap the pins into the wood at the required lengths (I only use 10 & 4 inches) and then break the heads off the pins with a pair of pliers.  The wood was painted with blackboard paint as its easier to see the line against a matt black background.

It doesn't have to be pretty. 

Note the three pins, one with a head still on is for the hook,

the other two for looping the line round at 4 & 10 inches.

 

 

Spring Balance

OK, not something I have made but an essential piece of kit for me. I am useless at estimating the weight of fish. Up to around three pounds I am fine but bigger than that and I struggle. Given that most fisheries have net limits and I need to get the weight accurate or risk losing the net I like to be sure. So I carry this small spring balance that weighs up to five kilos (11 lb). Unfortunately I couldn't find one on Ebay of the right size in imperial. All I do is weigh the fish in the landing net with the end of the handle resting on the ground. I know that empty the net weighs 400 grams. I then have a conversion chart taped in my side drawer so it is quick and simple to weigh the bigger fish and thus keep accurate track of my weight. I am now not normally more than two or three pound out by the time I reach my limit (10lb less than the fishery limit).

I also carry a £2.99 set of digitals from Ebay for days when bigger fish are expected or for weighing my canal catch at the end of a pleasure session.  I wouldn't use them to weigh a match but good enough for the occasional use.

 

Tosspots

I make my own. Simple design and adapted from something seen on the Maggotdrowing.com website. I like to have a variety of sizes and carry around twenty in an ice cream tub. I find that if the fish want differing amounts of feed then switching sizes of pot means you don't get it wrong. Its a good way to discipline yourself and regulate your feeding.

I use any container that looks likely. I have used caps from aerosols, toothpaste pumps, Prittsticks, water bottles. Basically anything that will act as a pot.

I punch a couple of holes in the side between a half and one centimetre apart depending on the size of pot and pass a length of elastic through the holes and tie into a loop. The elastic can then be wrapped around the pole and the pot making it sit to one side. This means you can swap pots without having to remove the rig.

 

 

 

How they are made and attach

 

 

The range I carry

 

 

Threader

I make my own threader for getting elastics through a pole.  I did this for two reasons.  Firstly the shop-bought ones were too short, second I was away on holiday once and lost one so made my own.

 

I use garden wire, the type that looks like green sandwich bag ties but on a long reel.  You will find it in most pound shops.  If you cut off about four metres you will end up with a roughly two metre threader.  First job is to strip the plastic coating off.  I find the simplest way is to run a sharp knife along the wire crosswise and just cutting the plastic without nicking the wire.  It can take a while but with some patience you will end up with four metres of bare wire.  You then need someone's help.  I fold the wire around a piece of dowel, broomstick is ideal.  With someone holding the dowel grasp the two ends in a pair of pliers, mole grips are better.  Start twisting the wire with the pliers and continue until the twist reaches the dowel.  The two ends in the grips will form a very tight twist and will not come undone.  You can get the person at the other end to twist the broom handle but not too much as the loop will tighten and you will struggle to get it off.  When you are satisfied the twist is enough, and it doesn't have to be excessive to hold, remove the dowel and flatten the loop.  Cut the two ends to form a neat finish and the threader is ready to go.    

 

Stotz Dispensers

Only a minor thing here but I mark the size on all sides and bottom of the dispenser with a marker pen.  This means when they are loose on my side tray I can still pick up the right size without delay.  And I keep a duplicate set in my fishing desk for when making rigs up.  So no danger of taking them out of my box and forgetting to put them back.

 

Groundbait

I use fish flavour dry catfood.  Used to be Morrisons but they changed their recipes so now its Tesco Premium Cat Crunchies, salmon, trout, tuna & shrimp - £1.35 a kilo.

 

I liquidise the catfood and pass it through a flour sieve* I then mix the powder with brown crumb, also sieved.  Two thirds cat food to one third crumb.   It takes on a lot of water but makes a nice friable mix that is good for both balling and Method feeder.  I have caught carp, bream, tench, roach, and even small catfish (in France) using this mix.

 

I have also enhanced the mix occasionally when targeting larger bream or bream dominated waters by adding a tin of fish flavour catfood that has been pushed through a maggot riddle.  Mix the groundbait first and then add the catfood. 

 

With the brown crumb usually at less than a pound a kilo this makes a very cheap but for me effective groundbait.  

 

* Both liquidiser and sieve are mine and not the ones from the Boss's kitchen.

 

 

Feeding

Feeding – Why, What, Where, When, How

I can't tell you how to feed. There are just too many variables. But I can explain some general principles, ideas and hints that may help.

For me there is one golden rule about feeding :-

Never feed without understanding what it is you are trying to achieve.

Always understand why you are feeding what you are feeding and when, where, how you are feeding it.

To explain that it may be easier to give a couple of examples of what I see as bad feeding technique and then go from there.

All of the following were witnessed on a local club lake, part of the Wellingborough Nene AC waters. “Millcotton” has been dug out as a commercial style snake/canal. 13M wide on average with forty pegs (plus five disabled stands in the car park) around an island. From above it looks like a compressed/stretched kidney shape. Stocking is with carp to the odd 10/11lb fish (average is 2-3lb but enough 4-8s to keep you interested) and plenty of silvers including some crucians to two pound.

My normally successful approach in a pleasure session is to fish at around 8 metres and feed micros or four mils regularly through a tosspot keeping everything tight. In pleasure sessions I'm too lazy to fish the 14m of pole required to target the far bank and will often fish that with a pellet feeder. The margins can also give good sport and produce the larger fish. Here I just trickle in some pellets and corn.

Anyway – Bad Feeding 1 – While fishing I heard that unmistakeable sound of someone a few pegs along feeding a handful of corn. As I looked over he fed another two or three handfuls around his float that was just off the end of his rod tip. He then lifted the float out and I could see he was fishing around 2-3 ft deep. Problem for me is that at that point the lake is five foot deep.

I can recall fishing corn at half depth on two occasions. Both were in the far bank margin and the fish had given me indications that they were intercepting my small amount of corn feed midwater. So while I see it as a legitimate if little used tactic the feeding I had witnessed didn't match the depth being fished. Three handfuls of corn would, to me, pin the fish to the deck so it would have been best to fish full depth or feed one or two grains regularly or even liquidised corn if you want to target midwater.

Bad Feeding 2 – Two lads turned up with chairs and “carp” gear and sat themselves a few pegs from me. Next thing I heard was a swoosh as one of them started to throw in a pre prepared seed mixture. I think it is done by Dynamite and comes in large “sweety” type jars with screw lids. This lad broadcast at least six handfulls of this mixture all over the far half of his swim and then proceeded to do the same to his mate's. Now, consider that he has probably just carpeted an area roughly twenty metres wide by six and a half across, that's 130 square metres.

This may be a legitimate tactic on some large carp lakes such as may only contain a half dozen specimen and named carp and you are prepared to wait 48 hours for a bite, not being a “carp” angler I can't be certain. But on Millcotton all I see it as doing is allowing the fish to possibly mop up 130 square metres of feed before finding your single hookbait. Consider that my bait is sitting in a fed area of probably no more than one square foot. To me no wonder that I caught and they blanked.

Bad Feeding 3 – Actually no feeding at all. A lad pitched up next to me one day (lake was virtually empty but he still decided to sit on the next peg – go figure!) and fished the pellet waggler. Again a legitimate tactic though one I see no need for on this lake. He fished for three hours without feeding one single thing, just cast the float around the swim. Yes he picked up two stray fish. But one of the basic requirements of pellet waggler fishing is feed, feed, feed. Maybe not loads and frequently but regularly. Others may know of occasions when they have seen the pellet waggler score without feeding, I can't recall any.

In each of the examples above each tactic was legitimate and all the feeding methods have their day. But on none of the occasions did the feeding match the tactic and hence, as I witnessed, very few fish were caught.

So what can I say that will help?  First consider -

Why Feed?

The simple answer is “To attract fish into your swim and hold them there”. Correct but not the whole answer. Carpeting 130 square metres with bait will do that, but we are trying to catch the fish, not just feed them. That's what garden ponds are for. So the whole answer is that we are trying to get fish into a position where they are confident to take up our hookbait and in the right place to do so without delay.

Fish are wild animals and naturally have a survival instinct that means they will be wary of anything that appears odd. They understand their environment and know when something is alien and thus possibly dangerous. If we think that a fish cannot see our hooks and line then we are deluded. While a fish may not be able to understand what our terminal tackle is it is still an alien presence in their environment and thus something to be avoided. So we have to somehow overcome that natural caution and feeding helps.

One sure fire way of getting fish to ignore danger signs is to create competition. The need to eat can overcome the fear of something not looking right. This was demonstrated to me nearly fifty years ago. I started my fishing as a boy on holidays in Scotland fishing a small, crystal clear trout stream. One day I discovered the biggest trout I had seen under an overhanging tree. For days I would cast a worm to him, trundle it past, let it sit in front and even occasionally bouncing it off his nose. All he did was disdainfully move a couple of inches to one side. Then one day, with the worm sitting on the deck about two foot in front I saw an eel emerge from the leaf litter under the trout and head towards the worm. In about two seconds the trout shot forward, grabbed the worm and then exploded out of the water as I struck. He threw the hook and was gone never to be seen again.

That trout knew that there was something wrong with my worm (may have been the size six hook and hawser-like line) and would never have touched it. Until, that is, he was in danger of losing out to another fish. Competition for food will make a fish forget all caution. Our feeding must do that. We need to attract enough fish into the swim to create that competition.  But we don't want to overfeed.

What to feed? (and how much)

Really two schools of thought here. Feed what you are fishing on the hook so the fish get used to that bait and will take the hookbait with confidence. Or fish something different on the hook to what you are feeding so it stands out and fish can target it.

I guess I do both. You can never tell on any given day what the fish will want so you have to experiment.

On a match in August 2013, my first having been in hospital recovering from a brain haemorrhage, I was incapable of holding much more than four sections of pole for too long so concentrated on the margins. This was Decoy's Horseshoe lake where I do well in the margins anyway. It was a frustrating first few hours as I was taking the odd fish but not big enough or frequently enough to challenge. I had been feeding pellet in the margin and then eventually tried introducing just 6 grains of corn. This almost instantly brought in much bigger fish and I was catching them quicker. I ended with 103lb for fourth only 18lb behind the winner.

I can't explain why fish can afford to be choosy and react better to one bait rather than another. But we don't need to know why this happens, just that it does. So if you are not catching you have to experiment with other baits both on the hook and importantly what you feed. By all means start with what you have confidence in and believe will work. If it doesn't then be prepared to change.  Change baits, change amounts.

How much to feed at any one time is also a subject for experimentation.  You can't just pitch up and feed as you did the last time you fished the venue.  Conditions change, the fish have different moods so you need to be flexible.  I carry a number of home made toss pots for the pole.  There are several different sizes so I can regulate the amount I feed by changing the size of pot.  Sometimes the fish want a carpet of bait over which to graze, other times this will drive them away and you need to feed sparingly but regularly.  There are no guidelines for this.  But you need to recognise the signs.  If  the fish back off and you get no bites for a while after feeding then you may need to cut back on your feed or feed less frequently but heavily and fish that out when the fish return before re-feeding another potfull.  If you get almost instant bites at first and these tail off you may need to feed more regularly and/or heavier.

As a general rule fish will want more bait in the Summer than in the colder months.  But I have known January/February days when I have started feeding sparingly yet by the end of the day am feeding a large potful regularly and have used three pints of pellet as the fish grew increasingly confident.  And this will change day-to-day and fishery to fishery.  So you have to feel your way into each session and adapt to the reactions of the fish.

Where do I feed?

Strangely probably not a feeding question at all but one about water knowledge, conditions and plumbing up. Most of the time we will know something of the water being fished and have an understanding of where the fish are likely to be found. It would seem logical to me to feed where the fish want to be rather than trying to force them somewhere else. You wouldn't expect dinner to be served in the bathroom.  You may go and eat it there but you wouldn't be comfortable and may want to get out quickly.

You also need to consider how you want to fish and conditions. If for example you want to fish pellet at dead depth then you really need to find a flat area. But if the bottom is very silty then it may be worth finding a slope that will be clean and easier for the fish to find your bait.

One reason I fish the pole is I love the accuracy. So when feeding I find an immovable far bank marker or even reflection on the water and make sure I feed to the same spot every time. Though sometimes with species like bream it can pay to widen the area slightly, particularly with an initial groundbait bombardment as bream like to graze and can be in big shoals. But even if you feed tight to one spot the active fish will move your feed around, so no need for you to do it.

If there is a tow on the water you may find that you get bites “down tow” from where you feed. Don't try and follow this with your subsequent feeding as the fish will move as the tow takes the bait away. Always feed to the same spot and let the fish settle down tow.

When to feed?

This really is the 64 million dollar question. Re-feeding too early can put the fish off and also reduce the chances of the fish selecting your hookbait. Too late and the fish have drifted away meaning a blank spell until they return. You probably will not get this right immediately. It is only by experimenting on the day that you will get the right frequency. In essence what we are trying to do is replace the food at the same rate as it is being consumed by the fish. This will be different day to day and change during the day. It is the angler that senses these changes and reacts to them earliest that will do well. It is down to sensing the change in rhythm of bites and how this changes as you feed.

This is also why I like to feed two, three even four spots in my swim. That gives me the ability to feed each differently, different amounts, baits and rate and then judge how the fish are reacting. Over the day I may find one or two spots outdo the others and will gradually concentrate my efforts there.

Two broad guidelines though do exist. Little and often may bring the fish up in the water. Whether you want this is down to how you intend to catch on the day. Or you can feed a lot in one go and hopefully pin the fish down on the deck.

How do you feed?

By hand, catapult, pole pot, feeder? All are methods available to us and each has their purpose and day. Three examples from my own experience may help explain.

Match 1 – on the river Lee at Broxbourne's Crown stretch. Famous in those days (80s) for its chub. The far bank has houses with gardens down to the water's edge. Many have landing stages that make an ideal home for the chub. A wag & mag approach was the usual tactic with the float drifting along the edge of the staging or moored boat. On this day I drew a good peg and spent the first hour on the waggler catapulting maggots with no result. I then chucked a maggot feeder over and in the next hour had two gudgeon. Back on the waggler and suddenly I was taking chub. Won the match with 8/9 fish for around 24lb. Something about depositing a feeder full of maggots regularly brought those fish out to play. I still don't understand why.

Match 2 – Decoy's Cedar lake and I had a corner peg with an enticing margin just over topkit distance away. Easily fed by hand which is what I did for the first hour. That produced only four fish despite the signs of there being plenty in the swim. A switch to feeding through a tosspot changed things and I started to catch regularly. The difference was, I think, that the tosspot concentrated the feed on one spot and thus brought the fish to my hookbait. Feeding by hand allowed the bait to spread too far and so fish were all over the shop and not homing in on my bait. I ended second that day with 124lb.

Match 3 – Holly Farm, Moby lake. A small knock-up. Started feeding pellet and had loads of fizzing and few fish. A switch to dumping in a potful of corn stopped the fizz and brought fish to 10lb. I doubled the second place weight with around 55lb. Others were feeding corn but not catching. Difference was I was cupping in while they were throwing. I tend to think the large number of silvers in the lake were able to intercept the thrown corn as it was spread out while my potful being concentrated mostly reached the deck and so brought in the carp.

So how you feed can make a big difference

Finally

There are times when all logic and careful planning and execution just don't work. A few years ago I fished a two day match at Kilworth Sticks fishery, two matches over two lakes. One section on each lake and swapping to the other lake on day 2. Day one saw me take fifth on Curran's loop. Happy with that as I was up against some very good anglers. Day 2 on Buffalo loop and with an hour to go I was getting my backside kicked off the next peg and was probably last on the lake. Out of desperation I just dumped a big potful of corn & pellet under a bush on the island bank opposite (plan X). Within fifteen/twenty minutes I had landed two seven pound carp. I won the lake and gained fourth over the two days picking up a little coin and a new pellet waggler rod.

In conclusion I can only repeat what I started out saying. Always feed with a purpose in mind, never just aimlessly throw in bait. Watch for the signs from the fish as to what they want on the day. Experiment if things aren't working or you think they can be improved. Don't be afraid to do something different but always understand why you are doing it.

Listen to the fish, they haven't read any books and can be totally illogical as a result.

Feeding is an artform and there are very few artists. The rest of us have to work hard at getting it right. But get it right and the rewards are well worth the effort.

My Simple Approach To Pole Fishing

Note, May 2018.  As nearly four years has passed since I first wrote this a couple of things have changed.  So I have updated some of the information.

Further updated September 2021.


In 2010 I looked at my rig tray and realised that I had well and truly overcomplicated things. I had, over the years, tried to buy floats for every conceivable situation. This realisation coincided with me discovering BGT floats*. I also had rigs of various line strengths and lengths, hooks and hooklengths were the same. When I sat down on a peg and looked in my rig tray I was confused at to what to use. This then led to me having doubts as to whether I was using the “right” float/line/hook. Invariably I would convince myself that I had left the right rig at home. And this impacted my fishing. So it was a bit like a revelation that struck me when, in conjunction with looking at the BGT float range, I decided to simplify everything.

 

The change in my fishing was marked and rewarding. Previously I was happy if I framed in a few club matches a year. After the change I started framing regularly and winning a few more. I was also holding my own in a few open matches.  I hasten to point out here that I am not mentally challenged or simple minded. But I had overthought what I was doing.  I needed to simplify the tackle so I could then concentrate on what I now believe to be the three most important things – location, presentation and bait (including feeding and hookbait). So all the existing rigs, floats and hooklengths were thrown out.

Floats

I initially opted for four floats from the BGT range (for commercial fisheries) though I have now changed that slightly, each float has a specific though broad purpose.  The first two (BGT1, Shallow-Long) will account for at least 90% of my Summer pole fishing.  It can't get more simple than that. 

You will also realise that I colour code my rigs by using a certain colour winder for each rig type.  Makes picking up the right rig easy.

 

BGT1 - a 0.2g, 2mm hollow bristled float ideal for margin work, either near or far bank. Rig length 4 ft, on a light blue winder.  I do now add a spring eye for added security.

BGT1

 

 

Shallow-Long – 0.5g same float as the BGT1 but with a longer stem. Both floats have an elongated rugby ball shape. The Shallow-Long rig length is seven foot and is used in open water or margins too deep for the BGT1. Navy blue winder.

Shallow-Long

 

Grey – 0.5g with a thinner 1.2mm solid bristle and longer body shape than the Shallow-Long/BGT1.  Seven foot rig and used in open water where a more delicate approach is desired. Sees more use in the Winter. Green winder.

Grey – 1g. Ten foot rig for deeper swims or days when there is a tow on the water. Yellow winder.

The bristle on the Grey is not robust enough for carp in Summer.

Grey

 

Blue – 1g round bodied with a slim bristle. Ten foot rig on a pink winder and used in open water when depth is greater than six foot or shallower swims when there is a tow. The Grey and the Blue are interchangeable as they are both 1g floats.  Though the bristle on the grey is slightly slimmer and more fragile and so tends to see more use in Winter when the carp are less active.
 

Blue

 

All rigs are on 0.17 mainline (Preston Reflo Power) with the exception that the Greys on 0.13 for Winter, silvers and F1s. With these five I can fish any swim I draw on the commercials I have fished since making this change. The advantage for me is there is now no doubt in my mind when choosing a rig and fishing. I make the rig work for me. Yes it may not be perfect as desired by a top angler. But I think that little bit of perfection lost is more than compensated by my confidence in the rig and the ability to concentrate on those three more important things I mentioned earlier. The colour coding of the winders and the limited range of line strengths means I can select the right rig without fuss and I don't need to label the winders.  All confusion and doubt has been removed.

My simple rig collection

In 2013 I also started to carry the BGT Beedee, originally bought as an up in the water float with a couple of venues in mind.  0.2g on four foot of 0.17 line. But I rarely fish this method. I now also use this float for very shallow margins.  An experience where I could see fish shying away from the longer BGT1 showed me the importance of using an unobtrusive float when the fish are likely to be able to see it.  These are carried on a pink/light red winder.  I have also made up a few on 0.19 line straight through to an extra strong hook for one particular lake where the margin fish are regularly ten pound and a tad over.  These are in a separate box and on a red slider winder.

Beedee (next to a 5p piece)

One final set of floats I use rarely is the Avanti Choppy. I won these floats in a raffle and have to admit threw them in the back of a drawer when I got home. But what I later realised was that they were ideal floats for when the weather is really rough. The four floats range from 4x16 to 1.5g but crucially they have the longest bristle I have seen on a float at 8cm/3 ¼ inch. This means when there is a heavy chop on the water the body is well below it and the float rides well through the surface. They are mounted on ten foot of 0.17 line, purple winder. These floats stay at home most of the time unless a strong wind is forecast.

Choppy

Since discovering the benefits of the much longer Choppy float in very poor conditions I have both bought and made some specific windbeater floats.  The ones I bought are from the DT Floats range.  They look odd but fish brilliantly.  Overall the DT float is 30cm/12 inches long and 0.8g.  My home meade is smaller at 24cm/9.5 inch and 0.5-6g.  The length of the bristle (14 & 9cm) means the body of the float stays below the surface turbulence when windy and the overall length makes it very stable.  In the main they have replaced the Choppy but I still carry that as well.

Grey body, DT Windbeater.  Red body, home made version.

All my windbeater type float rigs are carried in a handy organiser box making them easy to grab on a day they might be needed.  The box cost £2.99 from B&M (the Guru colouring is a coincidence).

I have taken to adding a spring eye to all my Summer floats on 0.17 line. This simple & cheap job just prevents the side eye from being pulled out. I also coat all new floats with nail varnish. I don't insist on it being a particular brand, just any clear varnish will do me. I re-varnish when re-making rigs.

 

Shotting

On my BGT1 margin rigs I shot with two No.6 shot or a string of No.10s just above the ten inch hooklength.  From there I can fine tune depending on the bites on the day.  False bites from small fish and liners can be negated by removing some weight, switching one or both No.6 shot for No.8s.  To make the rig more sensitive I just dot down with extra shot. 

 

As I have said in my Fishing The Pellet post on my deep rigs I have been experimenting with an odd looking shotting pattern that I think combines the benefits of a heavy rig with the finesse/sensitivity of a lighter one.  That is I have three No.10 shot four to six inches apart starting just above the hooklength.  I then add as many No.6 shot as needed but strung from above the No.10s to below the float.  I then trim to dot the float down with shot between the top No.6 and the float.  It seems to work for me.  I will use a bulk by moving the No.6s down to just above the top 10 if there is a strong tow.  

 

Hooks/Hooklengths

Simplifying my hooklengths was easy, though would frighten many.  I only use Reflo Power line and accept that the actual diameter is probably around 0.02 thicker than stated.  But I'm happy that doesn't compromise me getting bites.  It certainly reduces the number of lost fish through breakages. 

Kamasan B611 (spade) size 16 to ten inches of 0.13. This is the thickest line I will use on a spade end hook

Kamasan B611 (spade) size 18 to ten inches of 0.10. This is for silvers but mainly carp in Winter teamed with a mainline of 0.13.

B911 (eyed) size 16 on ten inches of 0.17 line. An eyed hook, large for its number, larger than the B611 16. I feel more confident with the thicker line on an eyed hook. 

In 2017 I started to fish hard pellet regularly with some success and so now carry some B911s with a band in a hair.  Size 16 to 0.17 and 18 to 0.13.  This has added a little complication to my simple approach but having simplified everything else I can cope with this.  I found using a Guru hooklength box a boon in organising this wider range of hooklengths.

Red Drennan Carp Maggot (spade) size 16.  I have been trying these hooks out as a replacement for the B611 16 after Bob Nudd gave me one to try in 2013.  Very impressed with them though in extreme circumstances I have had one or two open out on me.  Interestingly the one Bob gave me was a pre-tied hook to nylon and was half an inch longer than my home tied 10 inch hooklength.  If anyone is looking for a reliable hook to nylon for expander/maggot for carp I can recommend these.  I easily landed 100lb on the one hook during the day with Bob.  As of 2018 I rarely use these now as I have confidence in the B611.

  

The B911 16 is for bigger baits like 6mm expanders, paste and corn, the 18 for banded pellet where I feel a lighter approach will get me more bites.  The B611 for maggot but mostly 4/6mm pellet though I will fish corn on this as well. In the last three years I have expanded the range.  

 

But again, choice is simple and uncomplicated with the B611 16 being used most frequently closely followed by the B911 18. With all hooklengths the same length switching, if required, is simple. And I only very rarely put shot on the hooklength.

 

Elastics

Elastics are similarly simplified.   I can never predict what I am going to catch next and so I chose an elastic that will enable me to have control over the larger fish. I may bump a few small fish like skimmers but to be honest that doesn't bother me. I manage well with the elastics I use and see no reason to complicate matters with pullas. When first getting into commercial fishing properly I strted with elastics that were a little over the top, 18-20 in Summer and 16 in Winter, both solids.

Since writing the above paragraph I have changed slightly in that 16 solid is now (2021) my heaviest elastic so that and 14 the ones I use most frequently in Summer.  I have experimented with hollow elastics and just cannot seem to get comfortable with them in the warmer weather.  I have however found that either a 14 hollow or 12-14 Ultra Core from the Nick Gilbert float store works well for me on four topkits to which I have added pullers and use these in the Winter just about exclusively. 

 

Bait

I have concentrated over the last few years on fishing pellet and corn. On most commercials in Summer I find that little more than this is needed. I will carry some maggot and meat if I know the venue responds to it. I will always have maggot & pinkie with me in Winter. Sometimes the fish will only look at a single red maggot orpinkie. I believe that by limiting myself to a narrow bait range I have learned how to fish them effectively. Again, I can have no confusion or doubt as I just don't have the options on my side tray to worry about.  And of course these baits (pellet, corn, meat) are relatively cheap, particularly if you can get pellets in bulk. 

 

Summary

Does this simple approach work? For me - yes. The first year I did this I won/framed in more matches than I had ever done. In the period July 2013 to June 2014 I fished 47 matches and picked up money in 25.   Admittedly some were fished mainly on the feeder but I suspect that many anglers of my ability level could improve their catches by adopting this simplified approach. As I have said, I now believe that location, presentation and bait are more important and improving skills in these areas will have a greater impact than fine tuning rigs with 101 variations of float/line/hook.  But you have to do whatever gives you confidence. 

 

That I don't frame in more matches is not down to tackle but my mental ability to do the right thing, make the right changes on the day. Once I get the location, presentation and feeding/hookbait right I start catching.  I readily admit that I make wrong decisions and miss clues as to what changes I should make. It is always (well nearly so) in the last hour or on the drive home that I realise my mistake. I am also impatient and if something doesn't work quickly I change and don't settle until eventually I make a decision and stick with it.

 

On the separate subject of breaking down rigs. I do this if I have cut a rig down by an appreciable amount and I am not likely to be fishing the same venue again soon. I have some rigs stored separately for one or two venues that I will fish regularly, such as the one I will fish each Summer in a weekly evening series.  I don't waste the old line though. This is recycled either into hooklengths or shorter rigs.

 In the year 2013-14 I fished at least 25 different commercials/carp dominated lakes. I take confidence in that I can take out a rig and know that it will be the correct length and weight (4ft/0.2g, 7ft/0.5g or 10ft/1g ft) to suit the swim.   The 0.17 line and my choice of elastics will cope with carp to low doubles.

My simplified approach works for me. It does concentrate on pole fishing commercials though I apply the same idea to my canal fishing. I am an average club angler. I am probably too old to improve much but I still want to be competitive at the level at which I fish. For me, making things simpler has helped do that. I have certainly won more matches and framed more frequently since making the change.

*BGT is no longer trading, the owner having retired.  I stocked up on the floats I use while I could.  The point is though that I recommend finding a range of floats you are comfortable with and like me, make a simple range work for you.

My thanks to Bryan of BGT for allowing me to use the photos of his floats from his website.